HOLY…SOMETHING OR OTHER! Where in blue wonder did I go RIGHT? Thirty reviews for the second chapter. I'm totally in shock.
Um…I really do apologize for taking so long…again…, but when I get writer's block…well…I really get writer's block. You have no idea how grateful I am that you people are so patient.
…Please, by the powers that be, may you be patient people.
I'm really worried about how this chapter turned out, actually. I fear they may be somewhat out of character…it's been a while and I've been reading fanfiction more than watching the show recently (I did manage to watch and tape the movie premier, though). Although, in Zuko's case, please keep in mind that his own people are holding him captive and you can only interpret his attitude from Toph's point of view. So…yeah.
And now, to properly thank and respond to all you wonderful reviewing people.
To starvoidangel, Clearheart, foreverlost101, The Lost Hibiki, dianarules55, Xerxes93, storm-of-insanity, lolilaughed, Rae-Anime-Neko, Denisen, Freaky Person O.o, and Firework: I totally don't mean to belittle any of your reviews by doing this huge…mass thanks thing, but I'd rather give you a somewhat lengthy expression of my gratitude than a bunch of short little monotonous 'thank you's. Instead, I give you one big GIANT monotonous thank you! YAY! Thank you so much for the compliments, really. And…hey look! An update! You may not be shocked, but I am. Also, my obsessive nature is extremely pleased that you seemed to think I kept them both in character. That is extremely important to me. I'm especially glad that you seem to think the Toph perspective is actually working. So happy… So…I suppose I shall give you one more giant thank you for the road. THANK YOU!
To Hotspur: We are a rare breed, are we not? Fear not, the fandom shall grow in time…hopefully. Dude, your story is amazing…no fair…I want your writing style… I go to review it now and feel guilty for not doing so sooner. I lamely excuse myself by stating that I am a procrastinator. So thanks very much and YOU ROCK!
Tortured Artist: Er…wow. Thank you, it's not often that the comments come all the way down to the word choice, but it makes me happy that it does. Writing is a passion of mine, so that is truly a compliment.
Sifu Toph/Heavenly Sword: I'm glad about the Iroh bit (the tea scene made me smile), and I'm always happy to hear I write the characters in character. The problem with Zuko and Toph, though, is that they are extremely stubborn, and I worry that the tapering off of their arguments may have come off a little forced. I can only hope that no one else thinks that's the case…and thank you!
XxLilyNGxX: Yeah, I agree that Toph would be naïve about the outside world. Far be it from that to stop her, though. Yes! Power to the Toph/Zuko shippers! We have started small, but hey, so did Zutara, and look how THAT caught on. I also like the idea of fire and earth benders getting along the same way as water and air…not to mention, it would make for a pretty interesting combination. Storms and volcanoes all around! Many thanks for reviewing!
ripplingthought: Yup, Toph and Zuko. Oh, the…something. Drama doesn't quite seem to be the right word. It is rather troublesome to write them interacting without anything to go on…then again, it's pretty entertaining, too. Getting them to get along is another story entirely…but thank you!
Rhinestone Wrapping Paper: The ostrich-horse thing was my favorite part, so I'm stoked that you liked it! Thank you so much, and yeah, Toph/Zuko interaction makes me a happily entertained little fangirl, too.
MysticAnime: The muse went on vacation and forgot leave a message, but it's okay, it's back now. I…sadly did give this pairing a lot of thought from the very beginning, but then again I'm obsessed with parallels. That, and their equal temperament amuses me. The Irate Wonder just seemed so appropriate…although Angst Boy is definitely accurate too. Thank you most of all, though, for the Plot Bunny offer—mine seem to run away en masse, so I may very well steal some of yours. Sigh.
Men or Memorex: Every review counts…and thus I do thank you for it. Here be another chapter, although my crappy planning will not allow me to tell you how many there shall be in total. If there were any magical devices to protect me from a further 'rosebush' incident, I would totally buy them. Perhaps a look on Ebay is in order…
sugarland31: Whoa…Irate Wonder, Boy Wonder…I'm a Teen Titans fan, too, and I'm beginning to wonder if that was an unconscious parody…go figure. Perhaps Zuko is a bit too temperamental, but keep in mind that he just got attacked by soldiers and thrown in a holding cell…hopefully he'll calm down eventually. But thank you for the advice/criticism! Abuse makes me happy when it teaches me ways to improve. Hehe.
itachi'smaniac: Hm…Zuph…It could catch on. Toph/Zuko is so much fun…and may the number of supporters continue to grow! PS. Thanks!
