If there was ever a testament to how little thought children put into dire situations, it was the speed at which Katara whipped a stream of water at Azula's face after the disguised Princess had greeted them. Granted, it was good reaction time all things considered, but the lack of situational awareness was still quite blatant.

  Thankfully, Azula had expected just such a reaction from their guests, and had practically been leaning back to dodge the attack before Katara even committed to it. Of course, the Waterbender wasn't content to stop there, readying another liquid whip to lash out against her sworn enemy. By this time, most everyone else in the room was starting to react, namely Azula's allies and the Beifong guards, but before any of them could make a move to intervene a wall of stone was suddenly erected between the combatants. It conveniently blocked the view of the guards that had been beside the Avatar's group, though Xisheng imagined this had been the intent.

  "Stop! Is this how the Avatar is welcomed into someone's home? You attack its other guests without warning?"

  Lowering the stone barrier she had erected as subtly as possible in the presence of her guards, Toph couldn't really level a scathing glare all things considered, but she was remarkably good at sounding authoritative despite her small stature and age. She was probably hoping that the guards assumed one of Azula's crew had done the Earthbending.

  As for the Avatar's group, Katara was certainly not swift in apologizing for her unprovoked assault. "Guests?! Do you have any idea who these people are?!"

  "I know they didn't come in here and attack someone after being invited in! And at the moment, I know them far better than I know you!"

  Katara looked as though she wanted to make a retort, but the Avatar swiftly stood in for her. "You're right to be mad, we're very sorry. My friend acted too rashly."

  Naturally his female companion did not take this well at all. "Excuse me?!"

  Mildly amused by her reaction, Toph nevertheless managed to keep a straight face, not to mention her noble act. "Well, at least someone in your retinue has manners."

  She then focused her attention on the guards that had brought the new arrivals in. "You all should return to your posts."

  After witnessing the aggression of the Waterbending girl they had let in, Lao's guards were naturally not too keen on this idea. "B-but Toph, these people just proved themselves dangerous! We can't just leave you with them!"

  Catching on to what Toph was aiming for with little trouble, and condoning it as well, Azula chimed in. "Your master is right. For all we know this group is just a distraction. They could have more accomplices infiltrating the compound right now. Besides, rest assured that we can handle them better than you."

  Seeing as how this argument was coming from someone they didn't really trust, one of the guards was quick to oppose the idea. "Didn't you hear us? This boy is the Avatar! If he is going to be trouble you can't handle him yourselves!"

  In an effort to assure her guards, Toph angled her head in Aang's direction. "That's true. Avatar, are you going to cause trouble?"

  The young Airbender smiled as cheekily as possible. "No, of course not! Right Katara?"

  Naturally the girl in question had a very unfriendly expression in response, though she grit her teeth and agreed. "Right..."

  Toph merely nodded before turning back to her men. "Well, there it is. The Avatar isn't going to cause trouble, so you guys can go back to your posts."

  "But that's-!"

  "Hey, my father will be very unhappy if he finds out you were so blatantly disrespectful! Get going!"

  With little to no means of countering, Lao's guards ultimately gave in, bowing before making their exit from the room. The moment Toph could no longer sense them, she dropped the posh charade entirely.

  "So good to see you again Twinkletoes. Gotta say, I didn't think you were the kind of guy to do Xin Fu's dirty work. Kinda pathetic really."

  It was no surprise that the Avatar had no clue what Toph was talking about. "Huh? Who's Xin Fu?"

  "C'mon, don't play dumb! You've obviously been in on this whole scam from the start! I guess being the Avatar explains how you beat me in the ring, but I never woulda thought the Avatar of all people would use his powers for something so sad."

  This time it was Sokka who expressed his confusion. "Hold on, you're not making any sense here. What scam are we supposedly in on?"

  Before anyone could answer that, Katara cut in, leveling an accusatory finger at Azula's retinue. "The more important question is what are they doing here?! What's a proud Earth Kingdom family like yours doing with the Fire Nation?!"

  Toph would have cocked an eyebrow at 'proud Earth Kingdom family' if only she wasn't more confused by the second accusation. "Fire Nation? Are you guys from there?"

  She was obviously speaking to Azula's group, so it was the Princess who answered, swiftly and calmly. "Two of us are from the Fire Nation colonies to the west, but we share no more familiarity with them than that."

  The young Earthbending prodigy frowned at this, mostly because she couldn't help but be confused. As far as she could tell, the Avatar and his friends weren't lying. But as best as she could discern Azula was telling the truth as well. She'd never encountered this kind of situation before. Even so, she was more obligated to trust those she knew a little better over these new arrivals, even if one of them was the Avatar.

  "Well there you have it, they aren't from the Fire Nation. And even if they were, why would that matter?"

  Katara's incredulity was immediately obvious. "Why would it matter? Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?!"

  Knowing Katara's unrelenting penchant for pushing her point, Aang tried to intervene peacefully. "Calm down Katara, there's clearly some sort of misunderstanding here. All we have to do is clear it up."

  The teenage Waterbender didn't seem too terribly fond of that idea, but in the end she didn't really have any alternative. So long as Toph was being deceived by these Ashmakers she would side with them. They had to reveal the truth first.

  "Fine..."

  Seeing that another fight would be avoided for now, Toph folded her arms. "Great. So, if you aren't here because of Xin Fu, why are you? What business does the Avatar have with the Beifong family? Actually, before we even do that, I don't trust the competence of Dad's men as much as I can throw them without my bending. Are you even the Avatar?"

  Since that was easy enough to prove, Aang made a small show of creating a sphere of air and borrowed water from Katara's pouch. "I'm pretty sure I am."

  Naturally Toph couldn't actually see the different elements being bent, since all she could tell was that it wasn't earth. For all she knew Aang could be bending just water or nothing at all. That being the case, she spoke out loud to Azula's group.

  "So uh, I can't actually confirm that he's doing anything special..."

  Seeing as how any lie about this wouldn't hold up for long, Xisheng figured the truth was their only option. "He's bending both air and water. He's the Avatar, no denying it."

  Toph merely shrugged, seemingly unimpressed. "Great, so what do you want?"

  A little put off by her lack of enthusiasm, Aang nevertheless kept his own. "Well you know, the Avatar has to master all four elements, so I need someone to teach me Earthbending. And I think it's supposed to be you! I had visions and stuff!"

  "Wow, creepy. Why exactly am I supposed to agree?"

  Sokka seemed confused by Toph's reaction. "What do you mean why? He's the Avatar! Teaching the Avatar is like, a huge honor or something right?"

  "Is it? Just seems like unnecessary responsibility to me."

  Katara's hands went to her hips. "Helping the Avatar save the world is not an 'unnecessary' responsibility! He's the only one who can stop the Fire Nation! Unless you're on their side, which seems likely since they're here!"

  "That again? They said they weren't from the Fire Nation. Why should I doubt 'em?"

  "People can lie, you know!"

  Toph smirked, proud in her abilities. "Not to me they can't. I can use my Earthbending to tell when people are lying."

  Distinctly recalling all the flames that had come their way last time Azula's group had been encountered, Sokka was clearly incredulous. "Right..."

  Having come to an impasse of sorts, Toph decided that she might as well make the situation somewhat more civilized. "Tell you what, why don't we deal with this over lunch? I'm hungry."

  Naturally, Sokka agreed immediately. "Definitely, alright!"

  No one else shared Sokka's enthusiasm, but there was no need to disagree with the sentiment either. Things were remarkably civil at this exact moment anyway. That said, Toph would have to go find some of the household servants in order to command meal prep, and she had to erect her facade to do that, which meant having an escort. As seemed natural by now, she elected Xisheng for the task. She'd apparently taken some sort of liking to him.

  That said, she still left a parting quip to those still in the room. "If I come back and this place is a battleground I'll kick all your butts!"

  Xisheng wasn't quite sure that kind of warning would be sufficient considering the situation, but whether or not Azula would attack the Avatar in their current situation was debatable. One way or another, if a fight broke out Xisheng was fairly certain his allies had the upper hand. For all the clout of being the Avatar, the young Airbender hadn't really proven all that deadly in their personal encounters.

  Regardless, Xisheng soon found himself being led through the Beifong estate once again, hand in hand with Toph just like before. For a solid minute, the diminutive Earthbender was silent in her trek, but soon enough she brought up a troubling topic.

  "So, are you guys really from the Fire Nation?"

  There was no accusation in Toph's voice; she didn't seem angered or irritated by the notion. Just curious. As for Xisheng, he knew that he was supposed to lie right now, but he wasn't so sure that it would be the right choice. The ultimate goal of this entire operation was to turn Toph against the Avatar, at least to an extent where she wouldn't help him. One could think the best way to do that would be to deceive her, but that could just as well backfire. If the truth was dragged out or mistakenly revealed it could actually make her more likely to oppose them.

