Julie, this one is for you.
XXV. Third Task, Strength
It was time to get up and face whatever absurd task the Elders may have come up with. Toph was sitting on the bed, and Aang was sitting behind her, his cheek on her hair, his hand on top of hers.
"I need to dress. Are you dressing me today, Twinkle Toes?" She asked.
"Yes." He answered, straightening his back.
She stood up from the bed, oblivious to her nakedness, and walked some steps until her foot felt her dress on the floor. She bent to pick it up and heard him holding his breath. She stood there, the dress in her hands, her back to him, feeling the prick of his gaze. She turned her head and offered him her profile.
"Are you going to dress me, Twinkle toes?" She asked again, but this time he didn't answer. She waited a moment.
"Do you want me to pick up my dress again, Twinkle Toes?" She asked, still offering him the profile of her face.
He uttered a strangled:
"Yes."
She extended her arm and let the dress fall back to the floor.
0o0o0o0o00o0o
They were walking towards the breakfast hall, he was holding her hand. They were having an interesting conversation.
"I'm not saying that non-violence is wrong, far from it. But you don't need to announce to the world that you don't believe in violence. Let them be afraid of what they think you can do."
"The monks used to say that victory attained by violence is the same as defeat, for it's fleeting. You see, violence is the last refuge of the unskilled."
"There won't be any violence, everything will happen inside their heads. Let them think that you're willing to use the power you have, even if you're not. They don't know that."
"So you're saying that intimidation is a good thing?"
"I'm saying that a mild dose of fear is healthy, which is different."
"Well, I object to violence because even when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary. The evil it does is permanent."
She shrugged.
"I hate to advocate fire whiskey, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." That made him laugh out loud, so she relented. A bit. "Look, I'm not going to dismember anyone. I'm just saying that burying them under the sand for three days will teach them the errors of their ways."
"But what happens if someone gets hurt? I'm not going to let anyone get hurt."
"See? That's why I'm not inviting you to my retaliatory vacation. You're going to make the entire exercise another peace summit. And it's not about peace. It's about a lesson. You know, like the ones Gods love to teach."
Aang suddenly stopped and made her turn to face him. She felt his hands on her shoulders and the prick in her neck that meant he was looking at her intently. She smiled.
"What?"
"The monks used to say that when the Gods want to punish mortals, they grant them their desires."
"Am I your punishment?" She asked amused, and felt him turning really serious.
"I … today … " He started and she knew from instinct what he was about to say. Her first reaction was joy … followed by panic. Last time someone had made an announcement to her about breaking up with a fiancé, chaos and drama had ensued. She also knew that the Gods were hopeless eavesdroppers. No secrets with the immortals, so she immediately covered his mouth with her hand.
"Shush." She said, meaning it. She felt his doubt, his feelings recoiling, uncomfortable. She knew his sensitivity to rejection, so she tiptoed and kissed him on the mouth, whispering: "Spirits will hear you." He kissed her back.
"After the task." He tried to say, but she kissed him harder, trying to shake her head indicating no. He understood. She did too. And felt really happy and really worried because in her current situation, happy endings were not like chips, they didn't go well with fish.
When they got to the breakfast hall there was a feeling. A feeling of dread. The Elders were waiting for her. Iroh came over and took her hand.
"Master Bei Fong, we need to talk." He said gravely and Toph felt his concern.
"Can I attend?" Aang asked. Iroh made a sound, like a doubtful "tsk-tsk".
"Avatar, you're championing the challenger." Chief Hakoda, who had gotten closer, reminded him. "There may be a conflict of interests."
"I'm perfectly capable of keeping both interests apart. I won't use any information to help my own place as the challenger's champion." Aang said resolutely.
She heard Iroh turning to Hakoda.
"The Avatar is the link to the Spirit World. He should be present in this conversation."
She heard Hakoda moving.
"Avatar, we trust you and that you will know how to keep the duality of your current situation from interfering with your duties."
Toph heard Aang bowing. They guided them to a separate room. She sat and could hear people around her. Among them, Hakoda, Pakku, Piandao, Bumi, Ursa, even Gran-Gran.
"Master Bei Fong" a voice that she recognized as that of Chief Arnook, from the Northern Water Tribe, said. "We have summoned you here because we need to let you know about the Third Task … and the risks."
Gran-Gran approached her.
"Yugoda, the healer from the Northern Water Tribe had a vision last night." She said, grabbing her hand.
"My child." The soft and gentle voice of a woman could be heard. "La, the Spirit of the Ocean came to me last night. He told me what the Third Task is going to be. The last time this specific task was part of the Contest of the Frosts was five hundred years ago."
"That Contest ended in tragedy." Arnook added. "For the maiden."
"OK, no disrespect here, but you're killing me with the suspense. What's the task? What's the risk?"
"The Ebi." Arnook said, and she felt a shiver in the air. "The Ebi is an ancient Demigod. It dwells in the iced waters of the Poles, and it was used to be revered by our ancestors. The relationship between our ancestors and the Ebi was a difficult one. The Ebi demanded payment once a year to refrain from destroying our villages. Our ancestors complied, but the day came that one Chief refused to pay the Ebi anymore and cried out to the skies for the protection of the Gods, and that was when La and Tui heard our claims and made the covenant with the Water Tribes. La protects us from the Ebi."
"OK. Now La is asking for the Ebi to be the Third Task?" Figures. Dammed Fish.
"Yes. La seldom does this. Last time he requested the Ebi for the task of strength, the Contest ended in tragedy."
Aang was the one to ask.
"Why? What's the danger?"
"The Ebi likes … maidens. It eats maidens. That was the payment the Water Tribes had to offer every year. The sacrifice of a maiden. The last time the Ebi was the task, it ate the maiden object of the Contest, finishing the Contest early."
Toph hid her head in arms. Stupid Twinkle Toes. He had to try to announce to her and the world that he was breaking up with his fiancée. And lo and behold, drama, tragedy and chaos. For her.
"Dear Master." Iroh said, coming close to her. "As you can imagine, we are concerned about your safety. The Ebi is not to trifle with. And it's selectively carnivorous."
"What do you mean by 'selectively carnivorous'?"
"It only likes … real maidens."
This concept went through her head as fast as the memory of Twinkle Toes fierce reaction that morning when she bent over again to pick up her dress. Well, that definitively killed all risks she could face from the Ebi.
"You mean virgins?" She asked and then she felt Gran-Gran squeezing her hand lightly … in hope. She understood quickly what this meeting was about. It was not only to warn her of the danger, it was also to put out there their wish that she may not be in danger after all. But Toph grew up in an aristocratic household full of gossipy servants and idle women. Dammed if she was about to let anyone here know that she was not a tasty morsel for nasty Ebis. The South Pole was still a village after all and news fly fast in a village.
