The Dragon Princess and the Wolf Warrior

Chapter 60 [~|~] Joining the Team

"Allow me," Aang replied before sending a small air tornado towards the soup, cooling it instantly. The Beifongs and Yu clapped in admiration as Toph continued to look unimpressed.

"Avatar Aang, it's an honor to have you visit us," Poppy smiled, leaning forwards with a kind smile on her face.

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked, nibbling at his food.

"I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first." Aang leaned on the table, sending a look towards Toph, who stared down at her food instead.

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little," Lao chuckled, gesturing down the table at Master Yu. Azara recognized him from the flyer.

"Then she must be a great earthbender! Probably good enough to teach someone else!" Aang praised, before jumping in his seat and exclaiming in pain. Azara paused eating to glance suspiciously in between Toph and Aang as a moment of silence fell over the group.

"Toph is still learning the basics," Master Yu insisted, causing Azara to raise an eyebrow. She wasn't quite sure if Toph was really the blind one around here.

"Yes, and sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she'll ever become a true master," Lao sighed as Katara and Azara shared suspicious expressions.

"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is," Aang replied before his face was thrown into his soup. The room fell silent again as Aang sat up, an annoyed expression on his face as he slid the bowl onto the top of his head. He glared at Toph for a moment, slapping his face, before he smirked and sneezed dramatically. The burst of air from his sneeze caused all of the food to fly across the table, including Toph's soup, which landed straight in her face.

"What's your problem?" Toph demanded, standing up.

"What's your problem?" Aang snapped back as the two glared at each other. Lao looked confused as he glanced between the two.

"Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert?" Poppy smiled, trying to diffuse the situation.

As the night dragged on, they were shown to the guest quarters by some servants. Azara stood by the door as Sokka and Katara prepared for bed. At the sound of footsteps, Azara turned to see Toph leaning against the doorway. Aang, noticing Toph as well, jumped up and got into a defensive position immediately.

"Relax, look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call a truce, okay?" Toph offered, causing Aang to relax and nod.

"Why don't you guys go on a walk and talk things out?" Azara suggested, looking between the two of them.

"You come too. I have some questions for the Princess of the Fire Nation," Toph stated, before leading the way out of the guest quarters. Azara nodded and followed after Aang as Toph walked into one of the courtyards. The sound of bugs buzzing and the dim lighting from the adjacent buildings brought Azara back to her childhood at the Fire Nation Palace.

Pausing for a moment to admire some flowers, Azara walked to catch up with Aang and Toph, who had jumped up onto the railing of a small bridge. "Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing," Toph explained as she walked across the bridge effortlessly and jumped down to the ground again. "I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the Earth, and I can see where everything is. You guys, that tree . . . even those ants." Aang looked around for any sign of the ants, before turning back to Toph.