By the time they got to the desert, the battle was mostly over. There were casualties on both sides, but the bandits definitely lost the fight. In the dark, it was hard to see, but Toph could feel how mangled they were with her seismic sense. Most people would think she was lucky, since she couldn't see these atrocities. She saw them better than anyone else. Day or night, it made no difference to her.
"Does anyone need medical assistance?" Aang asked.
"You're such a dweeb," Toph told him. She started pointing. "He's the worst off, well out of the living." Toph was pointing at a soldier who had an unfortunate encounter with a shiv.
Three of the bandits were dead.
Aang started on the downed soldier.
Toph met with the man in charge.
"What happened here?"
"One of the surveillance sky ships reported suspicious activity, so we got deployed to check it out. When we got here, they attacked immediately."
Toph used her earthbending to make temporary casts for those with broken bones. Hopefully, they wouldn't get any worse on the way to the hospital.
She and her boyfriend worked well into the night. Being a world leader means your job never stops. Toph was going to learn the hard way.
After the attack on his military, King Bumi decided to deploy twice as many soldiers to sweep through the area. If there were other bandits in the area, they would be dealt with swiftly.
He refused to let cowardly thieves disrupt their attempts to rebuild the world. Bumi was a fair man, but he was also a stern one, and when he needed to throw the hammer down, he did.
Toph thought they should modernize the military. With people moving in and out of other countries, it made no sense to have the Earth Kingdom army just be earthbenders or even primarily earthbenders.
"We're dealing with waterbending pirates, earthbending and firebending bandits, and people who make their own weapons and use guerilla warfare. If we had a more diverse military and more progressive training, we'd be better equipped to deal with these situations."
The Council of Five was wary of letting outsiders in their military. "What if they are just spies for their home country?"
"We can put in residency requirements, like you have to live here five years before you can join, or look for other ways to ensure their loyalty, but we can't say anymore that all earthbenders are Earth Kingdom and all firebenders are Fire Nation." When Toph was in Yu Dao last month, she met Kori who was an earthbender, but she considered herself Fire Nation. "There are a lot of biracial families who may identify with both nations or neither."
The swampbenders were technically Earth Kingdom, but they saw themselves as residents of the swamp and kin to other waterbenders not the Earth Kingdom folk. Nationalism was more amorphous than it had been in the past.
"Perhaps we could work on some cross-training with other nations and see how that goes," Bumi said.
"Move the banner to the left!" Ty Lee yelled.
Her minions started to move.
"You're other left!"
They hung it up.
"It's facing the wrong way!"
How hard is it to put up a welcome banner?
"How is the drill sergeant doing?" Sokka questioned.
"She's losing it, like she does at every party," Mai said dryly.
The caterers were cooking; the decorations were slowly making their way up. Tables and chairs would be set.
The bartender should be there about an hour before the party starts, so he can get everything cold. Everything was coming along just fine, but Ty Lee was still a wreck.
"Maybe you should calm her down," Sokka said.
"How?"
"You must know some way."
"She won't let me do that now."
Sokka snickered. "Well, maybe you should spike her juice."
"That I can do." Mai was off.
Azula had to deal with the anxious Fire Nation mothers this morning. Suddenly, it just dawned on them that they would be without their babies for the next four months.
"They'll be back in time for the New Years' celebration."
People started asking about family vacations and visiting the children.
Are most mothers worrywarts? Azula was not used to this.
The fathers seemed just fine with their brats going away. They mostly sat around looking bored.
Eventually, the hour was up, and the parents went to go get their kids for the party. Azula just wanted a cocktail. "I hope I'm never like these mothers. They have to cut the umbilical cord someday."
In the garden, the Fire Nation and Air Nation children were playing. The parents told them to get inside and cleaned up. They would be going to Ember Island soon.
Two hours later, a giant mob of children spilled off the boat and ran towards the banner.
There was lemonade out and the kids were thirsty.
"I'm never having children," Mai muttered.
"Well at least you can't get a surprise baby," Sokka told her.
Mai rolled her eyes.
Ty Lee was on her third glass of spiked lemonade. She was feeling really good. "Why don't we sneak out of here for a bit?" Ty Lee said, winking obviously.
Mai took her away before she could change her mind.
Sokka snickered at them. I wish I could sneak off with Azula right now.
The Fire Lord was just getting to the beach. The mothers were still asking a bazillion questions about their children. What if they get sick or hurt or eaten by a boarcupine? It's not like they won't be supervised.
"I'm sure they will care for your children like they do their own."
Maybe they should have exchanged the parents instead. Now that would have been interesting.
Eventually, she ditched the clingy mothers and found her boyfriend.
"How was your day?"
"Long, and it is not even time for lunch yet."
There was a line at the bar, but it moved quickly, since there were no mixed drinks. People took their beer or their wine and kept moving. As it got closer to food o clock, people started queuing by the tables. More and more people started to show up.
"Do I want to get in line for booze or food?" Azula asked Sokka.
"Food. I have a flask in my pocket."
"Good man."
They went towards the food. This time, they had quesadillas and pizzas, definitely more child friendly than the last menu.
Ty Lee came back with a flushed face. Mai acted like nothing happened.
"So you did report to work today," Azula said dryly.
"My earrings got stuck in my shirt."
"I would believe you, if your shirt wasn't inside out!"
Mai snorted.
Ty Lee looked down. "Damn!" She went to go fix it.
"I admit to nothing," Mai said quickly.
There were lots of people in attendance, but fewer people that Azula and Sokka actually knew. Since this was the kids' going way party, the guests were mainly other children and their parents, friends or at least frenemies of the children who would be going to the Northern Air Temple the next day.
About half way through the party, Aang and Toph showed up.
"Please tell me there's food," Toph said as she got off Appa. When her feet hit the floor, she sensed food and went to go eat.
"It's the avatar!" Kids charged at him and before he knew it, he was a human jungle gym.
Azula decided this was the time to welcome their guests from the Air Nation and to say her farewell to the Fire Nation children who would be representing their nation abroad for the next four months.
Aang made a sand monster and had it dance to distract the children while he went to get some food. There was a vegetarian quesadilla with his name on it.
"How long do you think that distraction will work?" Sokka asked.
"Hopefully, long enough for me to finish this plate and get a beer."
"How have you been?"
"Not too shabby. We've been clearing out those bandits who keep robbing the goods headed for the Northern Air Temple."
"I'm sure Azula will be glad to hear that." If she sent the children and there were still bandits, those crazy mothers would kill her.
"Where is she?"
Azula found herself with her own fan club. Various young girls wanted to show her their firebending.
"Move your feet further apart and tuck in your elbows, like this."
"Is she teaching a firebending class?" Aang questioned.
The kids soon ran off to practice what she showed them. She finally got ahold of some wine and went to join her friends.
"I'm not used to these children. They just run up to me like I'm their parent or something."
"Who would have thought? Children like Azula," Toph teased.
"I don't see you with a fan club," Azula retorted.
"It's hard to have one with Mr. Popular next to you all the time."
"It might help if you didn't bury that girl in the dirt."
"She was getting way too close to your junk."
While Aang and Toph debated whether or not this girl was a threat to his junk, Azula and Sokka slipped away for some alone time of their own.
By the end of the party, the children were full and sleepy, the adults were full, drunk and sleepy, and everyone was ready to go home and rest. By this time tomorrow, the Fire Nation children would be well on their way to the Northern Air Temple.
Sorry about the delay in updating. I had a birthday, went to Berlin, hilarity ensued. Next update will have some Zuki and Urkem.