  Besides, even though Xisheng had only been acquainted with the girl for less than a day, it seemed fairly obvious to him that she didn't really bear any outright distaste for the Fire Nation. The notion of them being from the island country didn't seem to bother her, and she didn't seem to care all that much about the Avatar stopping the Fire Lord. No matter how he considered the situation, it seemed to Xisheng like they were better off being frank and trustworthy than trying to hide their allegiance.

  Of course, maybe Azula would be mad about this, but Xisheng was not incapable of acting on his own. He was making a judgment call that he believed was in their best interests.

  "Technically, I'm from the colonies, so that's up for debate. But as for the others, they're all natives. We are from the Fire Nation, no denying that."

  To his credit, Toph didn't react to this news badly. In fact, she seemed befuddled above anything else. "That so? So the scary speech girl was lying and I couldn't tell at all..."

  "I know I have no right to really say this all things considered, but please believe it if nothing else; we aren't here to hurt you, your family, or even your city. We have deceived you, but not to do you harm."

  "I'll pretend that makes me feel a little better about it. But then what are you here for?"

  "Specifically to stop the Avatar. Your family has only been involved because we knew he would come to you."

  Toph seemed confused by this notion. "To stop the Avatar from... what exactly? I don't get it."

  Xisheng wondered what consequence could possibly be inflicted on him if this all backfired horribly. He quickly decided not to think about it.

  "You are a very powerful bender Toph. Probably the most powerful Earthbender any of us have ever seen. The last thing we want is for someone of your strength to side with the Avatar."

  The young noble frowned at this. "So you're scared of me is all."

  Xisheng couldn't help but scoff at the notion of Azula being scared of anything. "Not in the slightest. Our leader spoke so passionately about truly measuring your strength because she herself is incredibly strong. As a bender, she is undoubtedly equal to you in skill, and possibly better. That's not an insult towards you; as I said your abilities are phenomenal, and I've met hundreds of Earthbenders in battle. We're not scared of your abilities Toph, we respect them. The fact that our leader, who finds nearly all foes beneath her, acknowledges your threat as a potential enemy is evidence enough of her respect for you as a warrior. Truth be told I've never seen her place so much emphasis on the potential of another bender, and she doesn't even know you. I'm almost jealous."

  Toph was silent for a moment as she pondered these words, perhaps wondering if they could be trusted after being lied to in the first place. "So that's how it is, huh? Can't say I still don't feel like a piece on a board. Why did you even tell me this? Won't your scary leader be mad?"

  "Probably. But as I said, we respect you. I feel that you deserve to know the truth of things. Whether or not knowing the truth turns you for or against us, well... I cannot fault you for whatever decision you make. I just hope you'll give fair consideration to both sides of the conflict first."

  The two of them turned down their fourth hall as they continued talking, seemingly still at ease with one another. "What, you think I wouldn't?"

  "You're an Earth Kingdom citizen, whose country has been at war with my own for nearly a century. If you sided against us for the sole reason that we're from the Fire Nation and nothing else, I wouldn't be surprised in the least."

  "Like that crazy girl with the Avatar? I'm always down for a good fight but just attacking people out of nowhere for a reason like that seems pretty stupid."

  "I'm honestly surprised you feel that way."

  "Why? The Fire Nation hasn't done squat to affect me. Yeah, there's a big war going on, but so what? It's nothing to get all uppity over. Maybe the Earth Kingdom should just stop getting their butts kicked in."

  To say Xisheng was surprised to learn of this nonchalance regarding the war was an understatement. But then again, Toph wasn't wrong in saying the war had barely affected her own life. Due to the Fire Nation mostly ignoring Gaoling, and since Gaoling did most of its trade with big cities like Omashu and Ba Sing Se, the people living here hadn't really suffered much of anything in the past century of conflict. Other than misguided national pride, they really had no reason to detest the Fire Nation.

  "I'm glad you're reasonable enough to consider both sides of the story. Not many people can do that without bias. That said... what will you do?"

  Toph simply shrugged. "How should I know? All I've heard so far is that the Avatar wants me to train him and you guys don't want that. It's not exactly a whole lot to go on. Besides, who knows? I might not do anything. Could just play stupid and let you guys go about your business. We'll see over lunch, I guess."

  That Toph was deciding to handle this situation in such a way definitely surprised Xisheng, but ultimately he decided that he had made a good call. He honestly couldn't see Toph discovering the truth any other way than this earning her support on the matter. That said, she could ultimately choose to side with the Avatar anyway, but Xisheng knew one very important thing about people, and moreover, about girls.

  That women generally valued emotions more than men when making decisions was simply fact. It wasn't sexist, but rather just a general truth, and of course it bore its own exceptions. Azula was a calculating individual that obviously cared far more for logic and rationale in her decision making process. And the Avatar seemed to make almost all of his decisions based on emotion.

  That said, if you were trying to guess the nature of someone you didn't know personally, it was usually safe to assume that the general statistic would be true. Xisheng could try to win Toph over with logic and facts, presenting sound arguments for why she should support the Fire Nation's cause in liberating the world... or he could simply try and earn her support by endearing himself and his allies to her. Fact of the matter was, they were more likely to have Toph side with them for the sole reason that she liked them than through any philosophical argument.

  Shallow maybe, but nevertheless quite true. Regardless, now that the air was somewhat tense (though not necessarily between the two of them), Toph and Xisheng made the rest of their trip in silence. Thankfully it was a brief one, since it involved little more than a quick visit to the kitchens. Toph managed to succinctly explain the situation to the out of the loop servants there, though she left out nearly everything that would have been considered important to most people. No mention of the Avatar or the Fire Nation was made. In fact, Xisheng was simply labeled as a guest of her father's.

  Even at her age, perhaps Toph realized it was easier to leave people in the dark if they didn't need to be enlightened.

  Once the diminutive Earthbender was finished placing her order for lunch, she and her escort hurried back the way they had come, likely out of concern that someone or everyone would be dead or maimed.

  To their relief, a return to their companions revealed that no fighting had occurred. A miracle really, considering the blatant venom in Katara's expression. Azula's patronizing, quiet smirk probably wasn't helping on that front. Regardless, everyone was still in one piece, engaging in a standoffish glaring contest that made it clear the ceasefire was well and truly temporary.

  Toph was the first to comment on the situation as they returned.

  "Well, everyone is still alive. I'm honestly surprised, all things considered."

  The young girl angled her head at Katara, indicating that she was being referred to, but the Waterbender decided against any sort of retort. Whether that was because she had calmed down to some extent or if she didn't trust herself to stay civil was debatable.

  Sokka missed the underlying nature of the exchange, responding only to Toph's words. "You're telling me. I can't believe these crazy harpies didn't jump on us the moment you left the room."

  Azula looked ready to retort, but Ty Lee beat her to it, though she had clearly misunderstood the meaning. "Don't be ridiculous, there's no way we'd do that. You're way too scrawny."

  The blatantly offended look on Sokka's face was apparently enough for Azula to stow whatever comeback she had originally intended, allowing Toph to intervene before the verbal sparring continued. She didn't seem to care that she had started it in the first place.

  "Well, unlike some people, I'm not totally rude. Let's take up this very interesting conversation in the dining hall, shall we?"

  Thanks to her present company's knowledge, Toph knew she didn't have to keep up any appearances, so she took it upon herself to lead her guests towards the dining hall without Xisheng's perceived assistance.

  As for him, the soldier was looking for some sort of indication of Toph's feelings regarding the truth now that she knew it. As best as he could tell, she didn't really seem all that bothered by the knowledge, which was of course a good sign. However, it was difficult to tell what a blind girl was actually thinking. Xisheng hated to think it, but Toph's cloudy white eyes revealed very little. Certainly nothing like the easily noticeable shifts in a a mood that most people's made obvious.

  In hindsight, perhaps it would have been a safer move to simply let Azula handle the situation. Xisheng had acted entirely without Azula's consent, in a manner she would almost certainly condemn. She was the leader, and she was the one that was supposed to make decisions. Xisheng had no doubt that she expected her leadership to be regarded in such a manner.

  And yet, Xisheng knew this was not the way an effective unit worked. Of course there was a leader, and of course they were generally deferred to for orders. But what good was having people under your command that couldn't act of their own volition? If all of your subordinates were incapable of making good decisions without the leader's approval, they'd only be as useful so long as the leader was around to guide them. What if something went wrong while the leader wasn't around to give orders?

  Point being, Xisheng had been trusted as a second-in-command many times over his brief military career. And he had been expected to make good judgments and good decisions without the explicit input of his superiors. He may had made a risky move in revealing the truth to Toph, but he was certain that it was a decision that best served their objective. Only time would tell if his confidence on the matter was well placed or not.

