shatterverse | (no subject)

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Outside the farmhouse, there's a very localised seismic incident.

Toph spent the night in a rock tent, mostly because the main building is already packed full of people. This morning, for a lack of anything else to do, she's decided to do something about it.

So this tiny little blind girl is standing in an empty field, within sight of both fort and house. At first she just stands paces quietly, getting a feel for the earth, then her hands lift, and a huge square of turf rises about three feet up, on a large slab of bed rock, taking her with it.

From there the Earthbender continues, waving her arms and occasionally feet in firm, strong motions, but with no obvious results to anyone who can't see or feel beneath the surface of the ground as she can, or who hasn't lookedclose enough to see the strained expression on her face. Not until the raised slab heaves up again after half an hour's work.

Toph is building somewhere for people to sleep.

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"What's wrong with rock?" Toph demands. "I've been sleeping on rock since leaving my parents' house."

Ba Sing Se doesn't count, on account of being the worst city in the world.

"Most civilized people use some kind of mattress," Layla replied still not looking up from her book. "It allows them to sleep better and not be in a perpetual state of crankiness."

Possible verbal jab at Toph. Nah. Couldn't be.

"You'd be cranky too if you were missing the Avatar kick Firelord butt to be stuck in this stupid world talking to uptight knowitalls," Toph points out.

"Again I just know stuff, not everything," Layla replied as she calmly turned the page. "And I'm missing the chance to help find the first mutant child born since the mutant race was decimated on my own world. Some of us seem to handle adversity better than others."

"Hey, I handle adversity just fine."

Toph stops speaking just long enough for the four walls she's bring together under her slab to rise up another foot.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to you."

"Right back at you, rock head," Layla replied. "Careful. Make sure you don't lose that giant chip on your shoulder."

"Yeah yeah," Toph says dismissively, starting from the beginning with concentrating and moving the rock around under the surfaces of the field.

"Have fun on your shopping mission."

"I will as soon as he wakes up," Layla said as she continued to read. "He sent out a bunch of duplicates to scout out the rest of the country. Took a lot out of him."

"Yeah, what's that about? The whole splitting thing. It's weird."

Says the tiny 12 year old creating a building out of bedrock.

"He's a mutant," Layla replied. "He can take any kind of kinetic energy and use that to create duplicates of himself that have his same memories and abilities. He can also reabsorb them later and then retain the memories and any new abilities that duplicate may have acquired. What's with you and the stone throwing thing? Can everyone do that on your world?"

"Only the really cool people," Toph says, before grudgingly adding, "and there are airbenders and waterbenders." Beat. "And firebenders. And some people can fight OK without bending, I guess."

Not that she'll say that to Sokka's face.

"Huh," Layla said continuing to read and trying to hide a smug look. "So have you met everyone here yet?"

Not that Toph could see a smug look if Layla had it.

"No," she says. "Have you?"

"Nope," she said cheerfully. "But I have a feeling you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Toph stops bending right at that moment, and turns her head, presenting an ear to Layla.

"There are other benders here?"

"Did I say that?" Layla asked in an innocent voice.

"Is that a no?"

"Play your cards right and you'll find out sooner or later," Layla said with a smirk as she turned another page.

Toph shrugs and goes back to bending.

"Why can't you ever talk staight?"

"It's half the fun," Layla replied. "Besides if you knew right or wrong? It could disrupt the natural order of things."

"Now you just sound like Twinkletoes."

That's not a compliment.

"I don't care about the natural order of things."

"That's because you're not looking at the big picture," Layla replied. "I would have thought that someone connected to the earth would appreciate the natural order of things.."

"Hey, I bend the earth," Toph says. "I got the natural order of things working for me."

"Are all earth bendy people this impatient?" Layla asked.

Toph is currently standing still as she feels out the Earth beneath her, and waits until she's moved another slab beneath the earth before she talks.

"Impatient for what?"