"What am I going to do?" She exclaimed in panic, raising her hands to her face, her eyes filling to the brim with tears. "That thing is going to eat me alive! Pops!" She turned to Iroh, real sincerity breaking through her voice "I don't deserve to die just because … of this!" She hid her head in her hands. Iroh was patting her back.
"Dear, dear, we will think of something." He sounded really worried now, which was a good thing. She was a good actress.
She heard Aang's voice
"She won't be in danger." He said resolutely and for a second she wanted to kill him. Then he added: "La personally promised me that she wouldn't die in this Contest. I'm sure the Ebi won't try to eat her. La gave his word."
"But putting a real maiden in front of the Ebi, that's risky." Master Pakku said, full of concern.
"It's true Twinkle Toes. An innocent like me in front of a sea monster? Why don't you give me some meat pants to wear instead? Here, here Ebi look at me and my meat pants!" Toph waved her hands.
"Toph, I'm taking this seriously." Aang sounded stern, but she could pick up a faint layer of mirth underneath. "I'm not minimizing the dire situation you're in." Yep, he was probably trying not to crack up laughing.
"Master Bei Fong, we don't have a choice." Chief Hakoda came closer and put a hand on her shoulder. "We wanted to let you know because we need to offer you to the Ebi as a sacrifice. La personally requested it. The suitors will try to save you from the Ebi. Whomever succeeds, wins the task."
"When you say to offer me as a sacrifice … you mean…?"
"We need to chain you to a rock in the middle of the sea, the sacrificial rock, and then the Ebi will come for you."
Toph added the facts in her head: (1) rock; plus (2) metal chains; plus (3) Twinkle Toes enthusiasm during the last couple of days equals 'that Ebi won't know what hit it'.
"I'm an earthbender and a metalbender." She told the Elders. "I may be able to defend myself when that Ebi tries to eat me."
"Well, the idea is for the suitors to save you…" Pakku started but Gran-Gran shut him up.
"Shut up, Pakku. Don't you dare tell the Virgin that she cannot defend herself from that primitive chauvinist lobster just because of this primeval Contest." Married life was probably teaching Master Pakku new words from the dictionary. He was right now learning the letter W.
"Lobster?" Toph and Aang asked at the same time.
"The Ebi is an ancient giant lobster. That's what the word Ebi means." Yugoda explained. "The Ebi got upset with our ancestors because we used to eat his children. In return, he started eating ours and then developed a real taste for maidens. Seems like nothing taste better than unspoiled, untouched flesh. Our ancestors reached a truce with the Ebi: no more lobster fishing, and a maiden every year."
Toph thought about the fact that the Ebi restrictions hadn't reached the Earth Kingdom and was very happy at all those lobster medallions she ate while living with her parents.
"The Ebi is ruthless and has special powers." Arnook said darkly.
"Sounds like the Ebi is an extortionist and a bully. I've seen its kind before. They usually like looking like seafood." Toph said seriously. She turned to Aang. "After this contest I'm giving up fish and seafood for good, unless I'm eating it as celebratory revenge." He put a hand on her shoulder.
"Well, the Virgin has accepted to participate." Pakku was saying. "We should probably announce the Third Task to the suitors, and start preparations for taking the Virgin to the rock."
Virgin was not better than Object of the Contest, but then Toph thought that she shouldn't be the only one being exposed this way to the world.
"What are the risks for the suitors?" She asked suddenly.
"I beg you pardon, Master?" Hakoda asked.
"Does the Ebi only like maidens or Does it like virgins? They are not the same. What happens if one of the suitors is a virgin too?"
She felt all the glazes moving from her towards … Aang.
"The Ebi likes … we don't know. It's a good question. Usually, only the maiden is a virgin. The situation of the virgin champ … sorry, suitor is not clear." She felt the concern and pity from the Elders now focusing on Aang. His hand on her shoulder felt heavier. He was probably trying to act too, and he was usually a lousy actor. He was a charmer, but a lousy actor. But maybe not that bad, because she suddenly heard (with her amazing hearing) Gran-Gran mumbling very low under breath. "I knew it! That girl is outletting somewhere else."
"Avatar Aang, do not concern yourself." Iroh was being paternal. "We are sure that with your powers you will be able to fend from … any special interest the Ebi may have in you. And you my dear friend," Iroh said turning to her. "You bend that rock really, really hard and don't let that Ebi even smell you. There are no rules in this Contest, so you can defend yourself, OK? And La will protect you, he gave his word."
Toph knew better than to trust a fish. But she trusted herself and that, for once, luck would have that neither she, nor Aang, would be in danger from the lobster.
They Elders left the room to start preparing for the announcement of the third task. She stayed where she was, when she felt his fingers, still on her shoulder, squeezing. She heard him leaning closer to her ear.
"And that was because …?"
"Because when that thing is spitting me and my honor in public, I refuse to be the only one facing the embarrassment."
"Your honor and mine. Let's take luck where we find it, at least it won't try to eat either of us."
"Hopefully."
"What do you mean, hopefully?"
"It's not like any of us knows a lot, you know. So, hopefully."
He sounded affronted.
"I've been … having conversations. I know stuff now. So, not Hopefully, but Certainly."
She slid a finger up and down his staff.
"You certainly need to lose this one, OK?"
"Not promising anything until you change the conditional in the hopefully."
"Uuuyyy! Who's touchy now? It wasn't me who was asking for a roadmap the other night. Over here, Sifu T? Like this Sifu T?"
"Maybe, but it was not me the one who was threatening to kill me if I stopped, and then offered her firstborn if I kept doing what I was doing."
"You know? Things said on those conditions are said under duress. It's not like they're binding or anything."
"Nope. Not promising you anything. You know my conditions."
"OK! I remove the conditional and the hopefully."
"And?"
"And I leave the certainly, and underline it."
She felt his smile when he kissed her forehead.
"OK, I'll lose this one for you."
0o0o0o0o0o
They came into the hall when Bato was starting the announcement of the Third Task.
"Chief Hakoda of the Now Unified Southern Water Tribes opens the Tenth Session of the General Assembly of the First Official Peace Summit since the End of the One Hundred Year Old War Started by the Fire Nation. The First Order of Things is the Announcement of the Third Task of the Contest of the Frosts. Being the Second Task declared won by suitor Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. The remainder suitors are Master Firebender Jeong-Jeong and Kuei, 52nd Earth King, represented by his Champion, Avatar Aang The Last Airbender. Suitor Colonel Mongke and his Rough Rhinos retired from the contest after losing the second task."
