A/N
Hello all, this story is a lot of AU that is revolved around the fact that, though there are still benders, there is no Avatar. Aang and Katara are still together. Most of the original story is in here, but I just played around with them a bit. Lin and Su are not Toph's children, but are sisters and are a BIG part of Toph's life.
The story is about Toph and is in her point of view (well... point of feet. ^^;). This is a Tokka story, but mostly it's just a story to get out of my head. I hope you enjoy because it will be a few chapters. I will keep it as a T rating, but there is an M chapter among the T's.
I hope you enjoy and if you don't... That's cool... We can't please EVERYONE.
Annd... As always... I do not own these characters.
To vibrate is to move or cause to move continuously and rapidly to and fro. A slow humming that can quiver with quality and pure emotion. But, to Toph Bei Fong, vibrations were her process, her power, and her range to see. It allowed her to witness the world like no other could. Everything had an energy and her feet were the connection to them all. Every shadow had a pulse and every pulse had a language. She learned that this language was based on emotion and everyone of them had an insight to the very psyche of a living being. The badgermoles were easy to read... but people... they were a bit more complicated. But, as she got older and wiser... she learned that people were nothing but a waste of time.
Toph shook her head as the roll of the deafening pool of vibrations sang from the crowd bustling around the city. The absence of her sight made it sickeningly impossible to sit and listen to it all without making a yuck face. She was clear into her thirties and it hadn't been such a great ride for the blind woman. Life had done to her what it had done to so many... it hardened her. The monotone static was so strong, she could almost taste the putrid stupidity that poured out of the boring people around her. They drolled on and on about relationships, TV shows, and the latest gossip about other people they knew. It was such a waste of hearing, yet she was out here every day listening to it... quietly yearning to have someone to talk about these idiots with. A person to hold on to and laugh instead of pretending to be "seeing" with her stick. Someone to joke around with, to pick on, to pull her close and brush the hair out of her useless eyes... With an irritated snort, she leaped from the thick seat of the wooden bench she always sat at after teaching her first class and planted her butt on the backstop and rest her feet on the seating area just to stop all the pulsing echoes from tingling her feet. She let the unusually cooled, summer breeze tickle her face as she listened to the scratching of the people's feet against the concrete and waited for the town's clock jingle of 3 to get ready for the next earth bending class.
She gripped the cooled, onyx stoned handle of her metallic walking cane and began tapping the tip against the wooden seat of the bench to try and lull her sensitive feet back into a calmed rhythm. She learned that if she sat on top of the table and opened her sitting stance so that her feet took up most of the seating area; it would serve two points... one, nobody would sit with her and two... she didn't have the clutter of vibrations distracting her from listening and got a chance of calming herself. Teaching earth and metal bending to dunderheads all day long was not only stressful, but also... kinda fun. She got to yell and demolish even the smallest egotistical dickhead AND got paid to do so. She'd always been this way ever since her family 'disowned' her. She didn't need friends... she didn't need a posse... she didn't need a close girlfriend or a slobbering boyfriend. She just needed her sole-less shoes, ridiculously sharp wit, and the best school in all of the four nations, that was IT. She was the most sought out teacher for metal bending and the best teacher for newly discovered earth benders. People knew her name, but... didn't know just how much of a hard ass she was. She smiled as she picked her nose openly, she couldn't think of a reason why anybody wouldn't want her as a teacher or friend. She was fabulous.
She came from a short lineage of wealthy people in one of the biggest cities in the south, Gaoling. Her mother and father had no other children considering that their first one scarred them for life. A blind girl, healthy otherwise, with eyes the color of a pale green moon, well, that's what her mother told her, anyways. She had no idea what colors were. Hell... she didn't even know what SHE looked like. Her parents treated her like an injured animal. She was lucky if she even got to touch the ground when she was little. But when she FINALLY got to touch it, she learned that she could move it. Earthbending became her salvation. She knows it sounds overly cheesy to her, too, but it was true. It saved her life. Nooo... No; it BECAME her life. It was one day when she slipped and tried catching herself while playing by herself that she learned that she could "see" things. The very vibration became the eyes that Mother Earth took away from her. It, also, became the second biggest secret she kept from her parents being that the number one got her discarded as a daughter.
Toph sighed as she reached into the back pocket of her loose, green cargo shorts to scratch on one of her butt cheeks then her body jolted a little at the sudden silky deep voice that spoke, "Is the rest of this bench available or do I have to make a reservation in advance?"
In the three years that she had been living in Republic City, she'd been sitting at the same bench outside her studio, Yu Dao Earth and Metal Bending Academy that she paid for with her hard earned cash, and no one had ever asked to sit with her. Not ONCE. So, though she gave a small frown at the chuckles of what she assumed were friends of his, she just glanced in the general direction of the voice with a menacing grin, "Sorry pal... seats taken."
The voice that spoke back to her wasn't irritated, to HER irritation, but seemed to have a smile behind it as he gave a small chuckle, "Who are you saving it for, your seeing eye dog?"
That broke the smile off her face but didn't dent her sarcastic mind from coming up with a snapper of a comeback, "Actually, I was saving it for your girlfriend. She got tired of your small dick and wanted to actually FEEL something for a change. I told her my dick was WAY bigger than yours and she hasn't left me alone since."
