章 22: How to REALLY Enjoy a Festival
Toph POV
Elliot was quiet. Unusually silent as we walked. I could feel the quivers of his lip, the furious blinking of his eyes as he desperately tried not to cry.
I didn't know what to do, so I did nothing as we walked around. In any other situation I might've been a tiny bit excited to be alone with him, but now I could only worry. I wanted to say something, anything, only I didn't know how to say it.
It's at times like this, that I wished I was more tactful. He didn't need my brutal honesty, or criticism. In the time since I first met him, I've come to realize he was harsher on himself than anyone else possibly could've been.
So, again, I did nothing. Moments like these, when I'm slapped with reality, are when I understand that I'm still a helpless, blind girl in some ways. I could fight. I was sure I could kick anyone's butt. But this wasn't a fight. It isn't as simple as hitting him with a boulder to set his head straight.
I, The Greatest Earthbender who co-invented Metalbending, was powerless to help my friend. I felt so useless.
This required a delicate touch. A touch I didn't have, this was beyond me. Aang would probably know what to do, Katara would too.
But they weren't here right now. I was.
"Sorry."
"What're you sorry for?" he asked, his lips twitching up into the barest hint of a smile.
"..." 'Sorry that I can't help you,' I wanted to say, but couldn't muster the will. I felt him look at me.
"Are you okay?" I didn't know how he could worry about me, when he was the one on the verge of tears. It made me both angry and happy.
"You know, you're not really acting like an Earthbender right now," he remarked, still staring at me.
What?! I was... I stopped walking, feet planted on the ground. I was giving up before I even did anything.
'Real steadfast behavior Toph, way to go,' I reflect. It was also with words like that, when I realize Elliot possessed great insight. At least when it comes to other people, for some reason Elliot became stupid when he comes into the equation.
"Come on, I thought we had a festival to enjoy? Can't do that with both of us moping," he chuckled.
A distraction was what he wanted, I quickly noticed. He would probably feel better if we just tried to enjoy the festival... but was that for the best? It'd just be delaying the problem, wouldn't it?
<Once I get angry at something, I just focus on that. Then I get angrier the more I think about it, and it just... keeps on like that until I get distracted by something else, simmering. While I may forget about it for a short while, once I remember it, it comes back with full force.>
I remembered his words. I knew what I needed to do. What I needed to say.
"What do you want to do, Hustler?"
"What?" Elliot, taken aback, said.
"Your... dream? I guess. I don't really know much about you, but you seem to know so much about me." His eyes darted away from my face, before returning. His heart sped up, he felt panicked.
"I-I don't know."
"You don't know?" I inquired, genuinely curious.
"Yeah, I just- I just don't, I guess. I try not to think about it."
"Could the reason you don't want to think about it be why you cried in front of the Kyoshi statue?" I confronted him, and I swore I could feel his heart stop.
"I-I you- you saw that?" he sputtered. I didn't even acknowledge that he misspoke, knowing what he meant.
"I-I, oh, um," I could feel every tremble in his body. His breathing speeding up and becoming erratic. I never thought I'd be the one to say this.
"It's okay, Hustler. I don't think there's anything wrong with crying." Despite my words, it didn't feel like they comforted him at all. Instead, he seemed to be getting more and more panicked, tears unwittingly making rivulets down his cheeks.
Thinking I may have messed up, I did the only thing I could think of. I hugged him. His chin rested on my left shoulder. He didn't move, other than the slight shake of his shoulders, doing his best to cry silently, and barely succeeding.
"..."
"..."
"...I miss them..." he croaked, his throat filled with mucus I could feel him desperately trying to get rid of by swallowing constantly. I didn't ask who.
...
Elliot POV
I felt so pathetic. Embarrassed. Yet, despite that, it felt like a massive weight was being lifted off my chest at the same time tje more I cried.
"I don't know what to do," I whimpered.
"That's fine," she told me.
Was it really?
"My family they're..." I didn't know what "they" were. I don't think they are dead, but I would never seem them again.
I was so, so, so far from home. Where I belonged.
"I miss them."
"It'll be alright. I, no, we'll be your new family. Sokka, Aang, Karara..."
"Haha!" I let out a pitiful laugh, finding what she said familiar.
"What? I'm being seri-!" Before she could get upset I quickly explained.
"Sorry, I wasn't laughing at what you said, it's just... I heard a friend say that to someone else once," I say, before gently pushing off her shoulders, separating from the hug.
I smiled, genuinely, as I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe off my tears. "Thank you, Blindspot, I'm fine now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I swear. Now let's go ACTUALLY enjoy this festival, okay?"
...
[You have learned the skill, {Sleight-of-Hand}!]
[You have learned the skill, Bartering}!]
[You have learned the skill, {Persuasion}!]
"Oh you devious cripple you!"
