We are back with another chapter of this story. No reviews from the previous chapter, but I did correspond with my usual editors for help. I'm glad to hear some of your input and appreciate your suggestions, and I hope this chapter brings a bit more to the table. And on top of that, I want to give a shout-out to The Autistic Patriot who has a new nephew born in late May. It is his brother's child and both parents are doing fine, but I want to take this chance to wish you and your family nothing but the best!
Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.
The attendees in the boardroom of Lao Bei Fong's company were silent as they listened to a sample of music. The sounds emitted from a laptop placed in the centre, and the clear keys of a piano melody echoed through the room. On top of the melody was the recognizable singing voice of Toph, who sounded nothing like her gruff and harsh tone. Instead, her voice was gentle and soothing, something that no one in their group had expected.
After what was supposed to be the chorus was over, there were various samples of piano music. Some had lyrics over them while others were just music. It was a strange mix of classic piano and rap or hip-hop, with what sounded like a strange attempt by Haru and Teo to do a rap. Before long, the twosome at the end of the table got strange looks from everyone, causing a red streak to run across both their faces.
After the music all ended, Toph reached across the boardroom table. Retrieving her laptop from the centre, she turned the screen back towards herself. "Well, what do you all think so far?" the blind earth bender queried, drumming her fingers on the table, "We have the chorus done, courtesy of Kori and me. And yes, that was Haru and Teo rapping, or at least trying to."
The final sentence coming out of Toph's mouth got quite a few snickers. Sokka, who sat in the middle seat to Toph's right, had to literally bite his tongue to avoid being sarcastic at his two friends at the other end of the table. It didn't help that Suki, seated between Toph and Sokka, glared at him with murderous eyes. The young man from the Southern Water Tribe knew better than to be rude when his girlfriend had such a tight leash on him.
Clearing her throat, Suki was the first to speak. "I think Kori really did a good job with the chorus, if that is indeed the final product," she stated staring across the table at the biracial earth bender seated directly to Toph's left, "Just wondering, who came up with the lyrics? I know Toph has been mentioning fire in the rain, which Sokka and I suggested to her. And then we have the seashore, which I guess refers to Kyoshi Island?"
Toph nodded. "All these references are from you and Sokka, after your date at the museum," Toph described, cracking her knuckles in front of her computer, "The rest came from discussing current events with Kori, Sneers, Haru, and Teo. The lyrics are also supposed to cover all four elements, if you count Haru and Teo making their first attempt at rap."
"And the less we say about that, the better," Sokka blurted out, finally unable to contain himself. That earned him a hard elbow to the ribs from Suki, who scolded him again to be polite. Wincing at the blow, Sokka turned to his right so he could face Haru and Teo. "Even though you guys sounded kind of weird, I see some potential in that. Obviously the lyrics require some work, but I think we have something going on here."
Haru chuckled. "You think I learned something during my basketball team training camps when we were still in high school. During our practices, we blasted hip-hop songs all the time, but I always struggled to make sense of those," he remarked, nervously rubbing the lower half of his face. Despite him setting school records in basketball, Haru did not pursue a career as an athlete. Even though he had a basketball scholarship, he did not enter into a professional league, opting to do a business degree and focusing on expanding his father's business.
"It was still a nice gesture when your team volunteered for a game of wheelchair basketball back then," Teo pointed out, rubbing his hands on the bars of his wheelchair, "That's pretty much the only sport I play, and thanks for inviting me to it. But I wonder if we can get that group of kids to participate in our song, even as backing vocals."
Kori scribbled some notes in her own notepad, reminding herself to look into that group. "Personally, I feel proud of the lyrics we came up with. I have no problems singing that on stage, and neither does Toph," the biracial earth bender explained, "Yes, we can still work on the rap sections for Haru and Teo a bit, but like Suki said, we have something here. The question is if we can throw more parts at the song to make it an even more complete product."
Toph immediately typed the same note into her laptop. Maybe this could be where Haru and Teo could get some vocal coaching. "Do we want to look into a recording studio of sorts?" she asked, "It's no good with us recording on our phones and downloading the finished product into our computers. It'll probably be better if we get someone with music mixing experience."
Suki snapped her fingers. "I think this is where we should call up Chong and his merry band, because they have that experience," the Kyoshi Island native pointed out. Pulling out her own phone, she scrolled through her texts and clicked on several images Chong sent her. "They were literally out in the wilderness for the longest time, but now they've gotten some attention in the recording industry. That should give them access to a studio that we can piggyback on."
Sokka groaned again, but Suki paid him no mind. Instead, she flipped the phone around and showed those around the table the images. That got everyone else chattering about ideas, including if Chong and his friends knew anything about dance or sign language. It wasn't until Toph rapped her knuckles on the table before the group focused again.
As the murmurs died down, Toph turned to her immediate right. "I'm willing to give them a shot, even though Sokka is basically asking me to avoid them like the plague," the earth bender responded, "But for now, let's focus on the other half of the equation, which is the dance sequence. I spoke with Ty Lee and she mentioned about using a deaf dance group. Have you, Twinkle Toes, and Sugar Queen talked about how you want to do it?"
