The next thing Toph knew was that there was a pair of calloused hands softly shaking her. She kept her eyes shut, pretending to still be asleep. Her "bed" shifted, and as the hands flipped her onto her side, she tried her best to remain limp, in hopes they would give up and leave her be. One of the hands brushed the hair off of her face, and she struggled not to flinch her nose.
"Toph," the person said gently, "you have to get up."
Toph pointlessly squeezed her eyes tighter and groaned. "Teo," she complained groggily, "I'm sleeping."
Teo chuckled. "I know, but lunch is already here."
Toph relaxed her eyelids, but kept them closed. "Then feed me," she joked.
Teo's hands went to her arms and he hefted her up, dragging her into a more upright position. "Alright," he played along. Toph opened her mouth, only to be bombarded by a piece of stale, cold bread being shoved into her face, scraping the edges around her mouth.
"Hey," she complained, "I thought you said that they just brought it."
Teo chuckled. "Yeah, well, you shoulda gotten up sooner then."
Toph scrunched her nose and swatted at his arm.
"What was that for?" he asked. She stuck out her tongue.
"I'll get up whenever the heck I wanna get up, got it?" She smirked and lay her head back, pretending to go back to sleep in defiance. She could feel Teo let out an exasperated sigh, and she smirked again, suppressing a laugh. He was actually allowing her to do it.
Growing quickly bored with the quiet, and seeing that Teo had eventually given up, and seemed almost nodding off himself, Toph decided to jump up and rotate herself to face him in one swift movement.
"Bleh!" She yelled, satisfied at the split second of him tensing. Toph laughed. "Gotcha," she teased.
Her face was close enough to feel Teo's hair brush her forehead as he shook his head. "Did not," he laughed.
Toph quirked an eyebrow. "You wanna bet?"
She felt him tense again, and tried to jump away to freedom, but to no avail. She let out an appallingly girlish squeal as Teo's arms wrapped back around her and held her back down. He laughed.
"Don't make me resort to using this to keep you here," he joked, curling his hand lightly around her hair.
Toph's eyes widened. "You wouldn't," she threatened. He chuckled and tugged slightly. Toph put a hand over her mouth as she squealed embarrassingly again.
She shook her head. "Oh, no you don't!" she dared. Her left hand located his right wrist as the other reached back to seize the one holding her hair captive. Giggling slightly as he struggled, she pinned his hands up to the back of his chair, holding them just above the back of his head.
"Alright, you win," Teo laughed. He continued to struggle for freedom, making Toph laugh even harder.
Amidst their game, they did not hear the creak of the door until it suddenly slammed, making Toph jump. Both of their heads instinctively whipped toward the startling noise, and Toph jumped up defensively.
"Who's-" Teo's hand grabbed her wrist, silencing her dare, before releasing again."
"Good afternoon, Sir," he said calmly.
Toph heard quiet footsteps approaching the cell.
"Have you cooled your temper yet?" Lao's voice was like knives to her ears; the question was undoubtedly directed at her alone.
She was about to open her mouth to bite back, when Teo grabbed her hand again, this time pulling her down to his level. "Toph," he whispered, "we already talked about this. Let me handle it."
She sighed. "Fine," she said.
She stood back to full height and crossed her arms, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting out.
"Master Bei Fong." Teo began again, "Lao, sir, I think we should try to remain calm."
"What exactly are you insinuating, boy?" Lao's voice bit back.
"What I mean, sir, is that you shouldn't get so agitated by your daughter being upset."
"What makes you think that you have any right to speak to me about my own daughter? Insolent boy," Lao spat.
Toph grumbled. "More of a right than you…" she muttered under her breath.
"I'm only trying to inform you about what's going on," Teo said calmly. "Look around; you have her locked in a prison cell; do you know how much of a malfeasance it would be if the press found this out?"
Lao grunted. "I've explained this before. I no longer have any other options. Her refusal to practice any form of noble obedience is getting out of hand."
