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[2 WEEKS LATER]
So far, my training with Piandao has been fun, even the gardening part that I was pretty sure he put me to that just because he doesn't hire any landscapers.
Calligraphy was a breeze, the one I was having troubles with was… with the way of the sword.
"You are not used to weapons, are you?" Master Piando asked with an amused tone, stopping our daily spar.
"I am not," I chuckled.
"You are treating our spar as if it was a bending fight," Master Piandao said with a frown. And I couldn't do anything but stared at him in mild shock, "Your stances are all bare-handed water bending stances," the old man smirked at me, as he went on about my flaws in hand to hand/weapon combat. "A bit risky against armed opponents, when you are not using bending. You would do well learning a few sword stances."
"Since when…" I asked after a second.
"Since the day I met you," Piandao replied, showing little to no emotion, "I don't care where you come from… that doesn't matter to the way of the sword,"
If I had had any doubts about him or his motives, I was now completely sold this man was awesome on my list.
"So I have to forget about my stances…" I muttered.
"No," Piandao shook his head, "You need to insert them, like a good condiment… alone is nothing, but with a good base… can be glorious," A food metaphor, neat.
"So I have to compliment my base with what I know… not the other way around," Meaning I would have to form a really good base with my sword… and then I would improve than with my water style.
"Exactly," Piandao nodded, sounding pleased, "My style has been honed by taking bits from every culture I had encountered, the aggressive side of the fire nation, the solid defense of the earth kingdom, the motions of the water tribe, and the flexibility of the air nomads,"
"I see," I nodded.
"I will give you the base… is up to you to build something beautiful with it… or let it die like a rose in winter," Master Piandao added, as he left the training yard.
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[2 WEEKS LATER]
The days passed with me training and losing soars with Piandao over and over and over again, it was humiliating, but at the same time… I was happy to be learning, after our talk that day. Things seemed to click better for me. It had become easier to learn.
"You have improved… tremendously," Piandao said, pleased with my development, "You are ready…"
Ready? For what? "For what?"
"You have learned the bases of the sword… it's time for you to make that something of your own," That was it… a month of training? I mean, yes I did learn… but a month.
"Isn't this… a bit fast," I inquired with uncertainty.
"Learning how to swing a blade correctly takes no time," Piandao smiled, "Becoming a great swordsman… now that takes decades, I know it seems fast but if I keep teaching you… you will only copy me… the sword, the user and the style have to be unique if you have to truly be a warrior,"
"I suppose that's right," I chuckled.
"If you want you can stay… but I know you have other things to do," Piandao said giving me a map, "What you seek is in there,"
I took the map with a childlike sense of excitement, and smiled, inside there was the location I had been looking for in his library, "Every time I asked you said you didn't know… and so did Fat," I eyed him with a chuckle.
"I wanted to finish your training first, an incomplete base is worse than no base at all," Piandao stated.
"Thanks, for everything,"
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[Aang POV]
Finding an earth bender master… was harder than I had originally anticipated, with Bumi out of the picture, things had complicated.
I had to find a master that listened before striking.
A master on the ways of the Neutral Jing.
Bumi stated that the Neutral jing is the key to earthbending. The art of the neutral jing apparently involves listening, though seemingly doing nothing, and waiting for the right moment to strike.
And it did make sense, for when in combat, earthbenders are usually more stationary than other benders, waiting for their opponent to come to them, while standing their ground and meeting their opponents' attacks head-on, before delivering a deadly counterattack of their own.
"I'm sure your master will be huge!" Sokka smiled, "Big muscles big power,"
"Muscles mean nothing in bending Sokka," Katara sighed.
"Katara is right… bending is more about the spirit, and less about the body," I added.
"Well… I still think your master will be huge," Sokka shrugged.
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[Toph POV]
I was the best of the best, unmatched, undefeated and… I ran out of uns but it doesn't matter, I'm awesome. These idiots in the arena keep trying to take my throne but none of them will ever even manage to make me sweat.
In the arena I was a goddess. But at home I was… I felt worthless.
The shame that tormented me was all the more corrosive for coming from the people that were supposed to see value in me, and yet saw nothing, but the surface of what I was. I didn't know why I felt so tainted, and worthless, and wrong with them, only that I did, and that whenever I was in the arena I felt partly whole.
In the arena I wasn't the poor blind girl everyone felt pity for… no, I was the blind bandit, a powerful and independent earth bender, a force to be reckoned with.
"Lady Beifong… is time for your bath," One of the servants said.
"I think I can take this one myself," I was blind… not stupid… why can't they see that...
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that… there are many dangers during bath time…" Once again, I had been refuted immediately… I hate this.