Hakoda addressed the hall.
"The Third Task is Strength. La, the Spirit of the Ocean, manifested itself last night to the Elder Yugoda Water Tribe, Respected Master Healer from the North. La requests for the Task of Strength to offer the Maiden Object of the Contest, Great Master Bei Fong, as a sacrifice to the Demigod The Ebi." Toph heard the Water Tribes in the hall holding their collective breath. "The Ebi likes to eat maidens and we are all aware of the risk this represents for the Virgin Great Master Bei Fong. This makes this task particularly challenging as the performance of the suitors is not about points but about survival in this occasion. The task is for the suitors to save the Virgin Maiden from the Ebi. The Ebi is a powerful and fearsome foe. To comply with tradition, we will tie the Maiden to a sacrificial rock in the middle of the sea, call on the The Ebi and let the task begin. We will all be watching the performance of the task from the shore. May the strongest win."
Toph felt the dread in the hall, and the prick of hundreds of eyes on her. She felt really uncomfortable.
"Avatar!" She recognized Kuei's voice next to her. "A word!" Aang walked to where Kuei was. She overheard part of the conversation.
"Avatar, you need to win this one. My advisor Hama explained to me what the Ebi is and does. Master Bei Fong will be eaten in seconds."
"Master Bei Fong is a powerful bender, Earth King. I'm sure she'll able to defend herself if the Ebi gets to the rock before the suitors do."
"You don't understand Avatar, the Ebi has powers and it can smell virgins on a one hundred-mile radius. I know the Master well, she's never even been kissed. The Ebi won't be able to resist. If she's in the rock, she'll be eaten."
"Toph!" Katara's and Suki's voices made her jump, distracting her from Kuei's and Aang's conversation. "Toph, we are worried! You know what the Ebi is?"
"Relax guys, the Ebi is not going to eat you. You can rescue me." She answered assuredly.
"It's not us we are worried about!" (Ah, yes, right.)
"Oh by earth, what am I going to do? I'm going to die!!"
Katara was suspicious.
"You're not taking this seriously." She said, distrustful.
Toph shrugged.
"You heard the Fish give his word to Twinkle Toes. I'm not dying in this Contest. Besides, I'll be on a rock. The Ebi is used to virginal water tribe girls, not to awesome virginal earth-metal benders. I'll be having sushi for dinner tonight."
Katara was not convinced.
"You don't know the legends, you don't know the Ebi." She said ominously.
"I just heard Kuei saying that if I've never been kissed the Ebi will go nuts. I've been kissed, twice, that should reduce the risk I think." Her math oriented mind was multiplying the kiss factor by Twinkle Toes hormones times her own eagerness times the amount of hours in the last weeks and the final numbers were very encouraging.
She heard Sokka and Zuko coming over.
"This is very bad." Sokka was saying, his voice dark. "The Ebi is a demigod, and a bad one."
"What do you mean, demigod?" Suki asked innocently.
"It means 'half-god'. It means that one parent of the Ebi was a god and the other parent was human." This sunk in.
"Why does it look like a lobster, then?" Suki asked.
"Its father is a foreign god that is half fish, and the mother was a water tribe maiden with a sweet tooth for lobsters. Seems like the Water Tribe maiden would only eat lobster during the pregnancy. Oral tradition tells us that the pregnancy lasted years. This is common with divinity pregnancies or something. Anyway, she ate a lot of lobster during those years and ended up giving birth to a demigod crustacean."
"You mean, the Ebi eats its mother's relatives?" Zuko shuddered.
"Well, the water maiden did not survive childbirth. Something about giving birth to an exoskeleton animal with claws did not agree with her. She became a cautionary tale for frolicking with gods. The Ebi grew up by itself, at the bottom of the sea. Never interacted with his mother's side of the family. Never developed emotional attachments sort to speak."
Toph thought about all this. The Ebi was La's half brother. She burrowed her eyebrows. La's father, that guy got passed around more than a copper piece.
"I swear guys, I love you but I'm never, never, ever coming back to the South Pole for a vacation." She promised Sokka and Katara. She heard Zuko very, very small, tiny, miniscule, infinitesimal voice, on a frequency so low that only her and a couple of bats could figure it out: 'Me neither'.
"Katara." Sokka said suddenly. "You cannot participate in this task. The Ebi will try to eat you too." Silence filled the group.
"Sokka." Katara said tiredly. "Don't even try it. If Toph is risking her life because of this Contest, I'm risking mine. It's that simple."
"But Sis, you are particularly at risk. Like Toph. Like Aang. We shouldn't tempt the Ebi. I'm worried."
Suki felt obligated to add:
"Sokka, it's not that I harbor any kind of illusion regarding my reputation, but your concern for your sister's life and not mine will make it particularly hard for me to avoid gossip."
Sokka suddenly realized the situation.
"Ah, yes. Should we leave you two here, then?"
"Facing a lobster in the middle of the ocean that it's about to eat one of our best friends merits the presence of the best waterbender available." Zuko said. "We cannot let Toph die. Katara must come."
Toph heard Sokka tapping his chin. She also heard Aang coming over.
"The Earth King is really worried." Aang said offhandedly. "He's concerned because the Ebi gets particularly lively at the prospect of a maiden that had never been kissed. I told him that Toph will be on rock, her element, and that La gave his word that no harm will come to her."
Sokka's brain seemed to have reached a decision. He intervened.
"Legend says that the Ebi can read minds. Maybe that's the way to fool the lobster. You guys need to think naughty thoughts and make the Ebi believe those are memories."
Silence.
"You mean, they need to make the lobster believe that fantasies are memories?" Suki broke the silence.
"Well, yeah. All they need is a good dose of imagination. Before meeting you, my imagination always took the better of me. But then you came and saved me from myself. They need to let their imagination fly." He stopped for a second. "I mean, monks are allowed fantasies, aren't they?" He then considered something else. "Do girls fantasize too?" He gasped. "Katara, stop thinking about that right now!"
"Thank you for the tip, Sokka." Katara sighed. "I don't know what we would do without you."
"It's not a bad idea." Zuko intervened and grabbed Toph's hand. "Champ, you need to think hard about those romance scrolls, try to imagine yourself in the role of the heroine. I know it will be weird thinking about such stuff when you are tied to a rock waiting for a lobster, but anything helps. Promise me that you will think naughty thoughts." Zuko kissed her hand. "Very naughty."
She felt Katara shifting the weight of her feet, and Aang suddenly getting closer and touching her elbow lightly.
