Entering a small room on the second floor of the hotel, which cost me about ten times less than a ticket to a simple show at the Arena, I threw my bag of belongings on the floor made of smooth carved brick, which was used to make everything in the room, and walked over to a stone chest filled to the brim with ice. Looking at the frosty vapour, the cooling food, and feeling the snot in my nose getting thicker, I thought to myself... My head hurt so much that I wanted to collapse onto my straw bed and pass out, but Anubis' recent choice had simply ruled that out. Not in the sense that I couldn't sleep anymore — I just couldn't fall asleep because of my thoughts about Beifong. They were causing chaos in my head, and I needed to calm down and organise my thoughts. I filled a small bag with ice, placed it against my head, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Anubis offered me the chance to become a hero. These words were closely related to the White Lotus's proposal to invest in the creation of a person different from the Avatar. A hero who would deal with the world's problems in a worthy manner and build a world where there would be no differences between nations... no, the last part sounds too complicated, so at this stage of my development, I would like to leave that part to others. There was just one detail that stubbornly didn't fit with the coming image - why should I become Toph's spiritual mentor?
This question is important because Anubis did not offer to take her with me, and Beifong will not become my companion to help me in my further development — she will remain here, like my spy and reporter. Rather, I would simply have to try to dispel her illusions about the established framework — not to change her opinion that there is no division between peoples, after all, this is one of the most difficult chakras — but to ease her path. To endow her with the worldview of a member of the White Lotus. So Beifong is a stepping stone, a path I must follow in order to be able to change others? Indeed, how can one attempt to deal with the Fire Lord, overlook his daughter's arrogance, and learn to dispel other people's doubts if one literally does not know how to interact with people on a spiritual level?
"So what, I have to make banana and onion soup? - scratching the back of my head, I wondered what approach I should take with her. How do you communicate spiritually with a representative of the most stubborn people?
"Af," and at that very moment... the fox made a sound quiet enough not to give me a headache. She knew how bad I felt and didn't try to make the situation worse. Instead, she sat on my bed in front of the board with Pai Shou laid out and looked at the chips. She suggested we play again.
"Yes, I should probably take my mind off things. I won't be seeing her for at least a week while I'm in treatment. That's enough time to come up with something," I said, crossing my legs in the lotus position and leaning over the board, carefully considering two strategies at once: the game itself and how to approach teaching Tof. Still, this game made me love studying my opponents. You could beat them in any situation, both in battles you hadn't seen before and in ones you'd already fought. Echoing the battle in the arena, Afka arranged the pieces like my new acquaintance, echoing the nature of her magic on our board. And I lost again and again, trying to break through this impenetrable wall.
"Af," the fox said casually after my clever move that allowed me to trap the mustachioed one.
"You're right, she must hate it when people feel sorry for her, that's why she got so angry when I used the same seismic sensitivity and surrendered. In her value system, I simply gave in. The girl may think that a stone must always be hard, unaware of how much this limits her," Afka replied without hesitation, completely immersed in his game.
At that moment, she narrowed her eyes and slowly raised her head. The fox's eyes widened, and her nose twitched with indescribable emotions. She had been understood.
***
It took me just over a week of my personal time to adapt to her sensory perception and heal the severe bruises. A few days off from training, filled exclusively with playing Pai Shao, allowed me to rein in my feelings and even develop a plan for interacting with such a complex little person as Tof. The members of the White Lotus wanted their allies to endow the right person with power without warning them that it would have to be achieved through a metamorphosis of their own personality. For them, the concept of chakras was something they could understand but had difficulty explaining, while I delved deeply enough into each topic to satisfy the aesthetic tastes of Wang Shin Tong himself. I chose to nurture Tof into a person who would help build a new future, when the threats were gone, so that I would not feel guilty for not taking any steps in that direction.
I decided to become a Guru.