  The current head of household ultimately led all of her guests to a large dining room with a long rectangular table in the center of it. She swiftly gestured for everyone to take a seat, though she herself took the slightly more ornate one at the head of the table. Clearly it was meant for her father, but it wasn't like there was anyone around to stop her. The servants certainly weren't going to chastise her.

  Naturally, the two opposing groups took to opposite sides of the table, making for an altogether surreal scenario; the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation and her retinue, sitting across from the Avatar, their prime adversary, for a civil meal. It honestly looked more like a skit or comedy sketch than any real encounter.

  But even though the situation was deceptively calm at the moment, Xisheng knew it could devolve into mortal combat at any time. The Waterbending girl, Katara, was still so obviously on edge that the slightest hint of danger could result in an attack. Her male counterpart was blatantly suspicious of everything going on, but seemed levelheaded enough to avoid confrontation when things were unclear. As for the Avatar, he was clearly nervous, yet he looked unusually determined to succeed in whatever he was here for today. Recruiting Toph, presumably.

  Of course it wasn't as if the potential for conflict was solely due to the Avatar's group. Azula had been quite vague about the penultimate aim for this entire operation. Sure, she had stated that the main goal was to simply deny the Avatar a powerful ally and teacher, but surely she wouldn't be against taking advantage of an opportunity if it presented itself? After all, eliminating the Waterbender would put a big dent in the enemy's strength as well.

  And there was Mai and Ty Lee as well. To be fair, Xisheng was certain he could rely on Mai not to act irrationally, if only because she hardly seemed capable of being on edge to begin with. And Ty Lee probably wasn't aggressive enough to strike first, but she was more impulsive. Even if she didn't make the situation worse on purpose, she could still make a mistake.

  But Toph was definitely the largest factor to consider. Now that she knew the truth of things, the entire outcome of the day hinged on her whim. Xisheng didn't know her very well; he couldn't accurately make assumptions on what would influence her decision. For all he knew, Azula's rather scathing advice on Toph's level of ability would be enough of a petty reason for the girl to side against them.

  Granted, she seemed a bit more level-headed than that, but it was still a possibility.

  Since the food Toph had ordered was obviously not going to be ready for quite some time, the short Earthbender figured there was no point in everyone silently glaring at each other until it was ready. As per her usual modus operandi, she cut straight to the point as she addressed the Avatar and his friends.

  "So, Twinkletoes, remind me why you're here again? Whatever it is wasn't important enough to remember the first time."

  If the Avatar was offended, he managed to keep it hidden. "I need to master all four elements so I can defeat the Fire Lord and save the world! The next element I need to learn is Earthbending, and I think you're supposed to be my teacher. Like I said, I had a vision and you were in it!"

  Toph grimaced at the second mention of a vision. "OK seriously, this talk about seeing me in a vision is creepy. What are you on about?"

  "When my friends and I were flying over a giant swamp, a sudden tornado came out of nowhere and knocked us off of my Flying Bison, and there was a giant tree and a vine monster and-"

  The only member of the Beifong family present raised a hand in an attempt to cut Aang off. "Whoa whoa, stop. Are you just crazy or do you actually think I'm that stupid?"

  Aang looked convinced he had actually offended Toph. "No, it's neither of those! That stuff is all true, I swear!"

  Toph naturally didn't look convinced in the slightest, leading Sokka to come to his friend's aid. "Alright, admittedly that all sounds pretty insane when you say it out loud. But we've already proven that Aang is the Avatar. Does anything else really matter? What more reason do you need to help him?"

  "A lot. You keep talking like the fact he's 'the Avatar' means I should feel honored to help him with anything he asks. Like I should consider myself blessed he wants a favor from me. You know what I know about the Avatar? You can bend more than one element. That's it. I don't know anything else about you or what it is you do, or what makes you so special that you feel entitled to my help. You explain those things, and maybe I'd actually consider what it is you want from me."

  The Avatar and his friends all looked quite shocked that Toph was so passively hostile to them. It wasn't like they hadn't met a handful of people that disliked him, but for the most part people treated Aang like a returning hero. Only a small number of those they had encountered rejected him or what he stood for.

  But then again, Toph had just stated that she didn't know for sure what Aang did or what he was supposed to be. Maybe she just needed it explained to her, and even though Aang wasn't all that sure on the specifics himself, he felt as though he could do that well enough.

  "The Avatar is a bridge between the Spirit World and the physical world. It's my job to keep the balance so that everyone can live in harmony."

  The sole child of the household leaned back in her chair. "Right... so uh, what exactly are you supposed to be balancing right now? World seems fine to me."

  Naturally it was Katara that answered this one, and none too gently. She got pretty passionate whenever the Fire Nation's conquest of the world was mentioned.

  "If you're trying to joke around it isn't funny! The Fire Nation has taken over more than half the world and they're on their way to taking it all! How much more unbalanced can things get?!"

  "So, almighty Avatar, is there gonna be some sort of global natural catastrophe that destroys the world just because one country took some land from some other countries? How does that work?"

  The look on Aang's face showed that he wasn't prepared to answer this question. "Well, n-not exactly..."

  "What then? What bad things happen if the world isn't 'in balance?' If something bad doesn't happen because of it then who cares?"

  It was once again Katara who rose to defend their cause. "Everyone! Everyone that is losing their home and their land and their livelihood cares! Everyone except you! The whole Earth Kingdom is nearing the edge of total defeat and you don't seem to care at all!"

  Toph shrugged, just as her father's servants began filing in with different dishes prepared. "I don't care. Gaoling hasn't been bothered by them. And even if it was, what difference does it make to me? Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation... I can't even see what banner is flying over the city. Why should I care who is in charge of the government? I mean, the Fire Nation comes in and controls some land, but it's just dirt and trees and houses and stuff. It's not like we're losing it."

  By the incredulous look on Katara's face, it was clear that she couldn't fathom this line of thought in the slightest. Sokka clearly missed most of it since he completely focused on his food as soon as it was placed in front of him.

  As for Toph, she quickly turned her attention to her first guests, the ones masquerading as something they weren't. After all, they had been awfully quiet thus far.

  "So? What about you guys?"

  It seemed to Xisheng that Toph was actually speaking to him first and foremost, but Azula answered fast enough that he didn't get a chance to anyway.

  "I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific. What about us?"

  "This whole balance and world war business. You got opinions right?"

  Azula opened her mouth to speak, but Toph beat her to the punch a this time. "I'm asking all of you, just so you know. Not your spokesperson that always seems to answer for everyone."

  Xisheng had to suppress a wince upon hearing this, knowing for certain that Azula would not be happy to be interrupted. He didn't know if the Princess would manage to react according to her disguise with something that irked her so much.

  However, Azula managed to respond very civilly, despite the twitch of her brow. "Very well. However, I am part of the group am I not? I may as well start."

  Toph merely shrugged, managing to keep a very solid front up considering that she knew the truth behind all of Azula's deceptions. Xisheng could only hope that wouldn't come back to bite him in some horrendous manner.

  For now though, nothing bad happened as Azula presented her opinion.

  "I would say something cliche such as 'the strong prey on the weak,' but I'd rather say the the more accurate 'the capable benefit from the incapable.' It's not just strength. The intelligent manipulate the stupid. The wise deceive the foolish. The rich extort the poor, and yes, the strong coerce the weak. All of life is about the more capable benefitting from their lesser kin. Even animals survive by taking advantage of weaker or less intelligent beings, and even plants use their advantages to monopolize the nutrients they need, forcing others to suffer. In short, it seems ridiculous to claim that the Fire Nation taking from other countries is upsetting the 'natural balance' of the world when nature has made it abundantly clear that this is the way the world is supposed to work. Those that cry about the unfairness of this war are just victims that won't admit their own weakness is the source of all of their problems."

  Azula leveled her calm gaze specifically at Katara as she said this, and the Waterbender did not miss out on this at all.

  "A typical answer for a heartless warmonger like you. You'll come up with any sort of morally corrupt excuse to justify your actions!"

  The Crown Princess shrugged. "I never claimed it was moral. Just natural. Besides, that's just my point of view; I can't speak for why the Fire Nation continues its conquest."

  Katara may have had a comeback ready, but apparently Mai was already tired with the conversation and offered up her opinion to interrupt it.

  "Who cares? The war is a thing that's happening. Why bother tacking on all this nonsense about ethics or the natural state of the world or any of that? It's an event that has happened, is happening, and will continue to happen. Whether or not you accept it or condone it doesn't change any of that."

