"Come on, Twinkle Toes. I'm literally just asking you to move that pebble."
"I'm trying!"
They'd been out here for goodness knows how long, trying to get Aang to earthbend. So far, he'd failed at every little task thrown his way, and he just didn't know why.
"You've got to stop thinking like an airbender! To be honest, stop thinking at all! Get out of your own mind, and face the problem head on." Toph was longing over a boulder, lying on her back and pulling an extraordinarily large booger out of her nose with her pinky.
Aang's eyebrows furrowed, determined to make one last conceited effort. He fell into his horse stance, and thrust his fist outward in a stiff movement. Drops on his forehead began to form as he squeezed and flexed, trying to just budge the earth even slightly and just trying to –
Pffffffffffff!. Aang's eyebrows widened with shock and embarrassment as he let out a disgustingly loud airbender fart. Toph instantly swung up from her seated position, her finger frozen up her nose. "Did… did you just fart from trying to move a pebble?" she said, her mouth slowly forming into a huge grin as she said it.
"…no?"
"Oh my spirits," she laughed, not bothering trying to disguise her mirth. She gripped her sides, letting out waves of high-pitched giggling that somehow seemed too childish for her tough personality. "You're such a liar!" she let out between fits. Aang thanked the world that Toph was blind for the first and last time, so that she couldn't see his mortified expression and his flushed cheeks.
After a few moments more of laughter, Toph subsided. "There's gotta be something we can do to get you bending," she thought out loud, tapping her chin.
Aang shrugged. "Well, how did you learn?"
Toph's face lit up and she snapped her fingers. "That's it! Aang, you're gonna come with me to visit my favourite people ever."
"Who? I thought your parents weren't earthbenders?"
"Not them, you dunderhead. Besides, they probably wouldn't be my favourite people anyway. I live them purely because of necessity. We're going to visit the badger moles! They live in the mountains just west of here. At least I think it's west?"
Aang gasped. "You've met badger moles before? Wild ones? How come they didn't eat you?"
She paused to consider this. "I never really thought about that before, to be honest. I ran away when I was six, and I guess that must've just understood me because they were blind, too. I learned to earthbend by copying their movements, which is how I learned to see things with earthbending."
"That's so cool!" Aang exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go find them!" Aang immediately tried to go off in a mad dash toward the mountains, before Toph reached out and grabbed a fistful of Aang's collar, holding him back
"Woah now, hot shot. We should probably head back now before we get caught. We'll go tomorrow, same time?" she asked, releasing Aang.
Aang grinned, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sounds good."
They strolled back to the house, obscured by the darkness of the early morning. They talked and talked, Aang recounting his time with the Air Nomads and Toph disclosing her origins as the Blind Bandit. "I dunno," she said, shrugging. "Heard one of the house guards talking about it. One thing led to another, and there I was, destroying fools left, right and centre and getting paid to do it."
They kept on like that until the first rays of sunlight began to poke over the horizon, just as they were no more than a hundred meters from the Beifong estate. Their voices had grown quieter, and their movements more discrete, but that didn't silence their conversation.
"Oh man, you're gonna love it when we all leave inn a few days! We're gonna get to do so much –"
Toph silenced him, raising a hand in front of him. Her brow furrowed. "'We?'"
Aang frowned. "Of course. What did you think was going to happen when I had to leave? I thought you said you'd come with us last night?"
"I agreed to train you, not go marauding around the world with you!" Toph snapped, purposefully ignoring the voice in the back of her head that wanted to do exactly that.
"But I thought –"
"Nuh-uh, Twinkle Toes. I teach you on my terms, no one else's. I already told you, my parents are here. It's not as easy for me to leave as you make it out to be."
Aang cocked his head to the side, contemplating. "Well, if you change your mind in the meantime, the offer is still open," he said half-heartedly, trying to figure out what he was going to do once he had left. With no Toph, there was no earthbending teacher for him. There was no mastering all the elements, no chance at becoming a fully-realised Avatar by Sozin's Comet. In succinct terms, he was screwed.
Fortunately, Toph somehow didn't pick up on the meaning behind his words. "Thanks," she said, slipping a smile back on her face and marching onwards ahead of a worried Aang.
