Chapter 3. Blind Bandit.
As Azula predicted, everyone around the Mayor became guilty, and there were a dozen versions at once, and all with an evidence base and immediately found guilty. Probably, after all, if she or I were in better condition and less tired, most likely we would have caused some kind of riot, but given all of the above, we simply looked promisingly into the mayor's eyes and began to load up.
Well, so to speak, we "started", we weren't the ones carrying different things, we just gathered in the "common" carriage.
True, while we were walking along the corridors in the direction there, Azula, grabbing me by the shoulder with her hand, pulled me back a little and asked:
"I wanted to ask you everything," we continued moving, it turns out we just stepped back a little so that our dialogue would not be heard, "you seem to have belatedly discovered bending in yourself?"
"Yeah," I simply answered, "very belatedly, already being Piandao's student, it turned out that I was already a bender."
— And before that, you too were considered an ordinary person? - Azula continued to ask.
"Well, yes," I shrugged, "considering the environment in which I grew up and my family, it was almost a crime." Especially for my father. My uncle, in principle, was thinking of using my other talents somewhere. I didn't come up with it.
— So none of the tests worked on you? — the princess raised an eyebrow.
- Why are you so interested? — I answered the question with a question, "yes, it didn't work." But then it turned out that I could control fire. True, it's a little peculiar, maybe that's why the tests didn't work.
"Mmm," Azula said, and then we fell silent.
It was clear from her appearance that she seemed to be debating whether to continue this dialogue or not, so we walked a little behind everyone else for several minutes, but then the princess simply quickened her pace, catching up with everyone else, and, accordingly, me too.
And what was that? And the cat knows her, this mysterious girl. I'm not going to rack my brains and think about what she's thinking.
Well, we have a whole long way ahead of us to get to Toph, and considering the time we spend stupidly on the road, I really regret that I can't take it and run.
When Aang came to his senses a little, he discovered that only ruins remained from the battlefield. None of the Fire Nation is visible, but Katara and Sokka are lying down. Immediately came memories of how Kira cut off Katara's hand.
Kira. It is no longer just a problem, but a major problem. He always appears at the most important moments for the Avatar and always breaks everything, but if before they managed to at least escape, now they have suffered their first losses. Katara was left without an arm.
Of course, the first thing Aang did was bandage the stump of the girl, who had already passed out and was almost deathly pale from loss of blood, then he took her and Sokka and loaded her onto Appa, and then they flew away.
He frankly didn't know what to do next. In theory, despite what happened, he needs a teacher of the earth, but where to look for him? Bumi would have been the best teacher, but he somehow went off topic and added something mysterious and incomprehensible.
Then Sokka woke up, and eventually Katara, who immediately fell into depression. Even water from the North Pole won't help here after all this time. Maybe if right away, but now... But at least she stopped her own bleeding, that's at least something.
And then they found themselves in a swamp. Everything started spinning and spinning, but they decided to spend a little more time there. Katara had to get used to living without her arm now.
At first, she resembled herself when Aang first met her; the simplest manipulations with water were hardly successful, only a more depressive and silent version.
Sometimes she even just wandered off into the distance, thinking about different things. In general, she was clearly unwell, and besides, the wound also hurt. Infection was avoided, but this did not make it much easier.
What to do next?
This was the question Aang asked himself. And Sokka. Katara wasn't exactly with them, spending more time with herself and practicing her bending.
"I heard that there is an academy for earthbenders in Gaolin City... "You're an avatar, all you need to do is master the basics to become stronger," Sokka suggested.
"We... we'll wait until Katara gets comfortable," Aang came to a decision, "and then we'll fly somewhere."
They didn't know what to do with Kira's team. There are too many good benders and fighters there. And there are three of them... yes, what's there, there are two of them, Aang himself and Katara, who could fight, but now it's completely unknown. But how to fight if even one on one it is not a fact that you will be able to defeat one of them?
For some reason Suki is also with them. And Sokka was hurt by this much more than he lets on, Aang feels.
Why is she with them? What bandit formations "are mistakenly called the Earth Army." Yes, there are some... individuals who do not delight the Avatar, but there are ordinary people who suffer from the oppression of the Fire Nation. They work most of the day and can't always afford to eat, let alone travel around the world that Aang loves so much.
And he will help them. Whatever it takes.
First he will help the People of the Earth, and then he will return to the North Pole and free him too, and there he will not be far from the Fire Lord. True, first you need to master Earth and Fire. At least the land, to be honest.
Quite good people lived in the swamps; they allowed them to stay and even train. True, only Katara, who tried to come to her senses as a bender, took advantage of this opportunity.
Sokka slept most of the time, blows to the head don't just go away, especially on ordinary people.
And Aang thought. I thought a lot, tried to look at the situation from different sides, but still could not understand any point of view other than my own. The Fire Nation is bad, that's, well... that's understandable. Why can someone be for the bad?
And then it dawned on him. Why did Suki leave the island and marry Kira?
"Sokka, I understand," Aang said with an important face, "Suki's relatives are being held captive." That's why she fights for them.
- What? - he perked up, - but... yes... in fact it is! It's so obvious, she gave so many hints!
Somehow after this output the voltage became a little less. Even Katara began to smile at least sometimes. Apparently, they were still weighed down by the invisible weight of the fact that perhaps they were doing something wrong.
- So tell me? How stupid do you have to be to attack such a column? Isn't it obvious that she's being guarded? - I asked, wiping my rapier on the trousers of one of the robbers by the road, the classic one.
"Most likely, the perceived benefit forces them to take risks," Azula answered me, shrugging.
"Well, apparently, it does have an effect that usually this layer of society has a rather low intelligence," I chuckled.
Our journey as a whole is as boring as always. We drive, we sleep, we warm up, we drive, we sleep... well, you get the idea. Nothing interesting, it's even difficult to somehow isolate yourself, to at least release the bending, because we are all in front of each other, when someone disappears for more than ten minutes, "in the bushes," a question arises. Especially when I or Azula do this, we are considered sick, and that means we can't cope without observation.
So all I did was drink tea and play Pai Sho with Iroh. I begged everyone around me to play Pai Sho with me, accompanied by Iroh's giggles and training.
Well, as a workout, considering my ribs, which after a day at least do not give off pain from any sharp breath, I just do a light warm-up, carefully monitoring how my ribs behave.
Azula is the same way, her cast was changed to bandages with a splint, because here, whatever one may say, if she spends two weeks in a cast, it then takes another month to restore the mobility of her limb, which is simply unacceptable.
But we really hope for the Water Mage in Gaoling, because without him we are in shit.
No matter how you count it, we are not Wolverines or even Spider-Man, there is not enough regeneration to be ready for Basing Xie. Okay, we will already be without bandages, but this does not give anything at all, the bones in the places of fractures will be very fragile, and if I fall on my back, or the princess will not even get on her leg, that's all.
And there we will no longer receive treatment.
Even though I still haven't figured out exactly how healing water bending works, I really hope it will help us. Also, I have a slim hope of curing my nails, which are still black, and who the hell knows why they haven't started to take on a normal appearance as they've grown.
In general, we arrived in the city another day later and immediately discovered a very funny thing - earth bending courses. More precisely, we came, of course, as a whole column, but we went for a "walk", we were our team. Yes, we decided to take a little break from eternal nature and see how urbanism is developed here, maybe have a little drink somewhere, eat some unusual food, and so on, and all this, preferably, on the way to the hospital, but we came across some academy. In Fire Nation territory. Earth Academy. Personally, my brain was on one side, and it just went right out the window.
Of course, we immediately went there, we were in no hurry, however, to bring justice, but first we wanted to assess what kind of monster this was.
