4229/Not Child's Play

Not Child's Play
Date of Scene:	18 June 2016
Location:	Avatar World <AW>
Synopsis:	More problems and annoyances lie ahead for Toph when an unconventional person expresses a desire to learn from her.
Cast of Characters:	20, 799

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    This is the longest that Toph has been on the road ever since her world unified some years ago. But when you're a determined youth with a goal, then what's there to stop you? The tournament she had found herself entering some two weeks ago hadn't gone exactly to plan, and the whole place was a bit too chaotic that night for Toph to find somebody besides enthusiastic fans and other big burly earthbenders. All in all, it hadn't yielded any results just yet. So she had set out again.

    It's a good thing that Toph doesn't mind walking, and crossing the mountains had taken several days, almost making Toph miss Appa. But she's nothing but strong willed and not one to give up, especially not when she found herself going from village to village. So far there's no result, and she's still not sure of an easy way to identify those who can potentially become metalbenders. That's why she's taken to finding those who are already earthbenders, or those who are around her own age and younger. Maybe there's some trick to it...

    Today she's made her way to a small fishing village on the northern coast of the Earth Kingdom, with waves crashing against the cliffsides of the mighty mountain range to the east. There's a buzz around the village, word of their esteemed guest who's made her introduction to the village elders and stated her intent; to find students for her to teach the art of metalbending. Most people refuse to believe it's possible, yet the elders have stated that all the earthbenders should at least meet with the girl, and the children of the village are all curious too. They are far easier to persuade than the fishermen.

    It's on the hillside overlooking the village that Toph is waiting as a group of people gather, the kids in front and the adults in the back. Many of them whisper amongst themselves.

    "Seriously, metalbending? Everybody knows that it's impossible...!" "I know, right? She might be the Avatar's earthbending master, but she's still just a kid." Two of the men, big and strong earthbenders, seem unaware that the small teenager can hear them where she stands. And Toph is pretending to ignore it, her arms crossed as she waits for everybody to get in place. And only then does she raise her voice.

    "I am Toph Beifong, and I have come to this village to look for students who wish to learn from me! As you might have heard, some years ago I invented the art of metalbending, and I helped Avatar Aang get strong enough to stop Firelord Ozai from conquering the world. After some years of training I have mastered metalbending, and so I believe it's my duty to ensure that this bending form gets taught and evolved further! So... I will want to test those of you who are brave enough to stand before me!"

    There's mutterings in the crowd now, and the children mostly look curious as they seem to hesitate. Though one person from the crowd raises his voice, narrowing his eyes at Toph. "Do you have any proof that metalbending is even real?" While his words don't conceal their contempt, the blind girl doesn't seem particularly bothered, though she does look like she's wanting to roll her eyes. Instead she reaches into her satchel and pulls out a fist sized lump of metal, taking it between her hands as it floats in the air... and then creaks, the metal shifting into the shape of a badgermole, and rather detailed as well.

    A gasp leaves the kids on the first row, and they are rather excited. The questioning man's eyes go wide, especially when he finds that the statue is thrown towards him for him to catch, and Toph arches an eyebrow. "If you guys have any other stupid questions, then you better get them out now," she states.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Conventional wisdom would suggest it's impossible to stalk someone through mountains when they can hear you coming from farther than you can see. Impossible is part of Hisoka's standard routine however. It might be foolish to provoke Toph, and equally so to show up while making it clear you have a sinister interest. But then, foolishness is also a part of Hisoka's persona. If you can't do the impossible and are afraid of acting like a fool, well, you probably aren't Hisoka.

    The easiest answer to how to stalk Toph is quite simply not to do so. She doesn't know he's around after all, and has no reason to hide her trail. When she passes through inhabited areas, she wouldn't hide from the locals. It's fairly easy to discover where she's been. Given her straightforward nature, it's equally easy to discover where she's going to be. You don't FOLLOW someone who can sense you coming. You wait for them where you know they'll appear.

    One villager steps forward, a somewhat skinny and dull-looking youth. He doesn't seem to realize that his question is stupid, or simply doesn't care. "Yeah. How do we know that's not a trick? That paperbender could do things, but he said it was just a trick!" the boy claims.

