Light filtered softly and easily through the vast windows of Toph's studio, lighting up the space and reflecting off of the metal equipment and the sweat that glittered on the skin of the two young women who trained within it. Cables flew wildly lashing out between the two before retracting into their cases. Toph and Anja circled each other with menacing intent, each trying to out last the other. Toph struck once more to overthrow her opponent, her cable coiling its way around Anja's ankle before catching her off guard and pulling her off balance. Anja's feet flew out from under her and she panted angrily at finding her self on the ground, defeated once more. A loud cheer bounced from the walls, filling the room with the sounds of victory and the joy of a young woman. Metal sparked and screeched as the two retracted their cables and stood to face each other, ending the spar.
"You're picking this up really fast Anja." She spoke lightly, with a joyous bounce to her words.
"Not fast enough, it would be nice not to lose all the time though, how am I supposed to take the exam next week if I can't even win a one on one spar?"
"You won't be sparring with only cables genius. We'll have a go later with the sparing suits and rules; you've already proved you have good reflexes and natural instincts. It's a no brainer." Toph rolled her eyes and ruffled the younger woman's hair. "On a lighter note, have you considered my offer?" Anja laughed lightly and brought her eyes to the speckled pale green ones before hers.
"A little." She turned away to begin removing her gear, a smirk at the edge of her lips. Toph rolled her eyes, a slight lean in her stance as her arms crossed over each other.
"A little. A little she says, yeah-right missy. Are you in or out?" The smirk at Anja's lips grew slightly but she held her composure.
"You said you'd tell me more, until then I'm out." The smirk grew into a full-blown grin at the exasperated sounds coming from the woman behind her.
"Anja you are a pain. It's a tradition, nothing scandalous, no streaking the premises, just you and me and a few secret supplies." Her booted foot began moving sharply against the ground, tapping out a steady rhythm of impatience.
"No nudity, what a relief. Secret supplies, stripping but not streaking and a little pain? Are we getting drunk and abseiling from the domes at night or something?" Annoyed laughter sounded behind her as Toph moved to take place beside her. She began removing her own gear before continuing their conversation.
"Next time maybe, all you need to know is it's a tradition upon mastery here and when the occasion arises you will get maybe 70% choice in how it goes down."
"If I say yes will you quit badgermoling me?" Toph grinned lightly before replying.
"Sure. For today at least." Anja laughed easily and turned to leave the studio before he master called her back.
"Training isn't over Pupil Anja. Turn around and march on back." She rolled her eyes as she spun the balls of her feet, turning to face her cousin.
"Yes Sifu?" Toph moved to a closet on the other side of the arena before drawing it open to reveal several green and white uniforms and assorted metal pieces that ranged from resembling bracelets to cable tracts.
"You have the choice of three metal items, choose them carefully and suit up." Toph held the door open and Anja took in the metal before her wondering which of the items to pick.
"Do I have to wear the robes today?" She deterred lightly to give herself more time.
"Not today. Make your choice kiddo." Toph waiting patiently, her hands fidgeting slightly as she fought the urge to tap her foot.
"Kiddo." Anja scoffed quietly before entering the closet. Eventually Anja settled for two cable reels and a thick silver piece that resembled a vambrace. She set the cables back onto her belt and locked them in place before sliding the vambrace over her right wrist and conforming it to the shape of her hand. Toph entered as Anja made her exit and chose her own equipment. It takes her a much shorter time than Anja and she exits with a long metal rod, a cable reel on her left shoulder and a band of metal on her right. A rough gesture flowed from her free hand, directing towards the arena Anja was all too familiar with. "You break anything in here and you replace it Anja." She joked lightly, though her tone carried a serious edge to it.
"If you say so. What are the rules?" The two stood at opposite ends of the larger of the training circles, Toph began to pace uneasily, it seemed both she and Jaya shared that irritating habit.
