Night Peril

Those Things I Miss, but Know are Never Coming Back

Nine Years Later

She opened the curtains, the sun shining bright on her face. She opened her dresser and pulled out her clothes. She laid out a couple of towels on the bathroom counter and started the shower.

She poured the dark liquid into her mug and sat down at the table. She flipped through work papers, trying to eat breakfast at the same time. She sat the papers down and looked around the kitchen. It was quiet. Really really quiet. 

Just like it had been for the past seven years Lin has been on her own.

Lin rinsed her plate and mug and sat them in the sink, then she quickly brushed her teeth. She had nothing that important planned for the day, just simple errands and a trip to the station.

She looked in the mirror for a second. Grey strands of hair were starting to overlap the black. She thought about dying it at one point but decided against it. She figured she'd just let it go natural.

She looked down at the bathroom counter. She couldn't help but constantly take note of the single toothbrush in the holder and the lack of extra towels. She thought about the empty parts in her closet she could never seem to fill. And even though she's better off without it, she missed the warmth in her bed lying next to her.

She walked into the living room and looked at the clock before putting her shoes on. She made a mental note to sweep and mop the floor later. It had gotten pretty dusty from her work boots. Lin had been working a lot more over the years. Housework was hard to keep up with sometimes and, on most nights, she would microwave a frozen meal for dinner.

As she walked out to get the mail, her eye got caught on the green scarf hanging by the door. She stopped. She swallowed hard before rubbing it between her fingers, then proceeding to pull the mail out of the small box.

She flipped through the mail, the same envelopes as usual. Including another envelope sealed with the Beifong family crest. Lin let out a sharp exhale, finding it partially amusing that Suyin was still trying to talk to her. She's even tried calling Lin a few times.

She put the letter with the rest of them. She looked back to the accent table that was in her hallway. The spot where kept a picture of her and Suyin, then of her and Tenzin, was now empty.

She shook her head, not wanting to think about that for too long. She grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

Lin walked around the store, occasionally double checking her list to make sure she isn't missing anything. She held the basket in one hand while reading the label of a can. She looked back to the wall, searching for a different one.

"Need help finding something?" A voice said behind her. Lin turned around and saw Izumi smiling at her, a child trying to hide behind her legs. "Izumi? When did you get back in the city?" Lin said, a smile tugging at her lips.

Izumi wrapped an arm around the kid, "Well, my husband had to come back for business. So, we just got back a couple days ago. I was going to come surprise you with a visit, but I wasn't sure if you still lived in the same place." She said. Lin smiled at the kind thought, "Yeah, still in my apartment." she said.

She tilted her head a bit, "How are you, Iroh?" she asked the child. He shuffled further behind his mother's legs, his face becoming red. "I'm okay." He said shyly. Izumi chuckled lightly at the boy, "You've met Lin before." She said.

"I know. I've just heard stories." Iroh said. Lin smirked to herself, "Really, like what?" she asked. Iroh looked up at his mother, who gave him a small nod, then he looked back to Lin, his eyes lighting up, "Is it true that you took down six gang members all by yourself when you were sergeant!?" He asked excitedly, his fists balled up in anticipation for an answer.