As it turned out, it was no big deal. People, absolutely anyone, which is already nonsense from the start, are forced to wave their legs and arms in a funny way. Will this help them in any way in battle? No. Only some of the best groups already own the stone and can show something to an absolutely inexperienced viewer. Something like four of us lifting a small stone into the air with wild dances and dances, and another one will launch it ten meters forward, breaking a glass jar. Is it worth talking about the combat effectiveness of this nonsense?
But with what a proud look the local "sensei" described this to us. It's as if he's actually a bending guru and sells his secrets for only nine hundred and ninety-nine shekels a month. We weren't dressed in combat uniforms, but something like that, so he, apparently assessing the quality of the clothes, decided that we were some rich kids from whom he could make money.
And the students from this best group walked with their noses in the air like Azula had never lifted up, and this is an indicator. The main thing is not to blurt this out loud.
- Is it possible to fight with any of them? — I asked, smiling, "I want to try my hand." You see, I wield a sword, and I wonder how good it is against an Earth mage. Well, to understand whether I need it at all or not.
"Of course," nodded the "sensei" with the most serious look, "Naoki." Let it be you.
We went out onto the platform and stood opposite each other. Yes, I wanted to exercise a little and show off. Even with still broken ribs.
I wasn't even in a hurry to take out my rapier, and after the command to start the battle, I took off the mask that we all agreed to wear from my face. Mask of an interested person.
The guy started doing his dance to lift some small rocks into the air and then dance to throw them at me.
Why dance? Yes, because standing and dancing kato for thirty seconds is exactly what dancing is. Even in the Army, the first thing they do is hit you on the head and teach you to use the elements at will or at least with the most minimal cato, something like taking a step forward, fist forward and fire.
Kato is also used to train children, yes. It is with the help of kato, in principle, that bending is instilled little by little. With kato, teach the physical part of battles. But not bending in general. In general, a complex system.
In general, I dodged these three stones and walked slowly towards this poor fellow, there is no other way to call it. I managed to make three more stones. I only slightly moved my body to the side, but dodged it. When I was about three steps away, I sharply accelerated and, running past, I grabbed this "sorcerer" by the face and simply slammed him into the ground.
And having dusted off his hands, he began to approach the "sensei".
- No, as you can see, it's not necessary.
***
"You have some weak "best students" here," said Azula, standing to the side of the "sensei," who was leaning on a cane, sarcastically.
"It was an absolutely dishonorable battle!" - he was indignant, - a real warrior doesn't... doesn't do this. Dodging is not the way of a warrior.
"You want to call us not warriors?" — the princess raised an eyebrow. She's clearly bored and wants to take it out on the poor guy, who doesn't even know who's standing in front of him.
-Are you warriors? - the "sensei" chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest - I don't see something.
Here it is worth clarifying that he himself looked like a huge closet, as tall as me, only this thickness was... well, how can I explain it, something between fat and muscles, in general, and not a sumo wrestler, and not a muscleman. He had a lot of hair, just everywhere, on his head, on his chest, on his arms, and he stood in some kind of green sleeveless kimono.
A colorful character, it's a pity that he's apparently not a bender. Although, on the other hand, it is for strawberries that the correct principles speak, you can't argue with that. It's just that insulting everyone around you is really dangerous.
-Are you sure of your words, huh? - Zuko responded, mirroring the man's gesture.
Either this "sensei" is an idiot or a marketing genius. But, let's be honest, the latter is unlikely.
"Ha, of course, I'm sure," the man chuckled rather arrogantly, "come on, can one of you fight me?" Hold on for at least five minutes and I will give you a certificate for a free month's visit to my school.
"You have a lot of self-confidence," Azula raised her eyebrows, it's a surprising thing in the mentality of the Fire Nation, but they respect arrogance, the main thing is that it is justified, "then..."
"Then you go to hell," I interrupted this game, going up to the man and hitting him hard under the knee so that he fell on him, "you are communicating with the princess and prince of your country and somehow I didn't hear the proper respect in your words."
"Oh, Kira, such Kira," Ty Lee said in her signature slightly frivolous tone, clearly not in vain mentioning my nickname, but now the "sensei" clearly turned pale. What can I say? It's damn nice to be more feared than Azula. At least for now. In the end, rumors are just rumors, and stories and stories are already flying about our renewed team.
A random passer-by from Omashu will tell a merchant, a merchant will tell his colleague who also works in the territory of the landowners, he will tell his customers, and so on. True, I'm already worried that again I'll be at the forefront of these rumors, something like Cyrus and his team.
"Again, only a reaction to Kira," Azula waved her hands, "What did you do to deserve such a reputation?" I just don't understand, well, I thinned out the pirates, yes, well, I cleared out the ranks of idiots who put all the money in their pockets, but how does every idiot in the outback know about you?
"Rumors," I shrugged, putting one hand on the "sensei's" shoulder, squeezing his hand so that he simply groaned silently, "the mask is scary, and the non-standard arsenal makes you remember." Plus, the nickname is again peculiar, it easily pops into your head. Am I right? - I asked, relaxing my grip.
- Yes Yes! - the man nodded, - forgive me, I didn't know, I repent!
- Well, shall we forgive him? — I already clarified with my comrades.
"I think you're about to break his shoulder," Suki remarked, slightly worried about this guy. She is good-natured.
- A? - I supposedly just noticed, - oh, sorry, I shrank out of habit. So what did you say there?
In general, we didn't torture the guy for a long time, and for no reason at all, in fact, he was a typical "sensei" who left the army and couldn't find a place for himself. So he started selling "secret art" to idiots. Well, obviously, if there is earth bending, then in the same army they taught at least some basic effectiveness in battle. But this... this is definitely some kind of nonsense. At a minimum, two hours of classes twice a week. During this period, you can lose as much fat as possible, but you won't be able to learn how to fight at least somehow tolerably.
Next we headed, of course, to the hospital. We needed to get treatment and quite urgently, but we made a rather stupid mistake.
We decided that we would just come and they would treat us, regardless of our regalia. As it turned out, no, we were met by a girl at registration, who, in a rather boring voice, put us in line, and when asked about the water bender, she again monotonously and habitually answered, saying, he's busy, there's a queue for a month, and in general we have no worse specialists.
Azula was somehow taken aback by this. Even Zuko was kind of freaked out, to be honest. Apparently, our royal majesties, despite the fact that one was even, it seems, in exile, did not encounter such simple everyday situations.
Although it seemed like an obvious thing, he treats ailments quickly and efficiently, this water bender, the entire local elite, lubricating the path with hard cash, stood in line, saying, come on, when I put my hands behind my back and I jerk my eyelid three times, my right heel hurts, treat me.
Okay, I'm exaggerating this, but who doesn't have some kind of pain, let's face it? Everyone has it, and here is such a chance to be cured and without injections and various long procedures. Ten minutes a dozen times a month and that's it, I'm ready. At least, I assume so, I don't know at all how it works in practice with various types of non-physical damage. I saw a lot of work with them, I was even a test subject myself, so what can I say.
I had to take out my trump card from my wide trousers and stupidly go straight ahead to the head doctor and dump it on the table... but there's no need to dump it, the boss here is an experienced guy and, looking at the blue flame and the painfully aristocratic muzzles, swallowing, he led us straight to the local waterman.
He took me into a decent office where a girl of quite a young age was sitting, a relatively standard doctor.
"Well, I don't know how the local "defeated" live. And the furniture is new, and the clothes are hanging from decent stores, that's what the right specialist is called, in my opinion, she herself doesn't fully understand what's going on" - my schizophrenia woke up - "I was sitting in my village, where I was considered a nobody, and then bam , and a respected person, necessary"
"Una, these are very important guests," the head physician said immediately, "this is...
