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Post by Fateful on Jan 19, 2010 20:02:53 GMT -5
Toph felt him move closer, his arms wrapped around her and picked her up from the ground. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she felt his legs bend and they propelling into the air. Her eyes closed tightly, and her entire body stiffened like a boulder on a mountain side. As they jumped through the air, she held him much tighter. Letting out a sigh, she heard them stop moving.
Her hands loosened as they landed. She continued to hold onto him, but didn't sever all contact. Bending down, her hands wandered teh branch, finally leaving him. It was fairly wide, so she sat down, resting her palms on the branch. Her hands could also help her see, but not as well as her feet. Pulling her knees up to her chest, it helped her see. Not that there was much to see. Water continued to fall at an alarming rate, making some of the leaves shake and fall off the tree's branches. Resting her chin on her arms which rested over her legs.
"Thank you." She turned to face him, smirking as he sat not far from her. "Not that I couldn't have escaped without your help, but you're definitely helpful in a storm." Shifting again, she was trying to sit more comfortably. Her side was hurt because of how she'd slammed into the side upon impact with the water. "You didn't bring Azula, right? I'll bend you into the Earth's core, if you freed her Twinkle Toes." Her small frame wiggled a little closer to him. It showed more than before, she was cold, soaked through the bone.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 19, 2010 20:26:07 GMT -5
Toph definitely had a strong grip, Aang could feel the muscles in her arms wrap around his neck as she held on tightly. She wasn’t afraid, but falling into water would always be a bad sign for her. As they landed he was glad to see her adjust fairly quickly, not seeming at all nervous anymore. She quickly let go and began to sit down onto the branch. They were safe for now at least, far away from the rising water of the swamps. This was convenient and not at the same time for them, it had beaten the fire benders but with them out of the way it was just a distraction now.
As she got comfortable so did he. He sat down cross legged onto the branch, seeing that they had a good amount of time. This was one big tree after all. He stretched out for just a moment, letting out a bit of a yawn as he did so. He turned to look down into the water. Had they been down there still they would have been up to their necks……well he would, Toph would be underwater. He was glad that she agreed so quickly, her pride might have been the end of her after all.
“Yeah no problem Toph, I just wanted to see you again. I knew fire benders could never really defeat you”, he said with a smile. “But it has been way too long, I couldn’t find where you were after I came back from my training”, he said honestly. “I didn’t get all the details, but I could guess at what had happened”, the avatar remarked. Katara still wasn’t too happy about what had happened, Aang could see that she wasn’t the same girl that he had fallen for. She had changed. He saw how wet Toph was and decided to something. First he moved his hand to try to remove some of the excess water away from her, allowing it to fall into water below. “Hold still Toph, this should help”, he said as he put his hands between them. A fire erupted from his hands, creating a bit of warmth for the two of them. Aang kept it small enough so that it wouldn’t burn anything else in the tree though.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 19, 2010 20:49:17 GMT -5
Toph felt the wind against her face. It made her smirk to feel him close to her. Truthfully, as much as she picked on Aang, she always had faith in him. It was just her detached nature that didn't allow her to show affection, which was the fault of her parents. They never expressly said they loved her, and she knew they were disappointed in her. Even being an earth bender, the trainer of the avatar, they denied all of her strengths and focused on her weaknesses and flaws. She was blind, tiny, helpless, and fragile. The words haunted her, and so she wanted to be strong and prove them wrong. She'd done everything to do it, but they didn't acknowledge it at all. It was painful to think about how much they didn't value their only child.
They wanted her to get married and have kids and be a lady. To stop fighting and give up her freedom. Something moved next to her and all the water was pulled from her clothing. Grinning, she turned her head to face him. "Thanks twinkle toes. There are some benefits to having the avatar around." A grin spread across her lips. Thinking something over, she punched him, causing him to fall onto his side. "You really need work... you're such a push over and a wimp." She rolled her eyes and leaned back, resting her arms behind her, supporting her weight. "When we get out of here, you're learning earth bending again. You're even more pathetic than before." A grin crossed her lips. She was kidding about him being weak. He was strong, his earth bending was slipping.
