San sat at a dull desk in a dull building in the middle of a dull street, on the other side of the bay to were all the excitement was going down, with the police force and the Tripple threat triads, San hated it.
Smack!
Sans head made contact with the desk in frustration. She was in a literature class, the kind four year olds took, where you had to trace and copy oversized letters on boldly lined pieces of paper, then do it all over fifty more times, or read out stupid sentences like 'the Turtle-Duck, snapped, at the snapping Snap-Fish' which was difficult and frustration for San.
It was her mothers idea, because San had the reading and writing level of a 2 year old after abandoning her studies long before she was sent back to the earth kingdom.
Even though her mother seemed to think it was very important that she learned right now, San was failing to see the importance. The words on her page were just blotches of ink as she thought about what was happening on the other side of the bay.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Alright! Your session is over," the teacher announced looking at his watch. San knew there was still another forty-five minutes to go though since she had been counting. "Now get out of my class before you break my desk with that thick head of yours," his last words where spoken to an empty seat as San fled out the door.
It had been the longest five hours and fifteen minutes of her life, she still had to catch the fairy back across the bay, which was torture. Normally it would be a twenty minute trip, but it just so happened she had caught one of the special services that stopped at Air-Temple Island, Memorial Aang Island and the Bending Arena. Because of this, the trip took an hour and fifteen minutes and during that agonizingly long trip, San seriously considered whether she could learn how to swim by throwing herself over board.

By the time San reached the warehouse, Skoochy had told her about that morning, The building was deserted, there were a couple of earthen pillars, puddles of water and piles of ash. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the police or the Triple Threat Triad, too bad thought San, looks like it was one hell of a fight, I bet they're down at police headquarters.

The Police Headquarters was a beehive of people; officers and chairs where outnumbered by complaining citizens. It was so loud that you couldn't make out any single voice, although, you could hear a loud annoying humming, everyone was in a bad mood.
All the interrogation rooms were full with just arrested triad members, as well as most of the cells.
Lin had just reclaimed her rank as chief and was well aware of the people, like Saikhan, who where keeping a close eye on her, just waiting for her to slip up.
It seemed that a lot of the officers now harbored a distrust in Lin ever since she resigned when they needed her most. Unfortunately, they didn't understand that resigning was necessary in order to do what needed to be done.
She sighed as yet another scum-sucker hit on her.
"if that's all then, Officer Zane will be taking you to our quite fitting 'accommodation,'" Lin said with a flick of her hand, "Officer Zane."
Officer Zane stepped forward and did as told leaving the interrogation room's door open.
Lin sighed again as she cracked her tense neck. The criminals had been talking her up all morning and physically assaulting her other officers. If she thought there was going to be a lot of paperwork after the tactical assault they underwent arresting the Triad members this morning, the paperwork after processing them all was going to be a massive pain.
With the door open she could here the all the ruckus from the lobby.

When San had entered Headquarters it was so busy that no one had time to pay attention or even notice her as she walked through the lobby and down a corridor.
San knew her way around Police Headquarters well, she had been taken on tours various times, either with a group of students as part of an official tour, when she was arrested, or when she would bring the officers lunch orders from Narook's last year. Her knowledge led her to walk the halls efficiently, and before she knew it, she was going through the interrogation block. She closed her eyes as she walked focusing on the voices up ahead while looking for which way would have less officers to potentially catch her.
Two sets of footsteps approached the wall behind her, she felt the movements as a door was opened up in it, as quick as she could San opened her eyes and dashed down to the 'T' junction ahead. She turned left just in time to avoid being spotted as the officer dragged a felon her way turning right, where San had turned left, she watched them carefully and pressed up against the wall.