"Kira," the girl said with round eyes, looking at me.
"Uh-uh," the local manager realized the fact why we might know each other, "yes, and you must cure them."
And after that he just ran away. Apparently, he did not want to participate in further showdowns.
- How do you know my face? — I raised one eyebrow.
"Oh-oh, don't tell me what's about to happen, some stupid situation where you killed her husband, brother, father," Azula rolled her eyes, "and now, even on pain of death, she will refuse to treat us." This will be great.
- Oh, well, sorry that I... ummm... captured the North Pole? - I also decided to sarcastically respond, - and it's not like they sent me there directly at my request.
"No, no," the girl shook her head, "thank the Spirit... in general, it's good that it's not." I was just one of those who treated many after... after everything that happened, and there you took off the mask.
"Thank Agni," Azula rolled her eyes, "now, maybe we can start treatment?" I'm tired of walking with a cane.
"Yes, yes, of course," the girl nodded, "come in and sit down."
After examination and bendingal treatment, it turned out that not everything was as great as we would like, but not everything was as bad. In general, as we expected, somewhere in the middle. She was playing tricks and, considering that the princess and I are benders, we will be back fully operational quite quickly. It would be advisable for Azula to give her leg a full rest for a week, one where she almost doesn't step on it, and then you can quickly increase the load, but I just need to avoid receiving any blows to the body for a few days, and then I can calmly move like this, as I please.
Moreover, the girl sternly warned Azula not to put any strain on her, because there is a danger, they say, of improper growth and similar scary words from doctors.
In any case, it looks like it's time to order some kind of carriage that will carry us here. Because there is another important matter ahead, and this is an underground tournament. Although, however, judging by what I've already heard about him stupidly on the street a couple of times, he's "underground" in quotation marks, and last time I shouldn't have tortured the poor fellow in order to get such "valuable" information. Although, who knows, maybe just during the time I was away, the tournament became for more... wider masses.
Of course, we didn't find the carriage. The taxi business is not developed at all and, unfortunately, you cannot order one by phone or in the app. Therefore, having agreed with an important look that this was the last time, we stomped in the direction of the arena, according to my memory.
Glory to Agni, everything worked as it should, and we arrived without even getting lost along the road of life. There, where some diggers were already fighting at full speed with others. Well, they sat down, of course, somewhere in the upper rows, and I immediately calmed my heart so that Toph wouldn't quickly figure me out.
- Well, which one of them is the one we came for? — Zuko made a logical conclusion, guessing why we came here.
"Oh, these are all just ordinary benders," I waved my hand, "I calmly just defeated them with a rapier."
-Did you fight them? - Ty Lee was surprised.
"Yes, a few days after the escape," I boasted, "all exhausted, with wounds from torture, and still won using only a rapier." So while their ways of using bending are quite... unique, the fact remains that mediocrity is their way.
The battles went on one after another, and I, looking from the side, became more and more convinced of how Toph was several heads taller than any of them.
When it came to the new "patriot" fire, I realized that it looked like the organizer would need to be seriously introduced to the wall. Repeatedly. No, what kind of balls do you have to have to introduce such a character, demonstrably stupid. Well, never mind, it's already going to the "blind bandit."
Which was just announced on stage.
"And here is the one we came for," I chuckled, looking at my companions, whose eyes became round from the one who entered the stage.
And even better from the way Toph easily and simply finished off everyone individually, making a couple of movements and throwing the idiots out of the arena.
- Correct me, maybe I'm wrong, but is this a little girl? asked Zuko.
"Yes, you're wrong," I nodded.
- Phew, thank Agni, otherwise my self-esteem...
"This is a little blind girl who did not have normal teachers," I interrupted the prince, not paying attention to his words, "she learned to see with the help of earth bending and because of this she understands what her opponent wants to do even before he will start doing this.
- Why are you sure that she will be on our side? Ty Lee asked.
"Because she's Beifong, and I've already talked to her about this topic," I chuckled, watching Toph send the last participant out of the arena, "maybe someone is eager to try their hand?" No? It's a pity.
- How? How did she become so strong at such an age?! - Zuko exclaimed, oops, apparently this somehow touched his complexes, - how old is she? Twelve? Thirteen?
"Eleven," I clarified.
- Eleven! - The prince repeated after me, - how?
"You can ask her yourself," I chuckled, "because we are now going to intercept her."
***
However, it was not possible to find Toph on the way out. Apparently, she felt unwanted attention on herself and simply took off at high speed. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing to be done, so we went to take out all our grief on the local organizer who introduced the "Patriot of Fire".
"The fighting is over," he muttered unfriendlyly when we approached him and the other participants. They were outside the arena in the place where the losers fall. And there he gave a dressing down - get out of here.
"How rude we are," Azula shook her head.
It just so happened that again Azula and I stood in front of the whole team, and the rest were somehow behind mostly. Apparently, we were designated as "negotiators" a priori. So what? Suki doesn't quite have the right and desire to speak for us, Ty Lee and May don't have the same personalities, Zuko is explosive, which is a hindrance, and just the sight of him standing behind and glaring is enough for everyone, nevertheless, he is in the wings, but the princess and I are playing into a bad cop and a very bad cop.
— Don't remember one of your champions? — I chuckled, sharply drawing my rapier and placing it against the organizer's neck, which made him and everyone immediately tense up, "it's me, the One-Armed Sword."
Yes, I took off my mask and even left it in the room. Too recognizable, we don't need that.
"We were confused by the image of your participant who pretends to be a "patriot of fire"," Azula smiled sweetly. At least it's cute to me.
"I was very confused," I clarified.
- What are you up to? - the man growled, - go your way.
- Agni, why are everyone around you idiots? Azula rolled her eyes.
She's right. In my opinion, it's not at all difficult to put two and two together; who can be pissed off by such a character? Of course, real patriots.
"Do you really think, kids, that you can do anything to us?" - one of the participants said in a deep voice, - having unearthed the sword and introduced himself as one of the local old-timers?
"Er, yes," I shrugged, "of course we can." Do you even know who you're talking to?
"With a "one-armed sword," the same bender chuckled, "and with whom else?"
"They also know me as Kira," I said, "and they are known as the prince and princess of the Fire Nation, do you understand?"
To my and not only my surprise, a noble laugh was heard among them, as if I had just made a funny joke. This didn't cause me confusion, and it didn't cause anything at all; to be honest, I only raised one eyebrow.
But Azula burned out from this, literally and figuratively. A ball of blue flame flew at the joker at great speed and hit him right in the leg, causing him to scream like a knife.
- Do you still think that we came here to joke?! — keeping a sarcastic smile on her face, but at the same time clearly holding back her anger, asked the princess.
I didn't lag behind and, hitting the organizer's leg, knocked him to his knees and, taking him by the hair, pointed the rapier just like that.
"Once again, for those who don't understand," I said, "take away the emblem of fire from yourself right now." And you... I have eyes and ears everywhere. Once again I notice something like this in the arena, you will be in a worse state than I was then, do you realize?
- Yes, let's go...
He didn't have time to finish his line from cheap movies, because slightly moving the rapier away from his neck, I kicked him in the back, but that didn't produce the desired results.
Sometimes I forget that I'm not dealing with pirates and scum, but with earthbenders. People who were more stubborn and firm in their principles, so in response, a stone was thrown at me from someone standing near the wall of the arena. Apparently, they decided to give battle, not fully believing that they were weaker than us.
I stepped away from the stone, which allowed the organizer to roll forward and stand up.
Oh, they are in vain. I was fast enough to cut the organizer's legs in the same dodge, and a blue fireball had already landed at the one who threw the stone at me.
