Eye of the Storm

Page Nineteen

---Since there's not much I can do with it, I'm skipping over "The Beach" and "The Avatar and the Firelord" So I'm skipping to "The Runaway"---

They were in an isolated area near a Fire Nation village, safe from prying eyes. Aang was blindfolded and standing beside a shallow river, getting into an earthbending stance. Quila and Gopan sat on some rocks, watching them. "Okay, I'm ready for some training!" Aang said excitedly. They chucked water and rocks at each other while the others sat and relaxed. "Great job, twinkle-toes. Visualize, then attack." Toph hurdled a boulder towards Aang, but he corkscrewed himself into the ground, but the boulder kept going and slammed into Katara. "Maybe you should take your own advice, Toph." Katara growled. "What's the matter, can't handle some dirt, Madame Fussy Britches?" Toph teased. Katara doused Toph in a wave of water in response. "Oh, sorry, did I splash you, mud slug?" Furious, they come at each other and start fighting. "Are we taking a break?" Aang asked, still blindfolded. "Here they go again." Gopan sighed, watching the fighting girls. Quila sighed heavily as Sokka tried to sneak attack Aang, however unsuccessful. Toph and Katara were wrestling each other in the mud and they all walked over to watch. Quila rolled her eyes and bended the water in the mud to grasp around the girls' wrists. They both stopped and looked up. "Uh, guys, I thought we were supposed to be training me." Quila dropped their restraints and they tried to wipe themselves off. "Very well, pupil. I believe we've had enough training for today." Katara said, walking off. "While Katara cleans herself up, let's go have some fun!" Toph said excitedly, and they all smiled, cheering.

They walked into town, and Sokka's eyes were drawn by a messenger hawk station. "Look at all those messenger hawks. You know, I've been thinking about getting one for myself."

"What useful purpose could that possibly serve?" Gopan asked. "Well, then I wouldn't have to talk to anyone. I could just send them messages!"

"I gotta say, I like the idea of not talking to you." Toph said teasingly. "So, guys, what are we gonna do with our last silver piece?"

"We can get more money, right there." She pointed down an alley where a con man was tricking a group of people at the shell game. "I know that trick. These types of games were rampant in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se." Quila nodded in understanding. "The gambling was technically illegal, but the police didn't really care." Gopan added. "This is where you seeing people are at a disadvantage. Everyone guesses wrong because the dealer moves the rock at the last minute. But I can feel it with my earthbending."

They made their way down to the street below and stood in with the crowd. The con man noticed Toph in the crowd and smirked, thinking he had an easy target, just as planned. "You there. Wanna play a friendly game?"

"How can I possibly play? I'm blind."

"You don't have to see to be lucky." Toph feigned hesitance and uncertainty as she felt her way over, taking a seat across from the man. The man finally finished shifting the shells, and Toph chose the correct shell. "Flamey-o, Toph!" Aang said excitedly, still insisting on saying the phrase that Quila was beginning to wonder if it was ever actually popular. "Wow, fancy guessing. You are amazing at this. Would you like to make the game a little more interesting?"

"More interesting? How?"

"Well, let's say you toss in your friend's fine sword there. Then I'll put up twenty silver pieces against it, and that's more interesting." Toph quickly snatched Sokka's sword before he could protest, and set it on the table. "I'll do it for forty silver pieces."

"Forty silver pieces it is." The game started again, and it finished quickly. Toph pointed to one of them. "Sorry, little buddy, but..." He stopped talked when he lifted up the shell to see the bean there. "I won!" Toph cheered.