4855/Southern Hospitality Part 1

Southern Hospitality Part 1
Date of Scene:	08 December 2016
Location:	Avatar World <AW>
Synopsis:	It's the first day of the expedition to the South Pole!
Cast of Characters:	1076, 796, 20

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Sokka (1076) has posed:
It was cold. Darn, darn cold. Sokka didn't mind. He'd even gotten the both of them water tribe girl jackets. His heart might have gotten a little faster once they put them on, as Toph probably would have noticed. But just for a second! he couldn't help it, they were cute! Even Toph had been a little... adorable. Not that he'd ever admit it. She was like twelve.

Of course, to get here was simple. Giant air bison! They'd been traveling for hours, the air steadily getting colder and, with every mile, the breezes got a little worse as they seemed to cut through their clothes. Granted, sokka barely seemed to notice. Water tribe boys were built cold tough. Still, if the girls didn't resist, he'd happily take them under his arm to keep them nice and toasty! He'd even defensively put an arm around toph since, well, she was the youngest and needed the most help.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah thought she was dressed warmly *before* She got the Jacket, which she found herself quite grateful for. She's starting to wonder about those stories of her Dad being frozen in ice for decades now.

    "So who was the guy that said 'Let's find the coldest place on earth and build a city there!'?? What were they thinking? This world looks like it's got plenty of water, why not find a tropical island?" She's constantly shifting around trying to find a warmer spot on the Bison. The temptation to actually cuddle with Sokka for warmth is getting harder to resist.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    If this had been anybody but Sokka asking her to come here, then she would have laughed at them. Because who drags Toph Beifong to a place with no earth? A place where she is unable to see, where she has to keep her precious feet covered, not to mention all that water. Even if Tony has taught her enough to stay afloat the water will be freezing, even more than the air that blows in her face as they make their way to their destination. And well, Appa's smell doesn't make it better.

    The blind teenager huddles up in her borrowed coat, glad that she had some winter clothes from previous missions. Though the thick boots are still uncomfy on her feet as she wriggles her toes. This... will take some getting used to. As always it's hard to know what's going on around Appa's saddle, and so Toph is taken by surprise as Sokka pulls her close. She tenses up a bit, though she does sit still, her arms wrapped around her torso. "A-are we there soon...?" she asks, teeth clacking just a bit. Ugh, this would be better if she could move and build up some more warmth. Is Sarah just as cold as she is? Sokka is probably used to this...

    Did she remember to pack everything? It feels like she forgot a lot. But even as she goes over the list in her mind, she's certain that she didn't forget anything important. Several changes of clothes, as Pepper insisted on. Heating pads for the night, extra gloves, another set of boots... socks of all things, some metal just in case. And of course her radio is kept close. Somehow she guesses that her adoptive parents would be able to tell she was a bit nervous about going here, despite her pretending that it isn't a big deal.

    Sarah /does/ have a point. "There's water all over the globe, so... why not do like the swampbenders did?" How can people live where it's /this/ cold?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka chuckled. "It was north or south pole, ladies. Fire nation burning everything in the south, earth kingdom taking the north. We didn't exactly have a lot of choice in the matter. Besides, water benders. Who would be dumb enough to attack a whole crowd of water benders in a world MADE of water? aside from the fire nation."

He gave a soft sigh, glancing down. "Toph, Sarah, you two okay? We're almost there. Once we get there, you can sit in the igloo and warm up for a bit while I take care of Appa. Okay?"

Then... "THERE!" Off in the distance, a... rather sizeable village of ice and cold appeared. It wasn't that big, but considering what it was three years ago, it'd almost tripled in size and population.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah has to bite her tongue, she knows it would be rude to mention that running all the way to the poles doesn't look like it worked anyway. She musn't let the cold dampen her spirits anymore than it already has.

    "I'll live." She mutters. "Didn't expect I would feel it this much." She sighs. "I thought it would be bigger..." She lets slip when Sokka points out the village in the distance. She almost asks Toph what she expected to see before she remembers she's blind. Whew!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    A heavy sigh leaves Toph, and she closes her eyes where she sits. "I'm... cold, which might come as a big surprise," she says, "It's weird to have something on my /feet/ for once, and I know there's nothing but water underneath us for miles upon miles." Still... she trusts Sokka will keep them safe. It's weird going into a situation like this where she's pretty much helpless if something should happen. Maybe that's why Pepper was a bit nervous at first.

    When he calls out that they are there Toph can only take his word for it. "Kinda logical that not too many people live in places like these though, Babycap," Toph points out. "Most people want to live where it's warm, like Malibu." If you're going to live near an ocean, at least make sure it's a warm one! For now Toph keeps quiet, sitting still next to Sokka until Appa has landed.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked, then sighed. "Well, we were almost mass exterminated until about three years ago. We're still working on repairs." Was that a bit of a bite to that? "We're doing a lot better though, now. We've been hunting more, have a good amount of patrols going. I almost joined them."