She heard a cluster of 'Ooo's' and laughter from people all around and she gave a cocky grin as she put her chin on top of her walking stick handle in her hand; making a goofy face to drill her insult deeper. It must have struck a nerve, because the next time the man spoke, she was thrilled to hear that she knocked his damn smile off his face and got even more of a thrill when the man tried to be forceful with his voice, "Just move your damn feet, bitch. You ain't the only one trying to sit down." She felt his fingers wrap around her arm. She tolerated verbal assault... matter of fact, she swam in it, but she LOVED when someone wanted to get physical... that meant she didn't have to hold back.
She smiled ever so sweetly as she was yanked from the bench. The moment her feet hit the concrete; the ground popped up under the man's feet and launched him at an incredible angle and even better speed towards the alley between her studio and the abandoned building where the dumpster was kept. The beautiful sound of man and garbage splashing together rang out loudly. She kept her smile on her face as she jerked her hand into the air and the brick of the building that the dumpster was pushed against jutted out to strike the plastic door of the dumpster, closing it with a loud crash of plastic against metal and the gross-out cries of the man within it.
She turned her head slightly as she heard the three bells of the old clock over the whistles and applause she got from her encounter. She gave a dramatic bow before turning and heading into her studio, readying herself for her 3 o'clock metal bending class.
Toph held her classes in the basement of the two story building that had purchased with the money she got from some very wealthy patrons who wanted to learn a new style of bending. She held all her classes in the basement because it had a solid foundation of earth and was incredibly larger than the other two rooms above. She named it Yu Dao and had the Kanji painted eloquently across a wooden sign just above the entrance. Though the first and second floors were a minimum of 500 square foot each, the basement extended far beyond the two building to either side of the studio. She measured her steps and got around 92 steps from one wall to the other the long way and about 53 steps the short way. Despite the room she had, the classes were not overly full, but she had multiple classes and they were always booked. She always kept an even number of people so that someone always had a partner. 20 to 24 was usally the most she had in each class.
Needless to say, Toph lived in the studio. The first floor was the 'welcome' area and the top floor was where she kept her stuff, but, for the most part, she slept in the basement. She tried sleeping up on the top floor, but she felt disconnected and unsafe. The wooden floors were like earplugs for her feet. With sleeping in the basement, the earthen cocoon allowed her to 'see' everyone that walked on the streets above. It wasn't that she liked the sound of people walking... she just liked knowing if someone was trying to break in. She'd NEVER pass up a chance to embrass some idiot.
The class at 3 was just as boring just as the other classes were, but she loved doing it. She didn't know why she was so eager to teach, but she felt that... in another life... her teachings saved the world. Wishful thinking on her part. As she bowed to her class of young adults, she flattened the earth back to perfection and made sure they got back up to the first floor. Lin and Su were up there getting ready for her 4 and 5 classes. The two young girls were her receptionists and they were diligent when it came to money and courtesy, seperately. They were sisters and Lin was all business while Su was all pleasure. They were her best students. Two of the best metal benders she'd ever gotten to teach. They trained with her after the last class at 8 and never disappointed her. They were two leaves from a different trees, but their fighting technique was pin point perfection. They flowed together like a wave of silver and Toph thanked the spirits that they didn't have another sister or she may have been beaten, but Toph always came out on top.
Together, the two sisters kept her business flourishing. They were almost like her own children... if she could have any. She treated them better than anyone she ever knew. She dare say that she loved them. They were sweet girls and they had a hunger of wanting to be better and stronger and that's what drew Toph to them both. As she walked up to the first floor, she smiled as she heard the two girls arguing about something. They were always butting heads, but by the end of the day, they'd leave laughing and almost arm to arm, but this fight sounded serious. When she got all the way up, the two went silent... always an indication that they didn't want her to hear it, so she groaned, "Alright... spit it out."
Su's voice was a higher pitched noise that was nearly intolerable, but the small volume of it kept in the 'ok' area, "Sifu, Lin wants to join the Metallic Armed Squad."
Toph's sightless eyes shot wide in surprise. Not that she didn't think Lin wouldn't be good at it and not that she hadn't trained the entire force, but it was the fear she heard in the younger girl that made her surprised. In this day and age, bending was just like another fad that people just scoffed at. It wasn't a big thing... actually, it was just another thing to brought fear and hate into the world. Not all, but some, non-benders had protested and united to try and get the 'benders' registered so they weren't going around harrassing their abilities. It didn't work, but, at the time, she understood their fear so she didn't get as angry as some of the benders. She had witnessed countless benders using fire, earth, and water to break into businesses and take all they had then burn the building to the ground. If it wasn't for the cops that she trained in metal bending, it would've been an all out bender/non-bender war. This group of cops were now known as the Metallic Armed Squad. Toph had an honorable mention in that crap and though she hated the lime-light... her classes were booked solid since then.
She had nothing against this squad, but Su's problem was that Lin was only 16 years old and her only sister. Toph sighed, "Lin... why do you want to join them?"
