InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "This is all YOUR fault."

Toph Bei Fong (toph_rulez) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2009-04-27 18:44:00

Entry tags:

!open, riku, toph bei fong

99 Bottles of Jasmine Tea on the wall...
Characters: Toph Bei Fong and Open
Location: The Grand Library and the holding cells below.
Time: Mid-day, several days after her arrival.

Toph was really starting to hate those damned guards. Luckily for her, though, their armor seemed to repair itself every time she woke back up in the Big Building (that's what she was calling the Grand Library, as she had no way of reading the signs which said Grand Library). The first few times she'd fought them off, they'd just tossed her out of the building. Forcibly. It was after that she began to fight back, thankful for all the marble in the place, as she was easily able to bend it and the guards armor. That was when they began tossing her into the cells for a day or two at a time.

The first cell she'd been in had metal bars and a stone floor. She'd escaped easily. The next one was strange. She was completely surrounded by this strange material. It was smooth like ice, but not cold to the touch, and no matter what she did, she couldn't get through it.

This was the fourth day of her third visit to the cell. She was getting very, very bored.

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shadowkeyblade
2009-04-28 01:42 am UTC (link)

Riku lay on his back on the floor of his cell. He was aware that he was getting his clothes dirty by lying here, but he ultimately decided it wasn't worth moving.

This wasn't because he was lazy, but rather because the very act of moving caused him incapacitating pain. Every muscle in his body was on fire. Even scratching his nose was agony.

If anybody else had done this to him, that person would be dead, that simple. However, there was nobody Riku could blame but himself. Oh sure, he could pin the blame on the unstoppable suits of armor, or the mysterious captor who brought him here and stopped his exit attempts. But Riku tried to be honest with himself, and they were only responsible for him being here, in this cell, and on this planet.

No, the one responsible for his unending migraine and his aching muscles was himself. The last time he had to shadow teleport through the void between worlds he was fully embraced by the Darkness, not to mention possessed by Ansem's apprentice's heartless, and even then he had nearly been consumed.

Riku tentatively contemplated giving in to the darkness and blinding himself to the light. If he had that much power he might be able to punch through. But Sora and Kairi weren't in danger, Mickey and his kingdom were whole, there really wasn't a pressing enough need to return to risk it.

Eventually his headache subsided enough for Riku to realize it wasn't subsiding as fast as it should. Somebody was yelling and making quite a fuss.

"Who's there?" he called out, his voice a harsh croak.

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toph_rulez
2009-04-28 01:55 am UTC (link)

Toph had heard the guards come in, open one of the "normal" cells on the other side of the room, presumably to deposit someone in one. She had no idea, though. They'd put her in this weird not-glass prison and taken away her ability to see what was going on.

That had been quite some time earlier. Really, she'd forgotten he was in there at all until he spoke up.

Pushing her hair away from her ears so she could hear better, her hands outstretched and touching the bars of her cell constantly, she moved to the corner closest to the voice. "Depends on who's there," she called back. She kept as much antagonism and attitude out of her voice as she could. No matter who else was in there with her, they had her at a disadvantage, the fact of which she hated. Chances were, they could see and she, for all she knew, was no where near anything she could bend.

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shadowkeyblade
2009-04-28 01:59 am UTC (link)

It was a girl, and from the sounds of it, a tough one. A guard perhaps? Riku forced himself to sit up, even as his body cried in protest. Worse though was when he opened his eyes. He couldn't see anything, but the vaguest hints of shadows. He was too far separated from the light. But as long as he didn't use any shadow powers, his heart should regain it's balance on it's own.

"My name is Riku and I'm a prisoner here. Only I don't know where here." Realizing he might be rude for not looking at the person talking to him, he added, "I apologize for any rudeness, but I'm afraid I'm blind at the moment."

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toph_rulez
2009-04-28 02:12 am UTC (link)

Toph snorted softly. "What a terrible thing, to be blind. I'm blind all the time and I feel no need to apologize for rudeness." Of course, she was a lot less rude than she had been when she'd first joined Team Avatar, as Sokka had liked to call their dysfunctional little family.

That had been five years prior. Wow.

"I'm Toph," she called back to the masculine sounding voice, pressing her face to smooth bars. "I'm a prisoner here too. What'd you do to get thrown down here?"

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shadowkeyblade
2009-04-28 02:22 am UTC (link)

A prisoner? That was probably more useful than not, but meant she likely had less information.

"I meant no offense. I have spent some time without sight before and most people don't really know how to handle it when somebody doesn't look them in the eye, even if they don't know where that eye is. As for why I'm here, I sort of attempted to teleport out of this world, but obviously, it didn't work."

Riku tried to extend his senses, but he still hurt too much. It would probably be easier to wait for the darkness to subside. "And you?"