He paused and glanced down and his arm tightened on Toph. "Don't worry, Toph. I'll keep you safe, I promise. You're with the southern water tribes number one warrior, after all." And then they landed and... instantly... KIDS! "Sokka sokka!" they were yelling, looking at the new people and then...

"Easy, easy!" he said quickly, holding up his hands. "Now! Ahem! Allow me to introduce... the world's greatest earth bending master and inventor of metal bending! Toph!" he yelled, before helping her up. "And, ummm... a traveler from another dimension, Sarah!" There was a moment of silence and then...

"Wait, I thought toph was a guy! A big, giant, toph guy! Not a little girl!"

Sokka cringed. "I-I told you kids about her! All the time!" he muttered, before sighing. There were murmurs of agreement. It seemed they all thought she was. He sighed and then... helped Toph down, first. Blind and all. "Careful, bandit," he said, motioning with his hands. "Listen, kids, take them in to warm with gran gran. Okay? You can ask them whatever you want, but leave them alone if they want you to." He'd then offer to help Sarah down before smiling to appa. "Come on you big puffy fuzzball, let's get oyu covered."

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "Now that the war's over you should totally start the Equatorial Water Tribe!" Sarah quips as she lets Sokka help her down. She sticks close to Toph in case she needs help finding her way around. Beyond that she's content to stay in the background and let the Metalbender be the star of the show. She already finds it awkard that she seems to be the only blonde on the planet.

    Seeing the small crowd of kids is the first thing that brings a genuine smile to her face.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Sokka's sister used to be the only waterbender here before, but... you've got more of them now, right?" Toph asks of Sokka, turning her face slightly towards him. Only to blink and blush a bit as his arm tightens around her. "I-I'm not worried!"

    It's a bit strange to land without there being any earth underneath. There's nothing to sense there, and the only thing she can sense are what little metal some people have here. Though the blind teenager does move to the edge of the saddle, listening to the voices around Appa. Huh, seems like Sokka has many fans. It does take her by surprise when he decides to introduce her like that in a place where she can't exactly show off. Just... being here is a bit humbling. Though that sense of humbleness disappears when that one kid states they thought the mighty Toph Beifong was a guy. The blind earthbending master blinks... and then lets out an undignified snort of amusement. "Hah! Like in that play, Sokka! Remember that?" Oh yes, she looks amused. "Seriously kid," she continues as she turns her focus in the direction of the child who spoke up, "I'm tougher than the big, buff earthbenders you might have heard off... and I've never met an earthbender I couldn't beat." So there.

    It might be a bit weird for the kids to imagine when Sokka decides to help her down, and Toph looks a bit flustered as she pushes Sokka's hand away. "I have gotten off of Appa before!" She can do it! Just... jump off of Appa, she's been in snow before when she visited Dun Realtai in winter... Off Toph jumps, and as she jumps her foot slips slightly, though she manages to avoid falling flat on her face. "Just... help me get my stuff off of Appa, would you?" Ugh, getting warmed up would be nice.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka chuckles. "We'd have to invade the fire nation to do that. Not something any of us want. You get used to it, down here. It's actually kind of nice. And we do have some water benders, but... they're not here often. We only have a handful and they usually go with the patrols and hunters. We're lucky to have one at the tribe most the time." He'd then give toph just a little push. "You guys go inside, really. I'll take care of the luggage and everything. I'll put some of the twerps to work. Come on kids, get them in!" And suddenly poor toph and sarah would have their hands grabbed and they'd be dragged towards one of the igloos!

Inside was an old woman, a nice, toasty fire, some beds and... soup! The old woman looked them over. "I heard Sokka was bringing a Toph, I don't think he mentioned the other." She paused. "Suki, I'm guessing?" she asked, before thrusting a bowl of warm soup to their hands. The kids were watching with wide eyes, only the threat of gran gran's ladle stopping them from swarming the two. But even that wouldn't last long.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "Yeah yeah.. I think you're just making excuses!" Sarah responds with a smirk. She actually tries to protest going inside for a moment, "No it's fine! I may be cold but I'm able bodied! Lemme help!" The Water tribe kids are harder to argue with than Sokka however, and in the ends she lets herself get dragged.

    Ahh.. warmth at last! She happily sits down by the fire, passing the first bowl of soup onto Toph before accepting one for herself. "Sarah." She corrects. "I'm from.. further away than Toph."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Being dragged isn't the best, but Toph doesn't put up too much of a fight. "Not too fast, I can't see!" she chides the kids, holding back so she can at least not stumble and fall as she's lead indoors.