The first one was left with a deep wound, the second one is most likely a corpse, although he lies writhing in pain still alive, but he needs help right now and preferably from a waterman.
- Someone else? Come on, I didn't have time! - our whole gang was already on alert and, of course, it was Zuko who said it.
True, there were no more brave ones.
- What the heck? - said Suki, - is it really impossible to draw conclusions from the blue fire? How many firebenders can use blue? Looks like two! Can't you think that we wouldn't have to do what we did!
She almost yelled at the others.
"These are strawberries, Suki," Zuko shrugged, "slow-wittedness is their distinguishing feature."
"I wish Toph could hear you," I chuckled, "anyway, I hope you get the idea?" You take off your Fire Nation crest. I have ears and eyes everywhere, if I see something like that again, I will personally burn you, do you understand? - I asked, but seeing the silence, I clicked a small ball into his leg, causing him to fall and scream, - I ask, do you understand?
- Yes! Yes I understand!
- Rip off the coat of arms right now! - Zuko said, to which the man began to tear his clothes through the pain.
In general, we took out our anger even better. Straight from the heart, but generally deserved. Underground battles, using the country's coat of arms in such a way, and generally rude behavior with royalty. Yes, this excuse can pin down almost everyone, but what can you do?
These guys ran into it themselves, we didn't plan to start a fight, but there is only one answer to an attack.
In general, then we have someone happy, this is Azula, of course, and someone dissatisfied, this is Suki, who is against violence, we went to the Beifong mansion. Somehow I don't want to play hide and seek, and anyway, this is not comme il faut, it's one thing for me to run away with a sick scythe, another thing for the Royal Family.
In general, without even talking much, Azula and I decided to go straight to our parents.
True, before that we decided to go and dress up. Still, this reception will be quite formal, so it's better to look the same. More precisely, it doesn't matter to me, my representative clothes are a cloak and a mask, in the literal sense, but Azula and even Zuko do not. This is what education means. Maybe. Or I'm a blockhead. There are two options.
This time I hung the mask on my face, so I'm more recognizable, let's start getting acquainted with this, and then we'll see. It won't hurt Toph to recognize me. And for parents it's an extra argument. I just don't know, honestly, how to frame this dialogue correctly.
Here Toph must prove, by and large, that she is not a helpless child.
In any case, I had an inherently brilliant idea. Talk to Toph before confronting her parents. Well, jokes aside, perhaps this decision came to my mind just in time, because no one thought about such a moment at all.
Therefore, leaving the guys nearby, by the way, around this time, the idea came up not to go with the whole crowd, but to take only Azula and Zuko, it's clear why. Also, by the way, a smart idea. It's good that she didn't come late, as they say.
In general, having taken off my mask, I ran towards the estate at full speed, giving away my heart rate, which means I was wondering who I was in front of Toph. As a result, ten minutes later she was already in the yard.
— Back? "That was the first thing Toph said.
"Well, I promised," I smiled, "so here I am, not even a year has passed."
- Ha, that's for sure. For you this time was clearly more eventful than for me. They say you have captured the Northern Water Tribe?
"It was a thing," I shrugged, realizing that she didn't see it, but the habit is not so easy to uproot, "and now I have a mission no less serious."
- And which one?
"Maybe first you'll hug your old friend who was rushing to you at all times?" - I chuckled.
- So at all times? — the girl said sarcastically, "who managed to enter the arena?"
"Where... I planned to find you there," I was taken aback at first, but still pulled myself together.
"You change your heart rate well, but last time I learned to understand that you are you," the girl revealed her cards, looking like a cat that got to the sour cream. Quite creepy - so I saw right through you.
"Haha," I replied, rolling my eyes, "is joking about your blindness still your habit?"
— Is lack of a sense of humor still yours? - Toph retorted, - did you even show up in one piece this time?
"Yes... oh, no, the ribs are broken," I remembered, "a recent meeting with the Avatar turned into some problems." Are you going to hug me or not?
"Okay, okay," Toph pretended to be doing me a favor, and squeezed her stone... ugh, she made some stupid jokes come into my head...
"You had plenty of your own," a voice in my head commented, "The girl is not just talent, it's something with something. Her level of mastery of earth is on the same level as yours of air, which is an incredibly high level."
"Oh, for the first time in a long time you praised me instead of jerking me off," I replied.
"Do not flatter yourself. The fact that you have incredible talent is a fact, the fact that you wasted it very well by the fact that you didn't develop it is also a fact," my spirit broke.
"We already discussed this, I simply had no other choice."
"This is also a fact. But this doesn't change our "given"."
The dialogue, as always, lasted no more than a second, so we ended exactly when Toph unclenched her embrace.
"Gha," I burst out in pain, "I said my ribs are broken, do you think I was joking or what?" Where should I squeeze it?
"Oh," Toph was really scared, "I'm sorry, are you okay?"
"Okay," I groaned, "okay, let's get back to business." Frankly speaking, the task is enormous, and you are really needed. We are going to take Basingse.
- Um, sorry what? - Toph answered.
- You seem to be blind, not deaf. I'm telling you, take Basingse... from the inside.
- Okay... why do you need me?
- Well, firstly, I promised, and secondly... - then I simply told her our brilliant plan, perhaps an epithet in quotation marks, or maybe not, but the girl listened carefully and nodded, - so... Are you with us?
- Certainly! - Toph exclaimed, - I'm already so tired of sitting here, even the tournament didn't help at all, there were all the same clowns with whom it's not at all interesting to fight.
- Great, then listen to the instructions, now I'm not alone, Suki is with me...
- The one who betrayed you? - Toph asked.
- Yes, the same one, and no, you shouldn't mention it and generally forget for now what I told you. Not everyone knows... such details," I hesitated, "then Azula and Zuko, I think you know who they are, also Azula's friends." They will constitute the conventional "units".
- Great, I understand everything, then shall we leave?
- Eh, wait, where are we going? - I was taken aback, - first we'll talk to your parents...
"No," the girl was indignant, "about what?" They consider me an incapable disabled person, and...
- Did you prove to them otherwise? - I interrupted her, - and you understand, it won't be possible to steal you, not for a team with a prince and princess. This will cause too much unnecessary friction.
- And how do you imagine this?!
"Now we'll come up with something," I shrugged, "you can just prove your abilities, for this you need... well, at least show a couple of techniques that you don't have?"
"You don't know my parents," Toph sighed, "they won't let me go anyway."
"Well, not in any way," I chuckled, "Princess Azula, this is Princess Azula, and now you are subjects of the Fire Nation." But I would like to avoid such an outcome.
"Yeah," the girl confirmed, "and what are we going to do then?"
"It's simple, have a training match with your teacher." We will not say the purpose, why we came to you, and somehow we will ask you to show the duel. Considering the fact that, in my opinion, everyone knows that fire fighters value strength, parents will not refuse. And there you simply and demonstratively butcher your teacher, whom you don't like so much.
- Hmm, I like it! - Toph chuckled, - however, the parents will still refuse. They will decide that they raised me poorly, since I am not what they imagined, and that more control is needed. I SEE their attitude towards me.
"Then we leave with sad faces, saying it didn't work out, and demonstratively leave the city in a whole column and begin to wait for you," I shrugged, "the main thing is that you show up in front of your parents when we are already leaving." Well, or finally make some kind of speech, anyway, they are not able to detain you by and large.
"And you are our Mr. Planner," Toph tried to sarcastically, in a very childish way, losing herself in her thoughts. Clearly I wanted to somehow "slam the door" for the last time.
