Work at the police station was not as easy as Taavi expected. She was assigned to assist the elderly custodian at the police archives on the fourth floor. Ms. Kong, the archive custodian, was a little bit deaf and cranky. Not only was Taavi required to increase the volume of her voice, but she also has to face the dusty files in the cabinets that have not been dusted off for the past twenty years.
"We haven't gotten any apprentices here," Ms. Kong would always say whenever she sees Taavi sneeze. "I even wondered why Lin sent you up here, or accept you at all."
The files weren't in the most orderly fashion as well. The criminal files for the past thirty years were arranged neatly by Ms. Kong, but forty years prior Ms. Kong's arrange files were arranged haphazardly, confusing Taavi if they were arranged alphabetically, by crime, or chronologically.
"Ms. Kong, how do you arrange these files?" Taavi asked one day when she dusted off some dusty file cabinets.
No reply came from the elderly.
"How do you arrange these files?!" Taavi asked a little louder.
"What?"
"These files," Taavi said and tapped the metal file cabinet. "How do you arrange them?!"
Ms. Kong approached the cabinets and metalbent open the cabinet. She grabbed one folder and read the content, "Axe and Bones gang…ah. This was from when Fa used to be custodian here," she mumbled. "I don't even know how she found things in here before." She set the folder down and closed the file cabinet. "Bah! Don't bother, people who committed these crimes are probably dead anyway."
Taavi gave the old woman a puzzled look. Don't bother? Well, Taavi was bothered. She slapped a hand to her forehead when Ms. Kong returned to her desk. As usual, the custodian turned on the radio to listen to daytime radio drama leaving Taavi frustrated on the lack of order in the older files.
She approached her supervisor, "Ms. Kong, what would you do if I arranged those files?"
"Congratulate you, that's for sure."
"I think I'll come up with a system."
"Do what you want, kid," she replied. "I'd probably be dead before you'd be able to arrange those anyway."
Taavi raised an eyebrow, inwardly accepting the challenge.
Around 2 in the afternoon Minho, the police officer who Taavi met days ago, came up to the fourth floor to ask for a copy of a murder case record. He approached the dozing Ms. Kong and knocked on her desk softly. "Ms. Kong."
The old woman was silent and unresponsive. "Ms. Kong," he called again. Taavi heard his voice and went out of the file room.
"Hey," Minho said acting surprised. "You were assigned here?"
Taavi nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Um, do you need something?"
"Yeah. I actually need the copy of the Kuan-yin massacre," Minho answered, returning the smile. He turned to Ms. Kong, "she's still alive, is she?"
The question made Taavi chuckle and approached the custodian. "She is. You just have to raise your voice a little louder. Watch," she stood next to Ms. Kong and said, "Ms. Kong!"
Ms. Kong stirred and opened her eyes, "What?"
Taavi gestured Minho who was suppressing a laugh and trying so hard to do his best poker face. He cleared his throat, "Ahem…Ms. Kong I need the Kuan-yin massacre file."
"I'll send it to you later," Ms. Kong replied and rose from her chair. "I still need to find it."
"I'll wait for it," Minho suggested.
"It'll take some time, kid."
Minho nodded, "Alright. But, Ms. Kong, Captain Saikhan needs it as soon as possible so if you could just hasten it up a bit," he pumped his hand softly," that would be great."
Ms. Kong shooed him away and turned to her file cabinets, giving Minho an opportunity to speak to Taavi without Ms. Kong looking.
"Hey, I'm sure you have some break time, yes?"
Taavi glanced at Ms. Kong who was in deep concentration in finding the file. "I guess."
"Would you like to grab a cup of coffee?" Minho suggested, grinning widely at her. She glanced back again at Ms. Kong. "Don't worry. I'm sure she's too occupied to notice you're gone."
"I'll just ask for permission, in case she'll notice."
Taavi walked over to Ms. Kong and asked for permission to go on break time. Ms. Kong lazily waved her off. She returned to Minho and together they exited the archives office to grab a cup of coffee in a nearby café.
An hour passed and Lin Beifong entered the archives looking for Taavi. Ms. Kong who was busy replicating the massacre case file, greeted her.
"Ms. Kong, is Taavi here?"
Ms. Kong piled the file neatly and set it inside a folder and turned to Lin, "She's probably down at the pantry."