"Toph, you need to go." He said, his voice neutral. Zuko wasn't letting go of her hand.
"Champ, we will save you." He said and hugged her. A bear hug. "You won't die because you're innocent."
Aang grabbed her sleeve this time.
"Toph, the Elders need to take you to the rock. Zuko, she will be on a rock. She's the world's greatest earthbender. La gave his word. The odds are not that bad. Let. Go. Of her." Zuko kissed her hair before letting her go. Aang was now grabbing her arm.
"Hey Aang," Sokka reminded him. "You too need to think naughty stuff and please remember that you're not supposed to win."
"I will try not to. Do you want me to be late? I can go somewhere with Appa, give you guys enough time and then show up at the end for a reasonable effort." His fingers were squeezing her elbow now.
"That sounds like a plan." Sokka said. Aang made a slight bow and started walking, practically dragging her.
"Naughty thoughts?" He was muttering. "I'll give you naughty thoughts!" When they were out of earshot and out of sight, he was still walking, looking for something.
"What are you looking for?" She asked before she heard him opening a door and pushing her inside a confined space. Ah, yes, a closet. He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her. Nothing tender about the kiss.
"I'll give you a memory to throw at the Ebi." He said. "You. This morning. Your face against furs, your fists grabbing the bedding. Me at your back, and then you turned your head for me to kiss you, which I did, grabbing your hair." His voice suddenly mellowed, but by now her arms were covered with goose bumps. Good ones. "You're beautiful." He said, caressing her hair and face. "Your skin, it's like alabaster. When I make love to you, I feel like I'm sculpting ivory." Poetry. He started kissing her again. "Your mouth. I like watching you eat. I want to be what you eat." He pinned her arms above her head. "You let me tie you this morning." Ah, yes, they found another use for the discarded blindfold. "And all I wanted was for you to feel me." She had felt his poetry alright.
"Calm down, Twinkle Toes." She smiled. "Only you will be in my naughty thoughts today."
"Promise?"
"Not promising anything until you tell me what you're going to do to me tonight."
"The way my imagination is going, that Ebi won't get close to neither you nor me."
They heard voices outside the closet.
"Where's the Virgin?" Master Pakku was asking. "Do you think she got scared and ran away?"
"That girl is not the running kind." Gran-Gran was saying. "She's a brave Virgin."
"Kanna, I know you're worried. About the Virgin, about Katara, even about the Avatar. These kids, they can defend themselves."
"I'm so not worried about Katara right now, Pakku." Gran-Gran said with finality, the voices getting lost as they walked farther away.
They stepped out of the closet. Twinkle Toes was still all worked up, subject to his own, overwhelming emotions, so much that the comment about Katara eluded him completely, at least for now.
"Let's go, I'll escort you to the Elders." He said, grabbing her elbow.
0o0o0o0o0o
The Elders took the sacrificial concept seriously. Yugoda and Gran-Gran clad her in a dress that Yugoda described as traditionally virginal. She could feel the layers of soft fabric, that felt sheer to the touch, with a tight bodice and a fur trim around an open collar. Somehow they had managed to weave a crown of leaves and lichen (no flowers in sub zero temperatures), and brushed her hair loose, falling down her back, with the crown on her head.
"It's the idea to make me more appetizing?" Toph asked, when they were lacing the tight bodice. "Because I don't think the lobster will care about the wrapping, you know."
"It's tradition." Yugoda said.
"Stupid tradition." Gran-Gran added. Gran-Gran was Toph's kind of grandma: a natural born rebel. "Only boy's clubs like the one my husband belongs to can come up with traditions like this one." They stepped back to look at her.
"You're such a pretty child." Yugoda said with sadness.
"She's a strong, lobster-kicking child. Don't forget that." Gran-Gran corrected, fixing the crown on her head. "Let's go."
When Yugoda turned her back and started walking Gran-Gran did something unexpected. She slipped something cold and thin, that felt like metal, inside Toph's wool glove. "Trust for the best but be prepared but the worst." The older tribe woman whispered in her ear. Toph nodded.
Toph walked among the two elder women who escorted her to Hakoda and Arnook. Chief Hakoda wrapped her in a fur coat that felt soft and luscious to the touch. "White furs for the white Virgin"she heard someone from the crowd say and she felt a shiver in the air. Dammed Kuei for making her the center of all this freaking attention. If she wanted this, she would have joined the circus instead of the Avatar. Runaways are supposed to keep low profiles, not become protagonists. Toph raised her chin, and stepped out flanked by the two chiefs and walked with determination to the small harbor on the other side of the outer village to step into a Water Tribe boat.
The trip to the sacrificial rock was uneventful and cold. The iced breeze made her shiver within her furs. Soon she felt the boat docking and Hakoda and Arnook came to get her and helped her disembark. She immediately felt the substance of her element under her boots. She smiled, feeling powerful out of a sudden. With quick movements she removed her gloves, carefully putting Gran-Gran's metal pin, key or whatever it was in her mouth, and then she removed her winter boots. As soon as she felt the rock against her feet she saw clearly around her. The rock was that, a rock, raising in the middle of the sea, the surf of the ocean waves slamming against its sides. It was not big, but a good size, a small, bare island. There was a natural formation that resembled a wall, and she could see with her feet the iron shackles hanging from chains meant for her wrists.
Chief Hakoda put a hand on her back and gently guided her to the wall. He kissed her hand elegantly and muttered "Please forgive me for what I'm going to do, my child" before raising her arms and shackling her wrists. She found herself standing on the rock, her wrists manacled and felt angry and exposed at the same time. This was very different from the games she had been playing before with silk scarves. Those games now felt almost childlike, playful diversions that dissolved in kisses, where she could trust blindly, no pun intended, both herself and her lover. This, on the other hand, felt sordid. Maybe because of all those Maidens that had died before her or maybe because of the presumption of weakness. "Only men could think of offerings like this." She thought. Well, not all men. She could clearly picture TT's reaction and anger if he got to see her, or anyone for that matter, like this.
Chief Arnook came over and made a gesture to another Water Tribe warrior, who took out a big horn with a twisted shape and blew the horn three times. The sound of the horn was uncanny. Like a low growl, a song of distress calling over the noise of the waves. The water Tribe warriors then saluted, Hakoda and Arnook both took their leave, the former mumbling his "I am so sorry" apology for the umpteenth time since Kuei invoked the Contest, and she saw and heard them walking back to the boat and departing.
