This wasn't a good day of the year for Lin. It used to be, but in the last decade it only served as a painful reminder...she wasn't getting any younger. And what was worse, this year was a landmark, the dreaded fifty-year mark to be exact. Lin Beifong was officially an old woman.
"Hey...Mom...you're here early." Bolin waved to her. Lin steeled herself, her son was meeting her at work, on her birthday and he was there over an hour before her shift started. No good could come from this.
"That a problem, Boy?" She glared.
"No, no. Actually it's great, wonderful, really." Oh yeah, he was up to something, "Here, I got you a cup of coffee, happy birthday!" The drink wasn't even warm, just how long had he'd been there? One possible explanation flashed in her mind.
"Boy, if there's a surprise party in my office... you can start making your peace with the spirits right now."
"No, no. I gave my word, didn't I? But I did bring you breakfast. This way, Ma'am." Lin rolled her eyes as Bolin led her the rest of the way to her office. He opened the door and walked over to several objects on her desk,"Along with your breakfast of mashed fruit and veggies, I got you...
"a walking cane," he held up the item as if he were a salesmen, complete with the voice,"good for long walks and cracking whippersnappers over the head...
A hearing cone to aid those tired ears...
Spectacles for any vision problems that may arise...
A notepad, with a pen attached to it by this string here, for that failing memory...and last, but not least,
some wild saspous herbs for those aching joints. All the essentials for surviving old age." the birthday girl just stared, "You get it?" he laughed at his own joke, "It's an old age survival kit, 'cause you're old!" A strange and unnerving calmness came over her, and Bolin suddenly felt cold as he watched her set the cup on the floor carefully, look at him with an emotionless expression and...
"I'll show you 'old'!" and she lunged at him. He ducked behind the desk then ran screaming towards the door, with her hot on his trail, "Get back here, Boy, I'm gonna feed you to the wolfbats!"
The entire police force would hear about it before noon. The morning's escapade left her with no time to ditch the old age garbage before she boarded an airship. While this wasn't her normal area of work, the triads were becoming more and more restless lately and her officers needed all the help they could get...and it sure beat sitting in her office, doing paperwork and glaring at her snickering underlings.
"This is Saikhan, requesting backup! Suspect, young Water Tribe woman heading Northwest on a white animal." Her captain's voice came over the radio.
"He's in Triple Threat territory." she remembered., "Move in to assist."
"Yes, Chief." The suspect wasn't too difficult to find, as a white animal stood out like a sore thumb on top of the red train. Was this kid crazy or stupid?
"Pull around, she's going to jump." They shot their cables at the perfect time, catching the animal a split second before it could hit the rooftop.
"Let me go!" the girl struggled as she and what appeared to be a polarbeardog were carried along. After securing the lines, Lin took a knee to get a better look at the suspect.
"Wonderful." She throws out a net to catch a Triple Threat, and she gets the avatar. What the hell was Korra doing in Republic City?
...
"Let's see, multiple counts of destruction of private and city property. Not to mention evading arrest. You're in a whole mess of trouble, young lady." She slammed the clipboard on the table, making the girl jump.
"But there were some thugs threatening a helpless shopkeeper and I had to-"
"Can it!" the chief cut her excuses off. If she'd hadn't done more harm then good and took some responsibility for her actions, Lin might have let her off with a warning. However... "You should have called the police and stayed out of the way."
"But I couldn't just sit by and do nothing, it's my duty to help people. See, I'm the avatar." And that makes a difference?
"Oh, I am well aware of who you are." she sneered, "And your 'Avatar' title might impress some people, but not me."
"Alright, fine. Then I wanna talk to who's ever in charge." Yes, the age-old trick of trying to sweet-talk the other person in charge. 'Hate to break it to you kid, but...'
"You're talking to her. I'm Chief Beifong."
"Wait. Beifong...Lin Beifong? You're Toph's daughter!" 'Really now?'
"What of it?"
"Well then, why are you treating me like a criminal?" 'I wonder...' "Avatar Aang and your mother were friends. They saved the world together."
"That's ancient history, and it's got diddly squat with the mess you're in right now. You can't just waltz in here an dole out vigilante justice like you own the place!"
"Chief, Councilman Tenzin is here." What timing. She had a few more things to say to the kid. 'Oh well', she huffed,
"Let him in."
"Tenzin. Sorry, I got a little sidetracked on my way to see you." Korra got a glare, but Tenzin chose to address her instead.
"Lin, you are looking radiant as usual." Flattery?! 'Why I oughta...'
"Cut the garbage, Tenzin. Why is the avatar in Republic City? I thought you'd decided to postpone her training."
"I did. The White Lotus are on their way here now and the avatar will be heading back to the South Pole, where she will stay put." His mind was made up. The avatar didn't seem to agree with the plan.
"But-"
"If you will be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra, I will take full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages." So the girl gets away with a slap on the wrist? On the other hand, if Lin didn't let her go this would go to trial and she'd been in the city for who knows how long. Not much of a choice.
"Fine. Get her out of my city."
