Episode 5: The Metal Clan Part 2

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"Tonight, for your dining pleasure, I present a seared wild Kyoshi elephant koi paired with a ginger-infused pea tendril and hibiscus root salad."

Team Avatar—save for Asami, of course—felt their jaws slack as a round of servants whisked past them and lifted up the silver lids covering their steaming food.

For a moment, Suyin's husband, Baatar, and her oldest son, Bataar Jr., popped in to let her know they won't be present at dinner in favor of working on a sudden breakthrough on the tram station remodel currently underway. Suyin waved them off, telling them to have fun, before turning to her guests and urging them to dig in. "It won't be warm all night!"

The team didn't hesitate to dig in, and Bolin was the first to issue many delighted murmurs. "You know, I wasn't sure about the pea tendrils but they're actually kind of growing on me."

"Oh, if you stay here long enough you'll realize that there are a plethora of things like that that the chef makes." Bolin didn't know whether or not he should reply to her. Opal's words sounded more like an afterthought the way she poked her fork distractedly around the plate.

Bolin was going to look at his brother for help, but the slight shift of his eyes over to the twins as they whispered something indistinct, their eyes glued to him, made him pause. "Uh, so Opal." Bolin cleared his throat. "What do you usually do for fun around here?" Opal shrugged.

"It depends, what do you like to do?"

Bolin still felt a little uneasy as her body continued to face forward, her words not even seeming like they were directed at him. Yet, it was a better option than the other directions he could interact with people in. "Well, I like food and pro-bending, and acting—I was actually a mover star recently..." His words started to pick back up after she made no real acknowledgment of what he said besides setting her fork gently on her plate. "Uh, and I really like tournament bending. I actually got to meet my favorite duo the Earth Slayer and the Fire Crawler. They were so cool!"

Opal smiled slightly at that and finally turned to face Bolin with a mildly-interested look. "Anything else?"

"I'm helping to restore the Air Nation. My idea actually got us our first official recruit Kai." Opal chuckled lightly, her eyes flickering down for a moment before turning up at Bolin with a curious gaze.

"So the Earth Slayer and Fire Crawler, you really met them?" Bolin furrowed his brows.

That is what he said.

"Yeah, why?"

Opal shook her head and returned to her food, picking her fork back up and eating with much more liveliness than she did before. "Nothing, it's just that makes a lot of sense. No wonder my mom knew so much about you guys. Well—" Opal's eyes squinted off across the table for a second. "Others more than you."

"Right...do you know them or something because your grandma taught Rirran earthbending?" Opal stifled a laugh at Bolin's unsure words.

"Basically, yeah."

"Ooh, are we talking about the twins?" Suyin excitedly leaned over her plate, a bright look dancing across her eyes. "Have you gotten any updates for me, sweetie?"

Opal sighed. "No. You know how they like to keep us on our toes." Suyin pouted and slid back into her seat.

"I just wish for once they'd give us a straight answer. It's always hypotheticals and 'we'll come and visit sometime' until they randomly show up in the middle of the night."

"And always with some big fuss," Opal added, tipping her glass toward her mother.

Suyin nodded. "Exactly. All this because Rirran said he'd let me teach him metal bending one day." As they continued to swap various complaints, Lemaya even joining in for a line or two, Bolin began to realize just how much Rirran and Zai must know Toph's family.

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