cyclicality | Open to all! Dated before the barrier goes funny.

The girl making her way through the city probably wasn't anyone's image of Toph Bei Fong, and certainly not the image of the statue standing near the police station. She was small, verging on scrawny (an effect compounded by oversized clothing), face marked with at least a couple of layers of dirt. In that clothing, her features obscured, she might even have been taken for a boy -- were it not for the heavy braid trailing down her back.

Frankly, Toph didn't mind the whole arrangement. The makeshift disguise let her explore the city pretty much as she pleased -- or at least the parts she was currently interested in seeing. No one paid much attention to a street urchin, and there were some benefits to being blind; it tended to make others look away, and by the time they thought something of a blind girl wandering around the city by herself, Toph was gone.

So far, she had a good thing going, except for the lack of idol worship.

((ooc: Pick a setting option. Feel free to pose in with whatever your character is doing in that area, and I'll pose back off of you with whatever Toph is up to. Glad to work out anything in advance -- just PM me or poke me on Plurk!))

A. Toph is in the less well-off parts of town, taking stock of the area and probably noting the triads with interest. You might even catch her at a scam. (Hey, new place, money is necessary, and she has to test the limits.)

B. Up near the bending arena. Maybe it's just a practice day; maybe there's a game going on. She's just as likely to come either time. It's enough like Earth Rumble that she'll be interested.

C. Taking a break somewhere in the city (though likely not in the upper class districts). The satomobile vibrations are still a little rough on her, and a girl's gotta eat.

D. Wildcard -- have an idea? Poke me on PM or Plurk!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I hear back in the old days, they used to do stuff differently. Like . . . one-on-one, no holds barred, stuff like that. [An eyebrow shifts up.] Whatever happened to that, anyway?

[So subtle, Toph.]

One on one? [Korra quirks her brow up in surprise.] Oh, you mean like one of those rings? That's pretty different from pro bending. I mean, you're playing on a team, for one.

I think they still have those around the Earth Kingdom, though. I just haven't seen one before.

[Her nose wrinkles in response, obviously not pleased about it, but she keeps it to herself. She can't say that she's been to one now; it'll sound weird, considering that she talked about the old days. But at least it's good to know that they might still exist somewhere.]

So you played, huh? What's keeping you now?

I'm not sure joining my old team's a good idea right now. There's a lot of stuff going on with the spirits and the vines right now, and I'm...kind of supposed to be helping out with that.

[Can you imagine her poll numbers dropping even lower than 8% if she went back to probending? Korra definitely can.

As fun as it would be, she knows the city needs her, and she'd feel bad not concentrating on the problems.]

And doing . . . what? [Cue another skeptical eyebrow.]

What can you do with them? They're spirits.

[Of course, all the spirits in Toph's life have been beings of larger power than humanity who just want to do their own thing and be left alone. There's not much to be done about them unless you're an Avatar. And sometimes not even then.]

I'm still...working on it.

[Her shoulders slump. What she says next will probably out her, but she doesn't want to lie. Still, it was nice talking to someone as just another pro bending fan.]

And besides, spirits are kind of in my job description.

[Oh.]

[Admittedly, that does take Toph off guard a bit. Because there's only one person really assigned to deal with spirits . . . and who really expects to run into their friend's reincarnation at random?]

[The surprise flickers clearly through her face, but she's quiet several moments, eyes turned outward towards the practicing pro-benders.]

Well. I guess that explains a few things.

[There's no heaviness in her tone, though.]

[Korra props her chin on her hand and watches Toph curiously. She'd expected more of a reaction, but it's...nice to be proven wrong on this one.]

Yeah? Like what?

[Toph Bei Fong: Expert defier of expectations.]

It's hard to explain. But. [Her eyebrows knot slightly, trying to phrase it.] I didn't know what it was, but you feel like Twinkletoes. Something in how you move, and your body's rhythm. It's just . . . right.

[It's absolutely familiar. Comfortable.]

[She smiles suddenly, verging on a grin.] I'm Toph.

[She listens, feeling oddly...at peace with this. Aang is her past life, after all, and though she's different, it makes sense that others would still see him in her.

A year ago, this would have bothered her. Been proof of her needing to live up to Aang's legacy somehow. But now... she isn't Aang. She won't ever be Aang. And that's...okay.]

I'm Korra. It's nice to m--

[She chokes.]

Uh, wait. I could've sworn you just said you were Toph.

[An answering smirk.] That's because I did. I am Toph. Though you might want to keep it down, okay?

[There's no real point in keeping her identity from Korra. Not when she's revealed that she has known Aang -- and aside from that, she doesn't want to. She'd rather get to know the new Avatar on honest ground.]

[Meanwhile, the similarities may have attracted this showing of trust, but Korra will have to fill her own shoes.]

Yeah, that's...probably a good idea.

[Korra can only imagine the kind of reaction Toph would get if people knew she was around. Something similar to Aang, maybe? Aang might be the Avatar, but Toph's a legend in her own right, too. One look at the statue outside the police department would tell anyone that.

Speaking of police departments, though, Korra wonders if it's a good thing that Lin isn't in the city right now.]

So...how much do you know about your future? I mean, if you've been in the city since the barrier appeared, you must've heard something.

[There's an immediate shuttering of Toph's face -- a clouding.]

I know some things. Zuko -- the old one -- tried to tell me some things. And some things you can't help learning. People talk about it. And there's stuff around. Like metalbending is a thing now. Something about the police department. There's statues of me, of Aang, of Zuko . . .

[Her shoulders have stiffened throughout the whole conversation. Her face shifts back to Korra.]

If it was up to me, I wouldn't know anything. Maybe the statue stuff. But that's it.

[Toph's body language isn't hard to pick up at all, and Korra feels a little sorry for mentioning the topic at all. But...at least now she knows it's a sensitive point for her.]

I won't tell you anything, if that's what you want. I don't think I'd want to know all this stuff about my future either.

[Time to change the subject.]

So...where have you been living? I don't know if you've heard, but the Air Temple's open to the people who got dropped in the city.

[Immediately her body language eases. Korra's choice has been wise.]

I'm out with some others in the Spirit Wilds. It works.

[She's not quite sure if Korra knows about Aang, and isn't going to mention it until she's sure. Being confronted with your past has to be as weird as being hit with your future.]

With others...you mean more people who got brought here suddenly?

[The Spirit Wilds seems like the place where all these people are gathering. Maybe Korra should make a point to visit the area more often and see what's going on with them.]

Open to all! Dated before the barrier goes funny.

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