I'll Be Your Family

Blind Bandit pt. 4

Toph didn't need sight to see that Scruffy was pissed. 

He was gritting his teeth so hard, she thought they might break. She felt a little bad about dragging him into a fight against his will. The guilt faded though as she remembered she would have to go back to playing 'helpless' until Earth Rumble VI started.

Sorry Scruffy, I'd say I regret it, but you're the most interesting that has happened in Gaoling ever. There's no way I'm letting you leave without at least fighting you. 

Toph waited in her bending stance as Xin Fu jumped back on the podium with the bag of gold coins. Scruffy probably realized he couldn't get out of this, and slowly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. 

"Is there a specific reason you forced me to fight in this like some sort of peasant?" He growled as he got lower to the ground, getting ready to sprint toward his opponent.

Toph cocked an eyebrow, Peasant? He must be a noble of some kind. That or at least from a wealthy family. Why does he feel like a fighter then? I don't think his sword's just for show. Is he from the army? 

Toph was getting more and more interested in the background of the stranger, but held back and focused on his question. 

"Relax Scruffy, I just wanted to see if you could fight better than Pebble did. Besides, you were the one who threatened me earlier, so it's only fair you back it up." 

He flinched, as he recalled the exchange from when she was on the stairs. 

"I wasn't threatening you, dumbass! It was a reflex!" He yelled at her, his cheeks pink from embarrassment.

He's not lying. She smiled to herself as she got closer to the real question she wanted to ask.

"It was a hell of a reflex, Scruffy. What, did I scare you or something?" She asked, trying to hide how curious she was.

There was a moment of silence before he gave his answer. 

Toph had been prepared for him to try and lie to get out of this semi-interrogation. She already had his resting heart rate and knew all the signs of what would happen if he was lying. His heart rate might pick up, his weight might shift slightly, and he might even tilt his head to try and look away from her. Toph knew he would at least have one of these reactions if he lied. 

"Uh... No" He said while giving off every single sign of lying she could think of.

"Wow Scruffy, you're shit at lying huh?" She said in actual astonishment. 

How could someone be that bad at lying? I didn't even need to check his heart rate and I could tell he was lying. At least that will make it easier to trust his answers. She thought to herself.

"Shut up! Didn't you want to fight me, why are you asking so many questions!" He asked, trying to understand why this little girl challenged him to a fight just to ask him stupid questions. 

It's like she's trying to be friendly. That doesn't make sense though. Why fight me if she wants to be friends? And what's with that dumb nickname? She's weird, He thought to himself, as he tried to piece together the weird girl in front of him.

He thought back to Pouhai, and how the Avatar similarly treated him. His voice was childlike with innocence.

Could we have been friends back then? 

He shook his head and focused on what she was saying. 

"Yeah, Yeah, guess I got carried away. Look Scruffy, since we're going to fight anyway, let's make a deal. If you can beat me with that sword of yours, I'll do you one favor, whatever it is. If I win, you have to answer three of my questions. What do you say?" She held out her hand in a fist bump, waiting to see if he responded.

He took a moment to process her offer. It wasn't like he could get out of this fight either way and assuming the 50 gold she got as pay was common for her, he could at least ask her for money. The bag of silvers wouldn't last him forever, especially since he didn't know when he would cross another village after he left this place. He needed the money, and this seemed slightly easier than robbing a wealthy house in a city of Earthbenders. 

Only slightly though. The good news is she thinks I have one sword. If I play it right I might still have a chance to beat her. 

He lowered himself and got ready to sprint toward the EarthBender, knowing speed was his only advantage in this fight.

"Alright." He said as he slid the sword out of his sheath without splitting it into two. He breathed out slowly, focusing on his opponent. 

"You're on."