5111/Hisoka, Yosoka, Byesoka

Hisoka, Yosoka, Byesoka
Date of Scene:	25 February 2017
Location:	The Four Caverns
Synopsis:	During one of their trips Toph and Sokka run into somebody that they both find difficult to handle.
Cast of Characters:	20, 1076, 799

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Part of the glory of the multiverse is all the expanding worlds, so different and yet strangely familiar at the same time. One could spend a lifetime just going from world to world, but what's the point of that? Why not check what each world has to offer? At least that's the mission for today when Sokka and Toph had headed out. Lunch is going to be interesting either way.

    That much Toph can be certain of as she follows behind Sokka in the crowded market. This place has people and non-people of all shapes and height, some only slightly humanoid. Not to mention the food itself smells a bit strange to the blind girl, and she makes a slight face as she sniffs at a vegetable. "Do these have strange colours too, or what?" she mutters, then places it back in its basket. Fortuantely raw food isn't all they have here, as the scent of meat and sauce drifts upon the air, and there are various finished foods being sold from stands all over the place. This truly is a place to find whatever you need. "And hey, you mind if I check out if they have some new metal stuff around here? I think there's a jewel merchant down the aisle over there," she points out.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka was in a market. Was in heaven. "Oh my giosh, just LOOK at this tunic! It'd go awesome! Oh, and they have a wonderful hair tie! Oh my gosh, look at this bracelet! Oh, wow, look at this badge, I could put it on my sword!"

She was in love with a dork. He went from market stall to market stall and seemed to have no qualms about eating the food here. "Oh, wow. It tastes delicious! A bit like meat dipped in celery. Not the best, but not bad. Oh, this one tastes a bit crunchy. Actually TASTES crunchy. How dod they do it? Here, try some." And yes, he sampled plenty of different kinds. Finally he blinked and nodded. "Hmmm? Oh, of course. Go right agead, tophikins!" before taking her hand and guiding her through the crowd.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    A market. Well, Hisoka shops too... perfectly coincidental he might be in this particular market on this particular world. Right when Toph and her friend are here. Coincidences DO happen after all, and he isn't exactly the type to go chasing his playtoys around. No, when he seeks out a meeting with a playtoy, it's NOT in a crowded market. Sometimes it really IS coincidence.

    "If you think that's good, you should come back in a few hours!" one vendor boasts. "We ran out of prime Arko meat an hour or so ago, but a hunter said he could catch some more. Give him maybe two or three hours to get back, then a half hour or so for the grills to get going. Best meat you'll ever taste!" he boasts. "If the hunter's good at it anyways. A good hunt takes a while, if you don't want to risk being dinner yourself!" he laughs. "Got to wait for Arkos to nap, then sneak up on them... Oh hey, here comes the hunter now!"

    Yeah, that was quick. And coming down the street is a tall and lanky man, hair a bright orange, carrying what appears to be a velociraptor on his shoulder. The thing probably weighs half a ton, but it doesn't seem to be slowing him down any.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Of course she knew Sokka would react this way, considering he loves shopping for new stuff, and hey, even seeing new things. Nobody can claim hanging with Sokka is boring! And the merchants pick up on the young man being somebody they can possibly get to buy their items, not to mention he states his positive opinion of their food out loud, so why not offer samples in such a case? "If you buy two of these meals I'll give you a cheaper price, young man," the man with the crunchy meat dish offers with a amiable smile, seeing his chance for a sale.

    Meanwhile Toph does try the food that Sokka offers her, chewing on it and trying to decide if she likes the crunchy texture or not. "Hmmm, I have no idea... but yeah, it's not bad." As usual she doesn't have any objections when Sokka takes her hand, though she does let out a sigh. "You of all people should know I can walk around here without bumping into anybody," she reminds him. "Now take it easy so we can check out each booth, okay? It's not like we're in a hurry or something!"

    When the vendor speaks up about some other type of meat however, Toph turns her head a bit, curiousity on her face. Huh, meat from a predator? What does that taste like? "Huh... well, we could probably wander about for half an hour and come back later, I guess?" Toph says with a shrug, though suddenly the blind teenager tenses where she stands, her eyes widening. And right after that the vendor states that the hunter he hired is returning. Tugging urgently on Sokka's hand, Toph makes sure to not turn around to face the man carrying the dinosaur, and she quickly walks ahead, seeking to lead him around the corner of the booth and into the masses of shoppers. "Don't talk and follow me, quickly." It's not often Toph speaks in a serious tone like that, but for some reason she suddenly seems to be in a hurry!

