genessia | ( action

closed to zuko--

"...Sparky?" It comes out like a question, but Toph would know Zuko's heat signature and those solid, confident steps anywhere.

Of course, she hadn't taken too kindly to waking up in a strange city, plopped in a puddle on a metal cradle. All of those welcome goodies were left behind -- didn't really feel like anything important and she couldn't read it anyway.

Toph points in Zuko's direction before grinning and course-correcting him. "Hey! What's going on, here? Where is this place?"

And then: whack, she jabs right up at his shoulder. Because hopefully all of her questions could be answered now, and a preemptive thanks is in order.

open to all--

Running into Zuko meant having to trudge back and pick up all that junk that Toph had left in the Bay. Well, mostly junk -- the flimsy money was kinda nice to have.

She parts from Zuko eventually, to get a feel for the expanse of the city she can see spreading beneath her feet. As much as she appreciates the guidance a friend can provide, Toph wants to know if she can get up to a little trouble on her own. And she's not interested in learning how to use that video phone thing just yet, anyway.

For all intents and purposes, she looks like a lost barefoot runaway. Toph wanders around the city with ease that belies her complete lack of vision. Green and tan robes that are made for smooth movement (and could really use a thorough washing) adorn her stout form, leaving her to make confident steps to avoid collision.

Or, sometimes, to cause one. When she does bump into a stranger, it's a meek apology that squeaks out in a high voice, clutching at one of her feet. "Ohh, ouch! I'm sorry, I was trying to find 11th Avenue so I can find a friend of mine. Gee, are you OK?"

It's a good way to gauge how generally gullible a place is.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Uh huh." Toph drops the entire act, crossing her arms and huffing.

"All right, buddy. Let's just call it a draw and move along." She's not trying to waste her time on a dead end, OK? In fact, Toph turns to walk away, grumbling to herself.

Well this isn't a reaction he gets often. Despite being tempted to keep going, Gintoki pops up from the ground to walk after the girl.

"You're good. Most people would just throw money at me to get me to shut up before any cops got involved."

She huffs out something of a laugh, and waves her hand in front of her face, cloudy eyes bulging a little.

"I don't think the cops are going to side against a blind little girl, do you?"

He leans over to look at her eyes. "You're probably right. I get the feeling that you might be a better con than I am." This wasn't something that was easy for him to admit but... Having actual blindness to use as a way to con people and get out of trouble definitely gave her the upper hand.

Toph smirks, face turning up to where his voice has been coming from. It's almost impossible for her to curb her glib comments, even though she's actually curious.

"Huh. You're smarter than you look. Does that little act back there really work around here?"

"I don't know. I haven't been here that long. But I thought I'd give it a shot." The more he talks to this girl, the more he likes her. She's his kind of people. "I take it you just got here?"

"You mean I just woke up in a metal boat and found out I was kidnapped? Yep." And she tries to make it sound as nonchalant as possible. It's cooler not to care, man. Plus -- what the heck is crying about it gonna do?

"But I got someone to give me food already so I'd say it's not so bad."

"Welcome to the club, then. There are a surprising amount of people in it."

He shoots Toph an impressed look. "Already? That's not bad."

"What can I say? I've got a natural advantage." Her grin holds in it that sort of amusement that says maybe I'm aware of the joke I'm making and maybe I'm just being a stinker.

"Besides, it's not like I'm old enough to work and I've really had my share of being babysat. What else is there to do around here?"

"I guess that does make it easier." This is clearly the best way to make the best of her situation. Because nothing is better than petty crime.

"I'm sure there's somewhere that would ignore the child labor laws."

Considering this guy's already on the opposite side of the tracks than the law, Toph grins excitedly up at him with a pretty blunt question.

"Are there any fighting tournaments?" Maybe she should take up the mantle of Blind Bandit again...

"I know there's a coliseum, and I think they have a tournament of some kind..." He eyes her up and down. It's pretty obvious she's strong enough to hold her own in a fight but... He feels he should at least warn her about how weird this place is. "But from what I've heard, if you die in a fight, you somehow get brought back to life."

That sounds a little sketchy, and Toph's never been all that inclined to hide her emotions. Her face scrunches up, incredulous.

"That's impossible." But she's curious, even though her tone is serious. Everyone knows you stay dead, right?

"That's what I said." It's more than a little sketchy. But... This whole place is extremely sketchy. "I'm not in any hurry to test it out, though."

( action | arrival )

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