songerein | We built this city on Rock-

Entry tags:

We built this city on Rock-

Who: Toph Beifong, Najaran, Iroh, and You!
Which: Log | Open prompts
Where: Exploring, Visiting Iroh and Najaran
What: Meeting Najaran's 'friends', or friends. And Hanging out with Iroh to talk about the world they're in. Exploring the world and meeting strangers!
Warnings: None yet

For everyone - The Open Prompt!

[ It doesn't really matter what brings you here, but something does, either way. Be it a trip between regions, the urge to explore, caught off guard by a wild spider monkey and chased down. Either way, along your travel you spot a peculiar sight. What appears to be... a tent? And several perfectly shaped circle slab seats around. Even more peculiar, there seems to be a young girl just... laying back against a stone arch like it's a hammock, sipping from a thin metal cup. Her eyes are closed, and her head doesn't turn as you approach. (Or perhaps you don't approach, either way, she calls out) ]

Hey! Are you lost?

[ So helpful. ]

For Najaran

[ Huh, another person way out here? It's not what she's expecting. A familiar figure is close by, and by the feel of it, not doing too hot. Toph's comfortable in her campsite, but she reaches out and slams an arm down, shooting small stone markers up to help guide Najaran towards her from a (surprising) distance. Slightly smug smile on her lips. ]

For Iroh

[ The noise comes expected, perhaps. There's a short shadow by the door and a quiet. Knock, knock, knock.]

Wildcard

[ You know the drill! Poke me on hantale or Hantale on discord, or DM here if you want to plan something. Otherwise, this is the catch-all for silly scenarios, memes, or whatever else you might want to throw at her.

For the sake of planning, assume she's travelling around a lot and sorting out her own food, often camping somewhere or relaxing in a calm area. Maybe helping locals repair structures. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ As they near the water she eventually stops. ]

Maedhros, right? What do your elf eyes see?

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[ But actually. It doesn't take them too long to reach the water, Toph lingering by his side with her arms crossed over her chest, waiting. She can feel a few tracks, but anything near the water is a bit fuzzy. ]

What do you think?

[Maedhros kneels down to take a closer look at the tracks. Some of them are too old, he deems, to be worth following but there are a couple of hoofprints that looks fresh enough. It also looks like whatever made them often frequented this watering hole.]

The hoofprints might be from some sort of deer and they are not so very old as to not be worth pursuing.

Perfect. Hopefully not another deer-tree...

[ She gives him a nudge, a faint gesture to lead and she'll follow. Her senses around wet ground and mud always tend to blur things anyway. ]

Do you have any friends here... Maedhros?

Hopefully not. But these tracks are not very large, so I think we'll be able to take it down in any case.

[He starts following the tracks, steps so light and graceful he might as well be floating instead of walking.]

A few... perhaps? I met a very kind man who offered me a cup of tea when I first got here and we sang a couple of songs as well. I'd like to think that makes us friends of a sort. How about you, young Toph? Any friends here?

[ She doesn't say it, but she is quietly impressed. He walks so lightly it's almost like an airbender. ]

A kind man offering tea? That sounds like Iroh. He's a friend of mine too, actually.

And Zuko is here as well, they're both from the same place as me. But Zuko's closer to my age I guess. We're good friends, I think.

[It's probably for the best that she doesn't, since he'd only be puzzled why someone would be impressed by something that simply comes naturaly to his kind.]

He is? Then I am even more pleased to meet you, my young friend, for a friend of a friend is always welcome company.

Zuko? Is that the nephew he told me about?

[ Nephew? Yeah, it's definitely the same one. ]

Yeah! How well do you know them? We've all been through a lot together.

[ She's almost completely distracted from the hunt, just following maedhros along. ]

I have not met his nephew yet. But I spent some time with Iroh, talking, singing and he taught me a rather interesting game named Pai Sho.

[As his families designated babysitter he had long since learned to multitask. Keeping an eye and ear on their surroundings while carrying on a conversation is not so very difficult for him.]