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods. "Sold!" he buys four. And then grins, munching as they go. "Huh? Of course you can. But I like holding your hand," the flirt.

He then blinked. "Wait, best meat I've ever tried? I find that hard to believe. I've had some of the finest meats the multiverse has to offer," he said with a smirk. "But, I suppose I'll give it a shot." He then... "Hey, so that's the guy? He kinda looks like a clown. Why is--ack!" And suddenly he's dragged. He frowns. "Toph, what is it?" he whispered, following behind her, going as quietly and calmly as he could, one hand reaching for his sword.

Something was up and he didn't like it.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Seems they're in a hurry now anyways. "But wait!" cries the vendor, sensing a sucker getting away. If he bought four of these, what might he have paid for prime meat!! "Or at least come back soon! This is going to be the best! The best I say! Half an hour, mark my words, and don't blame me if we're sold out again within minutes!"

    Hisoka, the hunter - or the Hunter - in question, has a certain sense for prey. Running from the Hunter is a good move in some cases. In others, it just attracts the Hunter's attention. Well, he can be patient. This would appear to be little Lychee after all, one of his most promising playtoys. And ... she has a playtoy of her own, it seems! Oh yes, very interesting indeed. He marks where they go while at the same time seeming not to notice their narrow escape. He returns the raptor to the vendor, who sings praise on the hunter's luck for having clearly found and taken down a sleeping beast so quickly, so shallowly within the nearby forest instead of tracking one back to its lair like so many hunters do.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Don't reach for your sword," she says quietly, dragging Sokka with her and away from the booth. Just keep on walking, act casual and hope he didn't see them...!

    Because if there's one person she really doesn't want to run into Sokka, then it's the twisted clown himself. Sure, he might not be a threat to Sokka, but that's the thing... you can never quite know with Hisoka, which is the danger that man represents.

    The loud vendor does annoy her somehow, but as they walk, Toph can't help but let out a slight sigh. Okay, there's some distance between them now. But even so, Toph leads Sokka to the outskirts of the market, not slowing down. It's only when they no longer are in an ocean of people that she speaks up again. "That Hunter," she begins, "is trouble. I suggest we go shop elsewhere. Besides, if we want food we can find that all over this place." It's not often Toph tries to stay away from certain people, now is it?

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka frowned and followed behind her, his arms crossed as he listened.

And then she said THAT. "Toph? Are you actually scared of that guy?" he asked, eyes narrowing. "Who is he? WHAT is he? I've never known you to run from anything." Oh, now his interest was peeked. And there was no way he could jsut let this slide.

Heck, he was already typing away on his computer, trying to find some information about WHO that guy was. He had to be something... unique alright.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    It's not like Hisoka is a complete unknown in the multiverse, though you have to know how to search for information on him. In the WMAT for example, he entered under The Magician. Finding him by facial recognition would be pretty tricky indeed, particularly if you don't want to attract his attention by taking his photo.

    Collecting Arko meat was just a way to casually pass some time. A whim, based on descriptions of how dangerous the Arkos were if not hunted JUST the right way. By the time the meat's done grilling, likely Hisoka will have forgotten about it entirely. It wasn't really worth his attention, so it won't stick around in his memory.

    He has a vendor to settle with though, for now. It's money, and money is money. Nothing that a good Hunter ever worries much about. No Pro Hunter would ever consider it particularly difficult to get their hands on enough money for anything important. Anything important, almost by definition, simply can't be had simply for the price.

    That done, Hisoka sets off on the trail of his prey. Something you can't have with money indeed. Only of course, he's not going to follow in such a simple way as to be easily seen... or easily heard for that matter. He knows enough of Toph's abilities to make sure that, if he does approach her, she won't recognize him until it's too late. Better yet if she walks into his path while he's standing still, so she can't recognize him at all until it's far too late.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's almost as if Toph tenses up when Sokka suggests that she is scared. "No, but... he's /strong/ and he's got some weird ability. His name is Hisoka, and he..." Ugh, how to /explain/ this? It's nearly as impossible as explaining Hisoka himself. "And I'm /not/ running, I'm being sensible! Hisoka is like a wildfire, you stay the hell away from it."