    The inside smells of something at least. Fur, fat, spices and something warm? The blind girl teenager is reminded that she's rather hungry after the trip, though when the old woman speaks up her attention shifts. Wait... "Are you... Gran Gran?" Toph asks, arching an eyebrow. Of course Sokka has talked about his grandmother. Though she does nod herself, she is The Toph that Sokka was talking about. As for Sarah though? "Nah, she's Sarah Rogers, from the multiverse. She's a friend of ours and---" That's all Toph gets to say before she gets a soup bowl thrust into her hands. "Oh... thanks." Well, Gran Gran might be rough, but she's straight to the point. Which is something Toph can appreciate. Since it's clear that they're expected to eat Toph searches around with one hand, finds a place to sit down close to the fire, and so she does. Though the soup will have to wait as Toph works on unbuttoning her coat and to get those blasted boots off. It's a bit hard to control the temperature with so many layers of clothing. And these watertribe clothes are way warmer than she is used to! Here she thought she wouldn't stand out so much, but of course the kids recognize strangers, huh?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
And then they were comfy and the kids started in. "Further away? How far away? Where's the other dimensions? Where--" And then toph removed layers and everything went silent. The kidswere looking between the two and finally...

"Who are you marrying? Who gave you the engagement necklace? Was it sokka? Was it sarah?" And now poor sarah's throat was being heavily examined, if she had any necklace, she'd suffer a similar stream of questions as the kids just tried to run them over with their excitement.

The soup was oddly good. A bit watery, but not bad. Alas, for poor toph, the village WAS small enough that they would both be the center of attention for a while now. Alas.

Gran gran eyed the blind girl. "Children, don't swarm the young lady," she said stirnly and... somehow it managed to sound like a threat and the kids backed off. But they kept demanding answers! Who was she marrying? When was she getting married? It was someone from the water tribe, right? Was she visiting them? Did they live here? Would their kids be water benders or earth benders? could a water bender metal bend? If she was blind did that mean she had super smell? could she smell her feet from over there? Is it true that earth benders ate mud? Okay, so they weren't ALL necklace related.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah's slower about peeling away her jacket, it's helping the heat sink in after all. She does in fact have a necklace, It appears to be a simple pendant shaped like a Norse hammer on a chain. Definitely not an engagement symbol but she's more than willing to entertain any stories the kids might make up about it. The talk does cause her to look at Toph in a new light however. "Since when are you getting married!?" Sarah's actually concerned, isn't Toph way too young to get married!? But.. this is a more primitive world. They may not have the convenience of adolescence here.

    She stares at the blind girl expectantly, and then ends up a little disappointed when the truth comes out. "Oh.. darn." She sighs, then does her best to hide her smile by trying the soup. It's a little odd for her tastes, but It's warm, and she's eaten worse things back on the Battleworld

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "The multiverse is a collection of other worlds, and that's where we go to help out other places. They came here to help against the Fire Nation too." Man, you'd think these kids never met new people before. Might as well have some soup while they shut up. Toph raises the soup bowl to her lips and tilts her head back, takes a sip...

    Only to spray the kids in front of her when they ask a question and say a word that Toph was /not/ expecting. "... what?!" Engagement necklace?! The blind earthbender looks less than dignified where she sits, some soup trickling down her chin and the front of her shirt, a dumbfounded look on her face as her cheeks flare up. "I-I'm not engaged!" This to both the kids /and/ to Sarah. One hand quickly reaches up, and she /yanks/ the necklace off and stuffs it into a pocket. Oh man, whatever ignorant thing did Sokka do?! "I'm not getting married, and how the crud do you expect us to answer your questions if you can't ask them one at a time?" Sure, she might be seated still, but one thing can be said for the short teenager. She sure has an authoriative voice when she speaks up, and her words practically boom inside the small igloo. "No, my sense isn't super, I don't eat mud but I do eat stuff that's /in/ mud if I want to."

    Okay, let's focus on those questions instead. Ugh, silly kids!

    Silly Sokka for giving her that necklace...

Sokka (1076) has posed:
There were a lot of awwwwws from the kids. "So you said no? Who gave it to you?"

There was a long, annoyed sigh from Gran gran. "Hmmmm. It was Sokka, wasn't it?" she asked. "He truly is his father's son. Leave it to him to ask a woman to marry him without telling her what he was doing." She shook her head. Seems she only had half the story as well. There was a look, from gran gran. A 'I'll be keeping an eye on all of you' look. Toph could practically FEEL it in that way only a grand mother could.

The kids, fortunately, were already going onto new subjects. "What things do you eat from the dirt? Do you eat worms? Do you eat rocks? Doyou eat cockroaches? Do you eat brocoli?" Pause. "What? They come from the earth and they taste nasty!" "Can you swim? Do you know how to penguin sled?"

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "How many girls does Sokka juggle at one time?" Sarah asks suspciously, peering out of the igloo to try to get a look at him. "I haven't known Sokka very long, but I didn't get the impression he thought of Toph that way." She tries to assure Gran-Gran, though she doesn't sound all that sure herself.

    The day's entertainment couldn't be better, Sarah's enjoying Toph being teh center of attention a little too much!

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "N-no! I mean... he didn't ask, he..." Toph tries her best to act calm and not show her discomfort at this whole topic. Of course Gran Gran ruins it by figuring out the simple puzzle of just who gave Toph the necklace. Immediately Toph's face flares up to a deep crimson and she sits there, looking as if she wants to sink down through the floor. Even if there's simply water underneath them. "No, he didn't ask...!" she adds in as one last protest. Seriously, Sokka wouldn't do that! Mostly because he still regards her as a little girl, much to her chagrin. Ugh... Sarah is indeed right, and well, that fact doesn't really make her feel better. Feelings are hard!

