A/N: Sorry for the delay, if any of you were bothered enough by it. This part was a bit hard to write, but the challenge made it worth it. Enjoy and leave a review, if you don't mind.

;;;

Libraries

Although Toph is blind (a fact she is harshly reminded of in the desert) she never really had a problem with libraries. Sister Hui had her learn a special language for the blind, and Toph was proud to say that she had finished reading the entire Braille section of the Western Air Temple Library. So when they descend and land on the library, she's surprised by the amount of spiritual energy around them. There's a bad feeling in her stomach as they walk (pointedly ignoring the excited commentary of Professor Zei), and she holds on to the arm of the person closest to her. It just so happens to be Aang.

"Toph?" he whispers and she realizes he's unnerved, too. Something's not right, she wants to say, when the air around them swirls and Toph immediately recognizes the beat of wings flapping. "Quick, hide!" she half-whispers, half-yells. The others are swift to follow her words, darting behind two columns. Before Toph could move, she is pulled by her arm and she finds herself hiding with Aang and Professor Zei.

When something - something huge - lands near them, Toph grips her staff and she can sense Aang tense in front of her. Calm, she thinks, she needs calm. Closing her eyes (as useless as the act was) Toph concentrates, and she feels the spiritual energy around her, outlining her surroundings. She can see Aang, the professor, Katara and Sokka, all still and silent. Tense. The thing (a giant owl, she realizes) is looking around and she senses his aura is calm yet irked. He knows we're here, she thinks.

Just as she thought, the spirit speaks, "I know you are hiding behind those columns."

Her breath catches and Aang maneuvers her to stand behind him ('It's kind of a sweet gesture,' she thinks, 'only a tad bit too protective.') Toph cringes and wants to face palm when she senses the professor jump out excitedly and start to blabber.

"Oh, great Spirit, I am Professor Zei, Head of the Archeological Department in Air Nation University."

The spirit regards the man, and Toph thinks he might just eat him for his knowledge. "And you should leave the way you came, unless you'd want to be a stuffed head of Anthropology."

The professor's aura shifts to a more nervous one, and Toph hears Sokka speak up, coming out from behind the column, "Are you the spirit that brought this library to the physical world?" Katara stands by her brother and Toph's eyes open when she feels Aang tug at her sleeve and they follow their friends.

"Indeed," the giant owl says, "I am WanShiTong, he who knows ten thousand things, and you are humans, which by the way, are no longer permitted in my study. "

"What do you have against humans?" Aang asks from beside her. Toph keeps her gaze level, listening intently as the spirit tells of the humans' abuse of knowledge, using it to destroy their enemies. She hears him shift, leaning toward Sokka, and ask, "So who are you trying to destroy?"

Toph resists the urge to face palm when her companion tries to lie, failing horribly. Even the spirit comments on it, and she smirks.

"No, no, I'm not lying. I'm with my friend, the Avatar," Sokka says, pulling Aang forward and in front of the spirit. "He's the bridge between our worlds; he'll vouch for me."

Toph feels another urge to face palm when Aang mutters, "Uhh, yeah, I'll vouch." (She doubts he even really knows the meaning of the word)

The spirit moves forward and regards the Avatar. Aang is tense in front of them, but he stands his ground and Toph congratulates him mentally. A true Earthbender, indeed.

"Really, you have my word that we won't abuse your library," Aang says and they all bow to the spirit.

"Very well. I will allow you to peruse my collection, on the condition that you each contribute new knowledge for my library."

Professor Zei goes first, handing over a first edition copy of some book, and Katara follows with an original firebending scroll. Aang provides the spirit with his wanted poster and Sokka produces a weakly tied knot. Toph snickers when the owl comments on his intellect when suddenly, she feels the hair on the back of her neck rise. She's thinking of bringing out one of her poetry scrolls when WanShiTong speaks.

"The little girl is blind."

Toph tenses and her features morph to a glare. "And?"

"What use is my library to one who cannot even see me?"

Indignant anger swirls in her stomach and Toph has to swallow the words on her tongue. She moves from behind Aang ("Toph!" she hears him whisper) and glares up at the spirit. If she concentrates, she doesn't need to close her eyes or meditate, she can see his spiritual outline clearly and she knows where he is. Her glare intensifies. "I can see you just fine you giant owl. Just 'cause I don't use the same method as everyone else to see, doesn't mean I can't. And for your information, He Who Supposedly Knows Ten Thousand Things, there's a special language for the blind called Braille, and I've mastered it. So if your library doesn't have anything in Braille then that's your loss, not mine."

Silence greets her and Toph realizes she's stepped out of line. She can sense everyone else's spirits tense around her (Aang's was the most troubled) and she's surprised to see that the owl is calm. She figures the owl is thinking of ways to cook her when WanShiTong regards her, this time his voice laced with respect. "I see you are capable of many spiritual things, little one. You would do well to hone your ability."

Toph blinks once. Twice. "W-what?" she mutters, "Aren't you supposed to be, like, pissed at me?"

The all-knowing spirit doesn't answer her question and instead asks for her contribution. Hesitantly, she procures a small scroll with her own poetry and hands it over. WanShiTong merely nods, accepting it, before he turns away. "Enjoy the library," he says and there is a prick on her neck again and Tophs knows the spirit is looking at her. "You should try looking for the Braille copy of 'Secrets in the Air', little girl. You may find use of it." And with that, he leaves, soaring down to the depths of the library.

;

("Uh Toph, aren't you gonna look for that book he was talking about?"

"Maybe later, Pebbles."

She's curious about it and she knows he can tell.

"I could help you look for it, after Sokka's satisfied."

"...thanks.")

;;

Reading

Even though he was taught how to read and write, Aang doesn't really have a thing for reading. Signs and posters, he could do. Some bending scrolls, maybe, depending on their illustrations. But thick books on certain subjects? Nah.

So he doesn't know what made him go back for one particularly heavy book while Sokka grabs the map of the Water Tribes on the other side the room. "Aang, come on! Toph and Katara can't hold that stupid bird's attention for long and we need to get out of this place!" He hears and he tucks the book into his tunic before running out with Sokka.

They find the girls struggling against an enraged owl while the professor was nowhere to be found. "We gotta give them time to escape!" he tells the older boy. Sokka glances at the ceiling and asks, "Think you can give me a lift first?" Aang looks up and immediately understands. He stomps and a column of earth throws Sokka upward, then he wastes no time and launches a series of rocks at the spirit who was about to claw Katara's face off. WanShiTong is knocked off balance but he stands and looks to the Avatar. Aang smirks and yells out, "Mind if I join the party?"

He tells Toph and Katara to leave while he threw more rocks at WanShiTong, and Toph almost refuses, but he reminds her about Appa waiting and Katara nods, grabbing a hold of Toph's arm.

"We'll see you and Sokka up above! Be careful!"

The fight is quick and intense, and it has Aang grinning like an idiot at the rush of adrenaline and the thrill of a fight. He doesn't know how long he's been fighting when a blur of red and black falls from the ceiling and hits the owl on the back of his head, and Aang hears a battle cry of sorts but it doesn't sound like it came from WanShiTong. Sokka stands, regarding the unconscious spirit before he looks around and tells Aang to earthbend them up to the window. Aang nods and does as he's told, and the reach the surface just as the window disappears under the sand.

;

("Here," he says as he hands her the heavy book from his tunic. Her milky eyes widen. "This is..! Pebblebrain!"

"Well, he did say it could be useful to you, so..."

He's not expecting her to lean over and kiss his cheek but he doesn't mind it when she does. At least something good came out of going to the library, he thinks.)