⊕ 02: Limestone

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Toph appears on the Plane--along with about a half-mile-wide patch of earth. Most of is hard-packed dirt, with a fair few patches of rock scattered through it. Toph is actually hanging onto the ground with her hands, and you might notice that earth beneath her hands is bunched and bent, as if she is just grabbing some fabric.]

[When she sees the Plane around her she stands up, dusts her hands off and grins.]

Alright, yeah! Toph, you're a genius.

[She stomps a foot against the ground and a spear of rock shoots up behind her. Toph lets out a whoop.]

And it still bends!

Comments

[unto-death.livejournal.com]

[Wandering by, he watches the display.]

That's impressive for one so young.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know.

[unto-death.livejournal.com]

[A slight smile. She certainly doesn't lack in confidence.]

Did you learn that on your own?

[mercwamouth]

Sweetness! Is this genu-ine fire nation soil, right here? *sniiiiff* I think you can smell the malice.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yep, sure is. I'm sure they won't miss a it.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Mostly, yeah. I mean, I never really had a master to teach me. Not a human master, anyway. I learned it from the badgermoles.

[mercwamouth]

Hey, now that you got some dirt, wanna spar a little?

[unto-death.livejournal.com]

Badgermoles? I've never heard of such a creature. [Unless the Summon Spirit of Earth himself has decided to tutor young mages.] What are they like?

[ram-of-gold.livejournal.com]

That is an interesting ability.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

They're giant underground animals. They spend all their time underground, so they're blind like me. I guess you could say we understand each other. They were also the very first earthbenders, and the stories say that humans learned earthbending from them.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Wicked grin.] Alright, then. [Assumes a fighting stance.] If you don't think you're gonna bore me, anyway.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

It's just earthbending. Unless you mean how good I am at it.

[mercwamouth]

Don't worry, I've fought blind people before.

...That sounded weird, didn't it?

[Shrugs and assumes a kind of Bruce Lee stance... not really indicative of any particular fighting style, more an amalgamation of different ones, but definitely bouncing around a lot, keeping light on his feet]

HEAVEN OR HELL! DUEL ONE! LET'S ROCK!

[Leaps into the air somersaulting in an arc toward Toph's back]

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Heh. Interesting fighting style.

[Slides a foot around and turns in the direction Deadpool is traveling. She makes a thrusting motion upward at an angle with her hands. A pillar of rock shoots upward straight for Deadpool.]

[mercwamouth]

[Catches the pillar like a pommel horse, spins around and uses its upward momentum to leap into the air directly above Toph]

You gotta do better than create gymnast equipment, Tophy, unless your strategy is to make me relive my painful memories of High School P.E.

[As he starts to fall towards Toph, he goes into a kick]

Oh, Mrs. Peterson! For the good of my childhood innocence, please wear a sports bra!

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Tophy?!

[Spreads her arms and makes an upward motion, fingers clawed upward. Two enormous chunks of land shoot up around her, edges jagged like teeth, the whole thing like a giant mouth snapping closed on Deadpool--and closing around Toph at the same time like a shield, in case he does get through.]

[mercwamouth]

[!!]

BODYSLIDEBYONE!

[VWOOM! VWOOM! With barely enough time, Deadpool 'ports away from the jaws of death and ends up within arms reach of Toph]

GOTCHA!

[Stops]

... Uh... Why can't I feel my legs?

[A danger of teleporting rarely illustrated, Deadpool was in too much of a rush to carefully think through his re-entry point and ended up with his legs partially materializing in the earth shield created by Toph, merging his legs with it and suspending him horizontally]

...That could have gone better.

[ram-of-gold.livejournal.com]

There is no such thing as earthbending in my world, so I find that in itself interesting.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Hey! [Toph is quite startled, since the only person she knows who can completely "disappear" is Aang.]

[But then Deadpool is caughted! Toph is less surprised by his reappearance than by how close he was able to get. Still, she grins.]

Who's got who now, huh?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

I figured you didn't. It's so weird to think about! I mean, how do other people survive without bending? It's just--built into the world, you know? I can't imagine what would happen if we all suddenly lost our bending.