It's a rather new friendship I've struck up with him, but one that I hope will be enduring.

It is good that you have such steadfast companions with you here, comming to such a strange place all alone can be disorientating.

How much has he told you about it? It's a fun game, so I hear.

[ She's being sly in like, that way kids do when they're clearly alluding to some hidden meaning. Not subtle at all. ]

It's helped a lot, though. It takes a while to get used to a new place. I was going to open up a school before but... No one here can bend.

[ She gives a shrug. It's fine. She'll find something. They're getting close to the creatures they're tracking though, so toph quiets down as if on cue. How does she know? A mystery... ]

Enough to play a couple of games with him, but not enough for me to play it well enough to beat him yet. [He hesitates a moment before he touches on a subject he'd been avoiding out of politeness.] If you're interested in playing it yourself I could carve a set that would make it easier to play by touch instead of sight?

[His voice is fairly neutral when he says it, for he knows that he himself does not always take it too well when somebody makes a big deal out of his own disability.]

I've toyed with the idea of starting up a school myself, though one that focuses on a more traditional curriculum instead of... whatever it means to bend.

[He's also found himself at a bit of a loss of what to do with himself, he's not used to having this much free time. He's not sure he likes it.

Maedhros himself quiets down when he starts to hear their quarry moving about ahead of them. It is refreshing to meet a human that doesn't need to be told to be silent, honestly.]

[ Huh... Weirdly enough, carved games have never really come up before. Toph can't help but smile. The offer isn't taken as poorly as he might think. ]

If you're feeling bored, that might be fun. As for bending, I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually.

[ After that she's a bit quieter, waiting. Strangely patient. It's almost like she's trying to let Maedhros take the lead for some reason.

Slow steps, her arms fold back behind her head in a casual pose. ]

[Blindness was not a natural ailment among elves, that did not mean therewas no blind elves however. Dragonfire had taken the sight from many and there had also been escapees from Angband that suffered the same, coming up with solutions to help them with their lives had been necessary.]

Then I shall do so, it's been a while since I did any woodwork so it will be interesting to see if I can still do it with only one hand.

[He takes it in stride, he did not mind taking the lead in tracking down their prey. He does so at a slow but steady pace keeping his ears open for any unexpected sounds.]

It'll be a fun challenge, at least.

[ There's some curiosity in her tone, but Toph isn't one to ask questions about things like that. One just makes do with what their body can do, that's how it is.

The approach is slow. Toph surprisingly quiet as she steps behind him. Over in the distance is a strange looking deer, grazing on some berries. It has the horns of a goat and similar eyes, yet the build of a reindeer shrunk down. A bit taller than Toph, bulkier. Seems tasty. ]

That it will be, but not an impossible one I think. I'll just have to find the right kind of tools to hold the wood still while I carve it.

[Woodworking was not the craft he was best at, but he knew enough that this project shouldn't be beyond him.

It does look like it would make for a fine dinner. Male, not too old by the look of it either and no doe or fawns around. The ideal prey in the eyes of an elf, for it's demise would not hurt the over all population. He lowers his voice until it's barely even a whisper.]

I'll circle around and drive it towards you, does that sound like an acceptable plan?

[From what he's observed of her body language he trusts that she knows how to handle herself on a hunt.]

[ In a much lower voice: ] Oh, just bring it to me, I can keep it still. That's easy.

[ For perhaps the first time she gives a sort of incredulous look, actually facing him directly so he can see it. ]

Huh? You want me to take it out? I wanted to find out how you were going to do it. You said you were a good hunter.

Then I'll seek you out when I've found the right sort of material.

[He blinks slowly, tilting his head to the side as he thinks it through. It is only polite to offer the killing blow to your companion but if she want's to know how he brings down his prey then he will show her.]

If that is what you wish, but I must warn you that it is not so very an interesting thing. Like I said before I prefer to be practical.