From the left side of the boardroom table, Katara spoke up first. "We did during a double date, and we talked to Ty Lee after that," the water bender clarified, elaborating on what their gymnast friend proposed to them, "Ty Lee wants us to meet them and see their dance style first. There are even talks about including sign language in our dance sequence."
"Actually, I'm wondering if we can do a dance sequence with them, but leave a totally different part for actual sign language," Aang proposed, "If we give those with disabilities the actual stage, then it'll make this a lot more meaningful."
Again, Toph typed the notes into her laptop. Things were getting more complex, but that was also a good thing. The last thing Toph wanted was to be accused of purposely excluding certain groups, so the more ideas they had the better. The only thing she was concerned about was if there were too many ideas to choose from and how to choose them. And given how much she didn't like people controlling her, such as her parents before she came to an understanding with them, Toph was totally willing to be hands-off and allowed the group to proceed as is.
Slapping her hands on the table again, Toph sat up straighter and declared, "I think we have the next step of the process then." She turned to Suki and requested that they met up with Chong and his band. "Maybe we should bring Haru and Teo along, just so they can give some comments on the sounds and lyrics. We should try to clean up their parts a bit."
Turning to Katara and Aang, she suggested that they met up with Ty Lee and see if the deaf dance group would send anyone for their part. "If they want to perform the night of, then I'll tell my parents to give them the biggest recognition," she exclaimed.
Toph had not stopped fuming since she entered the music studio, listening to the musician blabber on about random topics. Originally this was just a trip to hear out what Suki's favourite band had to say about their music. Other than the chorus, there was still a lot of work to do, including the stanzas to be performed by Haru and Teo. With those two and Kori tagging along, Toph felt at least they could get something done today.
But that was not to be, as Toph spent more time seated on a chair in the corner. She had her arms crossed on her chest, while her foot tapped impatiently on the ground. The man Suki introduced as Chong, who Toph could feel as standing next to Suki right now, spoke in an eerily calm, almost nonchalant voice. His attention span was less than that of Hana when Toph first met her, always drifting back and forth between topics. The earth bender really couldn't keep up with Chong's musings about waterfalls and rainbows or telling legends about forbidden lovers. "Will they just stop for a minute so we can play them our chorus?" Toph hissed through her teeth.
Kori put a hand on Toph's shoulder. "Just give Suki a few more minutes," the older earth bender stated soothingly, "Don't forget that Suki is a huge fan of theirs, and she's meeting them for the first time in a while. Let them have their moment, and then we'll be introduced."
"I do have to agree with Toph," Haru mused, casting an unimpressed glance at Chong. The lone male earth bender leaned his back on the wall, with one foot on the ground while the other placed against the wall. "I can't really see how Chong can be of help here."
"What type of music did Suki say Chong and his band played?" Teo asked, rifling through a set of notes on his lap, "I mean, they don't have to rap or anything, but I would like to know how much they know about our project and how their background can make us better."
After another few minutes, Suki finally brought Chong over to her group of friends. "Everyone, I want you to meet Chong," Suki announced, gesturing at the group positioned near the wall, "He's the lead singer of Trustfully in Love and I already told him a bit about our project. He's really interested in contributing and giving any feedback for our song."
"Hey, everyone," Chong greeted the group like he didn't have a care in the world, "So, as Suki said, I'm with Trustfully in Love. Welcome to the studio that we rented to write and record our new songs, and I hope you can all trust fully in love."
Toph shot the most deadpan look she could muster at Chong, while Haru and Teo tried not to snicker. Only Kori, who had experience with her parents being public figures, tried to maintain polite. Clearing her throat, Suki tried to put a positive spin on it. "You realize other than writing music, Chong and his group has done interpretive dances before? Maybe that can form part of the dance sequence for Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, and me!" she proposed.
Sensing Toph's irritation increasing, Kori intervened before her blind friend said something that she might regret later on. "I'm Kori, the pianist of our group. And this is Toph, our project leader," the biracial earth bender declared, gently patting Toph's shoulder, "I guess Suki already told you about us, but is there anything in particular that you want to focus on?"
Chong stared at Toph and flashed a serene smile. "I'm glad to see the tiny earth bending lady not wanting to hide from her true self," the musician remarked, "You're showing disabled people love, which is what we need. Yelling at disabled people for what they can't do is like telling them they're not good enough. It's hurtful and makes them sad, you know."
Toph huffed while uncrossing her arms. "First off, I'm not just a tiny earth bending lady. I'm a very strong earth bending lady who also leads a metal bending club. If there are enough impurities in your musical instruments, I can turn them into scrap metal," Toph exclaimed, jabbing a finger in Chong's face, "Second, while I agree that yelling at disabled people won't help, you can't deny that yelling is kind of fun. Finally, you still haven't told us what input you want into our project. So if you don't want me to yell at you, start spilling!"
