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Lin hated parties. Lin didn’t particularly like people who liked parties. She didn’t even like being party-adjacent.
But as the chief of police for Republic City, parties were unavoidable. The high and the mighty needed the best protection, after all, and if anything went wrong, she’d get blamed whether she were there or not.
She nursed her fire whiskey—the second of two she allowed herself, to make these events tolerable without getting her in trouble—and surveyed the room.
Raiko, of course, was holding court near the center of it. Business leaders, neighborhood representatives, a few mover stars… Lin took note of everybody in that orbit and maneuvered herself slowly to stay clear of each of them.
When she could.
“Why, if it isn’t Chief Beifong!” somebody said, the famous radio personality Sokka Tanaka. He was the lead actor in a daily melodrama half her precinct listened to when they didn’t think she was watching. What would they think if they knew he had three chins? “I’ve always wanted to meet you.”
“Uh huh,” she said, continuing to scan the crowd. She brought her glass to her lips, tipping it back but not consuming any. Just a prop to add to her air of boredom.
“Things are pretty quiet here, what without the Avatar around.”
“Mhm.”
“Any truth to the rumors she’s up and walking again?”
She shrugged.
He would not be dissuaded. “I tried to ask the Sato girl. Everybody knows they were close friends, you know how girls that age are.”
Did she? Had she ever been that age? “And what’d she tell you?”
“Why, she somehow skirted around it. Very politely, of course, but—”
“Excuse me,” Lin interrupted, and walked away.
Lin was on a mission, now. One of her favorite high-society party survival tactics—rescuing other introverts.
Asami Sato was as stunning as ever, and could easily have commanded the room if she liked. Instead, Lin spied her lurking near a wall, a drink in her hand as well, as no less than three young men talked at her. Lin didn’t know who they were or what they were saying, but she’d seen Asami when she was enjoying herself, and the smile she wore now was definitely not the same one.
“Chief,” she heard, and for once it was somebody she didn’t mind talking to.
“Mako,” she nodded, glancing around him. “You look like you’re missing somebody.”
“He slipped away again,” Mako groaned, a hand reaching up to grasp at his hair.
She swatted his hand down—he was trying to maintain a professional look, after all. “Where did a third-in-line prince of the Earth Kingdom learn to slip a trained detective?”
“If you find out, tell me, because he’s always managing… oh no.”
Lin saw the scrawny, green-suited prince strutting his way toward Asami. Asami had sized him up in a glance and had the look of a trapped animal.
Lin threw her drink back, pressing the glass into Mako’s chest. “Refill that,” she said, “And get Wu something froo-froo.”
“Is that a good idea?”
Lin shrugged. “Get him drunk enough, maybe we can get him disinvited from some of these things.”
“That would make security easier,” Mako muttered as they parted.
‘Lord Wu’ was introducing himself as Lin got within earshot. “It really is true! They pulled me out of my palace with nothing but my pajamas and my blank—that is, an extra bed sheet. I had to wrap it around myself as a disguise. I even pitched up my voice to pretend to be a girl so the rioters wouldn’t recognize me—ridiculous, right? As if anybody could mistake me for anything but a man!”
Asami blinked at him. The three men who had been chatting with her had, somehow, vanished. So much for chivalry.
“Lord Wu,” Lin said with an air of impatience. He straightened, grinning but nervous. Good. “Shouldn’t you be making political contacts within the city? If the reports about your grandfather are true, you could be crown prince.”
“You know, Chief, I hear you, and that’s why I wanted to talk to this beautiful lady here. Nobody who isn’t somebody is here at a big party like this, and all those pesky rebellious commoners might appreciate an out-of-town dame on my arm when—”
“Oh look” Lin said, grabbing his shoulders, turning him, and shoving him away. “Here’s Mako now.”
Wu sailed between Mako’s arms, colliding awkwardly for both of them. As they stood in frozen embarrassment, Lin plucked her drink from Mako’s hand. Asami, for her part, took the other one.
“Let’s, uh… go get you a drink,” Mako said, guiding Wu away. I’m sure the President will want to know…”
Asami exhaled an inch of tension. “Thanks,” she said, raising the glass.
Lin clinked hers against it, but didn’t move. If she stayed with her back to the party, it would signal anyone else to stay away. “He was right about one thing—the Hou-Ting family can certainly use an infusion of new blood.”
Asami snorted. “Well, be that as it may, he’ll have to find it somewhere else.”
“Something tells me he’ll be looking for a while…” Lin said. “Having a good time, otherwise?”
“Yes, of course, it’s a lovely party,” Asami said, staring into her drink.
Lin stared at her.
“I’ve been eying the exit for two hours. Only occasionally wishing for death.”
Lin hid a smirk, nodding like they were talking business.
“I mean, it’s bad enough I get all this attention and awkward attempts at flirting—maybe if I changed my hair, they’d knock it off?”
Lin shrugged. “Not a problem I’ve ever had.”