Lin's voice was the deeper, more somber of the two, but she could hear the strength that the girl had in it, as well, "Sifu! This is what I have always wanted to do. I want to use my bending to make the world better... safer... there is no other path I can see myself taking. Su just can't see it."
Su's voice cut in, "OF COURSE I CAN'T, LIN. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to DIE for people who don't care if you live or not. You're my sister. You're my ONLY sister. I don't want to lose you."
Toph heard her voice tremble and she stepped forward making the two girls shift towards her. She smiled at the two, not knowing if they were even looking her way due to the wooden floor, "Listen to me. Su... your sister is a warrior. Warriors do not ask for permission to fight. They just do it. But not because they love the battle, but because they have someone to protect. I support Lin in her decision, but that doesn't mean I don't support yours, as well. If your parents agree to this, Lin... I will be more than happy to give you a recommendation and be one of your references."
She heard Su's defeated sigh then heard Lin's calm voice, "Thank you, Sifu."
Toph gave a sad smile and did something out of character, she brought the two girls into a hug, "Su... your sister will be fine. She has the best damn teacher in the world and no piece of garbage Triad can match skills with her. But... If you ever need me... you know I'll be there with bells on..." she paused for a bit and added, "... for both of you." The sisters finished the hug and broke away with a bow. She smiled because she never sees the bow, she only hears it and she waves to them, "See you two, tomorrow."
The building was annoyingly quiet when everyone left. She'd put on her 'sleeping clothes' that consisted of a black sports bra, a very loose green tank top, and very baggy, black basketball shorts with green stripes down the sides. Comfort was always a must for her and fashion really didn't matter when you couldn't see. Luckily, the sisters helped her pick out clothes that at least matched. Green and black, the two said, were their go-tos because they looked good on her. She just picked her nose and just told them to ring'em up. She shook the thought out of her head as she sat in the middle of the basement floor. She gave a tired sigh and just tapped her bare feet in boredom. A few more beats and her patience snapped. She slapped a barefoot on the ground and the earth shot her to her feet. She stomped to the stairs that led to the first floor where she walked right past her walking stick that leaned in the corner beside the door. She didn't feel the need to have it since she just intended to sit. When she stepped outside the door, she took a big inhale and tested the intensity of the heat from the sun. It was dull so that must mean that the sun was almost down.
She walked a few feet away to her bench and could feel a very small amount of people walking on the sidewalk. Her bending told her that no one was on her bench so she hopped off the catapulting earth and landed on top of the seat and she planted her butt on the backrest. Everything went dark but the feel of the wind against her bangs made her smile. She heard a scuffle of feet just in front of her and the smell of a freezer and salt hit her nose. Her brows touched from confusion until a voice spoke as the sound of metal jingling filled the air, "Are you Toph Bei Fong?"
Toph leaped off the bench and her feet slammed into the ground and attempted to launch the man before her. To her shock, she felt the man gracefully dodge her attack as his feet left the earth completely. The voice sounded behind her in a more defensive tone, obviously he had jumped his way to the bench, "WAIT... PLEASE! I didn't mean anything by it... I-uh-I just wanted to know if you were her." Toph's eyes squinted in irritation and she turned towards the bench as the sniveling man continued but not before having to avoid whips of stone and metal, "My name is Sokka and I'm from the Southern Water tribe. I... I... uhhh... I've been going around training with the best benders and I was wondering if I could train with you for a while?"
Toph ceased her attacks and relaxed her form, "I think I didn't hear you right. You said you were from the 'WATER' tribe... I'm an earth bender, sweetie."
She felt the man's hesitant feet try the ground as if it were quick sand before he stepped off the bench and explained, "Oh... No... No... I'm not a bender. I just train WITH benders. I find that most of the really exceptional techniques are done by benders and I want to learn all of them. I've trained with the Fire Lord and his uncle, my sister, who is a water bender, and her boyfriend, who is an air bender, and frankly... I'm tired of them getting me soaked."
Toph sniffed as she got her answer about the fancy foot work a moment ago. She wasn't going to admit that it seemed to have paid off so she sighed, "I only train BENDERS. This is not a dojo, dude. Go find some other earth bender that doesn't have any self respect."
She moved to go past the bench and the annoying man, but his voice shocked her into place, "BUT IT HAS TO BE YOU. You're the best damn earth AND metal bender that the world has ever seen. YOU are completely blind, learned how to earth bend by badermoles, and figured out how to use your bending to see. YOU single-handedly created to art of metal bending and even made a whole task force that has kept this city safe from all kinds of elemental attacks. YOU have dedicated your life into teaching people the proper way of earth bending and put this city on the map. PLEASE... Please... let me train under you."
She hated groveling, but she LOVED flattery. She folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot on the ground to let the vibrations get a good look at him. He was pronounced. His legs were strong, his shoulders were wide, and there was a strange metallic weapon on his side; a sword made of some crazy earth, metal, and gem stone mixed. She gave a sigh, "Do you have any money for my training?"
The man's voice went an octave that she could already read as a NO, "I... don't have any money, BUT... I can offer my services to you. I could clean, cook, laundry, hunt..."
Toph groaned, "Sorry pal..."