    Yes please, let's focus on the harmless questions. "I smash rocks, I don't eat them. I have eaten bugs, but not cockroaches. If I didn't eat broccoli I wouldn't hear the end of it..." Okay, let's finish off this soup. Hopefully these kids will focus on other questions. And hey, they are asking her too many questions. Maybe because Sokka hasn't known Sarah so long. But still... "Why don't you show them your shield, Babycap?" There! Ask /her/ some questions now!

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Gran gran hmphed. "If sokka is trying to juggle women..." There was a light clang from the pot. That wa definitely a threat. Sokka was going to die. And more questions were coming up. "Did he ask you to marry him too?" they asked, pointing to Sarah's necklace. "Are you going to marry him? how long have you two been together? how'd you meet? Can you have babies if from another world? Can you bend? Can--" And then there was a grun from the igloo flap and sokka came in, falling over with a shriek as he dropped their luggage.

He panted with exertion, wiping his brow. "O-okay, appa's settled. Good... good to go. I... huh?" He looked towards the door, then back over. "Why's everyone starring at me? What'd I do?"

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah was already blushing a little whjen Toph tried to turn the room's attention to her. "What!? I can't do much with it in here unless I want to rebuild the igloo afterwards!" She's ready to launch into a story about her father's exploits in WW2 to keep the kids happy, but then things have to go and get worse.

    "No, but he did ask me out of a date." She says accusingly at Sokka as he enters then tent, trying her best not to blush harder at Gran's questions. "We met like.. yesterday when Toph brought him to see my world. That's it! There's nothing more to read into it!" She glares at Sokka, "Apparently you're handing out marriage proposals to every girl you come across!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    What, they think /that/ about Sokka? "No!" Toph protests, shaking her head. "He doesn't do that!" Not from what she's seen! Sure, he might be ignorant, but he's not the type of person who would hurt people's feelings like that! Heck, he was still struggling with feelings for his first girlfriend when he and Suki met up again? That shows he's not inconsiderate! Right?

    What? she meant for them to ask Sarah about her /shield/, not to continue down /that/ line of questioning again! Okay, this is enough...!

    Setting her bowl aside, Toph rises to her feet with a stern look on her face, and she extends her arm. From within the sleeve of her shirt something moves, and Toph is just about to move her arm again when Sokka barges in... and everybody is staring at him. Oh hell no...!

    Even as Sarah speaks and begins blabbering, the blind girl looks even more flustered. So something has to be done. With some hurry Toph bends out her armlet, the metal shifting into a spiky ball. "The next one who speaks about silly stuff gets this shoved up where the sun doesn't shine! Now sit down and eat your soup, babble munchkins!" Toph roars with as much fury as she can.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka just stared, his mouth open in shock. "W-what? I-I've never even asked--" And then THAT!

Sokka stared, eying the little earth bender. Shoot, he armed her. He coughed and looked around. "O... kay?" he said softly, looking confused as all get out. Gran Gran just snickered as she stirred the soup. He walked to sit by them, taking a bowl as well and glancing over nervously.

After a few minutes, the kids slowly began to slink out of the room. "They'll return, and in greater numbers," sokka warned. After he was halfway done, he glanced over. "So... at the risk of a lot of pain, anyone mind telling me what that was about?"

"You truly arre your father's son."

"Thanks gran gran!"

"... That wasn't a compliment."

"Oh."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Even as the kids start filing out, Toph stands still in place with her hand held out, the metal floating above her open palm. It's only once they are all gone that Toph sighs and bends the space metal back into her armlet, slipping it on before she flops down again. Time to eat some soup again.

    Then Sokka of course has to ask... immediately Toph tenses up where she sits, her grip on the bowl tightening. And her face snaps towards Sarah, giving her a weird expression that might be summed up as a mix of 'don't you dare' and 'please please please don't'. All in all the blind girl looks rather pitiful where she sits.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah looks around at Toph and Gran, "Is he really that clueless or is it just an act?" She peers at Sokka again, "You mean to tell us you don't remember giving Toph a..." She she cuts herself off suddenly when she notices Toph trying to silently plead with her, then throws her arms up in frustration. "Nevermind." She sighs. "It's fine. Everything's Fine." It's totally not fine. At least the room's quieter after Toph shooed out the brats.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka looked even more confused. "Gave Toph a what?" he pressed, cocking his head to the side. Then... "Ohhhhhhh. I see what this is about!" And patted toph on the back. "Nah, there's no special meaning behind me giving toph one of my sister's old coats. It just fit, that's all." He laughed heartily. "You could have just told me that's what it was about."

He really was that clueless. Gran Gran just sighed.

He then smiled to Sarah. "And don't worry. I haven't forgotten about our date and I promise, there will be no other woman on my mind than you. And no, I've never proposed to anyone. I'm not sure what stories you've heard about us water tribe men, but we're one women men," he said with a nod and a smirk.