Lin thanked her and headed down to where the custodian directed her. Upon entering the pantry, Lin was somehow surprised to see only one officer inside.
"Tiu, have you seen Taavi?" Lin asked.
"Who?" the officer replied as he poured hot water in his coffee and stirred it.
"The apprentice who was on that airship with the Princess," Lin answered, returning to the door and scanned the floor.
"Oh," Tiu remarked after remembering the girl. He sipped his coffee and said, "I saw her exiting the building with Minho about an hour ago."
The information caused Lin to snap and turned to Tiu sharply. "What?"
"Yeah, they were talking and they left."
Something inside Lin boiled. Her nose flared and she scowled at Tiu as if he did something gravely unacceptable. Tiu threw her a confused look and quietly sipped his coffee. Lin marched out of the pantry and called the entire floor's attention.
"If Minho arrives from who-knows-where send him to my office," Lin announced.
"He was with that apprentice chick," another police officer remarked. "Looks like Minho's got himself a little cha-ching!" The entire floor laughed and cheered but suddenly quieted down when they saw the look on Lin's face. She was mad, that's for sure.
"Ping, if you have nothing useful to say I suggest you pipe down," Lin snapped and entered her office, banging her door in her wake.
A moment later, Lin emerged from her office and was still scowling. Ping, who was chastised earlier, had a smug look on his face. Lin glared as she walked passed by him, suddenly aware why he had the look on his face. In the hallway, she spotted a view which irked her to her core and irritated every nerve in her body.
Taavi was giggling at something Minho whispered in her ear.
"—that is actually funny," she heard her daughter say.
"And then I said, that's not a dog-skunk and I'm not barking," Minho finished. Taavi giggled some more as they approached a seething Lin.
They spotted her and Minho grinned at Lin, "Good afternoon, Chief." Minho playfully bumped Taavi's elbow causing Lin to grit her teeth harder.
"Hi, Lin," Taavi piped, somehow surprising Minho.
"Wow," he said, "I didn't know you and the Chief are on first name basis."
"Well—
"Where have you been?" Lin quipped, annoyance obviously highlighted in her tone.
"Minho and I grabbed a cup of coffee down the street," Taavi informed her casually, unsure why the Chief was in such a sour mood. Lin glared at Minho from head to foot and fumed, trying to remind the officer of an important task which she's failing to come up with.
"Don't we have coffee in our pantry?" Lin questioned both of them.
Minho was appalled by the question, as if the Chief was insinuating that he had no right to go out of the station and have coffee with Taavi. "With all due respect, Chief, I just showed Taavi around considering it's her first time here in Republic City."
"He was just being nice," Taavi added. "It's not as if we're snogging in a dark hallway somewhere."
"Snogging?" Minho asked, unaware of what the term meant.
Lin narrowed her eyes at them. She sure knew what the term meant and imagining Taavi snogging Minho in some dark hallway in the building made her more irritated.
"It's means kissing," Taavi said. "It's how we say it in the Fire Nation."
The information sent Minho chuckle, "Geez, we're not even dating and you're suggesting that already?"
Taavi slapped his arm, "I didn't mean to say that."
"I'm kidding."
"I am right here," Lin reminded them. Minho stopped and Taavi suppressed her giggle to a smile which she directed to Lin as well.
"Um, Minho just took me out to coffee. He actually saved me from Ms. Kong's boring-"
"I don't need you to cover up for him," Lin spat. "Taavi, you will go back to the fourth floor, and you Minho…" She stopped when she remembered that Minho was tasked to cover a murder case. "I suggest you do your job with the Ching case and stop pestering other people to have coffee with you."
Minho's face suddenly turned serious and he gave Lin a curt nod, "Yes, Chief. Excuse me." He walked in the office and sat on his desk.
Taavi was somehow offended with what Lin did and said. It was not unnecessary to admonish her and Minho, so she left Lin in the hall without any form of goodbye.
At five, it was time for Ms. Kong and Taavi to leave the office. As per Lin's instruction, Taavi is to wait in Lin's office for Lin to drive her home. As she walked by Minho's desk, she stopped to apologize for Lin's behavior.
"Hi," she said, catching his attention. He grinned at her and stopped scribbling. "I'm sorry for earlier. I kind of have a feeling that you're a little upset."
He was upset, especially after Taavi left, when Lin dropped a stack of reports on his desk to be filled. The murder case that he was handling was also reassigned to Mako, causing him to feel insulted and dismayed over something he did which he is ignorant of.
