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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2010 0:42:09 GMT -5
Outside the earth, a real of nonexistence and unimportance continued to move, circle and continue. Stars were born, died, and exploded. Gases traveled the cosmos, formed, died, and combined. Parts remained unseen, hidden by planets, moons, and asteroids. Meteoroids circled earth, come came close, others barely even saw the earth on their journey.
The Earth however was the only relevance to the world now. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. All these elements had one thing in common; they were bound to the Earth, unable to survive outside of it's atmosphere. The earth gave live, with aid from the other elements, give prosperity, life, happiness, and even death. All of them however were alive and well within one person; The avatar.
The avatar which defeated the fire lord, revoking his bending and making him just an ordinary person. On the other hand, the daughter of such a man survived, bending intact, hands constantly bound and contained with a cell that would fire her own attacks back at her. Not that it did any good. She was still there, alive, cunning, and much more sinister and crazy. It was a in vein to keep them alive, but in the times of settlement and peace, it was scandalous and treason to speak out against the avatar. He would do nothing, but the citizens of the remaining three nations would stare at you, expel you. He'd done amazing things after all.
Not that this mattered to a raven haired woman that spoke her mind no matter the subject. She trained the avatar, she stood above him, even shorter than he, screaming stubbornly, beating his staff and trying his nerves. Without her, his earth bending abilities would be pathetic, if they existed at all. The gAang had since split up, going separate ways and dividing and conquering their own destinies. Sokka and Suki settled, married, and expected a baby from the last the blind woman had heard. The genius southern water tribe leader had sent her a letter, which, being blind humored her more than anything else. After finding someone to read it to her, and send one back, it of course included that if he ever tried to communicate with her in such a way again; she'd encase him in a mountain until he dug his way out.
She'd returned home for a short time, but the life of royalty and manners bored her, and she left once more. Much against the will of her parents. They hated the warrior she had become, but hated the thought of losing her once more. The honor she bestowed on the Bei Fong family was much more than money could buy. She was a hero, saved the world, and trained the avatar, his earth bender teacher, and a true master.
The only to master metal bending.
Not to mention, being blind, it made her feat much more impressive and highly doubted. Men from everywhere flocked to see her, to meet the legend, but to see if she had really become the rare beauty that everyone claimed she'd become. A true earthly treasure, something to behold. A gluttonous item that should be worships and cared for.
This more term more than anything, an item, is what caused her to run away in the dead of night once more. Earth benders, average men, rich men, older men. They all approached her, but none of them interested her at all. It was all amount money, and honor, and prestige. Ugh! She hated that! Being an item, an object... a bargaining chip. Even her father saw her as a such thing, and considering the fact that he wanted her to marry and settle down to avoid her running, only caused her to do it faster.
Once she was gone, relaxation and being at ease took completely hold. Being outside, and having the ability to indulge in the earth put her at ease. Moving around, she'd met a lot of people that seemed to find her amazing. A living legend. A blind female earth bender who had amazing bending powers. It was her green eyes that seemed to cut through people. Her parents always yelled at her to look at people when they spoke to her, and from Earth bending she was able to figure out where they were.
As much as she hated looking at her parents. She could feel the disappointment radiating from them.
Zuko had taken a wife and was working on peace with the avatar; and the entire world. Everything was coming back into balance.
Everything except the things that had never been justified.
Toph was last seen in a small town near the edge of the earth kingdom, she departed and was never seen again. It didn't take too long for a notice to show up on both the doorstep of the fire lord Zuko, and one for the avatar, who was currently completely his journey to completely master all four elements and the avatar state. He was mastering fire bending now, with the current fire lord, it made the most sense to finish now in the essence of treaties and peace.
The letter was short and simple.
The avatar prides himself on those whom he is close to. The connects he made that he considers to be family. The earth bending female which taught him will be executed if not traded in two weeks time, during the summer solstice, for the fire Nation princess.
It was so short, but rendered so much concern, fear, and uncertainty.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 18, 2010 1:27:09 GMT -5
To go from the life of a simple monk boy, used to living with just his friends and whatever town they passed by, and now living the life of basically the savior of the world. That’s what everyone kept calling him at least, after his defeat of the Fire Lord he was a hero, the savior that had come from the heavens in order to rid the world of the greatest evil that it had ever seen. Ozai, one of the greatest fire lords known through history, and also the most ruthless of them all. That’s what Aang had spent the years doing, his training from his friends had left him to be completely prepared for anything that was going to come.