"How's snoozles and sugar queen? Still meat obsessed and a controlling mother?" Leaning back the way she was made her clothing cling to her a little more tightly than normal. They were ripped, burned and tattered in random places. She was wearing pants, reaching about her knees, revealing her strong, firm, and smooth legs. Her arms were also exposed, only a very small sleeve on one side, the sleeve missing from her left side, the one closest to him.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 19, 2010 23:58:25 GMT -5
“Well now that the world has been saved I haven’t really had much use ya know?”, Aang asked jokingly when she thanked him for removing the water. “So I guess the ability to use all the elements is kind of just for show now” he said with another laugh. Aang was about to say something else when she suddenly punched him out of the blue, knocking him onto his side and nearly off the branch. “Hey! That was close”, he said before Toph pointed out that he was a wimp and was slipping. “You’re going to start teaching me again?”, he questioned curiously and with a bit of excitement in his voice. Aang hadn’t been doing well in earth bending without Toph as a coach, but with her he was certain that he would quickly begin seeing the results that he wanted again.
“Well Sokka is doing well. Him and Suki have been married, and are expecting their first child pretty soon. Not sure if you knew”, he commented. He wasn’t quite sure how well Toph had stayed in touch with Sokka, perhaps just out of worry that he would say something to Katara. “But yes, definitely still loves the meat and also as sarcastic as always”, he said with a smile. He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t really talk to Katara as much as I used to. I trained with her for water bending but left as soon as I was done. Didn’t really want to stay”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2010 0:12:30 GMT -5
Toph's head popped up and she turned to look at him. Turning to face him, her face contorted into something if confusion. Arching a brow, she turned her body, moving her legs to face him. "What's wrong?" She asked, feeling the uneasiness in his voice. He seemed scared, worried. Even though she couldn't feel his heart's reaction, but she moved over to him. Her hand moved away from her legs. Closing her eyes, her hand rested on his chest. His heart melted, and he seemed really tense.
"I... I thought... you were going to marry her.." Her voice made her seem a little on edge. Her unseeing eyes glancing back up at him, looking into his eyes even though she couldn't see him that way. "What... did she do?" Her voice was still hesitant, something she never was. Normally she was mean and blunt about everything, but this was different; she knew how much Katara meant to him, and even though she teased her about how much she cared for Aang, she was so certain they'd be together. I mean, everyone saw it coming... how did they not...?
She bit her lip gently. Their last fight two years before had been about Aang, as stupid as it sounded. Katara expected him to abandon everything to be with her, but Toph argued that he could never do that. His life was for the world, and mastering all of the elements. He needed a lot of work then, and it seemed that he still needed it now. Closing her eyes, she sighed slightly. "I may not seem like it... but you can tell me what happened." A weak grin crossed her face. "I bet i could make you feel better?"
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Post by nyrax on Jan 20, 2010 5:29:37 GMT -5
Aang said nothing at first, not really knowing if he should go into something so personal with Toph of all people. She was a good friend yeah, but she wasn’t really someone that he figured he could count on for real emotional support. The best kind of advice she gave was blunt and forward, sometimes mean remarks. But hey, perhaps that was what Aang needed right now. “I’m not sure how to say what happened so I’ll just be quick”, he began.
Aang chuckled lightly as Toph mentioned that she figured that Katara would marry him and that they would be together. “Yeah, a lot of people thought that. You should have seen the looks on Sokka and Suki’s faces. They looked like they had just about died”, he admitted. Aang gave a small sigh and leaned back against the trunk of the tree that he was so close to. “Well, much like you she assumed that we would be together. I did at the time as well, but she just changed so quickly over time. She looked at me more now as the Avatar, but not……me”, he said, not sure if he was being clear. “We only started being together once I defeated Ozai. I was happy than, but things began to fade quickly”, he said slowly.
