tushanshu | 002

Entry tags:

002 - Video

[The feed flickers on to Toph in a swivel chair, idly twisting back and forth as she talks. Restlessness is plain in her features. Her tone is wry.]

Okay, so. Since I seem to keep getting questions about it, if you couldn't tell, I'm blind. [She illustrates this by waving a hand in front of her face.] Yep, that means I can't see anything. Complete darkness. All of that. Ooooooh.

[She leans back, looking especially wry.] So if we can get past the incredible magic blind girl thing now, I've got a question.

Normally I have a way I can "see" through my feet, but with the turtle on the fritz, that's not working, and I'm not just going to sit around and pick my toes whenever Mr. Flippers decides he's got a head cold.

I need someone -- or a couple people, I don't care -- who know how to fight blind. I'm a fast learner, and I know how to move, so teaching me isn't going to be a problem.

Only complication? You have to come here. I'm at Korra's in the Metal sector. She's currently out saving the world or something, and I'm not getting run over trying to reach you. She's got the space here, so it shouldn't be a problem.

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[You've run into one of the few people you don't need to initiate in voice with, Leo, and you're still using voice?]

[Toph's head tilts slightly, taking in the new voice, sizing it up.]

I'm an earthbender. Basically I use earth and rock to fight for me. You learn it using a lot of stances -- certain hand moves, feet moves, and so on. There's a lot the same in it as using martial arts. And trust me, when you've got a bunch of earthbenders slinging two tons of rock at you, you learn to move fast.

But just bare hands or weapon fighting . . . [Her shoulders lift.] Never had the need.

[What can he say? Paranoia is a fine art.]

[Leo's silent for a few moments, rolling that information around in his head. He knows about these "benders", but he's seen very few examples of them in action. Maybe he can get a demonstration when... if this whole fiasco gets resolved.]

[Anyhow. If she's already got experience in martial arts, that gives them something to work with, at least. And while he usually wouldn't agree to give fighting tips to the average stranger... let's just say he kind of owes Korra a favor.]

I'm sure we could work something out. [His tone takes on a sightly more relaxed inflection.] So I take it you're a friend of Korra's?

[Fair enough!]

[A grin from Toph.] Cool. What's your background, though?

And yeah. Korra and I are from the same world -- just different times. [She scratches inside her ear with the tip of her pinky.] Never met before here, but. She seems to know me okay, and I trust her.

[Sounds... complicated. But good enough for him.]

Fifteen years of formal training in various martial arts styles, both weapon-based and unarmed. And I've fought blind a few times.

[For what it's worth, his voice is pretty average of someone in their late teens or early twenties - he's pretty much been doing this his whole life.]

Edited (whoops italics spam) 2013-07-07 04:22 (UTC)

[Oh, it definitely gets taken into account. When voices are like faces, a lot gets read into them.]

[Meanwhile, Leo, you have no idea how complicated. But welcome to Avatar land. Your close friend can get reincarnated into a girl in 70 years! Whoo!]

So . . . basically you've been fighting since you were like five or something.

Why'd you end up fighting blind?

[Three, actually. But details!]

[At that question, there's a soft sigh followed by the sound of skin chafing together as he rubs the back of his neck. It might sound perhaps a bit more leathery than it should.]

Long story. Let's just say my eyes weren't doing me any favors anyway.

[That one's a different story altogether.]

[If Toph catches the sound -- and she does -- she doesn't comment on it, her shoulders lifting.]

I've got time for stories. It's not exactly raining excitement over here. But s'okay.

When's good for you?

Edited 2013-07-07 05:09 (UTC)

I prefer during the night, if that's... all right with you. [Yeah sorry he knows he's kind of shady, it's just a ninja thing.]

Edited 2013-07-07 05:16 (UTC)

Not going to make any difference to me. [She makes a brief handwave in front of her eyes.] And I'm more caught up on sleep than I have been in months.

I take it if you know Korra, you know where it is?

[Somehow it never seems to cross Toph's mind that someone really creepy could answer this thing.]

