Lin looked at her uncle sitting calmly on the other side of the table.
Somehow, in the span of just a few hours, he had managed to get the heir of Future Industries to follow him like a curious turtle-duck all the way to the police station.
When she and her uncle started talking as if Asami wasn't even there, and he handed over his official passport, the young woman looked like she had just seen a spirit.
"Is he really your uncle?!" she even asked to be sure. "The real Jin Beifong?!"
Lin could see in her eyes what she almost expected—she wanted Lin to tell her this had all been a very elaborate joke.
"Yeah…" Lin rubbed her forehead when Jin only shrugged with an expression that said, See? I told you, but you didn't believe me! She had the sinking feeling this was going to be a recurring situation with her uncle.
"Spirits, I actually ran over Jin Beifong…" Asami had to lean against the wall, feeling like she was about to faint right there.
But the whispered words made Lin nearly jump out of her seat and point at her.
"Wait—what did she just say?!" she shouted.
…
"Man, it was really hard calming Lin down," Jin sighed, rubbing his forehead to ease the headache caused by his niece's yelling. "I don't think she gets enough vacation time."
He hadn't expected Asami to blurt out the whole "I ran him over" thing right in front of the Chief of Police!
Does she have no sense of self-preservation?
"This is completely surreal," Asami looked at him, dazed. "I—I ran over Jin Beifong, admitted it in front of the police chief (your niece), and walked out of the station alive."
Well, given Lin's reputation in Republic City, Jin wasn't that surprised Asami was a little bit in shock.
"I can be very persuasive. Besides, you didn't exactly get off scot-free," Jin pointed at the paper Asami was holding. "She gave you a ticket and docked points from your license. Justice was served."
Asami glanced at the fine.
For someone like her, could this even be considered punishment?
Still, she had to admit the Chief of Police was fairer than she looked. She hadn't let her emotions get the better of her, and aside from a long, depressing scolding, she applied the law to the proper degree.
"So… if I understood correctly, you're going on a trip?" she asked curiously.
"I've been gone a long time, I need to check some things and fix others. Why?" Jin tilted his head. "Were you thinking of inviting me to dinner or something?"
"Can I?" Asami asked, genuinely surprised.
Jin was at a loss for words—what was with that reaction?
"Asami, I think I need to remind you that although, technically, I'm over ninety and quite an incredible person (in my humble opinion), for me, everything stopped at twenty-three." He let out an amused huff. "From my perspective, you're just… what? Five years younger than me? You can treat me like a slightly older friend."
Sure, he could take advantage of his age for many things, but when it came to friendships, he was definitely going to play this card. He had no desire to be treated like someone who had just walked out of a nursing home.
"Yeah, you're right, it's just… I've processed way too much since I met you," Asami admitted. She looked very much like someone who needed dinner and an early night to sort out her thoughts. "Wait—are we friends?"
Wow, that took her a bit to catch up—she really was overloaded with information.
"You don't want to be?" Jin asked, feigning sadness.
"That's not what I meant!" Asami quickly blurted when she saw his reaction.
This was someone who wouldn't approach her because of her family's money, her father's influence, or out of desire for her beauty!
How could she let go of a chance for genuine friendship like this?
If anything, she might look like the one trying to take advantage…
"Then it's settled!" Jin clapped his hands with a smile. "As for that dinner invitation, how about we do it when I come back from my little trip? Honestly, a long conversation about the current situation would be a huge help. My niece isn't exactly talkative, you know what I mean."
Asami nodded. Few words, but delivered at great volume!
Wait a second—when had she invited him to dinner?
"How can I let you know?" Jin considered aloud. "No offense, but if I write you a letter, I doubt it would ever reach you."
Asami couldn't argue with that. If her butler saw a letter from Jin in the mailbox, he might think it was a prank and burn it on the spot.
After all, Jin Beifong was supposed to be missing—or dead.
"Oh, how about this?" Jin turned to her. "We can meet at the café we went to today, around teatime. I'll go every odd day once I'm back from my trip. That way, we can run into each other without letters."
In truth, now that he knew her chi, he could track her down anytime he wanted, but that would come off as a little creepy. Better to offer an alternative.
Asami considered it for a moment—it actually seemed like a good idea.
"How long until you're back?" she asked, wanting to know when to start showing up at the café.
"If there aren't any setbacks, a month." Jin had already charted his route, with buffer days built in for bad weather and other unforeseen issues.
It was quite likely Korra would arrive during his absence, but he wasn't worried.
"A month. Alright," Asami said, now regaining her composure as the conversation turned more normal again. "Any preference for the restaurant? Personally, I recommend Kwong's Cuisine."
"I'm fine as long as their menu isn't focused on Water Tribe dishes. Also, it'd be great if we could have a private room to talk and eat, away from nosy eyes and gossips." Jin made a face as certain memories resurfaced, briefly wondering what had become of Yue. "I've tried several dishes at the Northern Water Tribe, so I can assure you that while some are good, the majority of their cuisine isn't to my taste. I prefer things like turtle-duck soup."
"Yeah, their style is… culturally peculiar," Asami understood what he meant.
The truth was, Water Tribe cuisine was somewhat limited by the ingredients available in their surroundings, and many dishes had strong, similar flavors that spoiled the experience a bit.
Unless you were a native who enjoyed the taste of home, or someone who had lived there long enough to get used to it, most people preferred any other cuisine.