Video - 001

[seismometrics]

[There's a small girl onscreen. Tiny, pale, likely no more than 13, with a mass of heavy, dark hair and pale green eyes that spear outward from the feed.]

[. . . Though there's something off about that glare. It doesn't quite seem to focus like a glare should. And the screen itself is not quite centered on her; it cuts off her chin.]

[But there's certainly enough visible to say that she is decidedly Displeased.]

[And wet.]

I think I've gotten pretty tolerant of weird stuff going on around here. Bending suddenly getting yanked away? Managed. Invasion of the purring fluffy things? Whatever. Dream-sharing? Yeah, fine. Way, way messing up the timeline, until my-- . . .

[She cuts herself off there, though, her lips pressing together sharply. And when she pushes on, she lets that go.]

Forget it.

The point is, enough's enough. When I go to sleep in my own bed in Earth, I'd better darn well wake up in my own bed in Earth, not turn over and find myself tipping over into a fountain in the Water Sector. Whatever's going on, somebody had better speak up about it now, because I'm wet and I'm cold, and there's some kedan family living in my house, and I want an explanation now so I can smash the source into a pulp several times with a rock and get back to bed.

[A sneeze. But she looks no less fierce for it, jerking the back of her wrist across her nose.]

Start now.

Comments

[theideaguy]

Look, I can explain everything. Believe me, I know just how you're feeling right now. But... invasion of purring fluffy things? Really? Why haven't I gotten to experience something good like that—?

[And then it hits him. His eyes go wide, and he just loses all ability to speak for a few moments.]

Toph?! Toph! You're here!

[seismometrics]

[That voice. Toph's face immediately wipes blank, eyes widening.]

[That voice shouldn't be here.]

. . . Sokka?

[Her voice slips a note higher in return -- a note verging on anxiety, as though she expects it will be pulled away. It's already been a weird night. She doesn't need anything else messing with her brain. She's wanted this voice for months.]

[video] I guess I should have specified. Not that it matters.

[theideaguy]

Well of course it's me. What do I look like someone else?!

[He waves and makes a silly face. Yes, momentary lapse in memory again.]

Looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

/never remembers, but Toph is pretty much always video anyway.

[seismometrics]

[But it's not . . . he's not . . .]

[What's going on?]

[Another sneeze, harder, snaps her out of it. Without anger fueling her, the shivers set in. She is wet, after all, and though she's inside at a cafe right now, it's still winter, and she was out in the cold before this.]

Where's Aang?

[Her voice has flattened abruptly, his teases ignored. Because most likely, with everything going on, this isn't Sokka, and hell if she's going to expose herself to being played around with because the city decided to have an off day.]

[On that note, she really doesn't expect an honest answer from him. She expects to have to find Aang herself -- Zuko and Iroh next. Her duty hasn't changed: Keep them all intact until they can all go home.]

[solo_patria]

[Oh dear. Someone who, like him, once, has no memories of a past time here. Unlike Enjolras, it seems like she's missed a damn sight more than a few weeks a few years ago, what with the war and the year asleep and...all. He's studying the screen a moment, trying to come up with an answer, before just going with it in his reply.]

Ah, welcome back. Yes, things have been a bit... Weelll.

What IS the last that you remember? That should help me to explain.

[seismometrics]

[It's not really a voice she recognizes. But that doesn't raise any red flags by itself; it's not like she's talked to everyone in the city.]

I didn't go anywhere, except to bed.

So what I remember is yesterday.

[Irritation over here.]

[solo_patria]

[The irritation is probably deserved, and Enjolras can understand the reasoning for it then, definitely.]

Ah sorry, I ought to have been specific then. Do you recall the war effort, by chance? Or the Emperor?

[Those topics should lead themselves to questions to more easily establish things soon enough, he thinks.]

[seismometrics]

[It's really not deserved. But Toph isn't in any kind of mindset to pay attention to that. She's irritated, and the whole world is going to know it.]

You mean with the M-guy?

[Her shoulders lift.]

Not really a war yet. Though after the whole Eshai thing . . . yeah.

[lordhotman]

[Zuko didn't check the consoles often, but today he did, and there was an interesting surprise that left him stunned. She might not still be there, but he was going to try anyway.]

Toph? Is that you? It's Zuko, are you still there?

[seismometrics]

[Well, honestly, she was going to leave. But there's some problems with practicality in that. She's still wet, and it's cold. She was still weighing her options when Zuko's voice came through the system.]

[Her head bobs into his view. She's shivering, and that's very obvious, her damp hair clinging to her cheeks.]

