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

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?

[whitelotustile]

Almost a year. Not counting the time the Foreigners spent asleep and the kedan didn't. That adds another year.

[seismometrics]

. . . A year? You haven't seen me for a year?

How could you not see me for a year? I didn't go home; I didn't do anything.

[whitelotustile]

Something similar happened to us. When we found Malicant, we had to seek him in the Dreaming. When we woke up, we'd found a year had passed. It had seemed... much shorter in the dream.

[seismometrics]

But-- . . .

[She shakes her head sharply as though to clear it -- a movement made all the worse by the involuntary shivering of her body.]

I think I'm going to need the story. All of it.

[Though maybe not right this second, because there are some pressing matters she probably should be paying attention to.]

[whitelotustile]

Let's get you warm adn dry first. Where in the water sector are you?

[seismometrics]

I'm at a cafe.

[She names it.]

No money with me.

[whitelotustile]

I have some money. I'll be there in fifteen minutes to a half hour.

[it was a bit of a walk, which was frustrating]

[seismometrics]

Okay.

[Her voice is surprisingly small.]

[--> action]

[whitelotustile]

[and if anything could get Iroh to hurry more, it was Toph letting her guard down]

[thankfully, his footsteps were pretty recognizable: Iroh hadn't changed much in the time.]

[seismometrics]

[He'll find Toph half-huddled and damp in the cafe, a puddle underneath her chair. Half-huddled because one leg is drawn up, while the other still dangles to the ground, bare, to try to keep contact with the ground.]

[Definitely shaking. Her arms are wrapped fiercely around the closer leg as though she could force herself to stop.]

[Her head comes up immediately at Iroh's footsteps, and without a word, immediately she's up, arms wrapped around the older man's waist.]

[He'll probably get a little damp. But he's warm, and the comfort is good right now.]

[whitelotustile]

[Iroh doesn't care if he's damp. He can heat his clothing later. And he's trying a little low-level firebending to help dry Toph's clothing: only the barest of heat to help evaporate the water without creating hot steam that could burn either of them.]

[seismometrics]

[It does help. After a moment she guesses at what he's doing and sighs as the faint warmth permeates her clothing. She's still shivering, but. It definitely helps.]

Thanks.

[whitelotustile]

It's far too cold out for you to be in wet clothes.

[seismometrics]

Not my idea. [Her teeth are chattering a bit, but she lets him go.] Apparently something thought it'd be a great idea to dump me in a fountain in the middle of winter.

. . . I hate winter.

[More so now.]

[whitelotustile]

Not a good time when you are barefoot.

But not a bad time for tea.

[Iroh, you think every time is a good time for tea.]

[seismometrics]

[A small smile at that -- one of the quieter ones Iroh can squeeze out of her.]

Actually, tea would be really good.

And . . . I had some kind of thing from a friend to help with my feet. But I guess it's gone.

[whitelotustile]

[Iorh produced a flask of tea and a cup, a bit of firebending and it was at perfect temperature for human consumption.]

I know some of us were trying to track down where our posessions went. Or perhaps Aang kept it with him.

[seismometrics]

[She shouldn't be surprised that Iroh has tea with him. It would be more surprising if Iroh didn't have tea with him.]

[Gratefully she accepts the cup from him, cradling it between both hands, letting it warm her fingers even as she sips. The warmth of it travels all the way through her, stretching its fingers deep into her core. She holds it close, the heat playing off her face.]

Thanks.

And . . . not so much of a thing -- more like . . . energy? So probably not.

[whitelotustile]

[Iroh considered this.]

Was it from someone presenting himself as the Turtle?

[because Toph missed some important revelations there, and that worries Iroh]

[seismometrics]

Huh?

[That does surprise her, that he would ask such a question, especially with that note of worry in his voice.]

No. Kyle. [Who made her something else, too, that those kedan kids had better not be messing with.]

Why?

[whitelotustile]

It turns out that the creature we were brought here to battle had been lurking in the Turtle's mind. He gave a number of Foreigners gifts and powers so that he could influence their minds.

[it hadn't happened to Zuko that way -- instead he just got poisoned -- but Iroh had had to deal with the fallout]

They were removed when we destroyed the creature, but...

[but he'd wanted to be sure]

[seismometrics]

What?

[There's a small squeak in her voice for that one.]

You mean . . .

[What is she standing on? She backs up a couple of steps, as though to re-evaluate the ground under her feet.]

[whitelotustile]

[Iroh read those gestures]

Don't worry. We removed its influence from the turtle.