Well 4 reviews and 207 hits, so less then 2 percent reviewed... is that good? I really don't know what the average is...

It has come to my attention that I have an ungodly amount of spelling errors, which I knew before but Ya. I have gone over this chapter multiple times, and I think I've got most of them, but sense I am down right terrible at spelling (Curse my dyslexia!), if you find a glaring error in either this, the previous, any chapters I have yet to write or even the author notes, tell me via review, PM, E-mail, or what ever.

So here's the next chapter, sooner then I anticipated, I guess this concept was easy to write about. This is my first little attempt to get into the mind of Toph, and it when better then I expected. I ended up trying to write it present tense / thoughts, instead of my normal past tense / story telling style. It might get slightly confusing to figure out who's talking, so if it is in a paragraph it's Toph saying it, while if it is stand alone quotes it is Sokka.

Disclaimer: Avatar is sadly not mine to call my own, and the ancient game of chess is to old for any copyright laws and there for ownership to apply. But I do have a nice chess board, all wooden and pretty.

-Begin

Tavern Tales

Strategy - Toph

He's enjoying this the jerk. I know he's sitting there with his smug little smile, secure in the knowledge of his impending victory. I use to be safe from this, Sokka's strategy games. I can't tell the difference between the pieces in most games so he wouldn't ask me to play, but then he just had to learn about chess. A game where all the pieces are different shapes. He even got an earth bender to make stone pieces, the two sides with different bases so I could tell them apart, and a stone board to.

All so I could play a game with him. And now he's trouncing me. Blast him, blast him and his fiddly horse L piece. Next time we spar I'm gonna give him such a thrashing.

"Toph, it's your turn."

Like I don't already know. Make that two thrashings for the git. Ya, I'll send a earth pillar like that, knock him to the dirt like that and-
No, focus. I've got to focus on the game. Lack of focus is what lost me the last four games... that or the fact that Sokka can think tactical circles around me- no it is definitely the focus, that's why I'm losing.

Now, I could move my castle there, then he'll take my bishop. Maybe if I move my knight like- no that wont work. A-ha! My pawn can take his knight...

Opening a path that his castle can take to get to my bishop. Okay fine, that is fine. I can make up for it. Now if I move this knight like this, he'll only take it with that bishop. But if I were to move my remaining bishop here, he'll take my knight. Oh but this castle here, I can move here, setting up a good move for my next turn.

Leaving his bishop free to take my queen, and completely ruin my strategy. Blast! If I move my castle he'll take my knight, if I move my knight he takes my castle.

"Hay, you want a drink."

God yes. No, beer gets you drunk, drunk people can't focus, people who can't focus lose. Then why has he had three pints and is still winning! "Just water."

He's getting up. Now while his back is turned-

"Oh and no cheating while I'm gone."

Damn. "Fine." As if, I just need to do something small, something he wont see. Ya, just move this pawn here and this bishop here. Ha, he'll never notice that. Hear he comes, act normal, like you were concentrating the whole time. I don't think he sees it...
What! There is no way that he could... but he did. The jerk.

He's waving a finger at me. Me! The great Toph Bei Fong, most powerful earth bender in the world and he's waving a finger like I'm some kid who got caught with a hand in the cookie jar. Okay, so maybe I don't know for certain that he is, but he's making the tis-king sound and that means finger waggle... I think...

Fine, whatever. Back to the game. The damnable game. Okay if I move my castle here he'll take my knight, but I think then I'll be able to take some of his pawns.

Wait? He's not going for my knight... Oh no. I can not believe I did not see this coming.
"Check."

Blast! He has me now doesn't he. There is only one move I can make, and then in comes his knight.
"Check Mate."

Enjoy you victory while you can Sokka. I'm going to hide your meat for this.

"Want to play again, or have you finally realized that you have no chance against the awesomeness of my strategies?"

He knows my answer. We have known each other to long for it to be other wise, but I suppose it's a formality of sorts. Not that it matters. It changes nothing. "Set up the board."

-End
Ya, I think I'm going to try and stick with my normal style of writing, this was hard to keep up.