|
Post by nyrax on Jan 23, 2010 22:10:11 GMT -5
Aang shrugged lightly. “Interesting isn’t really the word that I would use, but close enough”, he remarked as they continued to fly. The vision was out of his mind for now, so he wasn’t going to let himself worry about it anymore as it was just a stupid dream that the swamp had given him. He wasn’t going to let something like that plague his mind, Sokka and Katara had gotten over what they had seen quickly so why not him after all, right? “You’re right Zuko, it was just a dream from the swamp. We are all okay and we saved Toph. Nothing to worry about now”, he said with a large smile.
The trip back did seem rather uneventful. Aang couldn’t tell if the wind was in their favor or if something else was helping them to push harder and faster towards their destination. Perhaps there was still just the tiniest amount of worry that Azula was now free in the world and planning to take Zuko’s throne by force. Who knew? Whatever reason, it didn’t take them as long to get to the fire nation as it had to get to that stupid swamp. Aang was relieved to see the castle coming into view, knowing that within the hour they would know whether or not she had been freed. And she wasn’t! Aang’s smile couldn’t even be described as they left the prison area, especially once they all agreed to meet for a vacation on their Ember Island.
Aang stopped walking as he suddenly felt a familiar powerful hand grabbing him by the arm. “what?”, he asked as he didn’t realize what she had said at first. He gave a small and weak laugh as Toph gained that grin. “Gee Toph, that does sound like a blast already……..yeah alright”, he said with a nod as he followed her. “We should probably say goodbye to Zuko and Mai though, they were nice enough to let me stay here anyways”, he said with a smile as they went out. “Then I’m fine with heading to the earth kingdom”
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 23, 2010 22:18:52 GMT -5
Toph grinned as the two of them started walking. "Yeah, saying goodbye would probably be a good idea." She said, as they headed back into the palace. A bored look was on her face and she was generally uninterested. They went into the throne room and Toph kicked the ground, making Zuko's throne jump up, throwing him out of it. Since everyone went their own ways, Toph had done a lot of different things. She'd worked for fire nation soldiers, went back to Ba Sing Se, and oversaw the Dai Li for the two years since she stopped talking to Katara. But, she went home to see her parents, and had left them not long ago.
Walking over to him, she hugged him tightly and he returned it. "Don't kill him." He warned in a low voice, looking down at her as if she was a younger sister or something. "Be careful." He said, taking Aang's arm in a alliance sort of way and gave him a one armed hug. "You better work on your fire bending when you relearn Earth." he added with a smile.
Toph smiled. "Don't worry too much Sparky, he'll have to be alive before the party. How else will I get there?" She asked, grinning. "Can't fly Appa myself."
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 23, 2010 22:27:47 GMT -5
“Glad that you agree with that Toph”, Aang said happily as they continued to make their way to the throne room. Of course Toph’s initial idea of getting Zuko’s attention wasn’t exactly the idea that he would have went for. They had all changed in their time apart in one way or another. Zuko had become much more responsible and had grown the qualities that any leader had of course. The people had loved him, and he cared greatly for them as well. Even though the war was over no one was holding the fire nation responsible, at least they wouldn’t make the fire nation suffer too badly for what Ozai made them do. Zuko wanted peace with all the nations, and that was a very good thing. Aang couldn’t help but chuckle as Zuko landed hard on the ground once Toph kicked him out of the chair.
Aang smiled at Zuko as they shared that connection of friendship that had finally grown all of those years ago. “Don’t worry Zuko, once toph gets me through earth fire is next on my list. Those are the only two that I seem to be struggling with now, and even you have already helped me greatly”, he said honestly with his usual smile. “Take care of your country, and Mai……see you in a month Zuko. Don’t be late!”, he called back jokingly as they made their way to Appa. “Is that all you think I’ll be good for?”, he asked Toph with a small laugh. “Giving you a ride?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 23, 2010 22:43:23 GMT -5
Toph shook her head. "You can do other things..." She said, crossing her arms as they walked off. "Like... you can..." She paused deep in thought about something. "You can take away people's bending? And you're a really good parental substitute when Katara isn't around. And I have the feeling I'll need you at least once. Since we split apart I've been working with the armies in Ba Sing Se and in the fire Nation under Sparky." A smile morphed on her face. "Fire nation has WAY better alcohol than the Earth Kingdom." Putting her arms by her sides, a smile formed on her lips.
"So..." Jumping, she landed on Appa's saddle near were Aang was sitting on Appa's neck. "Where do you want to head to rekindle your earth bending power?" She asked, holding onto the saddle, leaning forward, starting at him. "Is there anything you want to do?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "Like a specific place you want to visit that's not half way across the world from where we're going?"