“She didn’t want me to train anymore, she wanted me to always be with her no matter what”, he continued as he looked towards Toph. “I don’t know if she’s being selfish or I am. Ever since I saved the world I’ve felt so useless, almost like I’ve accomplished my entire destiny at such a young age. You know what I mean?”, he asked. “I want to continue training, just in case something else happens and I need to be ready. I am only the greatest air bender alive, but in all the other elements I can be easily beaten by my own friends”, he said with a small laugh. “I guess…..we just wanted different things, and we couldn’t have them both ways”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2010 16:18:36 GMT -5
Toph made a face showing her irritating. She watched him closely, but unlike her normal fashion, she was silent as he spoke. Waiting for him to finish, her entire body was stiff and rigid, like a rock. Her feet remained on the tree branch, her hands resting just behind her. Having all of these on the branch, it helped improved her vision as well of what she saw from his physical reaction. He seemed upset, but she could tell that by his voice. Who wouldn't be?
Everything he said made her more and more upset with Katara. She seemed to feel as if she had the divine right to everything she wanted. The world seemed to owe her everything because of the loss of her mother. Mentioning it god her pity, but the fire nation was stopped, everyone lost something in the war. They all had to make sacrifices, and the end of the war lead to the hundreds of children under the age of 12 being orphans. Katara had a father, a brother, bending, and a village that welcomed her home. She's traveled the world, met a lot of people. She had no right to complain.
"I hate to tell you this..." She muttered, head facing away from his, eyes facing the storm that raged around them. "But the last time Katara and I spoke two years ago, we got into a fight about you. We stopped speaking because of." Tilting her head back to face him, her bangs were still hanging in her face, partially hiding her eyes. "She thinks she has the divine right to whatever she desires. I told her that your life was to the people of the world. If something else were to happen, and you were unable to use all four elements, the same thing could happen. You told us that Roku felt responsible for this war because he did nothing to stop it. Your earth bending is slipping a lot. If you went to her for water bending, and you're with Zuko now, I have the assumption that you've been working on fire and water." She shifted forward to cross her arms. "Its her selfishness that is in conflict with your responsibility. I'm the selfish one. I ran away from my parents again because they want me to stop earth bending and fighting. That it's not proper for me to do, and that I should focus on more important things in their eyes that means nothing to me." Truthfully, Toph could only say what she had. The skill of making someone feel better wasn't a gift she possessed. Katara was always much better at it than she. ... Well if you wanted to be completely truthful, Katara was better at everything than Toph was, including looks. As time went by, Katara grew more and more beautiful. Toph was unable to see, but the reactions of any man who approached them showed that Katara was much more desirable than the much shorter earth bender.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 20, 2010 23:01:33 GMT -5
Aang turned to Toph in surprise as she suddenly spoke that the fight that had caused Toph and Katara to stop fighting had been about him. Him? What about him was there to really argue about? He didn’t realize that this argument was going to hit home with exactly what he and Katara had argued about before. Aang was surprised, only partially though. In truth Toph would “see” a smile appearing on his face. “Something told me that you would understand how I was feeling, you always had that subtle gift”, he said honestly as he turned to her. “I know that it might not be fair, and that I wanted what she wanted once, but I guess I’ve just grown up too much to realize that I can’t have it, I see that now and just learned to accept it, otherwise I would just keep hurting myself”, he admitted. “I went away for a while and trained my air bending to make sure I hadn’t lost anything, and then afterwards I saw Zuko and Katara. Earth was the only thing slipping, and that’s because I haven’t been able to find you to train me”, he said with a small smile. “You’re the best of the best after all Toph, everyone knows that…..and if it means anything I don’t consider you selfish”, he remarked as he glanced up at the falling rain. “You have the right to choose, always have. Your parents just can’t see the gifts that you have”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2010 23:18:37 GMT -5
Toph looked up at him. "You're wrong. It's a gift so much as a skill. I sense people's physical reactions to figure things out." She shrugged her shoulders. "It's one of the reasons I knew that Katara's selfishness was real and that she would truly do and say anything to get what she wanted." She seemed irritated, but looked towards were the storm raged not far from them. "Katara meant a lot to me. I used to think that she cared for me more than my own mother did. I was wrong. Katara loves what's convenient and what worships her. It took me a long time to notice her selfishness, but that's why we haven't spoken in two years." She shrugged her shoulders.
