Ba Sing Se, Middle Ring

Toph Beifong

Toph was annoyed.

It wasn't enough that she had to sit around listening to the pompous heavy-drum-heart fat-belly Aisling tell her what a terrible teacher she was, but she had to do it almost blind. Aisling – Toph wouldn't do her the undeserved honor of calling her Lady Aisling – had a monstrously thick carpet in the parlor where they had met, and Toph couldn't see well in it. It was like being back in the Si Wong Desert years ago, when Toph couldn't sandbend. Everything was fuzzy and dim, but at least sand was a form of earth. Carpet was not, and Toph hadn't been able to sense the low table in the middle of the room. Her shin still smarted; so did her pride at the memory of the tittering laughs when she'd walked straight into the table. Aisling herself hadn't laughed; instead she said in syrupy tones, It's not polite to laugh at people with problems. Toph can't help that she's blind, poor dear. In a loud whisper, she'd added, No wonder her teaching is hopeless.

Better than yours, Toph had muttered. And I'm blind, not deaf. She hated feeling so helpless. Finally she'd gotten so annoyed that she metalbent one of the strips of metal on her arm into a knife, slashed the carpet, wiggled her toes into the gap, and earthbent a low slab of stone up to rest her feet on. Hearing Aisling's gasp of horror almost made it worth it.

She'd been expected to dress like a lady of high society for the gathering, but Toph refused. She had instead worn her normal tan tunic and green pants, her hair hanging in her face, the champion's belt from her stint as a pro earthbending fighter around her waist. The gasps from the others, all gaudily decked out in fancy attire, were sweet indeed. Toph had refrained from spitting on the floor or picking her toes during the meeting, which she thought was a commendable amount of restraint on her part.

But in the end, fed up with the fat old toady's snide comments and veiled (or not so veiled) insults and accusations, Toph had slammed a stone chunk up under Aisling's chair, tipping it over, and made a dramatic exit. Banging into the table on the way.

"I am Toph Beifong," she whispered fiercely as she strode up the sun-warmed road of Ba Sing Se's Middle Ring. "I am the greatest earthbender in the world! My students could beat the pants off your sissy students. How dare you question my right to teach? How dare you accuse me of not caring about them?" She clenched her fists, considering marching back to the rich moneybag's fancy house and punching out a wall. "I invented metalbending. My lily-livers are the only metalbenders in the world, and they are very good! You can barely even earthbend, woman!"

Someone was coming up close behind her. Light footsteps, rapid heartbeat. A scrawny kid. They were good at being quiet, all right; even with Toph's keen hearing she found it difficult to hear him around the other people, footsteps, and voices.

She continued walking like she hadn't noticed anything. The kid slipped a hand into her pocket, the touch feather-light.

Toph jerked up with her chin, and stone shot out of the earth to encase the child's legs and feet. They let out a shout of shock and panic. Toph stopped and turned, a frown creasing her forehead. "What do you think you're doing, trying to pilfer my pockets?"

The kid cringed, their heart racing with fear, their body trembling. "I – I was jus' – jus' gonna get me a little money for dinna'." It was a boy, not more than twelve.

Toph hissed under her breath. "I'm not in a good mood today, buddy," she said menancingly.

"I'm sorry!" he wailed. "I swear I dinna gonna take anything but a few coins for food!"

"You're lying," Toph said bluntly."Probably on a dare from your friends."

The boy stammered, but Toph wasn't in the mood for this. "You lied to me and tried to steal from me. Be grateful I'm letting you walk away." She dropped the stone back into the ground, and the astonished boy stood there for a moment before darting away.

Toph turned and started walking again. She hated this place, hated these people, hated the necessity of coming here. She'd been to plenty of cities, but something about Ba Sing Se just rubbed her wrong. Maybe it was the hypocrisy and corruption, maybe the dependence on bribery, maybe the stink in the air. Whatever it was, she hated it. And she was here for another week.

Wrapped up in her angry thoughts, Toph almost didn't notice the person coming towards her, just one of the many others on the streets or in the shops. But the skip-hop heartbeat and the bouncing step were so unique that her attention was caught. She raised her head in surprise. "Kanto? What are you doing here?"

He froze, and then spotted her. "Toph!" His voice was pure delight. "This is a pleasant surprise! You remembered my name? I'm astonished! Honored! How are you?" He came towards her, his heart doing merry cartwheels in his chest.

Kanto's high, energetic voice was a pleasant distraction from how much she hated the city. "It's good to see you, Kanto." She sighed. "Can't say I'm doing too well, though. I'd forgotten how much I hate this place."

He stopped next to her. "You haven't seen the good places, then. I know them all. I grew up here, you know."

Wait, what? Confused, Toph said, "But I thought you were from the Fire Nation."

He shook his head. "I'm Earth Kingdom through and through. My uncle raises the best komodo rhinos in the world, and people all over pay a lot for them, so we travel around a lot. The Fire Military buys their rhinos from us," he added proudly. "But Ba Sing Se is my home."

"Poor you," Toph mumbled.

"Is something wrong?" His voice was full of genuine concern. "Are you all right?"