"Actually, while we're here, how about I show you two around once you've warmed up a bit. We can go canoeing, too. I know it's not the earth kingdom, but I assure you I can make it still quite romantic."

Said all of that right over toph's head. Literally.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    A silent sigh of relief leaves Toph when Sarah takes pity on her, and she turns back to the soup. Okay, catastophe averted...

    Sokka, why do you keep on giving her mini heart attacks?

    For a moment Toph thinks Sokka has realised what's going on... but no, Sokka is just being Sokka. Outside of the battlefield he can be really... oblivious.

    Not all's well though, and Toph turns her focus to the soup as Sokka turns his attention to Sarah. Right, he asked her on a date, didn't he? Then again, there's no wonder he likes Sarah. She's a good person, she's nice, she's probably really pretty considering most people say that Captain America is a handsome man, so of course any kid of his might be good looking too. Plus she /is/ closer to Sokka's age.

    "You two go cannoing, it's not like I would be able to sense anything besides the cold," Toph says calmly where she sits, and then sluuuurps her soup.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah makes a mental note to try to get Gran Gran to spill all the stories about Sokka later. "Oh yes I'm so reassured." She replies to Sokka in a complete deadpan. "Is this really the best place for a date?" She asks seriously, "I mean.. I'd love to see the wonders of the Water Tribe and all, but Toph looks pretty miserable. The whole reason we're here is so she can bend that Fire Nation ship into something useful right? Shouldn't that be our priority?" She asks hopefully.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked and then got shut down. Ouch. "Right, yeah, I guess." He rubbed the back of his head. "If uhhhh... you want, we can get started on it now. Toph, if you feel up to it?" He was quiet for a moment. "And Toph? Don't push yourself too hard here. I know it's cold and you'll need to be more... barefoot during this. So if you don't feel you can keep going, let me know. Okay? I don't want you getting hurt."

He shrugged. "And I guess once we're done we can send Toph home and..." He kind of trailed off and glanced down at her with concern. "We can take toph home and then come back, if you wanna see it. There's actually a lot of fun things to do here."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    While the two talk Toph takes the chance to finish up her soup while it's still warm, and she lets out a slight burp, wriggling her toes in front of the fire in order to get some warmth back into her poor feet.

    So when Sokka asks whether she's up to get started on clearing up the Fire Nation ship, the blind girl blinks. "Huh? Already?" Well, she /could/ do it. It's probably something they will have to work on over several days, considering the climate and all. "After I've warmed up a little..." she finally decides with a nod. And then Sokka tells her to not push herself too hard. Her expression is calm, and she closes her eyes. "I can handle it." No, she doesn't plan on getting hurt. It's metal, and she's the only person who can do this. "I'll just let Goldie and Pepper know I'm here safely before we head out." Just so they know she hasn't drowned yet.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "I would like to look around some." Sarah muses. "And since I'm here I'd like to make myself useful. I'm just a little uncomfortable leaving Toph alone in a place where she's truly blind. That's all." She tries to reassure Sokka. "It's like, we go have all the fun while she's stuck indoors until we need her." She sighs and looks at Toph, "Are you gonna be okay? I can get back here faster than anyone if you need help with anything!"

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods and then reaches out, putting a hand aroundher head and pulls her in. He glares down at her. "Yeah, Toph. you're the toughest, strongest, most bad ass girl I know," he said firmly. "But this is the arctic and you bend bare foot. If your feet start getting numb or hurting, we're stopping. No excuses, understand? None of this 'I'm too tough for that' or 'I'm strong enough' or 'I can handle it, I'm fine' junk. We've got time. There's no pressing issues. If you try anything dangerous, I'll take you home myself."

That was... oddly stern and VERY protective of Sokka. "You're way, way too awesome and important to get yourself hurt here." Pause. "A bit too cool, too. I'd hate to have to put you on ice. But if things go south, I'll have to toph it out without you." ... Oh gosh the puns were starting.

He then nodded. "We can bring Toph, too. I was going to bring her along for most of it, anyway. I had a full itinuary of what we were going to do. And just because she can't see doesn't mean she can't have fun. We can go penguin sledding and I can show her my invention, the sledder. Oh, and fishing, canoeing, snowball fights, building a snowman. It'll be fun!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It would make sense that seeing people might want to look around a place like this. And well, it wouldn't be fair of her to force Sarah to stay indoors with her. It's not like the older girl has done anything bad, heck... being Captain America's daughter she's bound to not have a single mean bone in her body.

    The hardest part about this place is how she can't tell when people are moving around her! Which is why Toph's taken by surprise as Sokka pulls her head in close. And gives her a brotherly lecture. A bit stubbornly she turns her face away, her expression stern when he himself sounds so determined. "Fine." It does sound like she means it, even despite her short reply.

    However, the puns makes her reach out and elbow him sharply in the side. "Yeah, enough puns before I punish you," she snorts, trying to hide her brief amusement.

