Book I, Act VII: Back to Square One, Chapter II

Edited by: Bieverdog AO3: GalavantingGoose

Book I, Imbalance

Act VII: Back to Square One

Music: Mizu, paniyolo / Home, Undertale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcGIvPG39Ek

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_E_y1AWAfc

Chapter II

Another day at sea–it was almost too much to bear. Sailing was like flying, for Toph's world was reduced to a cramped space. At least, she liked the fact that she could see further; but it still felt like being imprisoned. She had already wandered through every corner of the ship, but it had become a ritual to drive off craziness and boredom and a safeguard against meeting people. It was incredible how few people noticed her as she walked. She even had to hold back the urge to throw several people overboard after they stepped on her feet.

She wasted no time in heading to the deck. The others would probably go to breakfast in the morning, and she would do the opposite and go to the dining room once most of them had finished. She went to the end of the deck and lay down with her face facing the sun, the cool sea breeze sighing against her face. It wasn't so bad to be alone; it had its own benefits: she could rest more, and go wherever she wanted, and there was no one to bother her to have a swim. She liked it, but she had to admit that she missed her friends a little. In a remarkably short time, they had become like a family. It would be strange not to see them every day; but she had decided so, for she was convinced of her future–

There was a soft humming. "Good morning, miss. Could you give me some space? I'm cleaning."

Toph grumbled and moved to the side.

The girl's gait was relaxed and cheerful. "Thank you! Hey, shouldn't you be downstairs? I hear they're serving a top-notch dessert today."

She put on a straight face. "I'm not hungry." But the grumbling of her stomach betrayed her.

Toph was certain that she must have raised an eyebrow based on her tone. "Really? I wouldn't miss it."

Annoyed, she smiled mock cordially. "Go ahead."

The girl stopped mopping. Great, now she'll keep talking. "Well, it's just for passengers."

Her hand was already in her pocket. "I'll give you my ticket if you leave me alone."

"Oh no, I couldn't accept it. If my boss found out–"

Toph rubbed her face in frustration. "Are you finished?"

"Yes. Excuse me–I don't mean to be a questioner–but are all the people in the Earth Kingdom this rude?" The earthbender felt a glare in there.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. Could you please do me a favor and leave me… if the lady wants to, of course? Is that the way you like it?" The girl took her mop and left angrily. Toph snorted, throwing herself down where she had been before. It was nothing she hadn't dealt with before. When people saw her, they treated her like the poor little blind girl her parents smothered in etiquette and soft carpeting. Someday that would change; they would know who she was.

She looked forward to reaching Yu Dao. Alone once again, she could concentrate on what was now her fantasy: her own metalbending school. She could almost see it. Everything will be fine. Don't worry, you'll be there in no time. She relaxed, listening to the constant sound of the tide, and fell asleep. And overslept. Everyone had already finished eating, and she could feel them wandering around the ship. She passed through some passersby to the dining room to find that they had no more food left.

A man stopped her before she could go any further. "Sorry, kid; kitchen's closed."

She opened her mouth to complain but let out a loud grunt and turned around–she would look for a way in. Having previously toured the ship, she had something of an idea of where what was what. In front of the galley was a main salon where most of the passengers gathered, and that was the crossroads for every corner. She was cautious to avoid the crowds clustered in some corner or another; so, she skirted around the large room, wondering all the while what attracted so many people to that place since there were only two metal buffalo-lion statues. It's not as if she could see its appeal in its entirety; but as far as she could sense, there was nothing but hustle and bustle, hawkers and people shouting for work, all in or from Hong Sha. It made no sense to her; after all, it was just another colony soon to be evicted. Those people were just pinning their hopes on a sinking ship. She shook her head; it was none of her business anyway.

Toph took one of the paths adjacent to the kitchen in the main hall. As far as she could feel, there was some cargo area and cabins; but they were smaller. She took care that no one saw her, for loitering was probably not allowed. Even so, she could easily dodge anyone who came her way since she could sense them long before they approached her.

Through the walls, she could feel the kitchen on the other side; and somewhere, there had to be a service area she was sure she could enter. When she reached where she thought was right behind the kitchen and checked that the coast was clear, she began to rummage through boxes and bags with her caper bag on hand, grasping what felt like a loaf. She took a bite, but it was too late–it was hard as a rock. She spat it out and continued looking. There were some sacks in one of the pantries; they smelled like dried fruit and nuts. She mentally shrugged and stuffed handfuls into her bag.

