Two young earthbenders trained within the stone under Jinhai’s supervision, you have told him to, the column they attempted to shape rose jagged and uneven before collapsing into fractured stone at their feet.

“You’re overpowering it,” He exhaled softly, his tone level but edged with something precise. “Earth does not yield to impatience.”

The earthbender shot him a sharp look. “We know how earth works," frustration flared. "Who are you to correct me?”

Jinhai’s gaze dropped briefly to his stance. The challenge lingered in the air, brittle with pride. If anything, the faintest curve touched his mouth.

He didn’t invade space; he simply entered it with quiet certainty. “You’re leading with your heel,” he said softly, as though the insult had never occurred. His fingers lifted, then pressed lightly against the inside of his wrist.

The earthbender scoffed and stomped again, but the earth didn’t respond. Confusion crept across his face. “Why can’t I bend?” Recognition dawned, hesitant at first, then immediate. “The clan that blocks bending…” he whispered.

“Temporarily,” Jinhai corrected with quiet ease. He stepped back, allowing the weight of the lesson to settle. But the other man stood rigid, flushed with wounded pride, powerless in a way he had never experienced before.

“You mistake correction for insult,” He added lightly. “If I wished to embarrass you, you would already be on the ground.”

Then, the earth shifted and Jinhai felt you before he saw you, the resonance of your steps traveling through stone in a rhythm he knew instinctively. His gaze found you, and the severity in him eased into something almost amused.

“They were testing boundaries,” he said smoothly, as though discussing nothing more serious than a passing storm. “I borrowed one of their connections for a moment.” He stepped again, but this time his touch lacked the earlier edge, fingers pressed precisely where they had before, and the earthbender inhaled sharply as sensation returned.

Jinhai straightened and moved to stand at your side as though it was the most natural position in the world. “I find,” he said quietly, low enough for you alone, “your students quite rebellious, as you were.”