Toph blew her bangs out of her eyes. "I'm just… not having a great day."

"Can I buy you a meal?" Kanto suddenly asked. "If you aren't doing anything else, free food might brighten your day a little."

Toph opened her mouth to decline. She was planning on going back to the house she was staying at and doing some metalbending to work off her frustrations. She really didn't want to see any more of this awful place then she absolutely had to. But some time with Kanto might help her feel better, too. And she was hungry.

"Sure," she said after a moment. "I could do with an early dinner."

The happiness in his heartbeat made her smile for a moment. His enthusiasm was contagious.

"Come on," he said, taking her arm. "I know a great eatery this way." A moment later he added, "You know, you're really pretty when you smile. Just think of how jealous all those other guys are of me right now!" He squeezed her arm lightly.

Toph furiously willed her cheeks not to blush, but she was pretty sure they did anyway. "Are you just trying to butter me up?"

"Yes!" he said delightedly. "I am totally buttering you up right now! Is it working?"

Toph couldn't quash her smile this time.


By the time the waiter brought out the main course, Toph was feeling much better than she had all day. The food was excellent, and the restaurant was spacious, without the crammed feel she'd expected. It overlooked a park that Kanto told her was beautiful. "It's gorgeous in the summer," he said. "The trees have stunning green and red leaves, and the flowers are incredible."

By far the best part was Kanto himself. He was funny, attentive, and still slightly starstruck with Toph, though much more comfortable around her than the first time they met. Under his coaxing, Toph spilled her entire frustrating day, and more, onto him. How the Board of Earthbending Academics wanted her to formally register the Beifong Metalbending Academy. How she stood out like a sore and very unwanted thumb against the other teachers. How they were going to refuse her an official recognition, which would allow them to shut down the academy. How she refused to play their game of bribery and lies. "I told them I don't give a badgermole's bum if they want to shut down my academy, because I'm going to keep teaching my students anyway. But in reality, they may be able to scare anyone else away from coming to my academy, and they might even be able to drive off my current students."

Kanto was an excellent listener. He made appropriate noises of outrage, sympathy, disgust, and approval during her rant. He didn't interrupt, yawn, or indeed give her any sign that he didn't want to listen. At one point, realizing that she'd been complaining nonstop for half the dinner, she stopped. "Am I boring you?"

"Not at all, please go on," he said, and she could feel he was completely sincere.

Finally Toph slumped over the table, pushing the plates out of the way. "That's why I wasn't looking happy," she said.

Kanto shook his head. "I can't believe the nerve of those blown-up old frogsuckers." Toph laughed, and they spent a few minutes soundly abusing the Board of Earthbending Academics before the conversation turned to other subjects.

By the time the waiter came to take away their dinner dishes, Toph was feeling relaxed. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. Not since Team Avatar was running around together, she thought ruefully. I didn't realize how much I missed having good friends by my side.

"Thinking about something?" Kanto asked as they strolled out into the street. The sun was curving down, and the day, which had been surprisingly warm and sunny for early spring, was starting to acquire a biting chill.

Toph pulled her cloak tighter around her to ward off the wind. "Just thinking about my friends," she said. "I miss the days when we were together, free to go where we wanted to, saving the world, visiting places…"

Kanto's voice was warm enough to dispel the cold around her. "I'm here for you if you want," he said. "The day isn't over yet; shall we go someplace else?"

"You mean to eat more? I'm stuffed as a spider tick."

He laughed. "No, I was thinking the earthbending ring. You feel up to watching some pro earthbending fights? Or, you know, feeling it?"

Toph ran her fingers over the elaborate green and gold belt buckled around her waist, still too big for her. "That sounds nice... but I'm not sure I'm up to sitting through a match."

"Oh," Kanto said. He sounded deflated. "I just – I thought you might -"

"I would much rather fight in a match," she finished, a grin creeping onto her face. "Tell me, does this ring allow walk-in challengers?"


Toph stretched, cracking her knuckles. This was officially the best time she'd had in a long time. She supposed it was a date of sorts, which also made it her first date. It was way better than sitting around in her house.

Kanto had initially been surprised at her request to fight instead of watch, but he was game for it. He'd bought them tickets, then talked to the host of that night's tournaments and, for a modest fee, gotten her entered.

"Ya sure about this, baby?" the arena host, an overweight man with a few missing teeth, asked Toph. "Would hate to see your pretty face turn into mine!" He gave her a gaptoothed grin.

"Oh, don't worry," Toph told him sweetly. "I think I can handle myself."

She straightened her headband and adjusted her tunic. The belt she'd left with Kanto; no point in unnecessary clutter. Also no telling if someone would recognize it.

Toph hadn't feel this rush in a long time. Sure, teaching was great and all that, but fighting… fighting was something else. And the faint roar of the crowd dropped her straight back into the arenas of her childhood. She drew in a deep breath and grinned. She had missed this. Was it respectable? No. Would Madam Fussybritches Aisling think this was the way a teacher should behave? Absolutely not. But Toph had never followed rules or expectations before, and she wasn't going to start now.

A short woman with a mouse-fast heartbeat and something in her hand - sounded like paper - maybe a scroll? - with a scroll in one hand poked her head into the small dressing room. "You ready?"