"No dangerous headshots, All participants must remain in the arena, if you leave its an automatic fail, Participants can only bend materials with in the arena and no funny business. The spar ends when you are knocked out or defeated, or when your opponents are knocked out or defeated." She stood in the center of the arena and stamped her foot heavily, causing their ring to drop several feet. Good luck Anja."
The two circled slowly, each waiting on the other to make a move. Eventually Anja made the first attack. She punched forward and sent a small boulder for Toph, who easily deflected it with her staff. Anja tried again with a second boulder that was closely followed by a much smaller one aimed at her chest. Toph deflected both, barely breaking a sweat. She moved quickly, directing the sheets of metal from her shoulder at her younger opponent. The metal flew quickly and Anja barely had time to deflect each piece and launched her cables for Toph. They connected with her right foot and Anja pulled tight to overthrow her balance. Toph slipped but no before firing her own cable up for the beams that support the roof. She shot upwards leaving a confused yet mildly annoyed Avatar below her. Anja propelled her self up with the earth at her feet before releasing her cables and taking a solid grip on the beam. She extended the vambrace into a wrist blade and sliced easily through the thin metal, severing the cable supporting Toph, causing her to fall back towards the ground. The two shared eye contact for a brief second before they both moved to final attacks. Toph sent her staff at Anja to pin her on the roof and Anja sent the cut cable at Toph to slow her fall slightly and to alter her direction so she didn't land back in the arena. The staff caught Anja around the chest and pinned her awkwardly to the beam she was effortlessly dangling from seconds earlier. The piece of cable hit Toph in a similar manner, coiling around her middle before pushing her back a few centimeters. The spar ended rather quickly in comparison to how it started and left one member dangling awkwardly from the rafters and the other stuck to the ground above the arena.
"So Toph, how do I get down?" Her tone was breathy and a little empty, the staff tight against her ribs.
"Sorry, I've got you." She removed the coil from her stomach and lowered the staff from Anja's chest so she could slide on cables. She hit the ground on shaky feet and released a nervous laugh, still breathless from her time on the ceiling.
"That was not fun." She stated it clearly and simply, as if she were stating the day or time.
"Agreed. Next time we do that will be your exam. At least there will be others to help me pick on you."
"Are you nervous?" The woman's voice was light and distracted.
"Not really Jaya, I'm just on edge. I want it do be over and done already." Anja tugged on her robes, pulling them into a comfier position.
"I know that feeling. What are your three metal pieces?" Jaya turned from the paper in her hands to her niece, who was stood in the middle of the living area of their shared apartment.
"Cables and the vambrace." Jaya's nose scrunched instantly at her response before returning to her paper.
"Not cables An, everyone always goes cables. Toph will go cables, staff and a sheet band, the extras will most likely have cable reels, piece of body armor or the sheet band also. Your best bet is the sheet band, the staff and the angled sleeve. The staff is good for blocking the sheets, while the band is a quick malleable weapon. If you can disrupt their view or stance it will be your best friend. The sleeve is a mix of the vambrace and the sheet band. It extends into a blade and can be used as a weapon and is handy in tight situations." Anja stared curiously, her head tilting slightly.
"Are you allowed to tell me all this? It seems a bit like cheating." Jaya's lip quirked but her eyes stayed locked on the paper in her lap.
"Maybe, as long as I don't teach you dirty tricks I think its fine. Those shoes are no good." She scrunched the paper before tossing it in the low roaring fire and stood on wobbling legs. "Woah, head rush." Jaya laughed lightly before ducking into her room for a quick moment. She returned with a pair of black boots that looked very similar to Air Nomad shoes. "These are what you want. Don't wreck them I want them back." Anja took the shoes awkwardly before voicing the obvious.
"What makes these so special?" She unlaced her own boots before tying the new ones in place. They rose up her leg half as much as the other ones but were surprisingly comfortable.
"They are organic, no rubber or animal material. I don't know how but the Air Nomads know how to make good earthbending shoes. It's not quite as clear, but wearing those you can use seismic sense. The natural fibers react with the waves rather than blocking them like rubber does." Anja laughed as she performed the move, feeling the walls and windows of her home and Jaya standing in front of her.
