Okay guys, this is the chapter. This is the chapter that introduces a new character! And I'm not talking about Toph. But I won't get into that in my author's notes, I'll leave that for the chapter. Also, bonus points to anyone who can guess where Celina's fake name and the names of the students come from. Anyway, I don't own anything. Avatar the Last Airbender belongs to Nick. Enjoy!
The Blind Bandit
"Oh, my baby got asked out on a date! I knew you had it in you. You should've accepted that young man's offer," Ai gushed after Celina recounted what happened in Chin.
"Mom," Celina whined, embarrassed.
"Ai, I think the important thing to be focusing on is how much Celina has improved. We're very happy to hear that the phrase is working for you and it's wonderful that you have Katara to help you see that," Bishamon said.
"Of course, that's a wonderful thing. You're starting to learn how amazing you are is great," Ai defended herself. "However, when someone finds you attractive enough to ask you out it's always a confidence booster."
"It did feel nice," Celina admitted sheepishly.
"Hm… maybe it's time for an important lesson," Ai said to herself and began to led Celina out of the room. "Come on."
"Ai, what are you doing?" Bishamon called out to his wife but received no answer.
Celina was fully in Ai's power as the spirit lead her daughter throughout the temple before coming to the vast gardens. For their temple being on the island in the Spirit World, they certainly had plenty of land for the Spirits of Love and War plus their multiple followers. When they arrived at the garden where Celina first met her mother Ai left her at the entrance headed over to one of her followers. Visiting the temple so often Celina could differentiate her mother's followers from her fathers. Bishamon's followers always wore warrior uniforms of bronze and dark teal, while Ai's followers wore flowy garments, typically composed of gold and pomegranate colors, that left little to the imagination. The one her mother was talking to now wore loose shorts and had a cape sashed over his chest, doing little to cover up his toned torso, while the rest hung behind him.
"Celina, dear, come here. I want you to meet someone," Ai called over. Walking over to them Celina got a better look at the spirit her mother had been talking to. He had long bronzed hair which was tied back into a low ponytail and bright forest eyes. The spirit looked around her age if not a couple years older. "Celina, I would like you to meet one of my loyal followers, Bitten."
"It is an honor to meet you, Lady Celina," Bitten said, bowing to her. "My Mistress has told us all very much about you."
"I've asked Bitten here to teach you a very important skill," Ai explained.
"Is he gonna teach me how to unlock my spirit powers?" Celina asked excitedly.
"No, he's going to teach you the art of flirting," Ai answered.
"What?!" Celina exclaimed, taken aback. "Mom, there's a war going on and I have to learn to unlock my spirit powers if I wanna help stop it. How is learning to flirt gonna help me with any of this? No offense to you, I'm sure you're lovely."
"None taken," Bitten brushed off.
"Celina, flirting is an essential tool for anyone. By flirting you can get people to do things for you. It boosts your confidence quite a bit when you see someone crumble just a bit from a bat of the eyelashes. Trust me, honey, this will help," Ai assured.
"Fine," Celina sighed. It still seemed ridiculous to her but decided to trust her mother's decision. But at least she'd be able to get to make a friend in the Spirit World that wasn't an animal or her parents.
"Perfect! I'll leave you two alone. Good luck, honey," Ai wished her daughter and then headed off, probably back to her and Bishamon's room. Celina watched her go before turning to Bitten, shifting a bit uncomfortable.
"Alright, first lesson!" Bitten said excited.
"I'd make it a short one. I have a feeling I'll be waking up soon," Celina informed him as her form flickered a bit.
"A quickie? Okay, I can do that. Classic things to do when flirting: a smile, the bat of the eyelashes, and a gentle touch. These can go a long way," Bitten explained. He smoothly slinked up to Celina, giving her a sultry smile while grazing his knuckles lightly against her arm, flickering in and out of existence. Celina felt blood rushing to her cheeks as she became flustered from such a simple gesture. Bitten's smile turned into a smirk when he noticed her blush. "Looks like my charms are still effective. I can't wait to see more of that blush in our next lesson."