  Surprisingly Sokka actually looked up from whatever meat he was eating to comment on this. "That's practical, but to the extreme. You're right that we can't change what has already happened, but if everyone told themselves they can't affect the future, then who is actually going to do it? What are you even doing here if you don't think you're affecting anything worthwhile?"

  Mai folded her arms, clearly not interested in extending the conversation to that length. "I hate being bored. And this was entertaining. I don't care about any of the rest of it."

  Like his sister, Sokka wasn't really left with any sort of answer to that. After all, it wasn't like he could say Mai's reason was invalid. You didn't really need a very philosophical or righteous reason to justify anything you did.

  Seeing as how Mai wasn't going to say anything further, Toph vaguely swiveled her head in Ty Lee's direction, indicating that she wanted to hear from the acrobat next.

  While generally fine with any sort of attention, Ty Lee was obviously uncomfortable with being put on the spot over this subject. Still, she did like making her opinion known, and in some way she kind of wanted to put it out there. It was worth seeing how Xisheng would react, if he did it openly enough to begin with.

  "W-well, I..."

  The young acrobat glanced over at Xisheng's seat, wondering if he would be offended or hurt by what she had to say. In the end, she figured it was just best to be honest.

  "I hate the idea of hurting other people, physically or emotionally. I wish violence didn't exist, and that everyone could just get along. I know that's naive and impossible, but I still wish it could be that way. I can't imagine ever dedicating my life to fighting or conflict, and I have no idea what possesses someone to do that. But as for whether it's objectively right or wrong, justified or corrupt... I'm sorry. I don't have the wisdom to know any of that."

  Surprisingly, the Avatar seemed to empathize with Ty Lee. Or at least, he vocalized as much. "I know how that feels... people keep expecting me to know what's right or wrong, but I just don't. I just know what I want to try and stop..."

  Perhaps the young Airbender would have gone a little farther, but Toph was quick to usher his comment along. "Yeah, yeah, that's great Twinkletoes, but I'm more interested in what he has to say."

  Seeing as how Xisheng hadn't made any comment yet, it was clear that Toph was referring to him. Unfortunately the young soldier didn't know what all he could say while still maintaining his cover, but he figured that he was clever enough to handle it. It was amusing though, that Toph already knew the truth, and Xisheng was just trying to maintain appearances for Azula instead.

  "I believe war is a terrible thing. Many atrocities are committed during war. Thousands of soldiers lose their lives, some for a cause they don't believe in or even know about. A country's people suffer in their day to day lives; increased taxes, food shortages, conscription, rationing... war brings many terrible curses down on all who participate, even the victors. I fully understand this, and I lament it every day."

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  For a brief moment, Xisheng received a look of empathy, confused though it was, from Katara. Maybe she thought he was of the same mind as her. She would quickly learn otherwise.

  "However, I believe that war, horrific though it may be, is sometimes necessary. Sometimes a country simply needs more land or resources to support itself. Or perhaps it needs a common enemy to keep its people unified. Because war is so terrible and costly, no one wages it without some sort of cause worth making that sacrifice. I don't know what the Fire Nation wants to achieve in this war. Maybe it's just for personal gain, to help their own country and their own people. Or maybe they also want to aid those in foreign nations as they take their land along the way. All I know is that I can't fault the Fire Nation for fighting for what it believes in. And I can't fault the Earth Kingdom or Water Tribes for defending themselves. That's all there is to it really. Sorry if that answer was a bit more vague than you were hoping for."

  There was silence around the table as Toph listened to his words, casually taking in a spoonful of soup as she did so. It was an out of place display of calmness in the otherwise tense and unfriendly atmosphere. But when she did speak, it wasn't to utter anything that everyone was expecting.

  "How old are you anyway?"

  Momentarily caught off-guard, Xisheng didn't answer immediately. He wasn't sure where this question had come from or why it was even being asked. He did however, notice that the girls in his group seemed rather curious to hear his answer as well. All three of them had focused their attention on him, though naturally Azula and Mai were more subtle about it. It seemed odd at first, but ultimately Xisheng realized he was no different: he didn't actually know exactly how old any of them were either, and he was curious.

  Either way, he was the only one expected to speak at the moment, so he wasn't going to delay for long.

  "Seventeen."

  Toph scoffed at his answer. "Could have fooled me. You're way too young for all this wise old man nonsense. Though I guess your scary boss lady is even worse..."

  Azula didn't seem at all bothered by the assessment. It was unlikely that she would ever be insulted by someone saying she was wise beyond her years. Still, it was unclear what was going through Toph's mind at the moment, which was a bit nerve-wracking for her many guests. It wasn't made any better by the fact that she didn't say anything else for a solid five minutes, instead focusing on her meal with unusual intensity.

  To say this made things awkward was an understatement, as the enemies at the table were all left in relative silence, either glaring at or pointedly ignoring each other. As for Xisheng, he could tell that even Azula had grown slightly worried; no doubt she was questioning what Toph could have possibly been considering so intensely. After all, she didn't know that Toph was aware of her their true nature. She must have been worried that her plan was potentially unraveling.

  Xisheng too pondered over what was about to happen, and how he should react depending on the answer. If a fight broke out, the first move would be crucial in this situation. Realistically speaking, the Fire Nation natives could attack right now and probably defeat or even kill the Avatar. He was nervous, but not prepared; it was obvious that he wasn't actively expecting an attack, and only his reflexes would be able to save him from a sudden ambush.

  Realistically speaking, Mai was the best choice for a sudden strike. She was not faster than Azula in general, but the movement of flinging a knife across the table could be accomplished more quickly than launching a jet of flame. The motions were just less demanding. But as Azula had stated before, Mai wasn't a killer, at least not inherently. It was unlikely she would take the initiative to outright kill the twelve or thirteen year old child on the other side of the table. And even Azula might not be able to commit to that action outright.

  That only left Xisheng as the absolute, guaranteed option of killing the Avatar in a surprise attack that no one expected. And it was more than possible. At this exact moment, when no one was ready, when no one expected a lethal blow, Xisheng had a very real opportunity to lash out and incinerate the Avatar. What happened afterwards would be anyone's guess: maybe Katara would strike back fast enough to kill him in return. Maybe Toph would attack because of what he had done.

  But if the Avatar were slain, would the immediate consequences matter at all? Azula had stated it would be pointless to outright eliminate him since he would ultimately reincarnate, but Xisheng didn't agree. If the Avatar was forced to reincarnate now, the Fire Nation would have a decade or more to finish the war unmolested. It was a surefire way to guarantee victory at this stage of the conflict, and Xisheng couldn't frown on such a thing in the slightest.

  His dual colored gaze focusing entirely on the Avatar's young face, Xisheng's favored hand clenched with anxiety and anticipation, waiting for the mental order to attack. No matter how he considered the situation, Xisheng couldn't see why this wasn't the best course of action to take. Eliminate their deadliest foe right here, right now, and everything would be over. The Fire Nation would win, the war would essentially be a foregone conclusion... he could guarantee that all of the sacrifice that had occurred until now was not in vain. All he needed to do was slay the young child before him.

  Flexing his right hand again, Xisheng could feel the ambient heat of his chi engulfing it. He'd yet to conjure a flame, but he could do so in an instant. It all came down to whether or not he would do it.

  "You should fight."

  Startled out of his deadly focus by Toph's nonchalant voice, Xisheng, along with everyone else at the table, turned their attention to the young Earthbender. Aang was the first to question what she had said.

  "Fight? About what?"

  Toph looked as though she had not said anything unusual. "About who I should side with, of course. Look, I don't actually care about much in this world. But I do care about who has strength. So, Avatar, if you want me to teach you Earthbending, prove you're strong enough to warrant my attention."

  Aang did not look inherently pleased with this notion, but it was Azula who spoke out against it. "No offense, but surely you aren't suggesting that we fight the Avatar? Capable we may be, but that outcome is practically inevitable."

  The Beifong heir donned a smug expression, and Xisheng could feel the dread knotting in his gut. He had messed up, hadn't he? He had exposed the entire mission to this temperamental child and his faith in her would be rewarded with failure and betrayal.

  With full confidence in his prediction, Xisheng was just starting to rise to his feet when Toph snapped a fist towards Azula's face, yanking a square chunk of stone out of a nearby wall. From the corner of his eye, the Fire Nation officer witnessed the reactions of his allies. Ty Lee barely even registered that they were being attacked, while Mai was displaying her exceptional reaction time, already reaching into her sleeves to draw weapons. As for Azula, Xisheng could see the shock in her golden eyes: not because she had not considered this possible scenario, but because she had been confident that it wouldn't come to pass.

  After all, how could she have known that Xisheng acted without her input in regards to her plan? She had probably expected better of him.

