"Oof… That was painf—"
At that exact moment, my captured "passenger" landed squarely on my chest.
"—kgh…ful," I wheezed, eyes bulging as I desperately tried to bite off a chunk of air that had suddenly become incredibly solid. The idea I'd come up with earlier no longer seemed nearly as brilliant. And the extra weight on my chest wasn't helping either. Speaking of which, I could probably get rid of it now.
"Hsss… My butt," a familiar voice groaned nearby. "Why the platypus bear did you grab onto me?!"
"Well, flying alone was boring… company makes it more fun. Damn it, I got beaten by a tiny blind girl… What humiliation…"
Mustn't forget to groan and complain a little.
And she really was that good. Near the end, you could even say she managed to catch me off guard. A sport fighter was still different from a real combatant, after all. In an actual battle, no earthbender in their right mind would try to pop up right next to a firebender — they'd try to drag him underground instead. Why? Because by the time they surfaced and wound up for an attack, they'd already have been incinerated three times over at point-blank range.
So I hadn't expected her to attack from that close, and her speed was excellent too. Overall, the girl really was talented. And if she ever gained real field experience, she'd grow into an absolute little monster.
"Heh-heh, well, unlike the others, you actually held out pretty well."
"But I still ended up the same way." I got to my feet and pulled my opponent up with me.
"Hey, I can take care of myself just fine!" she immediately bristled.
Right, that familiar "I can do it myself." I'd run into that attitude before — very recently, in fact. Among crippled soldiers. They treated any attempt to help them as pity, and pity pissed them off beyond belief.
That led to a whole range of problems. Sometimes very serious ones.
The thing was, dealing with wounded veterans was relatively straightforward: shared drinking sessions, treating them as equals, giving them work they could still handle in their condition so they'd feel useful again. But how exactly was I supposed to drive similar cockroaches out of the head of a blind little girl whose family constantly hovered over her, only making the problem worse? That, I had no idea.
I hadn't expected Toph to have the personality of a battle-hardened veteran. I'd been expecting more of a hyperactive teenager with a firecracker shoved up her ass.
Honestly, it was impressive. And it gave me a lot to think about.
"I believe you. It's just that where I come from, taking care of someone else is considered a sign of sympathy or respect. Your skill has earned my respect, and your personality has earned my sympathy." I shrugged — though, yeah, she probably wouldn't notice the gesture.
"A-are you seriously trying to flirt with me right now?!" the girl shot back, somehow managing to keep the aggression in her voice while looking utterly flustered and bewildered at the same time.
"Heh. Grow up first. Give it another five years, then maybe I'll think about it."
"Pfft. Like I need some random nobody," she scoffed, sticking her nose in the air. For all her harshness, she really was still a child.
"I'm not a 'random nobody.' I'm Chan," I replied to the earthbender with dignity.
"Oh? No objections to the 'nobody' part?" she immediately seized on my little "slip-up".
"Mmm… should I add the title 'great' in front of it?"
"Heh. You're funny," the girl said, smirking genuinely for the first time. "Next time, I'll knock you out of the arena a little more gently."
Yeah… "small and vicious" really was an accurate description. Extremely accurate.
"Oh, how generous of you, honorable Bandit. By the way, where I come from, when someone tells you their name, it's customary to introduce yourself in return."
She hesitated. Though not for long.
"Toph."
"Pleasure to meet you." I nodded to the girl… Yeah, communicating with her definitely came with complications. Normally, people relied on facial expressions for a lot during conversations.
Our discussion was interrupted by Xin Fu.
"That was one of the greatest fights I have ever witnessed, ladies and gentlemen! Let's hear it for our gladiators and thank them for such an unforgettable spectacle!"
This time the audience was far more enthusiastic.
"The Blind Bandit has once again proven herself an unmatched earthbender and defended her championship title! But her opponent also demonstrated remarkable skill and deserves a reward!"
Fu tossed me a pouch. Not the one he'd promised for victory, but even the "audience favorite" prize felt pleasantly heavy in my hand. Not that I particularly needed the money, but extra reserves never hurt.
"Yeah, that was pretty good. We should do it again sometime," Miss Beifong declared with satisfaction before dramatically disappearing through the nearest wall.
Well then. Let's count that as an official goodbye.
The remaining guests and fighters didn't linger long and quickly began filing out of the arena. I decided not to separate myself from the group and instead rejoined…
Well, all right. My girlfriend and her friends. Let's call it that.
"So? You beat up a poor little kid and now you're happy?" Suki planted her hands on her hips, though I didn't sense any actual negativity from her. The whole thing felt pretty theatrical. No, her tone and intonation were perfectly convincing, but the utterly delighted grin plastered across her utterly delighted face gave her away completely.
"You don't look especially upset about it," I said, pulling the girl into a light embrace and giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"Welllll, I happened to find someone taking bets and wagered that the Bandit wouldn't lose… but wouldn't win either. She's a strong bender, but knowing you, her outright victory still seemed pretty unlikely."
(End of Chapter)
P@treon: /SadRaven
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