"You think you're so tough?" Toph growled, slamming her fist against the metal bars hard enough to rattle the suspended cage. "Why don't you come up here and show me what's up?! I'll smack that dumb grin right off your face!"
"... I'm not smiling," Xin Fu sighed, sounding more exhausted than annoyed.
They've been going on with this back and forth for over ten minutes now, and personally, I found the whole thing hilarious. Watching Toph slowly grind down their patience was rather therapeutic.
As for me? Oh, I was nowhere near the cage. Currently seated at the highest point of the spectator stands, my body was hidden beneath the shadows. Apparently, Xin Fu had the idea of dimming the arena's candlelights to create a more intimidating atmosphere for the hostage exchange.
Unfortunately for him, it also made it ridiculously easy for me to stay hidden while observing everything from above.
Heck, I'm writing this part of my journal as we speak.
"You done throwing your tantrum yet?" one of the Earth Benders muttered from below. It took a minute for a name to pop up in my head. Something along the lines of a gecko? Weird guy with a green mask, I remember knocking him out of the ring in my second Earth Rumble with a punch.
"Nope! But your mask is ugly enough that I might stop just so I don't have to look at your face!" Toph shot back instantly as she banged on the cage.
A few snickers broke out among the guards accompanied by a flustered stutter before Xin Fu pinched the bridge of his nose.
Smirking, I glanced to my right and gave an "I raised her" look toward the shadow quietly observing the situation beside me.
The shadow responded with a remarkably rude hand gesture before melting deeper into the darkness, vanishing from my perception range.
That's the Boar's Shadow for you. Great guys, they keep the family safe through the shadows, but they have such boring humor.
"Toph!" I slowly got up as Lao yelled through the opposite side of the arena with Sokka and Katara beside him. And the "master"—can't forget about him.
Sokka lifted a heavy sack that clinked loudly.
"Here's the money," he called out, tossing the bag. "Now let them go."
Landing on the ground, Master Wu Bent the earth beneath it, sending the ransom sliding cleanly across the arena floor toward Xin Fu.
After inspecting the contents, Xin Fu gave a nod and motioned toward one of his men.
Slowly, Toph's metal cage descended toward the ground. The lock clicked open moments later, finally setting her free. The moment her feet touched the arena floor, she jogged straight toward Lao without hesitation.
As Toph and Lao reunited, Katara frowned upon noticing that Aang's cage remained suspended overhead.
"What about Aang?"
Xin Fu answered with a chuckle. From within his robes, he pulled out a rolled scroll and unveiled it. Upon inspection, the scroll was a bounty with Aang's face staring back from the parchment alongside a detailed description... and a BIG reward.
Wow.
The Fire Nation really wanted the Avatar, huh?
Cough—of course, I would never sell out the Avatar—but hot damn.
"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar. So while I'm asking you nicely... Get out of my ring."
As the words left his mouth, his men who were hidden throughout the arena revealed themselves, emerging and closing in around the group in fighting stances.
The sheer numbers were enough to make both Sokka and Katara take a step back.
Aang, still trapped within the suspended cage, quickly motioned for them to leave.
"Go, I'll be fine!" he urged.
The two hesitated, clearly unwilling to abandon him, before reluctantly retreating toward Lao and Toph, who were already making their way toward the tunnel exit.
"Toph, there are too many of them!" Katara pleaded as they entered the tunnel. "We need an Earth Bender! We need you!"
Standing quietly behind them, I watched as Lao turned back toward the two Water Tribe siblings.
Our eyes met briefly.
"It's time," I conveyed.
He took a slow breath and closed his eyes for a moment.
Then his expression hardened.
"My daughter... is blind," he began. "She is blind, tiny, helpless, and fragile. She cannot help you... she cannot even help herself, always needing her personal butler to do practically everything for her."
It was heartbreaking watching Toph's expression shift in real time—from anger to disbelief, to something painfully close to hurt.
Then determination flickered within her pale, milky eyes as she swiped her hand away from his grasp.
"Yes. I can."
And without looking back, she took a step forward and walked towards her destiny.
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"You did well," I tried to reassure Lao as Toph tore through the opposing Earth Benders with terrifying ease. "Honestly, a little too well."
"I saw it in her eyes." Lao covered his face, sorrow practically pouring from him. "She hates me. My little girl hates me."
... Hmm. How exactly was I supposed to help with this?
It's not like I'd ever had a child before. Let alone one that hated me.
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, desperately trying to think of something comforting to say.
"Uh... it'll get better?" I offered weakly. "Lao, it's not like she'll cut contact with you forever. I mean, technically, we are going to disappear for a few months—give or take—but once the war's over, you can reconcile with her..." Huh, this isn't really working. "Ah, I got a good one. It could be way, way worse?"
"Renji," Lao muttered flatly, "please shut up for now. I am in a very bad mood."
"Understood, shutting up."
"Um... apologies for intruding on your conversation," Master Wu interjected as Toph sent the last of the Earth Benders out of the arena. "But your daughter is amazing!"
Toph swept the dust cloud away with a quick flick of both hands downward, revealing the arena's remaining two occupants.
Inhaling slowly, the ring leader cracked his neck before lowering himself into a fighting stance.
On the opposite side of the arena, Toph spat onto the ground, a confident smirk widening across her face.
The two circled one another at the center of the arena, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
Then, in a split-second decision, Xin Fu struck, Bending the ground before him. Snapping his limbs forward, the stones in front of him shot out, launching a barrage of large-size boulders straight toward Toph.
She countered by raising the ground around her into a slanted shield, angling it just right for the incoming boulders to crash and be redirected away from her.
Waiting out the barrage, she pivoted as soon as it ended. Throwing a sharp thrust of her fist, she shattered part of her own makeshift barrier and sent a chunk of it hurtling straight toward Xin Fu.
He dodged it by twisting his body mid-motion and flipping out of its path.
Midair, his fingers shot outward, sinking into the ground in preparation for another attack.
But just as he hurled a boulder straight toward Toph's face, she barely reacted.
With a calm tilt of her head, she let the attack pass just inches from her nose. Using the momentum of the dodge, she twisted her body sharply and followed through with a backfist into the remaining piece of her shattered cover.
Xin Fu, still midair with one arm anchored into the ground, could only watch as the stone hurtled toward him. It slammed directly into his chest with a heavy impact, sending him flying straight toward the stands where we were sitting.
I stepped forward, intercepting the U.F.O. before he could crash into Lao, with a firm grip, and caught the man by the head. Redirecting his momentum, I threw him down toward the ground beside his men, who were groaning in pain.
She definitely aimed that one at Lao on purpose. I let out a sigh and shot Toph a look that clearly said, "really?"
She responded with a huff just as Team Avatar rushed toward her.
Still recovering from what he'd just witnessed, Master Wu could only utter a single sentence.
"My goodness. Lord Beifong, she is the greatest Earth Bender I've ever seen!"
"... Yes," Lao muttered, pride bleeding through his mask. "Yes, she is."
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NEXT UPDATE: 3 June, Wednesday
A/N: I can't believe it's already been half a year. Time flies so fast.
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