kyoshi | [Voice / Action]

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[Voice / Action]

We've been getting an awful lot of rain this month so far, haven't we? Was it this bad last year?

Speaking of "year"... getting pretty close to my first, now. A lot has happened to make it feel a lot shorter than it is. I guess it took me by surprise...

[Filtered to the Kyoshi Warriors]

Hey everyone, just a quick announcement:

Be sure to put in some extra practice today if you can, because tomorrow I plan on running a private tournament between you all to see how you're doing. It's hand-to-hand only, so you can use whatever techniques you've learned so far. Get a good night's sleep the night before, okay?

Next week I'd like to try some acrobatics, so we'll meet in the Battle Dome.

[Filtered to Toph]

Hey, Toph, if you're not busy today, want to work on some training? I have a few ideas I'd like to try.

[Suki is out and about today, picking some stuff up at the plaza, checking on the status of the uniforms, and hiding out in one of the shops when the rain hits. Otherwise, housemates can find her at home- probably soaked to the bone when she arrives, poor thing.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's the entrance to the tunnels that run under the village. There's some kind of special change the Malnosso did to it- no one has any powers once they go down.

[She'll just... let that sink in for a minute there, so Toph understands what she's trying to do here.]

[Toph slides a foot across the ground, familiar earth lending her sight. She wouldn't have this down there.

She slightly raises her head towards Suki.]

I won't be able to see. Makes sense.

[Yeah, that's not a happy expression. Suki puts her hand lightly on Toph's shoulder- she can sympathize a little, but not understand, unfortunately. It's part of why she chose this place.]

It's dark down there- I won't be able to see well, either. But it's a good way to know what to expect, if it happens in a battle.

[Toph nods, albeit slowly. Deep breath.]

I'm ready. Let's go down.

Okay. I'll head down first, hang on. [Just in case the Shift hits Toph hard- it won't affect Suki, but she'd hate to see this called short if Toph fell or something. Straightening up, Suki hops onto the ladder and makes her way down.

...Yep, dark as ever down here. This should work out just fine.]

[Toph takes another deep breath, silently kissing her bending goodbye. She reaches down for the latter and starts climbing after Suki.

At first, she feels fine. The bar still feels bendable under her fingers before she feels that extension of herself completely snuffed out. Her fingers nearly slip from the sudden lack of feeling, but she holds on tight to the bar, stopping her descent for a moment.]

Wh-whoa...

You okay?

[Suki stands carefully beneath Toph once she reaches the bottom, ready to catch her, just in case. She isn't sure what it feels like to lose one's powers, since she's never had any before.]

Just take it easy, we've got lots of time.

[She huffs and...okay, okay. Don't freak out. You'll get it back just as soon as you leave the tunnel again.]

Don't...sweat it. I've got this.

[She starts moving again, gulping against dry throat. Blind as a bat. But without the sonic waves, even. But she does make it to the bottom of the ladder, shaking just a little.]

[Poor Toph, this must be terrible. Suki steps forward - loudly, so Toph can hear her - and places a hand on the other girl's shoulder to guide her gently away from the ladder.]

I think today we should work on your senses- what you can "see" without looking at all.

Right. At least it can't be any worse than flying on Appa. [Be grounded, bending or no, was definitely a plus.]

What should I try first?

[Stepping back, Suki thinks for a moment.]

Let's see... ah! [She circles around Toph, sliding her foot through the dirt to create four lines, one at her back, her front, and each side. Then she returns to face Toph, moving a few feet away.]

I'm going to move around you, so when you hear a noise, try to face the direction it comes from as soon as you can. If you can, try to remember what direction you started out as. [And at that, she adds a little "X" at the end of the line where Toph is facing.]

[She nods. She'd never tried anything like this, so she can't even gauge if she'll be good or not. And she doesn't like that. But...she's gotta do it.]

Okay. Piece of cake.

[Once Toph is ready, Suki begins to move. Years of training as a Kyoshi Warrior has taught her to move in silence, and she's able to dart quietly around Toph, careful to stay beyond the lines she'd drawn. After the second circle, she halts on Toph's left side and scuffs her foot meaningfully through the dirt to make a scraping noise.]

[If nothing else, Toph's hearing is sharper than your average person's from using it in tandem with her bending. Remember her original position might be tough, but at least she catches that sound to her left. She turns, albeit slower than normal, to face Suki.]

[Oh, excellent! Suki's immediately pleased.] Good! I knew this much would be easy for you. [She moves again, circling back around twice more before stopping at Toph's back. This time she tries something new- retrieving a stone from the ground, she tosses it over Toph so that it hits the ground in front of her, scuffing her toe through the dirt half a second before it lands. Let's see if Toph can recognize different sounds.]

[There a thunk ahead of her--the familiar sound of a rock. Oh rock, she misses being able to feel you. But the sound is distinct, and different from what she hears behind her.]

Trying to trick me, fan girl? [She turns around and faces Suki, grinning.]

Maybe a little. [She's pleased, though, and it shows in her voice.] You're just as much of a pro as ever, though.

It's just listening. It's not like I don't do a lot of that anyway, even with my bending.

[Still, she is a little proud. Look at her, finding her way without her bending! She's such a big girl now.]

[Yeah, she sees that smirk on your face, you're fooling no one.]

Well, it's good to know that you don't rely too much on your bending.

[But since the rock test was too easy, she'll try something new, instead- she tugs off both of her shoes, then moving once more, halting on Toph's left side. with a flick of her wrist, she tosses one shoe to land in front of Toph, dropping the other in front of herself. Both shoes make roughly the same noise, but can she tell which was dropped, and which was thrown...?]

[Mixing it up, are we? This...does make her pause for a second, considering. The sounds were definitely different, and it takes her a moment just to deduce why--one definitely sounded like it had been tossed. She turns around to face Suki, still determined, but a little less assured.]

Oh, nicely done! [Suki grins and claps her hands.] I can't pull anything over you, can I?

Of course not! [Toph gives her a thumbs up.] I'd like to see you try.

Maybe next time. [This is Toph's training, not hers. And speaking of which-] Okay, can you backtrack? Try to remember where you started out.

[Oh...oops. Yeah, she completely lost track of that. She tries to play the moves she made backwards in her head, but she can't quite remember their order. She huffs.]

...I kind of forgot.

Oh, good! I was starting to think you wouldn't need to work on anything at all. [Suki pads over to the opposite side of the hall to retrieve her shoe.] It's important to know how to reorient yourself in case you need to make a quick escape. It would be bad news if you ran into a wall or something, and you never know when you might be stuck on your own in a bad situation.

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