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Lin had been having a bad day.
It wasn’t that anything in particular had happened. At least not yet. Rather, it had been painfully boring. She was shuffled from one meeting to another and her only reprieve was the ever growing mountain of paperwork on her desk. She didn’t even manage time to eat lunch, instead surviving on a bottomless cup of tea her assistant provided. She was longing for the peace and quiet of her apartment, and by the ninth hour of her day, the thought of it was the only thing keeping her going.
It was past six by the time she settled her pen, her hand cramping from use. “Finally,” she sighed, handing over the last file to her assistant, Hue.
He was a short, balding man who had worked for Lin directly for well over ten years, and over twenty years altogether for the department. This afforded him a deeper than average knowledge of her and her personality. Which was why he had the decency to look sheepish as he handed over a new file.
“President Moon has called twice today, asking when she would get the latest security appraisals.”
The security appraisals were a good idea. Moon had worked very closely with Lin in her early days to establish a strong system of protection for the city. It had worked too; crime hadn’t been so low since the height of Avatar Aang’s influence.
The appraisals were simple enough; once every three months, she did a walk through of high risk areas, reviewing the current procedures in place, made note of anything useful, and drew up a report. It didn’t take up too much of her time, and it established a paper trail they could refer to if an incident ever did happen. It was good for public transparency and it gave Lin (and everyone involved) reassurance that they were prepared.
Lin frowned at the proffered file. “We sent those off last week.”
“No, you finished most of them last week. You, uh, well, there’s one you’ve been putting off.”
She instantly knew what he was referring to and groaned, smacking a hand to her cheek. The typical appraisal took her maybe one hour - longer if it was a large building like City Hall.
The security appraisal of Air Temple Island took a long time for a myriad of reasons. The last one, Meelo had spotted her the moment she came off the ferry and insisted on “helping”. The one before that, the entire damn family cornered her, begging her to stay for dinner. The one before that, someone (Meelo) had set off a smoke bomb in the lemur enclosure, sending the island into pandemonium. The one before that…Lin’s dream of an evening in the bathtub with a bottle of something strong were fading into nothing.
She snatched the file out of Hue’s hands. “Tell the President’s office they’ll have it first thing in the morning,” she growled, storming out of her office.
On the ferry ride across the bay, she mentally prepared herself, trying to convince herself this would be the time the appraisal went smoothly. The acolytes and airbenders never gave Lin any issues. It was only Tenzin’s offspring that sought to trouble her day. Thankfully, Bumi was at the Northern Air Temple; he could be as problematic as the kids.
Truthfully, Lin had a soft spot for the kids. In recent years, she and Tenzin had resumed a comfortable friendship and Lin even felt she and Pema had a quiet respect for one another now. While she would never understand the bizarre mind of Meelo, he made up for it with his constant praise of her strength and fighting skills. Ikki annoyed her with her endless talking but as the girl grew up, she became more tolerable, beginning to say things of actual value. Jinora, she genuinely liked. She had sought to make herself an ally to the future leader of the Air Nation and she felt they had an easy rapport.
The sun was already beginning to set when she finished her interviews with the guards. She moved to the lemur enclosure and bison stables, making notes in the file as she went. The island was a little too quiet for her liking. It was still dinner hour, but Lin knew not to put too much trust in that.
The first problem occurred in the stables. Oogi, having never forgotten his affections for Lin, refused to let her simply walk around the perimeter of the structure and then leave. He licked her face, something she had never appreciated, not even at the age of ten when he had first done it to her. It took ten minutes of petting the giant creature, complaining in the most soothing voice she could manage, before he fell asleep and Lin could slip away.
The lemur enclosure was easy because those little creatures were smart enough to give her space. It had helped that she had come armed with a few fresh mangos to act as a diversion.
Tenzin was in charge of reviewing the temple, the dormitories for the acolytes and airbenders, and of course, his family’s private home, so Lin could avoid those. Using her cables, she performed her final task of scaling the entire perimeter of the island. By the end, her hair was damp from sea water, her arms were tired, and she was desperate to get home.