I bet they're going to the cells, she though to herself, this'll be the best chance I have of finding what I came for. San followed after them.
Lin was brought to attention as a group of her officers ran past the open interrogation room door, and on impulse, she rushed out after them. Has there been a security breach? she wondered as she drew closer to the commotion at the end of the hall. the officers were standing there blocking her view, but she could hear voices now, a male one, which she recognized as the new officer who had left her moments earlier with that scum-sucker, Officer Zane, his voice billowed out now.
"Put the earth down, kid, you're outnumbered and under arrest for assaulting an officer!" his voice was clear and harsh, Lin could see the multiple chunks of earth suspended around the centre of officers. The voice that replied was both aggressive and disgusted, it also belonged on the other-side of the bay, now knowing the owner of that voice was at the center of a fight yet again, Lin was starting to feel pretty aggressive herself.
"Assaulting an officer? You think that was assault? Then you have no idea! No wait, that's right you know exactly what assault is right! You've done enough of it yourself! Maybe I should remind you!"San's voice grew louder with rage and the earth she had suspended started to shack. Lin could imagine San was also shacking with in a similar fashion, she had heard enough, she threw up her arms, feeling the earth with her bending and with a quick stomp of her left foot The earth under San's control slammed into the ground.
Everyone turned to face Lin startled by her sudden appearance as she approached the voice that still raged on, the officers parted.
"Fine, I'll beat you with my fists then! You did a fine job without your bending!" San wailed, lurching towards Officer Zane who returned the action.
"Enough!" Lin snapped. Officer Zane reluctantly stopped and took a step back, San however did not. San continued her assault on the officer by throwing her now raw fists against any part of his body that was not covered in metal.
Lin, having had enough of the day already, lost her patience, she threw her cables out around San's wrists and waist and pulled the struggling eighteen year old into her grip, she took a firm hold of San's forearm and pulled the girl into her side, holding her there.
"I said enough." Lin growled into San's ear, san would not be allowed to defy Lin in public.
San looked up at Lin with her best death glare, she was still shaking with rage and rigid in Lin's grip but she stopped struggling.
"Now then," Lin began, "Let's take this somewhere private," she looked to the other officers "And get back to work." The officers nodded and departed, leaving Lin with San and Officer Zane.

Lin kept San secure at her side while she turned and walked back to the interrogation room with Zane on her heels.
She closed the metal doors after them, shoved San into a seat while San made an effort to control herself.
"Chief, I wanna press charges! I was on my way back to you from lockup, then she just came out of no where and started attacking me!" Zane said, standing by the door while Lin took her seat across from San and watched the reactions play across her face carefully. She saw no surprise on San's face, so Zane was telling the truth.
"Alright, well, take a seat officer" she said, indicating to the seat next to San. Zane gave San a look of distrust, in response Lin, raised her eyebrow at him; a silent challenge that asked if he was really scared of a little girl.
He took a seat.
"Now, you say she just attacked you?" Lin questioned, her voice thick and professional. This was her job, she would treat them the same as any felon she questioned, there are no exceptions. "San?" she looked to San questioningly.
"He deserved it," she said, her voice nearly matching Lin's cold-hard tone, "He beat me first. almost killed me."
Lin had not expected that, she studied Sans face carefully focusing on the way she breathed evenly, she knew San wasn't lying, for all the things San had done in her eighteen years, she had never hid a lied from Lin.
Officer Zane's face was red and scrunched "I don't know what she's talking about Chief." he said.
"San explain. You look fine, you haven't taken a beating recently." Lin frowned, she would have noticed right? She had seen San just yesterday.
San stared at the desk, "He..." she took a deep breath, "Him and his friend, they threw me to the floor and started kicking me, punching me, laughing. I was unconscious for three days." She looked back at Lin, her eyes reflecting the lights, "If he's pressing charges against me, then I'm pressing charges against him! And I don't think that a council will side with an adult male who beat a little twelve year old girl unconscious." San said her voice growing surprisingly dark. Lin was taken aback, she'd never heard San talk that way. She was too close to this, to familiar with San, she needed a second opinion.
"Don't move!" Lin ordered.
The Chief walked over to the wall, bent the door open and leaned out she saw that Saikhan was just walking down the hall. Although they hadn't been on the best of terms lately, he was still her best officer, so she called him over and quietly briefed him in the door way, he nodded with acknowledgement and closed the door before going to sit at the desk with her.
When they got to the table, Lin noticed San had moved as far from Zane as the table would allow, uncharacteristic, Lin noted. San was a stubborn earth-bender, she stood her ground.