    At his cue, Hisoka stands up and moves into the open. "Are you following me, Lychee?" he asks with a cheesy grin. There's no telling how he got ahead of Toph, how he got here and established himself among the villagers as a travelling Bender. Then again, Nen is an incredible resource. Someone of Hisoka's skill could use a shovel and go from one side of a mountain to the other, going straight through. So could Toph, but such things are slow even for Nen adepts and Earthbenders. Besides, Toph would've heard him. So he circled around, using other routes and not bothering with things such as sleep once he'd known where to go.

    "I'm brave enough to stand before you." Hisoka purrs, advancing forward until he is indeed standing before Toph. "Do you want to test me? See if I can bend metal?" he asks playfully.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The skinny youth catches Toph's attention as he steps forward. And she's just about to respond to his question when he continues... and then mentions a word that makes her left eyebrow twitch just faintly. Wait, paperbender? No, it--

    The other advancing figure moves in a certain way, the shape of his body as it sends vibrations through the ground is recognized easily enough, and Toph stands as if frozen for a few seconds. His question and his tone make it clear to her just what's going on, though she pushes the urge to throw it back at him with an annoyed huff, her hands coming to rest on her hips. There's no hiding the fact that she is annoyed, and her annoyance is all directed at Hisoka as he walks directly up to her.

    "Are you dunderheads seriously questioning /me/, the greatest earthbender of all time?" Toph raises her voice, addressing the youths and the benders, clearly ignoring Hisoka's question for now. "Unlike some people, I'm from this world, and not somebody who's trying to trick you. A real earthbender is direct, honest and tough! To be a metalbender requires you to be even tougher, with a clear focus! Metal is simply purified earth, and if you are good enough, then you can sense the earth in the metal! Only somebody who has bending in their blood," she asides and moves to step around Hisoka, her tone clearly suggesting that she believes that Hisoka isn't one of those people, "can ever dream of becoming a metalbender. But if you have the guts and ability to bend earth, then there is a chance that you can learn what people said were impossible, just as I did when I was twelve."

    Some of the youths seem to consider this, and one of the kids steps forward. "I want to learn!" One of her older friends too seems to be curious, a smile crossing his face. "Me too!" The older people doesn't seem quite as sold, some of them looking at Hisoka as well.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka has a long and sordid history of mimicking other people's powers with his own. He also has a similar history of pissing people off, seemingly just for the fun of it. Metalbending is interesting, but he's not about to train in Manipulation. He has other ways of getting what he wants, ways that play to his strengths rather than his weaknesses... but LOOKING like he's doing bending, that's another story.

    "Perhaps I'm not a real paperbender." he says, grinning. He fans out a deck of cards, apparently from nowhere. Then he flips the deck, spraying card by card from one hand to the other. Then he does the reverse, almost defying gravity. Then his hands blur. Cards flash between his fingers, far faster than anyone here can follow with their eyes. He shapes them, forming them into an elongated ball, then adding to the ball. The form takes shape, turning rectangular cardstock into ovals and curves, somehow mystically holding together into an unnatural shape. When he finishes, a surprisingly-accurate lifesize model of Toph's head sits in Hisoka's hands. The model wears an annoyed frown.

    With a sigh, Hisoka tosses the paper model to one of the kids, who gapes and almost drops the thing. As he wonders at it, Toph's effigy head explodes into cards which fly everywhere. "It's true enough that if you don't have what it takes, you can never gain any true aptitude for this sort of thing no matter how much you try." he says with a smile. "But who knows what that aptitude might be? Perhaps if you fail the training to become a Metalbender, I can still teach you something unique." he grins mockingly. "Or perhaps the Metalbender will prefer me as a student, rather than as a teacher?" he offers, clearly having way too much fun mocking Toph's sales pitch.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    There had been a small hope there, a hope that if she didn't talk to him, then he might get bored eventually. Though it seems she's made an error here. Before he ignored other people and only seemed to talk directly to her. But now... he's talking to the crowd of potential students.

