Korra and Tadashi travel by foot to the city of Gaoling, which lies in a valley surrounded by steep, rocky hillsides and is located near the Foggy Swamp. A large bay that features a port is located to the south side of the city. Most of the city's residents are middle to upper-class Earth Kingdom citizens.
As they near the city, Korra asks Tadashi, "So, how will we get to the Fire Nation?"
"We will travel by ship from Gaoling and cross the Mo Ce Sea to Shu Jing in the Fire Nation, then take a ferry from there to the capital." Tadashi answers her. "…what's a ferry?" She questions.
"It's smaller than a ship. Ferries are usually used to transport between waterside cities and islands, allowing direct transit between short distances." He answers her. She likes how straightforward and clear his answers are, and her mind drifts to what she knows about the Fire Nation. She recalls the stories she's heard from elders in her tribe. The Fire Nation, once the most powerful and feared nation during the Hundred Year War, is now a place of relative peace and prosperity. The nation is an archipelago, made up of many islands, each with grand architecture and towering spires. The Fire Nation is known for its advanced technology, vibrant festivals, and a rich history of powerful firebenders, and of course, its active volcanoes. Despite the nation's troubled past, Korra is aware of the great strides they've made towards reconciliation and unity with the other nations.
A sense of excitement and curiosity bubbles within her. Noticing her thoughtful expression, he asks her, "Are you excited about going to the Fire Nation?"
Korra nods, "Yeah, it always sounded like a fascinating place to me. I can't wait to see it for myself."
Tadashi smiles, "You're going to love it. There's so much to see and experience. The journey might be long, but it will be worth it."
As they continue walking, Korra asks him, "Tadashi, what is the Fire Lord like? She seemed… nice, from the letter."
He nods, "Fire Lord Izumi is wise. She's a fair ruler and always been decisive. She is known for her strong sense of justice and her efforts to maintain the peace and harmony established by her late father, Fire Lord Zuko."
"Yeah, but like, are you saying that because she's your queen or something?" She flusters him with her comment.
"N- No, no, I really do mean it. She's an amazing person. You'll see for yourself when you meet her. She's actually very excited to see you, she's been planning this for a long time." He says to Korra, who's fascinated by his comment. "Really? Why is she so intent on meeting me?" She asks him.
"I honestly couldn't tell you for sure. Maybe you should ask her. I think she'll tell you the reason before you even ask." He says to her.
"Is she a firebender?" Korra asks. Tadashi wonders when the questioning will end, is this gonna go on for the whole trip, he thinks to himself. She reminds him of his student, who shares Korra's age and eagerness.
"No, she's not," Tadashi answers, shaking his head. "She's very skilled, however. She doesn't often show off her abilities, but she has incredible swordsmanship and great control and precision. She's more focused on governance and diplomacy than fighting, though."
They soon enter Gaoling, walking through its bustling streets. It was dawn, Korra is used to the calmness of dawn back at home, a time when everyone readied themselves to call it a day, but the city is alive with the sounds of merchants calling out their wares and the chatter of citizens going about. The buildings are made of stone and stand tall and sturdy with green and gold banners and flags displaying the Earth Kingdom's insignia.
They walk past a large, imposing building made of steel and stone with a walled central courtyard. Korra reads the sign, Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy. She stares at it for a short moment and Tadashi notices. "Metalbending…" she says.
"It's a sub-skill of Earthbending. It was discovered by Toph Beifong. She's said to be the greatest earthbender in the world." Tadashi says to her.
Toph Beifong, Korra's thoughts begin to wander. "I'd love to meet her! Maybe she can teach me. Oh Tadashi, can we please meet with her."
"No one's inside Korra, look, the academy is closed for the day. I'm also not sure she's even still teaching at the academy, or even alive for that matter. Toph was friends with Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, and even taught Aang earthbending. They all died of old age; she might be too…" Tadashi says.
Korra scowls at him, "You're such a cynic Tadashi! I hope she's still alive, if she taught Aang then she must be a great teacher. Can we pleeeaaaase wait till morning?!"
Tadashi sighs, an expression he trained himself to never do, "Let's go buy our tickets first, I don't know when the ship will be leaving. We can decide then." They continue their walk, moving past the outskirts of Gaoling where large, expansive estates are painting a picture of prestige in the area. They arrive at the port and go to the ticket counter to buy their travel tickets. Tadashi shows the clerk two Fire Nation passports, one bearing the name of Korra in it. The ship will set sail in the morning, and they agree to quickly stop by the academy to see if Toph is there so Korra can meet her.
"Let's find a place to eat," Tadashi suggest. "Oh, I've got some dried fruits if you'd like!" Korra says.