Leaving the city late at night, I headed along a fortified stone path that led straight to the Beifong estate. They lived along the river, near the mountain range, because it was the safest place. Even if the soldiers of the Fire Nation managed to enter the city, the Beifong family would still be able to escape through secret passages before they could be caught. A tall white fence blocked the entrance to the estate, but for any earth mage, it was no obstacle. Making the stone part, I entered as if nothing had happened. The smell of flowers immediately hit my nose, and the quacking of ducks could be heard nearby. Patrols walked around the inner grounds, protecting the most influential people in the city.
Who would have thought that to open the second chakra, I would have to sneak into the estate itself? It was almost there, just a little push, and I could safely call myself a happy fool.
"I'm done for," or maybe I'd actually have to waste away in prison, somewhere far away from all the important events. At least, that could very well happen, considering my luck, because Toff Beifong, who had stumbled upon me and cast her vote behind my back, could easily have forgotten about me after so many days of waiting.
Catching a dissatisfied tone, I slowly turned around and saw... a person completely unknown to me. The blind bandit, dressed in a dirty suit and fond of showing off his dirty feet, had been transformed into a dressed-up nymph. It was as if a Barbie doll had been dressed in a dress, had its face plastered with makeup, and had its hair pulled into a giant bun, not forgetting to embellish it all with flowers.
"Um... I swore never to lie, so I'll be honest. That dress is a zero out of ten," I said. For a moment, there was silence between us. A shadow fell over us, creating a particularly oppressive atmosphere, and then...
"I know," she shrugged calmly, "But why did you break into my house? I thought we'd meet again in the arena. I didn't plan on showing my true self," and now she really frowned.
"You met me near my house. What am I supposed to do, fight you all the time? We stared intently at each other, feeling the mutual pressure, until Tof, after a very short time, finally gave in.
"Whatever's convenient for you," I shrugged and, putting my hands behind my back, walked down the nearest path. Only after looking around to make sure no one was nearby did I follow her. "I'm sorry about that incident at your house. I thought that with the same ability as me, and being a hunk, you'd only want to chat with me if I showed off. But you sent me away.
"It wasn't like that," I replied thoughtfully, catching up with the little girl.
"And you said something about my blindness. I thought about it so much that I wanted to meet you again and get answers. But I'm not angry... it's just that no one has ever understood how much I can really see. My parents think that ever since we went on that trip and I ran away from them to the nearby mountains, I've just been using my imagination. They don't believe that I met mole-bears who taught me this ability, they won't even let me leave the estate in case something like that happens to me again. And you, were you taught by moles too?
Stopping on the bridge that led across a small river, Tof waited expectantly for my answer.
"No. Unlike you, I have eyes, which makes this kind of branching much more difficult, because I have to process a lot of other information. But I also mastered it out of necessity, and also in caves. The words I said to you earlier... I meant that the eyes get in the way.
"Oh, now I see what you meant.
"
The girl waved her hand mockingly in front of her face and jumped onto the railing of the bridge.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I just wanted to chat with someone like me. Although I almost died laughing when you were spouting that nonsense about fear. Did you really want to teach me something? - With a cheeky smile, she finally showed me her first and greatest obstacle.
Any offer to teach her or help her in any way is a red flag. She's too stubborn for that kind of thing, and she has some unpleasant baggage that prevents her from becoming a better mage. I even remembered something... or rather, someone.
"I had an acquaintance who was your complete opposite. I still remember the phrase he said: 'I want to become a Crystal Bull.' Yes, he was determined, but he wasn't strong enough," she stared at me in complete confusion. "As if I'm sick," she said. "You, on the other hand, are a monolith that refuses to adapt."
"Why should I? - she snapped as boldly as she could. "If I don't like something, I don't want to accept that kind of life. And anyway, if you're going to lecture me, you'd better leave. I just wanted to chat.
"That's the problem. King Bumi once said, 'Look for the benefit where others cannot find it,'" I smiled in response to the complete loss of meaning in our conversation on Tof's part. "Don't you like your life? Sitting within four walls, under the thumb of parents who watch over your every decision? Do you want to be the master of your own destiny?