"Now this has to be cheating. You've basically given me my whole strategy."
"There are no rules regarding that Anja. As long as I don't supply you with hidden blades or sneak extra metal you're fine. Have you taken off the bracelet?" Anja felt the cold metal at her wrist and shook her head, no. "Fine, hold out your hand and I'll take it off." Anja did as told and watched in awed fascination as Jaya undid the swirling clasp and slid the band of metal of her wrist.
"Do you think I'm ready for this?" her tone shook with her ragged breaths, anxiety had begun to nestle into her mind.
"Yes, easily. You can do this Anja." Jaya pulled her into a light hug before ruffling her hair, pulling some of the neat strands out of their usual place.
"Hey! No touch. Leave the bun alone." A small smile quirked at Jaya's lips before she walked over to the door, holding it open for the young woman.
"Fine grumples, let's go make a master out of you."
The walk to the training arena was one of the longest Anja had ever taken. She took the familiar route to the Beifong home then walked right on through to the arena where she first met her earthbending master. Half a dozen people were already there, a stranger roughly her age, a year or two older perhaps, was stood beside another stranger who was a fair bit older, possibly twice that of the first one. At the edge of the arena stood Toph and three others dressed in the same robes she was. Jaya stood next to the strange boy and engaged him a quick discussion, the man beside the boy listened intently though he didn't contribute. Toph stepped away from the group of extras and she began to speak in a booming, powerful tone, introducing the exam. She gave a quick overview of the rules as she had in their earlier session. She ran through the four major rules before directing the extras and Anja towards the equipment section.
"You should already have voiced your choices to myself or Master Jaya, they are final and what you must use during the spar. I personally will be using the sheet band, vambrace and staff. Collect your equipment." Anja's heart raced in her chest as these words left Toph's lips. Her strategy with Jaya relied on the use of cables by her opponents. She watched as the three before her selected their equipment. To her relief they all took a cable reel, among other things. She approached the table carefully and contemplated changing her strategy but knew she shouldn't. She took up the three pieces, a bicep sheet band, the angled sleeve and a staff. She fastened both metal pieces to her right arm and clutched the staff lazily in her left. It felt oddly familiar in her grasp and sent a wash of calm through her, silencing her remaining concerns. Of the three stand ins for the spar, two had picked as Jaya said they would, double cables and the sheet bands while the third only had one cable reel paired with a vambrace and sheet band. The four took their positions in the arena waiting for their final member to begin the exam. Anja eyed the strangers carefully, neither bore the typical earthly features she'd slowly grown used to during her time in Zaofu. The younger's eyes were dark brown, possibly chestnut in shade. His skin was light and but she couldn't see much of his features under the hood pulled over them. He wore lotus robes but from the frown at his lips she didn't believe they were his for a second. He and Jaya were engaged in an interesting discussion so she turned her attention to the woman running the exam, the very same woman who was smirking at her most unusually. Toph laughed lightly to her self while she clipped on her sheet band, the same shoulder band as she had in their training and the vambrace, fastening it to her left wrist. She took up her staff before entering the training circle and lowering it several feet. She stood tall and proud for a relatively short woman, reaching just shy of 5"3. Her extras each took a cardinal point, leaving the southern point for Anja.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, let the exam begin."