"Umm you can eat those on the ship, you never know what the food is like on ships." He says to her, and they proceed to find a cozy restaurant near the port, its wooden exterior is decorated with hanging lanterns and potted plants. They take a seat by the window, allowing Korra to watch the bustling activity outside. This is all so new to her; the menu is filled with a variety of dishes that she finds unfamiliar. The place has a sort of ambiance that she found pleasant. Dishes are clinking and everyone is murmuring and conversing.
"What would you like to eat?" Tadashi asks her. "Oh… umm what would you recommend?" She asks him.
"Oh, right. Have you ever had dumplings?" He asks her. "No." She answers him.
Tadashi orders dumplings along with a bowl of steaming hot soup. The waiter places a steaming bamboo basket of dumplings on the table before them. A tantalizing aroma wafts up, a blend of ginger, garlic, and sesame oil makes her mouth water. She picks up her chopsticks clumsily. Noticing her struggle to hold them properly, he smiles and helps her, "Here, let me show you how to use those."
He gently holds his chopsticks up, demonstrating the correct grip. "First, you hold one chopstick like you would a pen, with your thumb, index, and middle finger. This one stays mostly still." Korra watches intently, mimicking his movements with her own chopsticks. She manages to position the first one correctly.
"Now, the second chopstick rests on the base of your thumb and the tip of your ring finger," Tadashi continues, "this one does the moving. You use your index and middle finger to control it." Korra tries to follow his instructions, her bows furrowing in concentration. The chopsticks feel awkward in her hands, slipping and crossing as she attempts to coordinate the movements.
"Like this?" she asks, holding up her chopsticks in a somewhat awkward position.
"Close," he says, his tone encouraging. "Here, let me adjust them a bit." He reaches over and gently repositions her fingers. "Try moving the top chopstick up and down."
Korra tries again, slowly moving the top chopstick while keeping the bottom one steady. It still feels a bit clumsy, but she manages to pick up a piece of dumpling from her bowl, "I did it!" She exclaims, a triumphant smile spreading across her face.
Tadashi chuckles. "Good job, Korra. It takes some practice, but you'll get the hang of it."
They wake up the next morning and leave the inn, heading quickly to the Academy. They again find it empty, "Maybe they haven't opened yet?" Korra says. They ask around and receive the information that the academy is closed for break after the last batch of students graduated. No one available in the streets knew of Toph also. They were given directions to the Beifong estate however, and they decide to head there; the mansion is in the outskirts on the way to the port.
Before leaving the commercial area, Korra smells a familiar scent. She glances around and spots Dhruv in his stand filled with swamp veggies, fruits, herbs and wares. They were all traded from the Foggy Swamp tribe and collected from around the swamp.
Korra runs over to him, "Dhruv!" He fumbles, "Whah… Korra?! Korra!"
"Oh Dhruv, I should've expected to see you here." She says. He has never seen her outside the swamp before, but notices Tadashi with his Fire Nation get up next to her and deduces she's going. She confirms and they both say their goodbyes to each other, but before going off, he tells her that Vek came over to his stand asking for directions to the port. Korra's expression turns happy and they quickly leave.
"Who was that, Korra?" Tadashi asks her.
"That was Dhruv, he was kinda my earthbending teacher." She answers him. "Kinda?" He asks.
She shrugs, "Well, he wasn't much of a teacher honestly, he mostly came around to trade with us and I forced him to teach me the basics and what he knows, which wasn't much really."
"I saw you earthbending when we found you and Zia, you were pretty good." He says to her, and she thanks him.
The duo arrives at the Beifong estate in a rush and knock the door loudly. A servant comes out and Korra immediately asks if Toph is here, to which he thinks she's either joking or wants to enroll in the academy. He tells her off but she begs him, "I don't wanna enroll in the school I just wanna meet Toph! Please!"
"Miss, she's not here!" The servant says. "This is the Beifong home though!" Korra says.
"Is she dead or alive?" Tadashi asks, and the veins on Korra's forehead bulge and her left eyebrow shoots UP. She swings her arm at him with lightning speed. The force of the punch sends him flying back. He coughs, "What did you do that for?"
"Whatever, let's just go." She picks him and they both run to the port.
The ship's horn sounds when they arrive at the port, signaling their imminent departure. Tadashi approaches the gangplank, but Korra scans the crowds for any sign of Vek. The port is teeming with activity. Korra's heart races as she pushes through the throng of people, her eyes darting in every direction.
"Vek! Vek!" She calls out, her voice straining to be heard above the din of the port. Tadashi urges her to hurry. Korra's hope dwindles, she hesitates, and reluctantly walks up the gangplank onto the ship, her shoulders slumped with disappointment.
She turns around, her heart leaping as she spots Vek standing atop one of the buildings, waving his arms wildly to catch her attention. She waves back frantically. He cups his hands around his mouth to amplify his voice, but she can't hear him from the ship. She feels tears welling up in her eyes, and this time she lets them flow down, not trying to fight them back.
"I promise I'll come back!" She shouts, and watches as his figure becomes smaller in the distance.