***
In the morning, there was commotion at the Beifong family estate. Servants who were working and gathering information began to arrive from the city and report to the chief steward with surprising information. Before reaching their masters, the reliability of all sources was checked multiple times, and additional staff from the internal security services gathered all the additional information about this rare event. The work was done as quickly as possible so that such an opportunity would not be seized by all the other wealthy people in the city — the Beifong family had perfect composure and its own network of agents to always achieve its goals. And so, a seemingly ordinary leaflet found its way to the head of the family.
"Mr. Beifong," a man with a stately bearing looked closely at the frowning head of the richest family in the city, if not the world. "There are rumours going around the city that the sand mage is recruiting students. He teaches a defensive style and methods of self-defence in case of unexpected attack. I thought this might be useful to the lady.
"Sand mage? - he clenched the letter," Isn't that the man who, according to rumours, kills people with a single touch? Who do you take me for? How can I give my daughter to such a beast to be trained? She already has a professional master who is teaching her the basics. A rough soldier would be no match for her.
"Sir... - the butler bowed even lower," - We thought so too. But this man has saved many people with his medical techniques, these are rumours from the palace of King Boomi himself. These are not even rumours, it can be said with certainty that he is a hero in Omasu.
Beifong's steady gaze pinned the servant to the floor.
"...Well, which families are already planning to take him in?
"The Korobeyniks and the Chuvinov family themselves, they wish to train soldiers from their personal guard. Their reputation could rise greatly, and with such power, they could find favour with the kings.
"I didn't build my financial empire to let vagabonds get cocky," snorted the master. He looked at the letter again and clenched his teeth. The Sand Mage, the hero who saved the people of Omashu, the man who opened the way for many suffering people, was recruiting disciples. He would have found it hard to believe such information if he had not trusted his network of agents. And they reported that the Sand Mage had already been in the city for some time. "So be it. Let him try to teach Tof, but we must make sure that he is definitely better than Master Yu.
The butler smiled amusedly. Master Beifong had an amazing reputation and a remarkable mind — in order to prevent an entire clan from rising above him and taking away some of his businesses, he was willing to take one of the most renowned magicians and... give him only his daughter. The sand mage himself was still to be feared, but if he did anything wrong, it would come back to haunt him. He would regret ever being born, because the fury and mercenaries of the Beifong family could find a man even in the desert.
However, considering King Bumi's positive words, they gave him a few points of trust.
A few hours later, the whole family gathered in the reception hall. Mr. Beifong sat in a chair next to his wife, surrounded by a crowd of servants and guards — professional soldiers that the other families of Gaoling could only dream of. Dressed in a dress, Toph sat on a small sofa slightly to one side, frowning and not understanding what was going on, and behind her stood her personal teacher, Master Yu, who was essentially the master teacher of the city... until today.
"Lord Dagoth has arrived," said the servants who had rushed in.
"Let him in.
The master of the house nodded, and the doors to the room opened. At that moment, an oppressive aura emanated from the doorway... A man dressed in a high-quality training suit with rolled-up sleeves emerged. Stepping slowly and deliberately, he looked at those present with a frighteningly threatening gaze, clenching his scarred fists tightly. Each step was masterful, he kept long contact with the ground, which could say a lot to any soldier and even to Y's teacher himself. This man exuded such an atmosphere that it made you want to defend yourself.
The man who stopped in the middle of the hall made everyone, even the owner of the house, shudder. The master's frightening gaze sent shivers down your spine; the longer you looked at him, the less safe you felt. Your blood pressure rose... but it dissipated immediately when he bowed respectfully and said in a confident tone:
"Greetings, Beifong family. I have been told that I will be teaching the blind," he glanced for a second at Toph, who was frozen in shock, "Rest assured, only someone with medical experience can find the right approach to a blind mage.
"Uh... I like him already," said Tof's mother, clapping her hands.
"Hmm...," the head narrowed his eyes, "Yes, you inspire... confidence."
***
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