; ; ;
Aang and Ren were being treated to an exquisite lunch at the Beifong estate during their search for a master. Roast turtle duck, steamed dumplings, and a generous serving of tofu for Aang, they marvelled at how the Beifongs were able to afford this much on a daily basis. They were joined by Toph and her parents, who made polite small talk while they ate.
At some point during the lunch, Aang looked over at Toph and was surprised. She wore a polite smile, ate with pristine table manners and wore fine clothing. Her hair was completely combed and her face had been dusted with a slight layer of make-up. This was certainly a contrast to Toph's vibrant green clothes she wore while fighting and training, and her boyish attitude and demeanour during those. Aang was shocked at how much her current appearance… wasn't her.
She could argue it all day long, but she wasn't the only one who could spot a lie. Aang could tell she hated it here. Something was holding her back, he just didn't know what.
He glanced up to the head of the table where Lao sat straight, pinching a dumpling in a pair of chopsticks crusted with gold leaf. He wondered if her father had any true idea as to Toph's prowess as an earthbender. Her father had mentioned briefly the day earlier that Toph was being trained by Yu, the guy whose school they had visited.
"So, tell me Lao," Aang started, ignoring the curious look from Ren, "is Yu a good teacher?" He saw Toph stiffen slightly in the corner of his eye.
Lao beamed. "Why, I'm told he's the best in the city! After all, I wouldn't have paid him to teach Toph for the past few years if he wasn't," he chuckled.
Aang hummed, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his palm, trying his best to stop the devilish smile from spreading across his face. "Is that so? Why then, Toph must be a master by now!" He glanced over to Toph, who was gripping her chopsticks so tightly her knuckles were white. Her jaw clenched.
Lao shook his head sadly, wholly oblivious to his daughter's reaction to the comment. "Unfortunately not. My daughter is much too fragile and weak. Yu is just teaching her the basics for now."
Aang frowned slightly. Weak and fragile were certainly not what he'd use to describe Toph. "I'm sure she's a much better earthbender than you thi-"
Aang's chair was shoved out from under him and he fell to the floor with a yelp. Looking around, he couldn't see anything that might have pushed him, save for… the rock sticking out of the ground. That was clearly Toph's handiwork. Almost as soon as he had spotted it, the spike retracted back into the floor, leaving no trace. "Are you alright, Avatar?" Poppy asked from the other side of the table, standing up slightly in her seat.
"Yeah, I'm alright," he said, sitting back in his chair and wriggling it forwards towards the table.
"What happened?" Ren inquired, eyebrow raised. "Maybe we need to get our furniture looked at again."
"I just slipped out of my chair, that's all," Aang lied smoothly. He took one more glance over at Toph and, after seeing her discrete death glare, he decided not to press the issue further, quickly returning the subject of discussion back to what it was before he mentioned earthbending.
Before he looked away however, he saw a mix of emotions flash across Toph's face for only a moment. A mix of hurt, annoyance, satisfaction, and… longing? Aang wasn't really sure, and he could hardly ask to find out.
He stayed quiet for the rest of lunch, not trusting himself to say something dumb again and piss off Toph more.
; ; ;
The next morning they made their way out to the mountains outside Gaoling, Toph speedinng the two along on a large wave of churning earth. Aang pointedly chose not to discuss the topic of his imminent departure or their discussion from yesterday at lunch, as he was now full aware of the negative reception it would receive from Toph. Instead, he discussed his 'efforts' to find an earthbending teacher in Gaoling.
In reality, he and Ren had just spent the day training while they had the chance. Aang was quickly progressing through his waterbending forms and was now almost at a point where he could keep up with Ren in sparring. He spent a bit of time working with earthbending and proclaimed dismally that after an hour of strenuous focusing, he had only managed to move a pebble half a metre.
"Baby steps, Twinkle Toes," Toph chided, "Baby steps. You can't expect yourself to get it straight away. It's against your nature as an Air Nomad, isn't it? You're all about going with the flow and avoiding conflict."
Aang nodded. "Yeah, and this is all about standing my ground. It feels really unfamiliar still, but I'll get it eventually. I have to."
Silence ensued. Then: "I told Ren that I'm training you."
"Yeah? What'd he say?"
"Same sorta stuff as you." Aang knew she must've meant Ren asked her to travel with them. "Seems like a cool guy."
"Yeah, he's the best."