After such a dialogue, we shook hands, and I went back to the gang waiting for me. There I expressed both the results of the dialogue and the fact that it is better to go in smaller numbers. Not everyone agreed, but the absolute majority recognized the correctness of the decision. Therefore, the three of us: me, Zuko and Azula picked up the necessary carriage from the train and went to the Beifong estate.
Having sent a messenger in advance so that they could prepare at least a little. Of course, we were greeted with almost bread and salt, everyone was greeted, they immediately recognized me as Kira, but it would have been as strange as possible to address me like that, after all, it's a nickname, but then Azula helped me out of the situation by introducing me to Aki.
In general, they sat us at some table in a small reception hall. Which supposedly means that we are really important guests, but I'm not sure. At least Azula was within the limits of her "polite" mask, so I believed everything was fine. When it comes to light sarcasm or casual questions, then yes, it's time to do something.
- So, how can we please you? — the head of the family, Toph's father, took the floor.
"A simple visit of courtesy," answered the Shark, "we were literally passing through here and decided to visit you." At the same time, find out if everything is okay?
"Oh yes, after the respected Aki... mmm thinned out the ranks of pirates and other scum, life became much easier," the man began his story.
In general, the gentlemen deigned to talk about various aspects of politics for about thirty minutes, while Azula's charisma was enough for her to pose some questions as if that was what she had come for, and she was not even embarrassed to show her satisfaction with the answers. And supposedly at the "end" of the dialogue, the princess remembered.
- Oh, you have a daughter? And she's supposed to be an Earthbender, isn't she? - Azula asked and, seeing how her parents immediately tensed up, not understanding whether it was good or bad that the girl was an earthbender, - it would simply be interesting to evaluate her talent for bending. Purely... scientific interest," the princess searched for the word, "or, if you like, professional."
"Oh, Master Yu is the best of teachers," answered the head of the Beifongs, pointing his hand at a slightly middle-aged man who was sitting at the same table and was currently primly removing traces of food from his lips with a napkin, "he's been teaching Toph since childhood." But, unfortunately, due to her blindness, Toph will never become a true master.
How cool the man, without hesitation, said this, looking straight at his daughter. Fuck and pound, Azula, maintaining a smile, clenched her jaw so that her nodules began to play. Apparently, this statement infuriated her wildly. Well, I understand her.
"Oh, your people have prejudices," I said for the first time. To be honest, I was deliberately waiting for the moment. I have a very peculiar reputation, so almost Toph's parents, her teacher, regularly glanced at me and shrank slightly when I turned my attention to them. No, well, they need to advertise me so much in rumors that they are more afraid than Azula. I repeat, Azulu!
"She is an understandable character for them," the spirit answered me, although no one asked him about it, "They have already met before, they know how to properly conduct a conversation with her, and so on. You're a mystery. Therefore, given the rumors, you cause some concern."
"How nice," he continued to speak with a completely neutral face, "maybe Toph will demonstrate her skills in a training sparring with her teacher?"
"Well..." Beifong drawled, clearly starting to think about how to get out of this matter.
"You understand that Toph is a beginning earthbender," this Master Yu took the floor in some arrogant tone, at least it seemed so to me, "only simple techniques and breathing exercises."
- Yes? — I raised one eyebrow and turned my gaze back to the owner of the estate, "for some reason it seems to me that you hired a crap teacher." Sparring will show.
"I don't mind watching your daughter in battle either," Azula added, changing her tone from friendly, to what is called "one more drop and there will be a storm." And Beifong caught this too.
"I'm also interested," Zuko said, fixing his gaze on Master Yu, who coincidentally was sitting opposite him, "I heard about many masters during my journey." But somehow "Master Yu" didn't catch my ear.
"Well," Toph's father, who clearly no longer understood what was happening, took the floor, "let's try." But you still expect a lot in vain.
"Yes, I agree too," said Toph, "if anyone is interested in my opinion."
- Toph! - her mother exclaimed, "we didn't raise you like that."
"Blah blah," she answered, "let's go fight already." Don't wag your tongue.
"Great attitude," I nodded, getting up from the table and not allowing my parents to pull Toph away again, "do you have a suitable site?"
"Yes, I think the garden will do," said the father of the family.
"Well, if you don't feel sorry for him," he shrugged and turned around to go there, without even asking for directions. I think this will puzzle them. Azula and Zuko also silently stood up and followed me.
Well, this is Toph's finest hour. Oh, poor Beifongs, they are in for a culture shock. And Master Yu is beaten. Because it doesn't suck, as they say.
***
We walked in complete silence, fortunately it was not far, literally two minutes, after all, it was an estate, not a castle. Some were shocked, some were happy, some were in anticipation, but they were silent as one.
"Here comes the playground," Toph's father said.
We, of course, went out into the garden, into a place where there was a small area without trees or stones. In fact, it's a really small area, there's simply nowhere to roam around, but oh well, that's enough Toph.
"I've had enough," the girl said, repeating my thoughts and spat on the ground. I don't know what she spat with, but it seemed like some kind of stone, because the spit flew into the ground with dust and noise, which already caused shock among the parents.
In principle, Toph did not wait for Master Yu to say a couple of phrases according to the classics before the battle and threw a couple of small stones, clearly calling for action.
"Oh, you apparently studied in secret," teacher Toph said condescendingly, breaking the stones with his right hand, still holding his left behind his back, "it's bad, you could have gotten hurt during...
Toph did not answer, she just grinned and stood in her standard fighting pose and a second later sent more or less normal attacks at Master Yu, who was able to reflect two, but the third stone flew into his stomach. Well, it's okay, earthbenders are strong guys.
And then Toph showed herself just as gracefully as in the Arena, Yu tried to kick, sending an earth wave at the student, but only at that same second the girl jerked her leg and stretched her teacher into a split, and then simply stomped the same leg and a not very large pillar pushed Master Yu in the butt, causing him to fly forward. But even here Toph did not finish, making another heavy stomp with her foot, hitting the falling master in the stomach, pushing him "over the edge of the Arena."
True, this was not a battle, but still, even if it was a training battle, it was a battle, so a second later the much more serious Yu jumped out of the bushes and already sent three stones at Toph with a standard army-style attack. Eh, what kind of city is this? Some are charlatans, not teachers.
Toph pointedly smashed the stones with both hands and her forehead, and then she decided to become more serious, burying the teacher in a second with various attacks. The earth behind Yu shot out with a stake and hit the master in the back, causing him to simply fall; moreover, it seemed to me that even Toph did not expect this, but she was not at a loss and simply shackled him with earth.
"Oh, here's a "helpless blind girl"," I said, stretching my lips in the expression "oh" from Tony Stark, "ha, three-time winner of underground battles."
- What? — the girl's mother pressed her palms to her mouth.
"It may be hard for you to accept me like this, but this is the real me," Toph said, clearly planning to continue and even opened her mouth, but her father interrupted her.
"I realized a lot, Toph," he said and, after a dramatic pause, continued, "we gave you too much freedom." From now on you will be under supervision every day, around the clock!
- Father! - Toph exclaimed.
"We are doing this for your own good," her mother said.
"Show off our guests," Mr. Beifong said to the servants in a rather categorical manner.
-Aren't you confusing anything? Zuko asked, raising his healthy eyebrow and turning everyone's attention to himself.
"Uh-uh..." Toph's father realized who he was about to send out, "I meant..."
"And yet people are idiots," Azula rolled her eyes and clearly planning to give a speech now, "that is, you see that your daughter is a genius in Earth Bending no worse than I am in Fire Bending, someone who is unique in its essence, who - someone who mastered Bending herself at the age of eleven better than many throughout their entire life, and you respond to this... right?
