castleinthemist | 03

Entry tags:

03 - Open

Tea. The past few days were incredibly rough and all rough days call for tea. Lots and lots of tea. The well had come through and she was graced with a lovely tin of flavored tea straight from the Jade Dragon. It was a blend made specifically for the delicate senses. 'Bandit's Brew,' Iroh had called it, specially mixed just for her after she expressed an intense fondness of a fruit flavored jasmine that hadn't quite taken off the way he'd hoped.

Toph, though, found it as calming as it was delicious, as tasty as it was smooth, and it was exactly what she needed at that point in time. She'd had enough adventuring and exploring for the time being. Instead, she wanted to relax and let her injured back and shoulders heal.

Toph Bent a fire pit under the shade of the tree in the courtyard and let a small blaze grow while she crafted a sturdy pot and a set of cups out of clay. She monitored the water in the pot with the back of her hand, waiting until it had reached the perfect temperature to boil the leaves. She judged the time by smell and before long had a nicely brewed pot of rosy red tea, sweet and fruity in both taste and scent.

She poured herself a cup and hesitated before filling the other three.

The general turned tea guru had always said that the best tea in the world didn't taste half as good unless it was being shared with someone. Friends made it delicious enough, but complete strangers often added a unique zing. At first she thought he was finally hitting that nutty stage of old age. As she sat there, taking tea alone for the first time in ever, she wondered if, like everything else out of his mouth, there was some underlying wisdom that she didn't understand until... well, until she simply understood.

((Ooc: Free tea for all!))

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Toph normally would have been surprised, probably even a little bit wary and scared, but this castle had desensitized her to things that were, well, out of the ordinary. Space men, talking lemurs, ghosts, shadows that tried to eat you, walls she couldn't see through, and oh the many other things she'd heard about...

Someone not being human?

Hardly touched the snow of the iceberg.

"... if you're not human, what are you?"

That had been a relief, at least. Most people didn't seem to react poorly to her being an android here. She had been well beyond worried when she realized she would have to explain herself to people who had never seen a Vocaloid dancing on a television screen before, but so far no one had reacted poorly.

Hell, Ratchet had practically exploded in to fanboy love at the mention of it.

"I am a Vocaloid. It stands for Vocal Android. Vocaloids were created to be performers in my world," she said, giving the most simple explanation she could manage.

"What's an Android?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

She waited a moment before waving a hand.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm sure it's more 'technology' and things like that."

She took a sip of the tea, thinking about her parents and family and her friends and the family she had with them.

"You know, an incredibly wise and twice as old man once said that family is what you make of it. For example, I consider my best friends to be my brothers and my sister. Do you have anyone like that?"

"I am. Technology, I mean," Haku nodded, tugging on a long strand of her white hair.

"I... actually have siblings. Sort of. There are others like me, some built by the same people as me, others that I consider siblings because we're the same. And the ones that adopted me did so not caring that I was made by some one else. So... I can understand that. Family being what you make of it."

That was just confusing, and Toph scratched the back of her head while listening. Instead of focusing on the whole issue of the technology, she instead paid attention only to the part about having someone to take care of the other girl.

"Well, that's good, at least. Everyone needs a family, right?"

In one way or another.

Haku would likely confuse Toph a lot more in the future.

"Yes. Of course. I don't know where I'd be without them, to be honest..."

Toph knew how the Vocaloid felt, and while she knew exactly where she'd be- still stuck in Gaoling and treated like a fragile egg to be pampered and protected- she wasn't any happier than not knowing.

"So what are your plans for being here and getting out of this place?"

It seemed like everyone had one. Toph didn't, other than just to get home, whatever it took.

"Plans for getting out... ?" Haku echoed hesitantly, fiddling with her cup again. She shook her head, looking away sheepishly.

"Oh, no, I don't have any plan to get out. I-I'm not... brave or strong or smart any of that... I'm just trying to survive and hope I don't wind up broken beyond repair..."

Toph shrugged.

"There are a couple of people around here that are pretty handy with that technology stuff. Maybe they could help you if something DID happen," she said as she dug a finger into her nose.

"Is there... ? I've only met a few people so far..." Haku admitted quietly, looking in to what was left of her tea, watching as a few loose leaves floated around in the liquid. "It would be good to know if I can be repaired, though..."

"Sure! Hey, I'll even talk to one of them for you," she offered, taking another sip.

"Or, maybe, introduce you. That might be easier. That way you can tell them what you need."

"I-introduce me... ?" Haku stammered nervously, fingers curling tightly against the cup. She wasn't shaking. Yet.

"Y-you don't... have to do that..."

No, but Toph could still sense her apprehension, so she dropped it.

"Okay... if you want. I guess I could just ask for you, instead."

Though she didn't know what to ask or how to ask it. She'd figure it out, she guessed.

"If you change your mind or need the help, the offer's still there."

"O-okay..." Haku said after a pause, nodding slowly. She was always nervous, but the castle as of late seemed bound and determined to turn her in to a paranoid mess. She hated it.

"Thank you..." she added a few more seconds later, gaze on her feet. All the awkward, this one.

Toph only grinned, taking the time to pour herself another cup of tea.

"I don't guess you'd be too interested in exploring, huh?" she asked, leaning back against the tree again.

Although her shoulders and back hadn't even completely healed yet, she was still making plans to head out again, search and seek until she found something worthwhile, something that might help them all.

A few attacks were not nearly enough to deter her.

"Exploring?"

Haku frowned thoughtfully, going back to tugging on her hair as she often did when she was contemplating something.

"Well... I'm not... completely against it, I just don't want to slow anyone down..."

Toph knew how she felt. Sort of. Once she'd gained control of her earthbending, Toph honestly hadn't been a burden, though sometimes she felt like one.

"Even if you are, that's okay. We'll slow people down together. How about that?"

Haku blinked a few times, honestly surprised at the offer.

"R... really? Are you sure... ?

"Sure! Or we can be slow together. Whatever works. It's always good to have back-up, isn't it?"

She turned her attention back to her tea, focusing her senses on it.

Egads, that was good.

"Ah... it... it is..." she stammered a little. She was nervous about exploring with anyone, really, but there was still a happier note to her voice. The fact that Toph was willing to go with her at all was enough to bring an awkward but warm smile to her features.

"... thank you..."

"Yeah, no problem," she smirked, closing her eyes and relaxing again.

"If nothing else, we can figure out small stuff. I think it might be beneficial to know the quickest route between two rooms at any given time, or the fastest, easiest, safest way to the safer living areas."

"I wonder if anyone's thought about making a map yet," Haku mused thoughtfully, sipping at her tea again. It had gone cold, but she didn't mind it like that. It was still good, flavorful tea.

"I know a map-maker. We might be able to ask him," she shrugged. "But I don't know if he's gotten much farther than we have. A map wouldn't do me any good, anyway. I'd rather figure it all out myself, and create my own mental map of sorts."

"Oh, you do? I wonder if he can use other people's maps to make a more complete one..."

For the relative clarity and intelligence of that thought, her next question wound up being the complete opposite.

Because it really had taken her this long to realize there was something different about Toph.

"Why wouldn't a map do you any good?"

Toph gave another shrug.

"He might be able to. If I come across him again, I'll ask him."

She honestly had no idea of where to find the old guy, and filed the thought away with a sip of her tea.

"My feet would have a better read of the terrain than my eyes would of a map," she shrugged yet again.

"Blindness does that." She wasn't shy about it.

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