"Don't worry about it," he replied, causing her to be guiltier. "The Chief's waiting for you inside her office."
"I hope I can make it up to you somehow."
Minho didn't answer and returned to the reports he should fill.
Taavi entered the Lin's office with an invisible bubble around her. Lin herself was quiet and didn't acknowledge Taavi's presence, as if she did not hear her come in. A moment later, Lin inquired Taavi of how things were in the archives to which Taavi replied, "Dusty and sleepy. A place where I could really use a cup of coffee."
"There's coffee in the pantry," Lin snapped. If Taavi were to push further they could get into an argument, something Lin is avoiding. However, oblivious to Lin, Taavi was prepared to argue with her.
"I bet it's as bitter as you," Taavi muttered, quiet enough for someone a foot away to hear, but loud enough for Lin's earshot.
Lin pretended not to hear Taavi's retort and rose from her seat. "It's time to go," Lin said. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
"Actually, Yanis and Sheba are meeting me for dinner."
She wasn't asking for permission, Lin noticed. "Where?"
"Air Temple Island?"
"You are not going."
"What?"
Lin stood and towered over Taavi, "You are not going."
"But I haven't seen them in days," Taavi argued. "You can't keep me from seeing my friends. Fire Lord Izumi never said anything about not seeing my friends."
Taavi had a point, and a good one. Lin's brows furrowed, her insides debating whether or not she should allow Taavi to go. There was something with this meeting that Lin was dreading for. Taavi might meet some other people other than Yanis and Sheba. Probably an airbending master.
"I just don't think you should go."
Taavi crossed her arms and frowned, "Why are you so obsessed with me? You act all parent-y and it doesn't suit you at all."
The ball was dropped and Taavi regretted what she said after seeing the anger in Lin's eyes fade away and being replaced by sadness. Lin looked away, unable to meet Taavi's eyes.
"I'll drive you to the pier," Lin said softly, accepting defeat.
"I'm sorry," Taavi returned. A beat of silence followed. "I didn't mean to. I just..." The words Taavi looked for did not come.
Lin gathered her belongings and walked to the door. Glancing at Taavi, she said, "Let's go. Your friends are waiting for you."
Taavi did not move and remained glued to her spot. "Lin, I didn't mean to offend you. I can meet them some other time."
Lin sighed and turned to face Taavi. She bit her lip as she thought on what to say. To Lin, having Taavi back was the ultimate happiness she was looking for. Seeing her daughter after seventeen years for the first time days ago was both felicitating and unnerving.
On that moment Lin had to be a parole officer and, most of all, a mother. Was it wrong to let her maternal instincts kick in? To Lin it felt unnatural and surreal.
To Taavi, Lin's maternal affections were alien. She could not even bring herself to call Lin 'mom.'
"Look, Taavi, I know I have been away. I have been distant-
"You were absent," Taavi corrected her.
"Or that," Lin returned, accepting Taavi's correction. "But, I want to be a mother to you. Really."
"I don't understand."
Lin neared her and held her hands. "Taavi, I never wanted to be separated from you. No mother wants that." A tear trickled down Lin's cheek, and her voice cracked. "If you could just forgive me."
Forgive her? Taavi took a step back.
Forgiveness. It's easy to say, but hard to do. All her life, she wanted to meet her mother. Now hat they were standing in the same room, all those times when Taavi wanted Lin around came rushing back to her, reminding her that Lin was a terrible, selfish mother. Taavi flinched and removed her hands from Lin's grasp. Maybe coming to Republic City was a mistake, maybe she could live her life without Lin after all.
"I don't think I can do that right now," was her answer to Lin.
Lin wiped her cheek and sniffed, "I understand."
"But it doesn't mean I won't try," Taavi added, feeling a weight leave her shoulders.
"Thank you." Lin smiled and pulled Taavi in a hug, feeling her daughter's presence for the first time. Building a relationship with Taavi would not be easy, but Lin was up to the challenge. She led Taavi down the parking lot and drove to the pier.
In the car, Lin glanced at Taavi who was looking out of the window, dread once again returning as Lin caught sight of a flying bison up ahead.
Author's note: Thanks for sticking with this story. I might not be able to update during the weekend since school's about to start again. Drop your reviews and thoughts. Cheers!