[Day 210] open action | everything changed when the fire nation attacked

[tophgirl]

Who: Toph & you
Open: Open
When: 210
Where: By the onsen, near the bridge to the Skyway
What: Toph makes her way from the Skyway and to the Bastion.
Format: Prefer action, but I'll match.
Warnings: TBD

[Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

That's the first thought to cross Toph's mind when she wakes up to find the world different. Wrong. She can feel earth beneath her feet, but it doesn't feel anchored. She can feel where it ends, which shouldn't be possible. Yeah, she's the greatest earthbender in the history of ever, but even she can't feel all the way to the inside of the world.

Everything around her feels barren and broken, like the earth had when she'd gone to see where Ozai had fought Aang. Maybe His Royal Loserness broke out of prison and rallied the Fire Nation malcontents against Zuko. There had been a lot of people not happy with her promise of peace & harmony.

She wishes for a moment that she'd gone to the palace after running away from home again — or better yet, she wishes she'd never gone home in the first place. If something's happened to Zuko, then Aang and Katara are probably in trouble too. Not to mention Iroh. If Sokka remained in the South Pole, he's probably fine, but what if —

No time for what if's. Standing around with your head up your butt is what diplomats and advisors do. Nobody ever saved the world by standing around and thinking about it. She should know; she helped save the world. If she wants to help her friends, then first she's got to find them.

She makes her way carefully across increasingly unfamiliar terrain... terrain which doesn't behave like earth should, and that's probably the most frightening thing of all. She's always been able to rely on earth. Reliability is the essence of dirt. She finally comes to a bridge and, when she crosses, she feels civilization.]

People are a good start.

Comments

[tophgirl]

How can you be sure?!

[daughterofursa]

Because there isn't any for me to drink! Will you drop it already?

[tophgirl]

You drop it! [Toph stamps her foot to bring up a seat that she can throw herself down on.

Earthbending count: 1.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko takes a step back, half-expecting that earthbending to be coming her way.

Oh. No, Toph is just sitting down. Okay. Phew.]

...look. I know it's a lot to swallow. And I wish I could believe it's not as bad as everyone says... but things are bad outside this town. Really bad.

[tophgirl]

No moon, no night outside this town. Big whoop. [It makes no difference to her, you know, being blind and everything.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko makes a frustrated noise. Just because she can't see them doesn't mean they aren't indicators of the world being seriously broken.]

And all the fragmented earth floating around in the sky?

[tophgirl]

[Ooooh boy, yeah is Toph aware of that one. That's what makes her snap —]

So what are we doing here?

[daughterofursa]

Surviving.

I don't know why us and not other people [Aang?], but... I'm glad it's not just me, anymore.

[She's not sure how much consolation that is to Toph, and it may seem like a strange thing to say with the other girl yelling at her, but it's no less true.]

[tophgirl]

[If Toph were a little more sentimental, she might say "Me too." As much as she's enjoyed the year traveling on her own... she kind of misses having company. Someone to share adventures with. Finding a scribe to write letters to her friends is both really hard and just not the same. She'd rather dive into a sea of Fire Nation soldiers than admit to any kind of sentimentality, though.

She shrugs.]

Twinkletoes is probably just lost or something. He couldn't travel in a straight line if the fate of the world depended on it. They'll all show up eventually.

[She has to believe that. The alternative is too awful to contemplate.]

[daughterofursa]

[In light of that remark, let's all be grateful the lion turtle personally escorted Aang to the scene of his battle with Ozai.

Another day, Zuko would have disagreed with her. But with Toph here...]

Yeah. Maybe they will.

Even you took two months to get here.

[tophgirl]

[Toph retorts by bending the earth under Zuko's feet — not hard but enough to knock her over if she's not careful.

Earthbending count: 2.]

[daughterofursa]

Woah-

[Zuko wasn't expecting that, but she's had enough experience on the Skyway that she almost catches herself-- almost. Onto her butt she goes.

She doesn't get up right away, instead glowering up at Toph for a moment.]

...you might be older but you really haven't changed.

[tophgirl]

[Toph beams with satisfaction.]

I wouldn't have it any other way.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko picks herself up and dusts herself off. She wouldn't have wanted Toph to change either, but that's a little too sentimental for her to admit to.]

Well, anyway...

Do you want me to show you around?

[tophgirl]

Oh yeah, I can't wait to see all the sights!

[daughterofursa]

[That phrasing is a little suspect.]

I think you can see all of it.

[tophgirl]

[Huff.]

You're no fun. Sokka totally would've fallen for that.

[daughterofursa]

Guess I'm just smarter than Sokka.

[tophgirl]

You say that like it's hard.

[daughterofursa]

Well, at least it's smarter than you took me for.

You coming or not?

[tophgirl]

You leading or not?

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko rolls her eyes. Okay, fine. Well, might as well start her tour with what's nearby.]

We're just by the hot springs right now, if you noticed it.

[Not that Zuko ever uses the onsen, so she'll start moving on from it.]

Past that is the hospital. That's probably more important to know. The Skyway can be dangerous.

[tophgirl]

Well with a name like "the Skyway"... [Toph can't imagine more threatening sounding words. Ugh. Give her good decent earth any day.]

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko hadn't thought about it until now, but...]

That's right. There are a lot of flying creatures out there...

I know you're pretty tough, but it's a bad idea for anyone to be out there alone. Try to keep that in mind. [And take someone with who can see.]

[tophgirl]

Yeah, yeah. [It's a good thing Zuko doesn't add that last bit about bringing someone who can see, because then Toph would have no choice but to go back out there to prove that she can handle it on her own. She likes being underestimated by people who don't know her, but to have someone who does act like the ability to see things with your eyes is some awesome mighty superpower...well, there's no way she could take that lying down.]

So we've got hot water and a place for sick people. What else is here?