[He removes a dagger from it's sheat and observes the beast, once it turns the right way he throws the dagger quick as a snake striking it's prey. It hits it's target true, as he knew it would, right between it's eyes. It is dead before it even hits the ground.]

Like that. Quick and efficient but not terribly exiting.

Huh... Well, it's better than my approach. Clean and fast is good too.

[ Either way, it's interesting to note. Toph likes learning about how others fight. A faint smile returns, and her intention becomes much clearer. ]

You got to take it out, so it's only right you carry it back to the camp, right?

[ Totally not just an excuse to make him carry it! ]

How are your cooking skills, anyway?

It is preferable to impart as little pain and suffering as you can on what you hunt.

[He's already making his way over to retrive his knife, cleaning it off before returning it to it's sheath. The creature is not so large that carrying it will prove difficult for him and after a few moments of consideration he he slings it over his shoulders.]

Ofcourse! Carrying, skinning and gutting it is the responsibility of he that strikes the killing blow. [There is amusement coloring his voice as he speaks but he also seem to be entirely serious about it as well.] I wouldn't dare to foist off my responsibilities on someone else.

[Wether or not it is he takes it in stride and without complaint. He's always been far too quick to indulge the whims of children.]

Quite fine, if I do say so myself. I managed to keep six picky brothers from complaining during their youths, at least, since our parents where often to busy with their crafts to cook.

Oh, perfect! I can cook just fine, but it's very uh... Practical.

[ Something about not being able to see the meat over a fire makes it difficult to judge how cooked through something is until it's too late and smells like char.

Stews? Stews are good. Practical. Or smaller game that cooks quickly. Either way, she's a bit faster on the walk back. ]

What's having that many siblings like?... I was an only child, so I never really got to experience it.

Practical is good too. I just... like cooking, I guess. So I got good at it after a while.

[The kitchen had been a sanctuary for him, in many ways, the one place where it was always calm and quiet. Something that was exceedingly rare in as large a family as his.]

It was both incredibly frustrating and unimaginably wonderful. It was never lonely, that much is for sure, and never quiet either. [He let's out a small huff of laughter.] There was always something going on. Wether it was one of Kano's musical performances or a fight that needed to be broken up... I miss it. I miss them, even the ones that brought me the most trouble.

It sounds nice. In a way.

[ Her head bobs again, the trip back to the camp considerably faster now they didn't need to step carefully. ]

Maybe not for me... I think. But maybe my mind would change if I had siblings.

[ Her parents were so quietly overprotective it's hard to imagine having as much freedom. ]

It was, for the most part at least.

[But the bad things had had little to do with the size of his family, honestly. He thinks things would have gone just as bad if there had been fewer of them.]

Perhaps not, I don't think everyone is cut out to be able to deal with six rambunctious brothers.

[To be honest Maedhros himself had not had too much freedom growing up. Being second in line to the throne came with quite a few responsibilities and duties.]

[ Shackled down by expected behavior? Sounds familiar. Toph laughs, agreeing, and the walk doesn't take too long at all.

For the first in a while she finally takes the initiative, speaking up after observing Maedhros fora bit. ]

So, how do you want to cook this? I can handle whatever we need to set up.

[He goes through his suplies in his head before he awnsers the question. During his wanderings to familiarize himself with this place he had come upon some herbs and other edible vegetation that he had collected, so he was not completely without ingredients.]

A stew would perhaps be most practical, then we could smoke and dry the rest of the meat to preserve it. Or, if you wish, we could make a ground oven and cook the whole thing that way. But first I need to gut and skin the thing, so I'll need a frame of some sort to hang it from.

Something like this?

[ Her body shifts, twisting into a sharp upward motion with one hand, fingers pushing out. Accompanying the motion, Two large rock slabs shoot up from the ground in an instant, arching in towards each other and getting thinner, with a few notches along for added detail and a stone rod between, all smooth as can be.

And she's just standing there after with a casual smile. ]

I don't really care what you do with the rest. A bit of dried meat would be nice for a snack.

We built this city on Rock-

obligatory gag tag

XD

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