"Yeah, that's an interesting question," I said, "from this battle it was clear that Toph could not only take care of herself, but also of you, if you were suddenly attacked by... well, I don't know, a couple of elite units of the Earth Army ?
"I will ask you to leave the estate," Toph's father said sternly.
The patient is clearly in his own world and does not want to accept arguments. But he plans to go all-in. He doesn't understand that after such impudence, he remains alive only because we need Toph.
"I'll consider this a state of passion," Azula said, narrowing her eyes, and then turned around and left without saying goodbye. Zuko and I simply repeated after the princess.
However, I finally added:
- By the way, any stone thrower from the earth's army is better than your "master" Yu.
Actually, everything went, plus or minus, just as Toph said. So we just move on, and the little genius then catches up with us when we've already left. I just wonder what actions her parents will take?
Most likely, nothing good. No, in some ways I can understand them, or rather, I would understand if Toph were just a good earthbender at the moment, but she's been running away from home for a bunch of years now and ruining grown men without even breaking a sweat. And protect her, seeing such zeal for freedom? Well, that sounds like a really shitty plan, something like holding water in your palms. It's clear as day, only if you lock her in an iron room, like in a prison, only then will she not be able to escape. And then, I would argue. Metal is still, to some extent, earth.
But made of wood... again, not an option. Earthbenders themselves are strong, like buffaloes, and can easily pierce any layer of wood with their fists, because stone, well, or a stonebender, is harder than wood. Maybe.
In any case, doing this is already some kind of extreme degree of uh stupidity, honestly. Well, a year, maybe two, maybe three, but sooner or later he'll run away. And in this case, he will never even look at his parents again.
She can't even be called a disabled person, after all; she sees it just as well, and perhaps better than usual. In all directions, despite obstacles.
Well, okay, apparently there is nothing left in their heads except that Toph, it turns out, behaved badly, and in exactly this format, and tomorrow the girl will calmly run away. Or even today. Knowing her character, I'm not sure that there are things, other than oh my God, a belt, that she needs on the road.
Earthbenders. They're like, yeah.
* * *
After retelling everything to the rest of our ban...team, we went according to the second plan and simply and simply began to get ready. By and large, there are no barriers, we can go and slowly join Basingse.
We gathered near the city, already waiting for Toph. Without spreading out the camp too much, we rather just stood right there and sat down to think, because some news had already arrived in the city.
One of the Mechanist's long-standing ideas, given under the yoke of an idiot... is ready. A fast ground armored vehicle that goes easily almost anywhere it can. It's a unique all-terrain vehicle, although I don't know how it works, but oh well.
And then the question arose... We can try to catch up with the Avatar in such a car. And so the council naturally began.
- I think…
"We have to chase the avatar," Azula finished for her brother, "we understand." But still, there is little time left. We still have a decent amount of time to travel to the Basingse area, and then still have to figure out how to get there! We simply don't have time to chase the Avatar.
- As far as I remember, you plan to enter the city together with Kira, and what should we do at this time? - Zuko continued to insist, "we may well try to catch the Avatar at this time."
"If he's not already in Basings," Azula said, in my opinion, out of spite, because the idea actually doesn't make sense.
"Well, if it's in Basings, then we'll think about what to do," the prince shrugged, "but if not... then we have every chance."
"I vote "For," I said, "the idea is really not bad." If you fail to catch the Avatar, then at least psychologically keep in constant tension that we are nearby. Not a bad idea, let's get back to the topic of "how" do we get into the city?
"We change into simple clothes and just go to the main entrance," the princess shrugged.
- Where is this "main entrance"? - I clarified. Because I didn't remember anything like that from my short stay inside the city.
"Good question," Azula shrugged, "we need to find the entrance to the city."
— Do I understand correctly that you said that you sent agents there, but you don't know where the entrance is? Suki raised her eyebrows.
"We did it differently," Azula answered, "we introduced an agent into the earth's detachment, which ends up in the capital."
"No wonder nothing worked," our decent girl chuckled, "where everyone is supposed to be an earthbender, it usually requires earthbending at all times." Doors made of earth, at least. Isn't this an obvious point?
"This... no," the princess blinked, "perhaps not, I haven't studied this question in such detail..."
"In the Fire Nation, bending is more of a weapon that not every person has," I explained, "so there are simply no design solutions that require bending." Perhaps some special specialties or units of benders in the army, but that's all. And it seems something wild that it is simply difficult for a person to exist somewhere without the presence of bending. Roughly speaking, for us it looks as if somewhere a person would not be able to open an ordinary door between rooms without a spear.
"Perhaps," Azula said, "but it seems to me that, most likely, we simply did not have other methods." That's the whole secret. I don't know the details, I didn't get involved in such matters," the princess easily waved her hand.
- Okay, the question remains open, how do we plan to get into the city? — I asked the question, already understanding who would answer it.
- Directly! - said a new voice, - Aha-ha-ha-ha! - and the bandit laughed. Even though she's blind.
Yes, she's been running here for a couple of minutes already, in her fighting clothes and with her hair disheveled. In general, nothing reminded me of that little princess from the estate; now she's just some kind of street punk.
"Toph," Ty Lee exclaimed, jumping on the girl and hugging her, "nice to meet you, I'm Ty Lee and you're so cute!" They told me so much about you!
"Ty Lee, Toph is not your toy," I said, after which the gymnast immediately let go of the girl, "Toph, as you already understood, this is Ty Lee, Suki and May, you are already familiar with Azula and Zuko."
"Yeah," said the bandit, "good luck to everyone." We're all seated, can we go already?
"We're in the process of deciding where we'll go," Azula replied, slightly annoyed.
"Oh, well, since it's in progress, I won't bother you," Toph said sarcastically and lay down, throwing her hands behind her head.
"Too," I rolled my eyes, "tell me what you know."
- What about the bending word-o? — it's clear that the girl's cutter suddenly staggered from freedom. Well, it's okay, we are all understanding people here...
- Fast! - Azula shouted, even slightly puffing blue flames from her nose. But no, not all.
- No, no, it's not bendingal...
"Toph," I interrupted her, in the most serious tone possible, "I understand that you are overwhelmed by a feeling of freedom, and no one is against your causticity, in principle, here each of us is a kind of ulcer, except for Ty Lee, she is a saint, but you must understand the seriousness of the events. We have no time for jokes. There's too much at stake...
"Blah blah blah," Azula finished for me, "in short, this is a military regulation, at least in terms of important things, and if you're told, follow it!"
"I ran away from some tyrants to others," Toph muttered too loudly, but my words clearly reached her, "I know the gorge where refugees are transported to Basings." This is the only way, as far as I know, into the city for ordinary residents. I can show you on the map.
- Thank you! - Ty Lee exclaimed and rushed to Toph. In some ways I understand her, the girl was a pure bundle of hedgehog cuteness.
Aang was glad that Katara was slowly coming out of her depression. This was evident, even bending began to obey her better. Much more, while she still did not have the same strength as before the injury, but she could already fight.
Therefore, we had to say goodbye to such a rather pleasant and calm place as the swamps, with their simple and good-natured inhabitants. And fly to the city where that very school for earth mages is.
The plan was really not bad, and they actually did just that, for the first time in a long time, they all climbed onto Appa together again and flew.
By the way, the kind swampers made a wooden plug for Katara's hand, just a small cup that fits under the stump. Sokka immediately came up with an idea on how to better adapt it for a waterbender. And the idea came to add something similar on top to the outline of the hand and fill it with water so that Katara could use the hand.
It's just that something didn't work out, it was simply not possible to find some kind of sufficiently hard but plastic substance. So Sokka put this idea aside, but not too far.
