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The Legend of Jin (Legend of Korra, SI)

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Aagkard said:
Ok. But how old is Jin? Is he still 13 or whatever age he was.
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Jin is 17 now. He was 13 when he landed in the Archipelago. 4 years have past since then. The ladies see him as a boy, because, well . . . he is a boy to them. Keep in mind that Kya is like 54 (atleast 3 years older than Tenzin) and Katara is like 85. She probably calls everyone boy or girl.
 
Energy Bending makes more sense than a non-canon Chi Bending.
One can say that Water Benders sense the chi empowered blood/water in people to sense them, explaining why Jin failed at that particular skill.

Korra's use of Energy Bending is more in line with lunching Ki Blades as Sokka was stated to have done.
 
Sceonn said:
Energy Bending makes more sense than a non-canon Chi Bending.
One can say that Water Benders sense the chi empowered blood/water in people to sense them, explaining why Jin failed at that particular skill.

Korra's use of Energy Bending is more in line with lunching Ki Blades as Sokka was stated to have done.
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Like i said, this story isn't going to be a recital of canon. I'm trying to flex a few creative muscles here. Anyhow you can think of chi manipulation as energy bending if you like. It really makes no difference when you read the story.

Yet.
 
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Excellent quality is something that most stories in the Aang/Korra fandom lack.
Yours is not one of those, as far as I can tell.
Proceed.
 
This looks very interesting. I approve of your decision to skip over the rebellion. While important and character building, I think it will be much more interesting revealed as references and allusions.
 
lpfreak said:
~snip~
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This is very interesting. Liking the setting and the background of the characters which you have really fleshed out. Suddenly being related to Korra / Katara / Kya though...that raises major red flags alongside this mysterious chi manipulation scroll, nearly stopped reading right then and there, only the fact that it was kept out of play is why I'm still reading.

That said, this is seriously underrated and needs more love.

Can't wait to read more.
 
Gremlin Jack said:
This looks very interesting. I approve of your decision to skip over the rebellion. While important and character building, I think it will be much more interesting revealed as references and allusions.
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Thanks. I actually started writing a story based on the revolution and subsequent problems in the Archipelagos but realized that alluding to it in conversations and the occasional flashback or two might seem more interesting.
 
No_Meaning said:
This is very interesting. Liking the setting and the background of the characters which you have really fleshed out. Suddenly being related to Korra / Katara / Kya though...that raises major red flags alongside this mysterious chi manipulation scroll, nearly stopped reading right then and there, only the fact that it was kept out of play is why I'm still reading.

That said, this is seriously underrated and needs more love.

Can't wait to read more.
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I understand. I felt the relation to be a bit contrived too but I had to give the readers something after I decided to expire Jin's mother. Plus it makes for some interesting conversations and character portrayal. Also, like I've mentioned, this is not going to be the average comedy where a powerless human SI muddles his way through canon, somehow managing to make things better by talking really funny (although funny conversations might make an appearance or two). So yeah, Jin will need abilities or he gets killed (and since pretty much all fanfiction is part wish fulfillment, Jin will seem badass while he kicks butt).

There is some semblance of a plot beyond canon that I'm going for and Jin's abilities will be a part of that. The story is going to be darker than canon.

I hope this keeps you reading. Thanks.
 
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The Legend of Jin - Chapter 4 - A Promising Start
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    • Chapter 4 - A Promising Start​

    "Sooo! How's it going, Boss?" I asked.

    "They're on their way. Should be here in 'bout 25 minutes. Ming's leading 'em 'ere the long way. According to scouts, 'ere's only 25 of 'em this time and Ming's team has already picked off a few, but they could do the camp some serious damage before we put 'em all down. We didn't expect 'em this early, after all. We could use one of 'em insane plots of yers', kid."

    I didn't answer Gulon for a while and instead observed Ming's scout team luring the pirates away from the settlement through the binoculars.

    It had been a few months since the pirates began raiding the mining settlements on the outskirts. We had held them off for the most part, except for the two settlements we lost because we couldn't get there in time to help but this would be the first time we intentionally lost a skirmish and lured them after us, away from their ships and the settlement to avoid collateral damage.

    We had identified the one leading this raid, some dumb brute with no head for tactics. We had close to thrice the manpower they did, all lying in wait at the end of an exhausting chase. It would be an easy fight but the cost would probably be the outpost.

    Hastily constructed out of wood and whatever we had on hand, the feeble encampments would quickly give way to the attacks of the waterbending pirates.

    'Yeah. Not going to happen. Once we get entrenched here, this camp can serve as an outpost to monitor the three remaining fishing settlements on the western islands. I don't want to have to do this crap all over again. I've been stuck here for days.'

    Instead of answering Gulon I handed him the binoculars and turned to the swamp and the camp next to it. I looked out at the people who had, despite my age, come to regard me as something of a leader.

    I noticed a few of them bend some mud of a crate. They seemed to have some difficulty doing so because the mud was stickier than normal.

    Spirits know why the ground is so sticky here. I know it's a swamp but still. Wait a sec. Aren't they waterbenders?'

    "Hey, you two. Get your butts over here."

    The two in question trotted over to me and saluted.

    "Sir?"

    "Sir?"

    "Aren't the two of you waterbenders?"

    "Sir! Yes, Sir!" Came the reply.

    "But you bent the mud of the crates?"

    "Affirmative, Sir!"

    "The crates contain medication and food, Sir! Resistance Protocol for military hygiene dictates -"

    "Yeah, yeah. Protocol. I get it. That wasn't my question, guys. And enough with the "Sirs". How did you guys bend earth if you're waterbenders?"

    The two looked at each other uncertainly.

    "It's not earth, Jin."

    I paused. That was not an answer. I hate people not spilling their guts when I ask them a question. It's not polite. I tended to take it personally.

    "What do you mean? I saw you bend the mud. Explain, now. Or would you like the Dark Knight treatment?" I ordered, feeling a little annoyed by this point.

    "Jin! No, Jin! It's not earth, Jin! It's clay."

    "Alright! First off: Stop using my name like it's a title! That's fucking weird, guys. Second: That wasn't an explanation. What do you mean "It's clay". And how would that matter -"

    I cut myself off as I got the gist of it. I must admit I was slow to understand but when the bulb began to shine, it did so with a vengeance.

    I looked around at the swamp around me, my mood lifting as I noted the ample clay just waiting to be used.

    An innocent, bashful smile appeared on my face when I figured out a way to turn the swamp into the perfect welcome mat we could roll out for the pirates. A Red Carpet, one might say. The two waterbenders began to back away slowly as I laughed goodnaturedly.

    "Mhahaha. Mwaahahaahahahaaa. Mwahahahahahahaaaa."