Sokka stepped in front of her, "Please... I'll sleep out in the alley. I'll... I'll be your seeing eye guy. I'll do anything. Let me train with you... pllleeeeaaaaassssseeee."
Toph cracked her neck in irritation because she finally met someone who was gonna be a lot of trouble for her, "OK OK... FINE. I'll train you." She heard his celebration and felt him leap off the ground and she gave a very unnerving grin, "... but you're gonna regret it." She felt a satisfying thrill at the sound of the man's gulp.
Toph was getting a bit irritated at the man's Ooo's and Aaah's of the studio. She didn't realize how strongly the man's scent was until they entered a closed room that didn't have the breeze to blow it away from her nose. He smelled like something that has been in the freezer for a long time and water from the ocean, but he had a tang about him, too. A man's smell, she would say. He needed a bath, and coming from her... that was saying something. He was kind and courteous; never overstepping his boundaries, but his nonstop yammering about how much of an honor it was made him sound like a complete ignoramus. She told him he could sleep upstairs in the bed and that started something she didn't intend to start... his 'gentleman' crap.
"By La and Tui... I... I couldn't possibly take the bed... I'll be glad to sleep in the lobby or even in the bathtub, but never in a lady's bed."
She waited until the big lug came up for air before she cut in, "You done, Lancelot? Oh Spirits, you got a set of lungs... First off, I am NO lady. I'm more of a bitch than anything. Second, I sleep down in basement on the cold, hard, earth. Thirdly, please stop trying to be the 'Good Guy'... it annoys me to the point where I want to bury you very very VVEERRYY deep. You're sleeping upstairs. You're taking a shower. In the morning, you are training. When I have classes, you are not here. Understood?"
She waited for his answer, oddly knowing that the idiot before her was nodding enthusiastically. She gave a groan and waved her hands towards the staircase, "GO. SHOWER. NOW. And don't mess with my stuff."
She heard a motion like he was bending over and then he moved to the stairs... she could tell by the sound of him moving away. As the creaking of the stairs ascended; she descended to the basement. She had plenty to think about. This... "man" could rob her blind. She cringed at her double meaning. Why did she accept a nonbender into her studio? She'd never done something so reckless. Her own mind scrutinized her. It's because it was a boy. If it were a girl, she would've just sent her packing. GODS... she wasn't THAT thick or eager. Sex wasn't that big of a deal to her, yet the man had stroked her ego just right and the curiosity of why he wanted to train so hard was also a big part. He was from the water tribe. What in the world made this guy need to fight? There wasn't any kind of war she knew about. She understood why he choose her, though, but what could be such a threat that he needed to train with benders? She got to the earth of the basement and fell back, doing an earth angel in the ground. When she stopped, she stared straight up with her useless eyes. He was gorgeous... his vibrated silhouette was, anyways. She gave a smile as she slowly drifted to sleep.
Toph was jolted awake by the sounds of screams and things being thrown... upstairs. She launched herself off the earth and bolted upstairs. The last step was when she heard Lin and Su yelling and shooting out shards of metal. Then she laughed a little as she heard Sokka trying to explain while dodging every single attack. She wished she could see the battle with her ineffective eyes. She couldn't believe that the man was still alive. She gave a grin before putting her fingers to her lips to give out a whistle. She heard the metal retract and the sound of a relieved sigh. She stepped up out of the staircase doorway and Su started in on her before her sister could speak, "Sifu... this MAN was coming down the stairs when me and Lin got here."
She held up her hand and the girl paused, "I invited him here. Su. Lin. I'd like you to meet Sokka. He'll be training here for a while and will be helping out."
Lin's rattling voice cut in, "Sifu. You trust this man? WHO IS THIS GUY? You just let him into your home? How do you not know that he isn't some pervert thief." Toph nearly laughed when she heard the man's 'HEY' at the comment.
"I don't know anything about him except that he is a nonbender, but... he is offered his services to me for free and in return, he wants to train." She heard the two girls give out a 'WHAT' in two different tones and she confirmed, "Yes... he isn't a bender."
Lin cut in quickly and spoke as if the man wasn't standing right behind them, "What the hell is a nonbending scumbag doing wanting to train with a bender? He was probably sent here by the triads to kill you, SIFU. We don't know anything about him. He needs to go."
Toph put her arms behind her back and stared with her paled eyes in the direction she believed the man to be standing, "Well Mister Gentleman, you wanna defend yourself?"
She heard the ruffle of movement and knew the two girls had spun to look at the man. His voice was tensed, but softly serious, "I'm not some assassin or lecher. I have reasons for wanting to train... stupid reasons that make no sense to anyone but me. I have lived with a water bender my entire life... Katara, my sister. I've watched her struggle to try and learn how to control her new ability. I remember how pathetic she looked and how much she struggled to be in control and strong. It wasn't until she started to travel with her air bender boyfriend and train with a master that she started to become better... become stronger... to become in full control. I want that. Not the whole bending thing, but the better and stronger and in control part. Not just for me; for my tribe. I am the next in line to be Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. I am doing this so that I can be a better protector for my people; to be someone that everyone can depend on. I learned a lot of ways to defeat a bender, but... I find that violence isn't my strong suit. To learn to avoid conflict and solve problems swiftly and peacefully is better than any blow to the head. My father is a stubborn man, so... it may be a while before I become Chief, so I set out to train. I've done water, air, and fire... it was intense, but not as intense as remembering that this is also a metal bending studio." She heard his goofy laugh and heard Su give a snort.