As she sat eating, the sound of doors opening in the hallway made her stop. "Move it, girl; you're not paid to be lounging around."

"But… You don't pay me for this. You agreed to take me all the way to Shimo Island." That voice, she definitely sounded like the girl from earlier. It didn't surprise her at all that she was being reprimanded; a servant like her wouldn't have lasted a day at her estate.

"Erm... Well, we won't even get you as far as Hong Sha at this rate if you're still chatting the passengers' ears off. Get back to work! I don't want to see a stain on that kitchen–do you hear me? You don't get out of here until you're done."

"Yes, sir..." The door closed again, and she relaxed, munching down on salty-sweet goodness… Until the kitchen door opened; and the girl gaped, dropping her kiwapple.

"You?" Her voice was still bitter from before.

Toph caught the kiwapple again, blowing off whatever dirt it had picked up before giving it another bite. "What are you doing here?"

She harrumphed. "Well, I work here. What are you doing here?"

She licked her fingers, still munching the kiwapple. "Umm... I got lost; you know, blind people stuff. Nice to see you." She raised her hand to greet her; but as she was about to walk out the door, the girl grabbed her arm.

"No, no, no; wait."

Toph grunted, puffing her bangs; she was about to push her. "Oh, come on! Don't do this to me again."

She relented, sensing that the girl was about to cry. "My supervisor is outside. I need this job! They'll fire me if they find out you're here. Can't you see he's locked the door?"

She grumbled and lowered her head. "Fine... Then what?"

The girl let out a relieved breath. "Thanks, I don't know for sure we'll find some other way. My name is Yua, by the way."

Toph stood there thinking for a moment–she had just lied to her. A little confused, she played along. "...I'm Toph."

"Oh, pretty name. it's nice to meet you, Toph… So, you're from the Earth Kingdom?"

"Born and raised." She smiled proudly.

"Cool! I've never met anyone from the Earth Kingdom before… well, no one I remember at least... Is it true that people there like to sleep in the dirt?" There was no malice in her voice, only laughable ignorance.

Toph raised an eyebrow, smirking at her. "Is it true that in the Fire Nation, they eat babies for breakfast?"

"Uh... No." She sounded legitimately disturbed, and Toph couldn't help but laugh.

"That answers your question then. The truth is quite different from what you've been told; believe me, you'll see."

"I'm a little afraid to find out, but if you say so. You've traveled quite a bit, haven't you?"

"Quite a bit would be an understatement. I've been all over the place. Beifong ring a bell?" She placed her hands on her hips–surely, everyone had heard of her–but her confidence faltered as the girl didn't answer.

"Not really… So, you know anything about the colonies?"

She tapped her chin. "Well, hmm… I know a few, yes."

"Do you know anything about the one we're headed to?" The girl sounded excited.

"Well, to tell you the truth, no; but I know Yu Dao is close by. Isn't it?"

"It is. I heard it's a beautiful place: fire-red sand and–"

Toph wagged her fingers. "Yeah, yeah. Been there; it's not much of a sight. Where are you from anyway?"

Yua became nervous, making a poor attempt at hiding it. "Um... Well... I'm from the mainland–a little town to the south; I'm sure you wouldn't know it." Had she lied to her again? It couldn't be a coincidence anymore.

She narrowed her eyes. "I see. And how did you end up here?"

The girl chuckled tensely. "Ah well, I just wanted to travel, and I had no money; so, I signed up to work on the ship in exchange for a ride to another city."

Toph crossed her arms, almost scoffing at her excuse. "You left because you just wanted to travel? Really, just like that?"

"Well, yes..." The girl became even more nervous at Toph's dissatisfaction with her answer. "Oh, you know what–I know where you can get out: the galley has a food elevator that goes to the cargo area. If you get off in it, you can go straight down to the crew quarters and into the main salon like it's nothing." Whatever reason the girl had for lying, she didn't care. For one, she was glad to get back to leaving.

"Great. Where is the elevator?"

"Can't you see? It's right in front of you." She sounded surprised. After all the time they'd spent talking, she'd have expected the girl to at least notice.

