"You know I'm glad I bought the bag, it really goes with the belt," Sokka said admiring his attire. "That is a huge relief," Katara said sarcastically. "So you sure we'll find him here?" Nya asks Aang. "It's where I met him yesterday," Aang replies confidently. "How do you even know him? Is he a friend of yours?" Katara asks. "He's pretty close with my brother, they both learned spinjitzu long before me and participated in battles with each other, he's also my boyfriend's best friend. They're practically like brothers the three of them, plus two other friends I have," Nya explains.
"Excuse me? You have a boyfriend?" Katara asks and Nya blushes suddenly realizing she said too much. "Ooh I got to hear more about this," Aang said interested in this new information with a cheeky grin. "I um, oh look we're here!" Nya said running up to the school. Two students were already in the courtyard and practicing their bending. When they saw the group on of them said. "Oh great it's you loosers," Katara gives them a glare and they both jumped back frightened. "Yeah that's what I thought," Nya grins at her. "Nice one," Sokka giggles proud of his sister.
One of the jerks recognized Aang and said. "Hey your the kid who beat the Blind Bandit," He said. "Yeah and we're trying to find her, do you know where the janitor is here? We're looking for him too and he said he's friends with the girl," Aang explains. "You mean Rocky? Oh he quit yesterday he had been saving up money to go traveling," One of them answers. "So he's gone?" Nya asks disappointed. "What about the Blind Bandit?" Aang asks. "The Blind Bandit is a mystery, she shows up to fight and than disappears without a trace," the other explains. Aang is disappointed so Morro steps in. "You got more to say, say it or I'll explode your lungs," Morro threatens and for effect her sent a gust of wind knocking the two down to show he meant business.
"We don't know we swear! No one knows who she is except Rocky," The kids cowers under Morro's threatening glare. "Is there anything else you know about him? Any idea where he slept?" One of the kids cowering behind answers. "Well he was a bodyguard for the Beifongs, but he took a job up here too because he needed money fast," The kid said.
"Good enough for me. Let's go," Nya ran off wanting to find Cole as soon as possible. "We don't know where they live!" Morro calls after her, but that fell on deaf ears.
Time Skip
They reached a large estate and when we say large, we say large. It had towering walls over it and it looked like it could fit a village inside it's walls comfortably with room for more. From what they could see of the garden it had a large pond, and lush vegetation, the house itself was nothing less than grand.
"Woah I bet these people sleep on gold," Morro comments. "They're supposed to be the richest family in the world, they got more money than the fire nation royal family and the earth kingdom royal family put together. Supposedly the fire nations palace gardens are modelled after the Beifongs," Sokka explains. "And how do you know this?" Katara asks her brother with a raised eyebrow. "Oh I uh, heard it in town, everybody loves gossiping about rich people you know," Sokka answers with a slight embarrassed chuckle.
"Hey! What are you doing up there?!"
Everyone looks down seeing a guard in black and a earth kingdom style hat on his head obscuring his face. "We're sight seeing!" Sokka calls down. The guy punched the wall and sent Sokka flying off the wall and landing in some shrubbery. "The rest of you leave before- Nya!? Morro?!" The two looked down as the guard took off his hat revealing Cole's shocked face.
"Cole!"
Nya's eyes lit up and she saw him and jumps down off the wall. Cole caught her and spins her around laughing happily. "Nya thank First Spinjitzu Master!" Cole said hugging her tightly and setting her down. "When we couldn't find you and Kai we thought someone kidnapped you. Then I take a look at that disk, end up in the middle of a random village, and hear about a war, and I got so worried when I heard what happened at the water tribes because I thought you would end up there and I heard Kai was on the run with a fire prince and," Cole was talking really quickly clearly relieved, but was looking over her and making sure she was alright.
"I'm fine Cole, Kai's fine too. What are you doing here though?" Nya asks him. "I went traveling trying to find a lead to you and Kai, ran out of supplies, and than I met," Suddenly the earth under them rumbles and Nya was thrown into the air, along with her friends, but Cole was spared.
Nya used her water and made herself a pile of snow, Morro used the wind to slow his fall, Aang and Katara both fell into shrubbery, and Sokka landed on the hard grass ground with a grown.
"What are you doing here twinkle toes?" It was the Blind Bandit wearing much fancier and expensive clothing compared to when they last saw her. "How did you know it was me?" Aang asks. "Don't answer to Twinkle Toes it's not manly," Sokka said. "Says the guy who's bag matches his belt," his sister jabs. "She's got a point," Morro agrees.
Cole cake rushing over and said. "Toph wait, this is my friend Nya," Cole said referring to Nya as he helped her out of the snow and revealing the Blind Bandits real name. Toph raised a eyebrow and Cole looks at the rest, his eyes zeroing in on Aang. "And your the kid who took my money! If I knew you were going to do that I wouldn't have told you about the match," Cole said angerily. "Your arms glow!" Aang said pointing at him. "Aang earth teacher, focus," Morro reminds him. "Wait how are you alive?" Cole asks him noticing the guy he thought was still a ghost. "Wait how do you know her?" Nya asks pointing at Toph. "What money?" Katara asks.
"Everyone stop asking questions!" Sokka yells at them quieting them. Sokka turns to Toph. "Look Aang had this vision because he's the avatar and that stuff happens a lot, anyway he saw you and he needs you to teach him earth bending or we'll all die a fiery death at the hands of a genocidal maniac," Sokka explains to her.