    "He's troublesome to fight, and he's a complete nutcase too. There's not too much information readily available on him, I think. But there might be some under the nickname Magician," Toph offers, standing still as she 'looks' throughout the area. Okay, no footsteps headed in their direction, just people walking around like shoppers would. So whew... "I heard there's another market down by the river, let's head there instead," she suggests, tightening her grip on Sokka's hand, clearly not giving him an option to go elsewhere. That was just too close!

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka frowned and walked with her, looking him up and then letting out a low whistle. "Huh. Impressive. A nut case? We've dealt with nut cases before." He gave her hand a light squeeze. "And people who are evil. And a lot stronger than me. And I know he can't beat you," he teased. "... Are you scared he'll attack me or something? I'm sure I could take him," he said, before looking back at his file.

"Okay, maybe not take him in the traditional way, but i could at least make him regret fighting me." Oh, he was VERY good at that.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    It's been a long time indeed since Hisoka ever regretted anything. Anything at all. It's one of those things that happens to other people, not to the murdergician. Besides the only fights he's regretted are those that end too soon, and Sokka probably doesn't want to be one of those all considered.

    Another market? Well, THAT can work out well. Let it not be said that Toph's the only elite who can hear at a distance. Hisoka's no Senritsu, able to hear a whisper at half a kilometer's distance, but he can certainly overhear a conversation from around a corner.

    Smirking, Hisoka sets out to the second market. Keeping an eye on his targets from well outside normal recognition range. He gets ahead when he can, and as a result he's there waiting as they arrive.

    This market, much like the other in many ways, simply caters to a slightly different crowd. It's a little less boisterous, a little more cultured. Why, there's even a mariachi band playing in a little spanish-style cafe off to one side of the street as Toph and Sokka arrive.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l_x9R6yAxQ

    As the music comes to a resounding crescendo and abrupt halt, a deep and subtly-menacing voice rings out from the cafe's outdoor audience. "You know, I can't abide rudeness." Hisoka says, raising a glass of some local drink. Just ... how long has he been sitting there? Or did he somehow steal the drink and just blend in? "Such as not introducing me to your friend? I know you're not normally rude, Lychee, so I imagine I shouldn't take it personally. You're probably in a hurry, and didn't notice me at all..." he claims. Knowing for absolute certain that it's no such thing.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Well, this is beyond Azula-level," Toph admits, her lips tightening when Sokka suggests that there's no way Hisoka can beat her. Immediately she thinks back to the fight in Brockton Bay, where Hisoka was just toying with the Union forces, them being unable to keep him from escaping. It's even worse when Sokka suggests that he could take on Hisoka... Sure, she laughed at Sokka when she first joined the group, finding it silly that a non-bender thought he could fight on the same level as her, Aang and Katara. Just what is she afraid of? Just what would Hisoka do to Sokka? Probably nothing, as he seems to only want to fight strong people. Yet, his last comment can't help but make Toph sigh, a weak smile crossing her lips. The most amazing fighter Sokka might not be, but then again that's not what made her fall for him, now is it?

    Okay, this riverside market might not have as many wares as the other, but it's all worth it if Hisoka isn't here. So Toph leads Sokka along, walking past the mariachi band and towards the tables a bit further down. "I can sense some metal over there," she says, extending her hand.. only to freeze in her tracks when the voice speaks up. Her grip on Sokka's hand tightens, and she holds her breath. But... how? Even as Hisoka speaks Toph stands there, not really sure just how he was able to get here so quickly. But there's no doubt about it, he /did/ see her back there at the bigger market.

    When he talks about her being rude for not introducing him to Sokka, the metalbender moves to stand between the two, a shield against whatever threat she might imagine that Hisoka is to her boyfriend. And there is no direct comment to whether or not she noticed him or not, because Toph knows fully well what he means. Instead she speaks up, her voice calm but carrying a hint of annoyance to it. "You two don't have anything in common anyway. Besides, you of all people shouldn't talk about rudeness." With that she tugs on Sokka's hand, intending to lead him with her into the market and away from Hisoka.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka sighed as they walked, keeping up as best they could. Something was definitely off. Toph was worried. REALLY worried. She was the most confident person in the world, and yet this guy had her running scared. Sure, she denied it. But she was. And that meant whoever this guy was, he was a danger. Someone he definitely needed to know about... and who'd probably kill him in a second.