DancingPickle101: Dude. I love your pen name. And I'm sorry my…lateness has given you reason to use caps lock, but here be the update! …And I'm another one who doubts Azula is one for heartfelt conversation…it makes me happy to see dedicated people who review for every chapter. Thank you!
Kayanora: Thank you! …The ostrich-horse bit was honestly my favorite line…so I appreciate everyone who got a kick out of it. Yay!
demshia: Whoa. You have no idea how much you motivated me with your second review… You check daily? I am so amazingly flattered by that, you have no idea. You completely guilted me into updating faster…and helped me get over the evil writer's block. For this, you have my eternal gratitude.
…If I left anyone out, I will cry. But still, one final time…THANK YOU!
…If you are annoyed/bothered by the chronic thank you-fest…I'm emotional. I tend to go a bit crazy with gratitude and apologies.
And again with the long author's note…sigh.
Disclaimer: If the creators of Avatar procrastinated even half as much as I do, the fanbase would have killed them by now. I think it's safe to say that I don't own it.
The Many Forms of Silence
Those Fire Nation soldiers were taking an awfully long time to get their punishment taken care of, Toph reflected some odd thirty-five minutes later. Zuko had not uttered a word throughout the span of time, and pride prevented Toph from speaking as well. She wasn't about to lose anything—not even something as petty as a faux silence contest—to the stuck up bratty teenager situated only feet away from her.
Sigh.
Silence. Toph hated silence. It was practically her equivalent to pitch-black darkness—well, at least when she was surrounded by something that wasn't her beloved earth. The current situation, in fact, would be a prime example.
There was also her upbringing to consider. As an only child and an invalid, Toph had always been showered with the best of everything—toys, education (outside of earthbending and reading, that is), and the attention of her doting parents. Prisoner in her own household or not, she was used to getting her way. Even the Earth Rumble combatants had learned to respect her to a degree after she royally trounced them for the very first time.
…Well. After they'd gotten their jaws off the floor and recovered from their absolute incredulity, that is. Heh, those were some good times…
In any case, the girl was not especially pleased with the fact that her prison-mate was steadfastly ignoring her.
…
What on earth was keeping those idiot soldiers, anyway? They spoke of impending doom. IMPENDING DOOM! She'd been waiting for over an hour, and the so-called impending doom seemed to be pending after all!
…Toph had never been very patient in those sorts of situations.
"I wonder what they're waiting for," she blurted out, suddenly willing to sacrifice a sliver of pride in exchange for information. Or at least conversation, anyway—she was beginning to descend into hysterics without it.
Silence. Apparently his Highness wasn't ready to stop sulking yet. One of the earthbender's eyes twitched.
"Hey!" she shouted, striking a fist against one of the bars behind her and sending the metallic ring vibrating throughout the room. "I'm talking to you, Irate Wonder!"
"I know," he replied dully. The teen sighed, and then continued more resignedly, "They're probably waiting for Azula."
Something about the way he said the name sent a slight chill up Toph's spine. And no, it wasn't just the sheer amount of loathing he managed to put into a single word.
"Who's Azula?"
…And the silence was back.
"Hello, you can't just answer one question and go back to ignoring me again!" she protested vehemently.
"Azula is…my sister," he answered finally, sounding reluctant at his choice of words.
Toph's brow furrowed with confusion. "Wait…isn't that a good thi--"
"She's also a liar and a sadist," interrupted Zuko coldly.
"…Oh." The blind girl frowned. "So…this Azula girl is actually gonna let them keep her own brother in prison and torture you or whatever?"
"Yes. Gladly. She was charged with the task of capturing my uncle and me," he muttered bitterly.
"Wow. That's one messed up family you've got there."
…And now the firebending silence was back. Oh, goody.
"So…why charge your sister with capturing you?" Toph asked quickly, hoping to avoid the return of rampant fire blasts.
"Azula is good at what she does. She's good at anything she does." Yes, there was definitely some bitterness there.
"But what did you do?"
"We're marked as traitors," the firebender replied shortly. Huh. No room for argument there, was there?
"Oh," she said a second time. Well, wasn't he a little ray of sunshine? Toph's fingers drifted back to the metal bars, moving lightly from one bar to the next in an absent-minded search for the door. She really should be looking for a way out—not that she'd get very far if the metal floor extended beyond the room. Then again…
"Shouldn't you be trying to, y'know, escape?"