Fear, it was a horrible thing to face with. Fighting the fire lord wasn’t something that Aang truly wanted to do, originally having though that he would truly have to kill the Fire Lord himself. Aang had never taken another human life before, at least not really on purpose. When he had gone into the avatar state he had done some horrible damages to others around him, and probably destroyed several lives of the fire nation soldiers during the siege of the Northern Water Tribe. He couldn’t control himself at the time, but his emotions had just taken over and he wasn’t in control.
The decision to spare Ozai was one that he knew many people had looked at him strangely for. Why spare your greatest enemy? Why let someone who was okay with killing hundreds upon thousands of people live? Why? Aang just didn’t have the heart to do it, he couldn’t do it. The people eventually accepted his decision, but it was one that was not met with happiness. Many would have sung shouts of praise in order to see the flame of the Fire Lord be extinguished. Azula too had been spared despite her horrible actions she personally took in the war. Her insanity had only worsened since being locked up. Once again Aang couldn’t bring it to deliver the killing blows.
They weren’t his prisoners. These weren’t his nations to rule, he was just a soldier that used what he had been born with in order to make the world a better place. The enemy had been stopped, but they didn’t have to wipe them all out. Perhaps Zuko had some more say in it, but the nations seemed to accept the avatar’s decision to let these war criminals live. Even as the years passed slowly by Aang couldn’t help but wonder if he was making the right decision or not. Could he really choose whether someone gets to live or die? He didn’t think he could Once the nations settled, and the parades and the cheering had finished, Aang vanished to continue his training
Air had already been mastered, ever since Aang was a young child air was extremely easy for him to manipulate. The fact that he was an airbender probably contributed to that. There were still three elements that he needed to work on though. Earth, water, and fire. Aang wanted to become stronger, in case any other threat in the future came to be. He wasn’t going to fade back into time. The first stop that Aang made was back at his old, and destroyed, home. The last battle and stand of the airbenders were here, the skeletons and armor of troops still lining the field. Aang stayed though, thinking and meditating on what he was going to do with his life now that he wasn’t needed. Everyone had gone their own ways now, that was something he couldn’t change.
After a few months of staying there, thinking and focusing as he used to it was time to leave. He took Appa and journeyed across the world, seeing old places, meeting old friends, and at the same time meeting new ones that wanted to meet the great Avatar. It was a fun journey, but Aang couldn’t ever forget the real friends that had helped him through the journey more than anyone else. Zuko, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. It had been ages since he had seen any of them, especially Toph though. He hadn’t ever heard what happened to her.
After some time Aang visited the southern water tribe, meeting his two oldest and closest friends. Katara and Sokka had been happy to see him, along with Suki. Aang did his best to make sure that they caught up with everything that was going on, at the same time asking for further water bending training from Katara. The training went well, although it took some time for it to take a large effect. Aang’s water skills began to grow, constantly increasing and becoming more and more powerful. He asked if any of them had heard from Toph, since he already knew how Zuko was doing. They hadn’t. After a few months Aang set out to the fire nation, wanting to see how the real fire lord was doing.
The two had quickly gotten reacquainted, making sure that the other was doing alright. Mainly Aang asked how being a leader of a country was, to which Zuko continued to talk about how it was a growing challenge. Leading a nation at such a young age was never a simple task after all. Zuko had gone through so many trials to get this throne, he had even lost the only family members that he had left. His father and sister. Aang requested for the fire lord to personally train him in fire bending. Much to Aang’s joy, Zuko said yes.
