A few days later, in a small café downtown, two glassworkers stopped by for a drink after finishing the installation of new display panels for a gramophone shop.
"Did you hear?" one asked his coworker. "Councilman Tarrlok died last night in a car accident—everyone's talking about it."
"Yeah, pretty unlucky. Apparently, he floored the accelerator to beat a red light at the last second and got rammed by a cargo truck coming from the opposite lane," the other man said, shaking his head. "The impact was so bad that a big shard from the car window came loose and cut his neck while he was unconscious. He bled out before help could arrive."
"I thought Councilman Tenzin would take the opportunity to seize power, but the guy resigned instead—said he wanted to spend more time with his family." He swirled the coffee in his cup. "They say the Council will be dissolved and there'll be elections for a city president in two months."
"Bah, all politicians are the same," the other dismissed. "Any news about the other guy?"
He knew exactly who he meant—it was one of the hottest topics in the city.
"Jin Beifong? The reporters have been digging like crazy, but even the nosiest ones are keeping their distance. Nobody wants to cross wires with him," the man said with a shake of his head. "Although the Chief of Police confirmed he's the real deal, she hasn't shared any more details."
"Damn, I can't believe he's real—I studied him in school, and he looks younger than me!" the other said, biting into his doughnut in frustration.
Who wouldn't want to age that well?
"Are you guys talking about Jin Beifong?" asked the waitress as she came over to refill their cups. "There's a new rumor about him going around, you know?"
"Huh?"
The waitress cleared her throat and held out her hand.
One of the men rolled his eyes and tipped her.
"They say he's dating Asami Sato—the daughter of Future Industries' founder," the waitress said, glancing around before lowering her voice. "One of the cops who went to the company to arrest some hidden Equalists is friends with my cousin's neighbor—he saw them kissing with his own eyes!"
"What the hell?!" the two men looked at each other, then back at her. "Isn't he like… twice her father's age?"
Besides, Asami was a well-known beauty—rich, skilled, and admired throughout Republic City. The news no doubt shattered the hearts of countless secret admirers and potential suitors.
They definitely weren't jealous. Not even a little.
"That's not all," the waitress went on, clearly enjoying their reactions.
"There's more?"
"A newspaper delivery boy overheard that the Avatar is receiving earthbending training from Jin," she said with a grin. "Even the Avatar herself has to call Jin 'Master.'"
If Korra had been there, she would've set the waitress on fire for spreading such slander.
Yes, she was learning a lot from Jin whenever she could, but…
When did she ever have to call him "Master"?
Not even Tenzin managed to make her do that!
"Damn it, he's got his niece as Chief of Police, Asami Sato as his girlfriend, ties to the Avatar, owns the Pro-Bending Arena, and he's one of the most powerful earthbenders alive," one of them groaned with envy. "Add the Beifong family's backing, and he could live the high life without lifting a finger for the rest of his days."
The three exchanged glances. The comparison was… painful.
"I heard he's hiring."
…
Jin held the mid-morning newspaper in his hands, sensing its contents through inkbending as he checked for any flaws in his recently executed plan.
Taking care of Tarrlok had been easier than expected once he learned that the esteemed councilman preferred to drive himself rather than have a chauffeur. All it took was doubling the metal pedal to make him accelerate at the last moment, and then, once the crash knocked him unconscious, using a shard of glass to make the cut that would bleed him out. It had been one of Jin's best-executed—and most ironically fitting—plans ever.
For a moment, he had even considered causing the engine pistons to fail and trigger an explosion, but that might have injured bystanders or rescuers.
In other news, it was reported that, after Noatak's trial and just two days before his transfer to prison, the man had committed suicide by running headfirst into the platinum bars of his special high-security cell—reserved for dangerous benders.
No one suspected that a metalbender had covered up the truth. After all, metalbenders couldn't bend platinum—it was too pure, right?
Common sense. And since the trial had already ended with a life sentence, Lin—who had her suspicions—didn't ask questions.
Given all the chaos and destruction Noatak had caused, this was probably the best outcome for everyone.
Besides, she was too busy yelling at Mako in his first week as a rookie cop.
Jin set the newspaper aside and began eating the meal prepared by his new mansion staff—twelve people responsible for keeping the place clean, organized, and stocked, always awaiting his orders.
Leading them was Retsu, who had personally recommended every one of them—without their even knowing it. All shared similar circumstances: they had barely joined the Equalists before the group's downfall, and they'd abandoned ship the moment things went south.
The advantage? Every one of them had chi-blocking training, making them competent guards—fit, disciplined, and fully aware that Jin was not someone to mess with.
After all, he was the one who brought down Amon.
The downside? Inkasha and Kyoshi now had slightly less freedom in how they interacted with Jin and Asami—but only slightly.
Inkasha, in particular, was delighted to prank the new staff again. If Jin didn't enjoy her antics as much as he did, she might have stopped.
Oh, and the baby gift for Pema had already been sent. The child's name was Rohan, and the gift—a set of soft blankets to wrap and keep the little guy warm—was simple but practical and well appreciated.
Asami, meanwhile, was busy running the company. The police had indeed come knocking, forcing her to put the contingency plan into action. The losses were far smaller than in the original timeline, and while Hiroshi was still weak in the hospital, he was expected to be discharged in a couple of weeks if things went well.
Today, Jin had a very important meeting with Korra.