Toph turned, nodding. The woman seemed confused. "Your eyes… are you…" she stammered.

"Did you want something?" Toph asked. The woman gathered herself. "Yes. Um. You are scheduled for the next round. You know the protocol?" When Toph nodded, Scroll Woman continued, "Do you have a fighting name you wish to be announced as?"

Toph exhaled, a smile slowly surfacing. "The Blind Bandit," she said, and the name sounded right on her tongue. For a night, she was the Blind Bandit once more.

"You are blind?" Scroll Woman impressively refrained from asking more questions, instead writing on the scroll. "The… Blind… Bandit. All right. Proceed to the arena door." She disappeared and Toph followed at a slower pace.

This arena was smaller than the Rumble arena she'd done most of her fighting in as a child. But the general layout was the same. She found the arena door and waited. The dull roar of the crowd rose up, accompanied by a tremor in the floor. One of the men in the arena had just hit his opponent with a surprise shot from the back, sending the unlucky fighter tumbling out of the ring. The winner paraded in victory.

Sloppy form. They obviously put me in the very bottom ranks. Of course, I'm an unknown drop-in, who happens to be a small, delicate, blind woman. She smirked. Surprise. The joke's on you.

The heavy stone door swung out, and she got up from the wall she was leaning on and walked out into the arena.

The flood of memories washed through her, years of fighting coming back in an instant. Her muscles tensed, her ears cocked. Her feet were planted solidly as she sized up her opponent, standing at the far end. Heavy, poor stance, obviously not feeling very threatened.

"Aaand next up is Moooountain, versus a newcomer: The Blind Baaaaandit!" the host yelled. The crowd roared, some in shock at the slender, disabled girl, some just baying for the fighting to begin. Kanto was up there somewhere, cheering her on. Toph inhaled and settled her stance. Should she toy with the man or strike hard and fast?

Hard and fast, she decided. It would make the others respect her more, and she always liked a good fight.

"Begin!" the host bellowed. The crowd quieted. The Mountain stepped forwards, chest thrust out, seemingly reluctant to attack Toph.

She had no such issue. She kicked the ground and brought her hand around. A pillar erupted beneath her opponent and flung him out of the ring. The fight, if it could be called that, lasted all of three seconds.

The crowd sat in stunned silence for a long, disbelieving moment. Then they exploded, screaming, roaring, cheering, loving it. Toph soaked it in. She'd missed this.

Her next opponent was a wiry, tall woman who moved with slithering steps and favored sending earth up underneath her foes, much like how Toph had disposed of the first man. Toph effortlessly avoided or countered the woman's attacks and then sent her flying with a boulder.

Over the course of the evening, Toph disposed of one Earthbender after another. The crowd was berserk. This mysterious Blind Bandit had ghosted in out of nowhere and was absolutely owning the opposition. This was the most exciting thing to happen since a stray boulder took out part of the grandstand and nearly squished half a dozen people.

Finally Toph was facing off against the final challenge: a powerful man called Destruction. She had watched him fight his way through the ranks too. He was obviously an old crowd favorite. His bending was very powerful and focused, but rigid. He wouldn't be much of a challenge.

"Deeeestruction against the Blind Baaaaandit!" the host yelled. "Begin!"

Toph's lips twitched. This was bringing up memories of the last tournament she'd been in, when she soundly trounced The Boulder. She'd been in better practice for arena fighting then – it had been a while – but this man was also less skilled than The Boulder. Quieter, too.

He stayed on his side of the ring, warily watching her. She tipped her head "What's the matter? Afraid I'm going to give you a little destruction back? Because you should be."

She slammed a barrage of waves through the ground towards him. He split through them, punching a clear path through them. Dust rose around him. Charging out of the dust cloud, he sent twin lines of jagged stone at Toph. She erected a stone wall to block them, then reversed them. He dodged one but slipped on the other, and Toph slammed it high into the air. He sailed off the platform and smashed against the wall.

The crowd went nuts, screaming and cheering and roaring. Toph raised her arms in victory. I missed this. I missed it a lot.

The host gave her her winnings, which more than covered their tickets and Toph's entry fee. She waved to the crowd, now chanting en masse "Blind Bandit! Blind Bandit!" and slipped back out of the arena to find Kanto.


"Thank you," Toph told Kanto with heartfelt sincerity as they walked through the darkened, cold streets back toward her house. "That was the best night I've had in a long time."

"You were incredible!" he gushed. "I've never seen anything like it! You completely outclassed them all!"

"I am the world's greatest Earthbender, after all," she said with satisfaction.

At her door, Kanto said, "Thank you for an enjoyable time, Toph."

"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you! The dinner was wonderful, and the tournament was the perfect way to end the evening. It's just what I needed."

He gave her a hug. She stiffened, surprised, then hugged him back after a moment. "Have a good night," he told her. "Fozu will be wondering what happened to me, but the evening was worth a scolding."

She laughed. "You have a wonderful night too." She stood by the door as he jumped the steps and hurried away, whistling a tune that matched the skipping dance of his heart – and hers.