I forgot to mention it in chapter one, but I want to thank my buddy Jade-Lotus for her help in editing this monster. She is a fantastic writer, so please check her out as well.
"He still has maintained sobriety. I know that isn't what you want to hear. He still plans on sponsoring Zhu Li. He wonders what I have up my sleeve but I feed him the same lines and he bites." Lin skipped the parts of the night that she didn't want the president to know.
" He is a complete idiot. To hate the police and how everything is run, has a plan on how he wants to radicalize the government, but he still manages to tangle himself up with the police. This moron should stick to music." Raiko scoffed, he was close to ordering the Chief to frame the renowned international singer Hibiki.
"Or he has a reason, and we haven't found it yet." Lin replied, she didn't leave the impression of knowing more though.
"True, you should be careful Lin. I would hate for something to happen to you at the hands of radicals." Lin wondered if he knew she understood the man's point; agreed even. She didn't believe people with addictions should be ridiculed either, society failed them at some point or another. But she had to follow the law like it or not. Something in Lins's core filled with dishonor when she realized what she had done again, and she indeed was a hypocrite sleeping with somebody's husband. She didn't even fully remember these chasms in her memory, intimidating her slightly. She always emulated being powerful yet poised, in complete control, and having no weakness, but her veil was coming undone.
"I hope to take you dancing one day, Lin. Did you guys ever do that?" Lin's eyes narrowed.
Rule number one with Lin Beifong was don't talk about Tenzin.
"I don't do public romances, and I will not answer that, and if you ever even think about asking me about anything in my past, you'll regret it." She bit out at him.
"But- I," but before he could let out his anger or even finish his thoughts, she was stomping out.
When she got in her office the radio was already on playing soft jazz music. She felt a distant rumble through the stone floor. She could feel loud crashes, heat, screams, and things burning. It felt like forever before the smooth song tuned to a different sound.
"This just in: mass destruction at Yue Bay," the reporter announced. Lin looked out the window of her office overlooking the Bay, instantly recalling the Pro-bending bombing. She watched the flames for a second longer before snapping back to work.
It was a vicious fight from the instant her team of officers arrived at Yue Bay; they had no idea who were fighting against them, just that there had been water benders and explosions; they battled until a large blast nearly killed them all. Lin checked after the others. Most had been fine, deciding they would help get people to Kya and the other emergency services near the healer trucks. Around them, there were firefighter trucks, firefighters, and more earth-bending cops tackling the fires and crumbling buildings. The media outlets were taking photos of the blitz, capturing the chaos.
"I have to figure out what this is; maybe I should meditate?" Korra had grown so much. Lin would never say it, but she was proud of that kid. She would have previously done something stupid but instead decided to be wise and not put herself in that situation. Lin also assumed having an intelligent woman at her side helped.
She didn't notice the silence, the shocked faces. She coughed, feeling something wet on her chin; she just wiped her mouth, focusing on catching her breath.
"Lin, don't move." Kya darted toward her, and Lin looked at her, confused. She had no idea what happened, but she trusted Kya. Tenzin also ran over, following his sister.
Lin looked down at her hand and noticed a little blood. Her vision was starting to blur, but she managed to make out Kya's light blue healer bending.
"You have a huge spike in your back!" Tenzin fretted, seeing her face pale, blood running from her lips.
"I think I would feel if I was injured," Lin said stubbornly, wondering when it became nighttime was it just her eyesight again? Her sight getting darker and darker. The pressure on her back abruptly lightened, and suddenly she saw black as she pitched forward in a faint.
Tenzin caught her softly, laying her down so Kya could do her job. Bolin, Opal, and Bumi looked for survivors still.
"Have you ever thought of seeing a mind healer?" He asked, concerned.
Lin had just told Tarrlok the stupidest thing she did in her youth when she had been the same age her mother had been during the war. Lin was not saving the world; she was just trying to make sense of something that happened five years before that. It manifested itself in having sex with a 23-year-old man. To Tarrlok, it screamed daddy issues or some trauma.
Lin promptly told him no; they remained cuddled up together. He admitted to trying to end his life after his father, it was the first time either spoke of their past, but you could see it in their eyes. After that, he ended up in Republic City. Lin was drawn to his hidden sadness. It resonated with her. They understood what it was like, to repeat failures.
Lin asked him what he dreamed of in the future and her drunken heart melted; he said he wanted to spend his last days on an Island with her, to drink tea, play all her instruments and hear her sing. He loved when she sang. But she refused to retire. That's where it all went wrong. It's always where it went wrong.
That and Tenzin.
He pointed out she was a Beifong, and she worked the force longer than anyone had. He didn't know it, but when her grandparents passed, she donated all the money to the people. She had a job, a decent place, and an education in the top five percent of the wealthiest people in Republic City, surpassing many people in the world. The City schools and hospitals needed funding. The money she had, which was a fraction of the total Beifong fortune, could feed most people in the streets. It was disgusting to hoard that wealth, and it didn't help she didn't want her mom's affluent fucking parents' money. She didn't want anything to do with them. She might as well use her power to help the average person in her City. Sure, she got a few things; she was still human, but she wanted to help people more.
Tarrlok didn't understand why they weren't on the same page, but he would drop the book and open it somewhere else. He was almost there most times, like when she pushed that he should put a vote on laws that would give higher taxes on the wealthier people or laws that stopped things like the Sato's or Cabbage Corp from using their influence to get laws passed that hurt citizen and helped their pockets.
He didn't listen in the end. Nobody listened. So Lin didn't either. She kept her job. She may not be what the city needed anymore but she had to try and help keep some semi-balance of security.
"Tarrlok." Lin groaned as she woke, the lights hitting her room giving her a headache. The taste of blood in her mouth was making her queasy on top of that.
Tenzin's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"Maybe I should have Kya check on you." Asami stood up and headed towards the door.
"No, I can only imagine how many are injured." Lin said, stopping the younger woman.
" But, your're injured," Asami said.
"Mhm, just a scratch. I didn't even feel it; still don't." She almost sounded disappointed.
Tenzin sighed. Would Lin ever change?
"Did we find anything else out? Mhm." Lin asked. She felt ill, and she dry heaved. She probably would've thrown up if she had food in her.
"No, relax. You need to be looked at." Tenzin fretted, voice raised in concern.. She was so stubborn.
"Nope." That was all Lin said. She turned away from them.
An hour passed, and the door clicked open; Lin felt someone stroke her hair. She panicked as she recognized the hand. Had Raiko not seen Tenzin and Asami? Clearly not.
Asami looked at Tenzin, confused. Before they turned and watched the President interact with the Chief.
"Are you okay? I was worried about you-"
"Peachy," Lin interrupted with a growl.
Raiko realized they weren't alone. "Tenzin, Ms. Sato. How are you?" Raiko cleared his throat as he stood straighter.
"Amazing." Asami replied, slightly amused.
Tenzin nodded. "Didn't realize you were close." He quipped.
"Our Chief has saved me many times. What would we do without Lin Beifong in our stead?" He spoke like a proper politician.
Lin said nothing; she just stared into the wall.
Just then the door opened again."Guys, maybe we should go into the spirit-?" Korra paused. She noticed an outlier. "Raiko, what are you-" Korra was cut off.
"He came to check on Lin." Asami's tone twinkled with amusement, the scandal of what she thought was true.
Korra and Tenzin were unsure of why Asami was acting that way. Korra just shrugged and continued. "Okay, well, we should go to the spirit world with Jinora and Tenzin. I have an idea."
Please let me know what you think of the story so far.
