The three girls took a train to the upper district of the city then walked through the neighborhood to the Beifong Estate. It was a colossal structure that Toph created herself entirely out of stone then hired architects to do the decor. Inside almost all of the furniture was either metal or wood with a couple of fabric cushions, mattresses, and curtains. To any outsider, the mansion looked no different from the prison that the chief of Police locked away thieves and murderers, but to the Chief and her two young girls, it was home.
"You guys might want to leave me here. I don't usually hang out with you so my mom might think something's up!" Lin said stopping Kya and Izumi from coming closer to the stone house."
"But she won't be able to see us, right?"
"I don't think so. It seems like her sight is only improving with age. She can detect me coming a mile away; it is scary," Lin replied.
"In that case, she has probably already seen us," Izumi shrugged in defeat.
"Well unless you feel like talking to my mother, I suggest you leave," Lin informed them dryly.
"Alright. Well have a great night, Linny," Kya waved.
"Don't forget training in the morning!" Izumi reminded her.
"I won't!"
Lin launched herself onto the side of her house and bent her feet into the stone them metalbent her window open by the frame, jumping directly from the window to her bed, diving under the colors in one smooth light motion. She pulled her covers down under her chin and just about closed her eyes when the light switched on without anyone touching it. She whipped her head around to find her mother sitting on an earthen stool in the corner across the room.
"Evening, Linny! Beautiful night isn't it?"
"How would you know? You can't see it!" Lin replied wanting nothing else than to just sleep after such an eventful evening with two teenagers with whom she never before really enjoyed spending time.
"Lin, where were you tonight?"
"With Tenzin! We went flying around the ruins of Taku like we always do on Friday nights,"
"That's odd, because when I was over at tea with Katara, Tenzin was cooking fruit cakes with Aang," Toph replied.
Lin winced.
Toph stood up and slowly walked over to her eldest daughter's bed. "I may not be able to feel your heartbeat through that mattress, but I still know when you're lying to me," Toph said sternly.
"How?" Lin asked as her mother sat down on the blankets.
"I know you," Toph explained placing a hand over her girl's, not looking in her direction since her eyes were useless. "So spit it out. Where'd you go?"
"You don't usually care about my late night outings," Lin replied reluctant to divulge any details of her most recent exploits.
"Yes, well you're getting older and this is unusual. I just want to make sure you're not running away from me," Toph chuckled. "Not yet, at least."
Lin laughed. "Alright, I'll tell you. I went to an underground fighting ring!" Lin answered excitedly. As long as she doesn't know about Kya and Izumi, it's okay right She won't tell Uncle Zuko or Uncle Aang?
But her mom frowned. "To watch or participate?" Toph asked quietly, her expression difficult to read.
"Participate," Lin replied cautiously pulling her hand away, but Toph's fingers locked around her bony little girl wrist.
"Did you win?" Toph asked with the most serious tone of voice.
"Yes," Lin answered apprehensively.
Toph thought about it for a few tense moments relaxing her grip on Lin again and smiling. "That's my girl! So what is the Republic City underground Earthbending Scene like?"
"Rather, unchallenging," Lin replied with a giggle as Toph took both her hands and leaned over to kiss the top of Lin's head.
"Remind me to take you to Earth Rumble in Gaoling sometime. You'd have fun beating up the old geezers who foolishly listen to their muscles and neglect the earth!" Toph said squeezing her daughter's hands.
Lin laughed.
"And it is not just earthbenders, Mom! We get to fight firebenders and waterbenders too! And we get paid for winning!"
"As it should be!" Toph said firmly. "Now I'm sure you've had enough excitement between your first underground match that I am aware of, and this little interrogation."
Lin giggled.
"Get some rest, my little badgermole."
"Goodnight, Mom!"
"Goodnight, Linny. And remember, I will know if you sneak out again! I'm always watching!" Toph said winking at the girl before flicking the lamp switch off from the doorway with her metalbending.
Lin smiled and closed her eyes and went to sleep.
"SEE? I TOLD YOU SHE WAS MY DAUGHTER!" Toph bragged to Katara the next morning, kicking her feet up on the table at Air Temple Island while five year old Suyin was left to play with Kya and Bumi.
"Did anyone ever doubt it?" Katara asked rolling her eyes while she poured tea for herself, Aang, and Toph.
Aang laughed, wrapping an arm around his wife, kissing her head affectionately.
"Knock knock!" someone called from the living room.
"Fire Lord Zuko! To what do we owe the honor of your presence?" Kya asked jumping up from the rug in the living room where Suyin was showing Kya and Bumi her latest creation.