Toph only opened her eyes wider and smiled, staring at her with her milky, green eyes.

"Oh, right. I'll guide you there." She took Toph by her arm, and she looked at her partially annoyed; but at least, she noticed. She guided her by the shoulder to a small square wooden platform. A chain was hanging above from one of the corners. They were surrounded by metal walls; she could feel them as they reached down below. "Careful with your head." She sat down on it with her legs crossed. "It's easy. I think you'll find your way just fine down there. This hour, the workers are still busy with other tasks anyway. You just follow the walls straight ahead, and you'll get out. Shouldn't be that hard. I'd go with you; but someone needs to bring down the elevator."

"Okay, just be careful getting me down."

"I will. Take care, Toph; hope to see you again."

"Yeah… Thanks; you, too." She gave her a thumbs up.

Toph felt the movement of a crank, and the platform shook a little and began to lower almost noiselessly. Carefully, she slipped her fingers along the metal walls, trying to feel for a metal surface that would give her some indication of where she was. She reckoned she was almost at the bottom. There was no one below. Even though it was convenient, it bothered her that she had to take such a detour. The plank finally hit the bottom and she stood up.

All around her, there was a rather disorienting mixture of aromas–spices, oil, and humidity; salt, silk, pungent incense. The smells wafted through the rows of metal shelves she could sense down there amidst the countless boxes. She imagined they must have been carrying a bit of everything. Apparently, trade was flowing in spurts to the colonies; who knew for how long.

Most of the things they were carrying seemed to be metal, and she stopped for a second to investigate. The closer she crept, the better she could feel it–metal canisters, the smell of oil, stronger and burning–

Steps coming from the aisle made her stop in place. "Hey, you! Where did you come from?"

She muttered under her breath, "Great..." took a few steps in the man's direction, and started flapping her arms around as if looking for a surface. "I'm sorry, sir, I got lost. Could you help me find the main hall?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize." At least once in a while, blindness had its benefits. The man guided her to the hall and closed the doors behind him, leaving her wondering about the cargo. It wouldn't be long before they arrived in Hong Sha–maybe a day or less. Maybe if Sokka had been there, he would have told her to investigate it; after all, it had been his job to approve cargo. No, that was no longer her problem. She wanted nothing more to do with the Fire Nation, had had enough, and would devote herself to her own passion, far from any mess. Whatever it was, they could investigate it; so, without further ado, she went to her cabin to spend what was left of the day before dinner.

She couldn't wait to get to the mainland, for not being able to train was driving her crazy. She still had to deal with the whole situation of how she would get to Yu Dao; but she would surely find a way to get there. The afternoon passed so slowly that she almost fell asleep again; but she pinched herself to stay awake, for she didn't want to miss dinner. To her dismay, she could no longer avoid the passengers who had gathered en masse for dinner. Making her way through the crowd, she sat down at the first table she could find.

Slowly, the time passed; but it seemed as if the minutes were hours. She tossed her bracelet hand to hand, bouncing it from wall to wall. At least that day, she didn't miss dinner despite the hustle and bustle of people. She got the news that they would arrive in Hong Sha first thing in the morning, almost jumping out of her chair with happiness. She would finally get out of that floating prison. When she returned to her cabin, her body buzzed with excitement. Bored to brimming with anticipation and still restless. The next day, she gathered his things the moment she woke and went to the deck.

"Hello, Toph!" That cheerful voice: Mop Girl.

Toph sighed. "Yua… How's it going?"

"Great! I see you couldn't wait to disembark, huh?"

She snorted. "Yep, can't wait to get out of here."

Yua leant against the railings of the ship. "It's beautiful, isn't it? Some things people say are true after all."

"What are you talking about?"

"The colony. Oh... The sand is dark red; and the buildings look gleaming from here, as if they were brand new. They look neat, all arranged in squares. In between, you can see parks and trees. The bay is full of ships with sails of all colors. And– Oh, that's awesome! It's like a flying boat! I've never seen anything like it."

Toph raised an eyebrow; she knew the thing she was talking about. "You mean an airship? Yeah, seen plenty of 'em."

"Wow! I want to ride in one."

Toph pointed vaguely at their ship. "It's the same thing as this, only in the sky. If you ask me, you're not missing out on anything." She shrugged.

"But imagine the views." The girl was clearly too keen on the idea for Toph to change her mind.