Toph gave a smile. He said his reasons were stupid, but that sounded like a completely excellent reason to her. He was going to be a leader and he wanted to become the best one he could be. She stepped forward and spoke, "Well, Lin, is that a good enough reason for you?"
She could hear the scruff of her mumbling, "No. But, if you think it's worth your time."
"Su... how about you?"
The girl's higher pitched voice shot out, "It sounds like a reasonable explanation to me, Sifu."
"Alright then, Sokka, you go downstairs with Lin and get warmed up. I'm going to change and I'll be down in a few." She moved towards the stairs and stopped, "LIN!"
The rough voice answered, "Yes Sifu?"
She turned her head and gave a wide grin, "I want him alive when I get down there."
She heard the man gulp and Lin answered with a serious tone, "I make no promises, Sifu."
She headed upstairs and could hear Su giggling as Sokka whispered, "Seriously?"
She made it up to the top floor and was surprised at how clean the floor was. She was making hesitant steps for fear that he had crap spilled all over the floor. There was a faint aroma of soap, but the freezer and salt smell was still there. Why did she find that smell pleasant? She shook her head and headed towards the dresser she knew was seven steps to her right from the door. She pulled out a shirt from the first long drawer that was underneath the separated two on the top. She pulled out a shirt. The second long drawer contained her shorts and she pulled one out, too. Fashion was not her thing and she owned nothing but shirts and shorts. It never got too cold in this city to worry about pants and she didn't care what she looked like so no use for dresses or makeup. She had one pair of shoes and they had no sole, just the illusion that she was wearing shoes for the visually aware. Other than that, she never wore shoes unless she needed to go shopping for food.
Something tickled her vibrations. She was on wood, but now and then she had vibrations possibly from the nails within them. They drew her to an object that was leaning against the corner of the room beside the bathroom door. She reached out and touched a sword. She brought it closer to her and unsheathed it. Her hand touched the blade and she let out a pleasured gasp. Metal and earth and gems rang out in her touch. What was this? She'd never felt anything like it. She wanted to know even more about him, now. Oh Spirits... what was happening? She had never been intrigued by a man before. It was disturbing. She got her clothes on and readied herself to train. She was going to test his limits for the first time. To see if he could take it. If he survived Lin and Her... she'd take his training seriously.
When her foot it the earth of the basement, the excited noises became a pulse of movement. Lin was using the scraps of metal around the room AND earth to hurl at the man. She finally got to feel the man in motion and study his movements. He was patient. He waited for her to make a move and he would counter it with footwork or with the two object in his hands, "Su... what does he have in his hands?"
The little girl standing beside the bottom of the stairs spoke, "A bone club made from a walrus-shark and a boomerang from a penguin-whale's rib. He said that a walrus-shark's bones were so strong that the only thing that could shatter it was another walrus-shark and the penguin-whale's rib bone was hollow enough to fly far but dense enough to stun anything if it hits."
Weapons that could not be bended. This guy was becoming more and more interesting the more she knew him. She felt the man's silhouetted arm jerk before he sprinted at Lin. He dodged the metal and stone being tossed at him while maneuvering around the ground being jutted at his feet. He swung his club and made her dodge to her left. She knew he wanted her to do that because he spun around and waited. Sure enough, Lin's 'Oof' and her stuttering steps proved that he got her into the line of fire from the boomerang. He launched forward and did a series of precise punches and Lin fell to her knees. The girl recovered and she felt her doing a few moves, but she felt something was wrong. Toph took two steps as she heard Lin's horrified gasps and the girl cried out, "WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BENDING?!"
She could feel Su's and Lin's terror, but could feel the calmness of Sokka as he went to pick up his boomerang and put away his club before he sang out, "It's ok... You're alright. It'll return in a few moments. I just did a minor chi block that I learned from a circus performer. She was a nut-ball, but she was very smart when it came to the body. Sorry if I scared you." She felt him move to help Lin up and then bow to her.
Su's voice was low and was just meant for her to hear, "Sifu... this guy? He's like a super hero."
That got a smile out of her. She was wondering the same thing, "Alright Captain Boomerang... my turn."
She felt Lin move to the stairs behind her as the man got into a loose, but ready stance. She had it in her head not to let the man close to her. That chi blocking crap was not something she wanted happening to her, "You better not hold out on me because I'm blind... or you're going to regret it."
He retorted with what sounded like a smile on his face, "I won't hold back if you don't."