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Knock Knock Knock.

    "Sir."

    "Don't call me "Sir", guys", I slurred out, rubbing the dust from my eyes.

    Knock Knock Knock.

    "Master Jin, please wake up."

    "Huh?"

    I stretched out and looked to the side of my bed, wondering where I was.

    'Oh right. Ship to Republic City. I got a VIP cabin. '

    "Are we there yet?" I called out.

    "An hour away, Master Jin. Also, your neighbors were frightened by the laughter and requested that it cease, Master Jin. I apologize for the inconvenience."

    Right. Of course. Bad Habit.

    "Right Ho, Lee."

    "Very good, Sir."

    My morning rituals complete, I exited the cabin, grabbed some breakfast, tipped the butler I shared with the adjacent cabins (expensive it might be but the VIP cabins were worth every yuan), and decided to get one last look at the ocean before we arrived.

    It was almost dawn when the cruise ship pulled into the dock. I walked past another ship as I made my way towards the city.

    'A cargo ship by the looks of things. Glad I don't have to travel in those anymore'

    The sight of the crew hauling cargo off the ship and onto the docks made me recall the days when I had just woken up in this world without two coppers to rub together. I spent days aboard cargo ships moving from city to city, playing cabin boy for a crew of over thirty sailors to pay my way. I wasn't ungrateful of course, but sailors didn't seem to understand the need to maintain basic hygiene. Women were no exception, as I learned to my detriment. The entire freighter had smelt about the same as a locker room after a football game, the kitchens were grimy and I'm surprised I managed to get to the Archipelago without falling sick.

    I shivered a bit, shook off the unpleasant reminder and walked into the city.

    I had just walked past a warehouse when a large, white beast barreled past me with a woman on its back. 'There's an uncommon sight', I thought, staring at the ponytailed girl dressed in light blue clothing and thick furred boots. I could tell that she was probably from the Southern Water Tribe. Northerners preferred darker blues for some reason.

    The girl was of course, not the uncommon sight I refer to. At least, not entirely.

    What was uncommon however, was the creature she rode. A large white polar bear-dog. Sparsely found in the frozen tundra of the South Pole, these beasts were deep sleepers, slow to wake up but were unusually territorial and aggressive for part canines. I had seen a few during my travels in the Antarctic.

    Most advice I received on the topic while noting down tips for survival seemed to follow a common theme:
    "Don't fuck with a polar bear dog and it won't fuck you up".

    A common, if stupid, water tribe game among teenagers at the South Pole was to poke a polar bear dog in its sleep and run back to safety in the time it took for the normally aggressive creature to wake up and begin chasing them.

    'Glad I "invented" ice hockey to keep those idiots occupied. It's a wonder that the Southern Water Tribe hasn't bred the stupidity out yet.'

    Back to the point I was trying to make, it probably took a special brand of insane to tame a beast that aggressive.

    'Therefore, note to self, stay away from crazy girl riding the polar bear dog.'

    I walked into the massive city, enjoying the vague sense of nostalgia that the modern architecture evoked. One of the things that surprised me about the city was the widespread use of private motor vehicles. I did know they existed. One of the Archipelagos major exports was gasoline, after all. I had helped broker a trade agreement (which I was not paid enough for) with Republic Oil Ltd. before I left the Archipelago. So yeah, a few motor vehicles here and there was expected, multi-lane highways carrying thousands of private transports all over the city were not.

    'It's interesting, how much more industrialized Republic City is when compared with the rest of the world. Aang certainly went all out on this place.'

    I eventually wandered downtown and was taking in the sight of establishments that offered certain . . . services that I couldn't take advantage off (yet, damn it) when I was interrupted by a particularly beautiful tune. I followed the mesmerizing music to a quaint shop on a street at the edge of downtown where I spotted an old man with a long grey goatee polishing what appeared to be a record player.

    'Mother of Gods! Recorded Music, how I have longed for thee.'

    It might seem strange to some but prior to this day, my experience with music in this world had for the most part been badly sung folk songs and raunchy limericks, given tune (badly) by drunkards in taverns.

    "It's an invention of Sato's. He brought up the idea a long time back but only started manufacturing them a few years ago. It hasn't become popular outside of the well-to-do folk. You need to buy records as well, see. Also listening to music live on the radio seems to serve us regular folks' requirements fairly well", the old man explained enthusiastically.

    'Sato, again? This guy gets around!'

    Old man Chung was happy to play a few records to demonstrate the phonograph. After I listened to a few classical instrumental pieces and one piece that had distinct similarities to folk metal I decided that I was definitely buying myself one of these.

    'Radio? Ha. Like someone used to spotify and youtube could possibly be satisfied for long by staticky crap played live on the radio.'

    "So how much did you say this device cost, Mr Chung?"

    "Oh, just 700 Yuans for you, young man. In fact, since this is the last one on stock that I need to get rid of, I'll throw in two records of your choice for fr - "

    Vroom Vrooom.

    "You need to leave, young man", whispered the store owner, his face paling when he noticed a stylish Satomobile come to a stop outside his store. It didn't escape my notice that most of the people left the street and closed up their shops as three men exited the Satomobile. The once busy street had, within the span of a few seconds, become as silent as a cemetery, with the only sounds audible being the steps of the three gaudily dressed men.

    "Mr. Chung. Please tell me you have my money", drawled out one of the men approaching the store's yard with a lazy gait.

    "Or else, I can't guarantee I can protect your . . . fine establishment."

    He then smiled and gestured to one of his two smirking bodyguards who lit a flame above his hand.

    'Alright. So average protection racket. Thugs use bending to extort money and going by the suddenly closed shops and the empty street, this isn't an isolated incident. These people are used to this.'

    While I analyzed the situation, Mr. Chung stuttered out an apology, offering his last phonograph to the thugs as collateral.

    'Oi, I was going to buy that. Wait. Woah. What is he - Noooo!' I thought in horror, as firebender smashed the record player into the ground, burning it to scrap metal in the process.
    My right eye twitched involuntarily as I helped Old man Chung up and looked over at the record player.

    These turd stains had probably destroyed the first source of recorded music I had seen in almost a decade. Probably the only one that might be available for purchase in the foreseeable future.

    I was going to pulverize them. Right after I checked on the record player.

    "My friend is not a music lover", said the 80s Mafioso in the trench coat, "I'd suggest you pay us what you owe, or else -"

    "Or else what, hoodlums?" Came a shout from behind the three goons.

    'Hoodlums? Who says that anymore?' I thought, still a tad dismayed at the candid destruction of the record player that I wanted to purchase.

    'A polar bear dog? Is that the stowaway water tribe girl from the cargo ship?'