"Whoa, looks like you have a case of destination fever, tiny but powerful earth bending lady," Chong replied, gently waving his hands in front of him. Despite Toph's outburst, Chong remained surprisingly calm, treating her words like water off a turtle duck's back. "Don't worry so much about the end product, and instead focus on getting to the end."
Before Toph could imitate Sokka by palming her face, Kori interjected again. "Maybe you can take a look at our notes and see what we've done first," she suggested, pulling out her set of notes from her bag on the ground. Teo followed suit, shuffling the papers on his lap before handing them over with Kori's set. "We've got a chorus done, Haru and Teo started on some lines for their stanzas, and we want to include a dance of sorts in the actual performance."
For the next hour or so, the group did actually progress somewhat. At the very least, Chong was able to, in his convoluted way, describe the rhythm he felt from the song and how the lyrics could be improved upon. It still shocked the group somewhat when Chong would burst into song, sometimes in the middle of his explanations. What surprised them even more was that Suki would sometimes sing along with Chong, almost like she knew what his lyrics were or would be. It was something none of them expected out of the usually serious Suki.
Haru scribbled a couple more lines in his notebook before capping his pen. "I think Teo and I have some idea how to spruce our stanzas up a bit," he replied to Chong's comments in a confident manner, "I think it's awesome that you want your music to touch so many people's hearts. And with our song, I hope we can do the same."
Teo nodded, arranging his own notes before reaching behind his wheelchair. He brought his own clipboard where he could clip everything in an organized manner. "My dad's a teacher, and I'm doing a degree in education," the paraplegic pointed out, "I'm used to organizing things like this. It'll probably be helpful when I do teach a class of my own one day."
"And when you do become a teacher, you'll have to inspire your students," Suki added, planting her hands on her hips, "So consider this a precursor to your future career."
"Well, just hold on a minute," Chong chimed in. The entire group turned to him, where he flashed a strange half-smile at them. "There's a difference between doing something for your enjoyment and doing something for your career. A different purpose will change how you feel about what you do, and that can't be truer for something like music."
Toph let out another slight groan. While she didn't want to see the project as a chore, it now felt more and more like it, with Chong's incoherent ramblings. While she was grateful for his advice, Toph also just wanted everyone to get things done. Haru and Teo knew what they had to do, and so did Kori and her. There was no need to drone on and on about feel or enjoyment, especially when so much was on the line with this project.
Realizing Toph was about to lash out again, Kori placed her hands on Toph's shoulders and steered her to the door. "Chong, thank you so much for your suggestions," Kori stated, taking strides towards the exit while slowly pushing Toph along with her, "We'll take them all to heart and we'll reach out again when we have more progress."
"Until we meet again, tiny but powerful earth bending lady," Chong concluded with a funky salute. That was Kori's cue to hightail it out of there with Toph, who was at wit's end with Chong. If she didn't leave sooner, this whole building might just be levelled in the next minute!
Suki found herself whisked away to another studio after the interesting adventure the day before. After introducing Toph to Chong's band, Suki was now with her acrobat friend Ty Lee, off to meet a very unique dance troupe. It was mentioned at the previous meeting, where the group decided to include this dance troupe in their presentation. Given what was at stake and who was assigned to the dance portion, Suki couldn't help but check it out.
Suki glanced to her right, where her long-time friend stood with her hands on her hips. Ty Lee did not change much throughout the past years. She still opted to wear crop tops as much as possible, and such was the case today. She was still quite chipper, and if anything was even more optimistic due to her carving out her role in gymnastics. Even though Toph and Zuko had to keep a distance from each other, mainly by necessity rather than choice, Ty Lee still reached out to her friends on a regular basis, and that included Suki. "You ready for this?" Suki asked.
Ty Lee grinned back at Suki. "Of course, and I'm glad our fellow dancers are all here as well," Ty Lee replied, tilting her head behind her. Indeed, the lovebirds Aang and Katara were not far behind, holding hands and leaning their faces dangerously close to each other. "Let's hope they learn the dance rather than sucking face at the studio," Ty Lee remarked.
"You're telling me, because those two are giving me the oogies," Sokka added, rubbing his arms up and down. Unlike Aang and Katara, Sokka was not asked to perform a dance. He was instead asked to learn sign language with Mai and Zuko, hoping to incorporate some of that into the song. But with him and Suki split up into different groups, it meant he was stuck with the other dating couple. "Cut it out or get a room, you two!" he hollered at Aang and Katara.
Aang stuck his tongue out as Sokka while Katara frowned at him. "Says the same person who will probably complain about when lunch will be," the water bender snapped back, pulling her Sweetie's waist closer to her, "Maybe you should focus on your task too."
"Alright, break it up," Zuko called out, settling the Water Tribe siblings down. Even though he had no conflict of interest with this group, Zuko still felt kind of awkward. After all, this was a project initiated by Toph's father, a rival to his family's company. Was it appropriate for him to be here? "Uncle says he'll host us at the Jasmine Dragon after we're done here, so Sokka will get his food. But for now, let's focus on what we have to do, okay?"
