(Untitled)

[highrisktrader]

This is all so far out of Katara's control

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[runaway_bandit]

Toph hasn't seen Katara for a while, and she's getting worried. And she doesn't like being worried. People as awesome as Tophs don't get worried.

But that's why she's now specifically looking for Katara, and around the earth of the famr, it's hard to hide from the Earthbender.

Though when she finds her, the first thing she notices is that Katara's crying.

"Katara?"

[highrisktrader]

Katara yelps and stiffens, staring in horror at Toph.

She isn't breathing.

(It doesn't seem to worry her.)

"Go away!" she snaps.

[runaway_bandit]

"You're crying," Toph points out, concern still making her voice soft as she approaches anyway.

(She's not breathing, she smells, she's the wrong weight, and she feels wrong.)

"What's wrong?"

[highrisktrader]

"Nothing's wrong!" Katara growls, her voice hoarse and crisp. A little flake of skin peels away from her cheek and drops, and Katara scrambles to her feet and backs away. "I'm fine, go away!"

[runaway_bandit]

Toph approaches - not particularly fast but with unstoppable determination now.

"You're not breathing," she says aloud now. "Why aren't you breathing?"

She puts out a hand to touch her friend, concern now mixed with confusion.

[highrisktrader]

"I'm fine!" Katara snaps again, backing away faster, flinching from Toph's hand. (Her skin is soft, soggy, peeling off in places; the unmistakable odour of rot hangs around.)

"Please, Toph. Please! Go away!"

[runaway_bandit]

"Katara!"

Welling up within her, Toph realises that now she's scared. Katara doesn't feel like normal people feel. Too dry, despite the sogginess of her skin.

"...I'm going to get Sokka."

He'll know what to do.

[highrisktrader]

"NO!"

Katara reaches out to catch at her, desperate - and brings her other hand around.

Let's take this in slow-motion:

The air dries up first, very rapidly, moisture vanishing. Blades of grass crackle.

Then Toph begins to feel it.

[runaway_bandit]

Toph doesn't need to feel the spreading dryness when she knows Katara is moving in a way she knows is bending.

No. Katara is not bloodbending her.

So even before she feels the dryness, her bare foot tenses, and she reaches into the earth. She slides her foot along the ground.

And two intrusions of bedrock jerk up and force Katara's arms against her body.

[highrisktrader]

The grass relaxes; the air softens. Katara gasps with pain - particularly because the crushing rocks smushed her arms against her side and her bones are very fragile right now.

"Toph! What are you doing, let me go!"

[runaway_bandit]

"What's going on, Katara?"

Toph's tone is fully accusatory. and she keeps her hand up, two fingers ready to keep bending if she needs to.

[highrisktrader]

"You let me go!" Katara shrieks in answer, jerking and twisting but not able to get enough leverage anywhere to bend, furious and shrill and not ... really... anything much like Katara any more. "Let me out right now or I'll kill you, I mean it, I've done it to others!"

[runaway_bandit]

Still, Toph strengthens the bonds, furious.

And scared and confused and feeling like someone's just kicked her in the stomach.

No longer addressing Katara, she yells out; "SOKKA!"

[highrisktrader]

"No! No, no, no, don't tell him!"

[runaway_bandit]

Toph backs away slowly. Then turns, and run back towards the farmhouse.

Sokka will fix it.