"You will stay here for the rest of the day and set off tomorrow morning. Until then you may roam and do as you please, buy as you please. Money is no object to me you know." He winks at Quayia. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and catch as much sleep as I can before my Earth king duties are needed. Rest easy girls. You are dismissed." He says standing up and heading for his chambers.
"What time is it?" Quayia asked while yawning. "It's about 6:32. We must not rest until after the day is over, otherwise we will get our days and night mixed up." Quayia only tilted her head back and lowered her shoulders along with her knees. "In the meantime we will try to learn some earthbending. The way I was taught. By my great cousin." San-Ma smiled softly. "Who was your great cousin?" Quayia asked confused.
San-Ma gave her a strange stare as she turned in the direction of the Arena just outside the side doors, "My great cousin was Chief Zayda Beifong, my cousin was Chief Lin Beifong, daughter of Chief Toph Beifong. Do any of these people ring a bell to you?" The avatar shook her head, giving her a strange look, "I've lived oblivious to the outside world my entire life, my first encounter in the avatar state was a few hours ago. Please, who are these people."
"When Avatar Aang saved the world and ended the hundred year war, he had five main people by his side, one was a blind earthbender named Toph Beifong who was believed to be the greatest earthbender in the world. And she proved her title many times. Including her invention of metal bending. Her daughter, Lin Beifong was a strong bender, just as her mother was, but had her child, Zayda, at a very old age. No one knows who Zayda's father is and no one had the guts to ask. Zayda has one child at the current age of five and is a very busy person lately. Last she visited she was called back for her duty to republic city."
"Zayda taught me all the bending I know, which is the greatest way of bending out there, and now. I will be teaching you in the same ways. Get ready avatar, it will take a long time to achieve, but it's all worth it in the end." San-Ma took her bending stance. "Any time you bend earth, you always start at this stance. It helps with the flow of your body and starts your phase nicely. As a demonstration."
San-Ma shoots both her arms out, then taking one arm and raising it up with her opposite foot. She pushes her entire body down so the her hiked leg was on the ground without moving and slid her arms in the other direction. What this had done was pull the earth up, move it sideways and finally moving straight for one of the guards. Stopping just before it hit him. Quayia looked at the earthbender in astonishment.
"Do you see what I did there? It wasn't a bunch of random movements, its was one flow through the body from my first stance. I want you to try and let your body have the same flow. Beguin!" She commanded. Quayia nodded and mimicked the stance San-Ma had taught her. "Do I have to do the same thing you just did?" San-Ma shook her head, "As long as you earthbend, you've gotten the point."
Nodding again, Quayia focused her attention on the Earth and her body. She moved both arms sideways so her left elbow was tucked into her torso and her right arm was bending above her head. Pulling the earth up. "Good Quayia, now finish through!" Commanded San-Ma. The avatars right arm was stretched out in the opposite direction she had it before, hiking up her left leg as she does so. Mimicking San-Ma's movement, she pushed her body down so her left foot would touch the ground without movement. Turning her right arm so it faced the same way as her left, she switched arm placement, moving the earth forward toward San-Ma and stopping right before it hit her.
Her new teacher only smiled in satisfaction. "You're a quick learner, but you will need to know more if you want to master Earthbending. Follow my every move." Both women took their stances, but instead of Earthbending, San-Ma grabs her by the arm, turning her around and wrapping something around her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?!" An astonished Quayia shouts. "Teaching you a technique passed down through my family for generations. Now hold still!"
She finishes the tight knot tied behind Quayia's head so she couldn't see anything and asks her to sit down. The avatar does so and San-Ma proceeds to take off her shoes. "Now, feel the earth beneath your feet, it may take time, but once you achieve this ability. You'll find it comes in quite handy. I want you to try and tell me where I am at all times, got it?"
Quayia just nodded as she blindly took her stance again, concentrating on the Earth beneath her. At first, she feels nothing, but her own body and the ground she touches. She hears San-Ma ask her where she is from a distance. "Don't think of it as a chunk you need to find, think of it was you are a part of the earth and the earth is a part of you." Quayia concentrated harder, trying to become one with the Earth, still no luck. "Stop trying so much! You're an Earthbender, connected with the Earth in every way. You need to stop trying and let yourself do it."
The avatars face lightened, she stood perfectly still and let the energy flow through her body and into the ground. "I'm getting something!" She closed her eyes tighter to finally see everything from the Earth, but something went wrong and everything went black again. "That's enough for today, We need to get supplies before we leave tomorrow." San-Ma bows to Quayia and turns in the other direction, leaving the new earthbender alone in the arena.
"Urgh! Why can't I get this right?! I know what to do, but it's as if my own body won't allow me to..." She complains, "Maybe I just need more practice..." She holds onto her earthbending position, trying to learn the swift movements used to control her element. Breathing in and out in a big puff, she closes her eyes and focuses her attention on earth. Only earth, nothing more, nothing less.
"Ok Earth, meet your maker!" She wraps the blindfold around her eyes again, tying it around her head and taking her earthbending stance.