"Hey, you can't think without a full stomach," Sokka insisted, authoritatively waving a finger in the air. Turning to Mai and Zuko, Sokka pulled out a set of notes and showed them the contents. "Besides, how do you think they can turn the lyrics into sign language?"
Mai shrugged. "Isn't that what we're supposed to find out? We're supposed to learn the basics of sign language, and then when we show them the lyrics, they can coach us with how to perform that in sign language," the blade thrower described, "So should we just get to it?"
Suki inhaled and exhaled deeply. Nodding at Ty Lee, the two self-proclaimed leaders of the group entered the building. There was a small lobby with a receptionist desk, and only a handful of chairs in the waiting area. Suki and Ty Lee spoke to the receptionist, telling them who they were seeing and why they were here. While the receptionist got on her phone, she invited the group to wait. While some took a seat in the limited amount of chairs, others just leaned against the wall or, in the case of Aang and Katara, supported each other. The excitement that occurred outside died down significantly, with the group more anxious than anything else.
A minute or so later, the group was met by a young woman with bright green eyes and black hair tied at the back into a ponytail. "You must be the group Ty Lee told me about," she greeted everyone, "My name is Lien, and I'm a sign language interpreter by trade. I also work closely with this dance studio, especially the dance troupe you're about the meet."
Ty Lee bounded up to Lien and enveloped her in a huge hug, which the sign language interpreter and dancer reciprocated. Turning back to the crowed, Ty Lee explained that she already discussed everything with Lien. "Lien knows about our project, and Toph also updated her earlier today," the acrobat pointed out, "So we'll just let Lien split us into two groups based on where she wants us and what she wants us to do."
Lien nodded. "My understanding is that Sokka, Zuko, and Mai are learning sign language with me," she stated, taking a set of notes from the receptionist. Flipping through them, she managed to identify the three she mentioned from the crowd. "I can take you three with me first, and the rest can join the dance crew at the studio."
Zuko and Mai shuffled over to Lien's side, while Sokka reached over to Suki for a quick hug first. After a quick peck to his cheek, Suki let her boyfriend join the scarred fire bender and his girlfriend. That left Suki with Ty Lee, Aang, and Katara, presumably to be led into the dance studio. "Who will be showing us the ropes, if you're teaching sign language?" Suki wondered.
Lien smiled at Suki. "We have a dance troupe of four people that I'd like you to meet," she pointed out, shuffling her notes again, "The lead instructor has no disabilities, but every member of the group is deaf. That means learning sign language here is even more important."
That got everyone's eyes to widen in amazement. While they were aware of this from the previous meeting, it only hit them now just how incredible this dance troupe was. How could they choreograph and perform an entire dance sequence when they couldn't hear the music? "I think this will be great," Aang commented, "We should totally see this dance troupe and see what we can learn about them. Maybe we can pick up some tips for our own performance."
Lien smiled again. "That's the spirit, Aang," she complimented the air bender. Waving to the entire group, she beckoned them to follow her into the building. "There's a lot of stuff to get to. The sooner we get you up to speed, the better your song and performance will be!"
Lien led Sokka, Mai, and Zuko into a separate room, much quieter than the dance studio at the other side of the hall. Instead of a mirrored room with people in fancy dance costumes doing all sorts of unusual moves, it looked more like they entered a classroom. "So, what are we doing first?" Sokka asked, sticking his hands into his pants' pockets.
Lien smiled. Pulling out her notes again, she flipped to the page that contained Toph's requests. "It's really admirable that Toph wants you to learn sign language, because too many times, a hearing person sees a deaf person and thinks the deaf person is abnormal," Lien stated, scanning through the page, "But to get you guys really into it, I think it's important to learn some basic sign language first, before we dive headfirst into your song."
"Before we go too far, I have to know," Zuko interjected, passively raising one hand, "What is the best way to communicate with a deaf person? I get that we shouldn't see them as abnormal, and the last thing we want is to assume they can't communicate due to their lack of hearing. So what are some things that we should watch out for?"
Lien nodded, clearly impressed by the question. "One of the most important aspects of sign language is why the person uses it," she explained, tucking Toph's notes away, "Some people are completely deaf at birth, kind of like how your friend Toph is completely blind as birth. Some people became deaf due to a traumatic life event, and they may be very sensitive about that. Some people have partial hearing due to a hearing aid. So the most important thing is to ask if they can communicate through speech, or if interpretation is required."
"And don't forget that some people are not deaf, but mute," Mai added. That surprised Sokka and Zuko, as they were not aware that Mai had experience with muteness. "They might be born that way, or they became mute due to a traumatic life event. They can hear just fine, but due to their lack of speech, they require written communication or sign language."
Lien nodded again. "And that's why I'm bringing in one of our organization's most senior sign language instructors," the head organizer pointed out. She stuck her head out the door and waved into the distance. Before long, an older woman with shoulder-length hair entered the room. "Everybody, this is Kaori, who will give you a crash course in basic sign language."