After a few minutes more of travelling and conversation about Aang's travels, they reached the mountain range. Toph had led them to a massive tunnel in its side, clearly carved by something enormous. The edges of the cave were rough and coarse, with large spikes and blankets of earth jutting out of the walls.
Aang couldn't help but feel slightly on edge when wandering into the cave with Toph. Already it was dark outside, but the cave seemed to swallow what shreds of moonlight had made their way to the ground. It was pitch black inside and despite the fact that Toph felt completely at ease here, he couldn't help but be a bit on edge.
"It's so dark in here," he chuckled nervously. "I can hardly see a thing!"
"How awful is that?" Toph deadpanned, walking onwards. "Can't imagine what that's like."
Aang smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." Toph, sensing his uneasiness, sighed.
"Look, if you're gonna be a baby about it," she said, reaching into her robes, "these might help." She pulled out two long wicker candles and a pair of strike-anywhere matches. "Figured you'd get a bit wimpy, so…"
Aang graciously accepted the gifts, and was about to light the first match before Toph stopped him. "You might have a bit of a surprise when you light the first one there," she said. Aang was sure that if he could have seen, she'd be grinning.
Bracing himself, he lit the candle and its warm orange light bathed the inside of the cave, revealing the small insects scurrying across the floor, the rocky walls, and… a massive badger mole standing no more than ten metres away.
Aang yelped and covered his face with his hand, peering through his fingers to better see the animal. It was surprisingly docile, and was watching the pair intently with a pair of beady grey eyes. He had seen these creatures mopping up the arena at Earth Rumble VI, but he had never imagined them to be so large. Toph raised a finger to her lips.
"Shh! Don't surprise it like that! You're lucky we found a calm one, not one of the ones out near Omashu!" She shivered. "I hear those guys can get quite hungry."
"Well, let's hope this one isn't." Aang gulped and withdrew his hand, trying to stand tall in the face of the animal.
"Don't back away from it, Twinkle Toes. Stand your ground." Toph whispered, standing beside him. She gave him an awkward pat on the shoulder in an attempt at calming him.
The badger mole lumbered forwards, its massive paws sliding across the ground in fluid movements. It edged its beady snout towards Aang, and started sniffing him. Aang stood firm, remembering back to his encounter with Hei Bai, the panda spirit, all that time ago. He had been brave to stand in front of the enraged beast, trying valiantly to calm it with his words. He had to draw from the same courage now.
The mole kept sniffing, brushing its snout up against Aang's robes. Yet Aang remained steadfast and unflinching, gripping the candle tight. Every instinct he had gained from the Air Nomads was telling him to run away from the badger mole and never look back, but strangely he pushed them aside.
After a few moments more, the badger mole ceased its inspection and turned away from him, clumsily turning around in the tunnel and strutting back down the tunnel from whence it came. Toph started to go after it, and beckoned Aang to follow.
"Good stuff, Twinkle Toes," she said. "Follow me and watch what it does. I might not be able to teach you how to start earthbending, but this guy sure can."
; ; ;
It was at least three in the morning when Lao woke up from a nightmare, sweating in his bed. He had dreamt of a burglary of the property gone awry, and his daughter had accidentally stumbled across the men. He had been forced to watch as she was murdered right in front of him, pleading for the men to stop, telling them that she was blind. But that hadn't stopped them from beating her senseless and slitting her throat while Lao could do nothing but look on helplessly, his legs unable to move.
It had been so uncannily vivid that he found it hard to believe it was just a dream. Somehow, he had to prove that it wasn't real.
He crawled out of his king-sized bed, careful not to wake Poppy, who was sleeping soundly to the side. He pulled on a pair of slippers and tied a robe around himself so as to protect himself from the viciously cold night time air. On his way out he grabbed a lantern and, after lighting it with a match, began to walk down the hallway to his daughter's room. He yearned to hear Toph's unruly snoring tonight. So often he had scolded her for it because it was unladylike but right now he wanted nothing more.
It was strange seeing the halls so devoid of life. He rarely got up this early, and the absence of his servants scuttling around the house only worked to strengthen his fears. If there had indeed been a burglary, it would make sense that all the workers had gone.
Lao kept one hand along the wall to steady himself as he walked, trying to ignore the thumping in his chest. He arrived at the doorway to Toph's room, and took a quick look inside. The candlelight made it hard to see the details, but sure enough, there was a Toph-sized lump underneath the bedsheets. He let out a sigh of relief, his uneasiness washing away.