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 23, 2010 22:52:19 GMT -5
Aang blinked slowly as Toph mentioned his ability to take away people’s ability to bend. “Now it really has been quite some time since I have done that. Unless something great needed to happen I don’t think I could do it again”, he admitted as he went into deep thought. Azula had already been defeated by the time Ozai was, but perhaps it would have been a good idea to take away her bending while Aang was at it. In light of recent events she might have been a bit less dangerous if he would have done that. “well I am always here for you as a friend Toph when you need me, that has never changed”, he said with a warm smile. “I had no idea that you drank, I never would have even guessed”
Aang leapt up onto Appa’s neck, ready to have him take off again. They were soon in the air once Toph had settled on where she wanted to sit. He set his course for the earth kingdom as of now, but he wasn’t quite sure where they would go from here. “Well I’m not sure if there’s a particular place that would be good for me”, Aang commented. “Perhaps that area where you first taught me how to bend, and you shot that giant rock at me in order to build my courage up”, he added with a laugh.
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 23, 2010 23:08:22 GMT -5
Toph shrugged. "Well needless to say, if you took away my bending I wouldn't be able to see at all. I would be completely helpless." She pointed out, a very Toph-like grin on her lips. Leaning over the saddle, she arched an eyebrow. "What?" She asked, a darker grin on her face, which was partially hidden by her dark hair. "You really think I would never drink?" She asked, a daring look on her face. "What about you? All mighty Avatar?" She questioned, leaning over to flick teh back of his bald head. "Are monks even allowed to drink? It just goes to show that you can't always have fun. I remember the first time I drank. Besides the whole throwing up all of Zuko and earth bending our campsite to hell it was pretty awesome. It makes your body... i don't know. You get really light, then warm, and an amazing feeling goes through your entire body." He was being sarcastic, she could tell by his tone; but she knew that he wasn't a drinker.
"The one where you where being a baby and I only got you to Earth bend by insulting you and almost letting Sokka be eaten by a mother Sabor-Tooth moose lion." She shrugged her shoulders. "That would be a good idea, but we should be near a village or a town. We didn't bring any food and I don't have a money. If we're by a village I could get us some."
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 23, 2010 23:36:30 GMT -5
“I’m pretty sure that you’d probably break both my legs and leave me to die before I was able to take away your bending Toph”, Aang said with a laugh at the very thought of it. It was complete nonsense after all. To think that Aang would ever try something like that on Toph, she would be completely helpless, and she prided herself on her ability to fight. If she didn’t have that strength, Aang wasn’t sure what she would even do with herself. It was a good thing that he didn’t expect this to be an issue since Toph was an ally. “Monks aren’t allowed to drink, and I can’t say that your first time with the drink made me all excited to try it either”, he pointed out. “Seriously, what made you think about trying that again?”, he asked seriously.
“Yeah I suppose you bring up a good point about that place, guess I just liked the memories there. It was where I did earth bend for the first time after all”, he said with a smile. “Won’t the people in the earth kingdom know who you are though?”, he asked curiously. “I mean it worked in the fire nation when no one suspected you or anything. It wouldn’t really work now though would it?”
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 23, 2010 23:53:00 GMT -5
Laughing, she leaned over Appa's saddle. She knew where he was from the sound of his voice. She could lean out and touch him, but she didn't want to risk falling or stumbling. They were up in the air after all. "Well, that was only because I was gambling. I was doing shots with the other soldiers." A smile came to her lips as she recalled the incident. "And, like I said, it was Fire Nation whiskey, which is stronger than anything int he earth kingdom. They mostly have vodka and wine. You might like it. They make alcoholic drinks with flavors and pretty colors from what I've been told. I bet you'll like it." She teased, wanting to slap him on the back.
"And being a monk is boring. You're an airbender. Come on, there has to be some rules you can bend being the avatar and all." As they moved through the sky, she felt the wind sweep through her hair, shifting the gold beads in her hair. Her unseeing green eyes rested on him, her dark hair moving around her face, blocking her eyes, but moving it at others.
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 24, 2010 0:33:30 GMT -5
Aang just shook his head as Toph continued to tell stories in an attempt to get him to try this drinking that she loved so much. He couldn’t honestly say that she was helping her case much. She was an earth bender and had an extremely strong stomach and body as a whole. Aang was the exact opposite though since Earth was the element that he had the hardest time with. He was built more like an airbender and still ate like one despite how long he had been with the real world. He still ate a fairly balanced died and ate lots of fruits and vegetables and bread in order to survive off of.
