For the next few days, the former Firebending Master of the Avatar and the Chief of Police of the Republic City fell into a routine. Yuze will barge go in the Chief's office with a bribe gift, and say—
"Beifong, having an assistant will do good for you. And you know what's better? Me as your assistant."
— to annoy convince Lin. Then the latter will reply with—
"No," then followed with, "Goodbye," or simply just, "Bye!"
— then the firebender will be thrown kick out of the office— sometimes out of the building.
Also, Yuze is getting creative each day on how she'll get in the building. As you know, Lin discovered how Yuze got inside her police headquarters just after she got banned from entering the building. That's why the earthbender thought of a plan for how to get the firebender out of her station. But the Firebender Master is just so clever and creative (annoying and stubborn too) that every day she gets new ideas about how she's gonna enter the building.
Of course, she can't do it without help from others. One of those are Tenzin's kids: Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo. Yes, they also got mixed into this mess. Yuze bribes the kids into propelling her up into Lin's window in exchange for ice cream (she made the kids a promise not to tell it to their parents). She also sought help from her friend, Jianjun, by making an opening for her to get into the building.
The bribes gifts were also changing every day. And Lin will comment like—
"Really, a basket of fruits? What am I? An injured patient lying in a hospital bed?"
Or...
"Yesterday you brought me fruits, now you brought me vegetables? Did you steal it to Tenzin's food storage or what?"
Or...
"Yes, it's completely normal. A cow inside my office... WHAT IS THAT COW DOING IN MY OFFICE AND HOW IN SPIRIT WORLD DID IT EVEN GET IN?!"
It's always been like that. Really it's completely normal. What you will see in your everyday life. Yuze even gave sacks of rice and some other practical things. Korra once asked Yuze what's with the stuff she's giving the Chief of Police. And the firebender simply replied.
"It's much better to give a person practical things. More useful and necessary."
Which made Korra feel like she had been enlightened by the ways of the world and realized what Yuze said made sense. I mean she too would much prefer food than a bouquet of flowers.
Of course, Lin knew this too that's why before she kicked Yuze out of her office, she'd make sure first that the gifts were secured in her hands. That cunning woman.
Tenzin noticed it and confronted Yuze, asking why she still pursuing and even giving gifts despite knowing that she had a little— almost no chance of winning over the esteemed Chief of Police's heart.
Yuze knew that she had little chance to achieve her goal but despite of it, she refused to give up.
"Hehe. No, I will not give up. She's challenging, yes, but I like challenge."
Tenzin watched Yuze laugh as she said those words. But he knew she'd got other reasons why she wanted to be Lin's assistant that badly.
Alongside, while Yuze was pursuing Lin into hiring her as her assistant, a particular group of trio was pursuing Yuze into taking them under her wing. That trio were Jiayi, Luhan and Zhen. Just like the Master Bender the trio were stubborn and refused to give up. That's why the moment Yuze exited the station (through the entrance or window) they always blocked her way, but even before she would finish their sentence, the woman already took a detour and avoided them while saying her apologies and refusement.
Their relationship is truly fascinating. It's just a cycle of pursuit and rejection.
Now in the present.
Yuze was sitting at the bench just outside the Republic Police Headquarters, looking gloomy. Not because she's losing hope of winning over Lin'd heart but because she already ran out of ideas about what else she could give to the esteem Chief of Police.
"If only I known her since the moment she came out of her mother's womb," Yuze sighed and lowered her head when all of a sudden her eyes widened, "That's right. I knew someone who knew her since the dawn of the time," the young woman stood up and brought her fist in her palm with a smirk, "Okay, time to pay a visit on Baldy."
Lin looks at the rectangular locket in her hand. She runs her thumb on the engraved symbol in front of it— a dragon curling protectively around a flying boar. On the back, there's a symbol of four swords thrust in a shield which has a design of two dragons circling each other, like a yin and yang.
The earthbender opened the locket and her eyes landed on the words engraved inside.
"Though we're miles away from each other, We're oceans far apart,
We're under another sky,
I'll always be with you
'cause I am in your heart and you in mine."
Lin read the passage with a longing smile as a pair of soft green eyes flashed through her mind.
The woman clutched the arm of her chair with her free hand and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath to regain control of her emotions.
She can't have a moment of weakness as she knows anytime there will be someone who will just barge into her office.
And though she's referring to her officers or her old friend, a pair of mischievous green eyes of a certain woman flashed through her mind.
Lin smiled and chuckled a little at the thought of the young woman who had been pestering her these past few days. Though a part of her was annoyed at the young woman, there was also a part of her that felt so warm.
But then her mind went back to the conversation she had with her friend a while ago.
Lin was standing in the window with her arms crossed while peering down at the young firebender master who was sitting on a bench with a gloomy expression.
"She's quite an interesting person, isn't she?" a voice came behind her said.
"Stubborn one too," Lin scoffed. She heard the person chuckle and felt it moved towards her left side. She saw Jin from her peripheral vision also looking down at the young woman.
"She reminds me of you, you know?" Jin said while smiling softly, "Though but soft. Fearless and confident. Sassy but understanding. Snarky but compassionate. Stubborn and determined. Smart and quick-witted. Playful but know when to be serious. You both give off a warm feeling to everyone around you."
The man glanced at her but her face betrayed nothing though her grip on her arms tightened, "That woman you are pertaining to was long already gone."
"Doubt it," Jin retorts.
Lin sighed, "Why are you here, Jin?"
Jin's smile widened, "Oh, I'm just here to congratulate you for being ranked two in having the most approval from the citizens."
The woman laughed dryly while making her way to her desk making the officer frown as he followed her with his eyes.
