Chapter Text
“What are you doing in here?” When Kya saw a faint light quiver under the library door, the last person she expected to be on the other side, was the Police chief's daughter, Lin. Although just a couple years younger, Lin was more solemn and angry, than the people her mom worked with. She spent so many hours practicing earth bending, or teasing her air bending brother. Not that she’s complaining, it’s funny to watch him get so riled up, and not get in trouble afterward by her dad. But seeing a wide eyed Lin surround by ancient scrolls and an open flame was highly disturbing.
“IWASJUSTTRYI-” she clamped her mouth shut, neck and ears as red as could bed. Oh right, she remembered.
This past year, she went from resident loud mouth, even giving Bumi a run for his money, to clamping up every time she walks by. At least Su likes me, she thought, bemused, thinking about that sweet girl probably trashing her room right now. Kya heard Lin take a deep breath, then turned her attention back to Lin.
“Tenzin said that air benders could fly, and I told him he’s stupid, and he just like to brag cause he thinks no one will check out his facts” She paused once more before saying,
“Also, it’s nice to get away to finish my homework without people telling me I’m doing it wrong.” She got quiet. “He’s so bossy.”
“Where did you get the fire?” Kya leaned in closer, looking at some of the scrolls she sprawled out, trying not to snicker at lin’s under the breath comment.
“Um, a flint and candle.” Lin scoffed with shitty teenage sarcasm.
“Alright asshole, don’t burn down the library and I won’t tell Dad. Oh, by the way, he’s right, there was one, but hasn’t been one since. I think the name was Lahime- something.” she sauntered out before she could say anything else slightly stinging.
Back in her room, Kya found it was affectively destroyed, as assumed. everything metal was bent and folded, and she was currently sporting her water bender formal wear, prancing around the room in a way that even her free spirited mom would go crazy.
“HIII KYA!” she ran up to her, holding... a necklace? out of knives...? Spirits.
“Su, put my dress back now” she replied deadpan. Su pretended to pout for a moment before doing as told.
“Hey, what’s the deal with your sister?” Su looked back with mischievous gleam on her face, she loves tattling on her sister.
“That part where she’s grumpy all the time, or where she’s got a crush on somebody here.”
“What?” Kya leaned in closer. She did not see that coming out the little girl’s mouth.
“Yeah, Mom told her that she could do whatever, she doesn’t have to come here since she’s old enough. She told her she has to watch me, but we both know that ain’t true, and I’m working on decoding her diary-”
“Hold up, she has a diary?”
“Yep.”
“And she even has it coded?”
“This one she does, since I can read, duh.” Su was positively smug.
“Well?” Kya was getting impatient.
“Well, she’s got three layers of coding for the type of words, and incriminating names, places get another code name-”
“Moving on.”
“She’s scared to talk to them, so she sticks around-”
“WHO?”
“I don’t know!” Su was already distracted with something else, but it was starting to get late, and Toph would be here any minute. Kya demanded she clean and bend back everything she messed up, and dragged her out before she could do more damage.
Lin was there, packed and ready, head bowed, standing by her mom as if she were on of Toph’s officers instead.
“Don’t worry, it’s just some free spirited fun, don’t forget some of the fun WE had in the Fire nations-” Toph was proudly conforting her parents of a recent incident, one they keep trying to talk about, and one Kya has been trying to avoid for a week now. Kya threw Su in the room and dodged out. The reason for her imprisonment here was due to some late night fun, which was found out by an understanding police chief, and then delivered a less than understanding set of parents. She serves her term with dignity, but would like to stop talking about it please.
Four days later, she was able to locate Lin. The weekend she spent obsessing who could possibly be her crush, and her being grounded and unable to go anywhere to distract herself left her with nothing else to entertain herself with.
It was lunch time the prestigious Republic city school, only the second built in this newly instituted hub. The winding narrow hallways, opening to courtyards and classrooms were meant for the students to focus on their school, Kya was like a hound out for blood hunting for a certain earth bender.
Not even her pack of friends hooting and cat calling her could distract the water bender from sniffing out wherever Lin hid. Yesterday, the first day since she could remember, Lin didn’t come over after school. Just gone. Lin was that constant presence in her life, and was mysteriously absent, just in time for her to get interesting. Trying to rack her brain for where she could be, she cut through the courtyard and tripped right over Lin Bei Fong.
“Yeah, Lin, you look to be the best of friends.” snickered a broad shouldered idiot with a fierce scowl. Somehow Kya got tangled up in the strap of Lin’s bag and Had to take a moment to hurriedly untangle, both faces red with embarrassment.
“Lin, I need to talk to you” Kya tried to act nonchalant, for someone who was currently trying to unhook one of her legs from behind Lin’s neck. Lin’s stoic face read shock, though she did well to conceal it and shrugged yes as she tried to get up. She looked at the bigger of the two boys, raised one smug eyebrow, and led her and Kya away, who watched the whole encounter, included the shocked faces of those brutish boys.
“Your friends seem nice, mind telling me what’s going on with the weird encounter?” Kya was noticeably frustrated. Lin looked a thousand miles away, and still a little self-satisfied from the last encounter, which she had not fucking clue what that was all about.
“Lin, I swear I’ll go back there and ask them-”
“I told them we hang out, like friends, kinda.” Kya stared, bewildered.