"I wish I'd thought of that."

"What?" Her cheerful voice took an apologetic tone. "Oh, I didn't mean to…"

She couldn't contain her laughter and punched Yua in the arm. "Nah. Just messing with ya. So, are you making a stop here too?"

The girl was rubbing her arm. "Oh, I haven't thought about it yet; don't know if I should, you know? I've still got a long way to go."

Toph scratched her chin. "Didn't the captain mention they'd stop here for the day to resupply?"

"Yes, but–"

"Then, what is it?"

"It's that I don't know if I should go alone. And since you are going, if you want, I could join you. I could be like your eyes. I can help you find someone to take you to Yu Dao; and meanwhile, we could get to know the city a little." The girl was practically pleading to her; so, she thought rejecting her would only make her more insistent.

Toph massaged her temples, muttering, "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?" She bit her lip for a moment. "Fine, you can tag along."

The girl jumped with excitement. "Yes! It's going to be great! I'll change then."

As Yua ran off, Toph's face turned into a frown. She sighed. "Yep, already regretting it."

She thought the girl would take longer; but in the end, it only took her about ten minutes. The earthbender could already feel the people gathering on deck. She listened to the admiring comments of the passengers taking in the sights along with her new traveling companion.

Toph could sense that they were approaching the port as the bustle of the city grew louder and louder. Finally, the ship stopped dead, swaying slightly, and the crew announced their arrival. She hurried to grab her luggage and headed for the exit together with Yua. Every now and then, she had to make sure that she was following behind her since the girl was either talking to someone or staring at something. She could only shake her head; for at that rate, it would take days to find her way to Yu Dao.

The girl ran up to her excitedly. "So, I asked around for directions; and there's a few places we must visit–"

Toph gritted her teeth. "Any chance any of them have anything to do with me going to Yu Dao?"

"Well… no, but–"

"Then ask again. We settle that first, then we go sightseeing all you want."

She moved to the side of the crowd and sat down on the floor next to her bag; for she was already feeling overloaded with stimuli: the noise, the footsteps everywhere... Sometimes, she wished she could turn off her senses and concentrate on what was around her without getting carried away by everything. Her training in Gaoling had helped her endure it since in the middle of thousands of spectators, her only objective was her opponent and no one else. But there, she couldn't concentrate; or at least, she didn't know what to concentrate on. She closed her eyes, trying to zone out, dulling the sounds–

There was a tap on her shoulder. Of course, it was her. "Sorry… I've found something about your transport…"

"And?"

"So, we have to go down the main road, just right past Fire Lord Sozin's statue. We should find the headquarters of the trading company that brought us here to book a trip to Yu Dao."

Toph got up, already uplifted; it was easier than she thought. "Sweet; let's go."

She walked in the direction of the crowd, and Yua pulled her arm. "It's the other way."

The only thing she could think to herself was that bringing that girl wasn't so bad for her. The only negative was that she had to listen while Yua was surprised by every single thing she saw. It was as if she had never really been in a city before. For the third time, she was describing the beautiful streets that looked like marble with golden accents, the style that encompassed every building that looked so unique, and blah, blah, blah. At least, it helped distract her from the comings and goings of people and carriages through the city. A trade of one commotion for another; but fortunately, one was less noisy than the other.

"It's so pretty around here; there's so many people from all over the world."

Toph sighed exhaustedly. "Yeah, not really a fan of big cities."

Someone bumped into her, sending her down to the sidewalk. "Hey, watch out; I'm walking here!"

"No, you watch out!" She pointed furiously in his direction.

Yua helped Toph up, dusting off her clothes and chuckling lightly. "Well, it's not all bad. Most of them seem to enjoy themselves here…"

Toph muttered, "Can't wait to be on the road again… Are we there yet?"

"I think we should be, though I don't see a statue."

Toph followed Yua to a stone building decorated with… something; she couldn't detect what it was. Some parts she could feel were decorated with metal plates.

Her footsteps echoed in the building, muffled in part by the sound of a fountain. She could sense that there were other people lining up. Good to see sweet, old bureaucracy isn't exclusive to Ba Sing Se. It was yet another reminder of that dreadful city; but thankfully, the queue didn't take as long.

The ticket lady was another story, tapping her fingers on the counter. "Next! What'll it be?"