Toph made a face like he was the craziest guy on earth.
"Please I saw you out there no one is better than you," Aang said. "Sorry Twinkle Toes, but that isn't my problem and I got more important things to deal with, so get out of my house before I throw you out myself," Toph said.
"But-," Aang began when the ground beneath them shot him and his friends out of the gardens.
"Was that really necessary Toph?" Cole asks the girl. "Sorry about your friend Fire Arms, but even without that money from last night I'm sure we'll be fine on our own. Besides now you know one friend is okay we can focus on the other," Toph reasons with him.
Cole didn't feel good about what just happened, but then Toph was summoned inside by her parents and Cole had too accompany her.
Yu was already in the room with her parents discussing Toph's earth bending training, but honestly Cole doesn't even know why they bother giving her lessons if they're just gonna keep her on the beginners level since she was four. Not to mention he hate Yu with every viber of his being. He was stuck up, a con man, encouraged kids to hurt each other, gave the most basic forms of bending, and Cole knows for a fact he secretly looks down on non-benders, even the Beifong couple. Yu has also made his dislike of Cole evident from commenting on his clothing, to accusing Cole of taking his job. In the earth ninja's opinion his father Lou could do a better job at teaching Toph earth bending by dancing.
"I'm glad to hear Toph's lessons are going well, but I just want to be sure she's not doing anything too dangerous," her father said. He was a man in his mid forties, with light green to paige robes so expensive they could feed a village, a small mustache, black hair that was done up in a hat, and dark black eyes.
Loa Beifong reminded Cole of his own father a lot, something him and Toph bonded over, they both had set boundaries for this kids with a view of what they thought was best for them, but really it was just denial that their children were anything besides the visions they had for them.
"And Cole?" Cole came out of his day dreaming seeing Poppy Beifong addressing him. She was a woman in her early forties with pale skin, dressed just as extravagantly as her husband, with black hair braided and done up in a complicated style, she also wore makeup, but only enough to highlight her natural features.
"Is Toph doing any dangerous activity during her free time with you?" Poppy asks. "No madam nothing of the sort I promise," Cole answers. He wasn't lying, Toph was in no danger when facing those looser wannabe masters at the ring each night, and Cole himself was never going to hurt her when he threw the match last night.
Poppy nodded happily. Behind them a servant came up and bows as he spoke. "Master Beifong we have a guest at the door," The servant said. Cole has one guess who it is. "Who thinks they are so important they can barge into my house?" Lao asks angrily. Cole remembers him bragging about doing the same thing in Ba Sing Se a couple of weeks ago with the earth king. "The avatar sir," Toph looks momentarily surprised before she's just looking pissed.
Her parents got up and quickly went to go greet them while Cole leans in whispering. "How could you not expect this?" He asks. "Tell them to leave," Toph said angrily. "Come on Toph this could be your chance to escape," Cole encourages her. "We already have a plan so stick too it," She hisses at her.
Cole can only roll his eyes at her.
Time Skip
The Gang, Beifongs and master Yu all sat at the dining table eating dinner while Cole stood in the corner behind Toph's chair.
"So Mr Beifong? How did you meet your guard there?" Nya asks pointing to Cole. "Well it was quite a story," Mrs Beifong answers for a change. "My daughter and I were traveling back from family in the next town over when these bandits tried to kidnap us for ransom. They were a band of nasty fire benders. Then out of nowhere he shows up and took them out like it was effortless! As soon as he was done with them I offered him a job as Toph's personal guard and he graciously accepted," She explains.
"Did Toph help fight?" Sokka asks between mouth fulls of food. "Of course not, she's still at the beginners level and because of her blindness I'm afraid she will never become a master," Lao looks at his daughter with pity. The five teenagers looked at each other, but Cole was the one who interjected.
"It's all master Yu's fault she only knows the beginners level because that's all he knows himself," Yu glares at him dangerously but Cole didn't care. "I'm pretty sure a animal could teach better than him," Cole added. Toph giggles and Yu glares harder at him. "I'm certain she's better than," Aang began when he jumps in his chair clutching his foot.
"I personally don't like him. I've said numerous times that his presence is a waist and," Yu was saying when Cole interjects. "We can always prove who's presence is a waste in a duel, I'd be happy to have one," He grins.
Yu momentarily falters before regaining his composure. "A master does not fight those lower than them," Everyone except Toph's parents and Aang rolled their eyes.
"Oh come on. Cole's learnt bending from a non-bender and he still managed to become better than anyone in Goaling," Nya said and Loa turns to her with a raised eyebrow glancing at Cole. Sokka had even paused his eating to look.
""You two have a history?" He asks. "They used to date," Morro answers with a Cheshire grin. Nya spat out her food and glares at the guy while Cole blushes madly and hides his face in his hands. Toph's lips wobble like she's trying really hard not to burst out laughing, but that never held Sokka back before and even Aang giggles.
"That was a misunderstanding," Cole said sheepishly. "I was young," Nya defends herself and shot some of her cooked soup at Morro who immediately screams like it's still boiling and falls over from his chair. The sudden shout startles Aang who lets out a gust of wind and all the food flies in everyone's faces.
When he realized what he had done Aang blushes and mutters. "Sorry," he says looking down.
"Shall we have dessert in the living room?" Toph's mother asks.
(This might be a weird place to leave off, but I plan for the next chapter to be equally as long. After this I'll make each chapter covering each episode so this story doesn't get too long and I don't leave you all hanging)