    I missed most of the intermediate conversation while I put out the fire before it burned the store down and tried to salvage the record player. I turned back to the street just in time to watch the leader of the thugs fling a dense bolt of water at the girl who rapidly bent it back at him and in the process, encased his head in ice. The mafia wannabe stumbled towards the younger waterbender, the ice on his head upsetting his balance. The girl met him midway and hook kicked his head, slamming it onto his car, denting the bumper severely and knocking him for a loop in the process.

    'Chick's got basic CQC training and is a waterbender. Shortie with the superman hair is a firebender, flexible, going by that earlier kick - probably speedy and acrobatic. Hate those types. Large guy - Hmm. Going by the other two, a bender, probably earthbender going by the tall, sturdy physique and green clothing. Insane waterbender chick has advantage with Firebender. Engage earthbender.'

    I pulled Old Man Chung onto his feet, ushered him indoors and ran towards the Earthbender. But before I could tackle him, the tall thug rushed forward and began to earthbend. He never got the chance to do so, however. The girl slammed her foot into the ground in a waterbending stance I had never seen before.

    I leaped out of the way of the torrent of water I was expecting to fly towards the earthbender and myself. But I was surprised when a column of earth rose under earthbender's feet instead and launched him into the air.

    'Umm . . . What?'

    The earthbender's fall was broken by a fruit stand.

    'Did the earthbender just take himself out? Talk about shoddy earthbending. No! That waterbender just raised a platform. How?'

    I had seen waterbenders bend clay before. The water was often bonded so well with the earth that extracting the water took more effort than it was worth. Instead, the strong mix of water and earth made it possible for water benders to bend clay as it was. What claybending took away from traditional waterbending in flexibility, it gained in potential for blunt force and ingenious field applications like traps and disabling enemy weaponry. Several strategies involving claybending had been used to great effect once the pirates began their direct assault on the Archipelago.

    'But waterbenders manipulating the earth by itself? Perhaps there is enough water in the ground that she can sense?'

    The firebender with the superman hair squeaked and bent an unfocused stream of fire at the girl hastily. My shock grew as she simply ripped through it and defused the flame. She grappled his hands and tossed him right through the window of an antique clock store.

    'Fire too? I suppose, you could split Hydrogen and Oxygen and - Wait a sec. Is she -'

    "The Avatar!" shouted an old lady from next door as my confusion cleared.

    I could have hit myself on the head for not realizing it earlier. It might be the fact that I had seen the cartoon but it was easier for me to come up with ridiculous theories than imagine anyone other than a bald kid as the Avatar.

    I had a quick look through the broken window of the clock store and winced. A few tens of thousand yuans worth of damage at least. I maybe rich now but that was still a lot of money.

    'There were easier ways to take him out.'

    "Urggh."

    I turned around and saw that the earthbender had gotten up again. Deciding to end this incident without further collateral damage, I ran at the earthbender, who quickly focused on me.

    "Don't even try, kid."

    The large earthbender yelled in a guttural tone as he raised a boulder twice the size of my body and punched out, hurling the boulder in my direction.

    I ducked under the boulder and somersaulted over his head, poking his eyes with my fingers in the process.

    The earthbender clutched his face in pain as I landed on my feet behind him. I slammed a heavy palm strike into his armpit, dislocating his shoulder and eliciting a groan.

    I was almost blindsided when the earthbender, undaunted by his useless left arm, took a blind swing as he turned around to face me.

    'Holy shit, this guy's sturdy. What's it going to take?'

    I bent slightly at the knees, dodging under a haphazard right hook, and lowered my center of gravity in preparation before my arms blurred, fingers slamming repeatedly into the earthbender's left external oblique with practiced ease, targeting a few pressure points that would block his bending for thirty minutes, with the welcome side effect of numbing the left side of his body for the same duration.

    The earthbender let out a pained moan and fell on his side like a fish out of water, unable to do more than twitch.

    I hadn't needed to dislocate his shoulder but a little pain over the next couple of days should teach him to keep his bending to himself in the future.

    I might have smirked at my handiwork a little longer but my private gloating session was unfortunately interrupted by the waterbender getting into and starting his Satomobile. He wasted no time pulling the firebender in and floored it.

    "You're not getting away", growled the Avatar. After spending years fighting alongside and against benders of all types, not all were trained by professionals but, I had learned to recognise their stances for the most part.

    My eyes widened as I saw the Avatar get into a stance that I distinctly recognised as a variation of the Taekwondo Forward Stance, usually used to bend earth a significant distance away from the bender. That could mean only one thing.

    "NO, DON'T!"

    Disregarding my warning, she stomped down and raised her hands, bending an uneven rock formation in front of the fleeing Satomobile, clipping its tires, sending it careening out of control and crashing into a shop.

    'Idiot', I thought angrily, going over to make sure no one else was injured in the crash. The girl followed me with her giant polar bear dog. Sighing in relief when I found the store vacant, I turned around to read her the riot act when I was interrupted by a siren.

    The police were here.

    'This will not end well', I thought morosely.

    I hadn't intended to get involved with Law Enforcement anymore. Now, I was going to get up close and personal with them from the other side of the table.

    "POLICE! FREEZE WHERE YOU ARE!"

    They dropped out of the sky, strange black cables shooting out of their wristguards, attaching to the buildings and slowing them down.

    "Cool! Metal benders", cried the awed Avatar, staring up at the police.

    'Like Toph in the cartoon', I thought.

    I had not seen metal bending in this world before, it was a surreal experience. I had known it existed since it had come up in conversations before but the ability seemed fairly exclusive even decades after it was discovered. Apparently, only one in a hundred earthbenders had the talent and mindset to learn it and even fewer were able to train the skill without competent instructors.

    'Note to self, have the big shots contact someone in the Earth Kingdom to train a few for us. The lack of metal benders in the military is a glaring hole in our - Gah, what am I thinking! I came here to get away from that crap. It's not my responsibility.'

    The police landed in front of us, withdrawing their cables with a snap.

    "We caught the bad guys for you officers", said the Avatar, smugly directing them to the car crash.

    'This literally cannot get worse', I thought, my face palm drawing a curious look from the Avatar. She had ruined the paved roads, caused a car crash, destroyed an antique store and just confessed to the police. Did she really think they were going to give her a medal?

    "Arrest them", said one of the officers, watching as the others shot out metal cables, tying the thugs up.

    "You're both under arrest too. You will be questioned at headquarters", he continued, approaching us with a glare.

    "What do you mean I'm under arrest?" said the Avatar, indignantly. "Those are the bad guys over there. They were smashing up a shop." she said, pointing at the groggy bending trio.