“It’s kinda true...” Lin started to look guilty. “You’re sort of a status symbol here.” she paused,
“I’m just trying to bide my time till I can get out of this hell hole, if I can make it easier by a tiny lie, I’ll do it. Not like you don’t have many friends. And you’re never here.” Lin stopped thoughtfully, for one brief moment, she could see Lin’s face soften up, and almost started to smile.
She always wore her heavy mess of corkscrew curls fairly short, and over her eyes, to mimic her mom, but lately she started to grow it out, to prepare for putting it up and back. Now, she actually looks like a girl. Her silky dark curls fell in her face while talking, and she refrained from the urge to tuck her hair back.
“Eh, that’s not so bad. I won’t say nothing, I have a question for you-” A bell rang out, signaling the end of free period, and to go back to classes. The sparse crowd around them dispensed, and they were there alone, not daring to go back to class.
“So, how do you skip class?” Lin looked around, as if she was surveying the best exit, and ensuring now one was coming. Kya was shocked. She knew she was gonna be in so much trouble, but to get Lin to skip school? Worth it.
Kya grabbed Lin’s hand. “Follow me.”
Lin couldn’t believe it. just like that, we were wandering the back alley ways of the neighborhood, though a market of people yelling and haggling prices, and called out for produce. Probably heading towards the park. Kya still held her hand, rushing to a certain location where she’ll deem it safe to relax. Lin noticed where they were finally, and pulled Kya close.
“Hey, there’s going to be increased security in this area, they’ve had a serial thief hit up this market three times this month, come this way” It was Lin’s turn to lead now, she took a sharp left and headed up another alley, to the series of old dilapidated buildings, and then a gated area.
“That was some slick thinking, we should’ve been taking you to these outings all along- hey, how did you know that police were gonna be there though?” Kya babbled and she watched Lin make a couple of discreet moves, and open the side door to enter. As they both entered the dim lit tunnel, Lin turned and replied in a low voice,
“Mom always has me read her police reports, to make sure everything is in there.”
“Oh..” Lin turned around. Toph is far from a conventional mother by any means, but the blindness, paired with her incredible talents, make both her, and the children living in her shadow, difficult to understand. It’s mind blowing thinking about how they could both be raised so differently.
“Where are we?”
“This is where I train, we’re actually fairly close to my house.” Lin turned, to hide her slight embarrassment, not sure of the cause. The earth bender took a step forward, and got into a slight fighting crouch, and went through her drills.
Kya was admittedly impressed. It was a show of earth like she so rarely saw, Dozens of rocks danced in the air, some she noticed she would mold into various shapes, before crashing into their designated spots. Kya nervously danced around the perimeter, watching the rocks crash, and stopped when she realized Lin’s eyes were closed. almost immediately, Lin’s show was stopped, and she resumed her guarded stature, red faced.
“why’d you got to look at me like that? Its’ just a simple drill” Lin turned, and started leveling the earth back in swift movements.
“Why did you have your eyes closed?”
“Mom wants me working on seeing with the earth, so I can become better, like her.” She paused, a warm smile on her face.
“She says I’m doing much better than her new recruits, because I got the best earth bending master for the job.” Lin almost chuckled.
“I didn’t know you were that good either!”
“Mom said I can’t practice anymore at your place, uncle Aang gets mad when I mess up his rocks.” Kya laughed, she remembered now, when Lin was little, she would wreak so much havoc on the court gardens.
“I remember that! When do you get in your practice then?”
“I come out here at 5, before school, sometimes after, if I finish my homework early enough.” Lin looked so serious, contemplative. Much older than she really is. Kya was about to work up the courage to ask her about her crush, when Lin interrupted.
“Shit, one of my Mom’s lieutenants is coming-”
“How the hell do you know?”
“Ughh, it’s hard to explain, it’s how my mom sees-”
“what do we do?” Lin paused, and looked up.
“Shut up, and climb on my back”
“Yes ma’am!”
“Don’t call me ma’am” Lin whined
“Yes sir!” Kya dodged a rock aimed at her head. Kya could now hear voices, and she clung to Lin’s neck, as wrapped her legs around Lin’s surprisingly solid frame. Lin only took a second to adjust her center of balance, and launch up, bending tiny steps up the adjacent building, all the way to the roof.
Kya felt her stomach drop and cool wind hit her face, this was no doubt, the most interesting day of hooky she has ever had. Lin landed them both gracefully on the roof, in one swift motion, rid evidence of their escape, and peering over the roof, just in time as a group of officers came in to clearing. Lin stepped back and let out a celebratory whoop, jumping in the air, her adrenaline still pulsing through her veins.
Kya giggled, Lin completely forgetting Kya was there, and that she was still clinging to her like a koala-otter. Lin gingerly released her grip on her legs, so Kya could step down- Kya immediately turned Lin around, hugging her hard.
“That was so cool! Where did you learn how to do that?”
“Mmm.. I just made it up. It seemed like it should work, soo...” Kya’s smile fell.
“Lin, We. could. have. died.” the earth bender had the decency to look abashed. Kya felt guilty immediately after seeing the shame on Lin’s face, and decided to change the subject.
“Ok, bad ass, what do we do now?”
“We can go back to my place, it’s empty”
“Lead the way sir” Lin only gave a halfhearted slug on her arm, before heading down the nearest fire escape.