She snarled a smile that would send moose-lions running for the hills, "You got it, Sweetheart." She did a series of stomped and twitches of her hands and the earth shot spikes up towards him. He avoided it with a side flip as he simultaneously pulled his club out and smashed the rocks out of the air and shattered the next earth spike jutting at him. His feet landed and she felt him charge. She stopped him with a long strip of metal that expanded into a long sheet and wrapped it around him like a snake. She tightened it but he used his club as a wedge and slipped out, cutting the bottom of his feet as he jumped off the edge of it. She heard the girls gasp behind her as the man was in mid air then finally rolled and landed on his sliced feet. It didn't seem to bother him as he charged again, but this time, he had another weapon in hand. She grinned and charged forward herself. The long, flat strip of metal snapped and formed around her like armor as the two met hand to hand. The metal protected her from the man's little chi blocking, but he didn't seem to be trying to use it.
She shot out metal and rock as he dodged it and used his weapons to redirect them. Walls of earth protected her from the club and the metal protected her from the sharpened edges of the boomerang. She'd push him off with the earth walls, but he dodged them and came back stronger. She did a pinwheel move and wall after wall of earth moved at him at dangerous speeds. He did flips and twists in the air and on the ground and avoided them all but she missed the jerking of his arm as she finally landed her feet on the ground. A sharp pain hit on the right side of her head that shocked her and caused her 'sight' to fuzz and the metal around her to fall with a loud noise and roll off to the side. She felt a tinge of panic and slammed her foot into the ground to make an earth tent around her. That damn boomerang... it hurt. Finally, her 'sight' came back and rolled out of the tent just as he slammed his club into wall, destroying it. She had an opening and she wasn't going to let it pass. She sent two blunt spikes of earth and they struck the man's ribs and hip on the side and sent him rolling in the dirt. He finally stopped and tried to get up in a 'push-up' stance where Toph slid her foot and his arms and legs slipped into the ground and cementing him there. He gave a groan of defeat then a chuckle before he spoke, "You got me."
The side of her head was still throbbing and thought about burying him right there, but... she tapped her foot and released him. She felt him roll on his back and try to catch his breath as he brought his feet to his line of vision. He was picking at them as he called out, "Sorry about your head, Sifu."
She stopped at the staircase and let out a smile, "Sorry about your feet, Captain Boomerang."
He snorted and said with humor in his voice, "No you're not."
She turned and gave a sarcastic smirk before she slammed a foot onto the ground and everything 'reset'. She waved her arms around and the metal she used as armor formed into a ball and she moved it to the side, "Lin... get upstairs and wait for the earth bender class. I'll talk you through today's regime. Su... get the first aid kit and see to this bum's feet. Sokka... after you are patched up; see yourself out. I don't want you hanging around and worrying my students."
Lin went up the stairs and she headed that direction, but not before hearing the smile on his face, "You got it, Chief."
She gave a very faint smile at the nickname and climbed the rest of the stairs.
The next day of training with Sokka was a 'basic' class. She treated him like she treated the young kids learning to earth bend for the first time. She worked on his 'stance', his 'balance', and his 'attitude'. She heard him chuckle at the last one and she drove him into the ground for it, "You see, my little baby boomerang, earth benders aren't flaky, humorous, chuckling clowns. Both our spirits and bodies are tough, resolved, and..." for this, but took a hold of his "wolf tail" ponytail and yanked him up while snarling out, "... quiescent." She heard him gulp as she tossed his freed body to the side by his hair.
She made sure she had her metallic-stone walking stick so she could pop him when his form wasn't to her liking. It wasn't really for HIS benefit more than it was for hers. She placed more and more rocks on his back as he tried to remain in the 'Command Position' with his legs shoulder width apart, his knees slightly bent, and his feet pointing forward. She had to admit one thing about this man... he was no quitter. He took everything she threw at him and he used it to better his situation. She could feel him trembling but he'd just adjust his stance just a bit and control his breathing. If what he said about being the next Chief of his tribe was true... we was going to be an amazing one. His strength and patience were far beyond her own, but... from what she has observed and what the two sisters have told her... he was also very kind.
She shook her head out of the clouds and gave a grunt for him to un-shoulder the rocks. He let them tumble off his back with a relieved sigh and she popped him on the ass for it. He yelped and went back into the stance and she smiled.
A solid week went by and the Water Tribe man had gained the perfect stance. The trembling was still present, but his stance stood strong. Besides training, the man had become quite helpful. He went shopping with Su not only for restocking of the studio, but for food and other accessories as well. He showed the girls how to properly sew. He told them that this technique also worked for deep wounds. She noticed that the two sisters were beginning to take a liking to the man and were becoming quite close. She was happy that the three were getting along, but she had a nagging feeling that wouldn't stop bugging her. Was she... jealous? She made a disgruntled noise that she realized she made out loud far too late. She felt the three of them staring in her direction and she announced that she was going upstairs to take a shower. This seemed to have triggered the man into announcing that he was going to make a stew.
He had bought some cooking materials like a portable stove. He bought some pots and pans and lots of utensils, as well. Toph really didn't need all that since she just ate her bowl of noodles that she'd come accustomed to making, but... stew really sounded delicious. She could hear him and the sisters moving around before he started explaining to the girls that the best part of a stew was the meat.