  Said soldier had his fist halfway through the motion of a punch when the stone Toph had thrown exploded in a cloud of dust and azure flame a few inches in front of Azula's face. The dust cleared rather quickly, revealing the fading flames of Azula's right hand, alongside an extremely venomous glare for the young Earthbender that had attacked her. Xisheng had yet to see such a dangerous gleam in her eye, and yet, the Princess' voice remained eerily calm and exacting.

  "It seems quite hypocritical to judge your other guests for their rudeness only to turn and assault your own allies, wouldn't you say?"

  Toph didn't seem bothered by Azula's reaction, though it may have been because she couldn't see the severity of her expression. As for Azula's companions, Xisheng and Mai were prepared for the next attack, and Ty Lee was simply dumbfounded by this turn of events.

  "Don't sound so hostile. I wasn't trying to hurt you; I just wanted to put your honesty to the test."

  "Oh really? If I weren't a bender that most certainly would have killed me."

  Reclining back in her seat, Toph placed her now bare feet on top of the dining table. When she had lost her shoes was anyone's guess.

  "Nah, I knew you were lying the whole time. I told you people can't lie to me."

  This implication seemed to irritate Azula more, but mostly because she thought Toph's attitude was misplaced.

  "Yet you think you can lie to me? I never said I wasn't a Firebender. In fact, I never even claimed that none of my group was from the Fire Nation. So do tell, what exactly was I lying about?"

  A prominent frown made it onto Toph's face as she considered this. Azula actually had a great point; while she had never claimed that neither she nor her friends weren't Firebenders, she had also not stated that they were. And she had stated that they were from the Fire Nation in some capacity. In the end Toph couldn't deny that she never would have known anything was up without Xisheng's admittance of the truth. Of course, she could have revealed his folly, but considering how nice and understanding he was, Toph didn't really have any desire to get him in trouble with his boss.

  "OK, so maybe I didn't know that you were lying. But I knew you were hiding something at least. Besides, this does prove that Twinkletoes and his gang here weren't wrong either."

  "Good to know you gambled my life on a hunch, esteemed hostess."

  Toph certainly didn't miss the sarcasm in Azula's title for her, but considering the situation she figured it was somewhat warranted.

  "Look, I wasn't kidding about being able to determine when people are telling the truth. And thing is, as far as I could tell, both you and Twinkletoes' girlfriend here were telling the truth-"

  "Hold on, g-girlfriend?!"

  Other than a mildly irritated furrow of her brow, Toph didn't react to Katara's outburst.

  "And since it was obvious that you couldn't both be telling the truth about the same thing, someone had to be lying. And no offense to you and your friends, but the Avatar and his pals are way too open and naive to be the ones lying. Total offense to them."

  Sensing an irritable response from the only Waterbender in the area, Azula decided to interrupt the tirade before it began. Besides, there were clearly more serious matters to attend to.

  "So our own competence betrays us; how unfortunate. Do tell how this revelation will affect the day's proceedings, will you?"

  Tilting her chair back to lean even further, it was obvious that Toph was not at all concerned with 'the day's proceedings.'

  "Look, I'll cut right to the chase. Maybe you guys are 'evil secret agents' from the Fire Nation here to bring Gaoling to its knees. Or maybe you really are just a group of mercenaries trying to make some money on Xin Fu's stupidity. I honestly don't really care."

  The young Earthbender tilted her head towards the Avatar and his friends.

  "And maybe you guys really are on a quest to 'save the world' from some cosmic unbalance or whatever. I honestly don't care about that either."

  Perhaps reaching a point that she actually considered important, Toph finally put her chair and her body back in a regular position.

  "What I do care about is proving that I'm the best Earthbender in the world! But to do that..."

  Toph slightly swiveled her head in Azula's direction.

  "I have to fight people strong enough to really test my skills. So, the answer is obvious; you guys fight it out and then I'll choose who to side with."

  Surprisingly, it was Sokka who had an objection on the Avatar's side. Honestly Xisheng had expected Katara to speak up again.

  "No offense, but isn't that thought process a little... shallow? I mean, we're talking about the fate of the world here..."

  "No offense string bean, but no one asked you."

  "S-string bean?!"

  Ignoring the exchange entirely, Xisheng was somewhat surprised to see a smirk cross Azula's face. She didn't actually seem all that displeased by this turn of events. Then again, it wasn't hard to figure out why; it was actually a win-win situation for them. After all, if the Avatar wanted to get Toph on his side, he would be forced to stand and fight rather than run, and that meant providing Azula's group with an opening to capture or kill him. And if he did run, then he would miss the opportunity to get a very powerful Earthbender on his team. Unless they were actually beaten, this couldn't go too poorly for Azula's team.

  Then again, Xisheng didn't share Azula's confidence on the matter. Thing was, in the one time they had actually engaged the Avatar, he hadn't been cornered. He had been relatively capable of escape at any time, and had been clearly focused on evasion rather than fighting. In other words, Azula's retinue hadn't faced the Avatar at his full strength yet. Who could say if he wasn't powerful enough to best all of them if he was forced to?

  Still, it was somewhat obvious that the Avatar disliked engaging in violence when he could help it. Hopefully, if he really was strong enough to defeat them all, it would end without fatalities.

  Eager to witness the prowess of the warriors in her home, Toph folded her arms in dismay at the fact that they weren't yet fighting.

  "Well, what are you waiting for? Hop to it!"

  Understandably confused, Mai cocked an eyebrow at the girl.

  "Not that I care, but... here? In the dining room?"

  "Why not? Either way I'm getting out of this place. Preferably with one of you but alone if I have to. Your boss said it herself; my parents are holding me back and I'm sick of it! They've got more than enough money to fix any mess you leave anyway. Throwing money at things is all they're good at."

  Xisheng and Ty Lee exchanged worried looks, likely both thinking that Azula was a very bad influence in some regards. Sure, she was trying to reach her full potential here, but she probably didn't have to be so reckless and vengeful about it.

  With no investment in the state of the manor, Azula rose from the table with a smirk.

  "Well, who am I to contest our gracious hostess? Aside from a particular incident she's treated us very well, so I suggest we entertain her as suggested, Avatar."

  The expression on Aang's face was evidence enough that he had no idea how the situation had gotten to this point, and he clearly still had qualms about getting into a fight in the Beifong estate. Still, he obviously had enough wits about him to lean back and essentially roll out of his chair when Azula punched a gout of blue flame at him.

  With it now clear that this was really going to happen, as ridiculous as it may be, everyone leaped into action at speeds befitting their abilities. This notably resulted in Sokka stumbling out of his chair more clumsily than anyone else, but he didn't have to suffer for his haphazard evasion anyway, since no one attacked him. Ty Lee was in a similar boat, but only in the sense that she hadn't really needed to backflip out of her chair. With Aang still getting to his feet, Katara was the only immediate threat, and both Mai and Xisheng attacked her without hesitation, assaulting the Waterbender with a combination of knives and flame.

  Having apparently been on edge and prepared for a fight at any given moment, Katara reacted remarkably quickly, raising a small wall of ice to protect her from the pouch at her waist. Said wall protected her for only a brief moment, but it was enough for the Waterbender to actually prepare herself for the coming fight.

  With a moment of his own to assess the situation, Xisheng realized that his team actually had far more advantages than he had previously realized. Fact of the matter was, this battleground favored the Fire Nation natives almost entirely. Both of the enemy's most powerful fighters was severely limited in the space that was the Beifong dining room; Katara had no readily available supply of water other than the small amount she had on her person, and the Avatar's skilled evasion was hindered by the confines of being in a room at all.

  In fact, Katara's danger could be nullified completely if the Firebenders in the group simply evaporated all of her water over the course of the fight. That would likely occur naturally as Katara blocked attacks.

  On the flipside, the enclosed space offered nothing but benefits to Azula's team. As far as being a projectile was concerned, fire was the relatively slowest element, so less distance to travel was a great boon. While Mai was already fast with her knives, the short range would make her harder to avoid, and Ty Lee's benefit in this situation was obvious. All in all, Xisheng couldn't help but think this was actually a rather skewed contest in earning Toph's approval. Never mind the fact that it was four on three.

  The thought of an easy victory stumbled somewhat as Aang used his position on the floor to send a powerful gust of wind under the dining table, knocking Xisheng's legs out from under him. He was just grateful that his head didn't smash into the table on the way down, sparing him the humiliation as he retaliated against the Avatar in an identical fashion once he was on the ground. Naturally Aang avoided that by leaping back into the air.

  While it had only been for a moment, Xisheng berated himself for underestimating the Avatar; he was very clever in the use of his versatile element.

