Stopping her from entering wasn't happening & while the guard 'attempted' to keep her out, there was soon a WHOOSH sound & a manly yell. The door opened, she entered in what looked to be tinest toph that only held her modesty but left everything from arms & torso out in the open. The flap of two piece can somewhat be heard as the wind from the door kicked it up. Would be embarrassing if she wasn't wearing shorts. She gave no warning, she knew he was there & flung herself onto the war desk & sat in front of him, face in her hands. ❝ You're late. ❞
A small gasp escaped from the mouth of Zuko as Toph barged into his room without any reservation, like it was hers. And then, she proceeded to throw herself onto his desk…. dressed like that.
He was used to Toph impulsive nature, still, the corner of his mouth twitched at her action. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh…. trying to contain the blush and the acceleration of his heart.
"Late?" He muttered. "Late for what, Toph?" He seems to have forgotten what day it was. The long day of work had completely overwhelmed him.
Who would have known that with one single decision of hers would cause such a violent tremor? One decision had rippled outward , && instead of her world having a ' good ending' it had spirald into a nightmare that no one can escape to. Toph wasn't the direct cause of the collapse but she knew from the get go that her role was pivotal enough to cause a rift to the destiny the world had written.
It is why she now finally understood the avatar's desperation to fix the despair born from his failure. She understood the lives that had been sacrificed , && the agony required to resist the fire nation's tyranny . Amidst all this carnage , a small , bitter guilt gnawed at her soul, whispering ' what ifs ' to her worn out spirit.
What if she had run away and taught the Avatar earthbending instead of obeying her parents? Perhaps their story wouldn't have ended in fire and blood, but in the harmony they once took for granted.
But all of this thoughts of hers are unlikely, those thoughts were luxury for fools. when in truth is they are barely making progress on their attempt to retaliate , desperate to retain the few scraps fire nation hadn't claimed. She couldn't afford to think of what if's , especially when she was in the middle of a crossfire. Toph needs to focuse, if she wants to live another day.
Toph was already battle worn from years of fighting , the exhaustion of her nonstop bending are starting to caught up with her tired body , she could remember a fire nation soldier blasting fire towards her , only being able to dodge it few inches away ; leaving a small burn marks on her face -- she remembered a voice screaming at her , telling her to dodge but it was too late, she remembered as her conscience fade in the dark a final whisper followed her ' The avatar will fix everything '
Toph awoke with a violent gasp.
Cold sweat beaded her forehead as she sat up from the soft mattress she was laying in , her palms prodded the surface beneath her , to try recognize the material . The first thing she noticed is how high quality , soft & plush the bed is made of , a luxury she hadn't felt since she began hiding from the Fire Lord’s reach. This caused confusion to form on her face however it was immediately replaced with panic && worry , despite her body begging her not to move -- the earth bender immediately tossed the blanket away && stood up to prepare her self from running away.
As the soles of her feet made contact with the ground her anxiety grew larger & larger , " this place isn't familiar " Toph thought to herself as she run out of the room , into the hallways only to meet three unfamiliar figures standing against her way
' Look! Sifu Toph is already awake! ' A girl said.
' She looked disoriented, we are doomed! ' Another one said.
Then the last one started talking about something he hates, but toph wasn't going to let him finish as she turned to the side and braced her muscles ; running head first against the walll of the said housing structure, earth bending a way for her to escape. Her attempt was successful && had lead her to the courtyard ; relief flooded on her face when toph had taught she finally found her freedom , only for it to be crushed when a sheet of metal went flying to her , wrapping around her legs causing her to fall on the ground with loud ' thud '.
❝ augh... ❞ Toph grumbled in pain , her hands grabbing the ground in attempt to crawl only to immediately stop , when her callaused palm made contact on earth properly sending waves of her seimic senses towards her attacker. Her blood went cold as she froze in her spot
It can't be ....
❝ There's no fucking way-- ❞ she cursed, she knew that person --- her attacker , she knew that person so well that she felt as if the world is making fun of her && she was the joke itself , she tilted her body to face the other only to give her a suspicious glare.