Kaori waved her hands around in front of her, completely confusing Zuko and Sokka. The two young men glanced at each other awkwardly before waving back at her. Mai was surprisingly calm, not reacting much to the newcomer. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, and with her usual emotionless face, it was hard to figure out what Mai was thinking.
Kaori waved her hands again, this time confusing Sokka and Zuko more. "Lien, if you don't mind, can you interpret for us what she's signing?" Sokka requested, turning to face the head organizer, "If need be, I can speak slower so you can sign our words back to her."
Kaori frowned at Sokka, narrowing her amber eyes at the young man in blue. Realizing his friend made a faux pas, Zuko attempted to repair the damage. "Please tell her that we're here to learn about sign language, not make fun of it," the fire bender described, also keeping his eyes on Lien, "I swear to you, on my honour, that we will…"
Lien raised a hand to stop Zuko's stammering. "You two just made the first mistake that I told you about earlier," she stated, shaking her head at Sokka and Zuko, "Remember when I told you that you must find out why someone uses sign language? Kaori has a hearing aid and can hear. She can also speak slowly, but she is more used to using sign language. You two just immediately assumed she's incapable of speech or hearing."
Just then, the person who spoke the least came to the rescue. "Why are you upset? Is it because you feel my friends don't understand you?" Mai responded, staggering her words while doing a similar set of gestures to match, "Help them understand you and your students. Don't be angry with us. We want to help you. You don't need to speak or hear to communicate."
Before long, Kaori smiled at them. "Yes, I will teach you," she replied in a slightly slurred tone, all the while gesturing back at Mai. She signed several things to Lien, who also seemed more relaxed. It felt like despite the gaffe, things were back on track.
While Sokka tried apologizing again to Kaori through Lien, Zuko turned to his girlfriend and pulled her to the side. "Why didn't you tell me you already know sign language?" he asked.
Mai shrugged. "I don't, but I picked up enough of it here and there to at least come up with something," the blade thrower retorted, "Part of being told to be seen and not heard means you pick things up that other people don't. When I was in elementary school, I lived next to a couple who has a deaf son. The parents tend to speak and sign at the same time. When I watched them through my bedroom window or at the dining room table, I picked up a few things."
"And Kaori said Mai's sign language is actually a bit choppy," a female voice called from behind the couple. Zuko and Mai both turned to see Lien and Kaori approach, with the latter having a slight smirk on her face. "Some of Mai's signs don't exactly line up with her words, so it's a good opportunity for her to refresh herself," Lien proposed.
"Zuko, you may want to make it up to them as well. I made the same mistake I did with Suki when we first met, when I prejudged her," Sokka suggested, waving a thumb in Kaori's direction, "I'm not too happy that I did the same thing again."
Instead of speaking the words to Kaori, Zuko did something from his heritage. Forming a fist with his right hand, he placed it right on his sternum. He then placed his left hand vertically on top of it, with the bottom of the palm pressing against his right fist while his left fingers all pointed skyward. He then bowed towards both Kaori and Lien, something that shocked both ladies. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier," the fire bender solemnly declared.
Lien and Kaori both smiled at the group. "In that case, I'll leave Kaori to start the lesson with you," Lien stated, taking a step back. The older sign language instructor now took centre stage, beckoning Sokka, Zuko, and Mai to pay attention to her. After the incident from earlier, everyone now worked extra hard on learning sign language accurately.
Kaori first taught everyone some basic sign language moves. They started with regular greetings, like hello or hey. The former looked like a military salute, placing the thumb part of an open hand against the temple and pushing out sideways. The latter looked like a mix between a palm down wave and petting an imaginary dog on the head. Lien explained that the latter was for getting the attention of people across the room, and was rarely used with close contact.
The threesome took only a few minutes to get the greetings, to which Kaori moved to introductory phrases. This was where the group realized that Mai might have made mistakes when she signed, as there were words that did not translate into sign language. For example, when telling people one's name, one could not sign "is" in the sentence. There were signs for "my name" where one pats oneself on the chest, and then tapping one's right fingers on one's left fingers twice. However, instead of "is" following that, one would then spell out one's name with finger signs. This was easiest for Mai, as her name had only three letters.
"For spelling our names, do you have a chart for each letter in the alphabet?" Sokka asked, scratching the back of his head just under his wolf's tail, "I think it may be easier if you have figures for each sign so we can learn all twenty-six letters."
Kaori nodded. She immediately went to the back of the room and pulled out a large laminated poster. It had the finger signs of each letter, allowing the threesome to see which ones they had to use to spell out their own names in sign. While the group looked over the letters, Lien took that as her cue to leave. "I'll check on your other friends first, just to see how they're doing with the dance. I'll come back later on," she announced.
Sokka, Zuko, and Mai waved at Lien, watching her step out the door and down the hall. Turning back to Kaori, they focused on her teaching them the sign for each individual letter. While this might take longer to learn than just signing the chorus, they felt they should at least respect the hard work required to perform a task of survival for some people in their society.
