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Post by Toph Bei Fong on Jul 21, 2010 3:40:48 GMT -5
Toph shrugged. "No not everyone. Bein' an earthbender is an ability you're born with. Not everyone gets it, tough it can run through families. Same's true with the other nations and elements, 'cept the Air Nomads. All of their ilk are airbenders. Dunno how they managed that. I guess there being fewer of them has something to do with it."
A smile widened her face. "The Gaia Kingdom is a pretty great place. We got it all. Sprawling cities, quite countrysides, a natural canyon, towering mountains. And the people! We work hard and we play harder. But the best thing is that were so diverse. Omashu gots its own culture, all respectful and disciplined. Then there is the Kiyoshi Island, more laid back, and of course Ba Sing Se is as cosmopolitan as you can get."
Toph was interrupted by the return of their waitress and the handing out of menus. "I'm not sure what they got here," she confessed, "as far as desert goes. Pick whatever looks good to you. And dont worry about money this time; I got you covered."
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Post by iphigenia on Jul 21, 2010 4:24:22 GMT -5
"Iphie grinned broadly as the menu was handed to her. She browsed through it, the choices were numerous. As a bonus she didn't have to pay, though she wasn't going to splurge. That wouldn't be nice. "She finally decided. "We'll take this. The small cake and ice cream for two. We'll share it." She handed the menu back to the waitress. "Thank you Toph." Iphie leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You don't know how much this means to me." She returns to her seat. "I lived up in the northern part of the continent."
"I was a weak little farm girl, but look at me now. Still little, not so weak, but not even a farm girl. This is really my first time away from there. It's been pretty nice so far. I met you after all and now I've got a friend."
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Post by Toph Bei Fong on Jul 21, 2010 5:37:39 GMT -5
Do friends kiss each other om the cheek? Toph wasn't entirely certain. Cera did it on occasion, but Cera was a special case.
Well, whether or not it was done, Toph rather like the feeling. Iphie lips was only on her cheek for a second, but they left her face feeling warm.
Toph's foot again nudged Iphie's, but then remained where they were, resting lightly on it. "Funny how sometimes life can actually work out in your favor. I certainly didn't know I'd be making a new friend when that damn ogre poisoned me and left me to die in the snow. And you didn't know you'd be making one when you saved me. Best series of accidents ever."
The waitress retruned in short order with the promised cake and ice cream. Toph 'saw' the plate and bowl just before it was placed on the able and vanished from her 'sight', but something had felt...off.
The cake, as it turned out, was in the shape of a small heart as was the ice cream bowl. Apparently the 'Cake and Ice Cream for Two' was a traditional 'date' desert in Venus, or at least in this restaurant.
Toph, of course was complete oblivious to all that. Her questing hands were now sliding along the table in search of her spoon. "I cant taste that ice cream already..."
Her fingers found nothing however. "Hey, where's the spoon already! I cant eat ice cream with chopsticks!"
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Post by iphigenia on Jul 21, 2010 6:00:25 GMT -5
Iphie looked at the cake, slightly stunned at the heart shape. She finally dismissed it and picked up one of the spoons and lightly placed it in Toph's hand. "Here you go Toph." She smiled and grabbed a spoon of her own. She took a spoonful of the ice cream and took a bite. It was absolutely heavenly. This was by far the best dish of the lot, and she was got to share it with a friend. She made a promise to herself to do this again. Since she was so happy, thoughts of her past had to come back. Why not, after all, she had already told Toph more than most people knew. She took another bite of the ice cream, this time with some cake.
"Just a sick little farm girl." She muttered. "I was so sick I couldn't help out the family. The weather did a lot of damage and we couldn't afford to pay our debts. We needed the money. I was the most useless one of the family, costing medicine, food, and time. So my father sold me into slavery." She took another bite of the ice cream.
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Post by Toph Bei Fong on Jul 22, 2010 8:11:39 GMT -5
Toph was grateful for the help in finding a spoon. Hmm, it usually annoyed her when people did things for her. She shrugged and chalked it up to the way Iphie had done it. So casually, like it wasn't that big a deal.
She had successful found the ice cream thanks to the comparative coolness of the bowl and was in the process of placing a spoonful in her mouth when Iphie dropped her bomb. She chocked, her gas and her her attempt at swallowing having occurred at the same time. "He.. he what?" she manged to get out after her fit of coughing. "Iphie..."
Toph felt a powerful urge to hold her new friend, but stopped herself. Iphie dint want her pity, she was certain.
And I thought my parents were bad. They may have wanted me to safe and sheltered and to fit their mold of a ideal daughter... but the still wanted me around.
"That's horrible," Toph said at last. "Is that... is that when you fell in with these 'masters' you mentioned?"