“Being the avatar doesn’t change who you are, I mean…..it does in a bit with all the responsibility and all”, Aang remarked. “But I’m still the airbender that I was born as, and that’s something that you can’t just remove”, he said honestly. “While I can use all the elements air is still my preferred and definitely my best element when I need to adapt to any situation I usually turn to air for my answer”, he said with a weak smile. “Just because I’m the avatar, doesn’t mean I want to change that”
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 24, 2010 1:03:47 GMT -5
Twinkle toes had always been more of a girl that Toph gave him credit for. He loved animals endlessly, he was a vegetarian, he was anti-confrontational, was unable to kill or harm life. He was strong, but childish, immature and irritating. He was againbst most types of fun, but he allowed her to gamble and went along with it. Days like that, he was fun and amazing to be around. However, times like now, when he was against drinking, it made him the substitute Katara. Rebellion was an act that never ended for Toph. Whenever she saw her parents she was always out of it for a few days after meeting them. It made her body numb, she had manors and forced herself to live up to the attributes to her society. It was like she was a completely different person, drugged, an empty shell of who she was.
It's why she hated being home and seeing them. They destroyed her soul. Revenge, in her mind was drinking until she couldn't see or even make sense of the earth's vibrations, barely able to talk, or think. It sucked, but it's who she was.
"Being the Avatar changes a lot. People treat me like royalty for being your sifu. I can just imagine how people treat you for being the avatar. I bet woman strip and throw their under garments at you as you walk by. They do anything for attention, right?" She asked, knowing the answer. "You can change whatever you want. What's the fun of being a monk if you can't live it up. Being the avatar don't you ever want to you know...? Let loose, party, and just have a good time forgetting all the values you were taught?"
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 24, 2010 1:21:13 GMT -5
Aang had always wanted to be himself, not giving in to what others wanted him to be. If he wanted or felt like he should do something than he would, otherwise it just wasn’t in his interests and didn’t like it when they were forced or encouraged upon him. He was once told that drinking was like what it was when Sokka drank that cactus juice, and that wasn’t the best thing that Aang had ever witnessed either. Sokka had been hallucinating and acting like a bumbling idiot all day. That cactus had really taken it out of him, and Aang was told that at a bar as long as you could ask for another drink they would keep giving it to you. It just didn’t appeal to them.
Aang visibly lowered his head, at the comment that Toph made about woman and what they did to try to get with them. “You know……it’s much worse than it sounds”, he admitted. “Do you know what it’s like to have hundreds of people offer themselves to you just because of a title that you have and something you did? They didn’t even know my real name half the time…..just called me “the Avatar” he said with a bit of bite to the words. “I miss that one girl that actually had a crush on me almost…..but even she didn’t really know me. Even Katara was just like that”, he finished slowly as they continued to fly. “I wish I could’ve found someone who didn’t know anything about me, and just see what happened”
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 24, 2010 1:29:43 GMT -5
Toph looked over her shoulder at him. Well... that was a side she never thought about. He was so shy, so timid that it sorta made sense the advances didn't affect him as they would a man like Sokka. She felt for him. Even the girl he thought he loved ended up being a floosy out for his title. But her feelings of understanding did stem from the back she understood where he was coming from. KNowing that she trained the avatar earth bending made people fuss over her. Being blind, it just pissed her off. Men circled around her. She threw one off a cliff for trying to propose to her after learning she was a blind earth bender. Apparently that's how they knew her; she had no name.
"Yeah I do understand." Her voice was low, showing her irritating. "I ran away again because my parents were taking applications for my marriage. They told me they'd let me know when they made their choice. Someone to take care of me and stop me from bending. I refused and ran. It's strange. Soliders treat me with more respect after having seen me fight than anyone else... They treat me like my parents. Like an asset. My parents are the richest people in the Earth Kingdom. I'm a cash cow. Marrying me gives them access to it all." Turning over to face him, she leaned acorss the saddle, holding it in a death grip. Shifting her weight on it, she slid onto Appa's neck beside him, her hand grabbing onto his shirt.
"But I can't say I understand what it's like to have woman throw themselves at me to be known as the Avatar's wife. I sympathize with you, Twinkle toes. It sucks... I mean, if there was someone like that, I'd be glad to find her for you." A smile spread across her lips. "Do you want me to go and find another blind girl that can't see you?" She asked. "Or I could blind someone with earth bending. Rocks in the eyes or something. Just point out which one you like. I'll help you out." She would have punched him, but it didn't seem appropriate.