"Toph, sweetie?" he whispered. "Are you awake?" It made no sense to be asking that to a sleeping child; if anything, it was more to himself. He was probably still half asleep as well.
No response. Satisfied, Lao smiled and walked back down the hall to his bedroom.
He was about to crawl back into bed when it really hit him: No response. He couldn't hear her snoring.
Terrified, he ran back down towards Toph's room. He dropped the candle, letting out a loud crash as the glass cracked on the floor. A small shard leapt up from the impact and embedded itself in the back of his calf, but he didn't care or notice.
He came to the doorway and his ears didn't deceive him this time: there was no snoring. No sound at all. Not even the slightest echo of the intake of breath.
Lao leapt to her bedside, and gingerly touched the bedsheets. From down the hall he could hear mumbling, the drop of the lantern probably having woken someone up. He paid them no heed, and began to slowly pull back the covers. "Toph, sweetie? It's Papa here-"
He gasped as he drew the sheets back to reveal three pillows, stacked beside each other down the length of the bed. His eyes frantically searched the mattress but after a glance, it was clear Toph wasn't there. He turned deathly pale.
"Lao, honey? What's wrong?" Poppy said sleepily from the doorway, rubbing her eyes. "I heard you drop the lantern and I came as fast as I could. What's wrong?"
He didn't want to turn back to her, didn't want to read the disappointment and terror surely etched across his features. But he did, and he couldn't stop the next three words from stumbling out of his mouth.
"Toph is gone."
; ; ;
Aang didn't like to toot his own horn very much, but after hours of watching the badger mole's movements and familiarity with the earth, he had figured out how to earthbend. He was three-quarters of the way to learning the elements now.
"No way!" he exclaimed, as he stiffly raised a fist and punched outwards, bringing a boulder out of the floor and sending it flying towards the wall of the cave. "I'm an earthbender!"
Toph stood there, arms crossed, nodding. "Yeah you are, Twinkle Toes. You picked that up faster than anyone I've ever heard of. It took me a whole two days of running away to these guys to figure it out. Congrats to you."
Aang grinned, turning to Toph. "It's all thanks to you, Toph. I couldn't have done it without you."
Toph laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm pretty great."
Just as she said that, the last candle Aang had been using for light snuffed out. Strangely enough though, the cave wasn't pitch black anymore. Aang's stomach plummeted.
Toph, clearly not able to notice, carried on. "I guess we can start your training for real now. You gotta have the right mindset for earthbending, so-"
"I don't think we have time for that. Look!" he exclaimed, pointing to the mouth of the cave. Toph rolled her eyes before pointing to her face.
"Blind, remember?"
"Sorry. But we have to go! I think it's daytime again!"
Toph's face paled. "My parents will kill me if they notice I'm missing. We'll start your training later. Come on, we gotta go now." Toph grabbed Aang by the collar and practically dragged him along with her as she sped out of the tunnel on another earthen wave.
When they reached the outside world again, Aang groaned. "It's past sunrise. No way someone hasn't noticed us yet!"
Toph shushed him, face scrunched in concentration. "Don't bet on it. There's still a chance they haven't realised we're gone." Her tone of voice betrayed her. This was the first time he had Toph ever sound doubtful or fearful, as if dreading the reaction from her parents.
They pelted through the mountain range at full speed, Aang giving directions as they went. As tired as he should have been, he was filled with adrenaline from the tension. They made it back to the outer wall of the Beifong property no sooner than thirty minutes after leaving the cave.
The two stood with their back to the wall. Aang leaped up to the top of it, sneakily scanning around for anyone on the lookout, while Toph used her seismic sense to double-check the places where Aang couldn't see. Strangely enough, though, there was no one out on the property, a very different sight from the expected one of servants milling about. He should've paid more heed to that fact, in hindsight.
"The coast is clear!" he whispered, not taking his eyes off the gardens. A moment later, Toph lifted herself up and over the wall with a column of earth and fell onto the grass, closely followed by a graceful landing from Aang. They quietly sprinted across the yard and kept a wary lookout for any onlookers, but none appeared.
They dashed up to the main door, which was left ajar. Strange, Toph thought, my parents would never allow the cold air to get in like this. They'd always tell someone to close the door.