The volleys came flying from nowhere in particular, half a dozen metal shards rocketing for her chest. Anja deflected them easily before launching a large boulder from the southern wall towards Toph and the extra behind her, both sidestepping it easily. She followed it up quickly with two smaller ones directed at the east and west walls. A light layer of dust coated the area and Anja felt a little more at ease thanks to the shoes Jaya leant her. She felt Toph move back a few paces and the eastern and western grunts moved inwards. The four gathered at the north wall on the opposite side of the arena and Anja felt them move together, raising a wall the length of the arena and sending it to her, shrinking the space between the southern wall and the moving one. She moved quickly propelling herself up with assistance from the earth. She hovered above the arena for a microsecond before she felt cables lock onto her ankles and yank her down. The jarring impact stunned her for a few moments before anger started to creep in at her obvious mistake. She snatched up the staff and swung it viciously into the partition behind her, shattering it and thickening the dust cloud. A cough sounded in the distance and she took her time to calculate her next move. She had four opponents and had to either knock them from the arena or over power them for 15 seconds. She felt Toph pacing menacingly, like a sabre toothed moose lion stalking its prey, ready to pounce. Toph, she decided, needed to be taken care of first. She shot two metal sheets at the woman, locking at her bare wrist and one of her ankles. Anja moved with such speed she caught her cousin completely unaware, throwing her off completely. Her next move was much less graceful but did the trick, sealing Toph in the eastern wall. Three were left in a threatening position and Anja moved quickly with out thinking. The dust dazed them so she had the element of surprise on her side. The blade at her right hand extended half a foot beyond her finger tips. She moved slowly towards the first opponent, a woman who had chosen one cable reel. Anja removed it with her blade and set it on her belt before sending the cables towards her and circling her with them.
"Idiots." She huffed angrily. "There isn't friendly fire in an exam." She squirmed against the cables and Anja laughed at her confusion, sending her out of the arena with an earthly push. She was left with two opponents who had double cables and vambraces. As long as she used ranged attacks the victory should be easy. She repeated the move from one of her old spars, leaping into the air with a rock at her feet, she deflected the cables coming her way before forcibly sending the rock back down. A minor quake rocked through the arena and she felt the rocks encasing Toph begin to loosen. The other two sparring partners had lost their feet in the earthquake and fought to stand and fight together. Their cables whipped blindly after Anja like the feelers on an ants head. She grabbed the set that threatened to lash at her side and pulled hard on them, dragging the man they were attached to along for the ride. He stumbled but held his feet and he began to face off with Anja. Several small boulders rocketed her way as she toed lightly, moving so she stood between the two standing opponents. The second blow she dodged made contact with a solid surface behind her and she felt the other male fall to his knees. She launched him easily from the space and let her focus fall solely on the man before her. The blade from his vambrace was out but it was nothing compared to the blade at her wrist. The man's wrist blade was thin, built for stealth and easy concealment but her blade was proud and built for combat. She held her staff loosely in her left watching the man carefully, waiting for his move. He launched his cables at her staff, seizing it and casting it out of the arena. The assault left her with the stolen cable, her blade and the sheet band at her bicep. She moved quickly, stamping heavily to drop the dust before shooting sheets at both his ankles and lifting his form into the air, dangling awkwardly from his ankles. Anja locked the metal together, binding his ankles before removing him from her arena. As he dropped to the ground the wall behind her shattered and a very unimpressed woman climbed from amongst the rubble. Toph was equipped with her vambrace and her sheet band, her staff laying lost at the end of the arena. Anja stepped lightly wishing she hadn't removed the dust so she still had a significant advantage. Anja shot her cable at Toph, who side stepped it with a lazy ease in her movement. She grabbed onto the cable and slashed at it, rendering it practically useless. The offcut coiled its way around Toph's wrist as Anja tried to think of what she should do next. The staff was too far to be of much use and she was down to only her sheets and the angled sleeve. Anja analysed Toph's movements carefully as they paced the arena together, circling, each waiting for the other to strike. Toph's footsteps were lighter than usual but she was still extremely grounded, giving Anja the answer she needed. If she was going to win she had to be quick and air born. She shot up several feet with a boulder at her left hand and sent it to Toph before following up with a few sheets aimed for her hands. The boulder sailed past and Toph deflected the sheets easily, shooting several of her own before flipping over the few Anja deflected back at her. She landed with her staff at her feet and picked it up casually, the long metal rod fitting into her hands perfectly. Anja took in an uneasy breath before making her move. She shot a few sheets from her hand before forcing the wall behind Toph to move forward into her. Toph swatted the metal but the wall caught her off guard, knocking her off her feet. Anja struck quickly, pinning Toph down and using the last of her sheets to lock her limbs in place. She raised her right hand and the blade extended slowly towards Toph's forehead.