She was left alone on the rock, waiting. She moved her wrists experimentally, touching the chains with her fingers and concentrated in feeling the metal to bend it. She could feel all the components of the iron, the bits of lumps and earth calling to her. She smiled, moving her fingers and … nothing. Toph was surprised. She tried again. The metal was not budging. She burrowed her brow. She stomped her feet and realized that the rock was not responding either. She could see, which meant her senses were fine. She could feel the composition of the rock and the metal, so her bending was there. But neither the rock, nor the chains or the shackles were responding to her. Fear slapped her in the face, like a physical blow, when she realized that her bending was gone.
"Dammit!" She thought in panic, trying to remember if anyone had specified what kind of special powers the Ebi had. She quickly retrieved Gran-Gran's pin from her mouth. "Stupid rock!" She screamed at her element. That was a first for her, she had never screamed or insulted her element before. She loved it too much. "Stupid rock you are so not my precious anymore!!" She threatened, livid, trying to unlock her manacles. That was when she heard it. It sounded like when Katara and Twinkle Toes bended the water in an ice slide. A swish sound that muted the rage of the waves, but that encompassed it anyway. It was getting closer and then, it hit shore. And from her chained place in the rock, even if distracted with her frenzied movements trying to open the manacles with the metal pin, she saw it. A huge, ominous, walking lobster, standing in supine position on very unnerving legs that looked … human, with human feet. The lobster sported big claws, which would open and close in anticipation. Eager anticipation. The smell of seaweed and marine life hit her nose. Sea monsters did not favor flowery scents, obviously.
"A Virgin." She heard the voice in her head. It was a rusty voice, not used to talking. The words came out with difficulty, as if its owner had to think hard to form coherent thoughts. The Ebi could read her mind, but she could also see the mind of the Ebi. And it was a scary, horrible mind. A mind of solitude and resentment, with no space for humor or love. Not even for sarcasm, and you have to be pretty far gone not to have any space left for sarcasm.
"Go away, you horrible crawfish!" She yelled at the animal, still trying to open the manacles. "I'm not a virgin! I taste horrible!" The lobster stopped advancing, the opening and closing of the claws subsiding for a moment. Toph felt doubt creeping in the monster's mind.
"A Virgin." It repeated, like convincing itself. "You smell virginal."
"If I'm a Virgin you're a beauty contest winner!" She screamed back. Click. One shackle was opened. She had managed to open one, yai! Toph frantically started with the other manacle, while trying to conjure at the same time all the memories of Twinkle Toes poetry, trying to drown the Lobster with them. Well, taking into account the terror she was feeling, she wasn't really focusing in the poetic part but more on the raw mechanics of it. She actually stopped for a second, surprised at how tawdry she could make the memories when they were anything but. Whatever, T.T. would have plenty of time to fix the romance if she managed to survive.
The lobster staggered under the onslaught of naughty thoughts. But somehow, it raised its ugly head, moved its scary antennae, and clicking its claws like happy castañuelas repeated.
"No, no, can't deceive me. You are a Virgin."
"Aaarrggghhhh!!" Toph yelled and then Click the second manacle was open. She threw herself on the ground just in time before the claw closed in the space she had been occupying a second ago. "You stupid Lobster!! You don't get it? I know all about the rules of sea monsters trying to eat Maidens! I'm supposed to be a Virgin and you're supposed to go away if I'm not!" Captain Yin was a decent man that always took the opportunity to try to read her the classics, unlike Chin who never went beyond the raunchy. Toph used to complain about his goods intentions, but the result was that she knew all the stories about dragons, treasures, Krakens, and whatnots and the rules in the stories were simple: you get a maiden chained to a rock, she's supposed to be a Maiden. But either the lobster was dense, or it was so hungry that it didn't care.
"Virgin!" The Lobster roared, still one track mind. She then heard Zuko's and Sokka's voices.
"EBI!! HERE!!" Someone jumped next to her and dragged her from her position almost under the lobster to the other side of the rock wall. She recognized the smell of cinders and disenchantment, Master Jeong-Jeong.
"Great Master!" The White Lotus Master panted. "I can't bend! What about you?" She shook her head in desperation. She could see with her feet Sokka and Zuko trying to distract the lobster away from her. Zuko would jump like a cat branding the dao swords, and Sokka would attack the rearguard of the crustacean pinching the shell with his space sword. She saw Suki running towards the lobster, fans out. Someone somersaulted next to her. Ty Lee.
"Katara's bending went away just when we were about to reach the rock and we all got wet!" Ty Lee exclaimed next to her. Somehow, Ty Lee was not complaining, just narrating. "We had to swim here!"
"My boat is on the other side of the rock." Jeong Jeong informed them. "But the Ebi is gigantic and it won't let go until it has the Great Master."
They all could hear the lobster bellow: "My Virgin!!"trying to reach the rock wall.
A scream, Katara's from the sound of it, accompanied a swiping motion from the Lobster's claw that sent Zuko flying in the air and into the water. Toph saw Katara jump in the water after Zuko. Suki, who had leaped to the top of the rock wall, hopped to the head of the lobster, trying to stick a fan into a beady eye.
"Where the hell is Aang with Appa?" Sokka screamed, sticking the space sword in one of the Lobsters disturbing looking human feet. The Lobster howled in pain, swiping Sokka to the sea with a motion of its claw, while trying to shake Suki from its head. Ty Lee somersaulted next to the animal, pried Sokka's sword away and tried to stick it in its other foot. Jeong Jeong grabbed Toph's hand.
"Great Master, you need to run. We can try to make it to the boat and pray hard that our bending comes back when we are away from this rock!"
She nodded in desperation and saw the old fire-master drawing a sword too. They started running away from the cover of the rock wall. The lobster saw her and she heard Suki's and Ty Lee's yells when they too were swiped to the sea. The Lobster was chasing them. Jeong Jeong stopped to face the lobster, sword in hand. "Run Master, run! I'll distract the Ebi!" He yelled and she started running to where the boat was supposed to be while she could see with her feet the old master running towards the Ebi, sword in hand, trying to chop off one of its eerie feet. She heard his grunt when the Lobster went after him with vengeance for getting in the way of its prey. She had almost made it to the shore when she felt the Lobster again almost on top of her.
"My Virgin!" It said with relish and something else, that sounded almost like … affection. And that was one thousand times scarier than hatred. She could see that the lobster was limping, and could smell the fishy scent of its blood, probably oozing from the human legs. She gagged, trying not to throw up, and scuttled away, on her hands and feet, while one of the Lobster's small arms tried to grab her leg.
A sudden gust of wind knocked the lobster down, sending it several feet away from her. Aang fell in front of Toph, between herself and the lobster, staff in one hand, his palm touching the ground, his feet in landing position.