And then the guy was there. Sokka frowned and turned towards the guy. Then his eyes flowed back to Toph. Yeah. She was DEFINITELY worried. Was she actually scared? Was she AFRAID of what was going to happen here? His hand reached for his sword, but then stopped. He turned back to Hisoka and it was obvious he was sizing the guy up. He didn't look like much. But that didn't mean much he knew. And if he had Toph that worried, well...

Why not make it worse?

"So, you're Hi-soka, huh? You know, I appreciate the gesture, but really, I'm not really that good, no need to be my fan. You probably could have gone by the name Hi-aang or Hi-toph. Or maybe how-do-you-do-sokka," he said with that big, goofy grin, his eyes never leaving the guy, making mental judgments and measurements. "I'm Sokka though, nice to meet you."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka was addressing Toph, but he knows her already. He didn't pay too much obvious attention to Sokka. Deliberately slighting him, in fact. It's true, Hisoka doesn't really care about rudeness. All he cares about is that people treat him with the respect he wants them to. To dismiss him when they don't know any better, and to cower in fear when they turn out to be the trash he knows them to be.

    Once in a while though, someone he decides is trash turns out to be interesting enough to give a second chance. Leorio was one of these. Sokka... well, that remains to be seen. Hisoka merely smirks at his impertinence, not deigning to reply to it directly. "Sou ka?" he says instead, quirking an eyebrow. "Do you always hide behind her, I wonder? Who are you, that she wants so clearly to protect you? Are you that worth protecting..? Or is it just that she doesn't think you can handle anything by yourself?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It should be easy enough for Sokka to tell that Toph tenses up when he... actually makes jokes at Hisoka's name. Immediately she elbows him /hard/ in the side, her expression dead serious. This is /not/ the type of person who you joke with.

    That much is evident when Hisoka seems to hit on just the right buttons, making Toph want to wince. Has Hisoka been spying on them? Has he read up on Sokka? Or is he just good at reading people? Please, don't fall for it, Sokka...!

    "He's not hiding," Toph snaps at the Hunter, narrowing her eyes as she tugs on Sokka's hand again. Let's /go/! Before Hisoka can say something that really gets to Sokka. Because she knows just what kind of mindgames the man is capable of doing, and just how far he will go when he seems set on something. And now it appears that he is trying to rile Sokka up by playing to his insecurities that Toph is only oh so well aware of.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka eyed the guy for a few moments, eyes going up and down and... He looks quizical for a few moments. Then he kind of smiles, before giving a wave of his hand. "Well, normally no." He then reached out and grabbed Toph's shoulders and pulled her to his chest. He whispered into her ear.

"Calm down. A guy like this, the more you try to yank me away, the more he's going to cause problems. If we're really THAT far out of our league... then we just have to play his game. And trust me, I'm good at games, okay?" ... He just didn't feel he liked this one. He was playing with a guy he only knew a little bit about, in a game he didn't know.

"And frankly? Probably not. She's like, a thousand times stronger than I could ever hope to be. And if she's trying to keep me safe from you, you're probably really, really far out of my league. Judging by the few things I picked up from our logs, you're one of those annoyingly awesome people who keep showing me up all the time. I swear, you guys always pop up everywhere I go. Really makes it hard for a guy to show off, you know?" he said with a cocky smile as he focused on the guy's face now, staring into his eyes.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Of course Hisoka doesn't entirely understand why some people protect other people. It's an instinct he can recognize though, and one he's manipulated many times. Right now he doesn't know what Sokka is or what he can do, but that hardly matters. He's having fun being a genuine dick, and also probing. This might be, after all, what drives the little Lychee to truly want to kill him.

    But Hisoka doesn't try to murder everyone he comes across. Some he leaves because they'll be more fun later. Some he leaves because they're not worth him acting. And some he likes... and probably intends to use some later time. Which one of these Sokka might fall under, well, no one knows. Perhaps not even Hisoka himself.

