The drink turned out to be something called baijiu, a foul-smelling Earth Kingdom liquor that seemed to Sokka like it had more business spilling out the backside of an ostrich-horse than from a ceramic jug. Master Bei Fong knocked back several of the little cups filled with the distilled evil while Sokka felt himself turning green from one cup.
"You gotta understand," the blind woman said, "I just make swords. I don't fight with them. I'm just an earthbender. All those stories about the No-Eyed Sword Maiden are just that -- stories. Just between you and me, I sure ain't married but the hell if I'm a maiden, yeah?"
Sokka's shoulders slumped.
She reached across the kitchen table and slugged him in the arm. Considering how burly she was from part-time blacksmithing, it wasn't a girly tap. "Don't beat yourself up."
"...owwww."
"Wuss." Bei Fong slammed back another serving of baijiu. "I wouldn't take you on as a student even if I did know swordfighting. I haven't taught earthbending in years. I'm just a merchant now."
Sokka rubbed the tender spot on his upper arm, wondering how bad the bruise would be. He'd catch hell from Bato and the other men if he came back with bruises and no good explanation for it other than a freakishly tall blind woman pushed him around. Somehow they always managed to suss out his lies. Sokka blamed his Dad for using all the good ones years ago.
He said, "Could I at least maybe, er, buy a sword? Pointing out a hole in your security should totally be worth a discount."
"Maaaayyybeee." Bei Fong's lips hovered over the rim of her latest cup. If those milky eyes of hers could said to hold any expression whatsoever, now Sokka would call them glassy. "You ever been to Kyoshi Island, sailor man?"
"I've heard of it." Mostly the drinking songs, which was appropriate despite their bawdy lyrics being entirely inappropriate. "Why?"
"I gotta an old buddy there. From the Wall. Other day she wrote me and told me something amazing. You'll never guess what."
"What?"
"Chicken-hawk butt!" Master Bei Fong sniggered, nearly collapsing onto the kitchen table. It was a good two or three minutes before she had recovered. "Hoo! But yeah, where was I?"
He said patiently, "Your friend from Kyoshi Island."
"Right! Suki! Anyway, she said the Avatar's back. Since she's preggers again she can't go with me but--"
"Wait." Sokka held up his hands... then realized he was gesturing to a blind woman. Feeling foolish, he dropped his hands. "The Avatar?"
"Yeah! Ong the Liberator, man! Turns out he and his old lady had been frozen in an iceberg for the past century."
This was when Sokka decided Bei Fong had finally drunk too much.
"It's a great story," Bei Fong said, adding another drained ceramic cup to the neat stack on the tabletop. "Apparently he suckered this Fire Nation prince into giving him a ride off the South Pole after these twin waterbenders woke him up."
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branchandroot
The World of Broken Glass [7/14] - Sokka
Date: 2010-11-29 08:14 pm (UTC)"You gotta understand," the blind woman said, "I just make swords. I don't fight with them. I'm just an earthbender. All those stories about the No-Eyed Sword Maiden are just that -- stories. Just between you and me, I sure ain't married but the hell if I'm a maiden, yeah?"
Sokka's shoulders slumped.
She reached across the kitchen table and slugged him in the arm. Considering how burly she was from part-time blacksmithing, it wasn't a girly tap. "Don't beat yourself up."
"...owwww."
"Wuss." Bei Fong slammed back another serving of baijiu. "I wouldn't take you on as a student even if I did know swordfighting. I haven't taught earthbending in years. I'm just a merchant now."
Sokka rubbed the tender spot on his upper arm, wondering how bad the bruise would be. He'd catch hell from Bato and the other men if he came back with bruises and no good explanation for it other than a freakishly tall blind woman pushed him around. Somehow they always managed to suss out his lies. Sokka blamed his Dad for using all the good ones years ago.
He said, "Could I at least maybe, er, buy a sword? Pointing out a hole in your security should totally be worth a discount."
"Maaaayyybeee." Bei Fong's lips hovered over the rim of her latest cup. If those milky eyes of hers could said to hold any expression whatsoever, now Sokka would call them glassy. "You ever been to Kyoshi Island, sailor man?"
"I've heard of it." Mostly the drinking songs, which was appropriate despite their bawdy lyrics being entirely inappropriate. "Why?"
"I gotta an old buddy there. From the Wall. Other day she wrote me and told me something amazing. You'll never guess what."
"What?"
"Chicken-hawk butt!" Master Bei Fong sniggered, nearly collapsing onto the kitchen table. It was a good two or three minutes before she had recovered. "Hoo! But yeah, where was I?"
He said patiently, "Your friend from Kyoshi Island."
"Right! Suki! Anyway, she said the Avatar's back. Since she's preggers again she can't go with me but--"
"Wait." Sokka held up his hands... then realized he was gesturing to a blind woman. Feeling foolish, he dropped his hands. "The Avatar?"
"Yeah! Ong the Liberator, man! Turns out he and his old lady had been frozen in an iceberg for the past century."
This was when Sokka decided Bei Fong had finally drunk too much.
"It's a great story," Bei Fong said, adding another drained ceramic cup to the neat stack on the tabletop. "Apparently he suckered this Fire Nation prince into giving him a ride off the South Pole after these twin waterbenders woke him up."
Sokka blinked. "Wait. Did you say twins?"