Does it surprise you to find that I'm laughing? (houseofleaves) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-03-06 23:25:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, avatar korra, toph bei fong |
Who: Toph and Korra
When: Monday March 4
Where: Toph’s place
What: Talking dates and shit
Rating: PG-13 at least for Korra and Toph’s language.
Status: Complete
Korra hadn’t left her place at since she’d gotten back from her date with Mako. Was she calling it a date now? It pretty much was. He’d called it one, anyway. But it had also been the single most embarrassing moment in Korra’s short lifetime. She had decided it was a much better idea to hide away for a little while, not leave her house, let alone her room or her bed. She’d left only to pay the pizza guy when he’d arrived.
A few days later now, Korra had texted Toph and (unsurprisingly) the younger girl had insisted she come over and tell the entire story. Needing to get it off her chest, Korra had walked over to the other girl’s place. Because damn, she couldn’t afford a car,. She crossed her arms and scowled at everyone on the way. She was still in the phase where she thought what had happened was totally painted all over her face. Approaching Toph’s door, she rang the buzzer, waiting outside. Avoiding anyone’s looks.
There was a little buzz, and then the door clicked open for the front door of the building. Because it was an apartment, man, and apartments had those kinds of cool features.
Toph was waitin
at the door of her actual apartment when Korra finally made her way up, her arms were crossed and she was leaning against the frame. Her expression was pretty damn close to impatient. How could she possibly live vicariously through Korra if the other girl waited so damn long to give her things like stories and details?
Well, Korra was pretty sure that these kinds of details had to wait. She arrived at Toph's apartment, sighing loudly before greeting with a heavy-sounding "Hey." She stood with her arms crossed, and though Toph couldn't see it, her expression would never be described as a happy one. "What's up?"
“The ceiling,” Toph said, tone dry well past deadpan. Because that was how she did it. She backed up into her apartment, gesturing for Korra to follow her. Here, in this place, Toph didn’t even really seem like she was blind -- she knew the layout perfectly, and even though the place was a little messy, she knew where everything was. She moved around with absolutely perfect ease.
“Make yourself at home. Want something to drink?” Apparently, she was going to have to con Korra into being more friendly today. Maybe things really had gone terribly.
Korra followed Toph inside, her posture still stiff and a bit uncomfortable. She honestly hadn't spoken more than two words to anyone in the past few days. She wasn't really the type to sulk, but she definitely was now.
"I'm good," she told Toph at the offer of something to drink. She looked around the apartment and half-smiled. She'd never been to Toph's place before. "Nice place."
“Is it?” Toph asked, although she didn’t really sound all that curious about it. “I’ve never seen it.” Blind jokes? From a blind girl? Fucking hilarious.
“Shut the fuck up,” Korra told her, though she definitely sounded like she was joking. These two were like that. Rough around the edges.
Moving into the living area, Korra took a seat on Toph’s couch, elbows on her knees and head hanging. She sighed. “Did you hear about what happened from the restaurant?” It was a fair enough question. And would let Toph know that it was a big enough story that someone would have heard about it there.
“No,” Toph said honestly, even as she plopped down on a little armchair that was adjacent to the couch. It was her favorite seat, and she could curl up in it appropriately. Which she now did. “I’d called before hand and told them to put it on my card plus gratuity. So I haven’t heard anything about it.” Tell me, her words clearly said, vaguely impatient.
Korra let out a long sigh, not knowing where to start. Maybe at the beginning. “It’s... kind of a long story,” she admitted, joining her hands together and wringing them as she spoke. “Well, he showed up. Wearing just about the hottest suit,” she added, laughing a bit. He’d looked good, alright? She would admit it at least once.
“Anyway, we went in and did the whole dinner thing. But, of course, we fought. He just says the stupidest shit sometimes,” she was saying, looking at Toph as if to say ‘you know what I mean?’
Of course Toph did not know what she meant, and that much should have been obvious. But she was never one to interrupt a tale of love and loss and woe or whatever the fuck. She gave an encouraging sort of nod, even as she took the time to be inwardly pleased at the fact that Korra had totally thought Mako was attractive in a suit. That part of Toph’s plan had worked, anyway. Go on.
Korra didn’t know how to tell the rest. So she just dove right in. “I went to cool off in the washroom, but Mako followed me in. Andwetotallyhookedupinthebathroomandsome
Toph was mean. But if she did anything well, it was hear. So, you know, no. She wouldn’t ask for it to be repeated.
But she would be terrible enough to ask for more details. “What do you mean by ‘hooked up’?” She asked, doing little airquotes as she said it.
“Don’t make me say it,” was all she said. Korra let her arms and head hang back down. She shook her head and let out a bit of a groan. “It was the single most embarrassing moment of my life.”
“The hooking up? Why? Does he drool?” Toph was -- well. She was just Toph, and she saw fit to be a bit sassy and rude basically always. She leaned back in her chair, settling an elbow on the armrest, and then her chin on her palm. “Or being walked in on? I suppose that’s rough.” She probably didn’t sound amazingly empathetic.
Oh god, she was going to make Korra say it, wasn’t she? “No, the hooking up was fine. It was great, really. It was the getting walked in on half naked in a restaurant bathroom,” she admitted. Korra was going red just thinking about it. She hated how much she blushed, it always gave her away, and even though Toph couldn’t see it the girl could probably smell it or something, man. Toph was that good and slightly evil enough that she wouldn’t put it past her.