"That's enough." Jaya called from above the arena. "Join us up here when you are done ladies. Anja sheathed her wrist before removing her cousins restraints and helping her up. The annoyed look of defeat only graced Toph's features for a small moment before fading into a gentle smile.
"Congrats." She whispered so quietly that Anja barely heard her over the adrenaline pumping through her blood. Toph reset the arena and returned the platform to its usual position. The three stand ins stood behind Jaya looking a little worse for wear.
"Toph Beifong, did you find your student's performance satisfactory?" Jaya eyes the young woman behind Anja, blood rushed through her body with a pounding intensity.
"I did Master Jaya. It was not her best, her best is something you can personally attest to, but her performance today was decisive and well executed. Her strategy worked very well, especially with immobilizing myself before targeting the others. Anja has my vote." Toph brought her hands together and bowed at Jaya who returned the gesture. She turned to the older stranger beside her before voicing a similar question.
"In your opinion, was the performance displayed satisfactory?" The man nodded sharply before stating in a husky tone.
"She was quick and decisive under pressure and utilized the equipment at her disposal effectively. She has my vote." Jaya nodded in affirmation before turning back to Anja.
"You already have two of three votes, making mine unnecessary. But to be fair, you displayed cunning and employed good strategy, adjusting yourself well when one plan did not work. You would have my vote Anja. Congratulations, you have officially mastered Earth."
Toph dragged Anja enthusiastically towards her studio in the distance, whooping and cheering about Anja's victory. She threw open the doors with a joyful ease and directed Anja to the second story office that rose over the gym equipment. Toph pulled her up the stairs into the cozy room that contained a standard desk and swivel chair, yet also a metal briefcase and a waste bin situated on a folding table.
"Sit on the table please Anja," Toph directed her towards the folding piece, taking her own seat on the swivel chair.
"What is going on?" Anja's words were thick with nerves, she wasn't sure she liked where this tradition was going.
"I'm going to give you a tattoo. The tradition I was talking about. You get to decide where, how big and any adornments to it." Toph smiled encouragingly at the young girl before her. Anja released a nervous laugh before deciding it was just a patch of ink, her mum could kill her later.
"Alright," Her tone was still uneasy but she continued regardless. "Left collarbone, discreet but noticeable if you got me, and just leave it simple." Toph nodded in affirmation and opened the briefcase, removing the needles and ink. Anja removed her shirt so all she remained in was her dark green sports bra, one of the straps hanging loose at her shoulder to provide access to the tattoo area. Though she had hated the colour at first, the greens had slowly been growing on her. Toph cleaned the area gently before marking several details on Anja's skin. The process was slow and agonizing for both parties, Anja had to endure several pinpricks into her skin and Toph had to deal with the squirming Avatar.
"I should have made you meditate." Toph mumbled angrily under her breath as she worked through the half way mark. The characters slowly came together as she lined the carful details in each, forming the motto she and her students often used. After an hour of careful work from Toph, and nail biting patience from Anja the process was complete. The eight intricate characters worked across Anja's collarbone gently forming the words of the Beifong family.
"Fire tempers gold?" Anja asked quizzically, her brow quirking upward as she read the words that now decorated her chest. Toph nodded sharply in response.
"It's the Beifong motto, the gold represents the flying boar sigil. 'Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive."
A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for reading and putting up with the erratic posting schedule of this story. This chapter is the final chapter of her Earthly adventures, not her story. The next book will probably be a while a way because I want to get most of it done before I start updating so the plot works together better, rather than what I did with this book and how I changed certain features in already uploaded chapters. I want to give a special thanks to all who have read and reviewed Anja's journey and an extremely special thanks to my good pal Stanley who lets me bounce ideas off him and gives me inspiration to continue this story. A thousand thankyou's to you, all of you.