  As for the others, they did a relatively good job of picking their targets appropriately. Mai decided against attacking the Avatar at all, since it was clear that projectiles weren't a fantastic choice against someone that could alter the airflow on a whim. Granted, maybe she still could have taken him down with speed or saturation, but Azula was focusing on the young Airbender anyway, so the raven haired sniper decided to distract Katara instead.

  Unfortunately, 'distract' was about the full extent of her usefulness against the Waterbender. All of Mai's projectiles flew in a straight line, so all Katara had to do was raise a shield in front of her. And sharp as they were, Mai's knives still weren't going to penetrate a slab of ice. Still, this tactic had worked relatively well with Ty Lee helping, so hopefully that teamwork would win the day again. Then again, considering that Ty Lee had apparently been roped into attacking the Avatar by Azula, it was apparently going to be up to just Mai for the moment.

  A few more arrows and daggers from her sleeves prevented Katara from taking any offensive action, but she didn't need to, since her brother came to the rescue a moment later.

  To his credit, Sokka would have probably knocked her clean out or worse with that club of his, since Mai (and everyone else apparently) had completely forgotten that he posed a threat. To his discredit, Sokka's ambush would have gone a lot better if he hadn't loosed a kind of squeaky war cry as he charged her.

  Alerted to the danger, Mai managed to sidestep a downward swing from Sokka's club, but even at that moment the Fire Nation combatant was still focusing on Katara and the water whip she was about to unleash on her. Sokka may not have been an experienced warrior, but Mai definitely couldn't handle both him and his sister at the same time.

  Admittedly feeling a significant degree of panic, Mai nevertheless managed to keep any relief off of her face when a gout of orange flame vaporized the liquid between Katara's hands. Apparently Gohan had finally realized that she was being tag-teamed over here and had come to her aid. A small part of Mai was mildly pleased that he'd divert his attention from the all important Avatar to help her, but she figured it was mostly practicality on his part; the Avatar was already facing two opponents, and they only had a number advantage as long as all four of them were still fighting. Preventing an ally from being defeated was common sense.

  Ignoring the flashes of orange going off to her side now that she was confident it was safe to do so, Mai refocused her attention on Sokka, who looked nervous now that it was one on one. Or maybe it was just Mai's glaring abilities. Anyone's guess really.

  Brandishing more of her blades, Mai tried to make the fight even easier by intimidating Sokka out of it. After all, she was honestly surprised he even had enough of a spine to step in for his sister.

  "You don't seem entirely dense; tell me, do you really see this situation ending well for you at all?"

  Sokka did actually seem pretty intimidated by Mai's knives, but maybe it was just a matter of wondering how many she had hidden away. Even so, he didn't back down.

  "What are you talking about? We're both non-benders, so it's an even fight!"

  "Do you really think so? That's kind of sad."

  Irritated by her condescension, Sokka drew his boomerang.

  "Oh yeah? Watch this!"

  With a good arm and lots of practice, Sokka made a great throw of his favorite weapon, but even so one would have to be completely incompetent to not avoid something they saw happening right in front of them, so Mai managed to tilt her head out of the way as the steel weapon passed her.

  "Imagine that; you missed."

  Her Water Tribe assailant smirked as he saw his boomerang make its arc back towards its caster.

  "Or did I?"

  However, his expression quickly faltered when Mai tilted her head forward this time, avoiding the projectile once again as it sailed over her and back into Sokka's hand.

  "Yes, you did."

  "O-oh, heh, that... usually works..."

  His Fire Nation adversary cocked an eyebrow at him.

  "Seriously? How many people in the world don't know how a boomerang works?"

  "A lot more than you think, trust me."

  Not too far away, Xisheng ensured that Katara would not be able to attack any of his other allies. It was an easy enough matter; the Waterbender girl was heavily disadvantaged, on the run from the start of her combat with her Firebending foe.

  Of course, a big part of it was the fact that Katara had a lot less to work with than her opponent. There was no readily available source of water for her to use in the Beifong dining room, leaving her with only the water she carried at her hip. It was enough for the odd scuffle with your standard Firebending goon, but until now Katara hadn't fully realized that was all she had really faced.

  After her training with Pakku, Katara had indeed reached a great level of skill, but in hindsight, she had not been presented with many opportunities to use any of that training in practical application. The most skilled foe she had faced alone thus far had was Zuko, an individual with a fair deal of power, but little in the way of talent or battle intelligence.

  This man she faced now was different. His attacks had purpose, intent beyond 'wound or kill.' He didn't wildly launch flame at her in blind hope that one attack would eventually connect. His offense was his defense, and vice versa. He would launch spheres of flame from two sides, forcing Katara to erect a wall of ice rather than evade, for the sole purpose of evaporating that previous water with a more powerful immolating blast. When Katara did find openings to attack, her foe never simply defended himself. He would always counter in the same motion, not only kicking water whips into vapor, but arcing the same defensive flame at Katara's body to constantly keep her on the move.

  Oddly enough, it was quite akin to a lesson that Pakku had taught her, not about Waterbending in particular, but about fighting in general. 'The easiest way to defeat someone with talent but little experience was to give them no time to think.' As much as Katara hated to admit that she was in that category, she had no choice but to accept it as she deflected a fireball with a swipe of water, only for a second projectile to be directly behind it. With no time to make any bending motion all she could really do was essentially fall over backwards to avoid getting scorched.

  Katara knew, without the lens of pride or arrogance, that she had talent. Pakku had made it clear that he, as a greatly experienced master, considered her to be one of his most promising pupils. But only now that she was fighting this battle did the young Waterbender realize that she still possessed a critical deficiency in experience. The way this Firebender moved; with absolute certainty in each motion, always flowing from one to the next without hesitation, knowing the ideal followup or reaction to any one attack by instinct, was evidence enough that he had been in many battles against many skilled foes.

  While Katara knew she had the potential to be like that, it was obvious by the fact that she was entirely on the defensive that she wasn't there yet. In hindsight, it made sense considering the relatively low level of skill most of her foes had been thus far, never forcing her to truly push her limits and sharpen her natural skills. Even with the time she had spent under Pakku, she hadn't reached the level of martial ability where every movement and nuance of battle was natural to her. With the constant barrage of unorthodox attacks and counters, she could barely do anything other than react on instinct to stay unharmed. Trying to remember any particularly useful skill from her training was difficult under the duress.

  Still, Katara had been in a number of fights, and she didn't have to be a master to know she couldn't win if all she did was evade and defend. Besides, with the limited amount of water she had and the fact that she was losing some of it every time it got vaporized, a battle of attrition was quite obviously not in the cards. The Waterbender had to do something that would secure a win quickly and efficiently, or she was toast.

  With this in mind, Katara settled on the most efficient way to use what she had available; icicles would serve her well, especially if they were small enough to avoid being seen. Attempting to double down on the possibility of hitting Xisheng with an attack he didn't see, Katara used her right hand to lash out at him with another water whip, while using her left to manifest a few small icicle darts to send his way as well.

  To her credit, Xisheng did not actually see the icicles themselves coming at him. But what he could plainly see was that Katara was doing more than just mustering another water whip. As she had already used many before, he could tell that she was doing something else at the same time. He didn't have to know what it was to actually defend himself from it.

  With no way of knowing what secondary attack was coming, Xisheng settled for an all around defense, using his flames to create a sphere around his body. Based on the small amount of water Katara had available to her, there was no attack she could pull off that would overpower the heat of his flames.

  Waiting what he felt like was an appropriate amount of time to have blocked Katara's offensive, Xisheng pushed his sphere of flame forwards, catching his Waterbending foe completely off-guard; the last thing she had expected was for a shield maneuver to be used offensively.

  With no other choice besides raising a water shield, Katara sacrificed over half of her reserves protecting herself, watching in dismay as her defense held off the enemy attack, but was blasted into steam. Unfortunately, the visual cover didn't provide a moment of reprieve as expected, as her foe took advantage of her temporary blindness to close the distance between them. By the time Katara realized her opponent was doing something as unusual as closing in for melee, he had already snapped her body against the wall behind her.

  Now in close proximity, Katara was faced with an altogether different problem. Namely, the young man she was face to face with didn't look anything like the way her mind had imagined Fire Nation soldiers to be; assuming this was the same man that had been with the trio of girls that attacked them before.

  The majority of the Fire Nation soldiers she had faced had been masked. Sure, there were people like Zuko or the Rough Rhinos, but they had all fit decently well with her mental image of the heinous marauders hellbent on destroying the world. The person she faced right now didn't strike her as such, and she didn't like that feeling at all; seeing someone so normal and admittedly somewhat handsome didn't really fit with Katara's conception of Fire Nation grunts, and despite the intensity of the situation, a part of her couldn't help but look back on the defense of the Air Temple not too long in the past; a lot of 'faceless' Fire Nation troops had been buried alive or knocked clean off the mountain that day.