As she entered the room, she began to disrobe until she felt the cold chill of being completely naked. When she got into the small bathroom, she found herself blushing. The room smelled exactly like that Meathead downstairs, but something was different. It was still the frozen and ocean smell, but... it had an earthen smell. That thought caused an indescribable jolt in her abdomen. Their scents were beginning to mesh. She stepped into the chilled tub and she could see again, but only in the confines of the porcelain material. She turned the water on and tested it in the back of the tub before it got perfectly warm. She walked into its delicious warmth and could feel the sweat and dirt flow off her. Her thoughts rolled back to the man and she determined that this man had been here too long. He was becoming a part of her life. She groaned very loudly and banged her head against the shower wall underneath the shower head. She closed her eyes tightly as the water rushed against the back of her head and down her spine. "Oh Spirits..." she moaned as the worst thing could happen to her... she was starting to like him.
Weeks flew by and turned into months and his stance finally became completely perfect. There was no trembling in his legs even when she added bigger boulders to his load. As she listened to him keep his breathing controlled and steady like she taught him, she let out a sigh through her nose, "Alright Sokka, I think you're ready for the next step of your training." She flicked her wrist and the rocks on his back flung off and evaporated into the ground like rain drops. He heard his groan from the loss of weight and he moved to assume the position before her. She smiled. He was taking the training seriously. Being stoic like a real earth bender, "This is usually where I start to get my students to bend the earth underneath them and then start to do the 'head on' approach. So, Sokka, we'll start the 'head on' approach." She gave a curt smile but Su's voice cut in dramatically, "SIFU... you'll kill him."
Toph turned her head towards the child's voice, "Su! You and Lin need to be getting ready for the day."
Sokka's voice was soft when he spoke like he was talking to his own daughter and a pang hit her in the stomach, "It's ok, Su. I trust Sifu and her methods. I'll be alright."
She heard Su sigh sadly and ascended the stairs in a very clumsy manner. Toph turned her attentions back to the man in front of her, "Well aren't you a smooth little Boomerang Guy... getting the ladies to fall head over heels for you." She heard his signature gulp as she raised a huge mass of earth that hovered beside her, "This part of the training is simple... take a hit. Earth benders aren't the floaty, twinkle-toed air heads you trained with before... they are solid and unmovable and fearless. Sometimes you have to take a hit to get the advantage. If push comes to shove... then let them do all the pushing and shoving they can get because when they tire themselves out, you win. Understand?"
His form didn't move, but his voice was clear, "Yes Sifu."
"You keep your stance firmly on the ground and you tense yourself up for the hits."
"Understood, Sifu."
She sniffed and abruptly got into her defensive stance. Her foot slammed into the ground as her arms strongly thrust to her side and fluidly, the mass of earth crumbled into bullet sized stones and circled above her. She inhaled and could feel the contour of the earth even above and grunted sending one stone at a time towards him at a hardened pace. The first stuck him and he grunted, painfully through his teeth, but he never broke his stance.
The more she tossed at him, the more he cried out. He tried to keep it quiet, but she kept hitting in the same spot. After number 20, he finally broke his stance and she felt him fall to a knee in defeat. Her outside probably seemed cold and uncaring, but she see how much he was trembling out of pain. A sudden stampede of four feet darted from the stairs to the fallen man, but they froze as he pushed himself up and weakenedly got back in his stance. She gave out a sigh at this man's determination. The sound of Lin's voice cut through with concern dripping from it that shocked her very much, "Sifu... please... enough."
"I can take it. I regained my resolve. One more round, Chief." His voice wavered and tried to gain strength but she could feel his trembling.
"You have proven yourself. We'll end this lesson right here." She let the rocks fall to the ground and soon felt a thud against her feet. The boy had fallen backwards and the two girls rushed to his side. Her heart dropped to her feet and despite herself, she rushed towards him. She got to them and heard Su giggle and Lin groan. She heard a low snore and gave a grunted growl before stomping on the ground and launching the snoozing man up in the air. His cry out and grunt when he landed and rolled to his feet was enough to even make her smile as the two girls giggled, "We'll be doing some metal bending tomorrow. That means you get to use your fancy space sword, Snoozles."
She heard him exclaim excitedly as she felt him leap off the ground and shook her head when she heard him immediately regret his actions as he hissed and cried out in pain. She took in a deep breath into her nose and sighed, "Lin. Su. Please get everything ready for the first class and do a little sparing... Snoozles, go fill the tub up with cold water and I'll meet you up there."
He stuttered, "Wh-what? You... wait... are we taking a bath... together?"
Everyone froze and she could tell they were staring at her. She rolled her useless eyes and explained, "Yes. This moment, right here, has made me want to just rip our clothes off and jump into ice cold water. Look... I have a few salts and oils that'll help with those bruises. Just... go get the bath ready. Cold water. Go!"
Before she got to the stairs, to two sisters had the earth flattened and were starting to spar. She heard the metal clink and clang before she got to the first floor. When she got to the next staircase, she could hear the water flowing and Sokka's hints of pain with hisses. When she got to the room she took one step and tripped over something discarded on the floor. She was in mid panic and shot her arm out to try and stop her fall. The palm of her hand slapped and pressed against something warm and smooth but strong. She felt a strumming under her palm and then noticed two gripping pressures on her hips and everything connected. She broke away and knew her face was red and embarrassed, "I'm... sorry. Thanks."
