FIVE DEAD IN POLICE RAID MASSACRE!
Five people have lost their lives while ten more remain in critical condition after an overnight raid led by Metal-Bending police Chief Lin Beifong. The deceased include one Waterbending officer, the raid occurred during an illegal gathering of Equalists set up by the Equalist leader Amon. At some point during the event a boiler exploded and the Equalists fled the scene only to run into the Police where the alleged violence ensued. A local hospital was overwhelmed with the wounded and are still treating people who were trampled or injured in bending related incidents.
The raid was undertaken after Pro-Bending star Bolin of the Fire Ferrets and several other benders were allegedly kidnapped and stripped of bending during the gathering by Equalist leader Amon, the city council is holding a press release later today in order to address the rumours.
We reached out to a Police commentator for his statement:
"The raid was a sanctioned police action by the Council and was taken after careful deliberation in order to apprehend Amon. The regrettable actions of the Equalist supporters who resisted arrest have led to the loss of Officer Pakku, a man who served with distinction, the city is lesser with his passing and everyone in the force gives their respect to his family and shares in the grief."
The spokesman has received criticism from some Equalist supporters who say that the raid against the Equalists was unlawful since the Equalist ideology is not illegal and the stated goals of the raid were to arrest its leadership. He was also criticised for not talking about the non-benders who perished in the tragedy.
An unnamed source in the Equalists has given a statement and has asked for their identity to remain hidden:
"When we approached them (the police) they ran towards us and started bending at us right away, there were people behind us pushing us forward. Sure, they were shouting to surrender and stuff but it's not like we could actually do anything! It was crazy and they had fire and police in armour were hitting people… It's clear they don't even think of us as Human, to them we are just criminals, non-benders, just Equalist scum."
I caught myself only after I made an audible tut and folded up the glorified rag, leaving it and money for the Houli bean tea that had been popping up more and more in different restaurants across the city, no doubt turning a profit for Tarrlok. After going over paperwork with Lin I had gone out for the closest thing to a coffee in this world. With that done I could move onto getting a change of clothes and heading back to the station in time for the briefing.
I fished a timepiece out of my robe, it was a rugged piece that had proven its accuracy over the years and was far more acceptable to carry then a wristwatch, the more convenient device was shamefully out of fashion, of course fashion was changed by the daring sorts that decided to buck trends...
I smiled to myself despite the shadow hanging over the city. I would be a little early but with how popular my destination was that was hardly a bad thing.
"You sure about this?" Lee's voice was almost pained as he circled me inspecting the fit of the resplendent white shirt contrasted by the Rich black suit trousers. For my part I simply smiled as I adjusted the cuffs in the mirror and felt more put together than I had in several lifetimes. I had no idea a cotton shirt could look so sharp and feel so comfortable, I had been missing out or it was a different kind of cotton to that in my first life.
"This is exactly what I wanted." I had considered getting a coat as well but it would hardly serve a purpose. With airbending I could maintain my body temperature no matter what I was wearing if I controlled my breathing.
Lin had offered me one of the many unused police uniforms stored at the station and I had dodged that can of worms. Considering the role of the police in this era it was far too much like dressing up as a soldier. I was not a soldier and I never would be again, I actually enjoyed my life as a pacifist monk thank you very much.
"It's boring." Lee whined as I rolled my eyes, working with creative types was always a hassle. It was even worse when they were good at what they did, Lee was good, so good the city's more established elite ordered from him near exclusively. The small shop was only part of his operations and the man had several tailors under his employ that were said to be as good as he was.
"It's work clothes, they're meant to be simple…" I admired myself a little more in the mirror, a model salary woman. "Comfortable and meant to display confidence and professionalism." He moved forward to flick up my collar like a child and looked at me though the mirror.
"You are a councilwoman, even better you're not red, green or blue! You want confidence and professionalism let me make you a dress that will keep every eye on you! Dominating every room you enter-"
"Not that kind of work. Paperwork, investigations I need something I can move about in and something that won't bother me over long-term use. I also need eight sets so I can put on a fresh outfit every day." He scrunched up his face but before he could speak the door to his shop opened, marked by the ringing of a little bell.
"Drat I forgot to lock it, I am terribly sorry Tenya." I dismissed his concerns with a wave of my hand and stepped around the corner with him driven by a very mild interest in who was seeking Lee's expertise. I quickly relaxed the stern expression I had created to deal with the overdramatic tailor as the emerald eyed heir to the Sato family strode into the shop.