"Away Ebi!" He yelled, jumping again, airbending while bending the rock under their feet to knock the lobster down on its back again. Well, shell. Whatever. This was not the moment to be accurate about a lobster's physique. It took her a second to realize that Aang was bending. While all the rest couldn't, he could. Toph, however, was so happy to see him that didn't felt like begrudging him his bending at this particular moment. The Lobster, however, realized that this opponent meant business and could actually take its quarry away.
"MY VIRGIN!! MINE!!" Shrieked the animal jumping to its feet and trying to throw itself at Aang.
"Toph, BEND!" Aang screamed at her, while throwing a ball of fire to the colossal crustacean, before the animal almost knocked the Avatar down with its smaller arms.
"I CAN'T" She yelled back, crawling away. "None of us can!" Aang muttered something in frustration while quickly bending her away from where she was by way of a column of rock that served as a shield.
"Zuko, Sokka!" Aang yelled to the friends, who had made it back to shore. "Take Appa, take everyone away from here!" The other two were running towards them, swords out. She saw the old master lying unconscious on the ground and Katara and Ty Lee tending to him, raising him between the two of them, while Suki ran to catch the whistle Aang was throwing away. Toph couldn't see Appa flying towards them, but she heard the Lobster roaring, trying to bat away something in the air with its claws.
"Tuerto, the eyes!" Aang called, and Toph realized that the entire team had made it to the island. Toph hugged her rock, still trying to hide from the obsessed lobster. She also realized that Aang was trying to stir the lobster back to the sea, but the Ebi was having none of it.
"My Virgin, My Sacrifice!" It pushed Aang with a claw, and with a swipe of its tail worthy of Appa in a bad mood, it blew Zuko and Sokka away again.
"Toph!" Suki's scream filled the sky above her head. The Kyoshi warrior must be steering Appa. Toph realized that she couldn't see Katara, Ty Lee or Jeong Jeong anymore, so she assumed that they were on Appa too. She stood up, raising her arms and someone grabbed her hand and she jumped from her column onto Appa's back. Next to her, she heard Katara.
"My bending is back! Quickly, I need to heal Jeong-Jeong!" Toph felt the soothing effect of Katara's water next to her. Suki, meanwhile was steering Appa in circles.
"The Ebi is going crazy! Aang is running around it creating a vortex of wind and earth! Look, he just bent that thing in the water!" Toph heard the massive splash and droplets of sea water rained on top of them. "Aang is now running on top of the water, freezing it! He's creating like a cyclone of water and wind surrounding the animal."
Katara yelled next to her:
"Ty Lee, bandage Master Jeong Jeong! Suki, steer closer to Aang, I'll try to help!" Toph heard Katara moving with purpose.
"Katara, that was soo cool!!" Ty Lee gushed. "She just threw like a million ice daggers to that thing!"
"Zuko and Sokka just jumped on the back of that thing swords out!" Suki yelled too, the ultimate fangirl "By Kyoshi, they are so daring! Uh, Uh, CAREFUL!! Lobster at four o'clock!" The splash she heard forebode bad things for Zuko and Sokka. Suki suddenly went south with Appa to try to get them out of the water. Ty Lee and Katara had barely locked arms with the guys helping them jump on top of Appa too when suddenly, they heard a cry.
"VIRGINS!! VIRGINS!! MY TWO VIRGINS!!" And Toph felt the presence of the Lobster trying to reach Appa with a claw, and Aang sending it into oblivion with such a gust of wind that it also send Appa the other way. Suki steered Appa up, going as high as possible away from the Ebi, while trying to figure out what was going on. Katara, meanwhile, bended the freezing water from everyone's clothes and Zuko, his bending back as well, blew hot steam on everyone.
"Look at Aang!" Sokka was saying, all admiration and wonder. "He has the Lobster upside down now! And he's opening a hole in the middle of the ocean, bending the water away, and he's parting the sand, digging a deeper hole! Wow! he's dumping the thing on it! Katara, that was COOL!! My sister just sent an ice cage to lock that thing in! Yeeeessssss!! Look, he's even bending the sand in the cage! Wow, Aang did all this without even glowing!" Toph threw herself on top of Appa. She moved her fingers and her space bracelet changed shapes. Her bending was back too. She noticed that her hands were wet, and took her a moment to realize that they smelled like blood.
"Suki!" Toph yelled. "Go back! My bending is back and there's something I need to do!" Suki groaned, but steered Appa back to the rock. Toph concentrated from top of Appa, assessed where the noises of the lobster were coming from, bent a boulder and then shot it like a cannon in the direction of the Lobster. She heard a "Thud!".
"TAKE THAT YOU SHRIMP!! WITH ETERNAL LOVE FROM YOUR VIRGIN!!" She yelled at the open space she couldn't see.
"Darn! That must have hurt!' Sokka yelled, jumping. "That lobster just took a strong one to the head!"
Toph smiled and cracked her knuckles. She flinched in pain.
"Toph, you're hurt." Katara said and moved closer to her, starting to heal her knees, hands and feet with her water, all of which were cut and bleeding from scuttling around in the sharp rock. Toph hadn't even feel it.
"The Great Master is safe." She heard the White Lotus Master say, regaining consciousness, relief in his voice. "That's what's important."
"Master, thank you." Toph said sincerely, touching the brave gentleman's hand. "You faced that thing alone and without your bending to give me a chance. I'm honored." She felt Suki's and Katara's embarrassment also. She knew that never again they would refer to him as creepy.
"Everyone was so brave!" Ty Lee jumped excitedly. "Sokka you were awesome! With your sword and your jumping, I've never seen you look so hawt! WOW!!" Sokka sounded bashful when he said "It was nothing" and Toph heard Suki snorting.
Suki landed Appa on the snow, and she heard people running towards them. Someone grabbed her by the arm, and realizing that she had no shoes on, suddenly carried her in his arms. Sokka. As proud as a papa bear.
"What's going on?" Toph asked, anxious. Damn! Being blind on water and ice was the pits!
"Aang is subduing the Ebi. He made a cage with rock and sand and the Ebi is screaming on it. That kid, he is so powerful. Ah, and the chicken is like going firenation on the lobster. Trying to eat it or something. Maybe trying to make another one-eyed monster to join his club of tuertos."
"What's the chicken doing here?" Suki asked.
"No idea. Maybe it's back from its mission or something. Momo is at the stables, decorating his love nest. I saw him this morning."