❝ Who are you ? ❞ Toph demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and disbelief.
Zuko knew, for once, Toph wasn't trying to be funny, but he couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Oh no, I hate him," he replied, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the earthbenders ahead practice the forms Toph had given them.
"And, I definitely lie to myself," Zuko confirmed with a small nod, "Maybe, though, about hating him as fully as I think I do, or say I do," he mused aloud with a small sigh. "But… he's the reason my mother is gone… the reason my sister is locked up… the reason so many are dead," whispered Zuko, his hands then bunching around the cloth at his knees.
"But… there is the weird part where he's… still my dad," admitted Zuko. He had a small fear of judgment there. His father was a warmongering lunatic, after all. He wouldn't blame Toph if she felt a flicker of anger at such a thought.
"If you wanted, you still have a chance with your parents, but it's up to you, Toph," he offered. "If you want to hate them, that's your right. I know that doesn't make it any easier. If anything, it might make it harder really. It's easier sometimes to just follow what's expected of you, I think. Maybe that's just me — you always seem so good at forging your own path."
"I don't know what they're upset about though. Not that people make sense. I know I don't," Zuko said with a small chuckle. "You helped end a war when you were just a kid, now you're helping start a new country, a new city… passing on a new technique you yourself invented… they should be proud of you, Toph. I mean… I know we all are."
@seismictoph : ❛ i can tell when you're lying. i can hear it. ❜
prompts currently accepting !
there's a smile that creeps onto her face that borders on the mischievous. she remembers this one. the blind one. the earth bending, metal bending blind girl on team avatar that could detect liars. apparently not her. azula had truly never had the pleasure until now and there's a part of her that can't help herself. ❛ i'm a 400 foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings. ❜ her eyes gleam as she looks at the other, hoping she can remember the joke. ❛ well ? how's the lie bending working out for you ? ❜ her head cocks to the side, waiting for the other.
his brow goes up at her words before he smiles. ❛ you might want to tell your face that. ❜ he looks around at what she's built up since the war ended and how she's made a name for herself. to say what she's done is impressive would be an understatement. he knows the time and effort that goes into making anything of note so this wasn't just an afterthought of toph. this was a labor of love. or it at least started out that way. ❛ what's wrong ? ❜
The sprain was hot to the touch in Katara's hand, the joint already swelling and ballooning. Subtly, she could feel the thrum of Toph's veins beneath the surface of the tender skin. For such a powerful and strong girl, Toph's bones felt almost delicate beneath her grip. A reminder that for all her capability, she was still human too. Not nearly as impervious as Toph portrayed or as Katara sometimes believed her to be. She was an Earth bending prodigy, and a pillar of strength; but she was still young and brash. Toph could still get hurt. Her thumb pinned down one end of the bandage as she wound and wrapped the binding around her hand, wrist, and forearm. To stabilize and put pressure on the injury, just as she had been taught by the healers in her tribe. Katara hummed low in her throat, her eyes half lidded, focused on her work.
"It's nothing? Then why is your wrist the size of a papaya?" Katara returned. She lifted an eyebrow that Toph could not see, but she hoped her body language or posture gave away her incredulity. "You're going to have to stay off this for a bit, Toph. What even happened?"
toph's bravado was resolute, but it was also familiar. after so many years in friendship with the talented earthbender, katara had come to recognize that steady set to her shoulders, that thin pull to her lips. it made the waterbender soften in kind. she knew the burdens of a teacher in their post-war era. her own classes in the southern water tribe had grown significantly over time, as more little ones were born with the ability to move the snow with their fingertips.
what a miraculous thing, that all things could change.
❝ something tells me none of them will be forgetting any of the things you taught them, ❞ she assured, something like laughter clinging like a shadow to her words. gingerly, she patted the younger on the shoulder twice. ❝ and i'm not just saying that because they have the bruises to prove it. ❞
they may have had very, very different teaching methods, but their end goal remained the same: prepare the next generation of benders to be the best that they could be, without the shadow of war looming over their heads.
❝ you've done great, toph. and so have they. try to enjoy the ceremony and celebrations - you've earned it. all of you. ❞
