The frantic activity of the marketplace faded into the background as Toph focused solely on the tiny pebble bouncing on the ground. The impact was almost imperceptible, but if her seismic sense had its limits, she hadn't found them yet. This pebble was no exception - it could not be a match for her bending. She followed the movements as the scammer bounced the tiny rock under the shells at a maddening pace. It landed on the left.

"Ready?" His voice was strained like he lost his patience five rounds ago when he realized that Toph's winning streak could not be an accident. He just couldn't figure out what was happening. That helpless frustration was exactly where Toph wanted him to be. That's when people started to get sloppy.

She grinned innocently. "I think I have a good hunch on this one."

"Now," a rough voice burst into her consciousness before the ground was yanked from under her suddenly. The contours of the bystanders, the scammer, the shells and the pebble were all swallowed by darkness.

Toph moved around completely disoriented. What just happened? She crashed into wooden barriers on every side. She was in a cage. A fucking wooden cage.

Having no other senses to rely on, she listened to the angry rumble of the crowd around her, trying to make sense of what was going in. They were yelling "Cheater! Street urchin! Guttersnipe! Rascal!"

"Let me out, dumbsticks!" she yelled angrily, shaking the bars.

Something hit the side of her head, making her face wet. She felt it with her fingers; it was sticky goo and hard shells. It was a pity that she couldn't earthbend with eggshells. If only they'd throw hard rocks at her instead, she'd have a chance to fight back. She would show them.

"This girl took all my honest earnings," a man yelled over the crowd. Toph recognized the card-dealer's voice.

"There is nothing honest about you, jobbernowl. Let me out, you cowards and fight me," Toph retorted.

"Not a chance," laughed a rough, unpleasant voice. The same one that ordered the initial attack. It sounded dull, broken like someone beating a stick against a cracked copper pot. "Cheaters like you are not welcome here."

The crowd cheered in agreement.

Toph crouched down to feel around the cage. It was a crude, uneven construct so she finally found a space big enough to wiggle a hand through the bars, finding contact with the ground. Her range of motion was restricted, but she succeeded in sending a rumbling wave to the underside. Hopefully enough to shatter this thing. The crate rattled, but instead of breaking, it flipped sideways.

The crowd laughed as Toph hit her head and swore.

"What a feral little mink-rat," Cracked Pot cackled. "We'd better tie her up."

The cage door opened, and rough hands yanked back Toph's arms, wrapping a rope around her wrists, pulling the knot tight. She kicked out blindly (because, well, doh) but all she hit was air.

The crowd was having fun. Not the type of fun that celebrated her victories back in the Earth Rumble arena, but the kind of merriment that surrounded the losers as they hobbled off the ring after a humiliating defeat. Toph was definitely not used to that kind of mockery directed at her.

"Just fight me, you pig-chickens!" She growled in helpless rage.

"You'd better calm down," Cracked Pot leaned closer, his stinking breath assaulting Toph's nose. That rock-breathing technique would come in handy right about now. Instead Toph settled on aiming a regular spit at him, and she grinned in satisfaction when the guy backed away.

"Take her down to the hold," Cracked Pot ordered, just a hint of outrage lacing his voice. The cage jostled and was carried away with Toph bouncing helplessly inside. Finally, they came to a halt. Toph heard the creaking of the pulley, and felt the cage swing slightly as it was lifted. She must have ended up in one of those hanging wooden prisons that were specifically designed to keep earthbenders from escaping.

"Let me out," Toph yelled again. "I earned that money fair and square."

"I'm sure you can explain that to the Major," a guard snickered.

"At least untie my arms," Toph spat angrily. Her shoulders were hurting.

"You should have behaved. Rabid puma-dogs get chained up," came the reply. "That's the Mayor's rule."

The door was shut and bolted, and Toph stayed alone in the swinging cage inside the chamber that smelled musty and stinky with old human waste. Toph tried to wiggle out of her bounds, but yanking on the ropes just made them tighter. She needed a new plan. She slid around in the cage on her butt, kicking the bars, trying to find a weak spot. The cage swayed with each kick making her dizzy, but the bars didn't budge. Toph gritted her teeth in frustration.

If she couldn't get out alone, her only hope was Zuko. But the firebender if he had half a brain, probably took the opportunity to make his escape at the first sign of trouble, getting out of their deal as a bonus. Toph shouldn't have left him go off by himself with the money. His firebending would be really useful right about now. But there was no way he would come back. No way.