Aang, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee could only look on as a group of dancers stretched and warmed up before them. To the eyes, this seemed like any ordinary dance studio, with a wide room and a mirrored wall to one side. However, what was unusual was the lack of sound often associated with dance studios. Instead of music, the entire group prepared for their rehearsal in complete silence, with even the stereo system being kept in the off position. It definitely gave the group a distinct feel, making them wonder what they were getting into.
"Oh, you must be Lien's guests," a voice called from the doorway. The group turned to see a young woman with dark shoulder-length hair approach. There were some light blue streaks at the ends, matching the young woman's eyes. It made Katara wonder if she had Water Tribe roots. "My name is Sesi and I'm the founder of this dance group," she greeted everyone.
"Hey, I'm Ty Lee," the acrobat of the group declared. She shook Sesi's hand very enthusiastically and introduced the rest of her team to the dance coordinator. "We're here to learn how your group design your dances, and hopefully you can help us out with ours."
Sesi smiled and waved at Aang, Katara, and Suki. Bringing them closer to the group, she stuck out a hand with the palm down and waved at them. That got everyone's attention, as Sesi then used sign language to describe the visitors. "I wonder how your brother is doing so far with learning sign language," Suki murmured to Katara.
The water bender nodded, but kept her eyes on the dance group. There were four that were older and led the team, taking the front row while several others lined up behind. The four lead dancers were not that old, maybe in their mid-twenties max. The rest of the group were teenagers, even younger than Aang, who was eighteen. It really impressed Katara how they could form such an amazing team, despite not being able to hear. "I'm sorry if this sound ignorant or insensitive, but how do they dance when they have trouble hearing?" she queried.
The dance coordinator grinned at Katara. "Not all of them are completely deaf. Some of them can hear certain very specific sounds," Sesi explained, her hands moving with crisp gestures, "Some people who are hard of hearing are only deaf to some sounds, like an overly high pitch or certain musical instruments. They are perfectly capable of hearing other sounds. Others can recognize vibrations and work out a rhythm, which lets them pick up the dance."
"A person missing one of the senses can pick something up via vibrations? That sounds almost like Toph," Suki commented, tapping her hand on her chin. Toph could feel vibrations from anything earth-based, remedying her lack of sight. But Suki was willing to bet that even Toph had not considered that deaf people could do the same. "So how do they recognize the music beat? And how do they translate it to a synchronized dance?"
"Part of it is, like Toph had requested, including sign language into our dances. Some of our moves are based on hand gestures, except we transcribe it to a full body gesture," Sesi described, "The other part is looking at which member or members have an easier time picking up a certain song or beat. If a certain member can catch onto the beat easier, then we may ask that member to lead the dance. Simply put, we'll rotate members based on the song and dance."
Offering to do a demonstration, Sesi used sign language to signal to the dance group. Aang, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee could not tell what song they were about to dance to. But seeing the lineup shuffle around, they knew this would be an exciting show. "This is from one of our earlier public shows," Sesi pointed out, "It formed part of our first dance reel."
A hip hop song soon played over the stereo system. The dance group, led by one of the older members at the front, tapped one foot on the ground. This was to count in the beat, which led the others into the moves. Knees bent, hips twisted, and arms swung in synchronicity as the group went through the song. It was like they not only heard every word in the song, but also matched the rhythm beat for beat as they went through their moves.
After a few second, the dancers to the left stuck their right arms out sideways, and the dancers on the right tilted to the outside of the formation. When the dancers on the right levelled themselves, they stuck their left arms out sideways, and the dancers on the left mimicked the latter's move in the opposite direction. Once they levelled again, a full circle spin occurred, followed by a spinning leap in the air. This was particularly impressive to Aang and Katara, who felt these were allusions to various air bending and water bending techniques.
When the music stopped, the dance group all stood to attention. But for the guests present, they could not help but applaud. Aang, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee clapped their hands and hollered loudly, cheering this impressive group on their performance. "That was really great," Aang exclaimed, waiting for the applause to die down. Once the cheering abated, the air bender inquired further. "How much of that dance was based on different cultures, like Air Nomads or Water Tribes? And how much was based on sign language and non-verbal communication?"
Sesi smiled back at Aang. "You're right in that there are elements of each element here," she replied, brushing some of her hair away from her eyes, "The move you saw where each side swayed outward, that's based on waves or the tide. There aren't as many inspirations from the Fire Nation or the United Earth States in this song, but we have other dances with those moves."
"And what about dance moves based on sign language? Were there any moves in that dance that came from sign language?" Suki chimed in, craning her neck at the resting dance group, "I know you took Sokka, Mai, and Zuko to the other room to learn sign language. Are we going to learn the same if we want to do the dance for our song?"
"I think it's useful to learn some basic sign language, but it's more important for you to see how we interpret the sign for that specific word into the dance move," Sesi explained. She tilted her head towards the door, just in time to see Lien come into the room. "How are things with the others, Lien? Have they started on sign language yet?"