"But, I wouldn't worry too much about her. Show up with another girl, she'll get jealous and you'll make up." A grin crossed her lips. "That's assuming you want her back. From the way you refer to what happened, you don't." She said, moving a little closer to him. The wind was strong, pushing against her and she was worried about falling off the branch. "My parents don't see what I have as a gift. They still see me as the helpless little blind girl that they birthed years ago. My mother blames herself, and my father blames himself for allowing me to have freedom to learn to bend. And... they still seem to think you kidnapped me. No matter how much I tell them otherwise."
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Post by nyrax on Jan 20, 2010 23:27:04 GMT -5
Aang gave a small shrug. The two weren’t that different in his own eyes, but if that’s what Toph said that he wasn’t going to argue. He supposed that her abilities really were a gift, after all who would have thought that someone like her would be as amazing as she was. I’m sorry that things turned out the way they did. Really I am, I just wish that we were all the gang again. Back when we all cared so deeply for one another, would have died to protect each other if it was needed”, he said slowly. “I just guess that’s a part of what growing up will do to you, the things change and people with it”
Aang watched Toph as she continued to look at the continuing storm. Aang couldn’t help but worry about Zuko and Appa. Had the fire lord gotten to the bison before it was too late? Or had…..no, Zuko was okay one way or another. He just hoped that they had managed to reach one another before the water rose too far. “Well, your parents can think what they want but I know the truth at least, and so do you”, Aang said to Toph. “You are the greatest earth bender in history, and the only one to ever learn how to bend metal at all, I haven’t even been able to dent metal yet”, he admitted with a laugh. “I’m sorry about your parents, but at least you still have the guys”, he said in reference to himself, Zuko and Sokka.
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2010 23:36:28 GMT -5
Toph shrugged her shoulders once more. "Whatever." She said, her voice full of boredom. "I sometimes wish that we could all be back together, but if you think about how unrealistic it is. I do understand though." She nodded. "I miss laying around and making fun of Sokka while I throw rocks at you and make fun of Katara's bleeding heart." Looking over at him, she grinned. "It would be fun though. Maybe before Suki has her baby we could go on a vacation somewhere. It would be relaxing, you know?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.
Hearing Appa yell out, she shifted, leaning towards it. She she reached the edge of the Branch, her body slid downward, but she managed to grab herself and remain on the branch. She felt useless again, shifting her weight, she sat back down.
Appa landed on a lower part of the tree, soaked to the core in water. Zuko jumped up the tree and landed on a branch to the side of the one Aang and Toph were on. "Ringing out his hair, he moved it out of his face. "Ow..." He muttered, looking down at Appa. "He doesn't like rain and lightning." He added, squeezing his hair, water dripping out of it. "Is she ok?" He asked, looking over at her.
"I'm a couple hundred feet up in a tree, I can't see just about anything, I'm all wet, and tired. I haven't eaten in four days... I'm just peachy sparky." She said, turning to face him, a grin on her face.
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Post by nyrax on Jan 20, 2010 23:44:39 GMT -5
“I know that it’s unrealistic, everything has their own stuff to take care of and there would be just strange moments if we had Katara along”, Aang admitted as he scratched at the tree a little. “Still, it just seems like it’s the right thing to do. Like we were all meant to find one another and help each other out. Even Sokka helped give me the strength to keep going no matter how hard things got you know?”, he asked. Aang blinked slowly and scratched his head at Toph’s suggestion. “A vacation? That sounds pretty nice actually. Maybe we could actually hand out in the fire nation, NOT as wanted criminals this time”, he said with another laugh.
As Appa and Zuko arrived Aang watched them land, right until he heard Toph about to fall off of the branch. He moved to go help her up, but she manage it all on her own. Aang smiled, definitely the same Toph. “Yeah, the last time that me and Appa flew through a powerful storm it nearly cost us our lives and we ended up frozen in ice for a hundred years”, he said with a smile. “Yeah, he doesn’t like flying in that condition”
Aang turned towards Toph who explained just how she was feeling. “Hey Zuko, do we still have the pack with all the food in it? If so quickly grab it”, he said before turning to Toph. “Days? Why didn’t you mention that earlier, you must be starving”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 20, 2010 23:54:46 GMT -5
Toph smiled. "Yeah, not being wanted criminals in the fire nation is always good." She agreed with a nod. "And it's not as if Zuko can constantly leave. I'm surprised he showed up to help you." The agreement seemed like a good idea, and they could always get along and vacation on the island that they trained on for a while. The one that had to do with fire... Flaming... No! Ember Island! That was it. They had a house there and Toph could bend sand now, so... it worked out for her benefit as well as everyone else. She hated the beach and water, but Katara liked it. As did Sokka and Suki.
