milliways_bar | (no subject)

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[OOM: Toph is annoyed with everyone. (Spoilers for The Western Air Temple.)]

The door to Milliways flies open and Toph comes sailing through, landing on her face in the middle of the floor. She pushes herself up with her arms, grumbling things that would make a sailor blush. She scurries across the floor on her hands and knees until she reaches a table. Letting out a groan, she pulls herself into a chair, careful not to touch the pink and tender soles of her feet against the floor.

It's been a while since she's been in the bar, so she keeps an ear out for familiar voices. She plays with a fork that she grabbed from the table as she listens, molding it absentmindedly into various strange shapes.

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Toph's rather dramatic entrance could hardly fail to attract attention, but Seimei's seen a lot of people thrown through doors, so it's not worth more than a moment's interest. What Toph is doing with the fork, however...

"Very nice," Seimei remarks. "Fine control you have."

Not so much 'thrown' as 'suddenly finding that the person carrying you isn't there anymore'. At least you know it's coming when you get thrown.

"Thanks," she says, not making eye contact or even looking toward him. The fork molds into a crude smilie face that hovers above her hand before returning to her palm.

"Thank you."

That voice is a lot more familiar. But-- he's on the wrong side of the door. Deeper in the bar; not by the door. There's rustling, too -- silk and softness, and soft slippers on the floor.

That's not the Zuko Toph just left behind.

Oh, she definitely knows that voice. And she definitely remembers this Zuko. And she won't pass up an opportunity to irritate him.

She cups her hands around her mouth and takes a deep breath to ensure maximum volume projected in the correct direction. "HEY PRINCE!"

Seimei briefly glimpsed Toph's fogged-over eyes, so he knows why she isn't looking at him. What would be the point of that?

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you doing that? I am unfamiliar with the technique." He knows something is going on, but it's not a kind of magic he's seen before.

There's a clatter and some breaking crockery.

That was probably his lunch.

A few minutes later, there is somenoe sitting across from her, radiating heat like a campfire does.

"Do you bellow like a beligerant hipposaur on purpose, or do you do it just for me?"

Edited 2007-12-18 21:15 (UTC)

"Metalbending," she says proudly, the fork turning into a star that flies around in the air as she waves her hand. "It's an Earthbending technique I discovered. Pretty sweet, huh?"

She just smiles. Obnoxiously.

"Hey, it got you over here, didn't it?" She leans back, folding her arms behind her head and apparently feeling very satisfied with herself.

Seimei nods in agreement, realizes that the young lady probably didn't register it, and says "Yes, it is," instead. "I do rather admire people who are willing to experiment with magic. Well done."

She looks very pleased at the compliments. It's probably not good for that ego problem she has.

"Thanks, but it's not any hokey magical mumbo-jumbo. It's bending," she explains with a sage look.

"My apologies," Seimei says, with apparent perfect understanding. "I should know better. Onmyodo is not magic either, but now it tends to fall under that category. Technically it's religion."

There's a pause. "I have no idea what you just said," she says, sticking her pinky on her free hand into her ear.

"Which bits in particular?" Probably onmyodo and possibly religion: the latter is a relatively recent concept.

"That on-whatever thing," she mutters, flicking earwax away from the table. Hopefully no one is standing nearby.

He sits rather stiffly-- not that she knows. "...so are you doing this to mock me, or have -- you -- not--"

Is the Avatar okay? Is he dead? Did that man he sent catch up with them? Guess not... There are a lot of questions but none of them are getting asked.

"Ah. Onmyodo, or Yin-Yang magic. It is concerned somewhat with divination, but mostly with spirits - talking to them, traveling in their realm, and sharing their power. It happens to be my area of expertise." He literally wrote the book on it, or at least a book.

She enjoys, nay, basks in his discomfort.

"You know what your problem is?" There's a pause to let him think about it. "You're too uptight." She lowers one arm and the blob of metal that used to be a fork in her hand turns into a straight, humorless face.

"Oh. Spirits. My friend's into that stuff. I don't get it," she says with a shrug.

"Well, the ability to commune with them is partly an inborn talent," Seimei says in a 'what can you do' kind of way. "What do people call that power where you come from?"

"I don't think it really has a name. There's a Spirit World, but I think only the Avatar can go there. Or something." Which is one reason why she doesn't have too much of an interest in it.

.....wait metalbending?

Zuko gives the little metal zukofrownyface a look, (one can almost imagnie the weaseltoads leaping on wheels in his head) before he clears his throat, and says, "And?"

Well, do you have a point with that opening statement, or what?

"Avatar? I've heard that word before. Sanskrit - not my language. It means the embodiment of a god, or of the divine will. Basically."

Earthbender Toph evolved into Metalbender Toph! [insert Pokemon music]

"So what if I just wanted to talk to you?" The face's mouth moves as if it's conversing. "Jeez, you act like I'm out to get you."

Is she, Zuko? Is she?

"That'd be a reasonable assumption, I think," Zuko points out. "Since Ba Sing Se."

The metalhead is making him stare. It's strangely hypnotic.

"Yeah, something like that," she says with a wave of her hand. "He can bend all four elements and is the bridge between the real world and the spirit world. Not much divine about him, though." Really, she's met him. He passes gas just like the rest of the mere mortals.

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