Toph allowed her spoon to rest against the bowl, and placed on hand on Iphie's lap. "Hey, we dont have to talk about this if you dont want to. I mean I'm willing to listen, but dont feel like your have to tell me."
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Post by iphigenia on Jul 22, 2010 8:26:04 GMT -5
"No, it's ok. Might as well tell somebody." She tool another bite of the cake and ice cream. "First I ran off and got even sicker. That's when the I started to get stronger, something sort of changed. I was really angry all the time. It all happened pretty fast and I think I killed them. The Order found me lying near dead in a small drift of snow." The ice cream was really good and it was nice to have something else to focus on while she told the story. If she was paying more attention to what she actually said, she might have clarified them to be the slavers and not her family.
"You're the closest thing I have to a friend, you might as well know the dangers." She sucked on the spoon a little. "The order kept me alive and brought me back to as healthy as they could. I'm still sick but the medicine I take helps."
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Post by Toph Bei Fong on Jul 23, 2010 8:43:33 GMT -5
Toph was able to follow along well enough. She was sold, she ran away, somehow gained that strength she had now, and killed the salvers. You wouldn't catch Toph shedding any tears over slavers. The Fire Nation was famous for taking slaves. They were never the same, ever when freed.
"So that sickness.. the first one, never really went away. You're still sick now, and this Order... they use that didn't they. Is that way you're an," her voice lowered so as not to be overheard "illness-bender now?"
An icy feeling crept into the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with dessert. "What... what would happen to you if you ever ran out of that medicine?"
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Post by iphigenia on Jul 23, 2010 9:27:15 GMT -5
"Yeah, I'd be the muscle if they ever needed more than what they could provide, or the woman if that's what they needed. Strange thing about brotherhoods is that there are few sisters." She snickered at her own joke and took another bite of the ice cream. "Well if I ran out, I'd probably start getting stronger even faster than I already am. The blackouts would probably return and grow longer and longer. There's a good chance that during one of these blackouts I would kill a large amount of people, and then if nobody kills me, I'll die. And then my corpse will release all sorts of unpleasant diseases fermenting and growing stronger inside me on the remaining populace, except they'd be gifted with my own intelligence." She took a bite of the cake. "Of course the brotherhood could just as easily cut my lifeline anytime they wanted and I'd just fall over dead, bringing plague to the world." She shrugged. "I don't like thinking about it much."
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Post by Toph Bei Fong on Jul 25, 2010 8:25:28 GMT -5
Toph opened her mouth, then closed it. What does one say to that? She took a bite of cake and ice cream to buy herslef sometime to think it over before speaking.
So, Iphie wasn't some 'illness-bender' like Toph had thought. Rather she was a walking plague waiting to happen. Despite that, she still struck Toph as fundamentally a good person. Toph herslef could level Sapphis Castle were she of a mind to, but did the fact that she was capable of such destruction make her a bad person? Iphie's situation was similar. Actually, it was a little more than that. Toph had trained and honed her power. Iphie's had been pretty much thrust on her.
"I get that," Toph said at last. "No use dwelling on what you can't change, right?" Toph's hand patted Iphie lap again. "Thanks for trusting me with this. I'd be lying if I said it not a lot to take in, but I'll wrap my head around it eventually. I guess at the end of the day, its better to know more about your friends then less."
Toph went back for more ice cream, only to have her spoon scrape the bowl and come up with very little to show for her efforts. "Wow, we went through that fast."
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Post by iphigenia on Jul 25, 2010 8:39:53 GMT -5
"I may have taken a few extra spoonfuls while you tried to figure out what I meant." Iphie smiled. "Thank you for understanding, or at least trying to." She set down her own spoon and settled a bit in the chair. It's kind of nice having someone else know about it, someone who isn't holding my leash I mean. Sort of liberating you know?" She put her arm on Toph's shoulder. Iphie was feeling really good for once, she had some sugar, she had a friend, and she had one less secret. Maybe coming to the castle was a good idea, even if she ended up dead it wouldn't be a complete waste. She really liked the taste of freedom and planned to take advantage of what little she had before time ran out.
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Post by Toph Bei Fong on Jul 25, 2010 9:46:41 GMT -5
Toph smiled, leaning into the half-hug. "Talking never made me feel any better, but I'm glad its working for you, Lil' Bit. Hey, next time we go out, I'll tell you my deep, dark secert and well be even, kay?" she said, smiling.
The waitress retruned and began clearing the table of the empty plates and bowls. Toph remained where she was. Iphie, for all her scrawniness, was surprisingly comfortable. It was odd how easily they fit together. "Ready to take off, Iphie?" she asked. "I'll get the bill."
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