She turned her head in what she thought was Aang's direction. "Okay, as soon as we go inside, we do not talk. We do not make a single sound. We go back to our bedrooms, and pretend to be sleeping. It's fine." Aang nodded uncertainly.
"If you say so."
But before they could make a move, they heard someone cry out from behind them. "Oh, Toph! Thank goodness!" Toph flinched at the sound of her father's voice, and slowly turned around. She frowned.
Poppy surged forwards across the grass, her arms outstretched. She was closely followed by Lao, who walked with a bandaged leg and a pair of crutches. They were accompanied by a procession of weary-looking workers who shot Aang a dirty look as they all dispersed to go back to their normal roles.
"Oh, my baby! My sweet, precious, little baby!" Poppy cried as she pulled Toph into a loving embrace. Toph chose not to return it. Poppy took a step back and held onto Toph's shoulders, looking her up and down. "You aren't hurt are you, sweetie? And where did you get these clothes you're wearing? What happened to the dresses we've bought you?"
Toph didn't answer any of the questions, opting instead to stand there silently with her lips pursed. She turned her head to Aang again and gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but seemed much more like an upside-down grimace. Poppy noticed the look and turned her stare to Aang.
"How dare you take our daughter in the middle of the night?!" she hissed, shooting a hateful glare at him. "What did you do to her?"
Toph tried to interrupt. "Mother, relax, we were just-"
"Oh spirits, please tell me you didn't take her outside the walls! That's much too dangerous for her."
By this point, Lao had made his way over. He staggered up the stairs and came right up into Aang's face. "I am disappointed, Avatar. I believed you were above kidnapping."
"But sir, I didn't kidnap-" Aang tried to argue, but was interrupted by Lao.
"Do not lie to me, Avatar!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ren leaning against the stable wall, absent-mindedly stroking Appa's fur. Ren was looking at him with a disappointed expression.
"Sir please, if you would just let me explain. I didn't kidnap her, all we did was some earthbending. She's really good!" Aang pleaded, turning to focus on Lao.
Lao laughed. "She's still a beginner! Where would you get the ridiculous notion that our girl is a master? She is blind, defenceless, and helpless!" Toph clenched her jaw, but continued to say nothing.
"She's the greatest earthbender I've ever seen!" he challenged.
"That is enough. I've heard enough from you for today." Lao turned away, leaving a gobsmacked Aang. "You there!" he said, pointing to one of the servants with his crutch. "Take Toph up to her room and keep an eye on her. We'll be discussing this matter young lady, but there will be extreme consequences. You've had far too much freedom."
Toph was still silent when the servant came up to her and directed her with a hand on her back. Only when she was about to enter the house did she stop and turn back. "I'm sorry, Aang," she said, her voice sounding strained.
"I'm sorry too," was all he could reply with. He just wasn't sure what else he could have said. By this point Ren had left his position by the stables and had begun walking up to the confrontation.
"As for you, young Avatar," Lao began, turning back to Aang, "You have disgraced yourself in the eyes of this household. You are no longer welcome here. Please have your things packed as soon as possible and leave." His words hurt Aang like a dagger to the heart. It reminded him so much of that fisherman that fateful day during the storm, when Aang had finally confessed about the gravity of his mistakes.
"But, I-"
"Silence. Count yourself lucky I didn't hand you over to the authorities for this." And with that, he curtly turned on his good leg and hobbled into the house, slamming the door behind him.
Aang felt utterly miserable. He hung his head in shame and began to cry when a familiar hand grasped his shoulder, and he looked up to see Ren. The two didn't say anything for a while, just standing there as Aang quietly cried and Ren awkwardly tried to comfort him.
"Lao woke up early in the morning because of a nightmare," Ren recounted, breaking the silence. "Said that he looked for Toph in her bed but she was gone. He sent the whole house into a frenzy and got everyone out looking for her."
Aang nodded, sniffling. "Sorry."
Ren frowned and patted Aang's head. "All good. But it sounds like we'll need to get moving soon. Let's go get our stuff, yeah?"
Aang sighed, wiping his face with his sleeve. "Alright."
; ; ;
Aang was out sulking next to Appa, leaving Ren with the task of packing their things from their room. There wasn't much, just Ren's scrolls for teaching waterbending and their sack of gold from Earth Rumble VI, so it didn't take long. But Ren, still being slightly in favour with the Beifong parents, had managed to get hold of a quill and parchment, writing a letter to Pakku and Arnook in the North.