All she needed was Tenzin’s signature on the report and then she could leave. As she approached the center square of the island, Meelo and Ikki spotted her.
“Hi Chief Lin!” Ikki grinned, a familiar airball in hand.
Meelo opened his mouth to speak but Lin stopped him with a firm glare. “This is not a social visit. I just need your father to sign something. Do you know where he is?”
The pair immediately began sniggering, exchanging smug looks. Lin felt herself sigh with her entire body. “What?”
Meelo burst before she even got the word out. “He’s yelling at Jinora and Kai!”
“He caught them kissing again,” Ikki explained.
Lin debated leaving the island at that point. This was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid. Maybe she should just forge Tenzin’s signature…
In spite of her desires, she still asked the kids, “Where?”
“By the airbending gates,” Ikki told her, nodding her head in that direction.
Steeling herself for the domestic display she was about to enter, Lin gave the kids a nod of appreciation and started towards the gates.
She could hear Tenzin before she made it there. The kids hadn’t been exaggerating; he was yelling. They were standing in front of the circular gathering of gates, Tenzin and Jinora facing each other hotly while Kai maintained a safe distance behind his girlfriend.
“…can’t believe you don’t trust me!”
“ - I am still your father, and - ”
“ - ridiculous and unfair - ”
“ - protect you from yourself, you don’t - ”
“ - just kissing, you ruin everything - ”
They were screaming at an appalling volume. They never let the other voice a complete thought so it wasn’t even a constructive argument. Not to mention, to Lin’s knowledge, Jinora had been dating this boy off and on for more than three years at this point. Surely, that was enough time for Tenzin to get over it.
Kai spotted her first, giving her a nervous smile and then flinching at Tenzin’s voice.
“I MAKE THE RULES!”
Lin kicked down at the ground, causing a gentle rumble. Both of the targeted airbending masters reacted instantly and Lin was pleased with the way Jinora switched into a defensive stance. Tenzin almost fell over, only catching himself at the last second with a gust of air.
“Nice,” she commented dryly. “As lovely as this family moment is, Tenzin, I need you to sign this report.”
Jinora appeared relieved. “Lin, please tell Dad he is being unreasonable.”
The pleading in the girl’s voice did drum up some sympathy but Lin wasn’t having it tonight. She held up the file. “Signature, Tenzin.”
He didn’t even look at her, his anger clouding everything. “One moment, Lin, my daughter and I are in the middle of something.”
Jinora turned back to him. “You’re so obsessed with controlling my every move that you’re being rude to Lin!”
“I am - how dare you suggest - ”
“ - exactly what I’m talking about - ”
“ - never listen - ”
Lin felt a migraine coming on. “Okay!” She shouted, quieting them both. “This clearly isn’t going anywhere, so why don’t you two take a breather? Perhaps, a little space will give you perspective and then you can come back to this later.”
“Oh, but that would require sensible thinking, something my father is clearly lacking,” Jinora growled, arms crossed.
They started back up again, Lin’s head pounding, her patience thin, and the report still unsigned.
“Stop,” she demanded firmly.
When she told them a second time and they ignored her, Lin lifted a column of earth between them. They both stepped around it without missing a beat.
“ - need to focus on your responsibilities - ”
“ - do my job, but you still treat me - ”
Irritation made way for anger and Lin lobbed a rock at Tenzin’s head. Not only did he dodge it, but he sent a retaliatory gust towards her. That was her breaking point.
“ - your age, I - ”
“ - don’t listen, and I try, I really try - ”
Lin strode forward and grabbed Tenzin’s robes, giving a sharp tug. Not expecting her to get so physical, he abruptly stopped yelling and looked at her. “What?!”
Lin felt a vein in her neck throb. “‘What?’ Are you kidding me? Okay, fine, here’s the deal: Jinora is old enough and intelligent enough to make a few of her own decisions. If she’s not neglecting her responsibilities, there’s nothing wrong with her spending time with her boyfriend.”