Lien shrugged. "Kaori is teaching them now, mainly with basic phrases like greetings, but also how to sign letters of their names," the head instructor described, flipping through the notes she had carried the entire time, "For this group, I think you can focus less on basic sign language, and more on how your group incorporates sign language into the dance moves. Since they aren't signing the chorus, it may be more helpful to let them focus on dance instead."
Sesi nodded. She took out the page that Toph sent, which included the lyrics of the song. The dance coordinator knew that the blind earth bender and her biracial friend put a lot of effort into the chorus. Even reading it alone, without hearing the music, she could see how meaningful it was to someone with disabilities. "Let's gather everybody around so we can listen to your chorus," she proposed, "My understanding is that you recorded a preliminary version."
The group strolled to the stereo station at the back, where Lien gave Sesi a USB containing the recording. While Sesi plugged it into the system, Lien used sign language to get the dance group to gather closer to the sound system. As Aang, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee looked on, Sesi clicked a couple of buttons and Toph's song played over the system.
The entire dance crew listened on carefully, with those who could hear the notes and lyrics interpreting them to those who could not hear. The group kept their eyes on the interaction, noting how close the dancers were. They truly helped each other out and never judged anyone for their struggles. When the music finally ended, Lien signed to the group again. "Anyone with any thoughts?" she asked, glancing back and forth between the dancers and Sesi.
But to everyone's surprise, it was Ty Lee who spoke first. "I'm still surprised that was Toph in the chorus of the demo," she stated aloud, "For somebody that brash and assertive, I would have never thought Toph has such a soft and gentle voice. Maybe this is something she should show us more often!"
By the time dinner was done, Toph just wanted to plop down on her bed and sleep. It had been a busy day, to say the least. Not only did she have her studies, Toph also had to correspond with the rest of her group in the performance. There were more updates than expected, with some making less progress than she had hoped for. "And add my metal bending club to this mess too," the earth bender murmured, "Next time those lily livers make life difficult for me again, I am so making them do spider ants beneath stomping feet or something!"
Toph placed a hand on the desk beside her bed. Despite not having a foot on the ground, Toph had enough knowledge of her room to know where everything was kept. She had her routines on how to organize things, even though she lacked sight. However, routine was what stopped her from living her life, as she felt things were just too mundane. This was the whole reason why she took on her father's challenge with the musical performance. But with things going the way they were, she wasn't sure if she bit off more than she could chew.
Suddenly, Toph slapped herself across the face. "Stop thinking like that. You're Toph Bei Fong, the greatest earth bender in the world. How can something like this stop you?" Toph snapped at herself. Sitting up straight again, she snaked her hand over the surface of her desk and reached for her laptop. There was still a lot of stuff to do, and wallowing in self-doubt wouldn't get that done. "Let's see what we got here," Toph muttered, turning the laptop on.
Using a combination of voice and keyboard commands, Toph was able to access several files at once. The first was the music file, where Toph had that meeting with Chong and his band. The screen reader allowed Toph to review her notes through audio, and hearing her notes made Toph realize there were roadblocks here. While Toph was grateful that Chong gave some tips on sounds and melodies, Toph found Chong's method of talking grating. "Their music is strange and his way of communication is stranger," Toph hissed, placing a hand on her chin, "I think I've had enough of Trustfully in Love for the next little while."
Toph scrolled to the bottom of the notes, letting the screen reader report the roles Kori, Haru, and Teo took. Last time she was with them, she recalled Kori steering her out the door a little harsher than expected. Then again, Kori was probably the only one in the room who could read Toph's sour mood at the time. Even so, none of those three had any new material for Toph, even after Chong's so-called inspiration. It made Toph wonder if Chong inspired them at all, or if they were still stuck. "Do I have to level their front doors as well?" Toph stated.
Toph tapped her chin a few times before making some notes of her own. She knew Kori, Haru, and Teo were working on the song. From their most recent correspondence, they advised her that they would focus on rhythm and melody, consistent with Chong's comments. Toph was not as musical as Kori, but given Toph would sing the chorus, she wanted a piece of the action. She reminded herself in the notes to check in and, if need be, assert her views on the song.
Finishing her notes on those, Toph went to the next set of notes. These were from the visit the rest of the group had at the dance studio. Toph noticed that Suki was involved in both those visits, mainly by virtue of her connections and assigned role. Even though Toph questioned Suki's taste in music, she could not deny that the non-bender had played a huge role in this entire thing. "I'll make sure to treat her to lunch or something when this is all done," she declared.
She scrolled through the notes again, letting the screen report sound out the words once more. She found out that Mai, Zuko, and Sokka had their hands full learning basic sign language. The goal was to have Kaori teach them basic lines before diving headfirst into the song's chorus. While Toph respected Kaori's decision to make the group immersed in sign language, part of her did wonder if it was a bit overboard. "Maybe they should take it easy on those guys," she dryly remarked, "They only need to do the chorus, which is eight lines max."
Toph then turned to the dance part, also the part that was the most frustrating. Due to her not being present, she could not put her foot on the ground to feel the vibrations. It prevented Toph from feeling out what the dance was like, including what touches her group wanted to add. Aang, Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee also didn't show Toph their moves either, just letting her know that they were still working on it. It only left more questions than answers for Toph.
