Sooo… here's my next contribution to Tokka week :) Errr I kinda wrote a novel so sorry about that. I guess when I write I just kind of ramble similar to what I'm doing right now.
Well, anyway, this takes place in like an AU where the GAang lives in LoKverse/Republic City. (That was inspired by itshardtostealfatkids on . Her Tokka 100 is awesome, go read it!) I was really having trouble finding a story line with this prompt I had loads of ideas, but couldn't commit to one. So I just started typing and this weird thing was born. It's kinda more Toph-centric. I may continue with it later on, idk. On with the crapfic.
Rating: T+ for swearing…
Word count: 3,437 words
Tokka Week 6
"Parents"
It was barely dawn. Squirrel birds chittered and twitted from their nests and perches, preparing to begin the day. Spring was wearing on the heels of winter, what would be dew was frost; reviving trees bore flimsy new leaves. That morning was the epitome of a metaphorical (and sometimes less than metaphorical) new start. Things were changing, beginning afresh. The girl who stood hiding behind a wall, taking her flight from home, knew this. That was exactly why she chose this morning of all mornings to free herself from her parentally-imposed prison.
Each step she took on the icy grass was soft, not wanting to alert anyone. Her bare feet were hardly bothered by the cold, hardened from years of sneaking around unshod. The girl slunk around corners, darted behind trees, avoided passing guards, all with skill. She was cautious, but bold. Daybreak was approaching quickly; she could feel it from the rays of the rising sun. She needed to hurry. Rounding the final tree, the girl made for a daring leap (provided with a little help from her impeccable earthbending) over the wall that had been erected to keep her in and vagabonds out. She stuck the landing silently, but caught the attention of two nearly-dozing guards at their posts outside the gate.
"Lady Toph!" One shouted after her as she broke out in a full-on sprint. Toph ran as fast as her feet could carry her, their voices and shouts getting quieter and quieter as the distance between her home and herself increased. She bent the earth underneath her, enclosing herself in a tunnel. She made her way forward, able to tell the direction from her seismic sense. Assured that she had gotten far away enough from the estate to avoid being seized, Toph bended herself back up to the fresh air, and made way for Gao Ling's docks.
The earthbender had obtained a ride on the ferry relatively easily. She knew word wouldn't get out about her escape – no one knew the Beifong's even had a daughter, much less one dressed in commoners' clothes. She presented her family crest with dignity and consequentially was given a free ride on the ferry along with five-star treatment (which she only just waved off anyways).
Toph breathed in the scent of her new life. Her nose scrunched and she frowned in dismay, for it smelled like unwashed travelers and the salty sea air. "Well, maybe it'll smell better once I actually get to Republic City," she muttered to herself.
Yes, that was her destination. Republic City. The one place where peace existed; where she would be treated like a normal girl for once instead of some helpless child. If a lone word could make someone wretch it would be that one. Toph hated being underestimated, she hated being babied, she hated people acting like she was just too pathetic and pitiful to carry her own. That was how her parents treated her. That was how her resentment had been formed.
"I'll show them."
And then, when the boat lurched against the waves, she leaned over the railing and emptied the contents of her stomach. At least, she would show them as soon as this nausea passed.
No more boats.
Slinking down, back against the railing, she wrapped her arms around her knees, lowered her head and fell asleep.
An audible THUNK! caused the young earthbender to wake with a start.
"All ashore who's goin' ashore!"
Toph gathered up the bag that contained her few belongings and woozily made her way across the deck, kissing the sweet, sweet ground as she took the first steps into her new life.
She grinned.
It was pretty easy getting the hang of where the placement was of things in Republic City. She could feel that flower cart two blocks over, and that old man selling fish back on the docks, and that satomobile that clambered down the street. But what wasn't easy was knowing what everything was. Being blind meant she couldn't read signs or look at maps, so when she needed to know just where the nearest inn was, she had to rely on others. That's when she felt him.
He was tall, much taller than herself; he had a heavy gait, but goofy too. She could tell his shoulders were broad, but he wasn't quite a man yet, so he still was fairly gangly. And if he turned out to be trouble, Toph knew she could earthbend his ass all the way back to Gaoling if need be. So she took a chance.
"Excuse me, do you know where the neares…" she trailed off as he passed her without so much as a word. A flame of rage ignited in her, so she bended a wall to stop him. He walked right into it, falling backwards upon impact.
