tushanshu_logs

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Characters: Korra, Toph
Date: June 24th
Location: EA-3A, Toph's suite.
Situation: No bending means no sight.
Warnings/Rating: N/A, will update if needed.

Who knew such a short exchange of words could mean so much. After talking to Toph Korra had left her suite in a rush almost forgetting to close the door on her way out. Korra had taken the loss of her bending quite hard, after all it is what she had been training with for most of her life. Never had it occurred to her how that could affect Toph though.

Getting through the Metal Sector was made easy by buying a ride to the Earth Sector. Once there she went full sprint, casually shoving aside any kedan that got in her way. In any other instance she'd apologize, but there wasn't any time for her to stop. Right now, it was a waste of breath that she needed to keep herself running at top speed.

Once she got there, she skidded to a halt and knocked on the door loudly. She remembered this time to do so.

"Toph, it's me!"

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She ought to have been grateful, having that sudden voice at the door -- quicker than she had thought it might come. And she was grateful. But the voice brought with it an immediate sensation of dread, cold in the pit of her stomach.

She didn't want to move. Didn't want to grope around like a blind person. Didn't want to accept the role in front of her. But she forced herself to her feet, picking her way across the floor in a path from memory.

She pulled open the door, letting the Avatar inside.

When the door opened Korra looked at Toph, who appeared to be the same as she had always been. But there was more than just that, Korra could tell by the way the young earthbender carried herself.

Stepping into the now mostly earth suite, Korra couldn’t help but feel that this place was now dangerous for her friend to be staying in. “Did it happen when you called me?” She asked, turning her attention back to Toph. While she had always had unfocused eyes, Korra had always been assured by the fact that Toph could see her. “I could get us something to eat or drink.” She offered, unsure at the moment of what to offer as comfort.

Toph pushed the door back into place. The solid weight of it was vaguely reassuring, grounding her in time and space. For a moment she stood there, resting her hands against it, palms flat against the surface, fingers splayed. One breath. Then two. She turned towards Korra's voice.

"Happened this morning." Her voice was flat. "I woke up this way."

She'd awoken to nothingness, just as she had when she first came, when the kedan had been ready to haul her up. Nihility -- like someone had ripped off an arm or a leg. Seismic sense had been a part of her even before she'd learned earthbending -- even if she hadn't always known how to focus it. Without it, she felt incomplete. Crippled.

She felt heat rise to her face, sensed that Korra must be looking at her. Watching her. Looking for differences in her face. Twisting away so her face was hopefully out of view, she headed for the couch they'd left. "I know how to get food if I want it."

"Right, I know." Korra's tone reflected the mistake she felt she made by mentioning it. Yes, Korra was definitely watching Toph closely. Everything about her posture seemed off compared to the last time she had visited, and it was more evident now that she could see her walking.

Following behind her, Korra leaned onto the back of the couch and folded her arms on the top of it.

"Can you remember a time before you could earthbend?" Korra had no idea what age Toph was when she was taught by badgermoles, history just had general information. Nothing that distinct or personal.

Korra made her way to the couch more quickly as Toph was forced to slow down, confronted by the uncertainty of the space in front of her. Memory was not nearly as good as seismic sense, and with her own refusal to put out her hands to feel her way forward, her hip slammed into the arm of the couch. Fortunately the monstrosity was poofy and padded -- it was more a blow to the ego than to the body -- but a hiss of frustration escaped her lips, the silence afterward almost daring Korra to comment.

"There was plenty of time before I could earthbend." Her voice retained the tension as she pulled herself onto the couch, knees pulled up as well, leaning arms and chin on them. "Before I was six. I remember feeling stuff before that -- the vibrations -- but I didn't really know what to do with them, and they didn't make much sense. I was pretty much just blind before then."

There was obviously something sensitive here; it showed in her face. A twist of something -- like anger.

"So what are you going to do with me?" If the other shoe was going to fall, it might as well be now, out in the open. How was Korra reacting to this? Even her sense for "hearing" changes in emotion or truthfulness were dead. She was afraid to hear the answer -- ready to fight it if need be.

