For four days following the first of their capture, Lao returned to the cell room. Each time he would attempt to 'reason' with Toph, and each time the outcome was the same; she would move to the corner, her back turned against him, and refuse to speak.
The meals that they were fed weren't necessarily the slop that Toph assumed was served at most real prisons, but the food was meager at best compared to the extravagant meals that she knew the estate kitchen chef was capable of producing. If it were up to her, she wouldn't have eaten any of it; not out of being spoiled, but simply to spite Lao. She didn't want to accept the handout, and she was getting sick of being treated like a prisoner, sick of that cell, sick of the harp, sick of Lao, sick of everything. She was pretty sure that if they hadn't made up, she'd be sick of Teo, too, with his cheerfulness and constant attempts to pierce through the hull of her disgust at the situation.
Judging by the number of times Lao had arrived, and by the distance between his visits, today was the fifth day being stuck there. As she suspected, the gaang hadn't shown up to 'rescue' them yet, so the two simply spent their days unsuccessfully trying to deduce a means of escape.
Shortly after they had eaten their lunch- Toph embarrassingly allowed Teo to help her with meals, because she wasn't quite used to eating without any sense of where her plate was- and when their trays had been removed by the guards, the telltale creak of the door told her that Lao had returned yet again, and without a second thought she went straight to her corner, making sure he got the picture that she wasn't interested in what he had to say.
"Toph," he said quietly. His voice always started out soft and calm, holding the artificial air of a loving and concerned parent, but it never lasted long. He would forget about the act as soon as he began to get frustrated with her resistance to his negotiation methods.
"Toph, this is getting ridiculous. Please, you have to at least acknowledge me," he said.
"I don't have to do anything…" Toph grumbled under her breath.
Lao sighed and continued. "Your mother and I are simply concerned for your future. With your behavior, how do you expect me to find a decent man to take care of you when I'm gone? Unless you begin acting as a proper noble girl should, you'll never get married off."
That was the final straw. Aborting her determination to ignore him, Toph jumped up and, not very gracefully , stormed over to the bars of the cell, bumping into them slightly, and exploded.
"I don't need anyone to take care of me, and I certainly don't want to get married off!" she screamed, pointing a shaking finger in Lao's direction. "Especially not to that political moron you've got picked out!"
Lao sighed again. "I'm afraid that the Chaw-Hsu boy grew tired of waiting for your return, and decided instead on a young girl named Meng from his own village."
Toph smirked. "I bet you were ticked," she said mockingly.
"I would appreciate you taking this more seriously." Lao said, his voice sharper.
"And I would appreciate being let out of this thing," she cried, sarcastically gesturing to the cell around her. "Or at least getting rid of that crappy music."
"This is exactly what I'm talking about! You're constantly running your mouth at the slightest displeasure; you need to learn to hold your tongue, " Lao snapped.
Toph spat, hoping that it landed somewhere near his feet. "Make me," she dared. "I'll say whatever I want."
Lao grunted. "I don't know where you picked up this rebellious behavior from, but it needs to stop immediately. You need to act like a proper young girl."
Toph glared. "I'm an adult!" she shouted.
Lao was silent for a second before speaking up yet again, a scarcely detectable change in his tone. "All the more reason for you to learn how to behave."
Something snapped in Toph's brain. "You know what I think is funny?" she laughed, "You've been constantly telling me to see things your way, but not once have you asked to see it mine!"
"Toph, that's en-"
"No! Don't you see how sick you are? I'm locked in a cage! Your own daughter, locked up like some kind of animal!" she shouted hysterically. "And for what! Not being what you want! You're not going to change it, no matter what you try. Not wanting to accept an arranged marriage! In case it hasn't occurred to you, I have a boyfriend! For-"
"What?" Lao asked incredulously. "But… who…"
Toph rolled her eyes and gestured sharply to where she last knew Teo to be sitting. He hadn't said a word the entire time.
Lao chuckled. "You must be joking. The Quey-Rin boy? He's nothing more than a servant; a simple peasant!"
Toph grunted, another burst of anger fueling her rant. "You're a ridiculous old kook!"
"I am your father, and you are to address me as such," he said sternly.
Toph laughed again. "No you aren't! I might be related to you, but that's where it ends. You don't accept me as you daughter; why should I do the same?" She felt herself starting to grow hot, and her eyes began to sting. "Not once have you ever done anything a 'father' would do. You've never been proud of me, or even acknowledged any of my achievements- for Spirits' sakes, I've beaten the best earthbenders in the world on several accounts; I've helped win a war! And none of it even matters to you!" She grit her teeth and stubbornly swiped at a tear with her arm. "I wouldn't doubt it if you've never even loved me! The only thing reason you don't just get rid of me or let me leave is because you need an heir to your fucking fortune. Even then, what do you do? You try to force me to turn into the daughter you actually wanted; someone I'm not."
She felt Teo's hand rest on her shoulder, and she closed her eyes for a second, trying to let it relax her. But another wave of anger surged through her, and she shrugged it off.
"Well, you know what? You might as well just give up, because I'm sick of it; I'm not doing anything just to please you!"
She turned around, wiping her eyes disgustedly as she sat in the corner. She heard the door slam shut outside, and she curled her knees up to her chest, brushing away yet another tear.
"Toph…" Teo started quietly. She shook her head.
"I'm done with him," she grumbled. "I don't care if we're stuck here forever; I'm done with him. If he thinks I'm gonna be what he wants, then he can kiss my –"
She felt Teo come up behind her and take her hair out of it's band, re-twisting it so that the stray hairs that had dislodged themselves during her fit rejoined the rest. She quieted and closed her eyes, not wanting to admit how good it felt to have someone take care of her. He gently worked the knots out of her hair, and she turned around, a miniscule smile tugging at her lips.
"What are you doing?" she asked. He replaced the band in her hair.
"Getting settled," he stated. "If we're going to be here forever, you might as well be comfortable."
Toph smirked slightly, laughing to herself, her mood starting to lift. "I was being sarcastic; I still want to get out of here," she said with a slight pout.
She suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her and pull her upwards; she pushed against them with her hands. "Let me down," she grunted.
Teo chuckled and pulled her fully onto his lap. "Not until you cheer up," he said, hugging her close enough to be able to feel his heartbeat without vibrations.
Still squirming, she cracked a smile. "Alright, I give!" she laughed, settling down.
He kissed her cheek, which had dried, and she felt him grin into it. "That's better," he said softly.
Toph turned around and returned the kiss. "Hey Teo?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"The next time he shows up, could you…" she bit her lip, trying to think of how to word it, "make sure I don't blow my top?"
Teo laughed. "I don't think that's possible," he joked.
She glared at him playfully. He laughed again. "It's part of who you are!"
Toph rolled her eyes. "Spirits, you are so cheesy sometimes."
"Do you have a problem with it?" Teo asked.
Toph grinned and shook her head; it even surprised her how little she minded it by now. "Not really," she admitted, and he hugged her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, and thought that maybe, if she could stay just like this- just the two of them, no one to tell them what they could or couldn't do, no one to tell them who they could or couldn't be, just how it was right that moment- she could be content with being stuck here forever.
Merry early Christmas everyone!
Sorry for my posts becoming more infrequent again; just having a bit of writers block and being busy with my first ever attempt at a real social life (somewhat...)
This story kind of makes me worried with getting OOC...what do you think? Too much sappiness for Toph to be capable of tolerating? Too much drama?
Review please!
(Also; any predictions yet?)