“Thank you!” Jinora cheered, quieting when Lin shot her a glare.
She looked back at Tenzin, releasing her hold on his robes. “Now, sign the report so I can go.”
He hadn’t let go of his anger. “Lin, stay out of this.”
“I’d love to, but I need you to sign this,” she growled, thrusting the file towards him for the third time.
He ignored it, looking back to his daughter, his authoritative voice calm but severe. “Jinora, you two are sixteen and seventeen, that is much too young - ”
Lin decided it was time to truly end this, consequences be damned.
“Tenzin, when you and I were sixteen and seventeen, we were fucking every chance we had. Stop being a hypocrite and leave her alone.”
A dark part of Lin thought it was comical to see an airbender struggle to breathe. Tenzin’s face turned a deep red, his blue arrows seeming to glow. His eyes were wide, his mouth agape in absolute horror.
Lin didn’t care. She waved the file. “Signature. Now.”
She gave Tenzin another moment to gather himself but he seemed frozen in place. With an irritated sigh, she glanced back to Jinora and Kai, both of whom were blushing and fighting giggles. “Well, at least he’s shut up now,” Lin quipped. “While he’s incapacitated, get out of here.”
Jinora grabbed Kai’s hand, guiding him away from the gates. “You’re the best, Lin,” she declared.
Once they were gone, she turned back to Tenzin. “Now, you’re wishing you had just signed this, aren’t you?”
Finally, he spoke. “I can’t believe you just said that. In front of my daughter.”
“It’s not like I gave her directions to the best spots.”
It didn’t seem possible, but he looked even more horrified. “Lin,” he rasped.
“But if you don’t sign this in the next three seconds, I will find her and tell her all about that nice, private cave on the south face.”
He snatched the file from her hands, scribbling his signature fiercely. “You will do no such thing.”
Lin accepted the file back, glancing to make sure he had signed on the correct line. “She’s a good kid. Stop worrying so much.”
He scoffed. “Yeah, that’s what our parents said about us.”
“You cannot seriously be comparing them to us? Tenzin, this is not even remotely close. Jinora is a thousand times more well-adjusted than we were.” She snorted. “She’s probably more well-adjusted than we are right now.”
“I just…” He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t want her to stop leaning on us, on her family.”
Lin had to fight a smile, knowing the direction his thoughts were moving towards. “Don’t want her to become completely wrapped up in her first love?”
“It’s a wonderful, delirious feeling, I know.” Tenzin smiled at her. “But, she doesn’t have to rely on Kai.”
“You and I didn’t have that luxury.”
“We needed each other,” he agreed. “Sometimes I wonder if our parents had been more emotionally present, would we - ”
“Have been entirely co-dependent by the age of twelve?”
Tenzin chuckled softly. “Something like that.”
“Well, I imagine if they had paid closer attention, we probably would have been virgins a while longer.”
“We were so young,” he groaned. “Now, I have daughters and I think about what we got up to…”
She hummed thoughtfully. “Ikki’s almost fourteen now, isn’t she?”
“Yes,” he answered hesitantly, frowning at her.
“You know, I was fourteen the first time you and I - ”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about! We were too young! We were children, but we felt like we had to grow up. You were practically raising your sister, I was being groomed to take over for my father…”
“That’s exactly why I don’t think you need to be so worried about your kids,” she said softly. “They have parents who are making sure they get to be kids as long as they deserve.”
“She’s the youngest master in history,” he muttered, his gaze moving somewhere beyond her face, his expression conflicted.
“By choice, Tenzin. She chose to take on that responsibility and she has had you and her family supporting her the whole way. Do you think she would have made that choice if she didn’t know she had your support?”
“No,” he admitted, looking back at her.
“I don’t think you’re fighting with her over her relationship with Kai because you disapprove or don’t trust her. I think you’re projecting. Jinora isn’t you, Tenzin. She isn’t carrying the entire future of a nation all on her own.”