    "We noticed. By the looks of things, you smashed up way more than that", said the officer, gesturing at the shops and the road.

    "There's no need for the cables officer, I'd be happy to accompany you to the police station and explain myself. I'm sure you'll find that my actions were acceptable, given the circumstances", I smiled disarmingly, hoping to avoid being trussed up like a chicken.

    The officer nodded at me with a constipated look on his face and then turned to the Avatar. The Avatar looked at me, shocked but quickly turned to the police.

    "Wait! You . . . you can't arrest me, let me explain", she said quickly.

    The officer narrowed his eyes in irritation.

    "You can explain all you like down at headquarters", said the officer snapping out a metal cable which the Avatar dodged with a backwards somersault. The polar bear dog, which had been docile till now, decided to show its displeasure by shoving the officer into the ground from behind and leapt towards the Avatar, who got on its back and turned towards me.

    No, No, No', I thought in horror. "Wait! Wait a sec. There's no need for this. We just need to give them our statements." I said, backpedaling. The Avatar rode her beast towards me, picked me up by my collar, dropped me behind her and kicked away one of the cops who jumped at her.

    "This isn't a good idea, Avatar", I said.

    Zpppp.

    The both of us ducked under a metal cable that shot past us, knocking over a bunch of fruit on a vendor's stall. I watched with growing trepidation as the cops jumped onto telephone lines that ran through the city and began following us on them.

    "The name's Korra and you can thank me later", said the Avatar, smirking back at me.

    'Wait a second. Korra? This was the girl Gran Gran wanted to introduce me to?

    "I knew that Troll was up to no good", I murmured.

    "What was that?"

    Zpppp.

    "Duck", I replied.

    I ducked sideways again when I heard the telltale whooshing of the metal bender cables. I didn't want to be yanked off the polar bear dog at this speed. I was able to dodge the cable, Korra could not. The cable caught onto Korra's hair. Korra let go of her mount's reins and lifted both her hands, sending up a deluge of water from under the bridge we were on and froze the wave in place. The unfortunate cop holding onto her ponytail slammed face first into the ice spire, before letting go of the ponytail. And his consciousness.

    'So, that's deadly assault on Law Enforcement added to the growing list of charges'

    "This isn't over, Korra. It's probably better to let them take us in. We shouldn't have much of a problem getting out of trouble", I said nervously, seeing more and more cops join the chase.

    Utterly ignoring my (partly) valid argument, Korra directed the polar bear dog to leap off a bridge and onto a roof when a number of cables shot down from an overhead blimp, grabbing the beast's limbs and suspending it in the air.

    Neither Korra nor I had a chance to jump off before a few more cables shot down soon after, binding the two of us together. My embarrassment rose to its peak as the blimp paraded us throughout the city on its way to RCPD HQ.

    'Well I guess it is over. At least, things really can't get any worse now', I thought, hoping the cops would go easy on the Avatar and I. Or at least, me.

    But of course that wasn't the end of it. Nooo, how could fate possibly let up now?

    I soon noticed that I was bound quite tightly to a beautiful, toned young woman with an equally toned rump.

    Yeah, bad things tend to happen when one tempts Murphy.

    My traitorous blood chose the perfect moment to mutiny and began to flow south by the gallon.

    'I guess things just got worse', I thought sourly as Korra kept wiggling in an attempt to get free, ignorant of the part she was playing in my rapidly growing problem.

    Truly, a promising start to my time in Republic City.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------​

    Author's Note:

    As always, leave your thoughts below.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------​
     
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    • ugh... not a fan of how this turned out.
    Jin completely let Korra act as she pleased with him. Almost reminded me of those useless Anime MCs. He could have simply walked towards the officers when he knew what she was about to do.

    And whatever happened to Chi Blocking? It's the easiest and most efficient way to take out Benders, yet he didn't use it.
     
    lpfreak said:
    I soon noticed that I was bound quite tightly to a beautiful, toned young woman with an equally toned rump.
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    Awww a ship tease? But what about her true love Mako? And her true true love Asami.
    lpfreak said:
    My traitorous blood chose the perfect moment to mutiny and began to flow south by the gallon.

    'I guess things just got worse', I thought sourly as Korra kept wiggling in an attempt to get free, ignorant of the part she was playing in my rapidly growing problem.
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    "Korra, please. Things will keep getting harder than this."
    :ogles:
     
    seriously. your character apparently loses common sense the longer he lives there.

    letting himself be caught up in this ridiculous situation.
     
    Sceonn said:
    ugh... not a fan of how this turned out.
    Jin completely let Korra act as she pleased with him. Almost reminded me of those useless Anime MCs. He could have simply walked towards the officers when he knew what she was about to do.

    And whatever happened to Chi Blocking? It's the easiest and most efficient way to take out Benders, yet he didn't use it.
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    I agree with you on that one he is supposed to be a experienced fighter and he is smart enough for to think of a better way to diffuse that situation. Heck he even lead a resistance group that should speck more volume.
     
    Good writing again, but as others have said the scene with him becoming a bit of a doormat once Korra was in play didn't feel right.
    But plotholes are the bane of even the most experienced of writers.
    My advice would be to check in with people that are into rational fiction, like for example the /r/rational subreddit.
    You'll obviously have to find a balance(can't let your charactery have superhuman intuition), but if you're trying to write a smart and quick-witted witted character they should act as such when appropriate rather than taking a place behind the sidelines while Canon is playing out.

    I think the most glaring plothole is that he didn't decide to buy the gramophone when he had already realized what was going on before the thug smashed it. Being frozen by shock isn't appropriate behavior for someone who has already seen his fair share of combat.
    Could rectify that without major changes, though. For example: Thug opens door, door hits character, character is dazed and has a concussion, thus he doesn't gather his wits quickly enough to stop things from escalating.
     
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    Kuratius said:
    Good writing again, but as others have said the scene with him becoming a bit of a doormat once Korra was in play didn't feel right.
    But plotholes are the bane of even the most experienced of writers.
    My advice would be to check in with people that are into rational fiction, like for example the /r/rational subreddit.
    You'll obviously have to find a balance(can't let your charactery have superhuman intuition), but if you're trying to write a smart and quick-witted witted character they should act as such when appropriate rather than taking a place behind the sidelines while Canon is playing out.

    I think the most glaring plothole is that he didn't decide to buy the gramophone when he had already realized what was going on before the thug smashed it. Being frozen by shock isn't appropriate behavior for someone who has already seen his fair share of combat.
    Could rectify that without major changes, though. For example: Thug opens door, door hits character, character is dazed and has a concussion, thus he doesn't gather his wits quickly enough to stop things from escalating.
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    So, this was a reply to just about everyone here. The point I was trying to make was that like most people, having lived in a world where everyone bends one element and one element only, jin was looking for logical reasons why a waterbender could bend earth and fire, before getting into the fight. Its a character flaw I wanted to highlight early on. Guess what - Jin hasn't seen LOK. He doesn't know the plot or that Korra's the Avatar and doesn't expect to meet the Avatar in his lifetime. No-one does. Its like meeting Elvis (only - more alive). The only reason it happened is because a certain author forced it.