Aang was once again improving, although at a slower rate than before. Fire had always made him nervous, since he had severely burned Katara that one day. It was an accident, but that didn’t make him free of all responsibility. It was as they trained that they woke up to find the letters addressed to them. Within a minute Aang was dressed and using his wind enhanced running to get to Zuko as fast as he could. Aang rushed past the guards, not knowing that Zuko got a letter as well. “Zuko!”, he shouted as he skidded into the fire lord’s throne room. “I got a letter! They have Toph!”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2010 1:47:07 GMT -5
Zuko was about to tun from the room when he finished reading the letter. He was off his throne and about to leave the room, but Aang entered. His eyes were wide, at least the one which was no longer burned. Moving over to his side, he nodded, his black hair wasn't pulled back and tied this morning. It was a bit early and hung around her face. "I know..." He muttered, holding up a scroll that was identical to the one that the avatar held within his own hands. Silence overtook them, and neither seemed to know what to say. It was almost painful to think about...
Sighing, he broke the silence. "Aang..." He muttered. "You have to know that there's nothing we can do. There's no proof that they have Toph, and even if they do... they can't contain her. Not for long anyway. Azula is too dangerous to let go... Letting her go will start this all over again. You can't... really think that this is a good idea?" He asked, watching him, but he understood the connection that he had with her.
He also felt bound to her, but in a completely different way. He'd burned her once, and she was the only one that trusted him. She stood up for him, Katara had told him and so had Sokka and Aang. She seemed to be the only one that believed him. Her powers of interpreting people were amazing, better than anyone he'd ever seen. One thing was clear, he had to do something... THEY had to do something.
"So..." A foul voice asked, leaning over a cell made of wood and glass. "The avatar has gotten his letter. He'll trade the princess to save you."
The Bei Fong heiress grinned, playing with an apple they'd given her a few hours before. Tossing it up in the air, she shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't count on it, sir" her voice was full of mockery. "I honestly don't care what you think he'll do. You can't keep me here for too long." She laughed a little at this point. "And Aang isn't foolish enough to trade me for Azula. I heard you dictating the letter. I'm not worth her release, the destruction and chaos that comes with it." She shrugged her shoulders.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 18, 2010 2:02:47 GMT -5
Aang skidded to a halt as he saw that Zuko seemed to share the same letter that he did. Of course they would send one to him. Zuko and Toph had connected quickly the first time that they had really met, and now she was in trouble. He had the power to save her, but could he really? Releasing his sister wasn’t going to be an easy choice to do. It had taken enough work just to get her once, and the people would be outraged that someone like her had been released when they were originally demanding for her death. Could they do it in secret? No, Azula wouldn’t be quiet about her rise back to power. But they couldn’t do nothing!
“We can’t take that chance Zuko!”, Aang said frantically. “I know that Azula is dangerous and that we would never think about releasing her, but it’s Toph we’re talking about! We can’t just leave her there to be a prisoner!”, he shouted. “If we don’t give up Azula and if they realize that we won’t…….they’ll kill her”, he said softly as he looked towards the ground. “It’s been years but she’s been with us since the beginning! She defended you when no one else would! She showed me what it meant to face real fear and overcome things that got in my way……I can’t abandon her”, he said as he looked at his hand. “Not when I have the power to save her!”, he shouted. “You and me together can do this! You’re stronger than Azula and I’m the Avatar! Together we can stop these mad men”
“I know that it’s a risky move but it’s one that we have to take”, Aang begged. “Please Zuko, I know that you’re thinking about your people but PLEASE it’s Toph here. She needs both of us now if they really have her……we can do this if we work together”, he said as he grabbed his staff from off of his back. “Zuko, we can’t just let them kill her”, he said as he took a few steps forward. “Your sister is a danger yes, but she was stopped before and she can be stopped again by you”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2010 2:23:39 GMT -5
Zuko shook his head. He was so torn, and it pissed him off beyond all reason. "No... Aang, you don't understand. They're planning on taking over the fire nation, making Azula the the Fire Lord. She'll try to overthrow us and she's had a lot in time to plan this out in her cell. It's been five years Aang. Azula has a lot of hate and a lot of rage. There's... no way that she'll let this opportunity come and go." Closing his eyes, he was scared and unsure of what to do. How could he abandon her. "What... what is we bring someone dressed as Azula?" He looked over at him.
"Or we could just..." He sighed. "I dunno." He sat down on his throne, running his hands through his hair, holding his face in thought. What could they do? How... could they do it? There had to be some middle ground where they could save her, but not let Azula out or endager someone elses life. But... at the same time...