  Still, the words that came out of her opponent's mouth reminded Katara that he was no different from anyone from the Fire Nation that she had faced before.

  "Katara, was it? I suggest you put an end to this foolishness while you still can. You have your whole life ahead of you; don't give me a reason to cut it short so soon."

  Fully reminded that the person that gripped her was an enemy that deserved no sympathy, Katara's blue eyes hardened in an icy glare.

  "As if monsters like you would need an excuse to kill anyone to start with. Your kind have made it perfectly clear that surrendering doesn't grant the weak any mercy!"

  If Xisheng was offended by Katara's harsh words, it didn't show on his face. If anything, his expression almost seemed... pitying. Needless to say, that infuriated Katara far more than any alternative.

  "Your misconceptions about me are your own, and I'm certain I can't change them anytime soon. Be that as it may, I still feel obligated to be honest with you; I get the feeling the foes you have faced until now haven't down a very good job of presenting the gravity of your situation. I have no desire to harm someone of your age, but if you continue to be a threat to my allies, make no mistake: I will kill you."

  There was a serious degree of conviction in Xisheng's voice that quite frankly scared and intimidated Katara. She didn't doubt his sincerity for a minute, and hearing something so intimidating from someone so young didn't help either. His looks were deceiving; he was a deadlier foe than he appeared.

  Even so, Katara wasn't about to back down. Her cause was far too important for her to be intimidated. In the end he was just another Ashmaker trying to scare the innocent into submitting.

  "You don't have the guts to do something like that. I'm not someone that will be scared by empty words and a glare. We will stop you, no matter what!"

  Having not restrained her arms, Xisheng found out too late that Katara still planned to fight, as she used one of her them to bend an attack from behind him. Unsure of where she had gained the substance for said attack, the Firebender nevertheless turned to face it, somewhat insulted to discover that his foe was attacking him with soup from their earlier meal. A quick gout of flame was enough to disperse the green liquid, but the distraction gave Katara enough time to plant her foot in Xisheng's abdomen and push. With the wall to brace against behind her, Xisheng's superior physique and strength was overpowered enough to knock him back.

  More impressed by the extent of her desperation than anything else, Xisheng simply sighed as he retook his fighting stance. It seemed he would have to convince Katara of the gravity of their conflict with lethal force after all.

  On Aang's side of things, the fight was, once again, not much of a fight so much as a dance of sorts. The young Airbender was being double teamed by his opponents just like their first encounter, but this time it was actually far worse. Where before, he had been required to dodge flame of one color or another whenever he landed, now he was forced to deal with something far more dangerous, something that ironically had nothing to do with the elements at all.

  The brunette with the long braid was hounding his every step, both impressing and intimidating Aang by nearly matching his movements to the letter. To see someone that wasn't a bender move with almost as much agility as an Air Nomad was something else. Granted, Aang had a few advantages, such as the ability to redirect himself in midair, so as of yet he hadn't been touched by the girl.

  That said, he distinctly recalled Katara's retelling of events after they had escaped Omashu. According to his crush, her arm had been completely paralyzed after this girl had landed a hit on her. And mobility being his greatest strength, Aang wasn't too keen on losing that edge. Without his ability to move he'd be burnt to a crisp by those terrifying blue flames.

  As he flipped over Ty Lee's head to avoid her, the Avatar was faced with a gout of those exact azure flames, forcing him to adopt an unusual counter. With little other option, Aang attempted to blow the flames back from whence they came, but to his shock and detriment, his wind only seemed to empower the blaze further as it approached him.

  With an even more powerful blast now mere feet from his person, Aang made an emergency maneuver and simply blew himself higher with his lungs and his bending. But while he successfully evaded the attack, his haste launched him rather roughly into the ceiling. Falling back to the ground in a slight daze, he had less than a moment to react before Ty Lee was on him again, only this time he wasn't ready.

  Before he could do anything to defend himself, Aang received four rapid strikes to different parts of his arms, at which point they quickly fell limp at his side. Seeing this, Ty Lee visibly relaxed.

  "OK, so you can give up now right? There's no reason to keep fighting."

  A little miffed to be underestimated, Aang's chose to forego a verbal response in favor of taking a deep breath, only to release it in a windy blast that succinctly launched his assailant across the room, and right towards the skirmish between Xisheng and Katara.

  Ever aware of his surroundings, the Fire Nation officer noticed the incoming projectile that was his ally even as he took note of Katara's next Waterbending attack. Under normal circumstances Xisheng would leave Ty Lee to her own recovery, since he had more faith in her in that regard than anyone else. But Aang's gale had accelerated the acrobat to a speed too fast for her to risk catching herself on the hard stone floor. Even with her finesse that kind of impact would probably break an arm.

  Seeing Katara form a sphere of water in front of her, Xisheng simply held out a hand to stop her.

  "Hold that thought, would you?"

  Startled by the nonchalance and completely unexpected choice to ignore her threat in the middle of a fight, Katara actually did falter for the moment it took Xisheng to reposition himself to intercept his airborne friend.

  Though she was undoubtedly the lightest member of the party, Ty Lee's impact into his arms was still a solid one, forcing a staggered grunt out of the soldier. Ty Lee on the other hand barely seemed affected at all, instead breaking into a wide smile as she assessed the situation.

  "Aw, Gohan, you really are the best! Even in the middle of a fight, you're always looking out for us! Is there anything you can't do?"

  More than a little peeved to be ignored, Katara cut into the moment.

  "Possess common human decency, for one."

  Ty Lee directed her attention to the Waterbender with a very uncharacteristic glare.

  "I don't want to hear that from you Miss 'use my bending to freeze people that won't do what I want.'"

  "How did you even-? Whatever, that was justified! They were preventing the Avatar from accomplishing something important!"

  "By that logic we're justified just because you're stopping us from doing something important."

  Preparing to attack again, Katara snarled at them.

  "Don't compare your goals to ours! We're trying to save the world, you just want to conquer it all for yourselves!"

  Knowing he wouldn't be able to defend himself in his current position, Xisheng lowered Ty Lee to the ground, though he still addressed her.

  "Ty Lee, maybe you should return to Azula? She might need your help."

  Casting a glance in Azula's general direction, Ty Lee seemed to think otherwise.

  "Nah, I think she has it under control."

  Seeing the way Azula was more or less manhandling the supposedly almighty Avatar, disagreeing with Ty Lee's sentiment was not possible for Xisheng.

  Now that she had lost Ty Lee's support, Azula had clearly cranked up the intensity of her offensive, using greater sweeps of flame and more powerful javelins of her element when she struck to actually do damage.

  Granted, now that all he had to focus on was Azula, Aang himself was able to put more effort into his evasion as well. But not for the first time, evasion and defense seemed to be his only interest. Sure, he made attacks of his own from time to time; subtle undercurrents that aimed to knock Azula off her feet, direct kicks of wind that attempted to knock her into a wall, and even the occasional thrown piece of furniture, carried by a gust.

  But watching him battle, Xisheng could tell why Azula was in almost no danger from any of this; the Avatar lacked the one critical component he needed to utterly demolish the likes of Azula and her group with his power, and that element was the very desire to win. Naturally, Aang wanted to escape, and likely wanted his friends to continue living. But he didn't actually want to defeat his foe. He didn't want to really achieve victory at any cost. He didn't even want to hurt Azula, someone that was essentially trying to kill him.

  Being so naive is what prevented the Avatar from utilizing his might to the fullest potential. If he was willing to hurt or even kill his Fire Nation foes, his trouble would have been over long ago. Clearly, he had yet to learn the very lesson the destruction of his people had epitomized; the world did not reward the innocent and the naive.

  It was a shame really, because as best as Xisheng could tell, Aang had the makings of a truly great fighter. Granted, Xisheng was no expert on what good Airbending was supposed to look like, but Aang's fluid motions, quick reactions, and creative use of his element showed that he was indeed more skilled than your average Airbender.

  If the young Avatar just had the necessary conviction to put it all to good use, Xisheng was certain that his fight with Azula would not be so one-sided at the moment.

  As it was, the heir to the Fire Nation had managed to corner the Avatar in one corner of the room, where she unleashed a blast of most considerable size at the boy. However, Aang's much lauded creativity in a tight spot surprised even Azula; using his Airbending, her foe used the air around him to contain the incoming inferno, forming a sphere of wind around it before constricting it down. In moments the starved blue flame faded into nothing, prompting Azula to fall back on a different plan.

  Stepping into the familiar motions for her deadliest attack, it was clear that Azula intended to conjure lightning right here in the Beifong dining hall. Not recognizing the technique since his back had been turned last time, Aang likely had no idea just how important it would be to dodge this next attack, or how much more difficult it would be compared to flame. In fact, it was very likely that this strike would kill the Avatar outright.