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toph_rulez
2009-04-28 02:35 am UTC (link)

"When? This time? I tied two of those guard things in a knot," Toph said, leaning against the bars. "And the other ones didn't seem to like that very much. You don't have to worry about looking me in the eye. I'll never know the difference."

She paused for a minute, her face still pressed against the bars. "Hey... When you can see again, can you tell me how close I am to anything vaguely earth-like? Some kind of rock or dirt or anything, really. If I can get my hands on some of that, I might be able to break us out of here."

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	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 01:15 pm UTC (link)
	"I... I can only see shadows right now." Riku blinked. He could see decently, but only as shapes, he could not discern color or material. "But the ground appears to be stone and dirt, at least where I am. And the bars are metal." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-28 01:42 pm UTC (link)
	"That's why I said when you can see." Toph sighed softly, closing her eyes. Boys. What was it about them that they didn't seem to listen? "I was in one of those cells the first time they threw me down here. Big mistake for them, throwing me into a place full of things I can bend." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadowkeyblade
2009-04-28 03:49 pm UTC (link)

Bending. He didn't know what that meant, but apparently it let her control metal in some manner.

"I was just keeping you updated," Riku slowly moved to the edge of his cell. His cell was definitely metal, but instead of a lock, it had a bar, a metal sliding bar that he couldn't lift or move. They clearly were learning from their mistakes with Toph. But Toph's cell, the shadows formed a solid square at one of the bars. There was a lock.

"Hmm, I could easily escape from your cell, and you could easily escape from mine. They're learning, but not fast enough." Riku summoned The Way to Dawn and pointed it at Toph's cell. A beam of light shot from the tip and struck the lock on Toph's cell. Soundlessly, the door swung open.

"Now, help me get out."

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toph_rulez
2009-04-28 04:20 pm UTC (link)

A slow smirk spread across Toph's face as she heard (rather than saw or felt) the door to her cell slide away. Her hands on the bars to keep her balance, she stumbled forward until she was free, finally. At the first touch of her foot to the stone floor, she breathed a sigh of relief. As soon as she was out of here, she was going to dig up a big pile of dirt and just roll in it.

Once she had her bare feet on the heavy stones of the floor and she could finally see, Toph took a moment to figure out where her new buddy Riku was, exactly. Once she had that, she strode confidently to his cell and, with little effort at all, pulled the bars open so e could escape.

"I think that's big enough," she said, stepping back, her dark hair falling in her eyes. "You're not moving around much, so I can't really tell your size. If you need more room to get out, just say so."

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	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 04:21 pm UTC (link)
	Riku climbed out of the hole. "You know, you could have just slid the bar off." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-28 04:29 pm UTC (link)
	"Yeah," Toph said brightly, grinning. "But where's the fun in that?" She turned around and headed toward the closest outer wall of the building. "If we go back through the Big Room, they'll just bring us back down here," she said, laying a hand on the cool stone wall. "But we can get out this way and just avoid that." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 04:33 pm UTC (link)
	Away from the cells there wasn't enough light for there to be true shadows, just darkness, which did Riku's eyes very little good, so he light up a ball of energy at the tip of his keyblade. What he found was still puzzling. "I don't get it, this is just a rock wall." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

toph_rulez
2009-04-28 04:40 pm UTC (link)

Toph didn't say anything as she took a step back. One quick hand movement and a section of the wall slid away, creating a door for them to exit through. Another hand motion and Toph had bent a tunnel through the earth that was on the other side of the wall, punching through to the surface on the far end. "Just a rock wall, huh?" she chuckled, heading into the tunnel. "Come on. I want to close the wall behind us so they're really confused."

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	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 05:02 pm UTC (link)
	Riku could feel the fresh air as he climbed into the hole. His eyesight was returning, but slowly, so the way was somewhat trecharous for him. "So you can bend any rock or metal?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-28 05:10 pm UTC (link)
	"Yep. Pretty much. I'm the only Earthbender who can bend metal, though. At least, I'm the only one I've ever heard about." Toph had quite a bit of a lead on Riku as she headed through the tunnel. "Got enough head room? You're taller than I expected." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 05:52 pm UTC (link)
	"I'll be fine. I'm used to following somebody shorter than me." Riku laughed. "So this... bending. You use it to see?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

toph_rulez
2009-04-28 07:37 pm UTC (link)

"Sort of." Toph widened the tunnel even though Riku said he was fine. "I can't see anything. But through my earthbending, I can feel vibrations. People, building, trees, animals... Even bugs. If it's touching the ground, I can sense how far away they are, how big they are, things like that."

They were nearing the end of the tunnel, so Toph blew it open, giving them plenty of room to exit. "What about you? You did something fancy on that door to get me out and I don't think you charmed it with your razor sharp wit."