    It would have been better to stay warm and cozy if they decided to head out, at least that's what Toph had planned. But then Sokka reveals he has activities planned for them...? "What?" Toph blinks. "You're /not/ dragging me out in a canoe! But fine, I go fishing and build a snowman, I guess..." No, it seems that he's not going to let her hide here in the warmth.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah tries not to smile as she listens to Sokka. She doesn't want to admit that she found a couple of those puns funny. "Okay good, I feel better when we all stick together." What this actually means is she's not quite ready to be alone with Sokka yet!

    "Hey, I just had a thought, how broken is that ship? If the engine still works maybe we could get it warm enough that standing on the deck barefoot wouldn't be so bad?" She suggests.

    She frowns a bit as Sokka lists the activities, "Pengiun sledding doesn't hurt the penguins does it?" She asks worriedly?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka chuckled even as he cringed from the blow. He then nodded. "Oh yes I am. Even if I have tocarry you onto the boat myself," he said with a chuckle. "Don't worry, Toph, I give my personal guarantee that nothing will happen. Have I ever lied to you?" he asked with that grin she couldn't even see. "Well, okay. Have I ever let you down?"

He nodded to Sarah. "Of course! Group activities are the best. And the ship is pretty trashed. I know there are still some traps working on it,but no way to heat it. The ship is fire bender tech. You'd need a fire bender to work it even if the engine did work. And no, it doesn't. Annoys them a bit, though. It's why I inventedthe sledder!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "But what am I supposed to do out in a canoe anyway?" Toph whines, clearly not liking the idea. Sure, she can understand Sarah wanting them all to be together, and... just what is that nervous thumping of Sarah's heart?

    Either way, they should get going to the ship, shouldn't they? So Toph gets to her feet and starts putting on her socks and boots again. "I'll walk first on the ship, I'll be able to see stuff that you won't. Maybe we should begin by removing some of the upper stuff from it and then work our way down," she suggests. It's easier to think about that than activities out on the water. And it's rather different down here where it's cold and no earth for miles.

    "Sokka has this gift that he's able to annoy pretty much anything," Toph informs Sarah. Just in case she hadn't gotten that yet.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "Darn." Sarah sighs. She fingers her necklace for a moment. Putting a bolt of lighting through the ship has occurred to her, but there's just too many ways that could go wrong. "It's a shame there's no way to make this more pleasant. Cold sucks!" She says with a look to Toph.

    "Yeah I noticed that, It's almost like his superpower." She chuckles, then looks back to Sokka, "You could carry her on your shoulders when she's not bending maybe?"

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka gives a light laugh. "Oh, Toph. It's a canoe. You aren't supposed to do ANYTHING. You just sit there and row about. Oh, and fish. So it's basically fishing with like... movement," he said with a nod. Once she was dressed he took her hand. "It's not far, so we can walk it. Appa already had to carry us all the way here so I figure we'd best let him rest a bit. And yeah, that sounds fine. It'll be dark soon, so today let's just focus on disabling any traps, okay? And hey! I don't annoy EVERYTHING."

He chuckled. "I guess. Here, let's try." And then scooped Toph up onto his shoulders. "SOKKA!" Gran gran said, and he yelped. "No rough housing inside!" "Y-yes ma'am..." Oh, he got scoldedddd~

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Well, it seems she's not escaping that trip, huh? And Sokka seems so happy about it all too, it's...

    Another heavy sigh, and Toph lets Sokka take her hand.

    "You gotta admit that the universe seems to enjoy kicking your ass though," Toph points out, just about to head out and drag Sokka with her. But then Sarah comes with a suggestion that makes Toph's eyes widen, and she turns her face sternly. "Oh hell no i--" Too late. Already Sokka is reaching for her, and Toph is unable to slip away when she can't see. If this was on solid ground, there's no way Sokka would have been able to scoop her up. Instead it's an easy task, and the blind girl flails and tries to get down. "H-hey! Let me go! Listen to your grandma! And put me down!" It's not often people have the chance to mess around with Toph when she's in a situation where she's unable to make good of her threats.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "I meant with her PERMISSION!" Sarah sighs. He really is that clueless! At least the universe seems to have a way of punishing him when he deserves it the most. She stands up and buttons her coat back up. "Sorry about that Toph.. that was kinda my fault too." She says with a twinge of guilt. "Lets get moving before something else goes wrong."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka chuckles and does indeed put her down. "Yeah, it--" Moment he's outside, snowball to the face. He tumbles back, hits the igloo, and the snow on top tumbled down and buried him. He got up a few moments later. "Who threw that!"

"He did!"

Like, five kids said at once. "It is ON! Toph! Back up! Sarah, artillery support! It's snowball time!" ... How old was he? ACK! they were throwing snow balls at them now! he grabbed toph's arm to tug her down behind cover before scooping and throwing some himself. "Toph, just scoop and throw where ever you hear things!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Whew, it's a good thing he put her back down! Because she doesn't know what she could have done to make him put her down when she had no earth to threaten him with. So... off they go!

    Of course the universe takes this moment to show its undying love of tormenting Sokka.