Celina was extremely thankful that she woke up.
o
When she woke up Celina had to fend off questions from Katara about why she was blushing, quickly busying herself with prepping to head into town. With all the money she'd gotten from returning Tom Tom, Celina decided to give Aang, Katara, and Sokka an allowance to spend. It wasn't a lot but enough for each of them to buy something for themselves that wasn't supplies. Currently, they were standing at a stall, waiting for Sokka to decide on a bag he'd been looking at.
"It's pricey, but I really do like it," Sokka commented.
"Then you should get it," Katara encouraged.
"I did give everyone money to get something nice for themselves. You deserve something nice," Celina imputed.
"I do, don't I?" Sokka smiled before turning his attention back to the bag. "But no. It's too expensive, I should save my money for something else."
"Alright, then don't," Katara said, getting annoyed by her brother's indecision.
They were about to walk out of the shop when Sokka ran back to the bag. "You know what? I'm gonna get it," he finally decided.
Celina and Katara let out an annoyed sigh but waited as their brother finally purchased the bag, slinging it happily over his shoulder. With Sokka satisfied the group continued walking through the streets, looking for places where the others could spend their money. However, when they turned a corner the four managed to run into a man with papers in his hand.
"Psst, psst. Hey, you kids like earthbending? You like throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy," the man whispered, shoving one of the papers into Aang's hand before running away.
"Look, there's a coupon on the back. The first lesson is free," Aang pointed out after examining the paper.
"Who knows? This Master Yu could be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for," Katara said.
"Yeah, because you're gonna find your earthbending master from some sketchy man," Celina muttered to herself but followed them anyway.
The four made their way to Master Yu's Earthbending Academy where Aang signed up for his free lesson. An assistant came out and gave Aang a green training uniform and a rounded hat. The Water Tribe siblings stood on the sidelines and watched as Aang was placed in a class with boys younger than he was. After waiting Master Yu finally walked out.
"Take your stances," Yu instructed. The younger kids went into stance instantly while Aang stood there a bit confused. "Now, strike as if you're punching through your opponent's head!" Master Yu demonstrated the strike but Aang didn't get it. Instead, he managed to get hit by another student's rock, getting thrown back into a large pot, causing it to explode. Yu walked up to him with a smile. "So, are you ready to commit to more lessons? If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt."
"Wow, this guy… isn't very good," Katara said trying to come up with a good term without sounding rude.
"That's because it's all a scam," Celina commented.
"He's not the one," Aang told the three of them, disappointment, cleaning his ears out. With the lesson over the four headed out of the academy but stalled when they overheard two students talking.
"I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble 6," one of the students said to the other.
"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ," the other replied.
Aang instantly ran over to the boys to find out more. "Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?" Aang asked.
"It's on the Island of Noneoya… none of ya business!" one of the students said before the two walked away laughing. The Water Tribe siblings approached Aang to comfort him, or at least Celina and Katara were.
"Ha, ha! Oh, I got to remember that one," Sokka laughed. The girls shot their brother a look before looking back at the students.
As Celina glared at the boys her mother's voice rang out in her head.
"By flirting you can get people to do things for you."
This gave her an idea. "It's okay guys, I think I can get the info," Celina told them before running to catch up with the two students. "Hey strong guys, wait up!" As Celina turned the corner she was greeted with the two students who turned around hearing her call out to them. When the students saw that a pretty girl asked them to wait up the two puffed out their chests trying to look manly in order to impress her. Remembering the quick lesson that Bitten gave her Celina put on a convincing smile and walked over to them. "Hi, fellas."
"Why, hello there. What's your name?" one of the students asked.
"Uh, Hina," Celina answered, deciding not to give them her real name. If she was gonna flirt and fly she didn't want to have her real name leave a bad taste in their mouths. Plus, it was best not to draw attention that the Avatar was in town. Their names had spread since they first started adventuring months ago.
"Well, I'm Mondo," the student with a tuff of hair on the top of his head.
"And I'm Taka," the other student said. "So, what can we do for a pretty girl, like yourself?" Celina couldn't help but blush a bit at the compliment.
"It's just that… I came all the way here to see Earth Rumble 6. I'm super into watching people earthbend and once I learned about the event… well, I just had to see it. But I'm having a hard time trying to find any information on it. Surely two strong earthbenders like yourselves would know where I can find it. Right?" Celina asked, batting her eyelashes perhaps one too many times but she could see that the boys were already eating out of the palms of her hands, desperate to impress the beautiful girl in front of them.