The three friends managed to get into the city without any problems, as well as find a school. True, when they entered the territory, there was clearly some kind of discord there, because a stern, big guy walked around and yelled very loudly at most of the students.
- You! — he drew attention to those who had just arrived, "what do you want here?"
- We... I would like to learn earth bending! - said Aang, not understanding what they did to deserve such an attitude.
- Yes? - the man slightly lowered the moral pressure, - well... it's possible... for money, of course, but it's possible... And you, by any chance, are not some kind of prince? Or maybe someone else?
"Ah," Aang blinked his eyes, "I'm the Avatar, and I need to study the elements of the earth..."
- What? — the man spoke sharply differently, almost falling into panic, "Avatar?" You heard it right! I'm not teaching anyone! I'm not teaching anyone! Why are you pestering me anyway! This is just a tea club with interests, okay?
"But there's a sign there..." Aang blinked, pointing to the wall where a piece of wood hung with the name of the dojo and what they do here, but at the same moment a column of earth came out from behind the sign and threw it somewhere far away.
- There is nothing! - said the sensei, - it seemed to you! Go your way, and we'll go have tea.
And he turned to leave.
- And what was that? - Sokka asked in a surprised voice.
"I don't know," Aang answered just as surprised, "but it looks like we need to go look for another earth teacher."
Wanderings and searches around the city led them to an interesting place called underground battles, and the friends, having thought wisely, decided that where else to look for the teacher of the earth, if not there?
But even there, somehow everything turned out to be... incomprehensible. Blood, scorch marks and the Arena slightly broken by stones. But in the middle of it stood some heavily muscled man with a bun on his head and was training in earth bending, creating stones from the floor of the Arena and kicking them away.
In the eyes of his friends, he looked like a stereotypical Earthbender, and in some ways his body structure resembled Bumi, so they headed towards him.
"I-sorry," Aang tried to say loudly, but the man couldn't hear him because of the noise. Therefore, having taken more air into his mouth, the Avatar used air bending to say, "SORRY!"
- Oh, what, who?! — the bender immediately got into a fighting pose, turning towards Aang's team, "who are you and what do you want here?"
"I am the Avatar," Aang simply blurted out, immediately revealing his cards, "and I am looking for a teacher in Earth Bending to defeat the Fire Lord and Kira." And end this war. Please help me, become my teacher," the guy said, bowing.
"Hmm..." the man thought, "Kira, you say... I agree." My name is Glyba and from now on you are my student... Just prove that you are an avatar first. My time is too valuable to fall for the deception.
"Uh-uh," Aang thought, and then, making a stupid face, did his favorite trick with pebbles between his palms, but seeing the still skeptically raised eyebrow of his future teacher, he sighed and took water from Katara's flask, sat down on the air ball and made two circles around the arena, juggling water balls.
"Great," the man said, "now you are my student." But you can't stay in this city, it's... it's dangerous here.
"We didn't plan to," Sokka said, "we have a flying bison and we travel all the time." We need to move so that Kira doesn't find us and kill the Avatar.
"Excellent," chuckled Lump, "I'll teach you the earth, but be so kind as to defeat both the Fire Lord and Kira."
***
With grief in half, Toph was able to describe the guidelines for where we should go. And then the question directly arose: such a convoy would take much more time to get there than if Azula and I had immediately gone together. So we decided to go to the city, where the majority will take this mega tram and go after the Avatar, and Azula and I will go in the other direction. To Basing Se.
The plan was still not completely ready, but the main elements were there. Almost the same as at the beginning. The first time we spend there together with Azula under the guise of travelers, we find out what and how, and try to pass the news back, or after the main units have entered, we meet in one place and resolve the issue.
Day X is the beginning of the attack on the city walls by the drill, and then we organize the whole bacchanalia. It is not yet known which one. Yes, it sounds damp. Well, what can you do?
The bottom line is that we cannot formulate the final plan without knowing the input, and the input can only be learned from the inside.
"So, the meeting is declared open, on the agenda: Aki wants to go somewhere," Azula said.
Oh yeah. It just so happened that our path directly tangentially passed by the Air Temple. What I damn well need, I still hope to find there at least a little of the secrets of my fellow benders. But I don't know how to convey this need to my comrades, assuring that I will be in time by the time they get to the city. So I just asked for a walk while they were driving, saying, I'll be there.
Which inexorably raises questions, or more precisely, one: "What the fuck?"
- What for? — Suki reframed my question and asked it to me.
"We must," I answered succinctly and accurately, making a stern face.
- That is, I understand correctly, you want to go somewhere, without telling us where and assuring us that you will return on time? Azula raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," I nodded, but what can I do? Just hope for trust. And, as it turned out, not in vain.
"You have exactly one day after our arrival," the princess said sternly. Judging by the appearance, it seems that she was offended.
But this is not a quick thing, I will separate from the team tomorrow, but today...
"The second question of our meeting," Azula drew out the word sarcastically, switching to the mode of a dissatisfied tsunderka, "We will practice interactions with the rocket launchers."
"Rocket launchers," I corrected her, for which I immediately received a narrowed look, "although it sounds normal, yes."
"We'll shoot now and learn the signals."
- Wait, how do we get them through? - it occurred to me.
"In some luggage," answered the princess, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, don't let Agni find this in at least two different people..." said Zuko, "because otherwise they will definitely find a pattern, and others won't even know about it."
"Yes, it won't be very pleasant," May noted diplomatically.
"Yes, yes, but such a probability is extremely low, that not only were they found with two people, but also the same people," Azula rolled her eyes, "so this is an almost impossible outcome, Zuzu." Let's get back to training while we're still at rest.
Well, basically said and done, without further ado, we split into small groups and went in different directions, agreeing to find each other with missiles.
The plan was as simple as a crowbar, but there was one slight difficulty: Toph does not like Suki. It is a fact. But they are the ones who will work in pairs, otherwise it simply won't work. Therefore, a small incident appeared called... Toph is simply trolling Suki, constantly somehow being sarcastic or tripping her up.
And she accepts this with a heavy sigh, because, apparently, Beifong hissed in the warrior's ear, why she doesn't love her.
Well, what can I say to this? We'll have to be patient with Suki, Toph is kind, even if she has an ulcer. They grow up a little and become friends.
- Oh, what is this, what is this?! — at that moment the Warrior Kyoshi screamed, because some kind of blob of dirt fell on her head.
Well, or they won't become friends. In any case, there are no alternatives. Me and Azula, Zuko and Iroh, Ty Lee and May are too well-coordinated couples to change anything. Although not at the last moment, it is clearly too late.
In any case, we ran off in four different directions. It would be cool to come up with some kind of task, but there is not much time, so we just decided to move away to a distance of twenty minutes of quiet walking and try to find each other. At least for now.
"Why don't you want to tell me where you're going?" Azula asked after we had walked a good distance in silence.
"Because this is a theory that may not work, and I will look stupid," I came up with an excuse on the fly, keeping a straight face.
To this answer of mine, the princess only chuckled, and we moved on again in silence. Apparently, she wants and is anxious to find out the answer, but she doesn't want to put pressure. Well, how should I answer? I've been thinking for a long time about admitting that I was in Basing Se or not? On the one hand, information can help, on the other hand, I have almost no information. I just ran through the whole city, and in such a state that I don't remember almost anything. About the Dai Li...
In general, I don't know what to do here either. The secrets are starting to weigh heavily on me, but what can I do? Put all the cards on the table? This is an option, in my opinion.
When what seemed like a decent amount of time had passed, we decided to find a higher area, and how fortunately at that moment we came across some unevenness with a hillock and a cliff.
Which we climbed, sitting down near this very cliff. Somehow it so happened that we sat down, inappropriately close according to all etiquette, touching each other's shoulders.
