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[toph_luck]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, < BLIND BANDIT >. TEXT-TO-SPEECH HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. TO DISABLE, TYPE: TSSOFF *** has joined 018.07.154.55 [ A voice can be heard in the audio messages ] <BLIND BANDIT> I figured this out eventually! <BLIND BANDIT> Even technology can't stop me! <BLIND BANDIT> Leave a voice message for me, I'll listen to it when I can.

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[avatar_state]

[She makes her way over with promptness, but still hesitates for a moment before knocking at the door. She's not sure why she's so reticent over this. But it's there, and it's real.]

[All she can do is wait, and hope for the best. That's worked well enough for her so far.]

[toph_luck]

[ The door opens a few moments later. Dimly lit interior, everything's been cleaned away, curiously enough. She lucked out, looks like zuko's not home.

Though the door seems empty until she looks down.

Young Toph is even shorter than she might remember, dark hair covering her face in much the same style, and a flat neutral expression as those pale jade eyes look straight through her. ]

That you, twinkle toes?

[avatar_state]

[There's a moment of pure cognitive white noise at that, really - the woman she remembered was not exactly towering, but it's not the height that surprises her so much as...how little seems to have changed. By the spirits, had she known at that young age so thoroughly who she was that she remained the same throughout her life in so many ways?]

[Well, such steadfastness was the province of an Earthbender - especially one of the greatest ever. Possibly the greatest.]

[And...twinkletoes?]

Uh, I guess that's me. You...called Aang that, right?

[toph_luck]

Yup! Now stop being awkward and come inside.

[ She steps back a bit to make room in the doorway, guiding Korra along to the smaller kitchen inside, ready to set some water on to boil. Her movements are slower, deliberate, far more careful than Korra might be used to.

No bending. ]

What did you want to talk about?

[avatar_state]

[That bothers Korra, to see. Toph is confidence, in everything. She has to hope she gets her bending back soon, otherwise...well, Toph isn't exactly Toph. The force of nature.]

Hey, you'd be a little awkward too if you were in my boots. And, well, if we're here, and Azula is here - and who knows who else might show up...we're probably gonna have to work on some stuff. Without it being awkward at all.

,.asmda I was just about to say "hold on, you're not on the taken list either!"

[toph_luck]

[ At least they're both in the same boat. Except one of them uses their bending to get around. How annoying right?

Yeah, Toph's been having a 'fun' time here so far. ]

I don't like wearing boots, so no I wouldn't.

[ Yeah, that'll show her. ]

Have you met Zuko yet? I know you don't want to talk about the future. It sounds like a boringly responsible thing to do.

[ The water slowly starts to bubble. ]

Yeah I somehow forgot that part :P

[avatar_state]

[Instinctively, she shakes her head.]

No, we spoke, but...I'm not sure what to do on that. I mean, do I tell you something you need to know? Or should I not tell you something I shouldn't? I'm not sure which of the two I'm meant to do.

Nobody gave me an instruction manual for this stuff.

[toph_luck]

Well, I know what I want! Aang would probably say that "Knowing the future is pointless if you can't change it, and if you can, then it doesn't matter." Or something like that.

[ And he'd probably be right, too. Or close enough. Sokka was far more skeptical of fortune tellers however. ]

I don't know... I kind of want to know what I do when I'm older but. I'm not sure if that would ruin the surprise.

[avatar_state]

Heh, that's exactly what he would say - he always saw both sides of the coin with clarity.

[She smiles at the thought. She's lost access to most of the memories of her predecessors, but Aang had been the closest, and she'd learned the most from him. It didn't hurt to have so many living reminders of what he would have done.]

I mean, if it helps, it's clearly a long live, since you're still kicking hard - literally and figuratively - when the next Avatar comes around, right?

[toph_luck]

Mmmh-

[ She may be young, but even then... she knows the other thing that implies, and it doesn't make her feel that much better either. Spoilers, right? ]

So... You're the next avatar... Right? Is that all you wanted to tell me? Did you just get here as well?

[avatar_state]

Yep - brand new. And if I ever get my bending back, I'd definitely like to practice my metalbending with you, that's one thing.

[Which brings her some pause.]

How did you figure that out? Old..Older Toph never said.

[And Aang hadn't been there to witness it.]

[toph_luck]

Same goes for me. Going around with a stick is okay but I'd much rather have my bending, too. Here, sort this out.

