|
|
Post by tophbeifong on Oct 5, 2009 19:00:36 GMT -5
Toph was bored out of her mind. Maybe if she could actually see the landscape they were flying over she would've been a bit more motivated. As it stood though, the only thing she could tell was that wherever they were headed was hotter and dryer than what she was used to in Gaoling. It had only been a day or so since they'd left the cave, and the blind earthbender was ready for their little trip to be over and done with. She'd never been to a desert before, but it had to be ten times more appealing than being up in the air and far far away from anything resembling solid ground. A few times she'd piped up, claiming she needed to use the bathroom just so they would land. She had a feeling that Sokka had caught on though, as the last time she'd tried using that excuse he'd glared at her and dourly told her no more potty breaks. So, now she simply opted to sulk as she clung to the lip of Appa's saddle, her clouded over green eyes just staring off in the distance.
Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer. She pointed a grubby finger at some random point down below and exclaimed excitedly, "Hey! Look over there!"
...
...
"Yeah, that's what one of you should be saying right about now. Seriously, can we land already?"
Believe it or not, Toph actually was pointing at something, even if she couldn't see it. The sands of the Si Wong desert met with sprawling grasslands, and near this border sat a little town. A wall circled around earthen buildings, with a main gate that was open to the grasslands and two other gates that opened to paths that led out to the desert. And at the epicenter of this little oasis sat...
....a big hunk of ice...
Okay, so it wasn't a huge bustling center of commerce, but it WAS someplace to stop, and by the looks of things, the Fire Nation didn't control this little backwater town.
|
|
|
|
Post by airnomad on Oct 6, 2009 20:55:36 GMT -5
It was pretty boring. The landscape with arid and devoid of any truly interesting landmarks or geographical formations as visible from the air. The only thing mildly interesting was seeing the terrain gradually shift in color from green to beige, but that wasn't something to hold Aang's attention for long.
It was pretty fun, however, when one of Toph's frequent bathroom breaks led Aang to the discovery of a cluster of prarie dog mounds. He remembered hearing something long ago about these creatures being able to mimic tones, and for a short while he had fun conducting a small choir of the creatures using a flute. Unfortunately, the Master of Schedules had them back in the air in short order and the travel resumed.
When Toph finally remarked about spotting the town, the young Avatar balked in confusion because at that moment he had just spotted the outline of the oasis near the horizon. For a moment he thought to ask how she did that, but soon realized she was just joking.
"Actually," he told her, "We're almost there. The Misty Palms Oasis is one of the natural wonders of the world... You guys will love it."
****************************************************
"Okay..." Aang found himself dragging on that last syllable as he looked around the somewhat rundown cluster of earthen buildings circled around a less-than-impressive chunk of ice. "I guess they really let this place go since I've been here last."
The group had landed just outside the main gate and had entered the small village with the intent of finding some shade and refreshments. Aang could only shrug at the state of the place, but he gestured forward to start the group walking towards one of the Oasis's several drinking holes.
|
|
|
|
Post by meatandsarcasm on Oct 11, 2009 13:22:05 GMT -5
Sokka knew the others weren’t happy with him about his strict time tables, but someone had to keep this bunch focused. Toph was too busy joking around to care, Aang had the attention span of a well caffeinated gnat, and Katara was liable to get them helping out some random stranger with their personal problems. That meant it was up to him. Yes, that was his fate: Sokka, secretary of the Avatar. Spirits help him.
“Don’t you have to have something here to begin with to let it go?” Sokka mumbled, gazing flatly at the tiny hunk of ice.
He sighed as Aang charged off towards a nearby tavern, motioning them to follow. Some cooked food would be welcome right now, he admitted that, but he wasn’t entirely sure this was the best place to satiate that desire. He glanced around the area. There were a few wanted posters floating around. None of Aang, but it didn’t seem to be a good sign.
Before following after Aang, he turned to Toph. “Hey, Toph, keep an eye out while we’re here. I’m not sure about this place.”
Even when specifically thinking about Toph’s ability to see things that others couldn’t, it was easy for Sokka to just up and forget that Toph was blind. He hadn’t even known her that long, and this was probably his umpteenth faux pas.
|
|
|
|
Post by aratak on Oct 12, 2009 20:32:42 GMT -5
The young waterbender was somewhat pleased to have arrived at their destination. After jumping off Appa, she ran off toward the pathetic ice formation. As overhyped as it was, Katara was happy to find it. She gathered as much of Aang's "pristine" Glacier as she could into her pouch, after dumping out the old nasty water. She figured the ice in the center was probably pretty pure, and approached the others about it.
