-Arrival-

Straighten your hair. Dust off your jacket. Look nice. You've got a job to do.

Present day. 169 ASC.

The young man with short black hair spoke into the payphone that was inside the small tavern down the block from the police station. Ten Ren, the bartender, cleaned his mugs and attended to the daily alcoholics who came at this time of the afternoon all while simultaneously trying to eavesdrop on the conversation between the young man on the phone in the back. Not having an extremely keen ear for barely audible sounds like most humans, the bartender could only hear one side of the phone conversation.

"Yep…just got here last night. Got a hotel room and the number is…if you need me. Renaissance is the name of it…yessir, I'll get started today, thank you for the extension. Shouldn't be more than a matter of days…" the man lowered his voice to a quiet whisper then hung up the phone. He adjusted the long jacket he was wearing and walked up to the bartender.

"Afternoon," the young man said. He pulled out a small notebook. The bartender noticed the name "Manases" written across the top of it.

"What'll you have, Manases?" Ten Ren asked, throwing a coaster on the table in front of the man whose name was most likely the same name as that written on his notebook. The young man nearly flinched out of surprise from this but then realized his name was in plain sight.

"Oh, no thank you. I am not here to drink. I apologize. I'm working on a project right now for a class I am in. I'm from the Academy, studying overseas here in the city."

"How nice," Ten Ren said, trying to sound polite but not really caring too much since this was not a paying patron. He didn't even know what 'Academy' meant. "What can I do for you, then?"

"Well, we have to write a report. Like a research paper. Like a thesis. For our professor. I wanted to do mine on something which interested me."

"Don't tell me you came all this way to write about me, did ya?" Ten Ren joked, albeit not really in a friendly way.

Manases smiled, "I'm sorry, but I did not. Actually, I've heard that the person I am writing about frequents this tavern on a weekly basis. Can you tell me anything about the Chief? Lin Beifong?" Manases thought to himself while Ten Ren got back to him with an answer. "And you know, why not? I'll take a rum and cola. Not like I'm on the clock or anything."

Ten Ren lightened up and returned with the drink. "Here ya go. Alright, let's see. Ah, Lin. I guess I could call her a regular, not as much as these guys," Ten Ren said, covering one side of his mouth with his hand and pointing to the depressing scene of the old, unemployed alcoholics who probably sat in those chairs each day. "Let's see, she comes in here a few times a week, maybe two or three. Nice woman. Orders a drink or two, smokes a cigarette. Keeps to herself mostly. Says 'hello', whatever she wants to drink, then a 'thank you'. I turn to look and she is usually gone after that without another sound."

Manases scribbled notes in his notebook then took a sip of his drink. "Yeah, I heard she came here and I was hoping to run into her or something. I didn't really want to disturb her while she was working."

"Yeah, you best not. She'd just shove you out of her way. Don't know much about her except she works like a machine. Her job practically rules her life, it's a wonder she takes the little time to sleep and stop by here to see little old me. She wouldn't give you a second of attention."

"I see. So if I were to see her here, which day would be the best for doing that?"

"I can almost guarantee she will be here this Thursday night. Probably nine-thirty. Can't go wrong."

"Excellent," Manases said. He wrote that date in his book and underlined it several times. Don't forget this! Ten Ren resumed cleaning his mugs. Someone down the bar was looking at the bartender for a drink, but Ten Ren was still paying all of his attention on this young man, Manases. He enjoyed speaking with him.

"May I ask you something, kid?"

"Yes."

"Why Lin? What is it about her that interests you so?"

"Well, not much at all is known about her. Seems kind of like she came out of nowhere. I mean, the daughter of the great war-hero, Toph Beifong, just kind of appears out of darkness and is the next chief, and no one really even knows her or anything about her. Not even books have much about her except she joined the force at a really young age. I've always just wondered what she's been through, especially with Toph as a mother. Lin is a bit of a mystery wherever you go, and that interests me. "

"Well, I wish I could be more help. Barely says anything to me or anyone for that matter. Her officers probably don't even know much. All she tells them are orders. It's almost hard to think of her lumped in with the rest of u humans. It feels kinda weird thinking about her doing normal people stuff, like eating, or laughing, you know?"

"I see. So she isn't really close with anyone? Thursday is a few days away. I'd like to speak with more people and learn more before talking to her directly. Do you know any more about her?"

"Just the obvious stuff."

"Like what?"

"She is the chief. Toph's daughter. Metalbender. Uhm…" Ten Ren thought for a second. He looked at Manases through the bottom of a clean mug he had just finished wiping, as if the sight of the young man through the blurry lens sparked a thought. "Oh, she used to be close with someone actually. That airbender."

This caught Manases's attention. He quickly looked up. "Close? Close how? Like a boyfriend? Who is he?"

"The airbender. Name is Tenzin. I know it because it sounds like mine. Yeah, they were close at one point I am pretty sure. Saw them together a few times and people knew. Was no secret or anything."

"Who is this man, again?"

"Tenzin. He is one of the last airbenders. Son of Avatar Aang. Works over at the courthouse on the council. Got himself a family and lives on the island next to the gigantic statue of Aang."

The realization of the man that Ten Ren was referring to hit Manases and he nearly kicked himself. He tried not to sound stupid and ignorant from here. He should have known Tenzin. He knew all about Aang and Katara. How could he have forgotten the name of their youngest child? "Is he is still with Lin?"

"No. They stopped dating a long time ago. Tenzin is married to someone else now. Got a whole family of little airbenders."

Manases finished scribbling things down in his notebook. "Any idea why they stopped dating?"

"Not one."

"Thank you for your time." He closed his notebook, paid for his drink, and left.