Chapter Text
Bolin was trying to just focus on his paperwork when Detective Shane burst into police stations soaking wet and winded. Shane’s eyes were wide and searched the room in a panic.
“I need the chief! CHIEF!?!” Shane yelled slipping and sliding towards her office.
“What?!?” Lin yelled slamming her door open.
“I was trying to investigate the warehouse like you told me.” He gasped. “I was attacked by monsters! Not spirits, monsters made of ink and I don’t know what. I barely made it out alive! But I was saved by; you’re not going to believe this.”
Lin crossed her arms. “I’m already having a hard time believing you; monsters don’t exist.”
“Well they do now, and this is the craziest part.”
“There’s a crazy part?”
Shane nodded. “Yeah, I was saved by Mako! Chief I don’t know how but it was him! When he told me to run, it was his voice!”
Lin took a few steps back. “Detective, I want you to go home. Get cleaned up and see a good doctor in the morning. Detective Mako is gone, he’s been gone for months.”
Shane frowned then nodded leaving the police station. For a moment everything was quiet then Bolin spoke up.
“That’s the fourth officer to say they saw Mako, all by that warehouse. Maybe I should go take a look, get Korra to come with me just in case there’s something spiritual going on.”
“No.” Lin hung her head. “I don’t want you going near that place. It’s too dangerous, and you’re still grieving. We all are. If there are monsters there and one of them slightly resembles your brother, you won’t be able to think straight.” She shook her head. “No one can right now.”
Bolin stood up. “Is that why you think some of your best men as seeing monsters and Mako? Because none of us can think straight?!? Well, I can think straight, and I know that needs investigation.”
“And you need to take care of your third floor.” Lin was quiet. “Look, go home, go home to Opal and stay away from that warehouse, or it's your badge.”
Bolin frowned but nodded and stood up. “I still think we should investigate that place with Korra.”
“I’ll take it under advisement. Now go home.”
Still frowning, Bolin grabbed his coat and headed out into the rain. Instead of calling a cab he walked home in the rain. A few times he was tempted to walk over to the warehouse but kept to his path until he was outside a grand townhouse in the more expensive part of town. He had been left it after the tragic events of a few months ago. Part of Bolin wanted to sell or burn the house to avoid the pan, but the other part knew this had been Mako’s dream and he treasured it.
Quietly, Bolin opened the door and almost jumped finding Soph, the housekeeper who had come with the house and refused to leave, standing by the closet door waiting to take his wet coat. Her long, rich red dress clashed with the newly painted blue and silver room: a raven-haired spark of fire against the cool colors of a peacock.
She smiled kindly, her mismatched eyes showing warmth that Bolin did not understand. He and Opal barely knew Soph, and yet she seemed to know everything; what they liked to eat, how often they washed their clothes, their favorite radio shows were. Every time Bolin asked about it, Soph shrugged and said that she was just very observant or Mako had mentioned something in passing. All of that, however, was not the most unnerving part of Soph, it was the fact she had no footsteps, at all. In a house full of marble tiles and hardwood planks, Soph’s footfalls never made a single sound.
If Bolin had a copper piece for every time Soph had spooked him by walking up behind him, well he could have bought the townhouse three times over. As it was, he was not paid to be continuously startled by the houses one and only staff member, so he had to make do.
“You look tired detective. Hard day at work?”
Bolin nodded as he handed Soph his coat and headed to the dining room. “Everyday is hard Soph; just today was a little bit harder.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
Bolin shook his head. “Not that I can think of.”
“Well let me know if there is. Dinner will be ready soon. Opal is in the living room listening to the radio.”
Bolin sighed. “Thank you, Soph you’re too kind.”
“I try.” Soph put the coat away. “I try sir.” She whispered almost too quietly for him to hear.
.o.
After Dinner Bolin was ready to sleep and he made his way up to the second floor of the townhouse where he and Opal shared one of the large and beautifully designed guest rooms. The master suite and officer took up the entirety of the floor above, and Bolin had not brought himself to spend more than an hour on the third floor and no more than a few minutes in the master bedroom. It just didn’t feel right for him to be up there, this had been where Mako and his almost husband had resided, and it felt rude to move any of their things or sleep in the same room Mako had. The fact Bolin knew Mako had had sex in that place did not help matters, so he left the third floor alone. To his knowledge, Opal had never been up there at all.
Now the only one who went up to the third floor was Soph, to dust and keep the spiders away. The most significant change that had happened to the third floor since Iroh’s untimely and still questionable death was at the sheets had been laundered, and the bed remade. A few times Bolin had headed up to the floor with an empty box to start going through things but never got past the fifth step.
Shaking his head, Bolin headed into his room to take a shower and sleep with his wife.
.o.
Shang irritably headed back to the warehouse. He was going to prove to the chief that he was not insane and he has seen monsters and Mako, especially Mako. Standing in the open lot near the warehouse, Shang looked around for any figures in the rain. For a moment there was nothing then he spotted someone leaning against the broken fence lighting a cigarette. The man seemed to take his time lighting the cigarette and taking a few puffs before walking up and standing behind Shang.
“You’re not good at listening are you kid?” Mako asked in a hoarser voice than he had in life.
“Not when my sanity is on the line.” He glanced at Mako at the corner of his eye and saw a dark smoky figure with one golden eye looking at him. “I am sane right?”
“Well you’re standing in the rain talking to a man who’s dead and not running so not all that sane, but no you aren’t hallucinating.”
Shang nodded. “Well, I guess that’s good.” He paused. “So are you dead? It wasn’t faked by the chief for a secret mission right?”
“I was about to get married and quit the force for good so, yes detective I’m dead.”
“How could you be dead and be here at the same time?”
Mako raised a smoky black hand and pointed to the warehouse that was now glowing with green and purple lights. “I’ve been given a mission.”
“Anything I can help with?”
Mako patted Shang’s shoulder; he was surprisingly solid for a phantom. “Just keep people away from here. The Living are powerless against the monsters bubbling up here.”
Shang nodded and noticed something dripping out of the warehouse broken window and head towards them. Mako threw his cigarette down and stomped out before moving between Shang and monster.
“I should probably run,” Shang noted stepping back.
“Smart move kid.” Mako smiled showing off the more mangled side of his face. “Also if you want to help throw the odd pack of smokes my way.”
“Weren’t you trying to quit?” Shang asked taking more steps back.
“Like I’m actually worried about my health?” Mako laughed before transforming into a massive black fire and driving the monster back to the warehouse.
Shang turned on his heal and ran until he was several blocks away. Panting he leaned against a brick wall.
“I guess not.” He muttered. “I need a drink.”