The door opened and in went Taavi who chose to be quiet, not even saying a simple greeting to the woman who was sitting behind the ornate wooden desk. She stopped before the edge of Lin Beifong's desk and took a moment to take in the scenery that is Beifong's office.
On the desk, a stack of papers where neatly piled on the left side corner next to an orange souvenir mug containing at least half a dozen pens and pencils. A few folders were stacked on the other side of her desk and a tumbler on top of a coaster sat next to the pile. Taavi took a sweep of the office and decided it was too old-fashioned for a modern city. Several file cabinets lined the walls and a small table was positioned next to Lin Beifong's chair, which housed the phone and a couple of picture frames. Another glance at the other side of the office gave Taavi another probable hint of the Chief's life. A huqin sat on top of one of the cabinets next to some trophies and a ball that is about the size of a kuei ball. Her mind wondered if the trophies were from victories in sports and took interest if Lin Beifong is a sports fan or even an athlete herself in whatever game she liked.
Taavi was soon snapped out of her reverie when she heard Lin Beifong's voice. "Sit," Beifong said and motioned the chair just next to Taavi. The latter took heed and quietly sat down, waiting for the Chief to speak.
Lin Beifong did not say another word.
Silence engulfed them, and Taavi prayed that Lin would speak up. The air was thick, the moment was awkward and neither of the ladies know what to talk about. Taavi bit her lip and glanced at Lin who was looking at her intently.
Lin, on the other hand studied her daughter's face, taking mental notes on every minute detail about it—the small cleft of her chin, the mole on her right cheek, a small 'dot' scar just below Taavi's right eye, and even the pimple that was starting to redden on Taavi's forehead.
Taavi felt like an hour has already passed since she entered the office and still no word came out of Lin's mouth since her order for Taavi to sit. If you would just say something, Taavi thought, I would engage in that conversation. Still, nothing.
Say something, Taavi's brain yelled at her. Anything!
The teen hung her head and began chattering her teeth only stopping when she heard Lin Beifong clear her throat. This is it.
"So…uh, Taavi," Lin began, "the Fire Lord informed me that the airship you and Princess Sheba were on was stolen." Lin paused and shook her head before continuing, "Of course, you already knew that. No point in telling you." The older woman chuckled and scratched the side of her mouth.
Taavi remained silent.
"Your 'apprenticeship'," Lin pressed on, making air quotes, "will last for a full six months. The job is mainly arranging files and reports, and answering phone calls." Lin waited for Taavi to answer but instead all she got was a nod. Lin waited for a little longer but the teenager's silence persisted. "You understood what I just said, right?"
"Um…sure," Taavi finally replied, although she avoided the Chief's stare.
"Do…do you have any questions?" Lin asked softly. Normally, people who come in to see her are intimidated by her and Lin would have a sharp and stern façade, but somehow this girl in front of her is making her nervous and unsure of the persona she is to put up.
Taavi tapped her fingers together and slowly turned back to Lin. "Wh-where will I be staying for the, um, next six months?"
"You'll be staying with me," Lin informed her.
"Okay."
Both ladies fell silent again. Unknown to both of them, their minds ran so many questions for each other, some personal and others so mundane like what food the other likes or their first pet's name, even the number of pillows the other sleeps with—questions that were not answered for the next five minutes.
A knock on the door gave both ladies relief from the awkward tension that was starting to build up. The knocker was no other than the police officer Taavi encountered earlier and introduced himself as Minho. He strode towards Lin holding a little note.
"Chief, this was just in," he announced. "That lawyer from that Ching murder case wants to meet with you and/or any representative from the police department."
"I'm busy right now," Lin replied, surprisingly to Taavi, calmly and a bit friendly. "Send Saikhan or Song, whoever is available."
Minho nodded, "Will do." He smiled at Lin and winked at Taavi before exiting.
Lin turned to Taavi and pursed her lips, again dreading the silence that was enveloping them. She decided it was for her to start a decent conversation since she's the older one and she's also the mother.
"I…I called Tamara a while ago," she began. Taavi averted her attention from the picture in the corner to Lin.
"Was she mad?" was Taavi's immediate response.
Lin leaned back and folded her arms, "She seemed worried but I assured her that I, um…I got you covered."
"Oh…okay."
Lin offered a small smile and pressed on, "I know this is really awkward for you...meeting me for the first time and I guess I…" Lin hesitated on what to say next seeing Taavi's face which seemed to wait for her to continue. "I want to apologize."
Taavi swallowed a lump on her throat and cast Lin a questioning expression, "As in 'you're sorry'?"
"Yes," Lin confirmed, "exactly that."
Taavi bit her lip and stared at Lin, "I honestly don't know what to say."
A small smiled tugged on the corner of Lin's mouth, "You don't have to say anything. I just hope that we could build a healthy relationship between us."
"I can live with that…ma'am?"
"Mom," Lin suggested, "you could call me 'mom'."
"I—I'm not—" there was hesitation in Taavi's voice and Lin sensed it.
"Or Lin," the Chief of Police supplied. "You can call me Lin."
Taavi smiled back and nodded. "Lin." The name felt a little alien to her lips but it was more familiar than 'mom.' Lin rose from her seat and so did Taavi, waiting what Lin would suggest they do next. It was a glance from the clock that prompted Lin to decide it was time for dinner.
"Sushi?"
"Sushi's good, Lin," Taavi answered back, testing the name again. This time it felt more normal and somehow cushier.
Author's note: This chapter's a bit shorter than the rest. Thanks for reading and for the good reviews. The encounter might not be what some of you expected but that's just how I pictured it. Tell me what you think :)