Sokka deposited Toph, who could just picture herself all disheveled and battered, on top of a sleigh. Someone covered her with a thick fur and put a hot cup of fire whiskey in her hand. She recognized the smell of lilies and the firm ethereal hands of the Lady Ursa. She smiled in silent thanks and gulped the drink down like a shot. She heard people talking, screaming and finally the 'swooosh' that meant Aang was back. She heard him and felt his anger before anybody had time to say anything.
"Chief!" Aang called, probably to Arnook, probably Hakoda, (who knew?) with purpose. "Why weren't we informed that the Ebi could take bending away? All of my friends almost died!"
Toph heard the Chiefs and the Elders debating something and could feel on the sleigh the vibrations of their bodies, moving, shifting.
"We had no idea that the Ebi had such powers, Avatar!" Chief Hakoda said, upset. "If we had known we would have let all of you know! This Contest is painful enough without us concealing things like that!"
This did not assuage the angry monk.
"It makes no sense! You all knew that the Ebi had special powers, why were we not informed of the kind of powers?'
"The Ebi can read minds, call on gigantic waves and bend tsunamis, we did not know about suppressing bending abilities!" Chief Arnook defended. "Why would we hide something like this?"
Silence fell on the snow, like a weight as powerful as the cold. Toph nudged the Lady Ursa for more fire whiskey and the lady obliged.
Chief Hakoda recovered some of his composure.
"We should be grateful to the Spirits that everyone is alive and in one piece." He said with a sigh. "The Avatar won this task. Hands down. He saved everyone's lives so he gets awarded extra points."
"I shouldn't win. They could not bend, I had an advantage." The ethical monk said.
There was some whispering in the crowd and then the voice of Lu Shi.
"It's not the Avatar's fault, or the Earth King's, that the Ebi chose not to remove his powers. That was the Ebi's decision. It should not affect the outcome of the task."
"Avatar, the counselor is right. You won, there's nothing else to it. I'm sorry." Chief Hakoda sounded tired.
"That, Chief Hakoda," Lu Shi continued, "means a draw. Between the Earth King and the Fire Prince. How are we going to solve the draw?"
Toph heard Lady Ursa's secret boyfriend sigh in disgust. Chief Hakoda obviously despised the Contest and was not bothering to conceal his annoyance anymore.
"The way draws get solved." He said ill-humored. "A fourth task."
"What kind of task?" Lu Shi pressed. Toph nudged the Fire Mom again. The Lady Ursa instead of serving her more fire whiskey, took the cup away and gave her the flask. Good Lady!
"A duel, between the Earth King and the Fire Prince. Its that task good enough for you?"
"What kind of a duel? In the Earth Kingdom duels are Earth Rumble confrontations. But this is the Fire Prince facing the Earth King's champion, who's also a firebender. As challengers, we call for an Agni Kai."
"You don't call for anything, you creep!" The Fire Whiskey started talking on its own. With Good Adjectives and Everything. Good Fire Whiskey. "You should call for a better wig maker, you repulsive … ugly … attorney!" What the Fire Whiskey had in good grammar it lacked in eloquence, though.
"Regardless of the Great Master's lively opinion, the Earth King does have the right as the challenger to choose how to break the draw."
"Whatever!" Hakoda waived Lu Shi with a gesture. Hakoda was a warrior. Talk to him in terms of drawn swords and honorable causes. Forget attorneys. "Avatar, Fire Prince, please, choose. A draw. What kind of duel?"
"Agni Kai." Zuko said.
"Agni Kai." Aang assented. "But not to the death. What does the Water Tribes mean by 'There can be only one'? I'm not chopping anyone's head off, and I'm not putting the balance of the world in peril by sacrificing the well being of the heir to the fire throne."
"Same here. I'm not burdening my family's already heavy karma by harming the only airbender that survived my great-grandfather."
Chief Hakoda breathed deeply.
"Let's make this fair. Two out of three. First one to go down two times loses the Agni Kai. My daughter and Yugoda Water Tribe will be on call to heal any wounds from the Agni Kai. Also, no lightening allowed. This is not the Fire Nation. We don't need to go all the way."
Fire Whiskey heard the monk and Sparky nodding. The people around her were talking.
"So, did the Ebi try to eat Aang?" Sokka asked.
"Of course it did. Like … all the time." Katara answered, but some doubt was laced with the affirmation.
"It was claiming all its Virgins at the end. Poor Ebi." Sokka insisted.
The person holding the flask drank deeply, finishing the drink to the last drop. Fire Whiskey felt better. She also felt how someone was checking on the person who was holding the flask.
"Are you OK, Toph?" Katara asked concerned. Suki, next to her was trying to pry the flask away.
"Toph, Toph, I think you're in shock!" Fire Whiskey heard people coming over.
"Hard to tell with a blind person if she's in shock or not. It's not like you can look at her eyes and tell." Sokka said.
"She's in shock. She's trembling and she's not letting go of the flask." Suki said.
"She never lets go of the flask." Sparky intervened knowingly. "What's up, Champ, why aren't you talking?"
Fire Whiskey tried to explain.
"Rock let me down." She mumbled. "Precious let me down. Nothing will ever be the same."
"We were all let down by our bending." Katara tried to explain, rubbing her back.
Fire Whiskey shook her head.
"No, no. No other skills, you see? Can't do fans, can't do swords. Rock let me down and no other skills." Fire whiskey stopped. The person holding the flask, stood up and said resolutely. "Getting new skills! No fish, no lobster will bring me down this easily!" The person swayed, almost making Fire Whiskey hit the snow, face first. A quick breeze past next to her and held her.
"I think she's drunk." Fire Whiskey heard them talking about someone else.
"She hasn't eaten anything all day." The Wind that was holding her said. Cool! Winds could talk and everything. "I should probably take her back on Appa before she collapses. I'll see you guys back at the outer village, after I see to Toph. Come on Sifu T., I'll get you to a warm bath."
The Wind took her to a cool warm furry flying carpet. Fire Whiskey was happy. Kinda. There was some stench in the carpet. Stench was batting its wings.
"What's El Tuerto doing here?" She asked, laying on Appa. Universe was spinning.
"He came back from his mission and was keeping me company while I waited before showing up."
Fire Whiskey nodded. Wind-guy was spending time with the chicken. Good for family relations. Wind-guy was the chicken's father-in-law after all. Appa took off and the cold airstream in her face sobered her up a bit. She thought about the events of the morning and something that had been bothering her. The Ebi had screamed "My two virgins!". Well, she knew about the chastity levels of her friends and about Ty Lee's devotion to the Kyoshi Code. That left … Jeong-Jeong? Fire Whiskey was shaking her head when a thought occurred to her.
"Twinkle Toes!" She called. "Is Appa a virgin?"