    He breaks into a seemingly-genuine grin though, and gestures to the table he's sitting at. "Sit down." he offers pleasantly. He CAN be charming when he wants to be. And Sokka, whatever his faults, isn't triggering his murderous intent. He's not uppity trash. He might be weaker than Toph but he's also suitably humble. Trash only offends when it pretends to be important. The rest of the time it's something easy enough to simply accept. "Don't worry, little Lychee. You're both safe from me here. Until you decide you intend to fight." he smirks.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    When Sokka grabs her by the shoulders the blind teenager can't help but blink, then winces when he whispers into her ear. He's slightly correct about things, but then again, he's also grossly misunderestimating just how good Hisoka is at his mindgames. So even if Sokka tells her to be calm, there's no hiding that look of worry as she pulls back from his chest. This isn't reassuring at all, because somehow she feels that Sokka just swallowed a massive bait just like Hisoka wanted him to. But... at least Sokka doesn't seem to be riled up by those comments. Which makes her worry what Hisoka is going to say next...

    When Hisoka gestures to the table however, the blind girl does look slightly surprised. And then she narrows her eyes. "Right, because you're all about sipping drinks and having friendly chats now," she says, the sarcasm clear in her voice. "Let's /go/." With another tug on Sokka's arm she urges him to follow her.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka frowned, glancing between the two. Would the guy even let them go? What were the actual chances of that? The man could probably see his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.

On the one hand, this guy obviously had a vested interest in tormenting Toph. On top of that, he was obviously faster than them. Judging by the look on his face, the guy wouldn't be getting tired out by them running off. He'd probably move to intercept them again. Or worse, take a more active role. Escalate things. He gave Toph's hand a squeeze and leaned in. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." A partial lie, but not a full one. He'd dealt with guys like this before, at least. Confident, but could back it up. For now, just needed to make him get bored. Which, sadly, meant playing along. "Come on," he said, guiding her towards a chair if she allowed it, and even pulling one out for her. "M'lady," he teased. He then sat down and... "So then, we only have about ten minutes or so, but then we really do have to go. But please, tell me about yourself. What brings you to this world?"

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Would Hisoka let them go? Well, he's killed recently. He has no reason to attack, and plenty of reason not to. He'd simply find them in another place and time, no doubt. It would be interesting though, to see their fear and know what might drive them to act in a certain way. It would be a new way to play with a toy.

    He smiles at Toph, actually putting on the charm. "After all the times I've helped you!" he insists winningly. And falsely too, of course. He's speaking pure bullshit and quite clearly doesn't care who knows it. "Go, if you like. I won't force you to stay." he claims, reaching one arm up over his head. He curves it around to the opposite ear before waggling it in a 'shoo' gesture. "Or stay. Myself? I'm here because I heard there were interesting things for a Hunter to do." he claims. "And you~?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Wait, what is Sokka saying, he isn't seriously... shit!

    Toph's eyes widen when Sokka pulls her along to the table, and she looks like she very much /wants/ to protest when he pulls out the chair for her and sits down himself. But there's no way she can leave Sokka alone with Hisoka, is there? So she sighs inwardly, only muttering a bit when Hisoka speaks to her with an obvious smile in his voice. "... helped me my ass..." she mutters, keeping her feet on the ground so she can keep an 'eye' out incase Hisoka /does/ try something. But right now she's not sure what to say, instead observing Sokka and Hisoka both. Luckily there's lots of earth and metal around them if she should need it...

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka just grinned at the guy. "Shopping, of course. I was thinking about getting a new bag. Got a few food things to try, too. Always have room to try new meats, you know how it is. So, you're a hunter, huh? I used to fancy myself a hunter myself. Eeyup. I once caught a fish this big!" about a foot across. It wasn't very impressive.

"You seem like an interesting guy. So, why the tattoos? Are they a sign of your rank, or you just like the kind of clown look?" he asked with that big grin of his.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    "A Hunter, a magician..." Hisoka flourishes, shuffling a deck of cards from out of nowhere. He's not sure what game Sokka's playing here, but he doesn't seem to mind playing along. Besides, Toph's near-panicked reaction threatens to make him laugh. He settles for a smirking grin. He fans the deck face-down on the table, then puffs a sharp breath of air across the spread. One card, a joker, flips face-up. He waves his hand over the cards and the face-up card is suddenly gone. Face-down again, or perhaps even vanished entirely. It's hard to say unless you were watching closely, and any magician masters misdirection as practically his first art. "The look helps to announce who I am, don't you think?" he asks with a smirk.