[ She pauses, picking up the now faintly whistling kettle and bringing it over to the table Korra's at, along with some mugs, and some leaves. The suggestion's clear, she's telling Korra to make herself useful and get the tea brewing.

Meanwhile, she can grab a seat for herself. ]

Oh, that? Some of the earthbenders my parents hired to kidnap me back home caught me off guard once, and threw me into a big metal box.

[ Her smile grows just thinking about it. ]

So... I had some time to think about how to escape, and metal still has plenty of earth in it, so I just... made it up! Their reactions were priceless!

[avatar_state]

[She does take a sniff at those leaves, just in case. But then she gets to work on the tea.]

You just...[She can't help but laugh.] One of the biggest discoveries in the history of metalbending and you just...[She shakes her head.]

Yeah, nobody told me that part.

[toph_luck]

Yeah. I know. I AM the greatest earthbender in the world after all. Duh.

[ Toph leans back once she starts, that casual smug smile resting on her features. ]

No one else was there... so, not surprised. It wont be in those weird 'avatar' visions you get, right?

[avatar_state]

[The sudden silence from the other side of the table might be obvious, at this stage.]

I...don't get those. Not...anymore.

[And it hurts to remember, that she's lost all of that. The access to the lineage of the Avatars before her.]

[And so, trying to keep a thickness from her voice, she just quietly pours the tea.]

[toph_luck]

[ Toph's silent for a moment. Sore spot huh? Anything she could ask about it is, quite likely, spoilers. ]

So... Nice and cheery huh? Never thought I'd miss Aang so much.

[ She waits for the cup to be slid her way, drawing it closer after a moment and sitting up. ]

I'm not sure what you were expecting when you got here. Was that all you wanted to tell me?

[avatar_state]

[She manages a bit of a chuckle, taking a sip of her tea.]

Yep, that's me. If I were any funnier, I'd be doing the Ba Sing Sae Comedy Night.

[She sighed though, relaxing a bit with the application of tea.]

Well, that makes two of us. I was hoping the younger you would...

[Want to be friends? Have hidden wisdom for her? Fun stories?]

I dunno. You were a great teacher, don't get me wrong, and without you I wouldn't have come back from some really bad things. I can safely say Aang isn't the only Avatar you helped save. And you and Zuko are the closest I can get to home.

[toph_luck]

[ Toph's a little slower on the draw, waiting for the tea to cool a bit more before taking a sip. Loud obnoxius slurp. ]

I don't know what me in the future did... I'm sure I was a badass and super cool. If you just wanted to hang out with someone familiar you could have just said. It's nice to know at least someone.

[ She's pretty straight to the point. ]

Once I get my bending back I'm gonna be all over the place. You can even tag along if you can keep up.

[avatar_state]

[Well, that much tracked. Katara had always described Toph as deliberately rebelling against her upbringing - guess she was seeing it, or rather hearing it, in action.]

Yeah, well, you're kinda one of my heroes. Or...will be. It's not as easy when it's an unfamiliar version of a familiar person, that I happen to admire.

My greatest teachers were you, Katara, and Tenzin...Aang's son.

[But she grinned at the last, her spirits raising a little.]

If I can keep up, huh?

[toph_luck]

Yeah. If you can keep up. I'm not gonna slow down for some twinkle-toes that can't even match my pace.

[ Jeeze. How's she meant to reply to something like that. It's a lot to think about. Aang having a son?! That's almost impossible to imagine. ]

Ugh. You're telling me I gotta teach ANOTHER avatar to fight? Great.

Who did you learn fire from, then?

[avatar_state]

[She laughs]

Please, you teach a bunch of people. You're just retired by the time I come around.

And fire? Oh, just the fire sages, really. Fire was pretty easy.

[toph_luck]

Well, at least you've got that going for you.

[ It's still a little weird, but toph's practical, she can loosen up a bit at least. ]

Aang spent so much time learning fire we were worried he'd still be a beginner by the time the old Firelord came by!

[avatar_state]

That was me and airbending. It actually took having my other bending taken away from me to clear that little hang-up. By a bloodbender, no less.

[She shudders a bit.]

The metalbending though...that's pretty fun, I have to admit.

[A good veering off of the conversation, right?]

[toph_luck]

Did you figure out how to do it as well!?

[ Good choice of distraction, now she's interested! ]

I was thinking of starting up a school or something. But don't tell me how it goes!

[avatar_state]

Yep! Pretty darn good at it, too, these days.

And heh, don't worry, I wouldn't wanna ruin the surprise.