    Jin isn't omnipotent.

    Second, the chapter highlights the weaknesses most non benders face compared to benders. When seizing initiative and acting first, a non bender can easily take out a single bender(case in point, note how easily Jin chi blocked the earthbender. But fighting numerous benders at once on an open field? Not easy, even for Jin. There's a reason I wrote that dream sequence in the beginning. It shows you the sort of fights Jin took part in. Traps, ambushes. Not open field warfare.

    PS: the record player was totaled and it was the last one in stock (its mentioned in the chapter).

    Sorry you guys didn't like the chapter. But I'm not changing it.
     
    lpfreak said:
    So, this was a reply to just about everyone here. The point I was trying to make was that like most people, having lived in a world where everyone bends one element and one element only, jin was looking for logical reasons why a waterbender could bend earth and fire, before getting into the fight. Its a character flaw I wanted to highlight early on. Guess what - Jin hasn't seen LOK. He doesn't know the plot or that Korra's the Avatar and doesn't expect to meet the Avatar in his lifetime. No-one does. Its like meeting Elvis (only - more alive). The only reason it happened is because a certain author forced it.

    Jin isn't omnipotent.

    Second, the chapter highlights the weaknesses most non benders face compared to benders. When seizing initiative and acting first, a non bender can easily take out a single bender(case in point, note how easily Jin chi blocked the earthbender. But fighting numerous benders at once on an open field? Not easy, even for Jin. There's a reason I wrote that dream sequence in the beginning. It shows you the sort of fights Jin took part in. Traps, ambushes. Not open field warfare.

    PS: the record player was totaled and it was the last one in stock (its mentioned in the chapter).

    Sorry you guys didn't like the chapter. But I'm not changing it.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I liked it.

    It shows how human he is.

    That despite his competence, he is still in the level of human competence, not spacebattles competence.
     
    lpfreak said:
    Appreciate the vote of confidence. Thanks.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I believe that positive reinforcement is a thing.

    Rather than having a good fic dies because of undue criticism (what with spacebattles competence all mc is expected to have), it is better to admit that even a competent SI is still human, and thus make mistakes, get bogged down, and especially not become unkillable perfect ubermensch.
     
    Yeah, I don't really get the criticism.

    There's other things Jin could have done, but I'm not sure what they want from him. He could have violently disabled the Avatar with his chi blocking I guess, but that'd be out of character and an extremely strong reaction to a problem that solves itself in a couple minutes anyway.

    I feel like what he did fit in perfectly, and others are reading something into his characterization that I'm not seeing. He was just trying to calm things down and distance himself from Korra until the cops showed up, at which point he offered to come in quietly to give his statement and clear things up. Korra grabbed him and threw him onto Naga totally out of the blue, which caught him by surprise. He had no clue she was about to do that, it's way too crazy and brash to predict.

    That's maybe the only point I could see him having acted differently, if he'd caught his wits a bit quicker and just leapt right back off Naga before she went anywhere. Once Naga was going though... we've seen that polar bear dog chase down cars. He could be the greatest martial artist in the world, but just because he could survive jumping off her doesn't mean he'd want to or in any way be incentivized to leap from the giant speeding animal. He spends the last minute or so of the 'chase' trying to convince Korra that this is an absurd overreaction and if she'd just chill out this would go way better.

    If this is 'being a doormat just because Korra showed up' then I can't imagine what 'not being a doormat' looks like. Punching Korra in the throat the instant she tries to grab him? Chi blocking all four benders the second he steps out of the shop? Throwing her off Naga and hogtying her for the police? I don't even know, but this whole scene from start to finish takes life five minutes. Just because the 'legendary revolutionary commander' guy didn't instantly take charge and beat seven shades of shit out of all involved parties doesn't mean he's out of character.

    Edit: What are people basing this supposed characterization of him off of anyway? We saw him when he was like twelve, and we saw him be an adorable devoted student to Kya for all of one chapter and then he was here. I feel like people imagined up a character to fit the timeskipped portions without having nearly enough details, and are then annoyed he failed to live up to some imaginary standard.
     
    Last edited:
    Chapter 5 - Welcome to Republic City
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 5 - Welcome to Republic City​

    "Looking away won't get us out of this mess. You know that, right?" I asked a red faced Korra.

    No Reply.

    'Hmm . . . must still be angry with me. I can't imagine why. It's not like it's my fault that she's been eating right.'

    I tested the strength of the cuffs on my wrist. No dice - too strong. No keyhole to pick. For metalbender use only, methinks.

    Not that I intended on escaping, no that would just add to my problems.

    I was just curious.

    The police blimp carried the two of us all the way to the entrance of the Police HQ where we were unceremoniously frogmarched into an interrogation room by a severe looking, middle aged detective. The ferocious glare she aimed at the tent I was pitching made me fear for Junior Jin. Needless to say, my boner beat a strategic retreat and refused to make another appearance that evening.

    Our wrists were cuffed to a table in short order and we were left to our own devices while the scarred detective debriefed our arresting officers.

    "We should at least get our stories straight. Korra? Come on, say something already!"

    Yeah, no luck there. Korra couldn't even look at me, let alone talk to me. I gave it up as a lost cause.

    'Wait, why are we in the same room anyway? Shouldn't they have separated us?'

    I also wondered why the cops were being so heavy handed. While Korra probably broke a few laws in her recklessness, there was no damage done that couldn't have been fixed by a bender. Other than the clocks and the windows, I suppose, but that just required a fine. Metalbender operated interrogation room with uneven chairs, poor lighting and unpickable cuffs?

    'Seems like overkill for vandalism. A waste of man hours and resources. There is no mystery to solve here - thus no need for interrogation.'

    The door slammed open and the detective stalked in, clipboard in hand.

    "Korra from the Harbor City and Jin from Arc City. Let's see, multiple counts of destruction of private and city property, not to mention evading arrest, you two are in a whole mess of trouble" she said, glaring at the two of us, slamming her clipboard onto the table as she loomed over us menacingly.

    "Well technically I only took one of those thugs down, barely even involved really. In fact . . . ", I trailed off.

    'Is that glare trademarked?'

    "Look. There were some thugs threatening a helpless old man and I j-"

    "Can it!" shouted the interrogator, interrupting Korra. "You should have called the police and stayed out of the way", she said, walking around Korra's blind spot - an effective interrogation tactic.

