Toph woke sometime later, though she had no way of knowing if it was morning yet. The steep walls of the gorge cast shadows over the gorge's floor and very little sunlight made down to where Toph was standing. Not that it mattered, she couldn't see the sunlight anyway, so the time of day was really irrelevant. Still, Toph supposed it would be nice to know what time it was as it would be more likely for raiders to attack at night. And that was something Toph was keen to avoid at all costs, so knowing the time of day would have been nice, but there wasn't much Toph could do about that now and she wasn't going to waste time worrying about it.

It was then that Toph remembered Ren. Wondering if the young firebender girl was still there, Toph turned and held out her hands, reaching out for the earthen prison she had trapped Ren in the night before. To her relief the prison was still there and Ren was still trapped within it. She was asleep at the moment, her head slumped forward against the stone, her breathing relaxed and even. Toph smiled to herself, amused by Ren's ability to fall asleep even though she was held upright by an earthen prison. That's something not many people could do, I assume, Toph though as she walked up to Ren and tapped her on the forehead.

"Wakey, wakey, little girl." she said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible.

Ren grunted and jerked her head back from Toph's reach, but she did not wake up, making Toph's level of annoyance rise. Sighing she picked up a small rock and chucked it at Ren's head. "Hey, I said wake up, damn it!" she shouted.

The rock hit Ren in the forehead and she jerked awake with a painful gasp. "Ow!" she cried. "What the hell?" She glared at Toph who was not looking at her.

"Well, I had to wake you up somehow, didn't I?" Toph asked, her sightless gaze fixed on the floor of the gorge.

"And you thought chucking a rock at my head was the best way to do that?" Ren asked, her tone incredulous.

"I tried being gentle, but you didn't respond to that approach." Toph said, her tone nonchalant, as though she made a living chucking rocks at sleeping firebenders.

"God, you earthbenders are all the same, aren't you?" Ren asked, her tone irritated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Toph asked, now slightly confused.

"It means you don't even consider the possibility of working with firebenders." Ren said. "You're so damn stubborn that you don't even stop to think about the possibility that there are firebenders who actually want to help you. You just assume we're all violent and destructive and then you chuck rocks at our heads."

"Yeah, well, what about you?" Toph asked. "Aren't you just like all other firebenders?" In the back of her mind she knew Ren was right. There were firebenders who were genuine in their desire for peace and harmony. She had met them, men like Zuko and Iroh and Jeong Jeong, but Ren was so irritating and Toph couldn't help antagonizing her.

"I just told you, not all firebenders are like that." Ren snapped, obviously annoyed by Toph's question.

"Yeah, but I know from experience just how brutal you firebenders can be." Toph said. "And because of that, I'm less than inclined to trust anything you say."

"Typical earthbender stubbornness." Ren muttered, shaking her head. "Thank you for proving my point."

"And you proved my point last night." Toph said, smirking.

"Hey, you're the one who attacked me." Ren protested, her tone heated.

"Only because I thought you were a raider." Toph muttered. "And I'm still not convinced you're not a raider, by the way."

"What?" Ren asked, her tone shocked. "I thought you believed my story? I thought you could tell when I was lying? Or were you lying about that?"

"No, I wasn't." Toph answered. "And I am still unsure about your true motivations because, as I told you, I have experience with firebenders and much of that experience has taught me not to trust people from the Fire Nation unless they can prove that they are worthy of being trusted."

"So, you want me to prove myself?" Ren asked, confused. "And how, exactly, am I supposed to do that when you've got me trapped in this damnable prison?"

"That's for you to figure out on your own." Toph said, grinning

"Well gee, that's helpful." Ren muttered, rolling her eyes. "How am I supposed to figure it out on my own? I can't even move in this fucking thing."

"That was kind of the point." Toph said, her tone amused. "If I am going to trust you, then you have to find a way out of this situation without relying on your firebending. That's why I immobilized you like this, so you wouldn't be able to run off or attack me. You see, what makes us benders truly great, regardless of which element we bend, is the ability to patiently observe the situation and improvise if necessary. That's a lesson I learned from an old friend." Toph smiled then and stepped back to allow Ren the time to process her words.

