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The telephone rang in the middle of the night.

"Hello?" Lin mumbled, half asleep.

"Chief Beifong? It's Lieutenant Saikhan. We need you for an interrogation."

Lin read her watch and groaned. "Lieutenant, it's 3 in the morning. Can't you guys do that yourselves?"

"No boss, you're going to want to do this one. It involves the Agni Kai Triad."

She immediately sat up in bed. "I'll be there in ten."

Rolling out of bed, she bent the armor over her pajamas. She was about to leave her bedroom when she heard a small noise.

"Mama?" Korra said.

Lin's heart melted a little. Somehow Korra had wormed her way into the metalbender's bed without her noticing. "I'm just going to work a little early, Water Lily," she said, kissing her on the forehead. "Now go back to sleep."


Ten minutes later, Chief Beifong strode into the viewing area of Interrogation Room 1.

"Right on time Chief, as always," commented Lieutenant Saikhan.

"What's the situation?"

"Break-in at the Sato mansion. The daughter is currently in our care, since her mother is in the hospital due to minor injuries."

Her breath caught slightly in her throat. "And the husband?"

"Nowhere to be found. However, due to the amount of blood we found we believe he is dead."

Lin felt as if she had been punched in the chest, but kept a straight face.

"So who are we bringing in?"

"Officers on duty are currently interrogating triad members in Rooms 2, 3, and 4. However, I think you are particularly going to enjoy this one here in Room 1."

"What makes you say that?" Lin said, bemused.

Saikhan gestured to the window. A guard brought in a young woman. She looked slightly disheveled, with brown bangs falling into exhausted brown eyes. Her robes were singed and muddy. Lin's eyes narrowed.

Pema.

"She was found trying to escape from the mansion. We don't know if she's part of the Triad, though, because she can't bend at all…"

Saikhan continued to give more details about the break-in, how it only targeted the master's bedroom, how Hiroshi's workshop was left untouched. Lin pretended to listen, but on the inside she was seething with rage.

Rage, and pleasure.

She had never particularly liked Hiroshi-a little too smarmy if you asked her-but Yasuko and Asami absolutely adored him. The fact that the triad she had been hunting down for ages had managed to mess up on her watch and deliver a personal enemy to her doorstep?

Things couldn't get any better!

Focusing once again, she watched the young woman fidget nervously in her seat.

"Lieutenant, who's set up for interrogation?"

"Why you are, Chief."

Lin cast a sideways glance at her right hand man before chuckling.

"You are one sick man, Lieutenant."

Everyone had heard of the break-up at this point. They all wanted to console her, but didn't for fear of a scorned Beifong's retribution. So they did so in their own ways.

This was definitely Saikhan's way.

"Very funny, Chief. Now go get your man-I mean, woman!"

She didn't hear him, for she was already seated at the opposite end of the interrogation table.

"So, Acolyte Pema, care to explain to me why you were found escaping from the Sato mansion late last night?"

Pema wrung her hands as she spoke.

"I was asked by Mr. Sato to teach his daughter meditation techniques. He felt that the techniques, in conjunction with her self-defense training, could help her become a better fighter."

"While I'm sure you are adept at meditation, why would Hiroshi Sato choose you and not, say, Master Tenzin?"

"Master Tenzin would be the logical choice; however, Mr. Sato felt that I would be a better fit with his daughter."

Lin frowned. This was logical, of course. Pema was generally adored by children. Nothing smelled fishy, or at least not fishy enough to land her a jail stay.

"So when did you arrive at the mansion?"

"I arrived at 3:30 last afternoon for Asami's first meditation class."

"How long was the meditation class?"

"It lasted from four to seven."

The chief raised an eyebrow. "A five year old managed to meditate for three hours?"

Pema nervously laughed. "No, not exactly. With children we start off at five minutes, then a two minute break. We gradually increase the time until they can go for hours without a break. Asami is a beginner, so the longest she went was about 15, 20 minutes. Very, very good for any starter, much less a child."

"What did you do afterwards?"

"I ate dinner at the mansion. Normally I wouldn't due to my vegetarianism, but the chef had decided to try out some traditional Air Nomad recipes. After that I was going to go home when Ten called to let me know that the ferries were down. Mrs. Sato was kind enough to let me stay in a spare bedroom for the night."

Ten? Ugh, PLEASE. You've been dating for what, three weeks? Already you all have pet names?

"Were you awake when the triad broke into the mansion?"

"No, not fully at least. I had just drifted off to sleep when I heard the sound of glass breaking. Confused, I walked out into the hall only to feel the heat of a fire right over my back! I ran towards Asami's room, took her from her bed, and climbed down the trellis outside her window."

Bingo.

Lin's eyes narrowed. "You what?"

"I had assumed that they were searching for her, so I took her before anyone else could. After I climbed down the trellis she came to, so I told her to run off towards her playhouse. When she made it, I ran off to find help. Ended up tripping in the mud and being found by one of your officers."

"You do realize that for those few minutes you were kidnapping Asami Sato?"

The young girl seemed taken aback. "What? I was only trying to help-"

"Regardless, you still took the little girl from her house."

"Yes, but-"

"Lin Beifong, what on earth are you doing?"

Both women turned around to see a rather irate Tenzin in the doorway.

"I was just about to arrest her for kidnapping Asami Sato, something that she did confess to."

"She was only trying to help!"

Lin glared. He had a point, but she wasn't going to give in to it.

"How about this Lin: we drop all charges against Pema. You get to go home and sleep, and so do we."

We? WE?

You didn't even let my side of the bed cool off, did you...

She scowled. "Fine. Acolyte Pema, you are free to go. So both of you, go!"

The couple soon left the interrogation room. Though Pema didn't notice, Tenzin gazed back at an unknowing Lin. Lin, whose hair was dark as night. Whose bright green eyes could strike a man down with a single look.

Spirits, was she glowing?

Tenzin looked away as Pema kept babbling out an apology. He was glad that Lin looked good.

He just wished she had looked that good with him.