Toph pushed her laptop away and placed her hands to her head. She gently rubbed her temples and tried to piece everything together. While she was happy that everyone had a role and could put things together, she still had reservations about how scattered the pieces were. It just didn't feel like they had the puzzle put together, and despite everyone's good intentions to help, it would take even more work just to finalize this performance. "And not to mention inviting enough special guests too," the earth bender sputtered, thinking about the Duke and Sneers, "At this rate, it might take forever before we can get on that stage."
Just then, a gentle knock on the door caught Toph's attention. She snapped her head towards the sound, and before long her father's voice could be heard. "Did I come at a bad time?" he asked, "If you're busy, we can talk later."
Toph exhaled and rubbed her face. Gesturing at her desk, she allowed her father into her room. Lao pulled out the seat at Toph's desk and made himself comfortable, all the while staring concernedly at his daughter. "Is everything okay?" he inquired.
Toph huffled and blew air against her bangs. "Things are just peachy," she retorted, a mix of sarcasm and frustration in her voice, "You know, I originally took this project on because I don't want my life to stay boring. But right now, things are hitting the stratosphere and the ride still hasn't slowed down. I don't even know where the project is headed right now!"
Lao tilted his head and pursed his lips. "I thought you enjoy this type of working style, dealing with absolute uncertainties and letting the chips fall," he commented, clasping his hands on his lap, "It's not my way of doing things, nor your mother's. We prefer being grounded with reality and persevering instead of throwing caution at the wind."
Toph rubbed her face again. While it was true that she was becoming increasingly bored with her mundane life, it also felt like things might have hit her too fast. It was a contradictory feeling where Toph both wanted and didn't want things to go this way. Still, as an earth bender, Toph knew better than to quit on the task halfway. She would, as her father just mentioned, persevere and advance herself, no matter what obstacle was in the way.
Turning to her father again, Toph queried, "Do you want me to give you an update? I have some notes in my laptop, if you want to take a look."
Lao took a gander, but didn't say anything further. Instead he told Toph about the latest update from the sponsors. "I gathered more funds to expand the project, and in turn the sponsors are putting in more money for the non-profit organizations," Lao reported, "Now, on top of the live performance, they're wondering if you can do something to post online, like a music video."
Toph's jaw just hit the floor. Did her father just say what she thought he said? But Toph could not request a repeat, as Lao made the message loud and clear. "You and your friends will have to come up with a music video, because this is now a part of the project," he stated.
Lao patted Toph's knees a couple of times before exiting the room. That only left Toph with another wave of dread. As if the project wasn't complicated enough, now there was another new layer. Toph wondered how her group would feel if she announced that at the next meeting.
Here is my list of inspirations for this chapter:
1.) SaoirseParisa deserves credit for the scene where Sokka, Zuko, and Mai learned sign language. The main concern is that a lot of people believe deaf or mute people automatically require sign language, not realizing that they are perfectly capable of communicating otherwise. Some deaf people can hear sounds with a hearing aid and speak simple lines, but prefer to use sign language. Some mute people are capable of using written correspondence or a voice generator (like Stephen Hawking). If a mute is desperate, they might even whisper in someone's ear, as whispering does not require vocal cords. The scene's goal is to make sure those using sign language are respected and not seen as abnormal, and no assumptions should be made about their abilities. Thank you so much for your input into this scene.
2.) The scene where Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, and Suki learn the dance is based on some real-life dance troupes featuring deaf members. As is the case in the scene and in real life, some deaf people are not entirely deaf. They are able to hear certain sounds or instruments, and they can follow a beat or rhythm of the song. That's why for these dance troupes, it's important to find out what sounds each person can hear and assign lead dancers based on the song's beat and rhythm. More on this in later chapter.
3.) The 3 OC's, Lien, Kaori, and Sesi, are based on various members that appeared in the "See the True Me" campaign in Singapore. Their names are based on Chinese-Vietnamese, Japanese, and Inuit names for women. That means, as you may have guessed, they are from the United Earth States, the Fire Nation, and the Water Tribes, respectively. I did this to highlight the diversity theme, although I haven't gotten a chance to do an Air Nomad OC yet. Hopefully I'll have the chance to do so later on.
4.) Suki being a huge fan of Chong and knowing all his songs is from "Toph Bei Fong's Metalbending Academy" where she attended one of Chong's concerts, all the while Toph and Sokka wanted out. Sokka claiming he misjudged someone due to their appearance and hoping not to do it again is from "the Warriors of Kyoshi" where he did the same with Suki. Mai learning sign language and blade throwing due to her being seen and not heard is from "the Beach" where she stated that she had to be seen and not heard due to her father's career. And Toph saying she will perform spider ants beneath stomping feet is from "the Rift" where it was an exercise she used to train her metal bending students.
That's it for this chapter. The pace is still quite slow, but I hope to quicken it in the next chapter. Thanks for coming by and wish everyone the best!