Chapter 65. Eyes.
*Roku. Beifong Estate.*
The estate "woke up" early, or rather, with the first rays of sunlight, its inhabitants began to stir. Some of the staff had to wipe, clean, or sweep something. The cooks started preparing breakfast, the guards worked on maintaining their physical fitness, which sometimes turned into earthbending practice. For most people, the local equivalent of roosters served as an "alarm clock," and I woke up with their crowing.
Often in the mornings, I love to just lie in bed when the sleepy bliss hasn't left my body yet, and it's quite pleasant to linger without rushing anywhere. But, apparently, someone didn't agree with me...
"Roku! Let's go exercise! A healthy body for a healthy mind!" Toph's shouts were audible as if she were standing right next to me. Which, however, was easily explained: the only barrier to the sound was a thin wooden partition, so popular in this province where the climate was mild, and even in winter, the temperature didn't drop below freezing.
"Coming!" I had to get up and tidy myself, spending most of the time bringing my hair into some semblance of order. After all, long hair isn't always cool, though I definitely won't cut mine—I dreamed of it for too long in my past life for some minor issues to change my mind.
On the training ground from yesterday, Hippo, Xin Fu, The Boulder, Lao, a couple of other guys, and Toph herself had already gathered. The heir of the Beifong family was visibly dedicated, performing a set of exercises that looked more like CrossFit.
"Faster, faster, guys, I heard they're making a meat pie in the kitchen!" she managed to encourage them, simultaneously doing push-ups, squats, and jumps in place.
The guys, of course, were inspired by what they heard, but not overly so. It was clear they weren't used to getting up so early, as occasional sleepy yawns slipped out, and one guy was even doing everything with his eyes closed.
"Good morning, Roku," greeted the head of the family, who stood slightly apart, practicing with a sword. I myself trained with cold weapons only moderately, spending more time improving my bending skills, but I could still distinguish a professional from an amateur. And calling Lao a novice would be an understatement.
"Good morning," I replied, nodding toward the others. "Do these gatherings happen often?"
"This is the second month now," he said, pausing for a moment. "Right after she placed near the bottom in the teenage sports competition," he explained the main reason for the change. "You should've seen her face—it was just universal disappointment. It was hard not to pinch her cheeks," he laughed. "But she's come to realize that a truly strong earthbender is also physically strong," he approved of his daughter's efforts.