⊕ 05: Sand

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Toph is at the beach! Her pants are rolled up to her knees so she doesn't get them wet and she's standing just at the edge of the water, waves splashing over her feet. She's in a sturdy earthbending stance with her eyes closed, her toes sinking into wet sand.]

[Then she moves one foot outward, jerks her elbows back, then thrusts her hands out, palms down. She makes a violent downward motion. A patch of sand in front of her ripples and shifts but then settles again. She stands up straight and puts her hands on her hips with a sigh.]

Still no good, but I'm getting there.

Comments

[sifud.livejournal.com]

[Has been hangin' at the beach] Sandbending?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Trying to, anyway.

[Suddenly serious.] Hey, explain something to me. How come Aang can't even see you or Sokka?

[sifud.livejournal.com]

Might work better if you treated it like a liquid.

[Blink.] What? What do you mean? You and Sokka haven't come back to camp yet--that's why I came back here.

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

That just makes it even harder.

Sure I have! And Twinkletoes keeps wondering where you guys are, even though you were both right there! You both just wandered off even though he was calling for you guys.

[sifud.livejournal.com]

Just because it's harder doesn't mean it's not the right way to do something. Sand is a lot more like water than rock.

No you haven't! Aang was starting to get worried, so I came back to look for you!

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I'm not a waterbender. Thinking of something as water just makes things more difficult. [Reaches down and scoops up some sand.] But if you think about it, sand is really just lots and lots of really tiny rocks.

I've been with Aang the whole time. How could he be worried about me?

[sifud.livejournal.com]

Makes sense.

I've been with him the whole time. You haven't been there. [Anger is dissipating as she starts to get worried]

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

[Long, thoughtful pause.] Remember what I said before, about people being from different times and such? What if...that's going on with us?

What's just happened where you are?

[swanseer.livejournal.com]

[Stands a little away, looking curious] What are you doing?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to sandbend. But I'm kind of going from scratch, since I didn't really have time to see how the Sandbenders in the desert did it. [Does another quick and powerful motion, thrusting her hands upward. The sand lifts a little then sinks back down.] This is even more difficult than metalbending.

[swanseer.livejournal.com]

Sandbend... Metalbend...

Is this sort of like magic?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Well...I guess to other people it must look like magic. But it's really just a martial art. A technique.

There are four different kinds of bending, one for each element.

[swanseer.livejournal.com]

Ah.

So... Fire, Air, Earth and Water?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly. And sandbending and metalbending are just different forms of earthbending. [Grins.] I'm the only one who can metalbend, though.

[swanseer.livejournal.com]

Interesting, can everybody... bend things in your universe?

[ram-of-gold.livejournal.com]

Practicing?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly.

[ram-of-gold.livejournal.com]

Sand gives you trouble?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's so shifty and...fuzzy. It's hard to see with sand.

[ram-of-gold.livejournal.com]

See?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Vibrations don't carry well through sand, so everything ends up looking fuzzy.

[miseardae.livejournal.com]

Not as sturdy as soil, I imagine?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

Exactly! It's practically impossible. But I'm getting there! [Another foot stomp and she makes a lifting motion with her hands. The sand shifts and twists upward, but sinks back down almost right away.]

[miseardae.livejournal.com]

[crouches down, shielding his eyes]

Could you make it denser before lifting it? Compact it?

[got-the-stones.livejournal.com]

I've tried, but it's not that simple. And it kind of defeats the purpose.