She had only herself to rely on. She could crack this if she didn't panic. Maybe she could challenge this Mayor, whoever he was to a fight. Or try to talk her way out of the cage. She didn't need much, just one moment with her foot planted on the ground and she would show these dunderheads the stuff she was made of.

"Heeeey," she yelled. From the way her voice echoed through the room she could tell that the walls and the floor were made of stone. That was something. But it was also the only thing she knew. Otherwise, there was deafening silence. It was freaky. There was no way to measure the passing of time. There was nothing to do, but wait. Her arms were sore. She had to pee. She tried to hum a tune that her mother sang sometimes, but it made her feel even more lonely. She was scared. One of the first things she had learnt at the arena was that those who lost their nerve, lost the fight too. Being scared never did any good.

She took a deep breath and sat back cross-legged, concentrating on the rocks. If she tried hard enough, maybe she could move them with her mind. Just because nobody had ever done it, didn't mean it was impossible. Maybe nobody tried hard enough.

She thought about Zuko controlling the flames with his meditation breathing. If an idiot firebender could do it, then surely the Blind Bandit could find a way to move rocks that way too.

Inhale - exhale. Inhale - exhale. Move stupid rock! Inhale - exhale. The door opened, interrupting her rock meditation.

"I see you settled in." It was Cracked Pot. Who was probably the Mayor the guard mentioned. Mayor Cracked Pot.

"Get me out of here, fopdoodle," Toph demanded. She was not going to be intimidated by this guy. "You are making a mistake."

"Not so fast, little girl. Tell me first, where is scarface? And I'll consider letting you have dinner."

What on earth was this dumbstick going on about? "I have no idea what you mean."

Cracked Pot let out a wheezing sigh. "Several witnesses reported that you had an accomplice, a young man with a hideous scar."

Wait. Young man. Zuko had a scar? It kind of made sense now that she thought about their outing to the market. How on edge he was the whole time, how he kept ducking through abandoned alleyways or turning his back to people. But what would Mayor Cracked Pot want with Zuko? Well, in any case, she had no information to offer and even if she had, Toph was no snitch.

"First off, I still have no idea who you are talking about. Second, I'm also blind, so describing someone? Totally unhelpful. For example, for all I know your face looks like the back-end of a badger-mole. But I could be wrong. It could also resemble the armpit of a sloth-monkey. Third, go and ride on a boarcupine." It sounded more confident than she felt, but bad-mouthing was part of the intimidation-game. This was what all the pros did in the fight arena.

"I see. You are not only a filthy little street-scum, but you also have a big mouth spouting dirt." Cracked Pot didn't seem intimidated. Maybe he spent some time in the fight rings himself. "But don't worry. I have plans for you. The Dai Li always pays good money for strays with special talents. And they also know how to keep wild things in line."

Toph only had a vague idea about the Dai Li - boring history lesson, yaddi-yadda-yadda, Avatar Kyoshi, wow she's kickass, but why use fans for earthbending, it's kind of counter-intuitive, politics blablabla, something-something Dai Li. Still, she didn't like the sound of this at all.

"Let me out, and I can show you exactly how talented I am," Toph challenged Cracked Pot. Please take the bait like every other dumbass always does, she pleaded silently.

"No, thank you. Rabid beasts like you belong in cages," he replied calmly.

"Coward, wimp," Toph spat out. "You are making a mistake. You have no idea who I am."

"And who would that be?" Cracked Pot's voice was filled with sarcasm like he didn't believe she could be important. What if they only caught her to get to Zuko? The thought was kind of offensive.

Toph swallowed. If she told him her name, maybe he'd cut a deal with her father. But that would be the same as admitting defeat and proving her parents' point; that she was just a helpless little girl, unfit to go out in the world. Never.

She had a title that she earned by herself. It should do. "I'm the Blind Bandit, and the greatest Earthbender." You will see. Just wait.

"Small or great, no earthbender has ever broken out of these wooden cages," he replied in a dismissive tone. "If I were you, I'd consider cooperating."

"If I were you, I'd start organizing my last meal," Toph retorted. "Because when I'm done with you, you'll have no teeth left to chew with." She didn't like making empty insults, but sometimes when one was out of stones, hurling words was the best alternative.

Cracked Pot laughed. His footsteps echoed against the stone walls and the loud thump of the closing door meant that he was gone. Toph slumped against the side of her cage, breathing heavily. She needed to crack this problem fast and fight her way out of the cell. And blast that guy's head through a wall.