"Aang..." He muttered. "One person's life isn't worth the lives of thousands if Azula becomes fire lord." Looking up at her, he could feel his body shaking. He was worried about how he'd take this, but it was true. "Even Toph... She's strong. She can hold her own. She's the most stubborn and resourceful people I know. She's someone who will get out of something. She has the will." He said, looking into the eyes of his very good friend. He was so worried, so unsure. He needed advice; his uncles advice. "We can take them, but we do this alone. They'll most likely send another letter with where to bring her, rather than just realizing her. Hopefully... well, it will be a place that one of us know."
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Post by nyrax on Jan 18, 2010 2:33:23 GMT -5
Aang lowered his head as he heard the words that Zuko was saying. Aang couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud, but Zuko was right in every word that he spoke. If Azula was allowed out and free back into the world she would make as much damage as possible before they caught her again, and that was assuming that they did. Could Azula still have such a strong following after so many years? Was it really that much to be worried about. Several images of the princess’s acts of pain and destruction began to come back to him. The manipulation, the anger, and the power. She was truly a frightening creation.
Aang shook his head. “Dressing someone up like Azula won’t be enough. Your sister is definitely a one of a kind actor…..no one can pull off trying to pretend to be her and trick some radicals that are trying to release her”, Aang remarked. “These guys have waited a long time to do this, they are clearly patient and not ready to lose this chance. That’s why I know they have her, they wouldn’t risk pulling such a bluff to two of the most powerful figures that the world has right now. You have an entire army at your command if they made the wrong move”, he pointed out.
“Perhaps…..perhaps we could do what they did to king Bumie!”, Aang said with a sudden burst of enthusiasm. “In order to hold Bumie prisoner they had him locked up in this large steel like coffin thing”, Aang explained. “You weren’t there but surely the fire nation must have some”, he remarked. “Perhaps if we get one, and put someone in there it will trick the guys into thinking we brought Azula under heavy guard”, he said quickly. He didn’t know if it would work, but he had to try something! They couldn’t let Azula escape, but they couldn’t let Toph die either.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2010 2:44:57 GMT -5
Zuko was sitting at this throne. For some reason, he felt as if the wisdom of all the previous fire lords before him. Even his father. he was strong, powerful, and extremely intelligent. The only exception was that he used it in a bad way... He used it for negativity; Zuko used it for positive. Closing his eyes, he was starting to brainstorm, attempting to use the statistical analysis that Azula was so good at. Folding his fingers together, he laced them, resting his chin on his hands. They could, but... Was it worth it? Biting his lip, he was really worried about what would happen. Aang was right however... They'd been planning this for years. They'd never let it go south. They'd stick this out until they won and got Azula back.
"Even if we did encase her..." He said, finally opening his eyes to look into Aang's gray hues. "We can't... we can't just hold her and demand Toph before they take Azula. Once they have her... they'll either kill Toph anyway, or just give us her body... Or... well have to fight them. They'll release Azula. We'll be completely screwed. I refuse to release her from prison. We need to find another way. What.. what if we get Sokka to come here. You said you were with them, right? Well, if we can get him here, we can try to come up with some sort of plan." His eyes closed again, and he looked up. A pained expression was on his face.
"Wait!" he stood up, realizing something. Something important. "The Dai Lee! They served Azula faithfully, they turned again their leader in Ba Sing Se, remember? She took some of them home to her. I remember that she was walking around with them in the palace. I..." He bit his lip. "They have to be someone that trusts her. Someone who is loyal and wants her to be in power. someone who agreed with this war, and even though I went through everyone and tested their loyalty, there could be a few that work here still. Only... Toph would be able to tell if they were lying." He hung his head between his knees. "We'll think of something, but..." He looked up. "What do you think?"
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Post by nyrax on Jan 18, 2010 3:05:27 GMT -5
Aang watched Zuko as he seemed to be going in a space of deep thought. This was no easy decision to make after all. They were given a worst case scenario option. IF they didn’t take Azula than Toph would be killed on the spot and they would probably receive proof of it later. And even if they did take Azula to them than they had no way of knowing that they would actually release Toph. Her and Azula had hated each other extremely after all. Aang didn’t know what to say anymore. Part of him wanted to shout at Zuko for not even thinking about a way to save Toph. He was trying….but everything seemed like a horrible plan. Was there anything that they could do?