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	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 07:40 pm UTC (link)
	"I have a keyblade," Riku said blinking in the sun. With this much light, his shadow vision didn't give him much to work with, fortunately his true sight was beginning to return, and he could see muted gray shapes. He offered her the hilt, so she could examine it. "It's name is The Path to Dawn, and in addition to being a powerful weapon it can unlock any door." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-28 07:49 pm UTC (link)
	Toph didn't see the sudden change in light, or the "keyblade" extended to her, or the way that Riku seemed to falter in the bright sunlight. "Unlock any door? That's handy. Maybe it can unlock a place for us to stay or something, because I do not want to have to go back in there and try to kick some armored ass in order to have a comfortable bed." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 08:08 pm UTC (link)
	"We'll keep that as an option, but I'd prefer to see what other ways we can survive here before I resort to breaking and entering." Riku's stomach chose that time to make a loud growl. "But maybe first we can find some food?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-28 08:15 pm UTC (link)
	"You're the eyes in this operation, oh sighted on," Toph pointed out. "Everything's so quiet here. I'm not feeling much and what I am feeling won't be helpful." She turned toward him so she could face his general direction. "So how's the sight now? Getting any better?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 10:51 pm UTC (link)
	"Yes and no," Riku shrugged. "I can see better, but I can still mostly only see shadows. It's pretty well lit, so the shadows are spread out more than in the cave. It makes things harder." Riku closed his eyes and concentrated. He was strong enough to rely on his other senses now. "I smell some food. This way," and he took off with a purposeful stride. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-28 11:02 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, now if this isn't a case of the blind leading the blind, I don't know what is." Toph sighed but followed Riku. "Maybe we should just... like... hang out until your eyes are better." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-28 11:53 pm UTC (link)
	"Come on," Riku said confidently. "You don't strike me as the type to rely on other people just because you can't see. And neither am I. I've spent an entire year cut off from the light before. I can do it again. And I don't care to hang around waiting to be captured again." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

toph_rulez
2009-04-29 01:44 am UTC (link)

"I don't need to rely on anyone but myself," Toph said, sounding offended. She'd fought in a war. She'd mastered a form of earthbending that most never even dreamed of attempting. She had trained the Avatar, for Pete's sake! And all of that when she was 12!

But that was five years ago. Maybe she'd gone soft. Maybe she wasn't as tough as she'd been when she was The Blind Bandit.

She cleared her throat, still following him. "You know, no matter what we find, we're going to have to steal it. I don't have any money on me."

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	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-29 01:47 am UTC (link)
	"I have some munni, although I'm not sure it'll do any good here. I also have some potions and ethers I could probably barter for, although I'd rather keep those if I can. Worst case scenario, I'm sure we can find some labor trade options." (Reply to this) (Parent)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-30 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	Potions? Ether? "You've got what?" Toph asked, hurrying to catch up to Riku. (Reply to this) (Thread)

shadowkeyblade
2009-04-30 06:47 pm UTC (link)

"You don't know what potions and ether are?" Rikku looked perplexed. "They're supplies made by moogles. Potions heal your injuries, and ether replenishes your magic. Elixir's do both but I'm out of those. Here you'd better take a potion, just in case. It's always useful to make sure everybody has one." Riku handed her a small red bottle. "Does your bending take up magic?"

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	toph_rulez 2009-04-30 07:06 pm UTC (link)
	"Uh... no," Toph said, handing Riku the bottle he'd just handed her. "I don't have anywhere to carry this, but thanks. And I have no idea what you're talking about, bending using up magic. It's not magic it's... just... bending." This Riku kid was really confusing her. All this talk of potions and ethers and magic... "... Where are you from, Riku?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-30 08:11 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm from Destiny Islands. You probably haven't heard of it, it's a pretty remote world. But I serve King Mickey from Disney Kingdom." Riku pocketed the potion again. "And you'll have to excuse me for thinking that the ability to move rock and bend metal might be magical in nature." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	toph_rulez 2009-04-30 08:13 pm UTC (link)
	"... I've traveled all over the world, not only with the Avatar, but also with Fire Lord Zuko of the Fire Nation... And I've never heard of the Destiny Islands. Or King Mickey. Or the Disney Kingdom." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-30 08:36 pm UTC (link)
	"Not the world. A world. There are many, and until recently, they've all been separate from each other, so much that most people don't know there's more than one." Riku paused for a moment. "Fire Nation... Is that part of the Land of Dragons?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

toph_rulez
2009-04-30 08:49 pm UTC (link)

"There used to be dragons there, but I think they're all dead now." Toph knew, by then, that they didn't come from the same world. Maybe not even the same universe.

She wished Aang were there. He'd know what to do about it. Twinkle Toes would probably suggest they all hug and accept their differences or something.

"I don't know, Riku," she said, sounding skeptical. "Aang has never said anything about there being more than one world, and he'd know. I mean, he is the Avatar."

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	shadowkeyblade 2009-04-30 09:45 pm UTC (link)
	"I've never heard of this Avatar, but I think even you have to admit you are no longer on whatever world you came from." (Reply to this) (Parent)