"Shush!! He's sensitive about that!"
Ah, yep. Right. Now, that makes sense.
She closed her eyes. Another thought struck her.
"Hey!" She shouted, sitting down, shooting a finger to where she thought he was. "Twinkle Toes! Does that arrow of yours even work? I mean, that lobster wanted to eat me! It kept calling me its virgin!"
He sounded offended. Yeah, with what moral authority? She was the one who almost died.
"I don't remember you complaining about any of the arrows!" He shouted back.
"That's because I don't know any better! I'm an innocent! I haven't developed criteria! Wait, what are you doing?" He was coming over.
"I'm giving you criteria right now!"
"Don't get touchy. I mean, those monks covered you with the arrows but didn't leave you an instruction manual or anything. As far as I know, you have been running around asking questions to Fire Nation personnel regarding the arrows. How do we even know that you're doing what you're supposed to do with them?"
"You ingrate little earthbender, I'll show you instruction manuals!"
"Hey! It's not me! It's The Lobster! You should have seen its face! IT WAS FULL OF DOUBTS!"
"You're blind! You can't see the expressions of a lobster!"
0o0o0o0o0o0o
Toph kissed him happily.
"The arrows work. All of them. Just wanted to make sure. Because that lobster was like completely soiling the good name of the arrows."
"Shut up. Zuko is right. You have no shame."
0o0o0o0o0o0o
The monk gave her food and drew her a hot bath. He helped her wash her hair, but did not get in the tub with her. He kissed her forehead and said something about getting her real warm clothes and that he would be back.
She laid her head back in the tub, her eyes closed, relaxing in the hot water.
"So, what did you think of my stepchild?"
"Fate?" Toph didn't bother opening her blind eyes. "Dreadful. Someone should stop your ex from reproducing."
"I totally agree. Ebi is even weirder than my La. Don't get me started on the subject of family vacations. Eternal teenagers the two of them. So, are you saying thanks or what?"
"Thanks? For what?"
"Your reputation! Fate and I thought it would be a nice gesture to protect your reputation." Tlatli sounded proud. This time Toph opened her eyes and sat on the tub.
"You two are the reason why that thing thought I was virgin?"
"Well, yes."
"Are you guys crazy? That thing almost ate me! It was obsessed, chasing me around! Reputation is worth two figs when you're about to die!"
Tlatli sounded hurt.
"I'm the patron Goddess of adulterers. I know a lot about gossip in small towns. And believe me, reputation counts for a lot when you don't die. I'm making an specialty of mine to protect my followers from such nasty thing as gossip."
Fate sounded angry.
"You're such an ingrate. Do you have any idea the amount of work it took to convince that lobster that you were a real maiden? I mean, the way that monk has been chasing you around, and it's not like you are making it hard in any way, mind you! With the amount of kinky that monk has been regaling you, I had to pull in the BIG divinity powers!! BIG! You are lucky that Goddess trump demigod! And that my creepy stepson is dense!"
"Don't pay attention to her, she's cranky because she's trying to quit. Every couple hundred years or so Fate decides to quit smoking and then some catastrophe happens. An earthquake, a volcano, a tsunami, you know how it is. Last time she made it nearly a week before a huge flood almost wiped out the known world. We usually get together and beg her to start smoking again. She's a Goddess, it's not like the smoking will kill her or anything."
"Ungrateful little Chosen One." Fate was mumbling on her own. "And what's with this thing Black Dragon gave me? What am I supposed to do with this?"
"That piece of rubber is for you to chew! To distract you from smoking! Black Dragon clearly explained to you how it's the only thing that keeps him from straying." Toph heard Tlatli addressing her directly. "Black Dragon is sponsoring Fate on this one. Addicts Anonymous. Those Dragons read way too much. I don't believe in reading. It put ideas in your head."
"You believe in practice, not theory, you wench. Whatever. One tries to do the right thing, and what does one get in return? Ingratitude! And that emo stepson of mine? Like trying to face me off with his pitiful powers? I should have stepped on his ugly human toes and make him cry, like I used to do when he was little."
"Its powers are not that pitiful. It took our bending away." Toph said tiredly, easing herself back on the tub again. "Four powerful benders. I would call that pretty impressive."
"Ebi doesn't have the power to do that." Fate dismissed ill humored. "It can barely think. It will never come up with something as creative as that. Let's go Tlatli. I need to talk to Black Dragon. This piece of chewing rubber tastes awful. We need to add some flavor to it. Ambrosia would be good."
"No way Fate. Last time you decided to give up smoking and took up Ambrosia instead, the Airbenders were wiped out and One Hundred Years of War ensued. No Ambrosia for you. I can put some fruit in your chewing rubber if you want."
Toph heard the Goddesses walking away. A couple of minutes later Aang came into the bathhouse.
"Come on." He told her nicely. "You are all wrinkly from the water. Let's get you dressed. You should take a nap."
She stepped out of the bathtub deep in thought.
"You know Twinkle Toes, the Goddess of Fate was just here." He was drying her.
"And?"
"And she said that The Ebi doesn't have the powers to take our bending away." He stopped. "She was adamant. Whatever took our bending, it wasn't The Ebi."
T.T.'s ideas regarding the evils of violence: Mahatma Gandhi. Toph's sassy responses: mostly hers! (one by Hunter Thompson)
Lovely Burning Ice gave me the idea of a lobster when I was wondering about a proper sea monster (THANK YOU Burnice!!). I decided to call it The Ebi (ebi means lobster in Japanese) and was really happy at the novelty of it all. And then, while researching lobsters I ran into the movie "Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster", where Godzilla battles a nuclear enhanced lobster called the Ebirah. So much for novelty. (Aaaarrrggghhhh!!)
FANART!
I'm so lucky to get the attention of wonderful artists. Here is the latest in fanart! (Copy, paste, delete spaces or, if you're lazy like me, just click on my profile :-)
By Gabzillaz
'Mai's gets dumped via singing courier' (ha-ha!) http : / / gabzillaz dot deviantart dot com / art / AMoH-Toph-s-singing-courier-99741987
By it-ktdf
'The Ears' (or How to seduce a Monk) http : / / it-ktdf dot deviantart dot com / art / aMoH-The-Ears-99763884
By Luna
'Zuko-thepElvis-Tha-Prince' http : / / luna-wannabe dot deviantart dot com / art / Zuko-as-Elvis-99481230
By Luna37
'No thanks to you' (I like to call it 'Kuei, King of Misery') http : / / luna37 dot deviantart dot com / art / Not-thanks-to-you-99357654
Thank you Gaby for beta-ing! :-)