It was difficult to concentrate as her mind kept replaying the information. The Dai Li. Cracked Pot's interest in Zuko. The scar. What did it all mean?

Well, it did no good thinking about all that stuff. She had to focus on the rocks, on her breath.

Inhale - Exhale. Move you stubborn rock. Inhale - Exhale. I am. Inhale - Exhale. The Greatest. Inhale - Exhale. Earthbender.

Nothing.

Zuko had said that firebenders drew their power from the stomach, unlike earthbenders, who relied on their stance. Maybe that was the key to manipulating the rocks from a distance. She had to try earthbending from her stomach. She focused on her belly, breathing deep into it. Inhale - swallow - exhale. The rock still didn't move, but her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything in hours. Toph hit her head against the bars. It was stupid. She could break boulders with her head. But the wood which was softer than a rock wouldn't budge.

"Move stupid rock," she yelled with all her helpless rage into the empty chamber. There was a loud scraping noise. Maybe it worked! She was the world's greatest earthbender after all.

The scrape was followed by soft, familiar footsteps.

"You came back." Toph felt genuine surprise. There was no sane reason for him to do this, unless it meant that...

"I'd be the world's worst valet if I hadn't." Zuko's dry reply was dripping with sarcasm. Maybe not totally undeserved. Maybe she misjudged him. "Move back."

Toph crawled in the opposite direction from his voice. The cage shook from the impact of his fireball which broke through the wood easily. Toph gave out a startled cry as she started to slide, but before she could get scared, Zuko caught her, his arms wrapping around her tightly. It was great to feel something other than the mind-numbing isolation of the wood.

"Can you stand?"

Toph nodded and he lowered her carefully to the ground. Toph sighed happily as her feet reached the stone-floor, bringing the world back into view. While she inspected their surroundings, Zuko sliced through the ropes that bound her arms. They fell limp to her side prickling with pins and needles.

"Ouch, that hurts," Toph hissed in pain.

"You probably lost circulation." Zuko rubbed them up and down. "Can you bend?"

Toph stomped her foot against the stone floor, shaking it slightly. "I can bend with my tongue if you give me something to work with," she said confidently. She felt much better with each second her toes stretched against the ground.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. And keep the stomping to a minimum, we need to be stealthy to get out," Zuko pulled her in the direction of the crack in the wall that he used to climb in.

"What is this?"

"It's a loose rock. There is a corridor behind it that leads down to the city cistern then into the river. We can escape that way," Zuko explained.

Toph stopped short. "You said nothing about swimming." There was no way she was going to go from darned wood to slimy water. She had enough blindness and helplessness for a day.

"Don't worry, Toph. I'll get you across." Zuko said soothingly as he pulled her along.

Toph dug her heels into the rocks, making herself unmovable like a mountain. "No way. I have sweet rocks under my foot, and I plan to keep it this way. I'll take my chances with the front door. I have a score to settle anyway."

Toph turned around and stretched her arms. She lunged forward punching easily through the wall. She was in her element. Nobody could stop her now.

-0-

"Oh, for Agni's sake!" groaned Zuko in exasperation. He knew it was a terrible idea to come back for the terrible brat who had been nothing but trouble from the first minute they met. But it would have been dishonorable to abandon a kid he promised to help. Even if she was a reckless menace like Toph. Instead of being grateful, she blew a hole in his perfectly good, stealthy escape plan. She literally just blew a giant fucking hole in it and proceeded to step through it and stomp loudly enough so the entire spirit-forsaken Earth Kingdom could hear that they were making an escape attempt.

She was not listening to him. Again.

Zuko gritted his teeth in anger, considering his options. He could still try to slip away through the back door while Toph was putting on her earthbending show or whatever the blast she was doing. After all, he did his part, gave her the chance to escape. He didn't need to go down with her. But at this point, sticking together was probably their best chance.

He darted after her, watching as she knocked out the four guards standing outside the door with a satisfied grin. The fall of heavy footsteps indicated that more were coming.

"We need to hurry up!" Zuko urged her.

"I agree. Hold on," Toph yelled back and Zuko lost his balance for a moment as the earth started to flow under his feet. He steadied himself holding onto Toph's shoulder, who propelled them forward with powerful moves that looked like she was skating. Zuko never knew earthbenders could do that. It was kind of neat.

"Next time, warning would be appreciated."

"You wanted a river." Toph snickered, clearly enjoying the demonstration.