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 24, 2010 1:41:08 GMT -5
“Applications for marriage? That just sounds wrong on so many levels, who are they to try and decide your own feelings for?”, Aanga asked as a rhetorical question. “The world is a strange place Toph, we do what we can to save it and it still doesn’t even help us out with what matters most in the world”, he remarked. “I guess I was selfish like that, I figured that me being the Avatar would give me some sort of right to happiness after all the fighting and war that I had to be a leader in………what an arrogant and naïve thought”, he muttered to himself as he shook his head. “Someone shouldn’t marry for money or fame……it will never last”, he remarked slowly. “For all I know I’m never going to be important to the world again…….perhaps my tale is over”, he remarked before turning and was surprised to see Toph on Appa’s neck. She never rode there! This was strange.
Aang just gave a small sigh of gratitude as Toph made her offer to do whatever it took to find someone that he could love. “Thanks Toph, but I’m pretty sure she’d get upset if my friend made her blind on purpose”, he said as he gave Toph a half hug for a brief moment. “Thanks though, it really does mean a lot”, he said with a smile. “I just have to hope that I’ll find her one day, and if not than I guess I’ll just continue to exist. No matter what I do I’ll be marked with the avatar forever………I just have to hope that someone is able to see pass that”
|
|
|
|
Post by Fateful on Jan 24, 2010 1:49:45 GMT -5
Toph shook her head. "It may not have been common in the Air Temples, but it's really common in the Earth Kingdom. My parents have the right to choose my husband. It's why they control my life the way they do. Or, at least try to. It's why I hate being there and always run away. I don't want to be forced to marry someone because they want my parent's money or a child with the earth bender that trained the avatar."
Turning her head to face him, her unseeing eyes rested on his face. "But... you're the last airbender, twinkle toes. If you die without having kids then there's no one who can teach the next avatar air bending. How would it have been for you to learn earth bending on your own? Or fire bending?" She asked. It was well known that he took to water bending almost instantly. Probably due to the fact that Katara had been teaching him. But, it was open to interpretation.
"Don't worry Twinkle toes! I'll always see you as the stupid little girl that beat me with air bending and didn't deserve the win at Earth Rumble six." She punched him softly this time, leaning down to rub Appa's head. She'd become quite close to him, especially after they got him back. She'd tried so hard to stop the sand benders from stealing him, but it was a catch 22. She tried so hard to stop the library from sinking, fighting so hard, burning all the muscles inside of her to keep it up. That's why the entire trip through the desert she was so wasted. She was exhausted... out of it even.
A smile spread across her face as she rubbed the top of Appa's head. "Don't worry too much about it. You're just looking in the inferno for a feather." the reference of course referred to the fact he was looking in the wrong place for love. The comparison could be warped to anything, from looking for an eel dolphin in a volcano.
|
|
|
|
Post by nyrax on Jan 24, 2010 2:05:28 GMT -5
“That doesn’t make it right, I never knew that the practice was so common in the earth kingdom, had I known I might not have like the place as much as I did”, Aang admitted. “I knew your parents were always trying to keep you down, but I never realized that it was to this large of an extent. To be loved for something that you did rather than who you are…….an unthinkable act back at the air temple. You’d be forced to leave if you wanted to marry someone that you didn’t know or love”
Aang heard her next point and hung his head. “Is that more of my responsibility?”, he asked weakly. “Am I really supposed to have a child so that the next avatar will have a teacher from my own line? Is it worth having a kid with someone that you don’t love?”, he asked as he looked towards Toph. “What kind of child would that be? One that was created out of a need? Anyone my age could have been the avatar, but when I learned it was me it drove me to run away, I didn’t want to face the responsibility”, he said slowly. Aang shook his head. “I don’t think I could do that to my own child, I couldn’t”, he remarked slowly as he put his face in his hand.
He regained a weak part of that smile when Toph mentioned how he had cheated at that earth bending competition so that he could beat her. “Good times”, he said with a smile as he glanced down to watch Toph playing with Appa’s hair. The two had become quite close ever since Toph felt like she had lost Appa. The fact that he had accused her of letting him be taken probably didn’t help her feelings that much. It saddened him how close he had come to hurting so many people that day. A group of rogue sand benders had taken and taken him away for their own profit. Aang had gone into the Avatar State and nearly hurt everyone. He had barely kept his hope of finding Appa alive. “Perhaps you’re right Toph, but I’m starting to run out of places to look”, he admitted with an exhaled breath. “One day hopefully”
|
|
|