lostnetwork | [Video]

Entry tags:

[Video]

Hey, has anyone seen the quest on the board about going down to ...uh, Deepground? Anyone thinking of taking that up? I kind of want to chart the caverns around here, so... I'd like to go if you do.

[The fact there might be treasure down there has nothing to do with it, of course.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'll go! It's totally nuts around here lately, I need to get out of here. [And she's been going kind of stir crazy, besides.]

My name's Toph. By charting them do you mean making maps of them?

Yeah, I'm a cartographer. Nice to meet you, Toph! I'm Nami. [Um. It hasn't escaped her notice you're a kid. Not that Nami assumes kids can't look after themselves, but...] Will you be okay down there?

[Toph frowns immediately.] I can take care of myself. I'm the last person you should be worried about around here.

You want someone to go with you in case something happens, right? I can do that.

Ahh, I don't mean to offend you. If you're sure I'm certainly not going to stop you.

I'm not offended, [she says, a little bit sullenly but trying not to take it out on her. It's a good effort, at least.]

What's so exciting about maps? You must like them a lot if you're a cartographer.

[Look, she can make polite conversation. And she is curious.]

[...sorry, Toph. |D Nami is enough of a nice person to worry about kids.]

Hmm, it's not so much the maps but what they represent. I want to make a map of the whole world one day, but only after seeing it for myself. So it's like I'm making something that says look, I was here and I've been every place you can see on this piece of paper.

That, and I'm a navigator. Maps are really useful to me.

[That and she's got a talent for it and hey, why not show off?]

[Don't call her a kid B( gosh.]

... Oh. [Her aggressiveness relents with genuine understanding.] I think I get it. I wasn't supposed to leave my house, like, ever. Getting out and traveling was really important to me.

You must have a lot to do here. I don't think anyone knows where they're going.

[That sort of explains the general resentment she felt there. Overprotective parents much, huh?]

It keeps me busy, that's for sure. But it's something I enjoy, so... this place isn't so bad, for me.

[Waaaay overprotective parents.]

It's not that bad, I just wish someone else from home was here. I'd even take Azula, and she's a murderous psycho!

Oh, you're the only one, huh? [Filing that comment about Azula away. Hey, you never know.] That's gotta suck. At least I have-- uh, someone I know here. [Not friends. Yeah.]

There was someone at first, sort of, but... he left. [She sounds just a little sad about it, too.]

It just gets a little tiresome to have to explain the same things over and over again. At this rate I'll make someone put together a flyer for me, and I can hand them out!

A flyer saying 'Toph can take care of herself, stop asking?' [She grins. Not that Toph can see that, but Nami hasn't quite clued into that part.]

...I'm sorry about your friend. You mean he went back home again?

Yeah. Turns out he must've gotten sick, so they sent him home at least until he gets better. [Toph doesn't want to talk about things that are going to make her sad, though, so she goes on.]

And the flyers would be more like... [She clears her throat and does a pretty damn good imitation of an announcer's voice.] This is Toph Beifong, she is blind, she can feel where you are, she can earthbend, and no, she doesn't need your help! Get over it.

[There's a brief pause, because the fact her friend got sick is faintly relevant to Nami's interests. But then it's followed by the news that the girl she's talking to is blind, and her kneejerk reaction to the idea of taking a small blind girl down into the caverns is...

...uh. Well, she's already come up against Toph's pride. Not going to ask the obvious question. Instead, she asks:]

What's earthbending?

[Yeah, don't go there, Nami. Seriously. There could be a full on tantrum on your hands.]

That's going on the pamphlet, too, [she grumps.] It's an inborn skill, controlling the earth through willpower and martial arts. I can't believe none of you've heard of it.

That's how I 'see', by sensing the vibrations in the ground through earthbending. Being blind doesn't mean I'm helpless. Got it?

[Whoa. Okay, point taken.] That sounds so useful. We don't have earthbenders where I'm from. If you wanna come, you're more than welcome.

[And Nami will have no compunctions about hiding behind a blind girl. Shameless.]

It is useful, [she says smugly,] especially down here. Not that I wouldn't like to be on the surface again, but caves are kind of my natural habitat.

So what's the plan? Did you get other volunteers?

Plenty, by the looks. I was sort of thinking someone else had to be planning this by now, but I guess... nobody had got round to it yet. I guess I'll give a few days for people to get ready for a trip and then...go.

[She's not the master of planning. But she'll get there.]

[Toph's hardly one for plans, either. She shrugs.] Sounds good to me. The more the merrier.

Think we'll find anything interesting down there? It's getting a little boring around here.

I hear there might be some kind of artifacts down there. Interesting stuff. Probably worth a lot.

Nice, [she says appreciatively.] Not that I really need the money after the tournament, but who could say no to spooky underground artifacts?

There was a tournament? [You made money?]

Yup. It may have been a little bit less than legal, [she says smugly,] but you get prize money for winning fights. It was great! I do it all the time at home.

Hohh, really?

[...]

D'you get many bets placed on you?

The little helpless blind girl? Please.

But I think I have more of a reputation now after beating five different opponents into the dust.

(no subject)

namigational - 2012-11-12 03:51 (UTC) - Expand

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only