"Asami Sato, what a pleasant surprise." Lee glanced back at me in confusion before his eyes lit up in delight. I shrugged off any trepidation about what exactly the designer was thinking and quickly moved forward to greet the woman at the door while tying my cufflinks.
"Tenya right? You know my father." She looked me over with a pleasant smile and took my hand when I offered it.
"Yes, Mister Sato is just acquaintance unfortunately, he is an interesting man." I felt her surprisingly firm grip and she took the opportunity to step closer leaning forward to look into my eyes with a startling intensity. I blinked and quickly placed a smile on my face as I felt my heartrate quicken at the sudden proximity.
"They always say that." Asami said glancing over at Lee who was watching the pair of us with a contemplative expression. Again, Asami reversed my attempt to engage in a friendly greeting in ways that were to my knowledge socially unacceptable and seemed to do so with knowing glee.
"Well." I looked away from Asami as she settled my unruly collar and glanced at me though the mirror meeting my eyes again.
"It's a bit plain for Lee, did you request this?"
"Yes." I began. "It's for work, work clothes. I am going to be spending a lot of time in an office going over documents and…" I waved a hand and collected myself from babbling away confidential information and making a fool out of myself.
"You need something comfortable." Asami finished for me as she continued her inspection, she had the same look Lee did, experts seeing things I could not. "It is rather bold even with it being quite simple." Asami said glancing over at Lee who shook his head.
"It's missing something, the little Airbender won't let me work to find out what!" He squeezed out a few crocodile tears and sniffed. "She is crushing my creativity." Asami moved away from me and I quickly caught myself from feeling oddly lightheaded and unsupported. I could still feel the weight of her touch upon the new shirt as Asami patted Lee on the shoulder and looked at me like I was the bad guy here.
"I am a paying customer." I protested defensively as the pair of them strode forwards shifting to each flank as if the attack had been meticulously planned rather than simply an unspoken demonstration of the socially gifted acting in tandem.
"It's a good foundation…" Asami ventured as Lee gently took my wrist and finished clasping my forgotten cuffs.
"But it needs something to complete the look." Lee countered electing a thoughtful hum out of Asami.
"Well." I began clearing my throat and looking between the pair of jackals I was cornered by. "I suppose a coat over the top, something durable?" I allowed myself a moment of indignation at being pressured into changing a perfectly good outfit but I was perhaps being a bit spartan.
Asami nodded before her jade eyes lit up with excitement. She whispered something in Lee's ear and he looked more thoughtful then convinced.
"I think I have something in stock… Hang on." With Lee's retreat I was suddenly alone with Asami.
"Are you growing your hair?" Asami asked, dispelling the pregnant pause.
"Yes, you saw me just after I got my mastery tattoos." I ran a hand though my hair, well over an inch long at this point.
"Mastery? I thought they were just Airbender tattoos."
"It's an Airbender tradition, when you have learned enough about airbending to begin to train yourself you are considered a Master. Then it's all about creating new techniques and experimenting or learning advanced techniques from the past…" I licked my lips as Asami took my hand and gently ran her warm fingers across the blue pigment that represented a lifetime of hard work.
"Did it hurt?"
"Stung a lot afterwards, but no the Air Nomads never cared for pain for its own sake." Fasting is to be a joy is something Tenzin would say. Learning to overcome discomfort and strain was important but suffering in and of itself did not bring any enlightenment. It was not the case that my experiences had prepared me for the pain of receiving the tattoo's, my father had insisted on modern equipment and painkillers just like his father had before him.
"The emotional pain however, you had to cut your hair!" Asami laughed and I joined in good naturedly. "I would hate that."
"That's not a surprise, you have lovely hair." I said as Lee came back into the room with a folded black jacket in his arms.
"I found one but I think it's too big, I only use this for a reference anyway I am a tailor not a retailer." Lee laughed at his own joke as he stepped behind me and slipped the jacket onto me. It was black with dark red accents, from the feel of it the jacket had never been worn but had some signs of age with a fire nation symbol on the shoulder faded enough to be almost invisible to the casual glance.
"It's not real leather." Asami said as I looked at myself in the mirror.
"A prototype airship crewman jacket commissioned just before the end of the war using fake leather technology created to ease the strained Fire Nation logistics." I shifted about letting the jacket settle, it was a size or two bigger than I was.
"Uh, sure if you say so Tenya." Lee glanced over to Asami who shrugged. "Well do you like it?" Quite frankly it shifted the whole dynamic of what I was trying to accomplish.