"Sure thing," Taka practically swooned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it over to Celina. "Here's all the information. The tournament starts after sundown."
"Hope to see you there," Mondo said.
"This is perfect! Thanks, guys," Celina squealed and brought the two in for a quick hug before darting off, leaving the both of them swooning. Ecstatic that her flirting worked, Celina hurried off to find Aang and her siblings. It didn't take her long as the three still stood near the entrance of the academy discussing Sokka's buyer's remorse. She waved the paper Taka gave her excited.
"I got the info! We're going to Earth Rumble 6!" she announced.
A huge smile spread across Aang's face when she handed him the paper. "That's amazing, how did you get them to tell you?" he asked.
"Turns out a little bit of flirting can go a long way," Celina answered.
"Brilliant! I would've just threatened the information out of them," Katara admitted.
"My baby sister, threaten someone? Never," Celina joked, causing the four of them to laugh.
o
After sundown, the gang made their way to an underground stadium where Earth Rumble 6 was being held. Aang used his allowance to buy the tickets, getting them into the event. The four of them thought they were lucky when they managed to snag front row seats but soon discovered the reason behind it being that it was essentially a splash zone but with rocks. The cause of this discovery came from the host appearing in the center of the arena.
"Welcome to Earth Rumble 6! I am your host, Xin Fu!" he announced, causing the crowd to cheer.
"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chuckin' rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara asked already bored.
"That's what we paid for," Sokka replied, excited about everything.
"We better get an earthbending teacher out of this," Celina muttered to herself.
"The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring and you win. Round one! The Boulder versus The Big Bad Hippo!" Xin Fu announced and then moved aside for the fighters. A man with huge muscles entered one side of the ring while a huge fat man with large teeth entered on the other. It was clear to tell who was who just by appearance.
"Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain't bad! The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide," The Boulder trash talked.
"Hippo mad," his opponent replied, pathetically.
Everyone watched as The Boulder and The Hippo fought. Celina noticed that even though everything about the fight seemed exaggerated that the audience still loved it… including her brother. The crowd was on edge as The Hippo caused The Boulder to lose his balance for a minute but then everyone roared in applause as The Boulder knocked The Hippo out of the ring.
"How about The Boulder? He's got some good moves," Katara suggested to Aang, remembering that they were here to find Aang an earthbending master.
"I don't know," Aang answered hesitantly. "Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles."
"His moves do seem a bit… theatrical almost don't they," Celina pointed out, imputing her opinion.
"What do you think, Sokka?" Aang asked, wanting to hear what all his friends thought.
"Ha ha! Whoo!" Sokka cheered with the crowd, not paying attention to the others.
"I think he's really enjoying himself," Celina commented.
Celina, Katara, and Aang watched on as The Boulder defeating opponent after opponent while Sokka got more and more into the tournament. The girls couldn't help but wince in annoyance whenever Sokka shouted an obnoxious remark at the fighters. They had lost hope in finding Aang a teacher until it came time for The Boulder to face off against the champion.
"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. The Boulder versus your champion… The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced. The audience began to chant 'Bandit' as a small girl stepped out into the ring, holding a large prize belt.
"She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asked unsure.
"I think she is," Aang said. Celina strained her eyes, catching a glimpse of The Blind Bandit's milky irises, confirming their suspicions.
"I think she is… going down!" Sokka yelled into his sister's ear, earning him a hard elbowing to the ribs. Quieted by pain the gang went back to watching the match between The Blind Bandit and The Boulder.
"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl."
"Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder," The Blind Bandit mocked.
"The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-a-lache!"
"Whenever you're ready… The Pebble," The Blind Bandit laughed.
At this point, The Boulder was enraged from being made inferior by a little girl. "It's on!" he shouted.
The Boulder let out a battle cry and stepped forward to attack. As he was about to bring his foot down to summon up a rock The Blind Bandit, with a simple kick of her heel, sent a line of earth at him, redirecting The Boulder's foot and caused him to do the splits. He let out a cry of pain and before he had any time to recover The Blind Bandit sent three stalagmites of earth at him, ejecting him from the ring and slamming him into a wall. The Blind Bandit smiled a sly smile as her victory was announced.
"Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced to the crowd.
"No!" Sokka cried, disappointed that his favorite lost while the rest of the crowd cheered.
"How did she do that?" Katara asked in disbelief.
"She waited, and listened," Aang smiled. "I think I found my earthbending teacher."
"That's wonderful," Celina said, happy that their search paid off.
"To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu announced, holding up a sack of gold. "What? No one dares to face her?"
"I will!" Aang volunteered excited.
"No, Aang!" Celina whispered to him. She tried to grab hold of his shirt to stop him but the airbender was quick and managed to get himself into the ring.
"Go Aang! Avenge The Boulder!" Sokka shouted down to him.
"Why don't you want Aang going down there?" Katara asked.
"Because he's introduced himself as a threat to her title," Celina explained.
"But I'm sure he doesn't really want to fight. He probably just wants to talk," Katara pointed out.
"It doesn't matter. To her, he's just another challenger to fight. If he wanted to just talk then Aang should've caught her after the tournament," Celina continued.
The girls sat in their seats on edge as they looked down at the ring.
"Do people really want to see two little girls fighting out here?" The Blind Bandit dismissed, bored. The crowd ooooh at her taunting.
"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you," Aang told her.
"Boo! No talking!" Sokka booed Aang.
"Don't boo at him!" Katara chastised, smacking her brother.
They watched as Aang took a step towards The Blind Bandit, she smiled and stomped the ground. A large rock shot out from the ground beneath Aang, launching him into the air. She was surprised however when Aang landed on the ground, softly behind her.
"Somebody's a little light on his feet. What's your fighting name, The Fancy Dancer," The Blind Bandit continued to mock. Aang merely shrugged before being sent flying into the air once again. He responded by somersaulting through the air. "Where'd you go?"
"Please, wait!" Aang begged as he landed behind her.
"There you are!" she said, ignoring him.
Turning quickly The Blind Bandit summoned a boulder and threw it at him. The crowd cheered, sensing her impending victory. Thinking quickly Aang jumped into the air to avoid the attack and then airbended the rock backward. The result was not only the boulder being blown backward, but The Blind Bandit as well, all the way off the arena. There was silence as everyone stared on in shock before roaring applause broke out. With her loss, The Blind Bandit stalked away.
"Please listen! I need an earthbending teacher, and I think it's supposed to be you," Aang called down to her.
"Whoever you are, just leave me alone," she bit back.
Stomping her foot The Blind Bandit opened a door in a wall and walked through. Before Aang could say any more she closed the wall in a swift motion. Aang dropped his head, saddened as the Water Tribe siblings approached Aang on stage. Sokka excitedly ran over to Xin Fu, grabbing the prize money and the champion belt and celebrated.
"Way to go, champ!" Sokka congratulated him, not understanding what went down.
"See why I didn't want you volunteering?" Celina asked.
"What are we gonna do?" Aang questioned.
"Don't worry, we'll find her again," Katara assured him, pulling him into a hug.
o
The moment Celina arrived in the Spirit World when she went to sleep Bitten was there to greet her. She didn't get a word out before he dragged her off to a secluded spot in the temple's gardens for their lesson. He sat her down in a chair before he began.
"Alright, first thing on the schedule is for you to use that flirting advice I gave you last night on me. Or do you need a little refresher?" Bitten asked, wiggling his eyebrow suggestively.
"Look, I really don't feel like doing that. I already managed to get two boys to give me information by using the advice you gave me. Besides I have other things on my mind. We've got someone to find in the human world and it's not gonna be easy," Celina explained, not interested in the lesson.
"You actually flirted your way to information?" Bitten chuckled.
"Don't… don't act so surprised," Celina stuttered, a bit of blush rising to her cheeks.
"No, it's just… I didn't think you'd use your feminine charms for evil so quickly," Bitten smirked.
"I didn't use my… feminine charms, for evil. Besides what did you expect me to use them for? To get myself a date? Get real, we're in a war. There's no time for me to be dating. Especially with everything I have to do," Celina told him, getting defensive.