    'Except for the part where she refuses to let her suspects speak; and keeps them in the same room. Does she want to indict us or lecture us? And what's with that condescending attitude.'

    "I don't mean to be a smartass but they would probably have fried the old man if we tried calling for the police or if we had walked away." I said, feeling a little put out over her sanctimonious tone.

    "You clearly haven't lived here too long. Those goons you two beat up today are Triad. They're thugs but they aren't stupid. They know better than to hurt people in broad daylight. The worst those numbskulls would have done was scare the old man with a bit of flashy bending. The fallout would have been manageable. Your . . . heroics escalated the situation and could have caused the man's death. As I see it, you're lucky that didn't happen."

    In hindsight, I had to give this one to her. Law Enforcement and Organized Crime often maintained a tenuous status quo, one that even the Triads wouldn't be too eager to break by killing in broad daylight, at least, not when it was unnecessary. Doing so would only damage their more legal sources of income.

    Of course, as they say, hindsight is 20-20. That might not have been the case at all. For all we knew, had we not intervened, those goons might have decided that a change in M.O was in order and torched the shop with Chung still inside. I was sorely tempted to call the detective out on that but decided to keep my mouth shut and let the her vent a little.

    Best not piss of the head interrogator especially since I didn't know exactly how indictment worked in Republic City.

    "Luck had nothing to do with it, Lady. I'm more than up to the task. See, I'm the Avatar. It's my duty to help innocent people and beat up thugs like that." Korra boasted.

    I snorted.

    Claiming diplomatic immunity or its equivalent - The best way to piss off Law Enforcement. She might as well wave a red flag, saying "come get me."

    "Oh, I'm well aware of who you are, and your "Avatar" title might impress others, but not me. And do you really think that the duty of the Avatar is to beat up every thug they come across?", the detective deadpanned. At this point, I noticed light reflecting of the badge on her armor, a badge that wasn't present on the armors of any of the squad members that brought us in.

    "Well then, I would like to speak to whoever is in charge", said Korra, irritated at the detective.

    I resisted the urge to snort again. Clearly Korra didn't notice the gleaming badge on the detective's armor. I didn't feel to eager to correct her. No need to draw attention to myself.

    "I'm Lin Beifong, Chief of the Republic City Police Department and I'm afraid you're out of luck. I'm the one in charge", she said, sitting opposite to me and Korra with a smirk on her face and folded her hands on the table.

    'Beifong? Tall, buff and not blind. And she looks nothing like Toph. Is she adopted? No, Shut up. Don't comment. Could be a sore point. Just stay quiet and answer questions when spoken to. I can get out of this without jail time. If it gets out of hand, I'll ask for a lawyer or have her call Tenzin.'

    "Beifong. As in, Toph Beifong? Wait a sec. Avatar Aang and your mother saved the world together. Why are you treating me like a criminal. If anything, we should be on the same side", said Korra, indignantly.

    'Does Beifong hate Aang? No way, there's a big ass statue of him here. On its own fucking island no less!'

    "That's ancient history and got flameo to do with the mess you're in", said the Chief.
    "I don't care how things are done down in the South Pole but vigilantism is not tolerated in Republic City. My people undergo training to fight in the streets without causing collateral damage; training that you lack."

    I could kinda see where she was coming from. I worked briefly as a consultant with the newly established Law Enforcement in Arc City in the Southern Republic and had an idea of what cops had to deal with: The people of the city who, more often than not, supported the vigilantes, the increased paperwork and the frustration of fellow cops. Not to mention the eventual media shitstorm when the untrained vigilante on a power high inevitably got stabbed to death by some schmuck.

    But calling me a reckless vigilante? That's going a little far.

    "It's a bit premature to call us vigilantes, Chief. This is hardly something we've made a habit of and we did have good intentions. It just got a bit out of hand", I said, hoping to calm Beifong down. The last thing I wanted was jail time. Charlie might have gotten through jail fine without being looked at twice thanks to his huge physique and intimidating face. But me? I'm borderline pretty and I damn well know it. There'd be at least a few guys in prison I'd have to cripple for looking at my ass wrong.

    "If good intentions mattered we'd be eating rainbows all day, living in clouds made of cotton candy and I would be out of a job." She ground out, directing her glare at me for the second time.

    'The gods of sarcasm have truly blessed this one with abundant bounty. Maybe I should ask for a lawyer now.'

    A metal window opened into the interrogation room and an officer stuck his head in.

    "Councilman Tenzin is here to see you, Chief."

    'Wonderful, this could not possibly get any better.'

    Shackled to an interrogation table like a criminal was not the first impression I wanted to make.

    The Chief bristled.

    "That fool? What does he want now?"

    But the fight visibly drained out of the Chief when she looked back at Korra and I.

    "Oh, let him in. Let's get this over with", she said, sighing loudly.

    The guard returned an affirmative and a door opened into the interrogation room. A tall, bald man with a goatee walked in, dressed in yellow and red robes.

    "Sorry Tenzin, I got a little sidetracked on my way to see you", Korra said sheepishly.

    My uncle's moustache trembled as he noticed Korra. But he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and calmed himself, and then smiled widely at the Chief.

    "Lin! You are looking radiant as usual."

    "Cut the garbage Tenzin!", 'Ouch! Forget Aang, it's Tenzin she hates', "Why's the Avatar in Republic City? I thought you'd be moving down to the South Pole to train her", said Beifong.

    "I'm afraid that my moving has been . . . delayed in light of the riot last week. The Avatar, on the other hand, will be heading back to the South Pole immediately where she will stay put -" "But -" " - if you would be so kind as to drop the charges against Korra. I would of course assume full responsibility for today's regrettable events and cover all the damages", continued Tenzin calmly, ignoring Korra's interruption.

    "Urrgh, fine! Get. Her. Out. Of. My. City!" the Chief ground out, releasing Korra from her manacles, with a wave of her hand and walked to the door to speak to the guard.

    That was when I caught sight of my Uncle for the first time. As his eyes caught mine I saw them narrow . . . and widen.

    "A moment, Lin?"

    Lin paused and turned back to face him.

    "What is it? Take the girl and leave, I have work to do." She said curtly.

    "Might I ask how this young man is involved?" He inquired, gesturing to me.

    "Master Tenzin. He didn't do anything. Look I get that I shouldn't have intervened but Jin didn't really do anything wrong! He got caught up in this because of me", Korra cut in earnestly.

    "Jin?" Tenzin murmured as he walked close to the table.

    "Hehe, yeah. That's me. I'm afraid I got a little side tracked as well. Kya must have sent you a letter or two?"