Aang shook his head as Zuko basically said the obvious. No matter what sort of plan they came up with it was all going to be in vain. These men would kidnap Azula no matter what they did to hold her, or they would just deliver a dead Toph. Was their friend really doomed either way? Toph didn’t do anything wrong, it was Zuko and Aang that were responsible for ending this war and re claiming the fire nation. Toph had helped yes, but she was being used because of the friendship that they had created. That was low. Aang looked down at the ground, still unsure of what to even say at this point. Was it all for not?
Aang nearly jumped out of his skin as Zuko suddenly leapt up and started saying something about the Dai Lee. Oh yeah, those secret earth agents that worked for the king and had successfully caused a coup to take place in the Earth Kingdom. Aang frowned once again as Zuko pointed out that Toph should have sensed their lies though. “Well, Azula was able to lie to Toph and she couldn’t tell. Perhaps someone else learned the same trick”, Aang finally said. He finally fell onto his behind though, not knowing what else to do. “We can sit here and talk all we want…….the only way Toph has a chance is if she escapes herself, or we give them Azula and hope they honor their end of the deal”, he said weakly. “Any plan can be foiled, any deal can be broken…………what choices do we have left Zuko?”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2010 4:06:41 GMT -5
The fire lord, looking back at the floor, and as he'd done so many times before when he was confused or worried; he began to count the tiles that spread across the floor. Biting his lip, he still felt torn, but had to think of his plan. In a sense, this was a test of his abilities. How could he keep in balance his people, and the world's people, along with Toph. She did mean a lot to him. She was strong willed, but she was the only one that trusted him from the start. Maybe the two of them could think of something else. He had to say, he wanted his uncles advice. Maybe he could just try to think like his uncle again? Would that work out?
Pursing his lips, he was trying to think of something that would work out for the people and Toph. He couldn't... no... he wouldn't let her die. Resting his head on his hands, he looked out the window, brainstorming. A spider bird flew by, catching another smaller squirrel bird in its fangs and injected it's poison, starting to eat it's insides. His head popped up suddenly. "Thanks it!" he said, rising from his thrown and almost running out of the room. He knew that Aang would follow, and heard an air swirl symbolizing that he stood and was running after him. He moved through the palace as fast he could. Servants jumped out of the way. He was independent, so there wasn't as many as there were before when his father had been Fire lord.
After moving through a series of long hallways, and ignoring Aang's questions. Once he entered a room, he grabbed a scroll that was on the table. Opening it, he pointed out another notice he'd gotten a week or so before. "This one... is similar to the one we got today." Pulling the one they got today, he took Aang's and opened them, side by side. "Look, they were all written by the same person. A woman." He pointed out certain letters that were definitely something only a woman had when writing. The curliness of the letters and a few other things that woman did and men did not. "That means that they're not alone. Not to mention it cant be Toph. She can't read or write. They must have done it out loud to make her feel scared or more vulnerable. Why else would he not have written it himself?" He rubbed his chin. Crossing his arms, he sat in a chair, resting his foot on the table.
He hated this... There had to be something else. "We have to act on this right away. If we move fast enough, we might be able to get there before they do anything. They'll expect us time to struggle. In which time, they'll watch us. We can leave Sokka and Katara stay here and watch the palace, mostly Azula with Mai. We can take off, and try to break Toph out together. We just need to wait for the next letter. Let's try working on our fire bending. It helps me calm down." He said walking outside with him.
He wanted to say that this would help. Trutyhfully Aang mastering fire bending would help out a lot. Especially if this plan, whereas it was slapdash was to work. He'd been thinking more and more about it. There couldn't be a huge gathering of them, and they had to be somewhere that put Toph at a disadvantage. She had to be in a cell that wasn't metal. They'd mentioned a wooden cell before. So maybe wood. A wooden cell with something that surrounded it, rendering her truly blind. Somewhere cold, or floating off the ground.
It didn't take long. Within a few hours of practice, another letter arrived, but this time, the hawk didn't leave. It was a messenger hawk, but it was mostly black rather than red. He was preening his feathers straightening them out, waiting for a reply before he left once more.