"Always a pleasure, Lin. Let's go, Korra." Tenzin was smart enough to realize when he should count his blessings and walk away, but the avatar just had to push it. As she followed Tenzin out she glared at the Chief as if to say 'this isn't over'. So in return she gave Korra the 'I'll be watching you' gesture. Smartass kid returned it.
"At least she'll be outta my hair." Now for the fun part, calculating all the damages caused by a hotheaded country girl and her pet. One-store window and five clocks. One-store front and...screw it, Tenzin can buy the whole bulk of merchandise. Two wounded officers, forwarding the bill from accounting to Air Temple Island. Two car collision, two injured, all bills forwarded to Air Temple Island. Everything considered, it could've been a lot worse.
"Knock, knock." A white rag on a stick waved itself through a crack in her door, followed by Bolin's head, "Is it safe?"
"You're in luck, someone has taken your spot on my hit list."
"Oh, good." he opened the door wide and came through it with his brother, food and a boxed gift, "Here, we made some gooseduck and noodles." she moved her paperwork so they set up a table, quite efficiently as a matter of fact, as they had plenty of family dinners in this particular room.
"Not bad, boys." she said after taking a bite.
"So, what'd ya do with your old age kit?" Bolin asked after swallowing a mouthful. Mako's food stopped halfway to his mouth.
"Bro, you said you weren't going to do it."
"I couldn't help myself." He squeaked. Why was Mako so surprised?
"I told a rookie to toss it." She waved it off.
"Aww, you threw away my gift?" Her son said with mock offense, "I kinda liked the hearing cone. And who knows, you may actually need it one day soon."
"Watch it, Boy. I may be old, but I can still beat you into the ground." Why did that sound so familiar...wait a second, that's what her mother said to... "Spirits, I'm becoming my mother." Lin rubbed her temples.
"Rough day?" Mako guessed.
"The Avatar is in the city."
"Really?"
"What's she like?" Bolin leaned forward with excitement.
"She's an enormous pain in my ass."
"Wow, what'd she do?"
"Trashed two shops, caused a crash, evaded arrest and hurt two of my officers."
"And it's only her first day...that's got to be a record. Ouch!" the younger Beifong rubbed his head, "I thought you said you trashed it!"
"It is 'good for cracking whippersnappers over the head'," the old woman smirked, "so I thought I'd keep it."
"I asked for that one, huh?"
"So, Tenzin. When are we going to start training?" Korra was so ecstatic that Tenzin changed his mind, that her breakfast went virtually untouched.
"Today, I think it would be best if you made a public announcement and let the people of this city know that the avatar will be staying here."
"Oh, well, I guess that's a good idea." Bam! Everyone flinched as the front door opened at an alarming rate. Tenzin suddenly looked a little pale.
"Oh dear."
"Hi, Aunt Lin!" Ikki greeted the unseen guest.
"Aunt Lin?" Korra questioned...surely it couldn't be the same Lin.
"Is daddy in trouble again?" Jinora asked as Chief Beifong stalked into the room,
"Pema, Kids." She greeted without stopping to grab the back of Tenzin's collar and pull him to his feet. As she dragged him out of the room, Meelo called out to her,
"Are you going to throw him in jail?"
"Don't tempt me." The sounds of unintelligible arguing filled the room. Pema tried to keep the conversation light, but with little success.
"Pardon the intrusion." three officers slowly came into the room, one carrying a small piece of paper in his hands, "Chief Beifong?"
"In my husband's office."
"Baojia. Take this message to the Chief." The ranking officer thrust the paper into the rookie's hands,
"Me, Sir?" the man started to shake.
"Yes. You."
"Yes, Sir." Baojia's looked like a man on death row as he walked towards the muffled voices.
"Is there something wrong, Officer."
"I just don't want to be a witness, Ma'am." A minute later Tenzin came back in at a fast walk.
"Let's get down to City Hall, shall we, Korra?" he quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her out, over her shoulder, she heard,
"They want me to stand beside her at a press conference?!"
"Might we walk just a little faster?" Walk? They were nearing a dead run and thanks to that speed, they'd just made it to the ferry on time. Lin, on the other hand, had been a few seconds too late. The sounds of earthbending reached their ears, but Tenzin forced himself and his student to keep their gazes in an opposite direction.
"Does Chief Grump back there scare you that bad?" Korra grinned as they rode the boat to the mainland.
"Of course not, Korra." he straightened himself up and tried to be dignified. He was safe...or so he thought. He looked towards the dock to see that Lin had managed to beat the ferry to the mainland. Earthbending bridge, how could he forget about that? "My concern is not the Chief behind us, but the Chief in front of us." Luckily for him a crowd had gathered to catch a glimpse of the new avatar, so Lin would have a chance to cool down. As hands started reaching out for Korra to shake, Lin came over beside him,
"I'm going to kick your arrowed ass all the way to Ba Sing Se." A threat which Tenzin was sure she'd carry out if he didn't make peace.
"Yes, well, if you forgo that idea, I promise to make this it up to you." How, he wasn't sure. But Lin would always come up with some way to punish him.
"You owe me one, Airhead." Especially if that girl is half as much trouble as Lin suspected she is.