"I think it looks cute on you." Asami offered, I glanced over at a clock and nodded.
"I will have this and the other orders then Lee."
"Are you sure you don't want to order in one that fits a bit better?" Well, I could always delude myself into thinking I would add a few more inches in the scant remaining teenage years I was enjoying.
"No this is fine." I walked over to my folded-up robes and collected my trusty chequebook as Asami produced her own.
"Please I pressured you into that jacket let me get it for you."
"You don't need to do that." I politely declined.
"I don't but I want to, besides you can repay me by joining me at this lovely little tea shop just down the road, I have no one to keep me company today." Asami was adamant and continued refusal would be impolite.
"If you insist." I wrote the cheque for my shirts and trousers as well as the undergarments as Asami paid for my jacket.
"Well then it's a date." Asami said with finality as she strode with confidence out of Lee's shop. I suddenly felt like I was in a daze, unsupported but with a smile that would just not go away.
"Does it just happen like that?" I asked as every experience I could gather screamed that it did not.
"Only to the lucky ones." Lee said wistfully, he laughed and slapped my shoulder and wished me good luck as I left the shop content that my new clothes and robes would be delivered to Lin's apartment. Clad in my new office clothes and jacket I found Asami leaning against an electric bike with a pair of helmets set out on the long seat.
"I always carry a spare." Asami said throwing one of the helmets towards me in a lazy arc, I caught it with ease.
"Just down the road?" I asked earning a guilty grin from the woman before me. Moments later I found myself pressed against the Industrialists daughters back with my arms around her waist as the city passed by in an unfocused blur.
Responsibilities, schedules, Amon, The Equalists, Being X. It all felt so distant, I could feel the ticking timepiece against my breast and it felt, for a moment, good to not care about what it said. I was sure I had plenty of time.
"So, durable clothes?" She asked with a neatly shaped eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, for general use… you know Airbender operational hazards. Abrasions from falling, street fights." I listed off potential situations sending Asami into a laughing fit that started with a shocked snort.
"Street fights? Come on miss bad girl." She leant forward. "I bet getting on my scooter was the most impulsive thing you have done in years."
"Am I dealing with a delinquent then?" I countered, Asami held for a moment before giggling and holding up her hands.
"You got me, I don't think I could be a rebel if I tried." I moved to pick up my drink as Asami lent back.
"Well." I cleared my throat and took a drink. "Thank you for helping me pick up something. I do like the jacket…"
"You should, it suits you." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "It must be lonely over on that island." Her voice was even as she spoke, her eyes meeting mine.
"It's not all that lonely, I have my father and Pema, and my siblings to drive me mad." Humans were social animals after all, it would be silly to isolate myself from the people on Air temple island.
"I don't know what I would do without my father." Asami said looking thoughtfully into her cup.
"He is a great man. From someone who does not know him, visionary industrialists are rare."
"It's so strange, I know that is how the world sees him but to me, he is just… dad." She took a sip from her tea as I nodded. "And I never expected you to talk about him like that to be honest." Asami's tone shifted quickly from melancholy to interest as she inspected me as if seeing me again for the first time.
"Why not?"
"Well from the sound of things our fathers are not the biggest fans of each other…" Ah, yes Mister Sato was often under fire for ecological concerns. At times the regulations were sensible and would become industry standard in the future but at other times he was rather unfairly treated by some of the media establishment.
And my father at times, not unreasonably so of course. Tenzin played his role in society and it was an important one at that.
"I don't see why that undermines the accomplishments of the Sato family, ecological concerns are important but so is technological progress, both things serve to improve the quality of life." Asami quickly agreed with me, a sparkle in her distracting eyes.
"Right! Ugh, sorry it's awkward to put things like that into words but I hate being forced into a box of who I am and what I stand for, like I don't care about the rivers because of my dad?" She let out an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry I am moaning about family, I just don't get a chance to have conversations like this with most people. I had no idea what to make of it when you were just talking to my dad like it was perfectly normal, I kinda' felt like we were on opposite sides…"
"I don't mind." I took the chance to finish my drink feeling the soothing warmth settle into my stomach.
"You're too kind, but seriously enough about me. I have the attention of a pretty Airbender and I want to know more." I felt rather unbalanced at being called pretty by anyone other then Tenzin and Pema, I suppose it should be a blow against my distant masculinity but I was struck by the feeling of being in the presence of an expert in a field I could only dream of understanding.