Addressed to Pakku, Grand Master of the Northern Water Tribe and Arnook, Chief of the Northern Water Tribe
Dear Pakku and Arnook,
Now that we've found a bit of a lull in our journey, I thought it best to write to you and give a bit of an update.
Aang and I are getting along a lot better. I told him of our tribe's… history with Usama and he told me about the nature of his disappearance from the world 100 years ago. They were quite similar stories, actually. He felt his masters had betrayed him by wanting to separate him from his father figure Gyatso, kind of like how we were betrayed by my father. I still hold burgeoning fears that one day, along our journey, I will confront him. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.
Regardless, Aang's a good kid. It's been hard, but he's finally beginning to feel like a bit less of a pupil and more like a brother of sorts. I can't imagine being separated from him now.
I do have some news, however. Aang told me more about the two Water Tribe siblings he was travelling with before he came to us. Apparently they were from the South, and that they are struggling. Years of Fire Nation raids have left their once-great city in a state of disarray, no apparently no larger than a campsite. I urge you to try and reconnect with our sister tribe. I believe that in this time of war, our brothers and sisters from the south need our help inn rebuilding, and urge you two to consider sending help down there.
In terms of Aang's training, he is going magnificently in waterbending. Dare I say it, he is even better already than I was at his age. He clearly has a knack for it. Pakku, we were not able to convince King Bumi to tutor Aang. He was adamant about staying to defend Omashu, and that he wasn't right for Aang.
Which leads me to now. We finally found someone to teach Aang earthbending, a blind girl no older than he is who, I must say, is better than anyone I've ever seen, but she's unable to leave because of her parents. I can tell she wants to leave but she's been growing up in such a strict household, I don't know if she can bring herself to do it. It couldn't come at a worse time, just as Aang finally figured out how to earthbend. Yet another problem we will have to figure out.
Arnook, Pakku, I miss you both so much. I hope the tribe is recovering well after the Fire Nation attack and that you have recovered from Yue's death. I have found it hard, but Aang's helped me a great deal in that regard.
Sincerely,
Ren
Satisfied with his letter, he rolled it up, tied it with a piece of string and slotted it into his bag. Taking one last glance around the room, everything had been packed up. He had neatly made their beds and had left a small note on the bedside table thanking the Beifongs and the staff for the hospitality.
He walked down the hallway of the house, heading towards the front entrance, when he heard a quiet sniffle from one of the rooms. He backtracked, walking back down the hall until he reached Toph's room.
Peering inside, Ren saw the twelve year old. She sat on her bed, feet dangling off the side. Her head was hung low and was crying slightly. Despite Ren's annoyance at the girl's attitude, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the girl.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked, stepping into the room. Toph's head immediately jerked up and she wiped her face with the sleeve of her yellow and green tunic, trying to mask the fact that she'd been upset.
"Fine," she responded curtly, putting on a tough expression. "What do you want?"
Ren sighed. "Look, I know it's probably not my place to say it, but I'm sorry for what happened. I should have kept better watch of you and Aang."
Her face softened slightly. "Thanks," she responded with a small smile.
"You know the offer still stands, right? The one Aang gave you?"
"Huh?"
"You can still come with us," he said. "I can tell you're not happy here, and I doubt Aang's gonna find a better earthbending teacher anywhere else."
"I gotta think about it."
Ren shook his head. "No time. I'm giving this letter to your parents so they can deliver it for me, and then we're leaving. We probably won't be back again. This is your last chance."
Toph was silent, mulling over the question. She knew very well what she wanted to do, she just didn't know if she could bring herself to do it just yet. "I…" she began, struggling to make words work, but gave up. "I need time to figure it out."
"You don't have time. We're leaving in a couple of minutes. Either you're with us or you're not. Choose wisely." And with that, Ren dawdled out of the room, and back down the corridor. Toph could hear the echo of his footsteps down the hall.
Toph threw up the options in her mind. Does she stay, and live the life of her parent's sweet, innocent, blind daughter and be showered in gifts and luxury? Or does she go and experience the world, but potentially sever any chance of a normal relationship with her parents?
It was when she heard the door slam from the front of the house that she finally decided.
