It didn't take long for the media to realize Lin was involved with someone. She kept smiling, which for her was a rarity, and since they took her picture often, they would know.
Rumors started flying. "Was Tenzin leaving Pema for Lin? Did he just find out his baby is a nonbender?" All kinds of gossip was circulating from she was going to have Pema abducted to she had given Tenzin some kind of poison and only she had the antidote and she would only give it to him if he left his wife.
Lin found it comical how they still thought her life was intertwined with Twinkle Toes Jr.
Pema, however, did not appreciate these rumors at all. "What's going on between you and Lin?"
"What?" Tenzin questioned. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
She showed him the paper.
"This. They make up stuff all day."
"They said you've been going to the precinct a lot. They have your picture."
"What? I as seeing about getting a protective detail for you and trying to see if they had anything on Korra. I only dealt with Lin because she's the Chief."
The rumors kept going on. Pema insisted that Tenzin do something about it and he went to Lin's office.
Lin was admiring a fine bottle of whiskey that Kuzon had sent her. He had to go visit his mother, and the whiskey was collateral that he would come back. He said he wanted to share it with her, so he would have to get back to her before she could drink it all.
"What is this?" Tenzin threw a newspaper on her desk.
Unsure of what he was talking about, she read, "Sato comes out with a new car."
"NO!" he yelled. He pointed to something else.
"I see. Councilman Tenzin found out Pema's baby isn't his and is going back to Lin. Like I'd take your bony butt back!"
The other officers in the room guffawed.
"These rumors have to stop!"
"They've been going on for years. You just didn't care before because they were all about me. What can to I do to stop it? I can't shut down the press."
"Can't you put out a statement or something?"
"What do you want me to do, go in front of the cameras and say, I don't want Tenzin, and I never will."
"YES!"
"Fine, when my boyfriend comes back, we'll give these idiots something to gossip about."
Lin smiled. Tenzin was going to hate this.
It was another week before Kuzon came back. She asked him to pick her up from work.
"Is there something wrong with your car?" he asked.
"Oh no. I just wanted you to walk out with me."
They left her office and when they got outside, Lin saw a group of reporters. She grabbed Kuzon's collar and kissed him in front of everyone. The media was going to love this.
Tenzin promised Pema that the rumors about him and Lin, called Linzin Drama in the papers, would stop. Little did he realize, the new drama would be, "Chief Lin Bei Fong has Replaced Tenzin with Sexy Stud!"
"Who is this mystery man?"
"How is his hair so fabulous?"
"Look at his smile."
"Tenzin must be reeling now!"
They all made him look like a jealous little fuck. He was quite annoyed.
"This isn't funny," Tenzin yelled as he banged on Lin's door at about 9AM on Saturday.
She thought it was hilarious. She went and opened it, only wearing her bathrobe, "Twinkle Toes Jr. nice of you to stop by."
"What the heck did you tell them?"
"I didn't say much of anything. They asked me who he was. I told them that his name is Kuzon and he's my new boyfriend. I figured he'd take the heat off Pema, and he did. No one's mentioned her at all."
"They all make me look like a jealous asshole."
"Welcome to my world. Bye Twinkle Toes." She shut the door in his face and went back to bed.
"Does he always drop in unannounced?" Kuzon asked as he got Lin's robe back off.
"Actually, he hadn't been over here in years, well, until the first time he saw you."
"And now he keeps making excuses to come back."
"Are you jealous?"
"No, but he is."
Tenzin recognized the car outside Lin's house. He knew she had Kuzon over. What kind of name is Kuzon anyway? What does he do? Where is he from? How did she even meet him?
He had hoped the guy was a one-night stand, but he kept coming back for more. He could hardly blame him. Lin had always been a dynamo in the bed. Pema was well more innocent and ordinary. He didn't regret choosing her in the end. She was going to be the better mother for his children. She actually agreed to have his children.
Something about seeing her with that guy made him so irritated. He had this smugness about him, like Lin was all hers and he could do as he willed with her. Was he using her somehow? Was he some kind of criminal hiding in the Chief's blindside?
Tenzin knew he had to keep an eye on this guy. He was suave, too suave. No one got into Lin's heart or bed so quickly. He should know. He's known her most of his life.