"Lady Celina, love is important. Even in times of war because otherwise there is nothing but hate. Your father, The Spirit of War, even stopped to find love. And I'm certain your mother, my Mistress, would like there to be a little more love in the world. Besides, it always nice to have someone there who truly cares for you," Bitten explained, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hands in his. Celina blushed as she looked down at their hands.
"Bitten… that was… very moving. But there's just no time for me to date. Between traveling and trying to unlock my spirit abilities… there's just no time," Celina told him earnestly.
The spirit looked into Celina's eyes. He could see that she did understand what he said but he also saw how right she was. Truthfully, he should have expected it. Celina was traveling with the Avatar and her adoptive siblings to try and stop the war, not only did she have to worry about helping Aang but she also had her own problems to figure out such as her spirit powers. Sighing in defeat Bitten released her hands.
"Alright, but my Mistress tasked me with teaching you to flirt so our lessons will have to continue," Bitten said.
"That's fine," Celina submitted. "Teach away."
Bitten stood up and gave her a smirk. "Good, I've been dying to see what that cute little blush of yours would look like a few shades darker," he said.
And indeed, he saw.
o
Ever since Aang defeated The Blind Bandit the other night Sokka had taken to wearing the tournament belt. He'd been displaying it so that everyone in town could see along with the bag he bought the day before which matched up well.
"I gotta admit, now I'm really glad I bought this bag. It matches the belt perfectly," Sokka said to the others.
"That is a big relief," Katara responded sarcastically.
"If we want to find The Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a good place to start," Aang told them, reminding the two why they were out about town in the first place.
"Yeah, I'm sure she frequented that place," Celina muttered to herself sarcastically.
As the four entered through the gates of the Earthbending Academy Celina spotted Mondo and Taka doing some earthbending exercises. Hearing someone come in the students looked up. They glared at the others but as soon as the boys spotted Celina soft, swooning, smiles appeared on their faces.
"Hey, Hina, it's nice to see you again," Mondo greeted her.
"Are you here to see us work out?" Taka asked, flexing his muscles to try and impress her.
Celina gave the boys a smile and a wave while Katara leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Hina?" she questioned.
"I didn't want to give them my real name," she explained.
"Hey, you're the kid who beat The Blind Bandit," Taka remembered, walking up to Aang.
"We need to talk to her. Do you guys know where she lives?" Aang asked.
"The Blind Bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears," Mondo told him. Aang hung his head with disappointment.
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Celina asked, leaning in a bit close and batted her eyelashes.
A light bit of blush warmed the students' faces. "Sorry but that's all we can tell you. No one knows where she goes, or who she really is," Taka apologized.
"Hm… maybe we're asking about the wrong person," Aang mused to himself. "In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"
"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family. They're the richest people in town, probably the whole world," Mondo answered.
"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter," Taka added.
"Flying boar is good enough for me. Let's check it out," Aang said and began to leave the Academy.
"Thanks, so much for your help guys," Celina thanked them, giving them a sweet smile.
"For a beautiful girl like you? It was no problem," Mondo blushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey, we were wondering… would you like to go get something to eat after we're done training. I would be our treat," Taka offered.
Celina blushed. "Uh… I'm sorry guys but…"
"Sorry but unfortunately we need her help if we're gonna find who we're looking for," Katara said, coming in to save her sister. Celina just gave the boys an apologetic smile as Katara took her arm and pulled her out of the Academy.
"Thanks for the save," Celina whispered to her sister.
"Of course, that's what sisters are for," Katara replied with a smile.
o
The gang managed to locate the Bei Fong household pretty easily. After all, it was the largest house in the entire town and the flying boar symbol on the front doors made it quite obvious. Aang decided that the best way in was to sneak in and airbended himself over the wall. Celina disliked the idea but with her siblings already climbing their way over she sighed and began to join them. She was part way down a tree she was using to shimmy down the other side of the wall when Celina saw the others get thrown up into the air. Sokka landed hard on the ground while Aang and Katara were lucky enough to land on a bush, cushioning their fall. Celina was glad she was spared when she saw the cause of them being toss was The Blind Bandit herself, just now dressed in a fancy white gown.