; ; ;
The last of their things had been stored on Appa and the duo were about to leave. Lao had begrudgingly chosen to give them some food supplies, to which Ren had graciously accepted and thanked him for.
"It is my pleasure, Ren," Lao said. "I wish you well in your travels. As for your companion," he threw a dirty look at Aang, "make sure he ends the war."
"Of course, sir," Ren replied, bowing deeply and plastering a fake smile on his face. He climbed onto Appa and hopped in the saddle behind Aang, who was sat on Appa's furry neck holding the reins, with a downcast expression.
Ren placed a tentative hand on Aang's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. We'll find you a new earthbending teacher."
Aang sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."
Ren waved goodbye to the Beifong parents as Aang shook himself out of his reverie and gripped tighter on the reins. "Appa, yip yi-"
"WAIT!"
Aang swiftly turned his head towards the double doors of the main house as Toph came sprinting out. "Don't leave without me!" she yelled.
Aang was gobsmacked at the change of heart, but not nearly as much as her parents were. They blocked her path as she reached the flying bison. "Young lady, what exactly are you doing out of your room?" Poppy demanded.
Toph shrugged. "Leaving," she said nonchalantly. Poppy scoffed.
"Toph Beifong, return to your room this instant!"
Toph stood up as tall as she could, and puffed out her chest. "No."
Lao was fuming as he reached out to point at her with his free hand. "You are staying right here!" he yelled, a touch of desperation creeping into his voice.
Toph scowled, indignantly replying, "Make me."
Poppy reached out to grab her by the shoulder, but Toph was faster. She turned her foot on the ground and the earth beneath Lao and Poppy's feet abruptly moved to the side, shifting them out of the way and making them lose balance. Poppy yelped as Lao fell to the floor, unstable on his crutch.
Satisfied that her parents were no longer a problem, she strolled forwards to Appa. Aang's mouth was opening and closing in shock, whereas Ren just watched on with a smug smile. "I see you made up your mind?" he asked.
Toph grinned, bending a stalagmite of earth and launching herself up into the saddle. "I kinda had to. Besides," she pointed with her thumb over towards where she thought Aang was, "someone's gotta teach Twinkle Toes here how to be an earthbender."
By that point, Poppy had helped her husband back to her feet. "Why, Toph?" he asked from beneath her. "We give you everything you could possibly ask for. You love it here. Why do you want to leave?"
Toph turned around in the saddle, her face red. "I hate it here! I'm never allowed to do anything! You hole me up in here as if I'm some sort of prisoner!"
"Please, Toph. We love you! Don't go!"
She turned her face away so that her parents wouldn't see her frown. "I know it's hard for you to see me this way. But the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender, and I'm really good at it! You have to let me be my own person, Dad. I'm not going to pretend anymore to be something I'm not." She beckoned towards Ren and Aang. "I'm going with these two whether you like it or not. The only thing you have to decide is whether or not you're going to accept that this is who I am."
Lao and Poppy both looked desperate. Both seemed resigned to the fate that they would lose their daughter. "You belong here with us, Toph," Lao lamented. "We'll never stop trying to bring you home."
Toph's face darkened, angered by their response. The least they could have done was tell her that they loved her, but now she only felt less remorse about leaving. "You can try." She turned around and slumped down into the saddle and nodded to Ren and Aang.
Aang was smart enough to realise that was their cue to leave. "Appa, yip yip!" The mighty bison rose into the air and began to fly into the western skies, leaving behind two grief stricken parents to wallow in their mistakes.
; ; ;
Two-parter done! I did kinda like the bit where Aang went to visit the badger moles with Toph. Of course, he did technically see them in the Cave of Two Lovers but he didn't have much involvement with them as he was with Katara, and he wasn't exactly thinking about learning earthbending at the time. Plus, I think Toph's influence and knowledgeability about the animals would've helped too.
I also like the way I presented Toph's parents in this. Within the comics, specifically The Rift, we see that despite Lao and Poppy's misunderstanding of Toph, they do still care for her a lot. I thought it would be good to show off their more loving parental nature rather than the strictness we were shown in the cartoon.
It will most likely be a few weeks until I update the story again. I've got my trial HSC coming up next week (Australian high school final exams) and I need to start focusing on that. After that, I promise I will get Chapter 13 out as fast as possible.
And as always, leave a review!