"I… can answer some questions?" I caught myself almost looking around for help as Asami let out a charming giggle.
"Alright then, interview time." I was barraged by a flurry of overdone questions as Asami adopted a formal Fire Nation pronunciation and we whittled the hour away. It felt easy to talk to the woman but the weight in my front pocket became unbearable and I found the timepiece gracing the palm of my hand.
Asami's apologies were unnecessary and dug deep as I was shamefully looking at the time during what I was certain at this point was an actual date.
"I kept you too long." Asami said with a guilty smile.
"It's not a problem I had time to spare but I need to get back to work." I still had half an hour to travel across the city, even without my glider staff I could do that without too much trouble. I winced when I remembered I had new shoes on, a race across the city was hardly a way to break them in and I did not want to bleed all over my new socks.
"Where are you headed? I will give you a ride."
"Thank you." I replied earnestly. "The metal-bending police station, the main one."
"You work for the police?" Asami raised an eyebrow as I laughed good naturedly.
"No, my occupation is quite happily pacifist monk, I am just working with them during the crisis."
"Oh, thank goodness, with people like you in the mix hopefully we can avoid horrible things like… That night."
"It was such a waste." I agreed earning a smile and the warm sense of accomplishment that came with it. Of course, a sharp mind like Asami could see the waste of human resources the conflict with the Equalists represented. People who could be building an economy in the most vital time of a nascent nation's history…
"Are you free tomorrow night?" Asami said quietly as I stood and slipped back into my jacket. The answer was no, while overtime was a terrible practice in general there were situations where it was required, like a sudden shifting of an organisation's priority. The police were overrun with paperwork.
"Of course." I replied, I was sure I could break the news to Lin softly, she was a big girl.
"Our investigation into the Equalists will focus on three areas, the industrial capacity they have that allows them to procure or produce equipment, uniforms and vehicles." I looked around the office at the half a dozen assembled detectives that had been shifted to the newly formed department. I could still feel the warmth on my cheek from when Asami had dropped me off just in front of the station. I was sure people had seen but I could hardly allow things to impede my professionalism.
"The second area of investigation is on the Chi Blocking infrastructure and finding where and how they are training new Equalists in the art. Disrupting this training should curtail the growth of the Equalist organisation's fighting capabilities." I actually doubted that part of the brief, simply having an angry mob was more than enough to act as an enforcement arm of the Equalists. It would diminish the surgical strike capacity of the terrorist group until they could figure out different ways of deploying the Equalists who were not Chi Blockers.
"The last area of investigation is the Equalist Funding, there is no doubt that the Equalists have a considerable amount of capital and identifying the source of that money will be vital in dismantling the organisation. For anyone wondering why I am here this is the reason, I will be dedicated to leading the financial investigation." My understanding for police protocols in detective work like this was non-existent, I simply did not care about the subject in my past lives. I had made an effort to investigate police documentation on detective work and investigations like this but it was very much an unrefined art.
The fact that a vital component of law enforcement was so… Cowboy in the sense that there was very little oversight or expectations put upon a detective, in real terms the only people who could hold one to account or enforce procedure were other detectives. It was incredible that anything functioned in this city, expanding beyond the police force almost every part of the government had vague or non-existent protocol and precedent to follow.
"Uhh, hey there." One of the detectives put his hand into the air and looked around the room as I nodded towards him. "What exactly is the… point, the end game, of all this?"
"The disestablishment of the Equalist movement." I collected some of the documents that would go over the operation in more detail and handed them to the closest detective who took one and passed it along.
"That means got rid of, right?" The detective rubbed his eye. "Just so we're on the same page here."
"Yes." I elaborated. "Our goal is to dismantle the Equalist movement using every resource and end available to us. You will find more information in the packets that are being handed out." The room hunched over the papers and flicked though them as a pair of beat officers entered the room.
"Ah." I began. "Officer Deng, is everything ready?"
"Sure thing, we got the water-wagons warmed up and lists written out for arrest." One of the women just behind Deng said with a grin.
"Water-wagons?" I ventured with a frown.
"Oh, uh, you know, vans, police vans to hold criminals in. Call them water-wagons cus' you always got a water triber' in there." I fixed the woman with a deadpan stare before turning to Deng.
"I would suggest making it a policy to avoid referring to police vehicles as water-wagons. Ethnic tensions are the last thing this institution should enflame." I was going to have to talk to Lin about that. Honestly it was inevitable that stereotypes of the water tribe immigrants were starting to establish themselves. Republic city was a melding of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom peoples, they had grown used to each other and had established themselves with wealth and influence.
