Chapter 11: Arrival at a Rock Wall
Korra looked at the "Great" Banyan tree in silence. The upper canopy of the massive tree appeared to be withering away as a result of the massive, sickening chunks taken from the sides. Many large branches ended abruptly, and almost all the roots had large swathes removed from them. The smaller vines around the tree had been almost completely removed, with only lifeless tendrils here and there to tell the world of the massacre. Lin yelled, "I don't get it, Korra - it looks like they took almost half the blasted tree, but I never saw that much spirit vine material inside the Colossus!" Mako added, half looking like he wanted to join Druk's display of anger with his new blue flame, "Even the spirit vine inside the reactor wasn't this big! Kuvira must have stashed it all away! That's bad news, if anyone decides to continue fighting when Wu makes his announcement." Korra felt a sinking feeling in her gut - Uncle Iroh's warning about Zuko's post-war rule came scurrying back to her, like a pack of unwelcome giant spiders.
While this atrocity sickens me to my core, Korra, we need to get a move on - and remember, you decided to spare Kuvira's life, and killing her to avenge the Great Banyan tree will accomplish nothing. Raava was right - Korra didn't have time to gawk at that horrible mess. She yelled, loud enough for a now much closer Zuko to hear, "I'm going to find and talk to Toph with Asami! I have the feeling she wouldn't take to my new communication technique at all," adding with a frown, "She's not so keen on regular conversation to begin with." As Lin, Su, Bolin and Opal began laughing loudly, a mysterious gust of wind picked Korra and Asami up off Oogi's back. Much to her annoyance, as she and Asami were swept away, she could see Tenzin wasn't concerned at all - he appeared to be laughing. Then a distant icy memory surfaced, once more, and Korra understood the reason for his laughter.
When Asami and Korra landed in the Swamp, they appeared to be on a large crushed fluffy white pillow. Suddenly, it squawked - this was no pillow! The mass beneath them shrugged them off violently. Korra grabbed ahold of Asami's hand as they fell into a thick bed of leaves, and a strange white bird turned towards them, and let out a piercing screech that sounded like a human scream. A vine whipped the bird off into a distant corner of the swamp, and Asami began laughing like a madwoman. Korra let out a sigh of relief, saying, "Well, it appears the Swamp is still alive, but wounded. I wonder how long it will take to regrow?"
A familiar crotchety voice said behind them, "Oh, I don't know - maybe five thousand years. Welcome back to the swamp, Twinkletoes." Korra grabbed Asami's arm, and rushed towards the hunched-over figure of Toph. Korra told Toph, "Hey again! I'd like you to meet my gi-, uhm, my friend, Asami." Toph gave Korra a quizzical look, and began laughing loudly, saying "Hah! I bet even Bolin could tell that she's not your 'friend' - I've felt my own toddlers give more convincing lies, and both your hearts are beating far too fast for your bond to be just friendship." Korra was half tempted to give Toph a halfhearted shock with lightning, but remembered the last time she had tried to start beef with Toph Beifong, and decided against it. Toph pointed at her rocky shelter and said, "I can tell there's a lot neither of you are telling me. Come here, and get started with the gumflappin'." Once all three were inside, Asami took out her notebook, all prepared to give Toph a full account of the past 48 hour's events. Korra began talking, saying excitedly, "Okay, so first me and Asami go on a field trip to the Spirit world, and then we meet Uncle Iroh, who gives us some big warnings - " Korra fell backward as the rock floor slid under her feet, Toph beginning to cackle simultaneously.
Toph admonished her, "What did I tell you about trying to lie, Korra? The only liar who's ever bested me was Princess Azula, and she's long gone - may she rest in pieces." As Toph began to laugh again, she pointed to Asami, and said, "I can tell you and her have a thing for each other - more than that, I can tell, given how you're both blushing. I can feel the blood flow in your hearts. Why don't you just hurry up and spill the beans - and don't include any of the spiritual claptrap, it always did bore me." Given that so much of Korra's relationship with Asami and its unusual fruit had been enabled by "spiritual claptrap," she told Toph the relevant spiritual parts anyways. Toph must have been able to tell that Korra was still withholding information, and in a way that was consistent with Toph's command - the floor did not move again.
Before Korra could get to their first meeting with Katara, Toph held up her hand and said, "I bet Katara pestered you about this a bit." Korra laughed weakly, saying, "I guess you could say that." Before Korra could go back into the story, Toph added, "And I know you aren't telling me everything that happened in there, as per my request, but you have told me about what I really cared to know, and wish you to tell me more. Remember, no claptrap. Now go." Korra snickered, managing to say, "I guess you and Katara have… similar interests." Korra could hear Asami and herself laughing, and Raava giggling inside of her.
Korra felt a sudden pain in her foot, and felt the world moving around her - apparently Toph had shot a wave of earth at her feet, much as she had before. Toph walked over coolly, stood over her body, and said ,"You really should be more aware of your surroundings, you know," with no hint of emotion in her voice. She felt Raava snickering inside her, although this time Korra did not see what was funny. Korra let out a deep sigh, and got back on her feet once again. Remembering her trick with the tiles from earlier today, she bent a square of earth up from the floor and kept it floating in mid-air, hoping this might fool Toph's earthsense. The old earthbender instead began laughing wildly, turning the square into dust. Stomping her foot on the ground, Toph turned Korra to face her, and said "Nice try, but I still can hear, you know. Some floating rock trick isn't going to fool me - at least not at close range. I still remember how Twinkletoes cheated against me during our first encounter. Speaking of toes… Anyways, why don't you just finish - I have to clean my toes." Toph held up her foot, and Asami turned away - even Korra thought they were overdue. As Korra finished her edited version of events, she heard the door to the cave open - apparently Toph was done with them now.
Before Toph could bend them both out, Korra blurted out, "Toph, the real reason we came here was to get your help - we need your assistance to help save Avatar Aang's spirit, and all the lives before him." Toph stomped the floor again, making both Korra and Asami spin like tops - the same technique Korra had considered using on one of Tarrlok's assistants. Toph said, stopping the girl's motion temporarily, "I thought I told you no claptrap! I don't want anything to do with you kids anymore, or the world for that matter. Not after what Kuvira did to the Swamp." Korra felt her blood boil, and her eyes flash a bright white. She quickly closed the distance to a surprised Toph, and forced the information regarding Raava and her past lives into Toph's mind. She didn't feel proud doing this, but she felt it was the only way - it's not like Toph was going to even let them stay otherwise, much less listen to her tale of woe and urgency.
Korra felt her eyes halt their glowing, and she removed her hand from Toph's temple. Without missing a beat, Toph said, pointing at the door, "Nope, still don't care. Now get out!" Korra was really angry now - did this woman honestly not care about the fate of her deceased friend?! Before Korra could say anything, she saw a shadowy figure extend a gloved hand to Toph's side, and a moderate amount of electrical current enter Toph's body. Knowing she couldn't possibly have generated lightning that quickly, Korra turned her head slightly, and saw Asami by her side. Asami removed the electrogloves from her hand, and said, "I know you can't bloodbend, much less without a full moon, so I guess this is the next best thing. Hopefully some peer pressure will make her cave. I'm going to radio Lin, and you shoot a large beacon of blue fire outside as a signal flare. I know we both had hoped to get Toph to behave reasonably, but it was a long shot."