Zuko nodded and jumpedo off the branch. He fell about thirty feet into Appa's saddle. Going through it, he returned with a bag. Jumping back up, He started to rumage through it looking for some food. He was starting to think they ate it all on the way here. Which was possible on the tree day trip.
Toph looked over at him. "You know twinkle toes, given the fact that I shouldn't see and we're in the middle of a storm, that sorta seems like not the best thing to bring up after kicking some fire nation ass." She shrugged. "They were afraid to feed me. They were worried that I'd be able to bend anything they gave me." Standing, she reached over the branch, grabbing the bag Zuko was messing it. It seemed like she was able to see through the tree, but in reality she could just hear him. Sitting down, she started to look through the bad. "Hmm..." She muttered. "Oh!" She pulled out an apple and tossed the bag at Aang. "If we're low on food we can go gamble." A grin spread across her lips.
Zuko arched his eyebrow. "Why would we gamble?"
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Post by nyrax on Jan 21, 2010 0:12:22 GMT -5
Aang slowly shook his head. “He didn’t come to help me Toph……he came to help you”, he said with a small smile. He couldn’t say why but Toph seemed a bit down. He knew that her and Katara might never get along, but she would always have the guys to turn to at least. They were there for her and they always would be as far as Aang was concerned. A vacation really did sound nice, especially if they went to the place that they did last time. They were all able to have fun even though they were still at war. It just went to show, no matter what misery was going on in the world, there were still people who could find joy out of the simplest of activities.
Aang watched as Zuko leapt down to begin searching for food through the bag that they had stored their food. He really hoped that there was some food left for Toph. After the food that the guys had eaten they could survive the trip back. Toph though, she had a small enough stomach as it was. Who knew how long she would be able to last on nothing but her body? Aang was relieved to see an apple produced for Toph. It wasn’t much, but at least she would be able to eat something. Her suggestion for more food just caused Aang to lose it. He laughed for a good several moments before finally calming down. He turned to Zuko. “Let’s just say it isn’t gambling when it comes to Toph. She never loses at games”, he said towards Toph. “Perhaps we should demonstrate for Zuko?”
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Post by Fateful on Jan 21, 2010 0:29:24 GMT -5
Toph suck her teeth into the apple. A grin crossed her lips and she smiled, moving away from the fruit without taking a bite. "I don't lose. But the men on the streets that move the rocks around in the shells. They get rid of them towards the end. But I can sense the rock moving with earth bending. I cheat cheaters." She smiled, taking a bite of the apple. "But..." she chewed the small piece of the apple and swallowed. "The last time we did that your assassin came after us and captured Katara and I in a wooden cage like the one I was just in." She said, shrugging her shoulders.
As she continued eating the apple, it didn't take her too long to finish it. When she did, she tossed it away. "Do you want to demonstrate?" She asked, looking up at him. She liked the sound of his laugh. For someone unable to see, and was relying on sound, it was a pleasant change. Aang had a light and playful laugh that she enjoyed listening to. It wasn't like Katara's which was forced and annoying. "What should we demonstrate exactly?" She asked with a grin.
Zuko laughed. "So you can't do card games then?" He teased.
Toph smirked. "Well... considering I can't read and holding something like that is holding a book, no. But if they were different textures and had something engraved into them that I could feel and no one could see. Yeah, I could win." She added confidently. "I tend to go overboard when I gamble. I was thrown out of Song Yi for gambling. They would have arrested me, but I was the Avatar's earth bending master, so they didn't." A grin crossed her face. "I made enough money to buy my parent's estate out from under them." She shrugged her shoulders. "But it's all in good fun. I just learned not to gamble there anymore."
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