Asami gave a wry, awkward laugh. “I… suppose not. But what gets me is, they’ll spend all this time complimenting me, but the first chance they get, every single one of them changes the subject to Korra. Asking if I know anything. Asking for stories about her, wanting to know what she’s like.”
“Asking a woman about another woman. Brilliant.”
“That’s not it,” Asami sighed, looking down. “I… miss her. These parties are torturous enough without being reminded of how hurt she is, again and again. It’s been so long now. People are wondering… I’m starting to wonder, too. How can I fake a smile when I feel like part of my mind is starting to betray her?”
“Betray her? How?”
“By wondering if… if she ever will be coming back.”
Lin frowned as Asami wrapped an arm around herself. Korra had barely escaped death, and Asami had spent every moment of the following weeks at her side. Lin knew they were close… but while Korra went back South to recuperate with her family, who did Asami have?
“How’s work been?” Lin asked.
Asami looked up. “What?”
“I see all these new elevated roadways… did you design those yourself?”
“I… a few of them, as proofs of concept. There’s too many for me to draft all the plans myself.”
“What about that one down in the Dragon Flats. It looks like the vines are nearly holding it up themselves.”
“That’s the look I was going for.” Asami smiled, her shoulders rising. “There was a ruined building underneath, and though it took some doing to sink a column through the wreckage...”
Lin nodded along, listening intently to whatever Asami needed to talk about. She didn’t care a thing about bridges or architecture, but it was the best use of time she could find at this party.
And if she could help another soul forget her loneliness for a time, well, that was worth it, too.
The topic meandered, and Lin spoke enough to make a conversation of it, while truly letting Asami guide the thing. “They thought they could get away with Cabbage Corp’s bid. They don’t even secure their airship railings!”
Lin chuckled, but Asami’s smile wavered. All the energy she’d built in half an hour of talking vanished in an instant.
Asami sighed. “I… heh, I complained how everybody else always brought her up, but here I am, thinking about her anyway. She’s never more than half a thought away…”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Asami shook her head. “It’s not. Just… I can’t think of her, like I did when she was here. Like I can turn around and talk to her, joke with her, ask her… But, if I think of her like she’s in the past, then that feels like giving up on her, you know?”
Lin drank as she thought. “Look, Sato. I’m not exactly the sentimental, advice-giving type.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“But it’s okay to miss her. I mean, hell, I went years without talking to my sister, but now that we reconciled I have this inconvenient urge to… keep in touch with her.” She shuddered. “Got by perfectly well without a sister for all that time… but I have to admit…” Lin glanced each way, then stepped closer, “and if you tell Su or anyone this, you will regret it, but I have to admit, I’m… better off.”
Asami’s mouth hung open. “That may have been the most belabored and resentful way I’ve ever heard somebody say they love their sister.”
Lin sneered.
Asami chuckled, holding her gut. “Korra would think this is hilarious, you know.”
“I told you not to tell anyone.”
“Well, I don’t need to.” Asami sipped her drink, smiling again. “I know her well enough to know exactly how she’d react.”
“Oh yeah? What would she say?”
“Oh, nothing. Not with words. Her face though…” Asami smiled, clasping her glass in both hands.
“I may not know Korra as well as you do,” Lin said, “but I bet I know what she would do right now.”
“Oh?” Asami raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”
Lin put a hand on Asami’s shoulder, looking her straight in the eyes. “Get the hell out of this party.”
Asami laughed as if she hadn’t in months. “You know, you’re totally right? I’ve been here long enough, I’ve shown the flag.” She sighed. “I’ve been meaning to check out that park nearby that needs renovation... I just wish I had somebody to escape the party with .”
“Well, we’ve just demonstrated you’ve got a pretty good Korra in your head. If you miss her so much, have a walk in the park and ask her what she thinks.”
“Are you suggesting I turn Korra into an imaginary friend?”
“What would Korra say to that?”
Asami sighed. “She’d probably flex her arms, and say there’s no way to replace the real deal. Something like that.”
“Maybe not—but you seem happier, letting yourself think about her, at least.”
She nodded, distantly. “You… you may be right, Lin. I will take that walk.”
“Good. Maybe you can get other people to leave after you, and I can get out of here early, too.”
“I hope so, for your sake.” Asami took Lin’s hand, quickly, and gave it a squeeze. “And thank you.”
“Eh,” she said sourly, reclaiming her hand. “Get out of here.”
Resigned, Lin turned back to the party, not bothering to watch Asami go—there’d be no use drawing extra attention to their long conversation that way. She couldn’t blame Asami from feeling doubt—when somebody who was as big a part of your life as Korra had been in hers, it was easy to lose direction without them there.
Lin didn’t doubt though. That girl had more fight in her than a flock of hungry swan possums. She’d make her way back into the world.
As far as Lin was concerned, the least she could do was make sure Korra’s best friend was healthy and ready when she did.