[mercwamouth]

OK, how 'bout we call it a tie and you earth bend this stuff outta me before the tingling sensation turns into indescribable pain.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Hmph. Fine--a tie it is.

[Downward motion with her hands and the rock breaks up and sinks back into the earth, freeing Deadpool--though rather abruptly enough that he might get dropped.]

[mercwamouth]

[He does drop and he is left with some pretty nasty wounds on his legs. The kind that would probably make an average person immobile. They begin to heal, but slowly. The damage is pretty extensive]

... rrgh... OK, I'm probably gonna start cursing like a sailor in a minute as the nerves start to -- GAH! -- tie themselves back togetherACK! so you might wanna cover your ears or somethin'.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Don't worry--being in Earth Rumble exposes you to pretty bad language.

...How did you do that, anyway? You were suddenly in a different place. ...You're gonna be alright, right? I mean, I've never hurt anyone during just a practice. Not without meaning to...

[mercwamouth]

MOTHERFUCK! Yeah, it's called a bodyslide. Lets me disappear and reappear in other places almost instantly. SHITFUCK! However, accidents can happen GODDAMMIT!

And don't CRAP! give yourself too much TITS! credit. It was more my fault than COCKMASTER! yours. I should have BALLS! paid more attention to where I was FUCK! 'porting BARBARA STREISAND!

[Wounds finish healing]

... Ah... That's better...

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Laughs a bit.] Man, you could give The Boulder a run for his money!

Bodyslide though, huh? That must come in handy.

[ram-of-gold.livejournal.com]

Since my world never had bending, it would be odd for me for it to suddenly develop.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Is there anything like bending in your world, though?

[mercwamouth]

Usually pretty handy, but in this case, my hands weren't really the body part in question.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Snorts.] You're alright now, though?

[mercwamouth]

About as alright as a guy like me can be, I guess.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

I'll take that as a yes.

[mercwamouth]

You've got some moves. Though, I gotta wonder what you would have done if I hadn't gotten stuck. I'd like to see you try and earth bend your way outta my kung fu grip action.

Or if I had been crazy enough to try and use my guns. I know you can bend metal, but I don't think you can bullet bend just yet.

Heh, I bet you could use that to pull off some wicked shots though. Curving bullets around corners and whatnot. It'd be like that flick where Morgan Freeman called a dude a motherfucker. It was totally worth the price of admission just to see that.

Oh, and you did a pretty good job knowing where I was in the air. I thought for sure that would make me fall off your radar a bit. I mean, you're good, but you're no Daredevil. How'd you do that?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Hmph. I woulda thought of something.

What's a gun?

Easy. For one thing, you're really loud. It's not hard to find you by your voice. For another, the way you move when you jump off the ground tells me where you're going. Same with when you hit my rock.

[mercwamouth]

...Damn my voice! My defining feature and also my greatest weakness!!! Oh the irony!

Oh, and this is a gun!

[Pulls out a gun and opens fire at her pillar of earth so she gets the idea]

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Snickers.] Well, next time you're trying to sneak up on them, don't yell weird things.

Whoa! [Flinches a little at the sudden noise and at the weirdness of the vibrations.] Wh-what did you do? Is it like--like some kind of tiny, superfast catapult?

[mercwamouth]

Alas, I cannot help it. Besides, yelling weird things also has the benefit of confusing and distracting my opponents, so it can balance out.

And, yeah, I guess that's a good way to describe it. It shoots tiny chunks of metal called bullets. They'll tear just about anything apart.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Well, you'll have a hard time distracting me.

[Looks suspiciously in the general direction of the gun.] ...Sounds like something the Fire Nation would invent.

[mercwamouth]

Nah, the Fire Nation isn't that smart. They can't do anything effectively unless they have a freakin' comet.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Ugh, don't remind me. I'm trying not to think about that. Anyway, we have a pretty good invasion plan in the works. Hopefully the war will be over before the comet comes.

[mercwamouth]

...Well it wouldn't hurt to be prepared anyway. Y'know. Shit happens.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah. We're doing the best we can now, I guess.