    When Sokka tumbles Toph looks confused, just hearing the sound of snow falling. "What? Sokka?" What's going on? It takes a few moments before she realizes that is going on, and she turns her face towards Sokka, a deadpan expression. "You gotta be kidding me..." She's been in /one/snowball fight before, and well... she's pretty useless in these things.

    A snowball hits her arm, and she lets out a yelp. "HEY!" Luckily Sokka is there to tug her behind cover, and Toph blinks. Wait, just... scoop and throw snow? Fine. And so Toph scoops up some snow, not really bothering to pat it together before she throws it. Which leads to most of the snow being hurled over Sokka's head, most of it not reaching the kids.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sarah steps outside to find herself narrowly avoiding a snowball to the face. Her gut reaction is of course to protect herself with her shield. As it's likely the most colorful object in the area it makes a great target too! And it builds up snow something awful with it's habit of absorbing kinetic energy.

    She nobly runs in front of Toph and uses the shield to protect her from the worst of the incoming ordinance. When she has a moment between snowballs she kneels down to pack together one of her own, which she sends perfectly into the back of Sokka's head! Who's side is she on anyway!?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka is throwing snow and then,ack! He glances back. "Toph, aim higher. Don't hit me. Aim for them!" he says. Completely missingthe fact that sarah just threw it at him. And then... he was throwing again! Unfortunately there were like fifteen kids and they were just hurtling the things at them. shield or no they were probably going to get covered.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's a good thing Sarah is on her side, as a vibranium shield is always a good thing to use for cover. The sound of snowballs hitting the shield isn't too hard to figure out, and Toph lets out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Babycap...!" Though the blind teen is confused when Sokka criticizes her aiming. "Oh gee, you try aiming when you can't see a thing, meat brain!" she snorts back, doing her best to take cover behind the shield and throwing snow at the kids.

    There's no way in hell they're going to win this fight, are they?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods, seeing the tides turn against them. "There's nothing that can be done about it! RETREAT!" he yells, grabbing both their hands and dragging them away, escaping from the city! And once out... he burst into laughter, shaking his head as he walked. "The kids are getting better at ambushing. My training is really paying off."

Without any problems, they'd be out soon, at least. The boat wasn't that far away.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Man, she'll never get used to being dragged off! Toph yelps when Sokka declares that this is a lost battle, though she does her best to keep up with him even as she is hit by a few more snowballs. "Just... what the crud do you feed those little kids?!" she demands. First all of the relentless questions! And now this? Not once does it cross her mind that she used to be kinda the same when she first met Tony and Pepper.

    There's a pause, and Toph reaches out to punch Sokka in the arm. "Wait, /you/ taught them that? Does this mean I'm going to be pelted by snowballs everywhere I walk now?" Oh yes, she huffs! And looks rather displeased at that thought.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka chuckled and shook his head. "Of course not, Toph. You're an innocent civilian. They are only trained to attack well versed warriors, like me." He said with a nod. "Their aim is just kind of lousy." He did get hit in the head right off the bat. "And feed them? Hmmmm. All kinds of things, I think. You know... food stuff. Same stuff I ate growing up and you know how tough and virile I am," he said with a nod. Still holding Toph's hand to ensure she never tripped.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "A couple of the ones that hit you were mine..." Sarah admits, "Guess my aim isn't that great." Says the girl that can throw a shield like a boomerang, She could've hit all their assailants in the face and ended the battle, but where would be the fun in that!? Abusing Sokka is a game that just keeps getting better!

    She brushes the snow off her shield as they walk then slings it over her back again. "Hope we have time to get some work done on the ship before it gets dark, what with the unexpected battle." She smirks.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I can hear you lying," Toph asides to Sarah. Yeah, if anybody has a good aim, then it's Captain America's daughter!

    As they walk Toph keeps a firm grip on Sokka's hand, obviously a bit uncertain of where to go. But she's clearly used to relying on Sokka to guide her, trusting that he will make sure to warn her if it's slippery or something.

    "It shouldn't take too long for me to inspect the ship," Toph replies to Sarah. "And maybe it won't take too many days to clear it all up once I get started."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinked ,glancing over. "Hmmmm? Oh, don't worry about it. You're a shield fighter, right? It's not surprising your aim is a little awkward." He had no idea. And then they were there. "Toph, we're here. I'm going to heft you up, okay? It's angled, so don't expect an even ground." It wasa bit high, but he hefted her up easy enough. Before looking to Sarah. "Want me to toss you up too?" He really, really had no idea.

Granted, toph would discover something when she took her shoes off. My gosh it was FLIPPING COLD!

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "Shield fighter.. Yeah I guess you could say I'm something like that, and thanks but I don't think I'll have a problem getting up there." Sarah's grinning terribly by this point.

    Once Toph is on board She grabs Sokka around the waist, "How about I help you up instead?" She offers, lifting him up into the air and hanging there, perfectly content to just hover with Sokka until Toph gives the all clear to land. "Toph, if you can point the traps out I can send the shield into them, that oughta disable anything." She says casually, making sure to hold tight to Sokka in case he panics.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    So they're there. Up ahead Toph does sense some faint traces of metal, and it grows stronger as they walk up to the ship. "It's... large." Larger than she thought it would be. And old. A nod is given in reply when Sokka tells her he's going to heft her up, and she braces herself, pulling her legs up when Sokka hoists her up. Sure, she's not as short as she used to be, but Sokka is taller and stronger too.