"Please accept this offering to put to whatever use you see fit!" Bumi exclaimed picking up Suyin thrusting her at the Fire Lord and the Fire Lady Mai.
"I could have you arrested for child trafficking. Trying to give my five year old daughter to the Fire Lord!" Toph muttered swatting Bumi over the head.
"Toph, please don't discipline my children for me," Katara asked.
"If you disciplined them in the first place they wouldn't act this way," Toph replied.
"Oh REALLY?! Says the one who's eleven year old daughter fights in some mysterious underground ring!" Katara replied.
Bumi shot a look at Kya.
"And I found out which one! Guys, we're going to watch Pro-Bending!" Toph exclaimed with one fist in the air.
"Is that what this is about?" Mai asked with an almost smile.
"I thought the minimum age limit for Pro-bending was 16," Zuko replied scowling.
"Eh, age is just a number. As long as she is winning, I'll support it. It will be good practice for her, and she'll get to fight more than just earth and metalbenders, for once," Toph shrugged.
"Kya, Bumi, would you like to come see Lin fight in Pro-Bending?"
"Uhhh I actually just remembered, I have an appointment with Izumi on friday. We're going to do karaoke and we've had it planned for ages! I'm sure Lin will understand,"
"Oh Lin doesn't know we're coming! It will be a surprise!" Toph replied with a wicked grin.
Katara giggled and Mai smiled while both Zuko and Aang sighed in disapproval.
"How did you find out it is pro-bending that she is competing in?" Aang asked the next day at City Hall.
"Twinkletoes, really? I have the entire police force under my thumb AND the triads have been quiet so, I set a pair of detectives on little Linny."
"You know, if she finds out, she'll never trust you again."
"Eh, she'll come around."
"How is this any different than when your parents had you guarded twenty-four-seven when you were twelve? You hated it!"
"Because they wanted me to stop fighting and be something I'm not. I want Lin to be safe, so I have her followed. What's the big deal? If any thing happens to her, I would never forgive myself. She still gets to do whatever she wants and have all the freedom in the world!" Toph replied bending the earth beneath her feet so she stood at the same level as the avatar, poking him in the chest before lowering herself again and walking off with the clanking of her metal armor echoing down the hall as she walked back towards the police station.
Not long after sitting down again, Toph's thoughts were interrupted by one of the subordinates assigned to watch her older daughter from afar.
"What is it now, Long?!" Toph yelled.
"We believe we've made a discovery in your daughter's pro-bending case that you might be interested in,"
"Ugh, fire away." Toph grumbled leaning back in her desk chair, kicking her feet up and folding her arms.
"As you know, pro-bending is advertised as a team event in which a water, fire and earth bender work together to defeat an opposing team of the same makeup..."
"Yes?"
"And we believe her team mates may be the Fire Lord and the Avatar's daughters."
Toph's face scrunched up in scrutiny.
"Shall we alert the Fire Lord and/or the Avatar?" Long asked after a moment of silence.
"No. I'll let them find out on their own. And I will be there when it happens," Toph replied firmly. "And burn all of the collected documents. I don't want anyone outside us three to know about the girls' little pro-bending adventure for the time being,"... just in case they lose. Toph ordered.
"Yes, Chief!" Long saluted and bowed then marched out of her office.
Toph let down her steel walls once he was gone and the door closed and laughed madly. "Oh Twinkle Toes and Sparky are going to get a load of this!" she said wiping tears of amusement from her eyes.
10:30AM.
"You're late!" Kya said with her arms folded, already suited up in her training clothes as Little Lin trudged in with her new duffel.
"Sorry! Master Xijong was drilling me at the Academy and wouldn't let me leave until I had the form perfected! I left during the 10-minute waterbreak as soon as I could!" Lin replied dropping her bag down and taking a minute to breathe.
"Your mom knows!" Izumi blurted out.
"What do you mean?" Lin asked defensively.
"Don't play ignorant! I was there this morning, just two hours ago, she was bragging to my mom about how you were no doubt her daughter AND invited my parents AND Zumi's to come watch Friday night's match!" Kya yelled.
"WHAT? Why would she do that?!" Lin asked shocked. Her mother never went out with friends, no matter how far back they went. The Afternoon or evening teas with Katara were often at Katara's request whenever she became concerned that Lin or Su might be neglected.
"Because you are her pride and joy and I am sure she loves watching you kick ass just as much as you enjoy doing the ass kicking!" Izumi replied.
"What did you tell her?!" Kya demanded.
"I just told her I fought in an underground ring! I didn't tell her it was pro-bending. It could have been the earth Ring or the Earthen Fire Ring or the Quaking Lava ring or the Eroding Stone Ring!" Lin explained.