“No, she isn’t.” He smiled lightly, and she knew he had truly understood her. “You’re probably right.”
“I’m definitely right.”
He met her amused gaze. “Thank you. You’re always good at talking me down.”
“Decades of practice,” she stated confidently.
After a pause, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. “We didn’t have sex ‘every chance we had’.”
Lin raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? You were crawling through my window every night after I turned sixteen. I think every inch of this island has been violated by our hormones.”
“Surely not. I know we enjoyed our spot on the east face and the caves, but everywhere?”
“Want me to list them?” She teased, pleased by his smile.
“Maybe.”
She wasn’t going to go that deep. “Aside from other peoples’ private rooms, I can’t think of a spot around here where we didn’t do at least something.”
Tenzin wasn’t convinced, still looking around. “There’s no way-”
She laughed. “I can think of multiple occasions right here at these gates.”
It was like a rapid slideshow of their youth: making out in the bison stables, sharing kisses and laughter behind the temple, slow nights making love beneath the stars.
Tenzin had to be thinking the same because he was now smiling. “We really didn’t care about anything but being together.”
“Oh, no, we definitely cared about being what everyone expected. We just coped by having too much fun. I’m still amazed our parents never caught on to our antics. Or that we didn’t end up arrested, injured or dead.”
“I concede that we didn’t spend very many nights apart.”
“We even used to hang out with friends,” she reminded.
“That underground club in the Warehouse District we loved.” He sighed happily. “We’d all go dancing.”
“Remember that time you got so drunk you puked for hours? I was terrified I would have to get Katara for help.”
“All I remember from that occasion is waking up in your bed and hearing your mother stomping around in the hall outside. I was terrified.”
She laughed. “As if she didn’t know you were in there? Please.”
“It was still frightening.”
Lin looked to his bald head. “I’ll never forget that head of hair you had. You grew it out when you were seventeen. I remember it was so long it would fall into your eyes.”
“That and some of Bumi’s hand-me-downs and I could be like any other teenager.”
“You and I could never be like other teenagers.”
Tenzin nodded in agreement. “You know what I remember most about being that young?”
“What?”
He sighed. “We fucked every chance we had.”
Lin shook with laughter and so did Tenzin. It had been a long time since she had shared such a humorous moment with him. She nearly dropped her file, its presence reminding her of the original purpose of her visit. It was getting late and even a walk down memory lane with Tenzin wasn’t enough to refute her fatigue.
“I need to head out. Go apologize to your daughter.”
He reached out and grabbed her hand, giving it a grateful squeeze before dropping it again. “I’ll walk you out first.”
“Think I know the way by now.”
“Humor me.”
They walked to the dock in silence, both of them still giddy from the memories of being young and in love. Lin’s agitation had faded completely and now she was looking forward to a quiet evening as a pleasant end to her day rather than its saving grace.
The acolyte operating the ferry greeted them warmly, springing into action to ready to boat.
“Have lunch with me one day next week,” Tenzin requested, still smiling.
“I’ll think about it,” she said, stepping onto the boat.
Tenzin stood on the dock, watching as the acolyte prepared to push off. Lin smirked, not content to leave him so peaceful.
“Hey, you should probably keep a closer eye out. No doubt they’ve found a lot of those spots we used to frequent.”
He groaned. “What happened to ‘don’t worry so much’?”
“They’re still teenagers. Some supervision is wise.”
The boat departed and Lin gave her friend a wave before turning away to observe the quiet waters of the night. She didn’t need to look to know Tenzin was watching, and likely would do so until he witnessed the ferry safely dock on the other side.
Walking home, Lin considered the irritation she had felt earlier in the day and how relaxed she now felt. Just as she had as a child, visiting the island after a bad day at school or a fight with her mother, she was now in a better mental space. It was like coming full circle.
Maybe she would have lunch with Tenzin. After all, she had a full arsenal of teasing and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.