Ally Beifong

28: Zaofu (long chapter)

"Mom is being weird. No one knows why Zaheer wanted to kidnap me, and for the sake of my sanity, leave me be. Mom flew us to a remote location behind some mountains where we landed the ship to take a break."

Naga ran up to Korra with an old brown ball clenched in her canine jaws, she dropped it and wagged her tail. Korra used airbending to pick it up and throw it for Naga to fetch. Ally watched with a sparkle in her green eyes, even if it was for a short time, she was genuinely happy watching the polar bear dog play. 

"4 of the world's most dangerous criminals are after you," Lin nagged. "And you're playing fetch."

"Chillax, chief cranky pants," Korra replied. "We just landed, and besides, no one knows where we are." Naga ran up and dropped the ball in front of Lin. It was covered in slobber and little pieces of grass. 

"Mom..." Ally chuckled. 

"She wants you to throw the ball for her," Korra told Lin and stroked Naga's ears. Lin took one look at the ball and crossed her arms. 

"Not gonna happen," she said. 

"We got a call about another airbender!" Asami came out of the ship with a grin on her face. "In a city called Zaofu, home to the metal clan."

"Know where that is?" Korra asked Lin. 

"Uh.. no, never seen it," Lin stammered. "I don't want you or my daughter going there. If you were back in Republic City, I could rest a whole lot easier." 

"Sorry, but we're going to Zaofu," Korra ignored the police chief and walked into the ship. Naga was still sitting down, waiting for someone to throw her ball. Lin looked down at it and sent a metal cable flying out of her wrist to pop it. 

"Mom!" Ally reprimanded. She reinflated the ball and handed it to Naga who chewed it happily. They flew to the city of Zaofu, a city made entirely of metal. It was surrounded by mountains, had a tram system, and had flower-like structures coming out of the sides. They were pointed and would fold up to become domes. 

"This is incredible!" Bolin gasped. "You should feel at home Beifong, this is your thing!" 

"Hmm," Lin grumbled. The airship landed and everyone got out, except Lin. 

"Mom, are you coming?" Ally asked. 

"No, there's nothing to see, it's metal, big deal," Lin waved it away like nothing. "Find the airbender, and we can leave. Don't tell anyone I'm here." 

"How come?" Korra asked. 

"I'm not going to explain myself to you," Lin snapped. "Just do it." Ally placed a soft kiss on her mother's cheek and looked at her gently. 

"Mom, it's ok," she said gently. "We won't say anything." She walked out and followed her group. They were greeted by a man in green robes. He asked if anyone else was with them, and Korra said no. He had a piercing that connected his nose and his ear by a chain, metal shoulder plates, half-moon spectacles, and a thin beard. His name, Aiwei. He took them on a tram to go see the new airbender, giving them a bit of history along the way. 

"That is the first metalbender, Toph Beifong," he told them. Ally smiled at the statue, knowing it was the first time she had ever seen what her grandmother looked like. The team took them up to a fancy manor with grounds that spread out in all directions, it was massive. Aiwei led them to a hall where there were men and women circling around on metal cables. They were dancing using metal, and the dance finished with two women standing with their legs crossed over each other, high above their heads. 

"This is beautiful," Ally murmured, transfixed by the grace and power of the benders. An older woman with curly gray hair came over to them, she had cloth wrapped around her forearms, a green sleeveless top, and green pants. She had pale green eyes and a caring disposition.