    "And so you're no longer a hunter?" Hisoka asks, for all the world as if he were interested. "Such a shame. Why, to think what you might have been, had you not stopped. So... what are you now?" Hisoka asks, a suddenly-dangerous gleam in his eyes. Not with the intensity of lethal intent, but of someone watching to see the moment a victim falls into a trap.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Sokka seems to be taking this way too lightly, but then again that's part of his personality, isn't it? "He's not THAT kind of hunter," she asides to Sokka. "Read up on it later..." It might be useful. Especially if Hisoka seems to want to talk to Sokka for whatever reason.

    The tone in Hisoka's voice doesn't go unnoticed by Toph's sharp ears. Her expression hardens, her jawline tightens. It should be easy to guess that she really is struggling to watch her tongue now. Sure, she's tempted to talk right now, to interfere... but that might be just what Hisoka wants right now. For her to react, to step in and rile up Sokka. Sokka, who is strong in his own way, but... against the likes of Hisoka, he would be in serious danger. Under the table, Toph's hands clenches around her knees as she grips them tightly.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods. "Ohhhh, I see. Going for something flashy, then?" he glanced to the cards. "Heh, a magician then, too? You ever try pulling any hustles and the like? Toph and i used to be great at those. We got a lot of fire nationers good," he said with a laugh. "Though, not like we do that now. But, fancy card tricks. However! Can you do this?" He stood up. "Watch, and be amazed!" And yanked off the tablecloth in a single motion.

Sending everything on it flying through the air.

Most of it landed on his head, and he fell down when a particulalry heavy thing hit his head.

A few moments later he sat back up, his cheeks burning. "It... it worked l-last time I did it... honest..." Thump as he hit the ground again. "Just... just gonna lay here a moment."

After a few more minutes, his voice came from the other side of the table. "And i just... hunted animals and stuff. Now I mostly just memorize laws and try to keep Toph from causing too much damage..."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Is the fool's act real, or is it truly an act? Hisoka studies Sokka through narrowed eyes, his gaze intense and with the malevolence only barely concealed. It's not obvious what he concludes. He doesn't laugh, doesn't smile at the failed attempt. Neither does he obviously show signs of disgust or annoyance. It's not the frozen face of someone caught off-guard however. It's the alien expression of someone disturbingly inhuman who simply doesn't react in a way that could be considered normal.

    After an uncomfortably long time just staring, Hisoka blinks and pushes back, rising to his feet and standing in an odd lopsided pose. "Keeping her from causing too much damage?" he says, a grin that bears several parts sneer to it beginning to show. "I'm not sure why you'd even want to do that. She's likely to destroy more than I ever could though." he adds, almost offhandedly. He turns around, presenting his back, then turns his head back around so he's looking almost owl-like back at Sokka. Like, seriously. Almost boneless. "You'd better train hard. Stopping her from destroying will take far more strength than you now have." he advises pleasantly.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Being flashy is kinda Hisoka's deal, isn't it? Even she who can't see it knows it, and she can only imagine him being more eyecatching than others according to what others say about him. So why is Sokka acting so calmly around him? And being so familiar, even talking about stuff that Hisoka would most likely not give a rattle frog's ass about?

    The moment Sokka stands up however Toph turns her head, that wariness towards Hisoka turning to worry about what Sokka is plannin-- oh hell no. "Sokka, don--!"

    Too late.

    A quick motion of her hand causes a rock spike to shoot up and block anything from hitting her and Sokka's heads, but of course Sokka doesn't stand still and gets hit by things anyway, falling to the ground. "I told you not to do that, because it didn't work correctly the time before you did it /last/ time," she points out with a huff, sending the earthen spike to return back into the ground.

    While Sokka gathers his wits down on the ground, Toph resumes her observer duties. If only to frown a bit when Sokka states he's got the job to keep her from causing too much damage. She's not /that/ bad! After all, she does bend stuff back /after/ she wrecks it, so there. Hisoka's response though, that doesn't make it better. But... ugh, what can she really say that won't be wrong here? Something that Hisoka won't read too much into... oh, screw it!

    "There aren't many people I always listen to... but Sokka is one of them," she snorts in Hisoka's direction, then does a quick motion with her hand, causing the earth underneath Sokka to shift and push him upright.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka gets up with a shake of his head and then manages to sit down, holding his head. "I really gotta be more careful about that. Ugh." He then blinked a few times. "Well, yeah. I guess Toph could do that. I mean, heck, if she really wanted, with her powers she could go wrecking entire cities by herself."