"Go left," Zuko yelled, orienting her towards the outer walls of the prison. Zuko looked back just in time to see a guard with his bow drawn, pointing an arrow at them. Think, quick. Zuko closed his eyes, trying to keep his stance with the earth shaking under his feet and struck his arms out, fingers pointed at the arrow. The guard yelped in dismay as the arrow went up in flames, burning the string of the bow in the process.

Maybe there was an upside to Uncle making him practice precision bending for three years on that damned ship. He could do it in his sleep, hanging upside down or in the middle of a literal earthquake. On the downside, he just outed himself as a firebender. But that was a problem for another time.

"Almost made it to the gate," he noted hopefully, thinking that maybe it was going to be easier than he had thought... Or not.

Suddenly, the flow of rocks stopped abruptly, sending both him and Toph flying ahead. He managed to grab her waist mid-fall and soften their landing with a roll. Soften her landing more precisely, which meant that he was taking the brunt of the impact. His shoulder cracked against a big rock sticking out from the uneven ground, and he sincerely hoped it wasn't dislocated.

As he scrambled to his feet, he saw that the guards had caught up with them, surrounding them in a circle. Some of them were clearly earthbenders - that's how the stopped Toph's earth-river. Others were armed with clubs, hammers and poles. Great.

"Your plan sucks," he scowled at Toph.

"No it doesn't. It's a two-in-one for the missed bending practice. We fight our way to the gate. Time to break out the blasting jelly, Blue," Toph replied pushing her back against Zuko's, knocking out two guards who made the mistake of standing close together with a giant boulder.

Zuko spun around quickly lighting a ring of fire around them. It was better to keep those clubs and poles at a safe distance. Through the flames he could see one of the men raising his hammer, sending a large rock in their direction. Oh great, one of those guys. Zuko pulled out his swords to defend against the boulder, but before it could make an impact, Toph blocked it by raising a wall in front of Zuko. Good timing. Then again, Uncle always said that earthbending was all about the right moment. A concept Zuko had always had trouble with.

The earthbender-guards in the meantime broke several pathways through the circle of fire. A guard with a long sword lounged at Zuko. Luckily, his form was terrible. Zuko parried it easily with his boardswords and kicked the guy in the balls. Master Piandao wouldn't call it elegant, but it was effective. The man shrieked and doubled over in pain. Zuko hit the back of his head with the hilt of his sword. That stopped the screaming. The dismayed cries from behind his back meant that Toph was also giving her opponents the stone-glove treatment.

"Push them up against the wall, you cowards," a large earthbender who seemed to be in charge of the attack ordered.

Three guards jumped into the ring, waving their weapons in Zuko's direction. He shot a quick succession of fireballs, aiming at their feet, trying to break their root, just like Iroh taught him. This also meant that he didn't quite notice the earthbender that knocked him over with a large rock aimed squarely at his ribs. Zuko rolled over in pain, panting heavily..

"Are you ok there?" Toph asked giving him a hand.

"Just great," Zuko groaned, the sharp pain stabbing his ribs. "How about you make us an exit and I cover your back?"

"How about we beat them all to a pulp?" grinned Toph.

"Toph, I think you proved your point. Let's get out of here before it's too late.

Zuko stood close to Toph's back kicking fire-blasts at the attackers. He heard the wall crack behind him. As he was getting ready to make the jump for it, everything got blurry from a large cloud of dust.

"Now!" he heard a yell.

He never saw the heavy chain-net until it was pulled tight around them, entrapping Zuko and Toph in helpless tangle of limbs.

"Take them to the canister," the leader bellowed. The guards grunted as they lifted the net on long poles. They shoved Zuko and Toph into a dark, tight box.

"Well, well, well. Isn't this my lucky day?" The leader snickered at them, his lips curving into a cruel smile under his thin moustache. He pulled his finger over the edge of Zuko's dagger- which the guards took - across the edge. "You came back for that little brat. Who would have thought that firebender scum are so sentimental?"

"What do you want from us," Zuko asked coldly.

The man looked at Zuko with a calculating, measuring gaze. "Tell me, how much do you think the Dai Li is willing to pay for the Fire Lord's son, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko had no idea. He gave the man his most intimidating scowl.

The doors of the cell were shot and bolted, leaving them trapped inside a dark, metal box with only tiny openings for air.

"Well, this is fucked up," Zuko sighed burying his head in his hands.

"You said it." Toph huffed in agreement.

As improbable as it was, things just got exponentially worse.