  Or rather, it would have, if only a solid wall of stone hadn't erected itself between Azula and her target before she had even gone through the motions. Xisheng and Ty Lee found a similar barrier erected to separate them from Katara, at a much needed time for the Waterbender. She barely had any ammunition left to fight with.

  Elsewhere in the room, a voice of protest could be heard from Sokka.

  "Hey, what about me? Protect me too!"

  While everyone else turned their gazes to the only person that could have erected these stone walls, Toph herself was clearly paying attention to Sokka's situation, which included being completely pinned to the wall by an assortment of daggers, knives, and needles. Mai had actually taken a seat some time ago, opting to watch the rest of the fight rather than participate further. How long she had been doing that was anyone's guess, and Toph stated the obvious.

  "If you were in danger you'd be much worse off than you are, Noodle."

  "Hey, what are you trying to-"

  Considering the more important situation at hand, Azula cut off the negligible complaint.

  "What's the meaning of this? Why bother holding a martial contest if you are going to intervene?"

  Toph lowered the walls she had erected before answering.

  "Well geez, I never said you had to fight to the death. Seriously, are you always this terrifying?"

  "I demanded an answer, not an evasion."

  Probably displeased with Azula's tone, Toph nevertheless remained uncharacteristically mature for the moment.

  "I guess you did, huh? Look, I told you that I wanted to see who was stronger. I might have stopped the fight short, but it seems obvious to me that the Avatar's gang is no match for the Harpy Trinity Plus One. I mean, anyone that can put the Avatar on the ropes like that must be a top bender, right? And that's exactly why I'm gonna join Twinkletoes here instead of you."

  From his position on the wall, Sokka cocked an eyebrow at the girl.

  "You are? You had a contest of strength and you're siding with the one you think is weaker?"

  "I told you Twig Legs, if I want to prove myself as the strongest Earthbender, I have to fight the strongest opponents! And how am I supposed to seriously battle with your betters if I'm on their side? Besides, you guys are outnumbered by the opposition. Stop questioning me and be grateful."

  With a mild look of apprehension on her face, Azula leveled a wary glare at the Bei Fong hostess.

  "I suppose you intend to test your might straight away?"

  With an eager smirk, Toph cracked her knuckles.

  "To be honest I'd love to. But if I'm not gone before my parents get back things are going to get a lot more complicated. And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not confident that I could take you all that quickly. But if you're really determined to fight..."

  Coming to stand beside the Princess, Xisheng lowered his voice in an attempt to advise her without anyone else hearing.

  "I don't know if we could take her in here. This entire building is stone, we're practically in a coffin."

  Azula's gaze narrowed as she considered the situation. It was very likely that she was weighing the potential risk and gain. After all, any opportunity they had to capture or kill the Avatar was a golden one. There was absolutely no guarantee they'd have him in their clutches like this again. Furthermore, if Toph went with the Avatar, then this entire exercise was completely moot and they would have achieved nothing at all.

  But while she hated to admit defeat of any sort, Azula knew her own abilities, and that of her teammates. Could she defeat the Avatar in a one on one fight? Quite likely. Could she take down Toph in a duel? Also quite probable. But could she take on both at the same time, while trapped in a room made entirely of the latter's element, even with her allies backing her up? That fight would be tenable at best and damn near suicidal at worst.

  "While I'm sure we would both enjoy the challenge of a good opponent for once, you probably have a fair point in regards to your father. I imagine he'll unleash all the resources at his disposal regardless when he finds out you're missing, but if you leave before he gets back you'll have a head start. You wouldn't want to miss that opportunity, now would you?"

  The Beifong in question folded her arms.

  "The only reason I'm not gonna accuse you of making an excuse is because that makes a lot of sense. He'll probably pay legions of goons to bring me back. But are you really just going to let us walk out of here without a fight? You seemed kind of serious about taking out the Avatar and all that."

  With the different parties beginning to congregate around each other, Katara had come to stand next to Toph, along with Aang who had done the same. Sokka was still stuck to the wall.

  "I don't buy it either. You really expect us to believe you'll let us leave? After all the trouble you went through to be waiting for us before we even got here?"

  "Believe what you want, peasant. Our hostess has made her decision, and far be from me to disagree with her on who is truly the most dangerous among us. Besides, we're technically under her employ. If she wants to leave without trouble, who are we to refuse?"

  Seemingly accepting this explanation, Toph pumped both fists in the air.

  "Alright! I'm heading to my room to grab a few things I need. But before I do, everyone just remember this!"

  The Earthbender pointed a finger roughly at Aang's face.

  "Don't forget; I'm not in this to save the world or shower strangers with kindness and generosity. I'll teach you Earthbending, but don't bother me with any of that idealistic crap."

  She then pointed a finger at Azula's company.

  "And as for you guys, next time we meet I won't accept any excuses! We'll fight for sure and I won't hold anything back!"

  To Xisheng's great surprise, Azula almost seemed excited by the notion.

  "We'll be more than willing to meet your challenge with the same."

  With a smirk, Toph turned on her heel and headed for the exit to the dining room, herding the wary Katara and Aang along with her. Sokka was still stuck on the wall.

  "Hey! Don't forget about-"

  With a solid push from the stone wall itself, the Water Tribe warrior found himself freed from his restraints, though with a great many tears in his clothes. Likely uncomfortable with the display, he quickly gathered his boomerang before shooting a glare at his nemesis. However, he was quick to retreat towards his friends when Mai returned a much more threatening one. He probably wouldn't forget the humiliating defeat at her hands for awhile. Xisheng felt kind of bad for him; he got the impression Sokka might have felt a little insecure about his masculinity, what with all these far more powerful or skilled women around. Not being a bender probably only exacerbated it. It would probably benefit him to learn a martial art or two.

  Regardless, in a truly surreal aftermath, the Fire Nation infiltrators were left alone in the Bei Fong dining hall, which was utterly ruined by the very recent conflict. There were holes left from Toph's Earthbending, chunks of ice stuck to different angles, and more than one tapestry was on fire. And the four of them stood in the middle of the destruction, paying no mind to it at all. Mai needed to ask a serious question anyway.

  "Is this really alright? We did all this crap just to let them walk away? If we don't stop them everything we did here was a waste of time."

  With a sigh, Azula stared at the doorway their foes had dissappeared into.

  "Not to state the obvious, but fighting them here would have been a mistake once the Earthbender joined in. This room, and in fact the entire estate, would be a deathtrap. I'm not pleased to let the Avatar escape my clutches a second time, but getting buried under a pile of rubble won't help. We'll face them again another time; preferably in a location where we the odds are bit more even."

  A rather prominent scowl settled onto Mai's face, but she didn't voice anything else. Ty Lee on the other hand felt that there was something else important worth mentioning.

  "So, what do we uh... do about all this?"

  The acrobat gestured vaguely at the carnage around them, which prompted Azula to shrug.

  "We tell the truth, obviously. I'm sure our most recent employer will be utterly enthralled by the story of the Avatar himself kidnapping his daughter."

  "Azula, that's not the truth..."

  "It's as close to the truth as we can get as far as serving our purposes are concerned. We can hardly tell him that we're Fire Nation hunters that were pit into a duel with the Avatar in order for his daughter to decide who to run away with. Our altered truth with free us from blame and also besmirch the Avatar's name. It's the best we can get out of this situationat this point."

  Despite her sour mood, Mai spoke up again.

  "You think he'll believe that the Avatar kidnapped his kid?"

  "But of course. His own guards can confirm that he was indeed the Avatar. And seeing as how the Avatar is not here and we still are, she can only be with him."

  It was Xisheng who spoke up next.

  "Why stick around to inform Lao of anything? Shouldn't we hightail it back to the Overlord so we can be ready to pursue the Avatar?"

  "Lieutenant, if you think we can make it all the way back to the Overlord before the Avatar and his brats can hop on their flying beef and be in the wind, I believe you're sorely mistaken. They've won this round, in a manner of speaking. We'll worry about getting even later."

  Xisheng had to admit that Azula was nowhere near as bent out of shape about this as he had expected her to be. Mai was right in saying that they had accomplished nothing they had set out to do. Their entire 'operation' here in Gaoling was a failure. And yet Azula still had that mildly pleased smirk on her face. Frankly, Xisheng couldn't help but wonder if the idea of a similarly skilled rival actually exicted her.

  "What in the name of all the spirits happened here?!"

  The four Fire Nation citizens turned to face Lao and his wife just as the final emerald green tapestry fluttered to the ground in flames. The look on Lao's face showed that he couldn't believe his eyes. The look on Azula's face showed that she was barely restraining an amused smile.