After the Water Tribe baby boom funded by the north and south continents industrial revolution and reparations from the Fire Nation there were thousands of Water Tribe people with very little in the way of prospects at home. With more children than the two continents could handle tens of thousands had migrated to Republic City, most with little more than the clothes they wore on the ship over.
That of course meant that they were dead bottom of the social pyramid, suffering from predation by criminals and were often forced into working for terrible wages just to feed themselves. Waterbenders had it a lot better as there were innumerable ways to take advantage of even a novice Waterbender. It was a sad fact that so many of the water tribe immigrants fell through the cracks of the city, poor desperate people generate a reputation because desperation leads to destructive places.
Thinking about it a good amount of Equalist support could be coming from the poverty-stricken non-bender, water tribe neighbourhoods of the city…
"Tenya, I am so glad you're alright." Before I could speak, I was swept up in a crushing hug. "I was so worried when I found out what happened." Tenzin said softly before easing up and letting my feet touch the ground again.
"I'm fine father. It's good to see you." I nodded politely as the detectives in the room snickered to themselves, the sudden ambush making an impression on my workplace. I tried to feel frustrated about it but I found it hard to muster up such feelings as Tenzin looked at me apprehensively.
"I spoke to Lin and Tarrlok." He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around as if suddenly aware of our very public presence. "I also spoke to Korra…"
"So, you are aware of the situation? Good there is plenty of work to do and with you apprised of the situation hopefully the council's position will stabilize. I have compiled Lin's requests and correspondence into a single packet with annotation for the things she… Neglected to put in her reports." Dates, time, names, supplementary documentation. Lin was not the only person in the station who was under the impression that reports should be written in the style of a noir film.
"Tenya, please don't…" Tenzin put his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "You don't have to deal with it like this." Deal with what? The Equalists? How was I meant to address an organisation like that without the support of law enforcement?
"I don't know what you mean." My honesty seemed to stall Tenzin for a moment as he carefully thought though his next words, given that he was my father it was only right that I allow him as much time as he required.
"I… know it's been hard and I put a lot of pressure on you. But it was only because of how strong I know you are. A-and you don't need to prove that strength now… away from home. I spoke to Lin-."
"And I told him you could go home whenever you want." The woman in question, Lin, appeared in the hall and strode into the room with a glare for all the spectators that Tenzin could not care less about. "You got your assignments get the hell out." There was a rapid shuffle of feet as the detectives moved to avoid the chief's wrath.
"Even if you had a falling out with Korra." I pursed my lips, the slightest movement earning a pause from Tenzin as the man looked at me expectantly.
"It has nothing to do with Korra." I said turning away from Tenzin, I placed each foot carefully, heel first with the phantom feeling of a strong pair of boots around my feet and my spine ramrod straight. It was easy to fall back into the motions, comforting even. "My regrettable absence from the Temple has been caused by the sudden and unexpected threat presented by the Equalists."
"I understand what has gone on and it was… reasonable given the circumstances but surely you can see things have gone too far and we should scale things back to not antagonise the people who sympathise with the Equalists. There are other ways to go about this." I shifted to click my heels together and allowed the pause to linger, carefully cultivated gravitas resurfacing, overdone to overcome my last life's age and stature.
"The Equalists have demonstrated financial capabilities, operational capacities and outreach far in away greater than predicted. To compound that Amon represents an existential threat to all benders." Tenzin looked tired when I turned to him. I had planned to punctuate my point with iron but that crumbled as I looked upon the man who had been with me every moment of this life. "They will demand terrible things father, out of fear. Unless we defeat the Equalists here and now on our terms." I said softly my eyes matched with his, the trait we so plainly shared.
"I never wanted you to feel like you had to leave." Tenzin's words caused Lin to stiffen, turn and quietly leave the room. Leaving us alone.
"You never did." I protested looking away from Tenzin and out of the window at the city.
"Pema misses you." It was childish of him as he spoke, but he continued. "Meelo a-."
"Tenzin." I said simply. Looking at his reflection in the glass. There was quiet before he spoke again, unsure of himself.
"Sorry."
"I will come and visit on the weekend." I offered, he nodded before trusting his voice again.
"Okay… well, I love you Tenya." I replied in kind but it felt like I spoke too quickly, something the fake daughter would say when it's expected of her. I kept looking out at the city and the people going about their day below for a time.