"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?" The Blind Bandit demanded, unimpressed.
"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked.
"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes. It's not manly!" Sokka whined.
"You're the one whose bag matches his belt," Katara shot back.
"Please you two, no bickering," Celina scolded them as she made her way off the tree and over to them.
"How did you find me?" The Blind Bandit demanded.
"Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and…" Aang went to explain.
"Try a less crazy approach," Celina interrupted.
"What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat The Fire Lord," Katara explained better.
"Not my problem. Now get out of here or I'll call the guards," the Blind Bandit threatened.
"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending," Sokka said.
"Guards! Guard, help!" the Blind Bandit cried out, staying true to her threat.
The gang acted quickly, finding an exit before the guard would arrive to discover their presence. The Water Tribe siblings breathed heavily on the other side of the wall, trying to catch their breath while Aang watched The Blind Bandit interact with the guards.
"You see why I didn't want to go in this way?" Celina said.
"Then what would you suggest?" Sokka asked a bit annoyed.
"I was gonna use the front door. Aang is the Avatar and a rich family like the Bei Fongs would probably jump at the offer to host the Avatar and his friends for dinner," Celina explained.
"That's a brilliant idea!" Aang exclaimed as he jumped down next to his friends.
It didn't take much for the four of them to get inside the Bei Fong house. Lao Bei Fong was super excited to hear that the Avatar decided to visit them that he arranged for a big dinner to welcome Aang and his friends. Besides the gang and the Bei Fong's Master Yu also joined them at the dinner table. Sokka was quick to jump into dinner, eating like he hadn't eaten in weeks.
"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us," Mrs. Bei Fong said to him.
"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked.
"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first," Aang answered, looking suggestively at The Blind Bandit, whose name was Toph, who in return looked unhappy about Aang's presence.
"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little," Yao offered.
"Yeah, sure," Celina mentally scoffed.
"Then she must be a great earthbender, probably good enough to teach someone else," Aang said. Everyone watched as he hopped up from his seat in pain. "Ow!" It was clear to the gang what the cause of this was and it was confirmed when Aang glared at Toph. She simply smiled and continued eating, acting like nothing happened.
"Toph is still learning the basics," Yu informed Aang.
"Yes, and sadly because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master," Lao said sadly.
"Maybe not. Those with disabilities are typically stronger in other ways. One of our friends lost both his legs in a raid but he managed to get around by gliding. He's almost as good as Aang. With his help, we managed to take out a bunch of Fire Nation tanks. As for your daughter, typically when one of the senses are gone the others are heightened. I'm sure with those heightened senses your daughter can be a great earthbender," Celina spoke up.
Celina braced herself, expecting to receive a blow from Toph like Aang did but was surprised when it never came. Looking up she could see the shock on Toph's face. The shock that someone came to her defense like that. She wasn't saying that Toph would be too weak. No. Celina sounded supportive, something Toph hadn't genuinely heard in a very long time.
"Those are wise words for someone so young," Yu commented.
"Well, when you travel around as much as we do you pick up some things. It's important not to underestimate someone," Celina replied.
"See! I'm sure Toph's better than you think she is," Aang pointed out.
This statement instantly reminded Toph about how unhappy she was with Aang. Annoyed she sent another bit of earth at him underneath the table. It, in turn, managed to send Aang's chair forward, forcing his face into his bowl of food. Pulling his face out of his soup Aang let out a sneeze, blowing food all over Master Yu, Mrs. Bei Fong, and Toph.
"What's your problem?" Toph demanded angrily.
"What's your problem?" Aang shot back.
Everyone sat uncomfortably in their seats as Aang and Toph glared daggers at one another. "Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert then?" Mrs. Bei Fong offered, trying to break up the awkwardness. Master Yu, Yao, and the Water Tribe siblings nodded in agreement while Aang excused himself to go take care of Appa and Toph left for her room.
They must have been in the living room for twenty minutes or so, enjoying desserts and chai tea (which Celina found she loved, much to her dismay remembering her vision in the swamp), they heard loud noises coming from the garden. Everyone ran outside to see what was going on. What they saw was two big impressions made in the ground and a sword stuck in the ground, pinning a scroll to the ground. Sokka retrieved the scroll and brought it over to his sisters.