"Approval? If I were them, I would not vote myself," her smile formed into a thin line as she gazed at her desk, "A Chief that can't protect her child can't be trusted. I can't be trusted."
Jin looked at his old friend with sympathy and understanding in his eyes, "Lin, I know wherever she is right now, she is proud of you," the woman scoffed at that, "And I know she doesn't want you to be like this."
Lin bit her lower lip as the sound of the gleeful laugh of a child echoed through her mind, "How could I not? If she is my heart and my life? And without her—"
The woman bit back a sob at the thought of her. She looked up to stop the tears from falling to her eyes.
Jin's eyebrows knitted together in concern, and took a step closer, "Lin..."
Lin chuckled humorlessly as she sniffed, "Sorry about that. I guess I'm just tired and stressed with all of the bullshits around. The Equalists are getting on my nerves."
The Lieutenant sighed. He knew he would risk a few things at the next words he would say, "I think it's time you hired a new assis—"
"No."
"Lin, you're not getting younger anymore. All of this stress is bad—"
Lin turned her head and looked at him with cold eyes, "I said no. You know damn well why I don't want an assistant, Jin, so stop telling me with that bullshit."
"But I have a feeling Yuze can be trusted. She's not like the last one."
Lin grabbed a pen and started to continue her unfinished job, "That's what I also thought last time. But I am wrong."
Jin looked at his friend sadly and without a word started walking towards the door, but looked at her before he left, "Just thought about it."
Lin didn't reply and Jin only sighed as he left the room.
Yes, though a part of her feels Yuze could be trusted, there's also a part of her that what happened many years ago will be repeated once again if she accepted her. If she trusted her. If she let her into her heart. But she can't have it. She can't have her walls down. She needs to protect her heart or else it will break again, which she doubts will happen as it's already broken in pieces, crushed by the people she thought would be the ones to protect it.
Then when a certain child came into her life, it gave her hope. Her life feels complete again, her heart feels whole again. Then she thought maybe the universe felt bad for making her life like this and gave her the most precious gift she'd ever received.
But she's wrong! Because she was taken from her! Which made her heart crushed into pieces, and felt the most painful feeling she ever felt in her entire life. Not her mother doesn't give a damn about her, not her sister putting a scare on her, not her assistant betraying her, and not even Tenzin leaving her for a younger woman could ever compare to the pain she felt when she has been taken away from her.
No, it will never be repeated. She will not allow that to hap—
"Hey, Beifong!"
Lin's thumb stilled from rubbing the locket on her hand, not bothering to lift her eyes to look who was the one who had the nerve to barge into her office without permission.
"Guess what I have with me today? I know you could guess it because you could smell the familiar aroma of your favorite food. Yes, you guess it right! Dumplings! And if you are wondering why I know that, well I asked Tenzin what's your favorite food. And if you are wondering why I asked Tenzin about it, well duh~ Of course because he knows you as you two are—"
"Why are you doing this?"
Yuze stopped talking and preparing the dumplings she bought. She lifted her head and saw Lin looking at her intently.
"What?"
"Why are you still doing this? I've been nothing but cold and snarky to you. I already rejected you countless times and threw you out of this building. Then why are you still coming back here? Why are still convincing me to hire you as my assistant?"
Yuze thought of a funny remark but at the sight of serious eyes of the woman in front of her, she just shrugged and sat down at the chair in front of the desk.
"When I was a child, in our town there is a mountain. And a rumor was going around that an old witch was living in the mountain. The adults warned us that if we go to the mountain, we will anger the witch leaving there," Yuze chuckled as her eyes stared at the opposite wall, reminiscing the old days.
While Lin doesn't know where this will go, just listened to the younger woman's story without saying anything.
"Then one day we played tag and subconsciously went near the witch's house. We were so loud making the witch angry. She went out of her home and yelled at us to be quiet," Yuze laughed at that, "But it got my interest and curiosity, and I being me went back to the mountain. And there I saw her tending to a deer with a warm smile on her face. It got my interest more that's why I followed her when she went somewhere she always visited every week on the same day. Thursday," she paused for a moment, "And there I saw her kneeling in front of two tombstones, talking while crying. Then I learned those were her husband and son. Her husband died during the war and her son was in an uncurable illness."
Yuze sighed, "That day I realized, we can't judge a person based on what they are showing. And some people are not really bad... Just misunderstood," she looked at the older woman who was looking back at her, "You know, my adopted mother has newspaper and magazines with you in it. I don't know why she has it, maybe she's a diehard fan," she shrugged, "But that's not what I want to say to you. What I wanted to tell you is, on those old newspapers and magazines I can see the spark of life and pride in your eyes, but now while I'm looking at you, I can't see it."
Lin's heart beat fast as the younger woman looked at her. Her eyes seem like looking through her, seeing her soul. Yuze leaned forward as she spoke.
"Now, I'm quite curious. What is the story of Lin Beifong? What is your story?"
"Where is she?"
Tossed.
"What did you do to her?"
Whimpered.
"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!"
Lin's eyes snapped open as she sat up.
"Yuze!"
She panted as a bead of sweat glided down her pale face. Lin closed her eyes and controlled her breathing to calm herself down. But she knew she failed as she felt her eyes burnt from the tears threatening to fall down from her emerald eyes. Her hands covered her face in an attempt to hide the sound of her sobs from the world. 'Cause she's a fucking Beifong and the Chief of Police of Republic City and she shouldn't be weak. But despite that mantra repeating in her head, she didn't succeed in stopping her tears from falling.
Because tonight, she's nothing but a mother who lost her child.