[In her defense, most of the time she can just roll the weirdos into pancakes.]

I'll find it. Leonardo, by the way; I never caught your name.

[This is true.]

Long name. Toph.

[There's a minute or so of pause before he responds to that.]

Sorry, mind if I bring one more along? He's a friend of Korra's.

[The question provides a flicker of curiosity on Toph's part, but the idea of one more doesn't bother her.]

Fine by me.

Great. See you then. [And then he's gone.]

[Those hours before nightfall aren't wasted - Leonardo quickly regroups with his younger self, and they spend some time throwing technical jargon at each other, comparing their own notes and doing some brainstorming. They agree, in the end, that it's best to see what Toph has to show them before planning out anything definite, but two heads are definitely better than one.]

[Well... now, at least. Leo and all his brothers once tried to coach some street punk when they were like, ten, bless that poor kid's heart. But it's different this time!]

[A few hours into dusk, the two head for the Metal Sector by rooftop, sticking to the restless city shadows like glue. It doesn't take them long to reach Korra's suite; they land soundlessly on the roof of the building, and Leo Sr. creeps to the edge, peering down at what should be the straight drop to Korra's door.]

[He glances sideways at his other self.] Here's the place.

[When two turtles who are as passionate about martial arts as this pair get together and talk shop, the product is a strikingly intense session. Lil' Leo is eager not just to help out a friend of Korra's, but also to get into the logistics of helping someone learn how to fight when they can't see at all.

Leo has been through nearly-identical training processes as Big Leo of course, learning to fight and maneuver in the absolute pitch blackness afforded by their underground habitat without the benefit of lights, but this is different. He'd already possessed the full repertoire of basic skills and then some, but Toph has a steep learning curve to conquer. Leo can't wait to find out how his more experienced self will walk her through the process; the 15-year-old is here to watch Leonardo Sr. work as much as he is to help out a friend of a friend.

Leo's return glance sideways coincides perfectly with his older double's head turn. These two could hardly be more in sync if they had been joined at birth.]

I - guess we should knock? [Y'know, on the actual door below. Like regular people.

It feels weird. To the few Leo has visited, almost exclusively his brothers and cousins, he announces himself with a tap on the window. Generally, it was a window as high and as far away from public scrutiny as possible. But Toph isn't a ninja, she's probably not familiar with their protocols and is undoubtedly expecting them to approach like normal guests.

When there's a break in the ebb and flow of nearby street traffic, they slip over the edge of the building in silent unison. Leo's larger feet and hands muffle his three-point landing to a soft pillow-whoosh of air and the slap of reptile skin on pavement. He defers the honor of the knock to his older self; Leo Sr. is functioning as Toph's sensei after all.

Ninjas calling!]

[They're like Avon, except green, and with katanas.]

[There are no lights on in the house. Toph doesn't always think of them -- and certainly, she doesn't need them. The house is quiet, and even the traffic seems subdued -- or at least more than usual. For a moment, it may almost seem like no one is there to answer.]

[Then, abruptly, the door tugs open. The figure in the doorway in the faint light from the distant streetlamp is small, slight, dressed in a loose shirt and pants appropriate for movement, the only decoration a bracelet around her upper arm with a dark gleam to it. Thick, dark hair halfway obscures her eyes. There's a flash of teeth in the dimness -- a grin.]

Most people do use the road, you know.

[Apparently at the least, she heard them land on the doorstep. There's no malice in the words, though -- just a wryness, as though they shared a joke.]

I'm Toph. Words would be good -- so I don't have to scream.

[Leonardo, too, is accustomed to more clandestine means of entry than the front door - windows, cellar doors with easily picked locks, the ever-classic ventilation duct, you name it. Knocking is something of a novelty still, and when he raises his hand to announce their presence with two polite raps on the door, he almost has to plant his feet and remind himself that the usual ninja vanish would be both counterproductive and pointless.]

