Passion is a Good Distraction
"Great talent finds happiness in execution." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The letter came on the fluttering wings of a messenger hawk.
Toph heard it first, naturally, her enhanced hearing a natural accommodation for the sense she completely lacked: sight. She felt it land as well, on a rock which jutted from the ground some feet away from their little circle. It let out a little crow, wings flapping gently, before Sokka stood and walked cautiously over to the waiting animal. Earth Kingdom hawks were uncommon, but not unheard of, and the watertribe boy relaxed visibly when he saw the green and gold insignia marked on the bird's makeshift carrying case. He took out the rolled piece of parchment and thanked the bird before sitting back down in his spot.
"What is it?" Katara asked, peering curiously over her brother's shoulder. Toph could feel the boy stiffen slightly in surprise.
"It's a letter from Toph's parents."
Fear ingrained itself into the younger girl, and her pale, dirtied toes instinctively curled into the ground beneath her. Around her, she could feel the stares the others were giving her, all of them reflective of curiosity, including those belonging to Iroh and the taller, younger man, Sokka's master - Piandao, that was his name - who stood but a few feet away from them. She wouldn't betray her anxiety in front of so many strangers, not today.
"Well? What's it say?" The earthbender demanded icily, as impatiently as she could. Her breath hitched slightly as Sokka started to read, and her heartbeat grew more erratic.
"Dear miss Toph Beifong," he began, using a mock aristocrat voice, "we are pleased to hear your exploits with the Avatar have done you well, and that you are enjoying yourself in his company."
Toph forced herself to relax slightly. So far, so good.
"We admire your determination in helping to train the young boy, and have come to accept your earthbending prowess."
Prowess. They accepted her skills. That wasn't the same as accepting her. She felt Iroh and Piandao come closer, intrigued.
"However, you have disobeyed our orders, our rules…" Sokka's mock-voice gradually came to a stop, growing grimmer and more serious with each word. This...this was concerning. "You trapped the two we sent to bring you home out of rebellion." He paused.
Toph stopped breathing.
"For this…" he was struggling now. "We no longer accept you as our child. You are not the precious babe we had hoped you to be. When the war is over, seek a home with your new family. You are no longer a Beifong."
Silence dominated. Toph's breath came in shallow, shaky, unnoticeable bursts. Her toes curled into the ground, her nails dug into her palms.
You are no longer a Beifong.
That was not the response she had been expecting.
"Toph," Katara began, but already the Blind Bandit, the first recorded metal-bender, the master who taught the Avatar himself, ran away from the circle, into the forest, her feet as blind as her eyes as they took her away.
Sokka stood up swiftly, meaning to chase after his best friend, but before he could take off, Piandao's strong, calloused hand found his pupil's shoulders. Worried blue eyes met calm gray ones, and soothingly, sympathetically, the master said:
"Give her some time alone. That's the best you can do."
Iroh frowned at the younger man. He spoke too much from experience.
Toph didn't know how long she had run, how many cuts she now sported on her body after crashing into multiple plants and falling multiple times. All she knew was that it was nightfall when her body gave in to her emotions, and she slumped onto the ground, sobbing quietly, her face buried in her arms and knees.
Sooner rather than later, she felt the presence of someone only fleetingly familiar approach, atop the eelhound he owned. Piandao came to a stop in front of her, and after leaving the beast with an affectionate pat on the shoulder, the swordmaster settled down beside the blind earthbender. He said nothing, simply sat there, looking up at the moon and the stars.
Eventually, he spoke.
"When I was young," he said to her, "I found solace in my passion."
Toph turned her blind gaze to him, and Piandao looked to her as well. Slowly, Toph realized the connection. "You were an orphan…"
"Not in the most literal sense," the master looked back to the stars. "When I was six years old, my parents left me on the doorsteps of an orphanage for not being a firebender. That was when I found my love of the sword. It distracted me, and eventually helped me to move on."
Slowly, the great master stood, and walked back to his waiting hound. As he mounted the swift-moving creature, Toph felt a tear trail down her cheek, and she wiped it away. She sighed and moved her gaze in his direction. She tried to force a smile. "Are all you old guys this wise?"
Piandao returned the smile. "Only the good ones."
He then took his leave, and soon, the world around the younger bender would be scattered with rocks and ridges, the earth practically turned upside down.
The swordmaster was right. Doing what you love was a good way to make you feel better.
AN: Ridiculously short, but it was an idea that came to mind and enjoyed enough to post. Not exactly following canon, but it's a possibility. Hope you enjoyed! Keep smiling!