Taking the letter, Zuko opened the note, holding his breath.
The southwest Earth Kingdom in the giant swamp. There's no way you can miss us.
He'd read it aloud, and he turned to look up at his close friend. "Come on, we should head there now." He grabbed his shirt, which was laying on the ground. He never trained with it on if he could avoid it. Going upstairs, he glanced back at Aang. "Pack your stuff. They won't expect us to go there so soon. And there's no way they'd expect an attack from both of us." He grinned. "Its not like Toph will take anything just lying down."
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Post by nyrax on Jan 18, 2010 20:30:40 GMT -5
Silence. It wasn’t exactly what Aang wanted to hear right now. When he had asked the question he wanted Zuko to respond, tell him to not give up hope and that there still was a way to save Toph. The silence that filled the room was probably the most disheartening thing that Aang had ever heard. He had never felt so powerless before. He would rather face Ozai again instead of letting one of his friends be so far away and so alone. No matter what challenge they had faced, no matter what trail was before them, at least they knew that they all had each other’s support. Toph was all alone now, Aang just knew that they had her, and he was still going to do whatever it took to get her back.
Aang suddenly leapt up as Zuko shouted out that he had something. He seemed excited, an idea must have just come to him. The moment that zuko took off Aang began his pursuit, using the wind to boost his speed considerably till he had nearly caught up. “Excuse us, pardon us”, Aang said with a friendly wave as several servants practically leapt out of the way so that they would not disturb their fire lord’s course. Still, Aang was very used to apologizing for making people move, so that’s what he did. “Zuko where on earth are we going!?”, he shouted towards the fire lord. He didn’t need specifics but a general idea of the good news would definitely brighten up the day.
Aang skidded to a halt as Zuko leapt into the next room, quickly beginning to go through several scrolls. Something had connected for him, but what was it that he saw? As Zuko pulled out a scroll and wanted to compare it to Aang’s own he quickly tossed it down and opened it. He looked from scroll to scroll. Zuko was definitely right. This wasn’t something that just anyone could have written. The handwriting and stlye were far too similar to not be done by the same woman. “Yeah I see what you mean”, Aang remarked as he looked at the letter. So it wasn’t written by Toph herself, who had never learned to write because of her blindness. What exactly was Zuko planning though?
He turned to look at the fire lord as he said that they would move and strike quickly as soon as they learned where she was. If they moved fast enough these guys might not be prepared. Aang smiled. He knew that Zuko wouldn’t just abandon Toph after everything that they had been through together. She was too important to him, to them both. “Sounds like a plan Zuko, we can do this if we work together. The fire lord and the avatar teaming up, they don’t stand a chance”, Aang said with his usual joking smile. He followed Zuko outside.
As they trained Aang could feel that he wasn’t as focused. Zuko might find this calming, but Aang wasn’t able to get distracted as easily. All he could think about was Toph, and how she could already be dead for all they knew. As the training went on he made sure to become more focused, dedicating any energy that he had left to saving her. He would not fail a friend that needed him. Toph was never scared, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ever get hurt.
Aang heard the letter as Zuko said it out loud. A swamp huh, that would be an obvious place to hold someone like Toph. Even if she broke out of her cage she could land in nothing but water. She’d be blind and unable to bend, it was the perfect spot to make her powerless, especially considering there wouldn’t be any metal there. “I’ll get Appa ready!”, he shouted before darting off and grabbing his staff and pack. This was a rescue mission, no real time to pack and all. Aang threw all the stuff on Appa’s saddle, waiting for Zuko to arrive so that they could leave as soon as possible. Aang took comfort from the note. If there was no way to miss these guys, perhaps they could use the swamp and gain an element of surprise advantage.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 18, 2010 20:54:23 GMT -5
The avatar instantly seemed pleased with this plan. He was ready to get going, and that made the fire lord feel more comfortable as well. He was right of course, who could beat the fire lord and avatar together? Seeing him dart out of the room, he doubted that the spirits could run as fast as Aang did just now. "Alright." He said with a nod. Darting out of the room, he ran to his own, packing a bag of clothing that he could change into on the ride. Darting down a flew flights of stairs, he went into the kitchen, grabbed some apples, oranges, other smaller foods that were ready. Rice, other things. Then he got some water.