As much as she was determined to know and get it over with, she didn't say what she expected wasn't going to hurt.

Seeing Toph take a hard bump on the couch caused Korra to wince and the ensuing hiss made her put both her lips between her teeth and clamp down. The question on whether or not she was okay hit the barrier of her closed mouth and died off. Korra knew that wasn’t the right thing to ask and had a feeling it wouldn’t go over with Toph at all.

Leaning forward so she could put her chin on her folded arms, Korra listened to her explanation of her time before she had her seismic sense. When the question came, still containing that bitterness, Korra took a moment to think about it.

"Well you called me-" No denying that one. "and I’m going to do what I would do for any of my friends.” Putting her hands onto the back of the couch, Korra hopped over it and landed onto the seat next to Toph. “Keep you company and maybe even mooch some of your food.”

Of course there was more than that, but Korra felt the rest of it was implied in her statement.

A surprised blink from Toph as she raised her head.

Well, it was a good reminder, really, and probably something she shouldn't have slipped back into . . .

A small smile sparked. "Thanks." With a breath, her body uncoiled. ". . . Sorry. My parents thought I was fragile until Aang showed up. Because I'm blind. They didn't know about the earthbending. They treated me like I was sick or not there in the head. Aang and Katara and Sokka . . . they were the first ones to treat me like I was okay. Just part of the group."

Her expression flickered. "Of course I could actually kind of see then. Pull my own weight."

"You, the strongest earthbender, fragile? Tch." Korra couldn't think of Toph that way. Not after what she's experienced with her and the memories Aang had shared with her. But if they didn't know about her earthbending, well that something else. "Sounds like life gave you some really good friends."

That last statement though makes Korra lean her head onto the couch and she deliberated on it before turning her head to the side to look at Toph. "In the Southern Water Tribe you'd still pull your weight. Cleaning fish is something pretty much everyone learns and after a few days it could done in your sleep." She actually gives a small laugh. "It'd really work for you, some girls refuse because they don't want to get their hands dirty."

"I dunno about the fish cleaning," was Toph's wry reply. "I mean, I like dirt and all, but. Sokka's sleeping bag almost smells better."

Her eyebrows rose. "My point is, being blind makes people weird around you. They don't know how to treat you -- even your own family. You're either fragile and they hop all around trying to figure out how to talk to you without talking about it, or they openly just do stupid stuff, like tell you it's amazing how you know what's going on anyway. Even you sometimes, I find you tiptoeing around. I just . . . don't want that, you know?"

The last line seemed to be more directed at the world in general than Korra herself.

"And on my end, like I said, I'm sorry. I've got really good friends. Just . . . This is different. This whole place is different. Even though I'm blind, I've always had my earthbending. And now I don't."

“Yeah, I guess your sense of smell is a lot better than most. Either that or Sokka can really stink everything up.”

A streak of guilt went up Korra’s spine when Toph mentioned the tiptoeing. Korra had hoped that Toph wouldn’t have been able to tell when she was being careful with her words, but that was asking a lot considering Toph could normally tell if someone was lying by heartbeat alone.

“Well, I’m sorry too. I’m not used to walking on egg shells, it’s weird. I just feel like if I don’t I might let something slip that you don’t want to know. That and I am worried about you. Not when you had your bending though, if anything I’d be worried about anyone who got in your way.” That was something she said with a fond grin, Toph’s tough attitude was actually and endearing trait to Korra.

“But right now, I really am worried because I just put myself in your place. How would it be for me if I just suddenly lost my sight. Especially with living in a new place like this.” Even Korra hadn’t fully adjusted to having her own suite. Some days she awoke almost expecting to have breakfast with Tenzin and Pema.

“One of the things I wanted to do was invite you stay at my place.” Considering Toph’s new décor was mostly stone, Korra really was concerned about what kind of accidents could occur.

"Sokka never washed it. Even if you didn't have a good sense of smell, you could catch it five miles off."

The small smile re-emerged. "Thanks . . . That really all means a lot. And . . . yeah. I think staying with you for a while would be good."

Toph, on her end, wasn't worried about the nature of her décor . . . but the broad emptiness of the space, indiscernible and foreign, was deafening in its vastness. In it, she was small, inept. Angry.