"Whoever took Aang and Toph left this," Katara gathered, watching as Celina opened the scroll.
"'If you want to see your daughter again, bring 500 gold pieces to the arena.'" Celina read. "It's signed, 'Xin Fu and The Boulder.'"
"I can't believe it," Sokka said before grabbing the scroll out of his sister's hands. "I have The Boulder's autograph!" Celina and Katara shot annoyed looks over to him in response.
"Master Yu, I need you to help get my daughter back," Lao told Yu.
"We're going with you. The ones who took Toph must have Aang as well," Celina said.
"Poor Toph. She must be so scared," Mrs. Bei Fong worried.
o
Celina, Sokka, and Katara lead Lao and Yu to the arena after Lao managed to get the gold demanded in the ransom letter. When they arrived, the group saw Toph and Aang hung up in metal boxes while Xin Fu and the other Earth Rumble 6 fighters stood alongside him. Sokka handed the money over to Xin Fu who in return released Toph from her cage. She quickly ran over to her father who began to guide her away with Master Yu.
"What about Aang?" Katara demanded.
"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar. Now get out of my ring," Xin Fu told them, holding up a wanted poster of Aang.
Looking around the ring it was clear to the Water Tribe siblings that they wouldn't stand a chance against all the earthbenders on Xin Fu's side. "Go. I'll be okay," Aang urged his friends.
Thinking quickly Celina grabbed her siblings and ran to catch up with Toph. Her, her father and Master Yu turned around when they heard them approach. "Toph, there's too many of them. We need an earthbender. You've beaten them we need you," Celina pleaded with the young girl.
"My daughter is blind. She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you," Yao told the water trio, anger.
"Yes, I can," Toph said, yanking her hand from her father's.
Celina, Sokka, Katara, and Toph ran back up into the ring just in time to see The Hippo starting to carry Aang's cage away. Toph stopped Xin Fu and the other earthbenders by bending a large jagged wall of rock in front of them, blocking their path. The group turned around in response.
"Let him go. I beat you all before, and I'll do it again," Toph demanded.
"The Boulder takes issue with that comment," The Boulder replied.
Accepting Toph's challenge The Hippo tossed Aang's cage to the arena floor before he got into position like the rest of the Earth Rumble 6 benders. The Water Tribe siblings went to prepare – grabbing and summoning their means of attack, Sokka his boomerang and Celina and Katara water – but Toph held out their arms to stop them.
"Wait. They're mine," Toph told the trio.
The three of them were surprised but nodded, letting Toph do her thing. Toph prepared, stomping the ground and raised her arms, waiting for the others to make their move. When the others ran to attack her Toph stomped the ground yet again, sending a cloud of dust up into the arena, blinding the other benders. Everyone watched as Toph headed into the dust cloud, ready to kick ass. Celina, Sokka, and Katara hurried over to the metal cage that Aang was being kept him, insistent on helping their friend while their enemies were distracted. Katara headed to the bottom, trying to yank it open, while Sokka repeatedly hit the lock with a rock.
"Hit it harder!" Aang instructed.
"I'm trying!" Sokka replied.
"Sokka, wait!" Celina said. Sokka stopped with his banging and gave his sister a confused look. She ignored him and summoned water from her water skin and directed it at the lock, freezing it. "Alright, try now."
Her brother was skeptical but after a few hits with the rock, he managed to break the lock completely. They continued with this system and within a few minutes released Aang from his prison. Now free Aang got into attack position to help defeat the Earth Rumble 6 benders but Sokka waved him off and pointed out the pile of benders that Toph took out already. Their attention turned to the dust cloud however as not only The Hippo and The Boulder stepped out but so did Toph. They prepared an attack with help from another bender trying to be sneaky but Toph was ahead of them, turning the platform they were on so that the surprise bender took the other two out. With only Xin Fu left Toph dissipated the dust, clearing the area. The two circles each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. It was Xin Fu who moved first, throwing five boulders at Toph. She blocked them, putting up a pyramid shaped shield, and then shot half of it at Xin Fu. He dodged, launching himself into the air. He tried to send another boulder at her but Toph moved out of the way and sent the remainder of her shield at Xin Fu, sending him flying out of the ring. The gang cheered and ran over to Toph to celebrate. It looked like they found a new friend and Aang's earthbending teacher.
o
After defeating Xin Fu and the Earth Rumble 6 benders the gang, Toph, and her dad returned to the Bei Fong home. Currently, the gang stood off to the side while Toph addressed her mom and dad who sat in front of her.