"I WAS TALKING TO YOU, ASSHOLE!" she shouted at the stunned boy as he tried to regain feeling in his nose.
"WHAT!? SO YOU BEND A WALL FOR ME TO WALK INTO?!"
"You completely ignored me!"
"I didn't even see you there!"
"I was SPEAKING."
"Then I didn't hear you OR see you. You're not hard to miss, being ridiculously short and all!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?"
"You heard me, Shortstuff!"
"THAT'S IT!" So she took her horse stand and caused a small pillar of earth to jut out and hit him directly where the sun don't shine.
He screeched, doubling over in pain, protecting his nether region from further harm.
Toph strode over to him, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to face her.
"Now," she instructed through gritted teeth, "you're going to take me back to your place, give me a warm meal, and tell me where the hell to find the metalbending police station, or I will make sure you NEVER reproduce, GOT IT, MORON?"
He whimpered in pain, trying to jerk away from this seemingly psychotic earthbender, but she only pulled him back to face her again.
"I SAID, GOT IT!?"
"…Y-yes ma'am."
She relinquished her grip on his shirt and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well, then hop to it!"
He shot a glare at her over his shoulder (a useless gesture, she couldn't see it anyways) and lead the way back to his apartment. During the walk he remained as silent as possible, detesting this dumb little girl and the injury she dealt to his pride and to his manhood.
"What's your name?" Toph asked, after a duration of uncomfortable (on his part, at least) silence.
But he didn't answer.
"Do you want me to keep calling you Moron, or something? 'Cause that's the vibe I'm getting."
"It's Sokka."
"Hm. Toph."
More silence.
"So what are—"
"Look, can't you SEE I don't want to talk to you?!"
"No, I can't see anything." Toph huffed impatiently.
Sokka stopped for a moment and looked into her eyes. They were misty, cloudy gray with the faintest hint of green. They were beautiful, (not that he'd ever admit it) but dead as doornails. Huh. Just add insult to injury then. Not only getting his ass handed to him by a girl obviously younger than him, but a BLIND one at that!
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'." She mocked him, before continuing her question. "As I was saying, what are you doing in Republic City?"
"What am I doing here?" This kid is out her mind. "I live here, genius. And I work here. Not that you would care, being too busy harassing innocent people on the street and all—"
"Hey, I was trying to ask for help!"
"You," Sokka swerved around and jabbed a pointed finger at her collarbone, "were beating me up because I simply didn't realize you were talking to me!"
A smirk formed on Toph's beautiful face (not that he'd ever own up to thinking that), and she said, "So you admit that I totally kicked your sorry arse, huh bub?"
He went beet red, and, were he a firebender, he was sure he would be smoking right now.
"You are the rudest, single-handedly most obnoxious little – little mudslug I have ever encountered!"
"Tell me something I don't know, kid," the earthbender said, shaking her head, as she patted his shoulder. The insult hurt (not that she'd ever say it), but Toph decided it would be best to let him get one in. I did hurt his poor manly pride pretty badly, she thought with an inward snort of laughter.
"Don't call me a kid! I'm like, six years older than you! I should be calling you the kid! Hell, I should be bringing you back to your babysitter instead of letting you have your way and taking you back to my apartment!"
Her teeth gnashed up against each other as she spat, "I am NOT a kid and I DO NOT have a babysitter. I. am. Fourteen. Fucking. Years. Old. And. I. Suggest. You. Shut. Your. Damn. Mouth!"
Sokka was taken aback at her language and her age. She looked eleven, maybe twelve, but definitely not two years younger than his own sister. He threw his arms up with a cry and shouted,
"Why don't you find someone else to impose on!?"
Toph took an intimidating step forward, to which he responded to by taking a step back, and threw her answer at him.
"Looky here, bub. I just ran away from home, travelled all the way from Gaoling to get here, I have no place to stay and no one here to help me out, got it? And I can tell that you're at least somewhat trustworthy, as you have yet to punch my lights out." She added under her breath: "Or at least try to."
Sokka snorted. "I don't care where you're from and I sure as hell don't care how nobody in the world gives a damn about you!" Toph recoiled slightly at his sharp tongue. "If you needed help so badly, then maybe you should've thought about asking nicely—"
"I tried!"
