haha. this was fun to write. i don't smoke never have. mainly because i don't want to be like my idiot siblings. please enjoy and pretty please r&r

Chief Lin Beifong was a woman who denied herself the pleasures that most people of her wealth took for granted. Though, she allowed herself one pleasure and boy was it a guilty one. She pulled opened her desk draw, taking out the small carton of cigarettes. Pulling out a single cigarette from the carton, she placed it in her mouth, poised to light it when her door opened. She let the cigarette fall from her mouth to her lap. "Mako, have you ever heard of knocking?"

Mako looked at the poison on her desk. "I didn't know you smoked Chief."

Lin took the packet into her hands, fiddling with it. "I don't. I was on the way to headquarters and I saw some kids daring each other to 'try it.' I confiscated them because, as you know, for anyone under eighteen it is illegal to smoke."

Mako walked up to her desk, hand stretched outwards as though she was a child who had possession of something she wasn't meant to. "I'll can put them in the contraband box."

Lin looked at his hand, hiding the disappointment in her voice. "Thank you." She placed the cigarettes regrettably in his hand, that's ten yuans I'll never get back. "So what did you need to talk to me about?"

"Tenzin called and said he had to leave the children with some acolytes. Something about a meeting with the president. And I've just clocked off, so I can drive us to Air Temple Island."

"Okay then. I'll meet you in the garage"

With that, Mako saluted her and left. Lin picked up the completed paperwork on her desk, handing them to the secretary in the lobby, she headed to the stations garage where she found Mako sitting on a bike. "Again? Why is it every time I have to drive home, there are no Satomobiles?"

Mako put his helmet on, starting the ignition to the bike "I have no idea Chief. Maybe you should learn to ride one."

"Pass" Lin swung her leg over the back of the bike, placing her hands on Mako's waist indicating she was ready.

"You should wear a helmet."

"The day I wear a helmet will be a sad day indeed. Now lets go before those acolytes put Rohan in air nomad duds."

The bike raced through the streets, swerving in and out of traffic. This caused Lin to tighten her grip on Mako's waist, making him smile at the thought of being able to scare her.

They came to an abrupt stop at the docks. Lin stepped off the bike on shaky feet. "Mako, if you ever drive like that again, I will be forced to give you a ticket."

Mako took off his helmet, leaning the bike on its kickstand. "Too scary for you Chief?"

"No. My mother throwing rocks at my head whilst I was blindfolded was scary. The ticket would be because you didn't indicate at that last intersection." She led him to a parked police boat. Hopping into the driver's seat, thankful she now gets to drive. They took off towards the island, slowing as they neared the sandy shore, parking it bow first. "Drop the anchor. I'm going to find the kids."

Lin walked up the path, finding her children playing a game of hide and seek with a few acolytes, Rohan was in the arms of a female acolyte. Lin ran forward as she saw the acolyte pull out air nomad clothes made for a baby. "Oh no you don't." Lin took her son from the air acolyte.

The acolyte let out a sigh in disappointment. "Hello Chief Beifong."

"Pema, I'd appreciate it if you stop trying to dress my son in air nomad clothing, he's an earthbender."

"Fine." Pema stood up to leave. "Oh I almost forgot. I found these in Ikki's bedroom. I doubt they are hers. Perhaps they belong to Korra or one of her friends." She held out her hand, placing the item into Lin's.

Lin looked down, trying to stop the smile that was about to grace her lips. "Thank you. I'll find out who they belong to."

Pema turned to walk away. "Smoking is a terrible habit."

Lin placed the cigarettes in the pocket on her belt, smiling at finally having her pleasure back. She looked down at her son's curious face. "This'll be our little secret. Kids! Stop harassing the acolytes"

The kids looked up at their mother, coming to a stop from circling the acolytes on their air scooters. "Sorry mum!" They decided to run off to do their own thing.

"Jinora," she stoped at the sound of her name, "can you please put Rohan in his crib? I've got to take care of something."

"I'd be more than happy to." Jinora took her baby brother into her arms, cooing at him as she walked to the house.

When Jinora's form disappeared Lin got to work. She walked to the back of the house, looking in every direction to make sure she wasn't being followed. She sighed in relief as she rounded the final corner, smiling when no one was there. She hurriedly took a cigarette from her hip, popping it into her mouth, she lit it by rubbing her metal covered wrists together, a skill she had mastered through this little secret.

She closed her eyes, drawing the smoke into her lungs, exhaling with a sigh of relief.

"Beifong!?"

Lin opened her eyes to find Korra standing in front of her. "Korra! This isn't what it looks like." She saw the Avatar's eyes flicker to the packet in her hands. "Wait a second. Are these yours!?"

Korra rubbed her neck in thought. "I won't tell if you don't"

Lin considered this for a moment "deal." She offered a single cigarette to the teen. "you can have one I'm keeping the rest. By the way stop hiding them in my daughter's room, I don't want her getting any ideas."

Korra lit the tobacco with her firebending. "Much better. So why do you smoke."

"I have four kids and a stressful job, that's why. You?"

"Mainly the job. I find smoking to be the only relaxation I get these days."

They looked to the corner of the house to see Bumi with a cigarette of his own, mumbling and cussing about someone screwing with him. "That pompous windbag. I could take him down when we were kids and I bet I could still take him."

"Bumi?"

"Linny? I didn't know you still smoke." Bumi looked at the women in front of him, a smile tugging at his lips. "And the Avatar! I think we have an A grade scandal on our hands."

"Shut up. What's causing you to smoke?"

He let out a puff of tobacco, the frown he wore before finding itself back on his face, "Your husband. He's trying to teach us a new airbending move but he has no patience as much as he likes to preach that he does. He needs to get laid… sorry."

Lin let out a laugh. "I'll tell you both something but it only stays between us." Bumi and Korra nodded their heads furiously, knowing that whatever the Chief was going to gossip about had to be juicy. "Tenzin has no idea that I know that he smokes and vice versa. But recently he's tried to give it up cold turkeyduck"

Bumi let out a laugh of his own. "No wonder why he's so uptight!"

"Bumi, Lin, Korra. I didn't know you three smoke."

The trio looked up to find Kya Leaning over the edge of the roof, a smoke hanging carelessly from her lips. Lin let out a sigh. "Hello Kya. So are you going to tell us why you smoke?"

Kya dropped beside Korra and Lin. "I've been a hippy for the past twenty years." Kya let out a giggle. "Though I didn't always smoke tobacco."

Korra let out her last breath of smoke. "So is there anyone else that smokes on this island?"

Bumi waved a hand in the air. "Pffft. No. Smoking is only for the cool kids."

As they finished their respective cigarettes, they walked off in different directions, forgetting this ever happened.