Throwing everything into a bag, he went back upstairs. Then he went to see Mai. He woke her, which was something she didn't respond well to at all. After last time, he knew that leaving her a letter would anger her. He said he was leaving, but left a note as well, making sure to put he tried to wake her up. It was short. "Going with Aang, gotta help him on a mission. Be back in hopefully a few days. About the Azula threats. Love you."
Pulling his hair back, he tied it into a ponytail. Smirking, he entered the grounds and walked over to Appa. "Here you go." He said, handing him a melon. "It's gonna be a long ride buddy." He said, walking over to the side and used fire bending to hop up high enough to get onto the saddle. Typing what he backed to it, he walked over to the edge near the head of the bison. "Whenever you're ready, all powerful avatar." He said, his tone somewhat joking. Getting out of the saddle, he sat on the bison's thick neck.
"Do you know where this place is?" He asked. "I've heard of it... but I've never been there. What's there?" He asked. "Tell me all you know... assuming at least one of us know the area."
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Post by nyrax on Jan 19, 2010 0:59:46 GMT -5
Aang couldn’t help but wish that Zuko would just get out here a little faster. The Avatar sighed to himself, realizing how unfair he was being. He had no real connections anymore. When Aang wanted to go, he just went with Appa. Zuko wasn’t the same though. He had responsibilities now, he had an entire nation to rule and a wife that wouldn’t want her husband just running off. Aang knew that Zuko would get here as soon as he had taken care of affairs. He just needed to give the guy some time. Aang just couldn’t stop being on edge, every moment they waited was another moment that Toph could be hurt.
Aang smiled broadly as Zuko ran and made his way over to Appa, feeling the bison even a melon. The bison let out a small roar and took the melon happily. It remembered Zuko, and was happy to see him. Aang was glad that Appa still remembered his old friends, even if it had been quite some time. Aang than noticed Zuko’s hair, wrapped up like a pony tail. He had a short flashback to the prince that he had originally met when in the southern water tribe. It had been some time, but that didn’t make the image any less fierce. Even back than Zuko was an amazing fighter, but all for the wrong reason back then. Aang smiled, glad that his friends had gone through such a change.
Aang gave a nod. “Yeah we ran into a couple of water benders there back in the war, I haven’t been back there since though”, he admitted. Aang’s eyes widened for a moment as he remembered what he had done there. “We might be lucky if they aren’t where I think they are”, he said slowly. “There was a tree there, who’s roots went throughout all the swamp. I was able to do…..something and see across the entire area”, he said with a smile. “Maybe I can do it again and see where they have toph and where the men are hiding”, he said with a sudden grip. “Yip yip Appa!”, he said suddenly to make the bison take off. With this realization, Aang had greater hope for saving his friend.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 19, 2010 1:14:19 GMT -5
Zuko nodded. "Right." He said, nodding, content with the information. Aang knew the area, and from his slapdash description, he could see the entire area from this tree. "Do you want to go to this tree first and try it out?" He questioned. "If you can find her that, itll safe the time and them noticing Appa. We should set him down somewhere. We don't want them to see him. They'll be looking for us. Expecting us, AND Azula. Not to mention it'll make sneaking over there harder." He pursed his lips in thought.
They seemed to be riding forever. Zuko was restless, but he knew from their solo mission together to remaster fire bending that Appa could only fly so fast. Appa only seemed so much faster when he was on the ground chasing him. Closing his eyes, he was still tired. He was getting little sleep. Venturing back onto Appa's saddle, he yawned. "I'm going to grab a quick nap. Wake me if something interesting happens."
They stopped now and then, ate, rested, and flew off early in the mourning. It was the middle of day three, and the swamp came into view. Appa moved downwards, and landed. They covered her with some weeds to hide him. As they moved out into the woods, they moved silently, running, avoiding the water because of the noise it made. "Where is the tree?" He asked.