While Ren tried to wrap her mind around Toph's words, Toph turned her attention to breakfast. She had little in the way of food, but the dried meat she had gotten from Bao was still enough to keep her going. She had found some berries the day before and they helped break up the monotony of eating meat for every meal. Still, she longed for a full meal like she had gotten before the war with Azula. Even at Bao's she hadn't gotten all the comforts she had enjoyed before the war. Not that she felt slighted by Bao in any way, it was just that she hadn't gone this long without her favorite foods in her life and she was desperate for anything that connected her to the life she had lost. But there wasn't much she could do about it now and Toph figured she might as well make the best of a bad situation and enjoy the food she had.

As Toph enjoyed her breakfast Ren tried to force herself to understand Toph's words, but try as she might, she couldn't get them to make any sort of sense. "Ugh, this is hopeless." she muttered. "I'm never going to figure this out and that earthbender bitch is going to just leave me here to die."

"I heard that." Toph said, the sound of her voice startling Ren, who glanced at her with surprise and shock.

Toph had her back to her, but Ren knew she had just spoken and her curiosity got the better of her. "How did you hear that?" she asked, genuinely confused.

"I told you yesterday, being blind has it's advantages." Toph said, still not turning to meet Ren's gaze. "One of those advantages is a heightened sense of hearing, so try not to say something you might later regret, because I'll probably hear you."

"Oh, okay." Ren said, shaking her head. "I apologize for that."

"That's not necessary." Toph said, finally turning to face the firebender girl again. "So, have you figured out how to escape my prison without using firebending yet?"

"I thought you heard what I just said?" Ren asked, confused again.

"I did, but I thought I'd ask the question anyway." Toph said, grinning as though this was all some kind of game.

"Well, I think the answer is pretty obvious, don't you?" Ren asked, irritated again. "You know, seeing as how I'm still trapped and all."

"Yes, well, keep trying." Toph said. "You'll figure it out eventually."

"And what if I don't?" Ren asked. "What will happen to me then?"

"I suppose you'll stay in that prison for the rest of your life and then you'll likely succumb to starvation and dehydration leading to your death." Toph said, her tone calm and uncaring.

Ren paled at that, her eyes going wide with fear. "But...but you said you don't kill innocent people." she stammered, fear racing through her in waves.

"Yeah, but I'm not convinced you're innocent, so technically I wouldn't be breaking that rule now, would I?" Toph asked, still calm and uncaring.

"Please, don't let me die here." Ren said then, true pleading in her voice. "I only wanted to help you, I swear that's the truth."

"That's what you said last night and yet I'm still not convinced." Toph said. "If you really wanted to help me why didn't you reveal yourself earlier? Why sneak around and follow me in the shadows if you want to help?"

"I...I don't know." Ren said. "Maybe I was afraid you wouldn't accept me or something. Is it really that important to you why I didn't reveal myself sooner?"

"Yes, it is." Toph answered, her tone cold. "How am I supposed to trust you when you were too afraid to reveal yourself the moment you first had the chance?"

"I have no answer for that." Ren admitted. "But I swear to you I am not here to kill you. I am not a raider, nor am I connected to Azula in any way. However, if you want proof that I am not lying I will give you proof. I didn't reveal myself to you sooner because I was afraid you would just think I was common firebender who was out to get you. And I was afraid that if that's what you thought you'd just kill me, instead of capturing me and forcing me to answer questions for which I have no reasonable or legitimate answers. I am sorry for this and I will accept whatever punishment you feel is justified for my dishonesty."