And they were silent. They just remained silent and looked at the views, a little, perhaps this is not exactly, but enjoying each other's warmth.
It seems I even heard a slight angry exhalation from the princess's lips when the first rocket rose into the air somewhere quite far away. Then the second and third, and we were not far behind. I loaded the rocket launcher and spat the rocket straight up. Two of the rockets were green, two were yellow. According to the plan, those who shoot green go in the direction of those who shoot yellow. Everyone also had red charges, they decided to let it be if something happened. Of course, such a situation is unlikely, but suddenly.
We had a green rocket and went to the nearest green one. Purely theoretically, it was possible to mark our path for each specific period of time, but we simply jammed the rockets. Which led to a rather ironic ending.
Both groups of green ones approached the "yellow" Zuko and Iroh, who were located in the clearing to train. And Azula and I, and May and Ty Lee.
"As expected," May said succinctly, falling next to the tired Zuko, who clearly spent a decent amount of time allotted for walking on training.
And everything would have been fine, we would have laughed at the situation, but a red rocket flew from Suki and Toph. And we, without saying a word, fired green rockets and ran in that direction. Various things flashed through my head, including the earthbenders who saw such a performance, or the Avatar himself, and I again faced a choice.
I can reach the point in just a few minutes. All I have to do is use my bending. But at the same time everyone will know my secret. But still, I thought about it, but with a completely neutral face I ran on, albeit quickly, but not in the same way as using bending.
Literally ten minutes later we arrived to find Toph standing calmly and Suki sitting on a tree stump, openly playing around with her fan.
They stared at us with round eyes, well, at least Suki, but Toph just stared at us. Toph with a rocket launcher in her hand. The situation came to me immediately, but there were no emotions. Apparently, I hadn't let out the air for too long, and all I heard in my head was what May had said back then: "Expected."
Because of adrenaline, the situation did not reach the others so quickly.
- What's happened? - Suki asked, - why are you all here?
- You launched a red rocket! - said Zuko, - and you ask us what happened?
- Red? — the warrior widened her eyes even more, "Toph?"
And at that moment everyone turned their gaze to the girl. Who did not fail to note:
- Oh, red, right? Apparently, I made a mistake, now I'll choose green," she said in a forced tone, and then "remembered," "oh right." I'm blind!
To which Zuko, without holding back, well, he's still an emotional guy, shouted:
- Yes bl...
We returned to the column quite tired. Everyone except me, Mage is not a bender, but running at full speed at such a distance makes itself felt. We were in a hurry, and didn't just set a goal to run. Therefore, the condition was rather not very good.
On the other hand, experience is accepted. Such a jamb is, of course, such a thing, after all, no matter how you look at it, Toph doesn't look like she's blind at all, she is very well oriented in space, even in places where she shouldn't be. And this is what I don't understand. If it's clear on the ground, then in the same cart she still behaves quite confidently, albeit with flaws.
And this sometimes just makes you forget that Toph actually doesn't see, and reading something or seeing a color is actually a difficult task for her.
However, how Suki clicked the red rocket herself is another question. Okay, in fact, everything is quite easy here too, the rockets show their color already in the air, the smoke is the same for everyone at the beginning, and lifting your head above you directly to the sun to see something... in general, you could click through it calmly, especially if at this moment you look at other missiles.
When the adrenaline had subsided, we were even able to laugh at this situation, sitting by the fire, during one of the column's overnight stays.
But for the first time I realized how bad I personally felt. It just so happened that lately we had no time for laughter at all, one thing after another, and somehow a maximum of laughs. Which everyone lets in rather because it's customary, or to indicate a chuckle. But here, when everyone switched to funny stories or the like, I realized that I wasn't funny. Well, more precisely, this emotion just doesn't work for me.
Somehow this option gave me a cold shower, trying to remember when was the last time I laughed normally? Or was he angry? Or at least something beyond demonstrative sarcasm, chuckles and grins.
And I didn't remember.
True, I immediately reassured myself: how often do we remember how much fun we have? But this information still bothered me very much. Especially the fact that I felt even basic sexual arousal for quite a long time. My last sex was with June. And that was a damn long time ago.
Even if I don't find any air in the temple, I will need to let out as much air as possible.
"On the third day, a keen eye noticed..." a voice said in my head, "I just kept mentioning this, that you're a blockhead, but what are you doing?"
"What am I?" - I asked stupidly.
"And you didn't even think about my words," the spirit said edifyingly, "all that can now be evoked in you is a little anger, a fit of sarcasm and sometimes admiring beauty. Do you think this is normal?
No. It is not normal. I hope I can release enough bending to get everything back to normal.
"I hope you succeed," the spirit chuckled, "But if I were you, I would already be thinking about some alternative option."
Well, literally about eight hours after my dialogue with the spirit, I separated from the team and headed in the other direction, including running at full speed. For the first time in a long time, I felt freedom and lightness in my body, which I achieved only when flying or running, many problems faded into the background, and when I had already run a sufficient distance, I also began to jump with big leaps and soar.
I don't know how to accurately convey this feeling, as if I had taken off uncomfortable shoes after a hard weekday. Or how, after rollerblading or skating, you take them off and put on regular shoes. Everything suddenly becomes so simple and so free.
In any case, I was on my way to the eastern temple of air, and I still had to jump like that among the rocks. And I only have about four days to do everything about everything.
Remembering the dialogue, I didn't even want to wait until I found or didn't find something in the temple, but decided to release the bending, at least most of it, and during one of the jumps I simply created a storm in my head and released it.
The feeling was wonderful, as if after a hot day I had taken a cool shower, I felt so good when I got to the temple, riding a real small tornado.
Well, being small, it was taller than the old trees and it only shredded under me like that, but compared to the Avatar hurricane or mine once upon a time during a trip with Suki, it was really small.
And only after a good twenty minutes did I calm down and descend from heaven to earth... literally. And then I started running again, because I had already seen the air temple, and I was captured by a long-forgotten feeling: excitement and hope. I really wanted to find something there, and I wanted to quickly reach this extinct settlement.
The rocks were not only flat, but rather very steep, as if the earth benders had specially cut them down to form castles, perhaps, by the way, this was the case, so it was quite difficult to jump, but I finally reached one of three huge structures connected by bridges , of which the temple consisted.
At the height, as always, it was even easier to breathe, and, in principle, I felt one hundred percent, not the least bit tired, although just a minute ago, when I was jumping on the rocks, I thought that I would soon have to rest somewhere.
Hmm, all that's left to do is rummage through it all? Excellent plan, reliable, like a Swiss watch. But first, perhaps, we need to wash ourselves and eat something.
The temple was, as I already said, three structures on three different "islands": as if the tops of huge peaks from the ground were cut off and castles were placed there, but the central one was larger than the other two, and there was also a "natural " Part. That is, I already saw a river and a small forest from afar.
That's where I headed. But already when leaving the central castle straight to the river, I realized that I was not alone here. And, having prepared for uninvited guests, I went out into a clearing near the water element and saw a man sitting on a normal rocking chair.
No, not like that, just a Man with a capital M.
The first thing that caught your eye was the mane of red hair on his head, caught in some kind of ponytail, and the same long beard, also grabbed somewhere in the middle.
And then its size is quite large. The guy was pumped up, like Bumi, only twice as young. He was no more than forty years old, although the blue eyes, which were currently directed directly at me, hinted that his appearance did not entirely correspond to reality. They were too deep and wise for that age; they would most likely suit some wise grandfather.
"And here you are, Akimaru," he said in a rather deep but kind voice, getting up from his monstrous rocking chair, "and I was waiting for you." Better late than never, isn't it, my boy?