Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar? Why didn't you tell me? I've been laboring under that misconception for years!
A/N: This part is really short. Please don't kill me.
Part 6
About a week after the scene in the mess, Ayama was walking down the corridor to the huge cavern where she and her pupils had their lessons when she heard a hissing sound coming from the room at the end of the hall. The door was open a crack and she pushed it all the way open. There was a metal dome inside, covered in valves and gauges, and the hissing was coming from it. She was about to continue down the hall when Tai poked his head out of a hatch on the side.
"Oh, hi Ayama," he said evenly. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he climbed out. Ayama grinned.
"I was just on my way to class. Does this do what I think it does? For the reason I think it does?" She inspected the exterior of the dome, running her hand over it. Tai hesitated, and then replied.
"Depends. What do you think it does?" Ayama raised an eyebrow.
"Oh come on Tai, it's kinda obvious. You made this so you could build up your reaction time. It's a good idea. Better than smacking people around." This time it was Tai's turn to raise an eyebrow, remembering the scene in the mess. Ayama grinned again.
"That's just my way of doing things. You however, obviously have to rely on brainpower." Tai started to protest, but Ayama held a finger to her lips to silence him. "But you are getting better. It was a good idea." While she was talking, she had picked up a wrench from Tai's worktable and was tossing it up and down. Suddenly, she turned and threw it a Tai. Without a second's hesitation, Tai ignited a flame in his hand and sliced through the wrench. The two pieces fell to the floor. Ayama nodded her approval. "Very good, young grasshopper," she said smiling. Tai sighed. "That was my best wrench."