It was rather strange to see something like this in a "fantasy" universe, though when you thought about it, people were the same everywhere. So why wouldn't something like this appear in a city full of wealthy residents with plenty of free time who weren't burdened by hard physical labor and therefore needed some way to stay in shape? Add the eternal desire to show off, stand out somehow, and impress fellow members of the elite with something exotic... Old Chan knew that sort of thing very well.
In short, there was nothing new under the sun, all was vanity, and so on.
One thing was absolutely clear: even if Aang somehow managed to stumble into this sorry excuse for an academy, he wouldn't learn anything worthwhile here. In fact, there was a very good chance his current level was already beyond anything they could teach him. Unfortunately, for all his idiocy, "tender" age, and inexperience, the Avatar had a decent enough idea of what he actually needed and what was completely useless to him (and the prices for "training" at this academy, incidentally, were remarkably steep), not to mention the intuitive understanding of bending he inherited from his past incarnations...
So there was no point even dreaming that he might "pick up some knowledge" here that would screw up his earthbending so badly that he'd have to relearn how to do it properly. Alas.
"We're leaving," Azula ordered irritably, and we hurried to depart this... all right, fine, let's call it an "educational institution."
What exactly had put the princess in such a foul mood, however, was anyone's guess. Maybe the tea wasn't very good, maybe it was the weather, maybe it was that time of the month... Or perhaps it was the fact that the male half of our group had, every now and then, glanced at the female students warming up. Purely... out of an appreciation for beauty, of course, but good luck proving that to a visibly irritated princess.
Ahem... never mind.
"So what are we doing next?" Ty Lee asked everyone once we'd put some distance between ourselves and the academy and settled down for a bite to eat at something resembling an open-air café.
"Surely you haven't already cleaned out every snack shop and clothing store in Gaoling?" Azula arched an eyebrow questioningly as she sampled some kind of juice.
"Ty Lee may be fast and energetic, but even she can't move that quickly." Mai smirked into the sleeve of her outfit. "Though if we stay here another week or two, I make no guarantees about this city's survival."
"Uh-huh. You'll wreck it yourself," the acrobat pouted, offended by this attack on something sacred.
"I hear a famous theater troupe is coming here in ten days..." Suki remarked as if in passing.
"Over my dead body!" The declaration escaped me almost before the meaning of her words had fully registered.
"Hmmm..." the little blind girl drawled very expressively.
"What's that 'hmm' supposed to mean, Toph? Of all people, I didn't expect that from— Ah. Actually, yeah..."
"The theater is all well and good, of course, but we don't have time to simply laze around," Azula said, still in a foul mood. "So if the Avatar doesn't appear within the next week, I suggest we head for Ba Sing Se. He might still be able to bypass Gaoling, but there's no way he can avoid showing up there."
"Yes, but we might have to wait for him there for an indefinite amount of time," the prince pointed out a minor flaw in the plan.
"Do you have any better ideas, Zu-Zu?"
"How many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?" The prince grimaced and let out a weary sigh. "But no, I really don't have any better ideas. And if we spend another ten days sitting around here trying to figure out how that... ahem thinks, I'll go storm Ba Sing Se alone if I have to—just for the chance to kill someone."
"Uh-huh." Blast nodded solemnly. He'd been with us this entire time and, true to form, had remained just as eloquent as ever. If even he had spoken up, then things really had gotten unbearable. Hardly surprising, though, given the way we lived—always running somewhere, always doing something. Being forced to sit still was simply killing us.
"The tournament's still two days away. What should we do until then?" Suki changed the subject.
"Look at some weapons?" Mai suggested.
"We won't see anything worthwhile anyway." Zuko clicked his tongue in annoyance. "They have good metal here, but their smiths don't even measure up to the craftsmen in Yu Dao, let alone the masters back home."
"Sure, why don't you bring up Master Piandao while you're at it, brother?"
"All we can do is dream of owning one of his masterpieces." There was genuine longing in the prince's voice now.
"Oh yes, all his masterpieces certainly leave quite an impression." A murderous glare drilled into me for a moment. "Don't they, Chan?"
"Undoubtedly. Though in certain cases, his brush is far deadlier than his hammer, wouldn't you agree, Azula?" I shot back.
"Perhaps..." Everyone around the table exchanged puzzled glances as they watched our latest round of verbal sparring.
"Psst... Is it just me, or are there at least three more layers of subtext in what they're saying?" Ty Lee asked, leaning toward Mai.
"Hmm..." Zuko's girlfriend chose to remove herself from the discussion entirely.
"I happened to notice a wonderful teahouse nearby..." Seeing the atmosphere heating up, Iroh once again masterfully inserted himself into the conversation and lowered the temperature a few degrees.
Not that the princess and I were actually planning to murder each other, but... two firebenders, with a rather complicated and strange relationship to boot, and both young at that... In the general's place, I'd have nipped that sort of thing in the bud too. Just in case.
"Uncle..." Zuko rolled his eyes hopelessly, providing the perfect finishing touch to the scene.
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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