She fell silent then and for a moment Toph did not know how to react. On the one hand Ren's impassioned speech seemed genuine, just as her explanation for why she had known about the village had the night before. But, on the other hand, she had been dishonest in how she had gone about confronting Toph and that made Toph more than a little suspicious. In her experience the only people who were sneaky and dishonest like that were criminals, assassins, and other unsavory people who were generally out for no ones good but their own. And yet, there was something about this firebender girl that made Toph want to believe her. She realized this desire could ultimately prove to be fatal and once again the quote from the war entered her mind, when earth meets fire, devastation follows, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. It was possible that the opposite was also true and she and Ren were destined to prove that devastation was not the only outcome when earth and fire met and Toph ultimately decided to give that possibility a chance. To that end she dropped into a combat stance, drawing both fists back as though she was preparing to strike, and then she paused, hearing Ren's voice, sharp and clear in her ears.

"What...what are you doing?" Ren asked, her tone full of fear. Toph ignored the question and moved with lightening speed, both of her fists striking the earthen prison with tremendous force. The stone shook and shattered, releasing Ren from her bonds in a shower of crumbling rock.

Ren pitched forward and collapsed to her hands and knees, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Why?" she asked, glancing at Toph, who was not looking at her. "Why did you free me?"

"Because you figured out a way to escape without firebending." Toph answered. "You are free to go Ren. Do not follow me again." With that, Toph turned to gather her things before heading on her way.

"Wait." Ren called, her tone making Toph stop. "Let me come with you, please."

"Why should I do that?" Toph asked, her tone incredulous.

"Because I can help you." Ren answered. "I can sneak you into the Fire Nation and together we can overthrow Azula."

"Why would you want to overthrow Azula?" Toph asked, perplexed.

"I have my reasons." Ren said, her tone suddenly defensive.

"There you go being dishonest again." Toph said. "How am I supposed to trust you if you won't even tell me why you want to fight against Azula?"

"It's complicated, okay?" Ren snapped. "Look, my reasons don't matter. You want to overthrow Azula and I can help. Our alliance is only logical."

"How do you know I want to overthrow Azula?" Toph asked, confused.

"Unlike you, I'm not blind." Ren answered. "I can see it written all over your face, your desire for revenge. Also, what sane person wouldn't want to see Azula's rule come to an end?"

"Well, I can see you're not stupid." Toph muttered. "So yes, my ultimate goal is to see Azula's rule come to an end. But I have something else I need to do first."

"And what would this other errand be, prey tell?" Ren asked. "Maybe I can help."

Toph rolled her eyes and sighed. "Persistent little girl, aren't you?" she asked, her tone full of annoyance.

"I am not a little girl." Ren snapped. "And yes, I am. Persistent, that is."

"Alright, fine, you can come with me." Toph muttered. "But I'm warning you now, you try anything funny and I'll bury you alive and leave you to die, understood?"

"Yes." Ren said. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"The ruins of Omashu." Toph answered. "There's something I need to investigate there. Now shut up and follow me."

Ren nodded and followed, aware of just how annoyed Toph was with her. Toph sighed and started walking, her mind buzzing with a million different thoughts. Chief amongst these thoughts was her awareness of just how much mistrust existed between her and Ren. It was more than obvious that she still didn't trust Ren, but she could tell that Ren, despite her enthusiasm and willingness to help, didn't completely trust her either. She supposed she was partially to blame for that, as trapping Ren in an earth prison may have been a bit of an overreaction, but there wasn't much that could be done about it now. It had happened and was in the past and they would both just have to accept that. Besides, this new arrangement might not be all bad. It would be nice to have a traveling companion at any rate, though Toph was forced to wonder how long this fragile alliance would last and which one of them would be the one to break it.

A/N: And so, Toph gains a companion, though as you can probably tell she isn't exactly thrilled by this fact. In any case Toph and Ren are now stuck with each other and the rest of the adventure will focus on both of them, though Toph will continue to be the main protagonist. I will eventually reveal more about Ren's past and why she is so opposed to her own nation, so don't worry about that. Also, in case you were wondering, Toph was never going to leave Ren trapped in that prison. She was just trying to get Ren to admit her dishonesty, a plan that worked perfectly, obviously. Anyway, that's all for now, so thanks for the support and please keep reading.