He then shrugged. "But what'd be the point of that? If it came to that, we'd just have to stop her. And she'd end up missing out on all the fun times. Ugh, Toph, can you look at this? Is it swelling? Oh, right. Blind. I mgiht have to have the nurse look at it after. Besides, that'd be boring. With her powers, it's probably a lot harder to take care of the job without destroying anything, and I think she prefers the challenge," he jokes, putting an arm around her shoulder, yanking her in and kissing her cheek.

"She's just being nice. She really ignores me half the time," he jokes.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka's body, still facing away, twists slightly. His arm comes up and points forward, away from Sokka. Then it stretches around, further and further. He seems to wind up under the tension of his body, like a bow or the torsion arm of a catapult. The tension in his limbs, if released, would make his body swing around in a powerful and probably deadly arc. "You listen to him when he tells you not to destroy." Hisoka croons, continuing to wind his body up tighter and tighter, until it seems like something must break. "You ALWAYS listen to him. So if he wasn't there, you would cause more damage..." Hisoka pauses, then pushes himself just a little bit further, impossibly wound up.

    Abruptly something makes a noise. A crack like bone giving way. And Hisoka relaxes. He rotates his head back, grinning the shit-eating grin of someone who never apologizes for being a complete ass. "Just kidding~" he claims, utterly insincerely. Then he flexes again, seemingly happy with the release of tension caused by what must have been an epic spinal self-adjust. Man should add chiropractor to his list of jobs.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Okay, so far it really does seem like Sokka isn't taking the bait that Hisoka tosses out. Then again, /he/ was the one who noticed that Azula was stalling them back during the invasion. And yet, he's also the person who failed to notice her having feelings for him until this year, so maybe there's another explanation for it all.

    With a sigh Toph reaches a hand out to where Sokka points. "I'm blind, my other senses work perfectly fine. It doesn't /feel/ swelled. Pulling her hand back, Toph idly wonders how long Hisoka will keep this up... though her calm expression cracks slightly when Sokka wraps his arm around her and pulls her close to kiss her cheek. Despite her deadpan expression her cheeks do get some slight colour, but she chooses to ignore it.

    "I don't destroy," Toph grumbles. "That would kinda go against our faction." By now Hisoka probably knows they are Paladins. It's public knowledge, so... no use hiding it. Just... what is he doing? Is he planning something? Just what is going on? "And don't be stupid, it's not like I will begin destroying crud if he isn't there to hold my hand or something!" Ugh, he's so frustrating...!

    When Hisoka finally cracks his back and relaxes, Toph becomes aware of her holding her breath, and she silently exhales through her nose.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka cocked his head to the side, looking the guy up and down. "Huh. You're a bit... interesting yourself," he mumbled, eying the guy up and down. "So I'm guessing you want Toph to destroy a bunch of stuff? Like... I'm sorry to tell you, but even if I wasn't here that wouldn't really be her thing. She just likes kicking as much bad guy butt as she can. And she's really good at it. Really all I do is make sure she doesn't break too many laws when she does it, and the collateral damage is low. I'm hardly some great beacon keeping her on the straight and narrow."

He was oddly calm during that, though toph might notice he did tense up a bit. He then blinked and glanced at his wrist. "Actually, though, we do have somewhere to be." He reached down and took Toph's hand. "It was nice meeting you, Yo-sokka, hope we can meet up again sometime." And then tried to steer her away. Hopefully they'd spent enough time now, that they guy would let them go.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    There's nothing wrong with liking to win. Or with liking to destroy either, in Hisoka's opinion. He's known plenty who like either or both. He doesn't judge such people and can understand them. The ones he has trouble with are those who hold themselves back for arbitrary reasons. Not out of fear of someone stronger, but of some nebulous virtue.

    He looks back, then turns halfway to face Sokka, still twisted up and weird but at least partially addressing him. "I don't want anything of the sort." he claims, though the smirk on his face makes the claim dubious at best. "I just want to see her when she's not holding back. When she's as strong as she possibly can be. It would be delicious, don't you think?" he asks. And with that, he turns away again and makes his way offstage. Yeah, he'll let Toph and Sokka go. He never intended to hold them in the first place. An implied threat is more than good enough in many cases. Actual violence has its own best time and place.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Interesting doesn't even begin to describe Hisoka, now does it? Who knows what Hisoka wants and why he has talked with her in the past, and why he took notice of them now. It might be better to not know.