    I chuckled nervously as I waving a shackled hand at him.

    "He's free to go after I've had a word with him, Tenzin. I have a few more questions for him. Tenzin? Tenzin?" Beifong called to him when he didn't respond. "You know him, Tenzin?" Beifong added when she noticed my Uncle's strange expression.

    Tenzin swallowed.

    "I believe that is a story for another time and place, Lin." Tenzin replied softly. He hadn't take his eyes off of me since he first noticed me. And yet, I got the strange feeling that it wasn't really me he was looking at.

    "Master Tenzin?" Korra asked tentatively having finally noticed that something was off.

    "Yes?" My uncle returned to his senses, his glazed eyes once more focusing on her.

    "Oh, I . . . We will be waiting outside . . . Jin. If that's all Lin", said Tenzin, turning to leave. Korea looked at me in worry, I smiled at her reassuringly. I'm glad she looked past the boner incident and stood up for me.

    The Chief stared after the Councilman and the Avatar in bewilderment before shaking her head and taking her seat opposite me at the table.

    "So, Jin of Arc City?" she asked with raised eyebrow.

    "That's right. Do you need to see my papers, Chief?" I asked.

    "No. I've seen them. I have a few questions for you, if you don't mind?"

    Somehow, I got the impression that answering her questions wasn't as voluntary as her words might have indicated.

    "S . . . Sure. Fire away."

    "Your immigration form mentions that you are here to visit family?"

    "That's right. I just visited my Aunt in Harbor City in the Southern Water Tribe. One of my Uncles lives here in Republic City."

    The Chief flipped through the papers on her clipboard with a frown before dropping it onto the table in plain sight.

    "There are no records of you having family in Republic City. Are you sure that's why you're here?"

    'What's with the inquisition?'

    "Yes, I'm sure, Chief", I answered with certainty. "The reason they aren't on your file is probably because I'm meeting them for the first time."

    "I see." She muttered, making notes. "And this family is . . . ?"

    "Councilman Tenzin."

    Pause. The chief looked up from her clipboard and searched my face for signs of deceit. When she found none, she brought her hands to either side of her head and began massaging her temples.

    "You mean to say that . . ."

    "Yes, Ma'am. I am his cousin, Hakoda's son. I was kidna -"

    "Yes, yes. I know the damn story. Thought your name was Hao though."

    'How the hell- ?'

    "Huh. I thought that gasbag was floundering even more than usual today. Anyway, there's that theory shot, what a damn waste of time. You're free to go. I'll be speaking with Tenzin to confirm, of course."

    'Theory?'

    My mind swimming with questions, I got up, thanked her and made for the stairs when Beifong called me back.

    "You eighteen yet, Jin?" She asked, grabbing a booklet from a nearby shelf.

    "Nope! Four months to go Chief", I said with a questioning look. Ideally, I would have cracked a joke about me being a little young for her. But she didn't seem like the sort of person who could take a joke.

    "Read this and stop by in four months if you're still in Republic City. Most of the rent-a-cop non benders I'm forced to hire to satisfy diversity requirements have no idea how to fight and keep calling in the Metal benders every time they need to bring in anyone more dangerous than a crippled old man. I could use a chi blocker with the sort of experience you have on the force."

    'How the hell does she know what experience I have? Bah, another time. Too many questions.'

    The scarred woman smirked as she tossed me the book.

    'Republic City: Laws and Guidelines for Dummies'

    Bemusedly, I thanked her for the job offer and left to collect my belongings from from evidence storage, where I met Korra and Tenzin once more.

    "Councilman Tenzin, Avatar Korra!", I greeted Korra and Tenzin.

    "Hey! Sorry for getting you in trouble", said Korra smiling at me, although I detected a hint of guilt in her tone. Beifong must have really gotten to her.

    "Meh, it all turned out okay. Promise not to kidnap me again and we can call it quits." I said, grinning at Korra.

    "Deal." Korra replied, smiling weakly back at me before turning to the officer in charge of animal control.

    It was hard to stay mad at her. From the way Aunt Kya and Gran Gran went on about her, it was clear that she had never left the South Pole before and grew up secluded. She clearly had no idea how the world worked outside of the Water Tribes. I wonder what her trainers were thinking. Raising the Avatar to be a social retard?

    "There's no need to be so formal, Jin. Call me Uncle. I insist." said Tenzin.

    It took an hour or so for an officer to bring Korra's humongous mount back from the animal pound. It gave Tenzin and I some time to talk.

    I had hoped to find a cheap place in Republic City where I could stay for the time being but Uncle Tenzin insisted that Air Temple Island was more than large enough to accommodate one more resident. I gave in after a few minutes of token resistance.

    First impressions aside, I'd say we hit it off pretty well. Tenzin had plenty of stories about my father and a few of my grandfather, Sokka. I took the opportunity to broach the subject of my experience with Beifong.

    "So, Ten . . . er . . . Uncle. I've got a few questions about what happened earlier."

    My uncle looked at me curiously.

    "When the cops brought us in, I was kind of expecting Korra and I to just get slapped with a fine of a few thousand yuans and get tossed out. No one was hurt and there was only a little property damage. Is it normal to get hauled in, slapped with unbreakable metal cuffs and interrogated in a metal room for something like that?" I asked. The questions had been burning a hole in my head for a while now.

    Tenzin frowned and replied.

    "Not normally, no. But I think I know why."

    Tenzin paused there for a second as if trying to form his thoughts.

    "You see, as idyllic as Republic City might seem from an outsider's perspective, there are factions within Republic City that are not happy with the way things are being run. Non benders mostly."

    I frowned. I could see that happening. Most of the shopkeepers on that street in downtown were non benders and were probably harassed by the Triad. It made sense that a group of them would rise up in protest.

    "But what does that have to do with the overkill back there? Was it to make an example of the Avatar?" I asked.

    A small grimace appeared on Tenzin's face.

    "Korra? Hmm . . . perhaps. Lin always did enjoy pursuing a challenge. But in this instance, I believe Chief Beifong's actions had more to do with you, Jin. Come to think of it, I should have probably let her know that you were my nephew."

    'Me? What did I do?'

    My uncle was quick to elaborate.

    "You see, there are groups of non benders all over the city protesting against the Triad violence and the inability of the Council to do anything about it. A good number of these non benders are part of an organisation known only as the Equalists and answer to a man known as Amon."

    "I'm afraid I still don't see a connection, Uncle. Is it because, I'm a non bender?" I asked.

    I must confess that confused me a little. I get that the police think these Equalists are causing problems but has it gotten so bad that they don't differentiate between non-benders and Equalists? I was starting to see disturbing analogues to Charlie's Earth.