    One of the hardest things when it comes to dealing with Hisoka might be his personality, but then his power is no laughing matter either. Especially since she can't really see what he's doing with it. With the weird threads ability or whatever it is, he can move things through the air, things that she can't keep a track of. Sure, she can hear the paper moving, but she's got absolutely no clue about what he's doing. But his words add far more to the tension that Toph feels in the air.

    The gathered youths listen curiously to Hisoka as he speaks, and Toph stands still, listening intently with a slight frown on her face. Just what is he thinking? It's a threat towards her, that much she can already tell. Is he... threatening to put them at risk unless she offers to teach him something that he can never learn? He's not from this world, nor a variation of it, so there's no way he can be a bender! Even if his attitude were different and more like a typical earthbender. It's like he's a twisted airbender, indeed...

    Either way, Hisoka succeeds in drawing Toph's focus, and she turns her head slightly towards him, a gruff look on her face. "What the crud do you want...?" she demands, trying to keep her voice calm and collected. "There's no way /you/ will be able to learn metalbending!" True, he might be able to dent metal, but it wouldn't be true bending. And if he is able to apply enough force, then he doesn't need her to teach him. This... is seriously giving her a bad feeling.

    One of the guys from the crowd lets out a brief laugh. "Like we want to learn silly card tricks, buddy! And everybody knows there's only one airbender!" "Yeah, he doesn't look like an earthbender either!" "Didn't she talk about other worlds?" The words spread throughout the crowd, and even the kids are talking amongst themselves at this point. What a mess.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka isn't at all interested in metalbending. Not in learning it, not in watching to delve its secrets. There are thousands of different powers in his world, any of which can provide a momentary diversion. Uncountable trillions of different powers in the Multiverse, many of which are interesting. But none of the powers are as interesting as the fighters themselves. He's not here to study bending, he's here to study Toph. Such an interesting toy.
    The audience is somewhat annoying; a hum of background noise. They put constraints on Toph. But then, they can also be a source of amusement, something that Hisoka can use to get a reaction from Toph. "You would be wise not to scoff at powers you could never understand." he claims. With a wave of his hand he produces four cards. With another casual wave, he tosses them at the guy who calls the card tricks 'silly'. As fast as the cards are, as harmless as they seem, no one's going to be able to block them. Not unless they already know Hisoka's cards are utterly lethal. Not that he's aiming to kill, not this time. This is a lesson, both for the brat and for Toph. He's aiming for shins and forearms, intending wounds that would cut to the bone but be survivable. Just enough to show he's serious without sending Toph into a life-or-death situation. He doesn't even mind if she blocks his throw. The lesson is as much for her as for the audience, and cards embedded into earth set almost as good an example as cards embedded in flesh.

    He goes on, ignoring screams or earthbending with equivalent coolness. "How do you know?" he asks Toph. "You invented an art everyone thinks impossible. You think it's impossible for me to metalbend. Do YOU give up just because someone claims something is impossible?" he grins mockingly.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Even before Hisoka finishes moving his hand, he might notice a reaction from Toph. Immediately her eyes widen, and her own hand is moving. Sure, Hisoka might be faster than her, but she requires a smaller movement for efficient bending. Her arm is already moving when he's doing his second wave, and in the path of the thrown cards an earthen pillar shoots up just before the cards hit it, sending small cracks across the surface. Some of the people nearby let out startled gasps, and the man in question looks surprised, not really understanding just how close he was to getting injured.

    One person who seems to clearly understand it is Toph however, who is silent as she stands as if frozen, her arm still raised and extended towards the pillar she just raised to protect the man. A man who would have been injured if she hadn't acted quickly. The cards... damaged the pillar? If they had hit him, he would have been lying on the ground right now, bleeding and at risk with how little healing this world has to offer besides waterbending. Judging from the shocked expression on her face, Hisoka should know that yes, Toph realizes just what could have happened.

    But still she can't help but wonder. Why did that man's words warrant /such/ a reaction? Heck, /she/ has used far more insulting words towards Hisoka before without him seeming to be bothered by it... so why now?