"No problem. It was my fault... I tossed it over there without thinking." His voice was so soft that it made her chest tighten. To try and ignore the tingling of her hand where she was sure she touched his bare chest, she swallowed and moved to the bathroom door then to the mirror above the sink and opened it like a door. She felt her way up to the second shelf and took the wide, fat bottle with ripples in the glass then one more shelf up to take the rectangular, cubic glass then closed the mirror and took the two bottles to the edge of the tub. She felt his presence at the opening of the doorway and she took the first bottle and unscrewed the top to put a long, stream of oil from one end to the other. She screwed the top back and took the next. She opened it and shook from one end to the other. The helichrysum oil mixed with the lavender salts made it smell like a honeysuckle nightmare, but she knew from experience that this would help him heal faster.
She felt him right beside her and she swallowed deeply, "You get in and stay for 15 minutes. Keep using them until the bruises are all gone. You know where they are now." She showed the bottles to him, then put them on edge of the tub. Though the smell of the oils and salts were strong, when he thanked her, all she could smell was him. The frozen salt smell whirled around her nose. She was losing herself in euphoria, but slipping into darkness in remembering that she was useless as a woman. She regained herself by thrusting her fist out and hitting him in the arm. She cringed to herself as she moved out of the bathroom. Spirits! She almost went back to her depression days. And why is she still punching to show affection? She gave a low grunt of embarrassment all the way back down the stairs.
Her classes were as boring as they were predictable, but it was more money in her account and better trained benders in the world... she was happy. Sokka had agreed to walk the girls home so that gave her time to relax with a little training. She snapped her fists to her side as the balls of her feet tapped the solid ground. Her hands opened and she pressed her fingers together as her feet made fluid motions but ended in stomps. Her hands jutted out as if she were stabbing a foe with her fingers. The scrap metal that laid around the room flowed like water around her as she did a dangerous dance around the studio. She widened her stance fully and waved her arms in strong motions and the earth rose from the ground. In a change of pace, her body moved swiftly as her feet moved heel to toe and sliding quickly with strikes to her imaginary opponent were with the palms of her hands. These motions caused the flowing metal to become deadly whips as they sliced at the large, floating boulder. It was a dance she did so many times. Her feet slammed into the earth, shooting out shards at the strength of it. Her arms shooting out with utter power as the metal slowly chiseled the rock into nothing but dust. In the final slide of her feet and jerk of her arms to her side, the metal finished the rock off and obeyed the command to revert back to their shapes and locations.
"Omashu... you are remarkable."
She jumped at the sound that came from behind her and she spun, feeling the sweat slipping down her neck fling into the nothingness around her, "How long have you been standing there?"
Sokka came into her view as he stepped down to the earth, "I think I got here in the middle. What technique was that? It was oddly beautiful, but threatening. Just like you." He laughed a little and came no further than his few steps from the stairs.
She fought off the blush from her cheeks and focused on his question, "It's just a series of motions... no technique. It's based off the foot work of the badgermoles that I learned earth bending from. The rest is just time and experience."
She heard her give a snort of a chuckle, "Amazing. You are absolutely AMAZING." The way he praised her gave her a thrill, but angered her as well. He threw out compliments like a ridiculously happy person saying Good Morning to people who hated being up. She wanted to bury him in the earth. The Toph she used to be reared its ugly head as it reminded her of the times she was picked on for being too masculine or ugly or when boys hit on her for a bet only to leave her heart more hardened and harder to crack. Her whole body jolted when Sokka's silky voice said her name, "Toph... I came down here to ask you if you wanted to get a drink with me. You know... to thank you for taking me in and beating the living shit out of me."
She let out a huff, letting the 'quick to run' Toph take over as she tried to stay cold and unmovable, "Sorry Snoozles... I don't drink."
She waited for him to shrug and move on, but he didn't make a motion, "You don't drink? Well... how about some food? I KNOW you eat."
What was he doing? Why was he still trying? Her eyes narrowed and she instinctively took a stance, "Let me try to make this a little more clear... I don't want to go anywhere with you."
His voice had a cynical tone to it as he hissed and said "Ouch", and she thought this foolishness was over, but he made a few more steps towards her and she felt her heart speed up and the walls around her heart thicken, "I've been here for over a month, maybe two, and I haven't had the chance to just sit down and... get to know you. Training with you is one thing, but hearing your stories, learning from your mistakes and victories, and just... getting closer. That's how I usually do things."
She felt him come closer and she dropped her eyes so her bangs covered them. Too many people exclaiming about her eyes stopped her from looking up. She clenched her fists and spoke harshly, as she always did, "I'm not interested in getting buddy-buddy with you. I gave you a place to stay and train. Be glad I did THAT much."
Finally, she felt the man step back but it struck her hard to hear the sadness in his voice, "I hoped we could be friends, but... I see this will be just a student/teacher affiliation. I thank you for the shelter and the lessons. Goodnight... Sifu."
She wanted to call out to him, but he bowed and bolted up the stairs. All she could do was stare where he once stood and try to catch her breath as tears bled down her cheeks.