    It's a bit hard to not seem too eager when Sokka suggests that they should leave, and Toph lets Sokka take her hand and help her up from her seat if he wants to. It /would/ be good if they could get away from him without too much trouble, indeed.

    It's somehow disturbing when Hisoka states what he wants with her, and Sokka might notice her fingers tightening their grip on his just a bit. See her at her strongest...? That's puzzling, and also alarming. And for him to refer to it as delicious...? Ew! A shudder runs down her back, and then Toph swallows a bit as she lets Sokka steer her away. Since he's not saying anymore, then she won't need to either. Instead she's quiet until they're some distance away from the disturbing Hunter, and Toph exhales. "He's crazy about fighting, and he has no qualms about killing..." she informs Sokka, all while wrapping her arms around his, her fingers digging into his sleeve.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nodded. "Yeah. I realized that pretty quick. You're right, by the way. Complete and utter psychopath. I'm pretty sure he would have at least tried to kill me if the notion hit him. Or at least if it seemed interesting. Or possibly just to see if you'd try to save me." His own hand tightened on hers. A lot. Possibly starting to hurt a little bit. "Damn it..."

No, it wasn't like they'd just escaped yet another situation where, surprise surprise, he'd been absolutely helpless to do a damn thing about anything, and had been forced to balance his life on the point of a dagger while he struggled to bluff or talk his way out, or let Toph protect him. He ground his teeth, the frustration on his features obvious for anyone who could see.

"It's fine. We're out of there. Let's just go home." There was a tension to his voice now, though. hat he'd managed to keep hidden before.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    At that comment Toph is reminded about something that happened while she was searching for potential metalbending students, and she swallows. "He... tried to kill a guy in front of me. For no real reason at all." Maybe he had a reason in that disturbing head of his, but there was no logical reason she could think of. Maybe Hisoka would try to do that sometime, put Sokka in danger to egg her on... She winces a bit as he tightens the grip on her hand.

    "You... handled that better than me, really," she admits. It wasn't easy... if she had interfered too much it would have hurt Sokka's pride. And it's not easy for him, she knows. That's something he's conscious of most of the time, how he's a small fish in a big ocean here, an ocean that's got lurking anglerfish, great whites and leviathans. It's not something that Toph can fully understand, as she was always considered weaker than she truly was by her parents. Like... a shark kept in a goldfish bowl where it wasn't allowed to swim properly.

    Okay, this situation is seriously messed up when she compares herself to a freaking /fish/.

    "Yeah, I'm not really that hungry now," she admits. "At least I won't be until we get back to the Ad Coelum or Malibu."

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka nods, giving her hand another squeeze. "Yeah. Let's just... go home," he muttered. There's another sound to his voice this time. He doesn't even sound angry, or upset, or sad. He just sounds resigned.

Of course, who could blame him? It was like Toph was thinking. He was a little fish. Granted, he was more thinking of himself as like, a mouse trying to survive in a forest surrounded by lions and tigers and panthers. He was becoming distressingly more aware that they were almost all stronger than him.

His hand loosened on hers.

And there was nothing he could do about it. He could train every day for the rest of his life. Develop himself to perfection. But there was no closing those gaps. No way for him to cross that gorge. These people were born special. Like Toph. And he... he just was a guy with a boomerang.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The moment Sokka loosens his grip on her hand, Toph halts, moving her arms as she seeks to pull him close for a hug, her arms around him. "Don't you even /dare/ think about that again," she half whispers to him. He should know well enough what she means by those words. "And he said those things specifically to hurt you, you know... to hurt me too." Like hell if she will let it get to her!

    With a heavy sigh she seeks to bury her face against Sokka's chest.

Sokka (1076) has posed:
Sokka blinks and holds her close. "What? The... oh. No. I don't even remember the stuff that guy said. He was just trying to egg me on and, frankly, he was nowhere near as good as Azula was. Frankly he was just wasting his breath."

No it wasn't the other guy who was making him feel this way.

It was Toph.

The way she'd shaken, the way she'd been obviously intimidated and scared. Of someone who was actually dangerous to her. To them. And there'd been nothing he could do about it. No, Hisoka's words had just glanced off. But Toph's movements? They'd been like a spear through his heart.