    The blind teenager swallows, aware that Hisoka is speaking to her. And then her expression turns more stern as she lowers her arm, then kicks the ground, causing the pillar to sink down into the earth once more. When she speaks, her voice is low, only loud enough for Hisoka to hear it since he is standing right in front of her. "Sit down somewhere and shut up. And don't you /ever/ try doing that in front of me again," she mutters. He wants to try? Fine. While she has no idea just what he hopes to get out of this, it's better for the people gathered if she plays along with it for now.

    Once everybody has calmed down, Toph reaches into her satchel again, retrieving coins and small pieces of simple metal that she tosses out to the people gathered. "Focus on these coins and metal pieces. I will be able to sense if you are able to bend it, if only a little."

    The kids and the benders look a bit confused about this, but they will do as bidden, most of them sitting down on the ground as they hold the metal in their hands, some closing their eyes as they concentrate. The oldest benders gathered, people in their mid forties or so, don't look too expectant about this whole thing. "So how do you bend metal compared to earth, anyway?"

    Toph herself kicks the ground, and the badgermole statue from before is sent flying into her hand, and she holds it up for people to see. Somehow she seems to hesitate for a moment, and she clearly chooses her words carefully. "You have to be able to sense the earth inside the metal. You earthbenders should know that if you're any good at what you do."

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    To put it bluntly, Hisoka's a whimsical murderer. More accurately, he dislikes trash that doesn't know its place. That, and the desire to make a point, were more than enough for him to casually murder. That he didn't actually attempt to kill, and that he doesn't press his point once his attack was blocked, just means that he doesn't care enough about the insult to go beyond making his point. Where he's from, life is cheap. For him though life is so cheap he doesn't particularly care whether or not he spends it, not if someone's not worth his attention.

    Still he HAS made his point. And he wants Toph to be willing to kill, not desperate to preserve life. There's little to be gained by calling Toph's bluff, so he shrugs and smiles peaceably. Mockery lines the smile, but he moves back and enters the crowd of onlookers... who step back, giving him wary room.

    Hisoka has joined the students however. Toph DID say to sit down somewhere and shut up, right? He reaches out to snare coins that should've been out of reach as Toph tosses them to another would-be student. Like she'd toss any to him directly... but he doesn't mind. He'll join the 'class' one way or another, and Toph probably can't complain so long as he plays nice. Not if she's smart.

    Hisoka lazily focusses on the coins and metal he's snagged. A contradiction in terms but he does it nonetheless. He's not looking at anything else anyways, just the four little hunks of metal he's managed to secure. Probably more than his share, but they're just junk metal. Who'd dare prevent him, since he DOES actually leave plenty for others to study. Still, though Hisoka pays attention to the metal and nothing else, you can't call what he does 'focussing'. He's too lazy in attitude, seemingly. Still, he does try to bend. More than try, he actually DOES bend the metal. One bit gets squeezed out in two pieces, forming a point between them. The coins get pinched inwards, first one to form a club, then the other a heart. Last comes the diamond, made out of a small and flat metal sheet. He does nothing to draw attention to his metalbending, and in fact hides the immense force he uses to slowly deform soft metal with his bare fingers.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It does seem that the other would be students all seem wary of Hisoka, not sure just what to think of him. If he doesn't bother the other students though, then it might be best to leave him be for now, Toph figures. Even if she doesn't like this one bit!

    And as the testing starts, Toph does note that nobody here seems to be even close to getting a reaction in the metal they've been given. Though it does seem like some people are noticing what Hisoka is doing. Some of the nearby kids point it out to their friends, and a few courageous boys even dare to lean closer to look. While Toph would have preferred to not draw attention to it, it seems she has no choice, huh?

    "To some people, it might look like metalbending when a blacksmith shapes the metal... but it's /not/," she states firmly with a slightly sour look on her face. "Brute force can shape the metal, but it won't bend it." Here she kicks the ground, raising a pillar in front of her that she places the badgermole statue on, holding her hands near it before she moves them... and bends the figure into a platypus bear. "A true bender can bend their element without touching it! You earthbenders should know that as well!" Okay, how to give them tips on how to bend...?