"—instead of earthbending someone in the balls!"
Toph paused for a moment, a wave a guilt suddenly hitting her. She was alone out here, with no money, no family, no shelter. She really was on her own. And what she was doing was not helping her situation in any way, only earning her enemies. Alright Toph, just suck it up and do it. This is what you wanted, right? Exhaling in an attempt to calm herself, she resumed her strong stance and began speaking.
"Alright, alright. I'm really sorry, okay?" The boy scoffed, but allowed her to continue. "I'm kind of abrasive, I get that, but I do know how to apologize. I just really need a place to stay, just one night. And as soon as I get a job I'll pay you back."
He eyed her up skeptically, before sighing in defeat. He did need the money, what with Katara and her girly necessities and healing training. It was getting harder for non-benders like himself to come by jobs nowadays. Advancement in technology and all that. He desperately wanted to be in the middle of all of it, but inventors need an education and that cost cold, hard cash. The decision at hand was made for him. And she had said she found him (somewhat) trustworthy, after all. That had to account for something, right?
"Alright, just one night," Sokka said, before groaning inwardly about how awkward it was going to be explaining all of this to Katara.
The pair arrived at Sokka's dingy lodgings before long. It was damp, belonging to a congregation of fellow Southern Water Tribers, and made of red brick. Over the door was a flag swaying in the gentle breeze that bore the Water Tribe insignia. Inside, the complex housed many families, and on the third floor was Katara and Sokka's home. It was a two-bedroom apartment, with only a small living area and kitchen. The bathroom, to everyone's discomfort, was located downstairs, and was open to all of the lodgers. At least there were two, divided by gender.
The living room held only a small wooden coffee table and a threadbare sofa. Several bags littered the floor, amongst other things. The kitchen was standard, with a table surrounded by four miss-matched chairs in the middle. The floor, thankfully, was cold stone, and due to their poor nature, they didn't have many rugs.
"Well, home sweet home. When Katara gets home she'll cook dinner, and I guess from there you two can decide whether you should sleep in her room or on the couch," the Water Tribe boy explained. Toph nodded, setting her bag on the floor near the coat rack and took a seat in one of the chairs at the table in the kitchen.
"… Just make yourself at home." He deadpanned.
Toph grinned. "Gladly."
He rolled his eyes, before putting on a kettle for some tea and joining her at the table.
"So… Toph, right?" Sokka asked, swallowing his pride and making a sorta-friendy effort to put the past behind them.
She nodded.
"Why did you run away?"
"Oh… well, it's kind of a long story," she muttered, playing with her bangs as a distraction from the blood rising to her face. The Earth Kingdom girl really hadn't intended to let that one slip, but in the heat of the moment…
"I have time."
"Well, it all comes down to my parents, I guess. And my blindness."
"Oh, right, I wanted to ask about that, too."
"I'll get to it," she confirmed, knowing to what he was referring. "My folks have always been really… protective. Like, sickeningly overprotective. I didn't get to go outside without supervision, I didn't get to get dressed on my own for fear that I would fall and break something," Toph paused momentarily, wondering why the hell she felt inclined to tell this wimpy stranger her whole life story. Maybe keeping it pent up for so long was really taking its toll on her? Maybe somewhere in the cosmos, some weird spirit had lead her to Sokka so she could finally have someone to talk to, someone would actually listen.
"One night when I was a kid, I just kind of lost it and ran away. I had no idea where I was going, but I found this cave in the woods around my house. There were badgermoles, the first earthbenders, who were just like me. Blind. But they found their way around by using vibrations in the earth to guide them. They taught me how to earthbend, and see without using my sight." She smiled at the memory. It was really the only happy one she had of her childhood. "When my parents learned I could earthbend, they got me a teacher, but only allowed me to learn the very basics for years because they assumed I couldn't handle more advanced teachings." Toph grit her teeth at this point, but continued on. "I would've gone crazy were it not for the pro-bending matches I listened in on. When I learned about Republic City, I decided that's where I would go. That's where I could find my freedom. And since last year they've just been getting worse, prepping me for marriage at thirteen and telling me to 'uphold the Beifong name' and blah blah blah—"
"Wait, wait. Beifong? You're a Beifong?" Sokka interjected, his tone a mix of disbelief and awe.