"Dad, I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me. But I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me," Toph said to them.
"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something," Tao replied.
"It has?" Toph asked hopeful.
"Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day," Tao told her.
"But dad!" Toph protested.
"We are doing this for your own good, Toph," Mrs. Bei Fong explained.
"You're making a mistake. Sheltering your daughter, even more, isn't going to do any good. It's only gonna make her resent you in the long run. You should be embracing her talents not stifling them," Celina spoke out.
"Silence! Guards, please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here," Tao ordered.
Celina glared at the guard who pushed her along and shot another glare at Toph's parents before leaving with the others.
o
The gang stood on a cliffside, packing up and preparing to fly off on Appa. Everyone was a bit sullen after having to leave without Toph. Well… Celina was also stewing a bit, angry with Toph's parents.
"Don't worry. We'll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there," Katara assured Aang.
"Not like her," Aang sulked.
"Idiot parents," Celina grumbled to herself as she helped Sokka pack up the last of their supplies. With everything packed up the gang boarded Appa and were about to take off when they noticed Toph running towards them.
"Toph!" the four of them exclaimed, excited to see her.
"What are you going here?" Aang asked.
"My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world," she told them.
The Water Tribe siblings exchanged a glance, knowing full well that her dad didn't change his mind, but none of them wanted to call her out on that. "Well, we'd better get out of here before your dad changes his mind again," Sokka said.
"Good idea," Toph agreed.
"You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph," Aang smiled.
"Speaking of which, I want to show you something," Toph told him, a sly smile on her face.
"Okay," Aang said and airbended himself out of Appa's driver seat and landed in front of Toph. He didn't stay there for long as Toph tapped the ground with her foot, causing a tock to erupt from the ground and throw Aang up into a tree.
"Now we're even. I'll take the belt back," she said. Sad about giving up the tournament belt Sokka unhooked it from his waist and tossed it down on her. But with Toph being blind she wasn't about to catch it, causing her to get hit on the head. "Ow!"
"Sorry," Sokka apologized.
"Nice going, bro," Celina commented and then gave Toph a hand in helping her onto Appa's saddle. With a new earthbending teacher a part of the group the newly expanded gang flew off into the night.
o
Bitten and Celina walked through the temple, him escorting Celina to her parent's room. While Celina was totally fine with the flirting lessons from him to continue, she was missing spending time with her mom and dad. So, they came to an agreement that after every two lessons Celina would spend the next night with her parents.
"So, I was thinking, about the whole you not having time to date thing," Bitten said, interrupting the silence. "I know that in the human world you have no time but how open are you to dating while you're here in the Spirit World?"
"I… I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'd be willing to give it a try," Celina said.
"Great! So, uh, how does tomorrow night sound?" Bitten asked, stopping right outside the door to her parent's room.
"Are you asking me out?" Celina questioned, a bit of blush spreading across her cheeks.
"That was the plan," Bitten replied. "So, what do you say?"
"I… I guess it's a date," Celina accepted.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," Bitten smiled.
"See you tomorrow," Celina agreed. A soft smile settled on her face as she entered her parents' room. Her first date. Celina was looking forward to what tomorrow night would bring.
Check out my profile for the link to Bitten's character design or go to DeviantArt and look up "BTED: Bitten" by DrawMeLikeYourOC.
Thanks for reading. Be sure to leave me a review and a crazy "So Tell Me About Yourself" answer. And be sure to check out my profile for character designs and my writing schedule.
"So Tell Me About Yourself" is an inside joke between me and my friends which started from my one friend's hatred for the typical getting-to-know-you question "So tell me about yourself". She, being so annoyed with the phrase, gave a silly answer that she murdered people in their sleep. When she brought it back to me and my other friend we both gave a silly answer. That is where the idea for my account name came from.