"But you didn't specify did you?"
"No," Lin sighed.
"Ugh! I knew we shouldn't have invited a CHILD onto our team!" Kya exclaimed.
"Liar! You were nearly jumping up and down when I suggested Lin!" Izumi replied.
"Shut up you two, someone's coming!" Lin yelled feeling the footsteps a hundred feet down the hall with her seismic sense.
"Great, you're all here, I got your pay for last night's game!" the manager said putting a stack of paper notes into Izumi's hand. "But before you go, there is the fee for the new girl's uniform, and the cost of gym time, aaand..."
"I know that is enough, Sir." Izumi said whipping her hand away, putting the pile of cash into Kya's hand behind her. "I know exactly what the fees are for participating in this sport, how much each fee is, and when I am being cheated."
"Listen here little girl! If you want to-"
"If YOU want to be out of the job, I suggest you leave us alone."
"You can't-"
"Maybe you'd rather be charred alive then," Izumi said lifting a hand in blue fire.
The man nearly jumped out of his trousers as he fled and Izumi and Kya laughed.
"What was all that about?" Lin asked taking off her shirt and pulling her uniform out of her duffel.
"He thinks he can scam us. He doesn't realize I payed for the construction of this place," Izumi replied.
"YOU?!" Lin asked sitting on the bench, shocked.
"Well, my mom gave me the money. That being said, I don't mind messing around with the bullies because I know the game makers will never really kick me out of the game," Izumi replied.
"But our wins are legit right?" Lin asked wondering if the judges had been payed off.
"Yes, we will never cheat. And the judges don't even know who I am. Only the game maker."
"Wait, but aren't we cheating since I am underage?"
"Age is just a number. If I were a twenty year old experienced fighter from Makapu can't defeat a child in a game, I would be extremely ashamed of myself," Izumi replied.
"Hmph."
"So what are we going to do about Friday?" Kya asked. "About our parents."
There is only one thing we can do," Izumi shrugged.
"Which is..." Lin asked pausing with her uniform shirt up her arms, but not yet over her head.
"Prove to them that this investment was not a waste," Izumi answered. "And win."
Toph originally told everyone to wear disguises when they went to to the pro-bending match, but at the last minute decided to forgo that plan and just wear her uniform.
"I thought we didn't want to be noticed!" Aang said arriving in Fire Nation Garbs with a headband over his arrow and a hat on his head.
"Eh, I thought it might be fun to rustle them up a little after, if you know what I mean," Toph said punching the Avatar in the arm playfully.
"Have you told Lin that we're coming?" Katara asked.
"Of course not, but I am pretty sure she knows already. I don't know how, but she's been awfully quiet lately and has been avoiding me for some reason." Toph replied.
"Maybe she just needs to 'get in the zone'," Katara suggested.
"Nah. That kid's always ready for a good fight. I don't know what is going through her head," Toph replied. "Twinkletoes, do you ever use your feet how I taught you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have you noticed anything irregular about any of your childrens' heartbeats?" Toph asked.
"Uhhhhh... no?"
"Is something wrong with any of our children?" Katara asked with genuine concern.
"Not yet, I don't think." Toph replied with a smirk walking towards the underground stadium entrance her officers' told her about.
"I already don't like this." Zuko said putting an arm around his wife as they took their seats.
"Are you sure we should be sitting in the front row?" Aang asked the Chief of Police of Republic City nervously.
"Any higher up and my feet won't be able to see anything!" Toph replied.
"I could always tell your feet whatever happens," Katara replied.
"Eh. I'd rather not have to hear your voice the whole time," Toph said sitting with her arms behind her head and a smug expression on her face waiting how long it would take her friends to recognize their daughters on the stage alongside hers.
"I mean won't anyone notice who we are?" the Avatar asked.
"As long as you keep your headband and hat on, and Sparky keeps his good up, nobody will approach us. Trust me; to the average citizen, seeing me is a bad thing," Toph said with a dismissive wave of the hand leaning back in her seat with one leg crossed over the other confidently.
Hi peeps! Here's the third chapter! I hope you like it. I've made some fan art for the show and posted it on second-gen-gaang.tumblr if you want to see. There's one of the Flaming Moon Badgers after a win, a sketch and a sketch/watercolor picture of them fighting, and soon there will be one of their parents' reactions watching the match. Those who follow my IG @linzin_ftw may have already seen my shitty fan art. Anyways, happy reading!
Please leave comments and criticism in the reviews. Let me know who's I am doing and what I can do to improve(please! I know there's a lot). Also let me know if there's something in particular you want to see in this story, or else I will just continue to write blindly!