    Once upon the deck Toph can't help but feel some relief when she's actually able to sense something! "Oh man, I never thought I'd miss metal /this/ much!" she says, then begins pulling off her boots and socks.

    While Sarah and Sokka are talking, their words are shortly interrupted by a /shriek/!

    "HOLY FUCKING CRUD THIS IS COOOOLD!" And once they fly up they should see Toph, bouncing from foot to foot. Okay, she's got this! "I'll deal with the traps, Babycap!" Her steps are quick as she heads forwards into the ship... and then there's the sound of metal creaking, with things being tossed out.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka would have made a comment. Would have said there's no need, he's well veersed in disabling and setting traps. He would have said a lot of things.

Except he was in the airr. So instead he yelped and hugged her, giving a ltitle squeak. "You... you can FLY?" She got a big hug. "Errr, f-for how long? You can put me down. Really, it's okay! I'm fine! Please put me down," he squeaked.

Awwww, he was her lois.

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Right.. Toph can just metal bend them. Sokka's not the only one who can be clueless. Doh!

    Sarah winces hard at Toph's shriek, "You sure you're gonna be okay in there!?" Sarah calls worriedly. She grins and looks at Sokka who's pretty much stuck on her at the moment, "At least as long as Appa?" She assures him, "C'mon you've been way higher than this and you were fine! What's the problem?" She smirks.

    At the sound of the creaking metal she finally consents and sets down gently on the deck.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "I'm /FINE/!" Toph yells back, and more stuff is tossed out from the ship. There's the sound of something breaking, and Toph goes deeper into the ship, still freezing quite a lot on her feet. How do people stand living here in such a cold place? Hopefully they can finish up whatever is needed on this ship soon...

    Even as she hears Sokka and Sarah talking outside she carefully reaches a hand down to her pocket where she stuffed the necklace, running her fingers over it before she withdraws her hand. It's time to get some more work done before her feet get too cold.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka lets out a sigh of relief once he's on the ground. "To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the whole... flying with magic thing, you know? I didn't even like Appa doing it. Well, didn't, got used to it." He sat down andhummed."Guess now we just wait," he said with a big grin, then paused. "Toph! Rememeber, don't push yourself! All the metal we break off we need to haul back anyway! We can use my sledder tomorrow! So there's no need to push yourself, just disable the traps and we'll go1"

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    "You know it's fine to take a break and put your shoes on for a couple minutes!" Sarah calls worriedly. She really hopes she doesn't sound too much like Pepper.

    She sits down next to Sokka and shrugs, "It's not magic, I'm just part alien." She tries to explain, it's probably the same thing from his point of view. "Anyway don't worry, I wouldn't drop you no matter how annoying you get." She grins. "I have yet to see a limit to the amount of earth and metal Toph can carry around with her, and if there is one, I can help pick up the slack."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Remember who you're talking to, dunderhead!"

    Part of the wall of the ship tears open, and out fly some disabled traps that scatter in the snow. "We'll just make a sleigh of the metal, then it's easy to bring back!" So there.

    Several more minutes pass, and finally Toph is happy with the amount of metal she's gotten free from the ship for today. She is shivering however when she jumps out of the side of the ship and into the snow, and it seems she's put her socks and boots on again. "Okay...!" she declares, pulling her hood over her head. "Let's go back." Now she really wants to warm her feet and perhaps go to sleep. What time is it anyway?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods and chuckles, before grinning and taking her hand, gently pulling it in for a kiss. "Oh? Truly? I am honored to hear such kind words from such a fair maiden. Worry not, for I shall endeavor to never let you down, either~"

Then, eventually, toph tore out. He jumped down and gave her a big hug. "Heh heh. That's my little metal bending master. Come on, I'll carry you back." And hey, he didn't carry her on his shoulders! He carried her... in his arms. So she could be comfortable affter all that hard work. "Leave the metal for now. Trust me, I've got plans for that. Just get some rest, toph. Remember, we're depending on you for this,so we need you in peak form!"

Sarah Rogers (796) has posed:
    Sokka gets his kiss ...on the cheek. Yeah sorry not there yet. "Good to know Chivalry isn't dead." Sarah chuckles, jumping down after him. "Sokka's right, that metal's not going anywhere. You've gotta be freezing after all that, let's just get home. The sun's starting to set as it is!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The surprise hug makes Toph blink, not knowing where to put her hands. Though she does turn her face away. "I-I can walk, you know." Her feet are cold, but not moving might make it worse? Or does it? She's never had to work in such cold temperatures before...

    Before she knows it, she's scooped up however, and the blind girl blinks. "Hey!" Ugh, this is so not necessary! Though she does allow herself to lean the side of her head against Sokka's shoulder, letting him carry her for now. This... is so not easy.