"I told you," Zuko snapped, sounding exasperated, "my flame isn't strong enough--"
"Yeah, I heard you the first time," the girl shot back rudely. "But still, there's gotta be other ways. I mean…"
"What other ways? I'm chained to the wall." He shook the links to emphasize his point, and Toph wondered incredulously how she could have missed the sound earlier. She chose to blame her carelessness on the constant flames and Irate Wonder's amazing sulking abilities. "What are you, blind?"
The earthbender scowled darkly. "You got a problem with that!" she shouted, turning to face him and glaring with sightless eyes.
A rather dumbfounded silence followed.
"…Oh," the teen said, his voice uncharacteristically meek. "I…"
"Don't say it," Toph growled, suddenly regretting revealing her impairment to her cellmate. "And stop looking at me like that!"
"There's no possible way for you to know how I'm looking at you--"
"There's only one look," she spat, anger rising to the surface. "And I can tell that you've got it. I don't need your pity."
Ew. They had descended into a pity-ridden silence now.
It almost made her miss the firebending.
"Look," she told her fellow prisoner harshly, "I can take care of myself just fine. I'm capable enough that I don't need anyone's help, and I hate it when people feel sorry for me!" She shouted the last part and struck a fist into the ground in a fit of indignant rage. "So…so just stop it!"
There was a pause. And yes, at this point in a story during which there has been so many awkward periods of all-out silence, it must be stressed that it was, in fact, nothing more than a simple pause.
"…Okay," Zuko said finally, sounding somewhat abashed by her outburst.
Toph was unsure whether to be pleased about her victory or annoyed at the fact that someone so temperamental was taken aback by her ranting. She decided to set aside her indecision for another time to prevent the return of the insidious silence.
"People always look at me like I'm some weak helpless little nothing," she muttered, not particularly caring whether or not he actually heard. She continued talking mostly for her own benefit—to perpetuate the sound, and vent what was left of her long-standing anger about her blindness. "I might not to be able to see it like you can, but it doesn't mean I can't still feel it. The pity oozes off 'em in waves of sentimental sludge, and geez, listening to those stupid high-pitched sympathy voices talking to me like I'm five doesn't help any. I'm plenty strong, and I'm plenty capable, and all pity does is make me feel like ten times the loser they seem to think I am."
"Doesn't it ever…bother you?" the teen asked suddenly with the faintest hint of curiosity, and frankly Toph was surprised he'd bothered listening to her at all.
She scrunched up her face in thought. "Nah, not really," she replied, after considering the question for a moment. "I guess other people would think it does, but…you can't really miss something you never had, right? And anyway, sitting around and moping about something you lost never did anyone any good. I just found ways of living without it, I guess." She grinned at the memory of the Earth Rumble competitions. "And I definitely found ways to have fun without it."
Enter stage left: introspective silence.
Toph's eye twitched. "I don't know why you keep lapsing like that, but it's getting kind of annoying," she told Zuko caustically, after giving him a few moments to reflect on…whatever. "Either have a conversation or don't, okay? The quiet kind of makes me uncomfortable." She chewed her lip thoughtfully before adding, "I can't see with my eyes, but I can sorta see with vibrations, so the talking is pretty important to me."
"What are you, some kind of wolf-bat?"
Was that sarcasm or his missing sense of humor? She dwelled on the question for an instant, then shot back, "I don't mean sound vibrations. That would just be weird. But when I've got both feet on good old-fashioned dirt, the vibrations through the ground can help me know where things are—actually, I don't think that has anything to do with sound, but being ignored really ticks me off."
"You're an earthbender." It wasn't a question, and the sudden wariness in his voice was quite plain.
"You think that's suspicious? I'm not the one being held captive by my own people." She frowned, forgetting the accusation as a new thought occurred to her. "Do you think they're gonna feed us? I mean, they could at least give us some tea or something."
"You sound like my uncle," the firebender commented wryly. Toph was somewhat impressed that he managed to get over his bout of suspicion so quickly.
She smirked. "Really? What's he like?"
"Occasionally, he can be nearly as irritating as you."
"I think I like him already."
And with a few short exchanges, the silence was laid to rest. Unsurprisingly, at least one of the prisoners was all too happy to bid it farewell.
I really, really hope that the ending resolution wasn't too abrupt, but I felt horrible about not getting this out sooner. As always, please review.
…
Three cheers for alternative pairings!
…I did say that right, didn't I?