(Untitled)

[runaway_bandit]

Outside the farmhouse, there's a very localised seismic incident

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[diseasedvermin]

Tom was just out for a 'sniff about' as a rat - testing his nose, gathering scents, that sort of thing.

But then he heard the earth crack.

His body slides up to half-rat half-human, eyes sliding to full human. The earth is rising. Tom, already close to the house, runs full-out towards it, alarm-squeaking as he goes.

[runaway_bandit]

See, that makes Toph stop exactlty what she was doing, and the earth sops with her.

"Dude," she says, not bothering to turn around. "What did you just do?"

Because it felt like a rat turned into some sort of half-rat half-human thing.

[diseasedvermin]

The earth is going to rise up and destroy them all! It's --

-- wait? Talking? Tom slows to a stop, turning around, panting lightly as he watches the earth - and then turns his attention to the girl floating on the rock.

He slides to full human, naked, heart hammering and palms sweating. "You're-- you're doin' that, righ'?" he manages.

[runaway_bandit]

"I'm not making you change shape," Toph informs him firmly. "I'm awesome, but I'm not that awesome."

[diseasedvermin]

"The earth thing!" Tom shouts, terrified and now annoyed and hoping he's not gonna get dead in two seconds.

[runaway_bandit]

"Oh."

Toph shrugs.

"Yeah, that's me," she says proudly. She is awesome enough for that.

[diseasedvermin]

There's a pause from Tom.

It doesn't look like she's going to kill them all. The wariness remains but the fear is beginning to subside.

"What for?"

[runaway_bandit]

"For somewhere to sleep," Toph says. "It stinks with all those people inside, and I'm not exactly Miss Hygiene pants."

[diseasedvermin]

"...Oh," Tom manages after a while.

[runaway_bandit]

Toph smirks into the air and pulls up her bunker another foot, with associated localised shaking.

"So what did you do with the size changing thing?" the blind girl asks.

[diseasedvermin]

"Jus' somethin' I can do," Tom replies, thinking that it's nowhere near as cool as being able to move earth like that.

"Can become a rat."

[runaway_bandit]

"Oh," says Toph.

"Why would you want to become a rat?"

[diseasedvermin]

"Wasn't 'xactly my choice," Tom replies with a snort of amusement, "But it's better than you'd think. For sneakin' or sniffin', like."

[runaway_bandit]

"What do you need to sneak and sniff for?"

Toph can move rocks with her feet. She's not a massive fan of subtle.

[diseasedvermin]

The question makes Tom think for a moment. What does he need to do that for, here? It's still weird, not having to hide, not having to fight.

"Good to keep up my skills. Never know when I'll need 'em."

[runaway_bandit]

Toph grins. She knows about keeping out skills.

"I could find you whatever shape you were in."