"Thanks for the compliment." We both grinned at each other slyly. While I didn't expect to be scamming people, I wasn't against it.
More money was more money. Like how stupid people were stupid people. And just like how festivals earned a lot of money for their games, we used that thinking of the people to scam them out of their wallets.
Toph was especially good, with me being her hypeman, we made for a good team. Considering her Earth and Metalbending, being able to make coins land in her favor.
With so much money now to spare, we both decided to splurge a bit. Buying as many kebabs and other foods as we could manage to carry, we stood by, watching the giant effigies in the center of the town with the rest of it's inhabitants. We watched the torch runner race to them.
"YEAH! Burn them! Burn!" Toph cheered animatedly, pumping her fist in the air, not minding all the kebabs that fell from her arm for doing such an action.
Hurriedly I snatched them up, and looked around. After making sure no one was watching, I made a bit of wind blow, getting the dirt off them. It didn't fully clean it, but I wasn't against eating a bit of dirt.
Hopefully I can eat enough to fall into a food coma. "You're gonna miss it!" Toph exclaimed, making me look up.
The torch bearer jumped straight through Kyoshi, and set Roku on fire. Before moving on to Aang. Toph, along with the rest of the crowd, cheered as I watched on in amusement.
Just as the burning began, though, an interruption occurred. Katara had jumped out and using Waterbending, drew some fluid from the surrounding barrels and extinguished the fire.
As everyone started to berate them, Toph was the only one with a different opinion, even more excited than before.
"C'mon! Fight!" she encouraged, only nothing of the sort happened.
'Sorry Toph, but you'll have to be disappointed,' I thought to myself.
...
As the events of the fifth episode in Book Two fully started, I couldn't help but reflect. 370 years ago.
That was a long, long time ago. Yet they kept up this prejudice based off of distorted history and propaganda. I guess you could call it undeserved hate that was inherited. History could be so easily manipulated, couldn't it?
But, now that I truly think about, I am living history. Not actually. This was the present, current.
It's just that I've been using history, my past memories of watching the show, as a guide. I could finally realize why I thought history was useless.
The stuff recorded in the history books were never MEANT for me. It's use is for people who MIGHT end up in those situations as a reference point. To guide them.
Because the fact was, in the twenty first century, I would never be an explorer pioneering unknown land. Neither a leader, or a general. Not many people would, I imagine.
As what is taught in class is just not meant for us. It's to teach us that history is important, not how the bostom tea party actually went down, because we would never actually know how it fully went down, play by play. That's impossible. We didn't live it.
And, I mean, how the hell would knowing what happened at the boston tea party actually help someone? Aside from a historian or some shit?
So, I guess what I mean, is that their history isn't important. Not to most people, or me. But my history, to me at least, IS.
My memories. At a young age of around six, I lied. Then I was preceded to be scolded by my mother which in turn made me cry. Using my memories taught me, hey, don't lie to my mother like a little shit! Or bad things WILL happen, because they had in the past, as I had experienced it.
Which, I guess in a way is me still saying learning all that history in class was still a waste of time. Aside from the fact that I now realize it isn't history that's important exactly, but experience.
After all, reading from a page was completely different from actually experiencing something for yourself. As what you read could be nothing less than just a warning.
I looked at Toph who was busy yawning.
But, in the end, using history, my memories of the show, I managed to make a really, really good friend. For that, I was grateful.
So, uh, thank you history. Though the answer to why I had to read so many goddamn textbooks written in the most boring way possible still eludes me, I could understand it. Sort of.
Done with my retrospection, I let out a sigh. Only now did I get just how stubborn I was in my view to look at history as useless truly was.
Because I don't think I'd ever actually think that me learning about dead people hundreds of years ago as important. Though I think I wouldn't mind being in a history book myself. Having people read my entire life story, going through the same pain as I did when I went to school, was an appealing idea.
I scratched my head. 'Man, self-reflection is hard...' In the end, I went in a full circle with my thoughts, going right back to where I started. Still thinking history isn't that important even though I desperately tried to look for ways that it could be important to me.
I am one stubborn guy. It would take a long time for me to become an Uncle Iroh, that was for sure. It seemed Toph was right, I'd make for a great Earthbender.
I pause my thoughts. 'Right, Toph asked about me...' Taking another glance at her, I open my mouth hesistantly.
"Hey, Blindspot, remember what you asked about earlier? When I was crying." I really wanted to tell her about myself.
"My question of your dream? Do you have one now?" That wasn't exactly what I meant, but in a way, my answer had indeed changed.
"I still don't quite know what I want to do yet..."
"Oh," she seemed a bit downcast at that answer, but perked up when I continued.
"But if I'm gonna do something, I... I want to do it big. So that everyone will hear it." She grinned.
"That's my kinda dream!"
[Your flaw, {Repressed Emotions}, has been resolved!]
It came at the perfect time.
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