She closed her eyes for a moment, wavering on whether or not she wanted to give voice to the constantly pinging thought in her head. If she wanted her fear that visible.

At any other moment, she might have stayed silent. But with Korra's release of some of her own walls, she allowed it to come out.

". . . It'll come back. Won't it?"

If Toph could only see the surprised look on Korra's face when her offer to stay was accepted. Honestly, Korra was preparing herself to get punched.

"I- I don't really know. I'm hoping it does." Initially Korra wanted to lie with a simple yes, but that wasn't fair. "Life is going to be really hard to get used to if it doesn't."

Obviously more so for Toph.

"When did you want to go the Metal Sector with me? We can stay here a little longer if you want." And she meant it, hours, days. However long it would take before Toph was comfortable with going.

Admittedly, Toph wanted reassurance . . . but she didn't want a lie, either. Unfortunately, the two weren't always compatible.

For a long moment she didn't say anything, eyes still closed. If Korra were watching carefully, she might catch the very faint tightening of Toph's fingers, balled on her lap.

"It's fine," she said finally. "Don't really have anything keeping me here."

Seeing the unbreakable earthbender of legend like this simply pierced through Korra’s guarded emotions. Not only did she feel for Toph, but it also gave Korra pause on how she herself had been simply moping about just her bending being gone.

Unable to watch and do nothing, Korra reached out her hand until it brushed against Toph’s, leaving it there for her to take on her own time. “Then let’s go and wait this storm out, okay?”

Bending had become Toph's life since she was six -- since the first contented lick of acceptance from the badgermole. She'd thrown every ounce of her energy, every ounce of her genius into it. The gift of it was hers alone; she'd horded it, nurtured it, honed it into something that marked her, defined her.

It had saved her, and now it had left her.

For a moment she was still under Korra's hand, pulled inward to the silence within herself.

Then, abruptly, she twisted, arms and hands twisting in an earthbending movement that punched into the couch between them. If the back of the couch had been a rock, it would have flown . . . likely hard enough to crash through the wall. As it was, on the poofy couch, her hand merely punched into the fabric, the blow absorbed on impact.

Muttered softly, "Sorry."

She might not be the best company in the coming days.

Seeing Toph's frustration now was almost a reflection of Korra when she first discovered her bending was waning. Her thoughts focused on what she had done, breaking in that new punching bag she had gotten.

"Don't be." said Korra before she got off the couch so she could crouch onto her haunches in front of Toph, despite her blindness. The direction of her voice would let her know she was face to face with her. "There's pretty smart people working on finding out how to fix this, and knowing at least one of them I'm sure they'll figure it out. Besides we haven't had a chance to really show each other our earthbending techniques yet, so we shouldn't let ourselves get rusty while waiting."

It may have sounded childish, but Korra believed it.

"My second floor is open and perfect for that stuff."

"Yeah?" The word was still soft, but soothed a bit. The idea of an entire floor open for venting frustrations was highly appealing at the moment.

Korra was also being pretty patient . . . and, childish or not, those words were something she needed to believe. If there was any residual doubt about going with the Avatar, it vanished. Toph drew a quiet breath and nodded, reaching out for her.

"Yeah." Korra answered softly with a smile. The motion caught her eye and Korra put her hand in Toph's.

"You've never had a floating fruit slush before, have you?" She asked with a smirk as she stood up and lightly stepped backed, giving Toph room to stand. "Because I think I'm the first person to make it. Best stuff in the world after a hard workout."

Guided by Korra's hand, Toph allowed herself to slide from the couch and back to the floor. She half-anticipated the familiar resonance that usually accompanied the movement -- and shut out the sensation that it didn't happen.

Feeling Korra's actions through the shifting in position of her own arm, having her hand held to guide . . . this was something she remembered, back before she was six, when her own family, servants and staff were the guide to the world. For a moment, just as she had been when she arrived, she was displaced in time and space.

"Sounds good." She waited for Korra to make the first move. "What's in it?"

