I do not own these characters, or profit from this story.
Lin had been attempting to teach Skoochy the method behind her mothers blind earthbending when the subject of her scars came up.
They had retreated to an abandoned field, his eyes covered with a bandanna, and his bare feet digging into the soil beneath his toes.
"What is it exactly that I'm supposed to feel?" He blew out a frustrated breath.
"You're supposed to feel the movement of the earth, the vibrations should be felt from your feet, and allow you to paint a picture in your mind of your surroundings based on the feedback you've received. This can help you to 'see' things that normally couldn't be seen with your eyes."
Skoochy sighed before trying again, bringing his foot up and slamming it against the ground, grasping for anything that might be 'spotted'.
"What do you see?" She referred to the items she had placed out in the field to help him practice.
"Uh…there are four of them…"
"Yes! And what are they?"
"Um…buckets?" Lin glanced at the four chairs standing above the grass.
"No they aren't buckets."
Skoochy flopped back in anger.
"I'm never going to get this!" he groaned at her.
"It doesn't come over night Skoochy. It takes practice."
"Yeah, but we've been working on this for months now! And metal bending came so easy to me, why can't I get this too?"
Lin fought for the right words to say to raise her sons moral. Sitting next to him on the grass, she studied his slumped form and disappointed face. She must have looked a lot like this when Toph had tried to teach her.
"You know I had trouble seeing with the vibrations of earth when I first started too." He snorted in disbelief.
"No really, I nearly earth bent my mother into a tree I was so frustrated with her. She kept making me practice, even though I was terrible. She was very patient, which usually wasn't like her, so I kept trying and eventually I got it."
"Must have been nice to grow up with a mother that cared." Skoochy muttered bitterly.
Lin shot him a startled, questioning look, which he must have felt despite the fabric still covering his eyes, because he suddenly ducked his head ashamed at letting the statement slip. They sat for a few minutes in awkward silence before Skoochy decided it was too late to back down now.
"I guess most people assume I had been in the orphanages since before I can remember but they're wrong. I do remember." Skoochy seemed hesitant to continue.
"My biological mom worked the streets, my father was one of her best and most frequent clients. I wasn't exactly a happy miracle. My mother never made it a secret that I wasn't wanted and she allowed my father, whenever he visited, to knock me around. You know the scar on my back?"
He was referring to the puffy pink skin that started at one shoulder and ended at the bottom of the opposite ribcage. The only time she had seen it was when he had briefly removed his outer shirt, raising his inner shirt with it, allowing for his back to be exposed. Lin had witnessed the raised scar tissue, and Skoochy had seemed embarrassed when he realized she had noticed. She had always wondered how he got the scar, now she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.
"My father was 'visiting' my mother and the two of them were too distracted, I was hungry so I climbed up on the counter to get some food and knocked over one of the only fragile dishes in the house. It shattered on the ground and my father came out furious. He tossed me to the ground and one of the larger chunks of glass cut my back open."
"My mother and father went back to their business. They left me bleeding on the kitchen floor. I eventually made my way to the next door neighbors who was a nice lady, though a bit of a drunk, and she helped patch me up, and let me sleep on her couch. The next morning she went over to talk to my mother. I don't know what they said but I know there was some shouting involved. Afterward my mom dropped me off at my first orphanage. I think I was 6 at the time, maybe 5."
Lin was beyond furious at his revelation. Words couldn't even describe how much she hurt for her son and what he had to suffer through. She was going to find this guy. She was going to find him and drag his body over hot coals for what he did to a helpless little boy. Same for the woman too.
Skoochy must have sensed what she was thinking because he tried calming his mothers ire.
"It was all in the past. Besides my life has significantly approved since then." He tried to grin at her and when she didn't respond he decided to try switching topics.
"So I've told you the embarrassing secret behind my scar, now its your turn. How did you get the claw marks on your face?" She gave a hesitant sigh. Her scars were a touchy subject.
Still, he was right. He had shared his story, it was only fair that she return the favor.
"The first case I ever worked by myself was criminal who had a nasty habit of killing victims with a large knife that forked into two points on the end. Looking back I probably shouldn't have taken such a big case as my first solo, but I was prideful, and eager to make a name for myself other than 'Toph's daughter'."
"I finally cornered him and called in a some officers for back up. He was hiding in a warehouse with a few hostages, and I was feeling the adrenaline, so I assumed I could free the hostages myself and take on the bad guy. I was wrong."
"We ended up in a face off and I was holding my own pretty well, til he got in a lucky hit and swiped me across the jaw with his knife. The shock of it reeled me back, and he took the opportunity to run, getting away with one of the hostages. We found that woman's body a few days later, and he got away with three more murders before he was finally caught again."
"He got away because I was too sure of myself, and four people died because of it. I thought my mother was going to hate me, I certainly hated myself. But all she did was come into my room one night while I was changing the bandages, and let me cry on her shoulder. She told me she would never hate me because of my mistakes because she was to proud of my successes."
Skoochy nodded in thoughtfulness at her story.
"You sound like you miss her."
"Everyday." was Lins reply.
Skoochy moved himself closer to his mother and laid his forehead against her shoulder.
"I'm sorry you had to experience such horrible things when you were so young." her voice was laced with emotion.
"I'm sorry your mother died before she could see what an amazing mom you make yourself." was his reply. Lin smiled softly and tilted her head to lay her cheek against the crown of his hair.
"I know she would have been proud. Of both you and me."
Skoochy liked hearing these reassurances of acceptance from the grandmother he never met. Deciding to bring herself to action before they both lost themselves in memories, Lin tugged on the bandanna still covering the upper half of Skoochys face.
"Come on we'll try one more time before we head home." He nodded in acceptance and stood to take his stance. Bringing his foot up and stomping it on the ground, he waited a moment for the feedback to reach him.
"…is it four chairs?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yes, its four chairs." she responded proudly.
He lifted the cover from his face and glanced around in excitement, before shooting her one of the smiles that always reminded Lin of her own mother.
Yes, Toph would have been proud of both of them.