"Tell Korr-." I turned around but Tenzin was gone. I noticed my new jacket on the desk at the head of the room. He could have seen it and felt myself chewing the inside of my mouth to deal with the feeling of restriction, unbalance.
"Hey kid." Lin said as she slipped into the room again. "You feeling, okay?"
"Perfectly fine." I replied collecting my jacket and standing in the quiet room for a moment as Lin looked at me expecting more. "It's not real leather." I said, compulsively, the words needed to be said but none of the catharsis came with it. It was said too late.
"Oh." Lin replied.
"Let's get to work." I said neatly stepping out of the room and towards the overworked offices that had to shift the entire lumbering machine of law enforcement and direct it towards the newest threat to the city.
To my family.
To me.
"I don't think limbs are meant to bend like that." Lin said, distracting me from the complicated job of working my way through each Chakra to ease and clear the blockages. The last few weeks had been trying and finding the time to keep my energies balanced had been more of an afterthought then anything. The last day had been more painful in terms of energy restriction then the strikes from an actual chi blocker.
"The joints are fine, flexibility is like a muscle, it just takes time and knowledge to develop it safely." I shifted from an arched stance into a single-handed stand using my free hand to grasp my ankle and pull my leg into line with my body, the new position was perfect for unblocking my sacral Chakra that had been painfully restricted since the fight with the chi blockers.
"You look like something out of a circus." Lin deadpanned as I chuckled, I felt my energy pools find some measure of balance they had been denied for too long.
"The body, in a material sense is an important tool for balancing the energy inside of you." I offered with a contented sigh before I moved into a simpler warm-down yoga stance.
"I never asked" Lin said with a wince as I entered a forearm stand and looked up at her.
"I was sceptical of this sort of thing too. But it does help channel and cultivated the energy flowing in your Chakra. Besides I have seen this sort of training being used to great effect." Mastery of this worlds system of magic had taken an incredible amount of effort, but it had been worth it for the comforts mastery of my own body and power offered.
"Chakra? You understand that mumbo jumbo? Seems like a lot of quackery to me." I was once again reminded of how few people paid attention to the flow of energy within themselves until there was an actual problem. For me controlling it was as easy as breathing but for most people, even powerful benders, they could be utterly unaware of the flowing power within themselves even as they made use of it.
"I actually developed control over my Chi before I had any competence with Airbending." She raised an eyebrow at that but I did not elaborate. It would be difficult to explain the fact that I had sought out and manipulated my core energy before I could even walk in this body. By the time I was a toddler I had even identified each Chakra for all the good it had done me in terms of actually airbending.
"Yeah well, I never needed that nonsense." Lin said dismissively.
"Wait a moment." I paused. "Aang used a technique to block the flow of energy within Ozai to prevent him from bending. How is that Nonsense?"
"That's Avatar stuff." Lin waved a hand.
"What about Amon?" I countered
"We will find out when we bring him in but I doubt it involves any yoga." I matched her stare for a moment before she looked away with what could be interpreted as a short laugh.
"I find it somewhat relaxing." I said as I moved into a lotus position to calm the energy that had collected in my crown Chakra. "You might find it enjoyable too."
"I'm not sticking my feet over my head." Lin snapped half-heartedly.
"It would take you years to do something like that, simpler stances would suit you more and don't involve any… contortion." I got to my feet somewhat disappointed to feel only a very minor burn of exertion across my body. A lifetime of instilling habits like this had the side effects of them growing on me.
"I will think about it…" Lin said dismissively as I settled down into one of the immaculate soft chairs in the apartment.
"Come on we can start with some sitting stretches." I always had Tenzin or Jinora joining me with meditation or stretches, with the amount of deskwork Lin did she needed to at least learn the stretches encouraged in the company in my first life. Lin protested but eventually resigned herself to a little stretching as we chatted, falling into the familiar relationship of a close co-worker was perhaps indulgent nostalgia on my part but comfort was an important element of performing well in a workplace environment.
That my workplace was dedicated to the deconstruction of the Equalists and Being X's machinations was incidental.
Well, it's been a while! I think my return is a bit messy but there are some parts of this chapter I am very proud of! Anyway, I would like to give some attention to the wonderful people who have helped me out with ideas or editing.
Starstruck91, what a champ, helping out with spotting mistakes and offering corrections they are always an incredible help and put up with my terrible writing!
Lord Feunoyr, for helping out with bouncing off of and helping me to frame how events will play out.