"I would like to actually, you know, bend some earth, and I thought I was going to today. I haven't gotten it to work trying it on my own. Perhaps it's ignoring me because I don't listen to it."

"Well, when's your next lesson?"

"Tomorrow. The lack of other students does make scheduling densely more convenient."

"So you can learn how to listen to the earth really quickly. I guess."

"Perhaps the earth speaks very slowly, and I need to show up every day to listen to the two syllables it utters at around noon."

Dao giggles helplessly.

Beila's next lesson lasts longer, and she shows up at Dao's, visibly exhausted, dry of perspiration thanks only to the constant play of wind around her. She flops onto him and groans.

"Today the earth was mad at me and it decided to show its displeasure in the form of a tiny madwoman."

"Oh, dear. What'd she do?"

"She said I wasn't listening to the earth, and if it was so hard, I should see how much harder it would be to get rocks to move by brute force, and I spent most of the day carrying chunks of stone around. As in, in my arms. And you know how I can barely walk without airbending? That does not get easier when I'm carrying something heavy, I fell over a lot. Occasionally under the heavy rocks. This is me after fixing up a lot of bruises as best I could. I don't think this is standard earthbender training."

"...I don't think so either," says Dao. "That is weird. Weird and disquieting."

"If she tries to get me to do that again I'm signing up with a regular dojo," says Beila, shaking her head.

"That is a wise decision!" he says. "Because wow."

"But I dunno, maybe tomorrow all of this boulder-hauling will have granted me special insight and I'll be able to bend the earth like I have its children hostage."

"Maybe that's why she carries rocks in her hair," giggles Dao.

Beila bursts out laughing and hugs him.

Giggling, he hugs back.

"I think she might actually carry rocks in her hair so she can have them available in a pinch. Sort of like how metalbender cops like Chali wear metal armor," shrugs Beila.

"That makes more sense," he concedes. "But isn't as funny."

"It is not nearly as funny," Beila agrees.

"So I'm just gonna keep thinking about her taking them hostage."

"Very well. You may do so," says Beila magnanimously.

He giggles some more.

"Anyway. I don't wanna walk anywhere right now, but we could hop on Liqing and catch a movie or something? Sit in the nice rock-free theater," snorts Beila.