Toph blanched. Shit. "Well, er, eheh… yeah."
"But, they don't have any kids! How can you…?"
"They hid me from existence. They never told anyone I was born."
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, only to be broken by the whistling of the tea kettle. Taking the opportunity to leave gratefully, Sokka stood and prepared jasmine tea. He poured some for himself and Toph and set it down in front of her. She sipped at it, glad to have something in her stomach, even if it did taste like hot leafy water.
"I… I can see why you left," Sokka said earnestly.
"Don't pity me. I don't want it. I'm going to become the Chief of the Metalbending police, without the help of my familial line."
"So that's why you wanted me to take you to the station…"
"Yeah." She paused, taking a drink of tea. "SO. What about you, Mr. Water Tribe? Now that I've just spilled my guts out to you, you had better tell me every juicy detail of your childhood."
Sokka swallowed, nervously fiddling with his collar. He didn't really want to, but the fourteen year old had trusted him enough with her past and real identity, so he figured it was the least he could do.
"I lived in the Southern Water Tribe with my younger sister Katara till I was about six. My mom died, and I guess my dad just couldn't take living there anymore. Her death… it really hit us hard. So we came to Republic City. My Dad enlisted in the United Nations and was sent off to the Fire Nation when I was eight. He sent us money and stuff and took care of all of our bills and lodging, but I still had to take care of Katara," He laughed a little. "Well, it was more like she was taking care of me. She's kind of like a mom, the kind who annoys you and nags you to death but you don't know what you'd do without her. But, she's a waterbender, so of course she has to go off to school for that, which is damn costly. And I need school for the job I want, but there's no way we'd be able to afford it. Not to mention I still can't get a job. Non-benders don't have it very easy. And I'm seventeen, so it's about time for me to be able to hold my own and provide for us so my dad can finally just come home." A somber pause, to which Toph nodded, "Then there's always the gangs," Sokka groaned. He took a slurp of tea before continuing. "Whatever you've been told about Republic City being this place where dreams come true, lemme give you some advice before you get in too deep. In the slums, it's a shithole."
"I didn't expect much more."
Sokka raised an eyebrow, another gesture that was wasted on her.
"I didn't expect it to be rainbows of happiness and destiny or some other crap. I know it's gonna be hard and painstaking and terrifying. But I can do it, and I'm going to."
The Tribesman's lips twitched into a small smile at Toph's determined spunk. "I'll hold you to your word."
Suddenly, there was a jostling noise at the door before a beautiful sixteen year old walked in. Her steps were light and dainty, fluid. Made sense, considering she was a waterbender.
"Hey Sokka, sorry I'm late… Who's this?" Katara asked, pointing at Toph.
Toph answered for herself. "The names Toph. I ran away, asked for directions from your brother, beat him up, then told him my whole life story. Nice to meet you."
Katara raised an eyebrow at Toph (must be a family trait) and gave a questioning look to her brother. Sokka nodded in agreement at the earthbender's explanation, clearly embarrassed.
"Well, anyone who can make my brother blush like a fire lily is welcome in my house," Katara laughed, pouring herself a cup of tea and earning a mischievous smile from Toph.
"So… how exactly did you kick his butt?" the waterbender smirked.
"Katara!" came the tribesman's indignant cry.
Later that night, Toph lay silently on the floor next to Katara's bed. She had always preferred sleeping on good, solid earth instead of a bed, so it didn't bother her. But despite the eventful day she had, the biggest day of her life, she couldn't sleep a wink. She rolled over on to her side and smiled contentedly. Ironically, she had her parents to thank for her present happiness. Though had they just loved her and treated her in a way that gave her some sense of freedom, things might be a lot better, but just being here, now, with the future so open and the prospect of friends in Sokka and Katara (turns out the little mudslug hit it off better with the pair then expected) was exhilarating. It was fresh, new, and for once she couldn't wait for dawn to come so she could greet her new friends and breathe in that glorious scent of freedom.
So that's that. Another day of Tokka week completed :) Sorry for how sucky it is, and the length.
I don't know how to respond to reviews, so I'll just say it here.
Sokka's Fan-Lawyer: Thank you SO SO SO much for your kind words. Seriously. I'm kinda insecure about posting stuff, so it really means a lot to me that you would even go out of your way to review my weird writing. Really. Thank you.