    "You're getting closer. While there have been a few instances of sabotage at the local power plants and a few other crimes that are unofficially attributed to the Equalists, most of their riots and protests have been peaceful . . . for the most part. There has yet to be an incident where a non bender used violence against the Triads in public. Not to mention, one with your Resume."

    "What do you mean my Resume?" I asked.

    Tenzin raised his eyebrow and looked at me pointedly.

    'Oh.'

    "Nations that are independent of the Bending Nations don't pop up on a daily basis, Jin. Especially ones with the population and resources of the Southern Republic. A number of important people were interested when President Gulon reached out to the other Nations to secure diplomatic and economic ties. Rumors of your feats in the Southern Republic have spread. Even now, books are being written and distributed that describe the reconstruction of the government and your part in establishing stability as one of the leaders of the Resistance. Lot of people know about you, Jin. Including Chief Beifong."

    That was good to know, the street cred might come in handy at some point. But I still didn't get what that had to do with anything. Thankfully, Tenzin's explanation continued.

    "You see, with the Equalist movement picking up in speed, I believe Chief Beifong found it strange that a well known, foreign, non bending revolutionary just happened to enter the city and pick a fight with the Triad."

    Realization dawned.

    'She thought I was trying to kickstart a more violent phase of the non-bending movement.'

    It was one hell of a coincidence but Beifong's actions made sense, given the circumstances.

    'But why did Beifong just let me go? All I did was mention that I was Tenzin's nephew. Oh, right. No point in assuming that a Councilman's nephew is part of the Equalist movement that wants said Councilman to step down. Plus Tenzin and Beifong seem to have history.'

    We spent most of the ferry ride to Air Temple Island in silence. As we passed by Aang's statue on the way to Air Temple Island, Tenzin was lost in thought, staring at the statue of his father. I was wondering what was going through his mind when I saw him turn to look at Korra, who was stroking Naga's head while staring back at Republic City's skyline. I had tried speaking with her just before we got onto the ferry, but she wasn't in a mood to chat for long.

    I couldn't blame her.

    I didn't have a clear picture of what was going on but apparently Korra was supposed to wait for Tenzin to move to the South Pole to begin her training but got impatient and stowed away on a ship to come here to train in Airbending. I'm drawing interesting parallels to Tangled here.

    "You're not sending her back, are you?" I asked Tenzin, breaking the comfortable lull and pulling him from his thoughts.

    "The compound remains the safest place for her. The White Lotus can protect her. And keep her feet firmly on the ground, clearly her abilities have gone to her head." said Tenzin, frowning at Korra.

    Ahh, the Dumbledore ideology. Keep her secluded, safe and humble. I shook my head.

    "Look, I'll be the first to confess that I don't really know much about Avatars or how they are trained", I started, "And I don't want to make any suggestions but it's clear that Korra doesn't know how things work in the real world. That's probably what got us in trouble today, not any sort of arrogance. Why wasn't she trained here, anyway? Didn't Avatar Aang build this city?"

    "Sigh . . . It was a decision made over a decade ago, in . . . a more dangerous time" he said, sighing, not going into any more detail.

    I was hesitant to push for more. For one thing, he owed me no explanations, I might be his nephew but I'd just met him today and second, it wasn't like I hadn't made morally questionable decisions before. I had no right to question his own. Not without knowing the whole story.

    #LifeLessons

    We spent the rest of the ferry ride in silence.

    Tenzin's kids were delightful, balls of personality and energy. They landed at the dock with gliders, hugging Korra and asking if she was there to stay. Korra looked at Tenzin despondently.

    I empathized.

    Remaining locked up in a secluded compound without friends (and probably family) was no way for a teenager to live. The way Aunt Kya made it sound, Korra had grown up surrounded by people decades older than her with nothing but training to occupy her.

    It might have been her fault but Korra tried to stand up for me at the police HQ. I decided to give it another try with Tenzin to repay the favor.

    "She might never learn about the world she's supposed to protect if you send her back, Uncle."

    Tenzin sighed again.

    I knew that I wasn't telling him anything he hadn't considered himself but I hoped that an extra voice might change his mind. Thankfully, it did the trick.

    "Korra, wait!' shouted Tenzin, walking briskly towards Korra, who was being escorted to a Southern Water Tribe ship by guards.

    "I have done my best to guide Republic City to the dream my father had for it, but you're right. It has fallen out of balance since he passed. I thought I should put off your training in order to uphold his legacy, but you are his legacy. You may stay and train Airbending here with me. I believe Republic City needs its Avatar once again."

    "Yes! Tenzin, you're the best!" shouted Korra jubilantly, hugging the celebrating Airbender kids and then Tenzin himself, lifting him of the floor in a back breaking hug.

    Crunch

    "You should thank Jin, he was the one who convinced me", wheezed out Tenzin, finally getting Korra to let him go. He immediately hunched over and gasped for breath, rubbing his back muttering "Lin's going to be furious."

    Korra walked towards me.

    "I . . . thanks," Korra mumbled awkwardly.

    'So, she's not totally over the boner incident yet. Pity.'

    "Your welcome. Besides, who's going to get me in trouble without you around" I said.

    Korra grinned.

    "To the kitchens. My minions will have sustenance." The little, bald kid cried out as he dragged the rest of us towards the Temple kitchens.

    "Have you ever tried lychee juice in coconut shells? It's the best thing in the whole wide world", Ikki piped in as Jinora poured us some.

    "No, Meelo. Not you." said Jinora, when Meelo tried to grab a shell. "Mom said no sugar for you after sundown."

    "Treason." Meelo whispered as he sulked away.

    Lychee juice? Huh, first time for everything.

    "To new friends", I toasted, clanking my shell with Korra's.

    Korra happily returned the toast.

    "Welcome to Republic City, Korra." I said sincerely, after taking a refreshing sip of the sweet drink.

    "This is going to be awesome!", said Korra happily, having finished all the juice in one massive gulp.

    We soon turned in for the night.

    It had been a hectic day but the euphoria of being in a brand new place, with the rest of my life ahead of me, free of any responsibilities kept me up for a while. I lay on my bed till the wee hours, excited about immersing myself in the cultural diversity of Republic City while learning the ways of the Air Nomads. I wondered what adventures awaited me in the beacon of freedom that Aang spent most of his life fighting for.

    'This is going to be great.'

    I had no idea . . .

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------​

    Author's Note:

    Not much action here. Some dialogue. A little build up.

    Quick reminder: Everything mentioned in this chapter is from Jin's perspective.

    As always, please leave your thoughts below.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • I like his easy going and slightly laissez-faire nature, esp. in the face of the unknown. I hope it remains a major character trait.
     
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