"Officer Zane, what do you have to say to these accusations?" Saikhan questioned, his voice stern, Lin knew he hated men who beat on kids, she also knew that despite all the trouble San had caused him, he had always been kind to her. He respected her strength and consistency, but he wouldn't let that cloud his judgment.
"I have never seen this girl before, these accusations are crazy." Zane said, neither Lin or Saikhan felt a change in his breathing or heart rate, but they both knew that wasn't enough, they had come across people who could control their reactions before, it wasn't possible for San and Zane to both be telling the truth.
San made a face and took a breath, she looked Lin in the eyes,
"Chief, I need to go to the bathroom" she made a pleading face.
Lin sighed, she felt the change in San's heart rate with her bending, she knew San was lying, but San seemed to need Lin to believe her, she probably wanted to tell lin something in privet lin nodded and stood to accompany San to the door, but the moment san stood up she turned around and slammed Officer Zane's head onto the table, then dodged behind him as Lin tried to grab her again. San initiated an assault on the man's neck using all her strength.
Without warning Zane jumped up and grabbed her by the throat, he pushed her back with it, throwing her a little away, and meeting her attack when she jumped back at him.
Lin, again, threw out a cable and bent it around San's waist, restraining her almost absently. While pushing back the accused officer with her free hand, San made sounds of protest and pulled on the wire, yanking Lin slightly in her direction. Saikhan took the accused officer by the shoulders and towed towards the door, as he passed them, Lin leaned in and whispered something to Saikhan, the two men left the room and closed the door after them.
Leaving Lin free and alone to deal with the girl who now sat against a metal wall with her fists dented halfway through it, her breathing heavy and entirely uncontrolled, her whole body shook with tension.
Lin unwound the cable with her hands not her bending, trying to calm San. San never metal-bent in public, it was a condition of Lin training her so she knew San had really lost her temper, although no one else had noticed and San had concealed it well.

"Well, that was all ridiculous," Lin said sitting down next to San, no one would interrupt them under Lin's orders, they were not to be disturbed under any circumstances now, not even if the building was on fire.

San struggled to get her breathing under control taking deep long breaths, her muscles remained tensed and her face held a scowl not native to her features. "You have no idea what you're talking about. What that man did." San whispered, her voice at odds with her exterior. Lin knew something was really, really wrong, that hadn't just been about San being insulted or challenged, it was far deeper than that, he had done something to her.
"What else" Lin asked gently, as the fight quickly began to drain from San, "What did he do?"
San shook her head seemingly out of energy, Lin, however, needed to know, Lin put her hands on San's shoulders and turned her,
"San, tell me."
San's face pinched and she looked away.
"San-"
Lin was cut off as the girl threw herself at Lin. Her head made a dull thwack sound as it made contact with Lin's amour at the shoulder.
Lin was momentarily taken aback -this was not how San behaved and she never volunteered her embrace, but still, Lin instinctively reacted by wrapping her arms around the girl. She could feel San's torso shaking as she held back sobs, Lin didn't quite know what to do, she had never had to deal with this kind of behavior before. "San... Come on now, hey, kid... Kid!" Lin took her shoulders firmly and put her a little away so she could make eye contact, "What happened?!" it was a demand that had such a strong, comforting and somehow caring tone of voice, San responded the exact way that Lin wanted.
San swallowed, her eyes wet, "He was on the farm in Gaoling." she whispered.
This all made sense now and Lin knew where it was going, but she needed to hear it from San, and she needed to know exactly what had happened when San was in Gaoling.

(going to bed now as its stupid oclock in the morning and I have to be up to go supervise SES cadet survival camp, then going to go see some theatre buddies in "the sound of music" and then the next day I have the camp again and my own theatre pref... its gonna be a long couple of days guys so i'm sorry if I don't update/re-write the chapters after this one till then)