    "Don't think of it as one piece of metal for now... think of it as many small pieces of earth, all trapped within it. Try to see if you can focus on just one simple part of it..." With that Toph closes her eyes and shifts her hands. If Hisoka is indeed observing this and using gyo, he might notice that Toph is focusing her energy into the metal, with parts of it being concentrated in specific places... causing that place to shift and then pull everything else with it as the platypus bear moves its front paw.

Hisoka (799) has posed:
    Hisoka knows he's not a metalbender. He also knows he's not an airbender. Paperbender, sure. Since he made up the art, he can call it whatever the hell he wants to. Besides, it annoys Toph to have him so blatantly pretend to be like her when the only thing they have in common is a stubborn and patient will to power.

    If she does find any useful students, Hisoka doesn't really care. They aren't likely to be of interest to him, though in part that depends on how old and hidebound they are. Perhaps a young student could attract his attention, if they're still learning and able to develop their potential to something actually interesting. It'd be many years though, before they could be of true interest. He need not track them from this very moment. No, it's enough to consider them once Toph has been ultimately dealt with in her own way.

    That's not to say he'll do nothing to the metalbenders. He might arrange one's murder, just to keep Toph on her toes. Keep her wondering if he did it. An 'accident' with mysterious circumstances, and with Hisoka himself nowhere in sight. Nothing she could pin on him even if she knew in her heart that he had something to do with it. Something to foster anger, resentment, a burning desire towards vengeance. It's worth considering... and it's worth doing RIGHT. That means patience, and there's little he could add here and now. In fact he's pretty much done with this world, at least for now. Perhaps he'll set some plans in motion next time he shows up to join Toph at the pro tournament. That's FUN, mostly because he gets to watch Toph get annoyed at having to actually rely on him even as she pretends to ignore him.

    Abruptly Hisoka rises to his feet, practically ignoring gravity as his body takes a weirdly abnormal path upwards. "Do you really think I have to be TOUCHING something to shape it?" he asks with a smirk. He's not speaking of metal either. He has some shaping to do soon... soon. He flips a hand up, tossing his metal bits into the air. Away from the students, fortunately, so Toph need not worry. Unless of course he's anchored them to a student or two and intends murder....

    But no, the shards of metal and coins come down, embedding themselves edge or point first into the ground. His ability to make narrow edges embed into things doesn't limit itself to cards, it would seem. It's a throw-away gesture though, literally. "I think I've learned all I can from you, Lychee." he adds dismissively. "For now. Please don't follow me this time. We'll see each other soon enough~" he says, turning and walking away through the watching crowd... which parts as if the people were pushed aside by the mere force of his gaze and will.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    This... isn't promising at all. Many of the benders and kids do their best to affect the metal they have been given to work with, but as Toph wanders between them, trying to determine if there's anybody here with potential, it's clear that nothing's happening. The big burly benders can't even dent the metal properly, and the young ones don't seem to be benders, or at least not metalbenders either. Just how is she going to do this? How will she figure out a way to identify those who hold potential? To locate the ones that will ensure that metalbending doesn't begin and end with her?

    One thing is for sure, Hisoka isn't making this any easier at all.

    So when he rises to his feet, Toph narrows her eyes. "I didn't give you permission to stand, did I?" This is her class, and if he wants to learn, then he better do as she told him to do! And she's in no mood to deal with more of his bullshit, it seems.

    When he tosses the metal aside, Toph lets out a huff, then reaches out with one hand, then bends the coins towards her, catching them in her open hand. "I might be blind, but I saw what you did with the metal. And /that/ was not metalbending," she informs him, holding up the pieces he used brute force to shape. Though when he speaks again, it appears that the usually level headed teenager has had enough, her eyes angry as she raises her arm and points an accusatory index finger straight at Hisoka. "/YOU/ are clearly following me, Fruit Loops!" she snaps, clearly not amused. "I have no idea just what the crud you hope to accomplish, but whatever it is, forget it! Just leave me alone!"

    Okay, this is it. If he thinks she's going to show up at that tournament again, he's severely mistaken. Because if he's going to be like this, then who's to say she will ever be able to find potential students at that venue anyway?