"Guys, something tells me we're going to be here for a while, and this is the only water source for a long way. Give me your containers so I can fill them up with new clean water..."
Meanwhile, it seemed as though Sokka's caution was correct. A few men wrapped in bandages seemed to be creeping about. They seemed to have a particular interest in Aang's Bison. Katara noticed this, as one tried to sneak around Toph, taking advantage of her apparent blindness. "Hey you! Stop what you're doing! Leave Appa alone!" She yelled, in his and Toph's general direction. She was unsure whether Toph could "see" him in such sandy conditions, but she was ready to attack if not. She kept glancing over at him, but approached Toph so she could fill up the earthbender's water supply. The cloaked man continued toward the Bison, almost as if he hadn't been warned. Two more men followed. They weren't even trying to be sneaky anymore. Katara growled, but the two guys were closer.
|
|
|
|
Post by airnomad on Oct 19, 2009 21:46:32 GMT -5
Aang slowed in his advance toward the cantina as Katara made mention of the men eyeing Appa. With his staff in hand he planted one end of it into the dusty ground as he stared hard at the bandaged strangers. Despite Katara's shouting, they seemed intent on inspecting his bison. It seemed he would have to let them know how bad of an idea that was.
"Appa!" the young Avatar called out to catch his anmal companion's attention, "Yip-yip!"
On que, Appa stood up on all six legs from his relaxed seat on the sand and squared off on the strange locals. A low but resonant growl issued from his enormous maw and his usually kind brown eyes narrowed into a menacing stare. Aang watched with great satisfaction as the Si Wong natives stopped their approach, not daring to take another step closer.
One of the men turned to the man next to him and uttered something inaudible from that distance. The two then glanced toward Aang and his companions, spoke a few more words, and then turned away from Appa. The Avatar's initial feeling of amusement at their fright faded somewhat as an ominous feeling passed through his mind at the thought of these locals. However, the two bandage-clad men seemed intent on leaving as they joined up with a third man who was readying what appeared to be a wooden catamaran with an odd foreward-mounted sail.
Aang watched them just long enough to see the men use earthbending to fill the sail with wind by creating a dust-devil and take off across the barren landscape. After it seemed certain they were on their way, he tossed a smile and nod toward Appa. The bison grunted once more at the inconvenience and circled around in place momentarily before plopping down in the sand, creating a minor dust cloud.
"Well..." Aang said, lifting up his staff and bringing it to rest on his shoulder, "That was odd. So who wants a frozen fruit drink?" A chattering noise to the side gave him a moment's warning before Momo landed on the end of his staff behind his head. The flying lemur had apparently been disturbed from his rest by Appa growling at the sandbenders, or perhaps he just wanted the shade of the indoors. Either way, he obviously approved of a smoothie.
|
|
|
|
Post by tophbeifong on Nov 19, 2009 10:18:37 GMT -5
"Hey, Toph, keep an eye out while we’re here. I’m not sure about this place."
Toph crossed her arms over chest, muttering under her breath. "Oh sure...let the blind girl keep an eye on things."
...it was odd, how she hated for folks to underestimate her because she was blind...yet she was quick to point out this handicap whenever anyone suggested she do something that involved the ability to see. SHe made her way down the bison's side, and caught herself stumbling back against Appa when instead of having a solid picture of the area around her (via her nifty ability to 'see' through vibrations int he ground), everything was fuzzy...out of focus.
As the sandbenders took more than a noted interest in Appa, Toph tilted her head a bit, turning so that her profile was to the benders. They were too far off to make out what was being said, but she could hear enough to be able to pick out the voices if the gang came across them again. Soon they were out of range of what she could vaguely make out through the sand pudding, and while she couldn't see it, the dust that came up in the wake of their sand sailor's departure let her know that they had left.
Toph shuffled forward, until she was close enough to make out where her friends were.
"Frozen drinks? That sounds great!" she answered Aang. She smirked tilting her head just a bit in Sokka's general direction. "That is if our itinerary allows it, oh mighty one," she said sarcastically, deliberating jibing at the Water Tribe boy.
|
|