About time, Sparky.

[Maybe things can start to make sense now.]

What's going on? Where's Aang? Iroh?

[lordhotman]

About time for what?

[Shouldn't that be his line or something?]

They're around here somewhere. Why are you wet?

[seismometrics]

About time you showed up.

[This look.]

Like I said, Mr. Flipper decided to wake me up by dunking me in a fountain.

Just . . . make with the blanket or something, okay? I'm freezing.

[video, not that Toph cares]

[whitelotustile]

Well, it is a bit of a story. But it sounds like you need a cup of tea first. And quite possibly a blanket.

[because wet and cold can be solved by large amounts of tea.]

[As long as he doesn't type, man. ;) ]

[seismometrics]

[Another surge of relief at the older man's voice. Toph's expression softens immediately.]

Actually, both would be really good.

[Another sneeze. She's definitely shivering, her small frame quaking on the screen.]

Is . . . everything okay? So far things seem pretty messed up.

[In spite of the casual sound of the words, there's a deep thread of worry running through her tone. The world doesn't make sense, and she doesn't like it.]

Re: [As long as he doesn't type, man. ;) ]

[whitelotustile]

You've been gone a long time. We'd thought you'd gone home.

[seismometrics]

Home? I just went to bed--

[She was wiping at her nose again with the back of her hand, but then his words absorb.]

What do you mean, a long time?

[12goingon113]

[Aang's never really been one for sitting in front of the console for hours on end. It's too busy to be meditative, and too passive to be fun. What he has discovered though is that leaving it on for background noise while he does other things is highly entertaining.]

[He's mid-way through weaving a necklace from a long section of string he scavenged when the dulcet tones of a Beifong catches his attention.]

Toph? TOPH!

[There's a sound like a body hitting the floor as in his haste to get towards the console Aang has gotten himself tangled up in his own limbs.]

[seismometrics]

Aang?

[Well, it's Aang's voice . . . sort of? It's lower than it's supposed to be, like he has a cold. But she's no less eager for it, and it's plain in her voice.]

You okay? What's going on?

[She does not mean about him falling; that's barely even registered. With everything that's upside down right now, she expects there's some kind of event going on. Otherwise the falling would completely have earned a strong dose of sarcasm.]

There's some kedan family at my place like they own it. Where are you?

[12goingon113]

oof. Yeah, I'm okay.

[His response is a bit muffled, but only because he's still on the floor. A brief bit of airbending and he's back to his feet and as eager to hear her voice as she is his.]

I'm at the hotel. Where...why are you dripping wet?

[His grasp of the obvious is strong.]

[seismometrics]

[Uh. You're kind of supposed to be at her place too, Aang. And you're way casual about this. . . . This is continuing to be weird.]

What do you mean, "hotel?" Since when is there a hotel?

[And what for, anyway, when they're all assigned homes the minute they set foot here?]

Okay, can you and the world just stop being crazy for a minute and tell me what the heck is going on and just why I woke up in a fountain?

[This would be a lot fiercer without a sneeze at the end. He can probably tell she's shivering.]

(Video)

[stonebird]

Are you a new arrival? (She seems so well-informed!) I can bring you a towel.

[seismometrics]

[Another sneeze, explosive.]

Okay, did you have cotton wedged in your ears, or what?

I'm not new. Everything else is messed up.

[Forgive Toph. She's a little freaked out, and it's leaking out with extra levels of astringency.]

video

[unetrustworthy]

[Her brows rose slightly in surprise.]

[So there were other kids here, besides herself and Aang. Or, at least, there were now.]

If you missed the final battle in the Dream Realm, then that means it's been more than a year since you were here. [She assumed that the girl had been here before, based on the kedan family in my house line. It had been a while for Midii as well, so she couldn't remember if she'd seen that face before or not.] A lot of things have changed since then. Including housing arrangements, and a lot of local attitudes.

[Straight to the point. Her preferred method of introduction.]

[seismometrics]

[Honestly, Toph likes straight to the point. Cuts through a lot of the unnecessary junk and the rambling that people like to do to hear themselves talk.]

[Though:]

Okay, what?

[That was maybe a little too far in advance. Cue wry irritation.]

Back up the ostrich-horse and try that again.

[unetrustworthy]

[...speaking of backing things up. She mouthed ostrich-horse quietly to herself for a moment, wondering if it was even worth asking.]

Alright.

To which part? Because it's only going to end up me repeating myself anyway. [In other words, she meant what she said, and what she said was the truth.]