"And the music," Teo sighed, "I know that you're aware that it blocks her ability to bend."
"That's it's entire purpose."
"But aren't you aware that by blocking her ability to bend, you're also taking away her ability to see?" Teo asked.
Lao chortled. "That's preposterous; she's been blind since birth."
"Not entirely; she uses earthbending to see. How do you think she's managed to not only get around, but elude every one of your bounts until now? She could feel them coming.
"Now that you've blocked her bending, she is truly blind; there's no need to go to such extremities," Teo explained.
It was so weird actually hearing it out loud… of course, Toph knew all of this beforehand, but hearing somebody else explain it just felt…eerie? She couldn't really describe it.
She could hear Lao chortle dryly. "How am I to know that, when repossessed with her bending, she would not simply attack my guards and escape?"
"Because you have my word," Teo grabbed her hand again, this time just squeezing it, "and I'm sure you have hers as well. Right?" he asked her.
Toph sighed boredly. "Yeah, whatever. I promise that if you cut the crap,-" Teo squeezed her hand tighter, warningly. "- I mean, 'plead my case', I won't try to take off, or attack your precious little guardsmen." She rolled her eyes, feeling rehearsed.
She heard Lao sigh. "Well, alright… I suppose that, at the very lease, I can cease the harpist."
There was the snap of fingers, and instantly the tune stopped, the newly found silence disturbing the room. At once, vague images began to slowly sprout from the ground, growing upward as Toph's senses heightened. She stomped her left foot, sending a ripple of vibrations across the room to quicken the return. She felt like falling to the ground and making rock angels, but her stubbornness got the better of her, and she hid her excitement with a low grunt.
Teo wheeled closer to the bars of the cell. "See?" he asked, gesturing to Toph, who had crossed her arms. "Nothing. Now maybe we can try to start working things out?"
Lao shifted his weight. "Things will be 'worked out' when Toph begins to take what I say into effect."
"That aint happening! And as long as I'm in this cage, I don't have to do a word you say!" Toph blurted.
Lao pursed his lips and shifted his weight nervously back towards the harpist. Toph narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare…"
Teo sighed, clumping his hair in one hand. "Listen, maybe if we all just try to maintain a calm approach to the situation… Toph, will you agree to listen if you're let out of the cell? And Lao, if Toph at least puts things in perspective, can you remain rational?"
Lao sneered. "You talk as if that would be a possibility."
Teo ran his hand through his hair again before opening his arms in front of him, exasperated. "Listen, sir, I'm only trying to help. Obviously your plans are ineffective, and some form of solution needs to be reached, soon; this is getting ridiculous."
Toph rolled her eyed; ridiculous was an understatement.
It was quiet for a moment, and Lao stiffened. "If I agree to your terms, how am I to be sure I won't be double crossed? You and my daughter could easily just take off the second I open this door," he said.
Teo raised his hand. "You have my word," he declared again.
Lao's lips pursed and his pulse quickened slightly. Teo started rigidly at him, and even Toph gained interest in his silence.
He sighed and flicked his wrist. The door to the room opened, and in came 3 guards; two made their way to either side of the cell door, while one just stood in front. Lao had stepped to the side of the small room upon their entrance.
The guards by the door hefted the heave bars up, removing the door and leaning it against the wall.
Slowly and cautiously, Toph uncrossed her arms and stepped out of the cell, wondering if it was a trap. Teo followed in suit, and the guards surrounded them.
"Very well," said Lao. "If this is the only way to get you to cooperate, then so be it. Follow me to my office."
I know, I know; a bit crappy, and a lot late. I've been having some issues with my depression and haven't been able to write, and then was busy with my boyfriend and just didn't have the time.
I promise that chapter 8 will come a LOT sooner, be a lot longer, and hopefully be a lot better.
Hopefully the cliffy wasn't too bad for some of you, just couldn't figure out how to end the scene.