Just evil enough. Though, admittedly, Toph usually meant well enough. In her own way. “Really?” she asked, eyebrows raising. “Not much of an exhibitionist, I take it.” She shrugged that thought away, because really, what would she know about voyeurism, anyway?
“Well, it’s not like you’re ever gonna see that person again?”
“No, exhibition isn’t really my thing,” Korra agreed. “I mean, I don’t really care what people think. But that whole getting walked in on doing something you’re not supposed to...” she drifted off, shaking her head again. “It just made it worse that it was with someone I shouldn’t be doing that with. I’m supposed to hate him.”
Leaning back on the couch, Korra mimicked Toph’s position and folded her legs under her. “I think that’s the only upside. And we didn’t get kicked out or anything,” she thought aloud. After a pause, she added that “He asked me out again.” As if she needed to face that.
That was the part that Toph was really looking for in the conversation -- but she didn’t get to it right away, instead, she squirmed around in her chair a little more -- until she was lounging over it, legs flopping over the armrest. “You’re supposed to hate him,” she said, repeating. “And he’s supposed to hate you. Except he asked you out again.”
“Yeeeep,” Korra agreed, shrugging as she folded her hands in her lap. She looked down at them. “That’s pretty much it, though. Happy now?” She looked up again, grinning at Toph. Korra knew the other girl had been looking forward to hearing her story. It hadn’t really been all that exciting in retrospect. Now that she’d gotten it off her chest, Korra was starting to feel better about it all.
There we go! Therapy through communication. Toph smiled brightly, and it wasn’t even the mean kind of smile that she usually made. “I am. Now. Do you want something to drink?” She asked again.
Korra noticed that her smile was different. She was smiling in reply. “Only if it’s alcoholic,” she said. Because she could definitely use one of those. But even if Toph didn’t have any alcohol in the house, Korra wouldn’t be worried. They’d just have to go to the bar. Or the liquor store.
Yeah, it was that kind of day.
Toph had liquor. Really. She got off her seat and headed toward her kitchen. “Cider?” She called out in question, because that was what she had and it tasted like delicious juice so shut the hell up already.
“Cider is great,” Korra called back. Because it really was. It was fucking delicious. And reminded her of juice boxes which are the bomb. “I feel like all I’ve been doing is talk about myself. What’s up with you, Toph?” Because they’re friends and Korra really liked Toph. She wasn’t the type to ask unless she was actually interested.
Toph returned with open bottles in hand -- and held one out in Korra’s general direction. Hey, she lived here, she shouldn’t have to do all the work, too. “With me?” She gave a snort even as she plopped back down on her couch. “Oh, you know. Doin’ the usual. Seein’ the sights.” Nothing, that meant. And instead of bore Korra with the finer details about what she’d had for lunch, she just waved off the question in a fit of boredom. She wasn’t one for small talk unless it was about something fun.
Accepting the cider, Korra laughed at Toph’s answer. And then drank like half of the bottle because holy fuck good, and alcohol. She set it down on the coffee table with the thought that slowing down could be good. “How’s Mandy? Did you fire her again?”
“I fire her everyday,” Toph said a bit petulantly and then took a slug of her own drink. “But she keeps coming back. It’s like my parents are paying her off or something.” Which they were, but that totally wasn’t the point here. The point? Mandy was annoying.
“Well they are paying her, aren’t they?” she pointed out, shrugging. “I don’t see why they think you need her around. I think you could take care of yourself.” It was true! You can order basically everything online anyway, and Toph could definitely do her own thing. Korra didn’t think she needed someone following her around every second. Because that would be annoying.
It was annoying. Toph already said that. Keep up, Korra. But the diminutive girl only gave a shrug. “They won’t let me. They--” she made a weird agitated sort of hand gesture. “--coddle. Like I’m an idiot or something.”
“I’ll do it,” she said, picking up her cider with another shrug. “Just get them to pay me. We can drink and smoke and hook up with dudes in washrooms.” The cider was getting to her. Had she eaten yet today? She couldn’t remember. Instead of trying to think about it, she just grinned around her sip and then put the bottle back down.
Speaking of smoking. Toph fished through her pockets until she found her pack and lighter, and then went at it. Because this was her house and she do what she want.
Giving a snort, she shook her head. “I wish,” she said.
“Might as well pitch the idea next time you fire Mandy,” she pointed out. Leaning back on the couch, Korra kicked her feet up onto Toph’s coffee table and just relaxed. Should you consider that you might have an alcohol problem when it just makes everything better?
Nah.
“You should ditch Mandy and we’ll go out this weekend.”
Toph took a long drag from her cigarette, exhaling the smoke slowly as she thought. She knew she’d never get away with actually getting rid of Mandy, not really. But she supposed sometimes it was nice to basically have a maid. She could use her blindness as an excuse to be lazy -- and who wanted to do their own laundry anyway?
“Alright,” she said, ashing her cigarette into a nearby ashtray. “We’ll go out.”
“Fuckin’ right,” Korra said, lifting her cider and taking another drink. “Let’s go make bad choices.”