Toph spoke quickly, "Hi. we need a ticket to Yu Dao please," wanting to end the whole ordeal as soon as possible.

"Only one?" And they nodded. "That'll be four silver pieces." She quickly took the coins from her bag, placing them atop the counter.

Yua leaned forward against the counter as the lady slowly procured the ticket. "So, where is this famous Sozin statue I was told about?"

"Oh, you must be new here. It was recently taken down; the council has commissioned a new one. Your transport leaves at dusk today; it will be waiting near the northern gate."

Toph grabbed the ticket, heading for the door. "Nice. Have a good one." Yua waved cheerfully, walking behind.

Toph sat on the sidewalk, and the girl sat beside her. "We pretty much have the whole day left."

She sighed and put her ticket in her pocket. "Okay. Where do you want to go?"

"I was told the academy is a must-visit. There's also a museum, the main park, the–"

The earthbender held up her hands. "Hold up! Make up your mind, then we go. Don't want to go around in circles here. Just pick a place, you take me to this Northern Gate, and that's it."

After a few minutes of consideration, she decided she wanted to go to the museum. Obviously, while she admired the view, Toph was just trying to avoid the pedestrians. When they finally arrived at the museum, Yua began to describe to her all the "cool" things on display: digging machines and smelting furnaces, apparently the first equipment to be used in that colony. Next to them were their modern variants. Another section was devoted to a garden of a myriad of plants. Yua was particularly enchanted by some flowers she said grew near her house. Then another room was devoted to strange moving mechanisms, which she could easily spot inside, all made of small pieces of metal. She didn't know what all the fuss about them was; but apparently, a lot of people gawked at them in awe. The last room they saw contained props and small models of the airships, which they claimed had been invented there. That was a bunch of nonsense for all she knew.

They had almost spent the whole day there; but to finish their visit, they went to the main park, her favorite part of the visit by far. It was big enough that she didn't come across so many people. It was like a respite from the overwhelming city. Yua bought some Fire Gummies, and they sat under a tree. Toph lay down in the shade while munching the candies.

Yua sat back against the tree. "That was so good! I didn't know people had invented so much stuff recently. It's mind-blowing how quick things have changed. It feels like a different world, you know?"

Toph shrugged. "Don't know what's with you Fire Nation people and all those gizmos. Personally, I think I'm better off without them. Anyhow, I don't know what they are going to do with all that junk once they have to pack up and leave."

"What are you talking about?" She seemed surprised. Apparently, Zuko hadn't done his job well enough at getting the news out.

Toph sat. "You haven't heard yet? Fire Nation's leaving all this behind; your people will go back home."

Yua was shocked. "What? But look around you! There's people from all over the world, people who were born here, all living together in peace. What will happen to them?"

She looked down, remembering for a minute what had gone down in Langshizi; but it was all probably for the best. "They'll probably be sent back as well. It's– I don't know… But it will happen. This land has always belonged to the Earth Kingdom."

Her companion slumped against the wood. "It sounds horrible… Why would anyone want to abandon such a beautiful place? Why take it out on people? What do they have to do with the war?"

With that, she lost her patience. She couldn't tell if the girl was being serious or naive. "They have everything to do with it. For almost a century, the Fire Nation ruined our lands all for the benefit of the war. You trusted a maniac who would have destroyed half the world if he had his way. And what did they all do? Help him."

Yua sighed. "It's not like they wanted that. Maybe you haven't noticed, but we're actually human beings here. It's the first time in a long time that no one has cared about my appearance. I haven't seen anyone give me one bad look, nor you for that matter. These people don't hate others. In the museum, I saw no war machines, no treasures from your people. I saw inventions I never dreamed possible. They don't care for war. If they were given a chance–"

Toph crossed her arms. "You haven't lived through what I did. They had their chance to prove themselves a long time ago; now it's too late."

They remained silent for the rest of their break; and when it was time to leave, Yua accompanied her more quietly than usual to the north gate. Earlier, she would have felt relieved, but she could not help but feel a little guilty for having made her feel that way. When the streetlights burst to life, she returned to her natural state of amazement until they reached their destination, where they exchanged greetings. Perhaps she would never see that girl again. Whoever she was, she wished her good luck before leaving.

Next stop: Yu Dao.