[When Toph presents herself before them with a wry greeting, he attempts to size her up. He'd seen her on the video feed, of course, and the reality is hardly divorced from what he'd gathered there - she's rather small, even perhaps almost frail-looking, but there's immediately something way she carries herself and the way she smiles that makes him think underestimating this one would be a grave mistake.]

[She's a bender, he reminds himself, eyes flashing across her bracelet and dry grin. From what he's seen and heard, that alone demands a certain degree of respect.]

[He clasps his hands together and bows politely - far be it from him to ignore etiquette, after all, regardless of whether he can be seen. The cordiality of the motion is likely broadcasted in his tone nonetheless.]

Leonardo. We've met. [A touch of wryness finds its way into his own countenance as he gestures to his double, more for Leo Jr.'s benefit than Toph's.] And this... is also Leonardo.

[That whole weird, convoluted timeline/universe thing? Totally know that feel, bro.]

You should probably call me Leo [the younger turtle recommends with the hint of a wry chuckle. It's definitely going to be an interesting experience, holding conversations that include both his double and someone who's, well, not a fellow turtle. When it's just other brothers or relatives in the house, it's pretty easy to figure out which Leonardo they're either talking to or about. But the difference of the social situation is already plain; it would be prudent to differentiate nicknames now.

As for bowing, Leo couldn't agree more; just because the gesture couldn't be seen didn't mean they should be rude, and it wouldn't be his first time bowing to someone who couldn't see. (Actually, Toph's bangs do remind him of the blind noodle man from home, Mr. Murakami; he'd kept his swept low as well.) The younger turtle's bow matches his counterpart's in both duration and depth, and as he continues speaking there's a nigh-identical note of friendly wryness in his tone – particularly the end comment. His voice certainly isn't the same as Leonardo's, betraying a squeak around the edges that says he's still mired mid-adolescence, but their cadence is nonetheless strikingly similar: pages from the same concerto played on two different instruments.]

Nice to meet you. Thanks for agreeing to the sit-in… And uh, for not screaming.

Edited (tweaktweak ok yes done) 2013-07-10 18:09 (UTC)

[Another grin at the younger Leo's comment.] No problem. [She steps aside, holds open the door for them both.] Nice to meet you guys too.

[She definitely has caught the similarity in voice, though. Up to this point, Toph hasn't encountered any doubles in the city -- didn't even know they could exist.]

. . . So are you guys brothers and your mom really liked the name, or what?

[Because that similarity is weird. And the fact that they share the same name, even weirder.]

[The inside of the apartment is dark. If one of the two would actually like to see, though, they can probably find the light switch nearby. When pressed, it will reveal Korra's apartment. The living quarters are obviously downstairs, with the kitchen, console, living room (complete with a bed made up on the sofa, likely Toph's), and door to the bedroom all located on the same floor. However, there is a set of stairs leading upward to more darkness.]

[Interspersed through the apartment, the Leos may catch small things out of place -- furniture knocked slightly crooked, small items like a bottlecap where it shouldn't be in the middle of the floor, a spoon under the table.]

Mirror dimensions. [Leonardo says offhandedly, as though discussing the weather. He's used to all this inter-dimensional weirdness by now, and he's assuming Toph probably is, too. He does share a knowing grin with his younger counterpart in response to her second comment, though - at both the 'brothers' and 'mom' portions.] And it's... something like that.

[He hits the light switch as they enter to brighten up the room - for now, anyway - and quickly assesses the living space. They'll probably have to move most of this stuff out of the way... though some of it could be pretty useful, too. He puts his hand to his chin thoughtfully.]

Nice place. [Could be fun to do some ninjutsu exercises in here. Hypothetically, of course.]

[Young Leo's eyes laugh at his counterpart in return, and for once it's at a joke that's purely his own. He'll have to find out if Big Leo's Michelangelo hugged their mutagen canister and called it "mom," too.

Is that a bottle cap, just waiting to embed itself into a blind girl's foot? Why yes it is. Leo will just take care of that; as he moves into the apartment his step is nearly soundless, their wide surface area muffling impact even when he isn't in light-footed ninja mode. Other stray and potentially hazardous-to-unshod-feet items make their way into his hands, winding up on the counter or in the trashcan as appropriate.