Toph was still contained within a cell. They'd changed it however considering she broke the previous one. There was no bending involved, but her own brute strength was even to weaken the braces. It had collapsed into shallow water. It was enough to spook her, but there wasn't enough of it for her to drown. That, and she was unable to get out of the cage. They were all around her, she could hear them talking, laughing, eating. Her hearing was so much more acute because she wasn't in contact with the earth. She was in another wooden cage, but this one wasn't like the other. It was suspended by vines above a good sized body of water. They mentioned it all the time, and whenever they moved, she heard water. Some shallow, some at least waist deep. She believed that her next escape attempt would most likely lead to her drowning.
The one thing she was completely sure of, was the vines were alive. They continued to grow around the cage she found herself in. She'd been pulling the vines into her cell, allowing them to grow and messing with them as if it would save her from drowning. Unless in contact with the earth, she was unable to see. Her best chance was to fall to the bottom of the water and touched the ground. She could bend herself an island and use it to fight.
Her fingers played with a vine, hearing thunder rattle around them. Great... MORE rain.
"Hey!" She heard their leader call to her. "You still alive! The avatar should be bringing Azula here. Just wait! You'll see her rise and start of the fire nation once more!"
Toph snorted a laugh. "I'm terrified... I promise." She said darkly, laying on her back, unseeing eyes staring at the top of her cell. She continued with mess with the vines, listening to the storm that continued to roll in.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 19, 2010 1:35:38 GMT -5
Aang gave a nod at Zuko’s question. “With that tree I’ll be able to find Toph no matter where they are holding her”, he said with a large grin. They couldn’t have picked a worse place for them to take her! Aang’s smile suddenly faded. That tree was the largest thing that stuck out of the forest. Was it possible that was where they were holding Toph? The letter had said that they wouldn’t be able to miss them and Toph, was that where they were holding her. He glanced back at Zuko for a moment before turning back to the saddle. HE decided not to mention it quite yet, after all it was their best chance of saving Toph right now.
As they traveled Aang couldn’t help but remember when he had first met Toph, back when she had been known as “the Blind Bandit”, that was all the way back in the earth kingdom when she had entered that earth tournament. Her skills were unimaginable, a blind girl able to defeat so many and with such little effort. She had definitely proved that a strong will was one of the greatest weapons that you could have. She never let anyone stop her, always pressing forward despite the dangers. It had taken some time, but she was definitely one of their family. “Yeah get some rest” Aang said as Zuko decided to lay down for a short nap. It was good for him to regather energy after their training after all.
After a few days they had reached the edge of their destination, now knowing that their goal was in sight. Aang and Zuko moved as quick as they risked, not wanting spies or anything to see them before they could enact their plan. “Hmmmm, this way”, the Avatar said with a grin before running off across the water. They were close to her now, and it would only take a bit more effort to save their friends. “Come on Toph, I know you’re still alive”, he said softly. “Just hang in there a little bit longer, we’re coming”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 19, 2010 1:51:33 GMT -5
As the two males continued to move through the array of trees, Zuko stayed a few steps behind Aang, following his lead. "Not even Azula could kill Toph." He said with a small laugh. It was true. Azula could try, but the earth bender was as stubborn as the element she controlled. She was powerful, rooted, and could stand against a tornado, a hurricane, any natural disaster. Any man made disaster.
The tree that wasn't too far from them was the biggest tree in the area. It easily stood out and was like a rose in a patch of moss. He smirked as they moved towards it, knowing that's where they had to be headed.
"Alright." A deep toned male said. "The avatar and maybe the fire lord should be here soon with Fire Lord Azula. When they arrive we'll have to be sure to capture the avatar and subdue him. Azula can kill her brother and retake the thrown. Then we can threaten to kill the earth bender and see what the avatar does."
Toph rolled her unseeing eyes. "He wont trade Azula for me!" She yelled stubbornly. "If you were looking for his girlfriend, you missed... but a lot. He loves Katara."
A male threw a dart up there, cutting a few branches, making the cell creak and shake. Toph held onto the side hard, almost breaking the wood. It steadied, and was still once more. "Shut up, bitch... he'll come for you, and we'll be ready for him. You'll see."
The world's most renowned earth bender sighed and shook her head. A grin met her chapped lips however. "Yeah! How could I doubted that he'll come for me!" Her voice almost seemed on the verge of a girl in a shopping town. "I can't wait to see him when he arrives!" She said, her confidence in her voice.
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