A gentle grip that was backed by tamed strength is what Korra offered as a physical guide to Toph. Letting the first few steps they took be a little slow at first to set their pace, Korra led Toph to the door of her suite.

"Nothing but sweet floating fruit. A friend of mine had preserved it when it was available. After that I just froze it and mashed it up." Opening the door also let in the sounds of Keeliai.

"I've gotten a brain freeze a couple of times." That last part was said somewhat abashedly. It was hard to stop having the snow cone-esque treat.

Toph listened with half an ear -- not because she wasn't genuinely interested, but her mind still spun. The sounds of the world outside as the door opened were more of a relief than she'd expected -- a sign that not every sense had abandoned her. Mentally, she tested herself, sorting out the individual voices of the kedan, the rumble of a cart, trying to place everything in space. It took effort . . . but it was a mental exercise she forced herself to manage. Reaching back, she pulled the door shut behind them both.

"It's fine," she proffered to Korra. "I can go faster.

She was keeping closer than an arm's length, though, her grip tightening on her friend's fingers.

"It's not like sea prunes, is it?" This was a return to the earlier thread of conversation.

Because if it was like sea prunes, Korra could enjoy that one on her own.

Before Korra could reach to close the door, Toph had beat her to it. Something that actually comforted her. There was more to Toph than just her bending, but Korra wasn’t quite sure how to put that in words just yet.

“All right.” Korra’ grip tightened as Toph’s did, a reassurance that the Avatar was strong enough to be relied on as much or as little as possible. Happy to have her friend next to her, Korra upped theirs to a normal walk pace.

“Haha, no, no. It’s not like sea prunes at all!” She couldn’t keep in her laugh. It was amusing to her how just about everyone in Keeliai hated sea prunes, but knowing that Toph did felt normal. Someone from the Earth Kingdom not having that preference was something that didn’t bother Korra in the least. It was a fond reminder of home, even if it was from a different time.

“Actually it’s one of the sweetest fruits I’ve had. Almost feels like I’m eating dessert.” Going through the Earth Sector was simple since Korra had visited Toph’s suite enough to learn her way around. “There’s not nearly as many cars here as there is in the Metal.” She commented over how easy it was to cross the streets, the water fountain they passed was audible thanks to the lack of loud engines.

Weaving through people was easy, but Korra kept her hand firmly on Toph’s in case one of the kedan wasn’t paying attention.

"If it's not like sea prunes, then I'll give it a try." Toph kept herself busy with her sound mapping exercise, keeping close to Korra. Apparently it was working out reasonably; she shifted in space to avoid a kedan child darting to avoid a companion with a laugh and completely not looking where he was going.

It wasn't much -- not enough to trust navigating a street by herself -- but it was something.

Cars would be a completely other matter. At another time, Toph might have liked the noisy things -- even been fascinated. Right now, they were a danger.

"Metal's different than the others," she noted, twisting her neck to catch the sound of a construction crew still at work repairing one of the homes damaged during the spectre invasion.

Keeping close to Toph was Korra’s top priority when they worked their way through the end of the crowded market circle of the Earth Sector. “This place was in shambles after that satellite crashed.” A note of distaste in her mouth since this was where she had first encountered Amon in person.

“Yeah, I’ve been to all of the sectors finally and Metal has a lot of ‘new’ things. I guess.” She wasn’t sure if that was they way to describe it. As if on cue they had crossed over into the Metal Sector which had less people on the sidewalk, which meant it would be easier for Toph, but also had more cars/motorcycles driving around, which meant Korra was on double time for watching where they go.

“Um… I think I know an easier way to get through here, but I’m not sure if you’d like the idea.” No more tip toeing around for Korra, she now knew that was more of an insult to Toph than a consideration. “When was the last time you had a piggy back ride?”

At that, Toph's face immediately swung in Korra's direction as though to say, Are you kidding me?

She definitely did appreciate the forthrightness instead of the tiptoeing, but that didn't mean she would always be in on what Korra offered, either. Today had already been damaging to her ego; having to ride piggyback so she didn't get run over was potentially humiliating.

She knew full well Korra was trying to help and hadn't meant it that way, but she was still getting the Really? expression.

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