Perfectly happy to let his older self field pertinent questions and strategically evaluate the working space, Leo instinctively acts as scout and whisks himself up the stairs to see what's up there.

Give him a minute, guys. He's just got to soak in the awesomeness of Korra's training, meditation and workout areas for a moment and find out how far back they go.]

[In spite of the softness of the younger Leo's tread, Toph does seem to pick up on the movement -- but thankfully seems to think he's exploring rather than picking up after her. Thankfully, he's allowed both of them to save face.]

Yeah. [The word is pleased agreement towards Leonardo -- not because Toph can take any credit for Korra's place, but because she's been comfortable there herself. She starts towards the stairs, seemingly at ease -- though the careful watcher might notice some self-consciousness to it. Her own feet are bare, likewise nearly soundless on the floor.] She'll probably want us to do it upstairs where your brother went, though -- she's got a whole sparring area set up there.

. . . And "mirror" what?

[Leo comments on neither his double's cleaning up of the place nor his disappearance up the stairs; he likewise doesn't wish to offend or embarrass either of them. What he does do, however, is pass quietly by the counter on the way to the stairs, picking up the spoon and a couple other small items that hadn't made their way to the trash. They're tucked soundlessly into an extra pocket on the inside of his belt for later.]

[Then he's following Toph towards the stairs, watching her carefully. He does make note of the slightly uncertain tread - and the bare feet, as well - but doesn't comment on that, either, instead choosing to answer her question more in-depth.]

Dimensions. We come from different worlds that mirror each other in many ways - history, geography, even the people who live in it. Not everything is the same, but... he and I are different versions of the same person. Mirror images of each other.

[Young Leo's head – upside down, mask tails dangling – pops in from the second story entrance before Leonardo and Toph are halfway up the stairs. There is a delighted, eager light in his eyes and an enthusiastic squeak fracturing his voice. My God, he sounds fifteen.]

You have got to check this out, she's got a whole training area up here! It's perfect!

[Then Leo is gone again, assessing the space more thoroughly and eyeing the square footage. Seems like there are enough mats to cover a proper working space.]

The acoustics bounce around a little [he adds when they join him on the second level], but these training mats should take care of it. [Sound, of course, being crucial to Toph's senses and therefore her training. Leo's eyes search out his double's in one of their increasingly-frequent silent lines of communication; where they come from, students set up and everybody pitches in. Leo's certain that Toph is fully capable of helping set up the training mats, but manners dictate that he leave her specific direction to the senior turtle in the house. Still, Leo's pretty certain this will be his older self's chosen starting point, and he waits with one elbow propped on the unruly pile of mats as if to say "See? I can plan ahead and be an incredibly useful second pair of hands. Aren't you glad I'm here?"

Just give the word, Big Brother, and they can get this party started.]

Mirror dimensions.

[Yet another weird thing to get used to.]

. . . As long as there's not another me roaming around. Don't know how you guys deal with it.

[Seemingly pretty well, though, from what she can tell so far . . . They seem to move like extensions of one another, knowing thoughts and actions without any verbalization. (Unless they have a sign language worked out, but Toph somehow doesn't think so.)]

Yeah, Korra has a pretty good setup up here. [Toph finishes the climb up the stairs. Her steps on the stairway were just a little uncertain, but obviously practiced like the rest. This is a girl who tends to take things head on, no matter how she's feeling about them. Without being asked, she heads in the direction of the mats to start dragging them out.]

Might have to copy the idea. I've got the space. [A small smirk.] Not for earthbending, though. My style's not good for inside.

002 - Video

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short tag (must be the apocalypse)

To the underground cellar!! (No, seriously, it's fine. ;P )

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augh sorry to make you guys wait a few days for a shott!tag heh >_>;

You're fine. ;P Welcome back!

welcome back, bb <33

haha <3 I need to stop apologizing.