savedtheworld | Book 11: Memories Down the Stream [Voice/Action]

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Book 11: Memories Down the Stream [Voice/Action]

[By now, it almost seems like a way of Luceti - that whenever good news happens, it will be followed by bad before long. Just yesterday, Katara had come back to the house. As herself. But today? The house woke up to a different empty room. Toph's.

It seemed like so soon since she had given him his last metalebending lesson. He still had so much to learn. And he still remembered so clearly when she showed up, tunneling from the earth like the little badger mole she was. Her original presence in Luceti may have precluded his, but when she came back, she was from the same time as him. He know that aside from missing one of his best friends, he'd miss being able to relate to one of the few people from that time.

But in a way, Aang knew this could be for the best. He remembered how she had worried about her life, with everything the future had shown to them. The short time that her daughter was around. How Toph feared the possibility of having to live her life in Luceti without ever returning home, that she might not become the person she thought she was supposed to be. But now she didn't have to worry about that anymore. She could live that life for herself. And hopefully, she'd find peace and happiness in that life. They could all still be friends there, too, in that lifetime.

Aang spends a little time wallowing in his grief, first. After all, he misses her already. Then he remembers one of the first things she told him when arriving. "Missed me? After only a month? Come on, don't get sappy!" With a faint smile, he nodded before he rose to do what he had to do. Toph had put her hopes in him.

And he soon addressed the journals.]

Hi everyone. This is Aang. You should know that Toph Beifong is... She's gone back home. I guess our world can only go so long without its greatest Earthbender around. She left some letters to hand out, but everyone who knew her should know... She cared about you a lot more than she says. Even her punches had friendship in them.

[He grabbed the letters that she had left behind, knowing all too well what they all said. After all, he was the one who had to transcribe them for her.

And so, Aang starts to play the distribution game. He first gives out letters to those around the house. If there were any who did not find about Toph's absence at the same time as him, then he would give them the letter and the news prior to the journal announcement. Then, he seeks out Suki, Ion, Fenimore, Shikamaru, Masaomi and Saori to deliver their letters. If there's any he can't find, he'll leave the letter at the door of their house. Or in their mailbox. Do we have mailboxes?

He tries to go about his normal daily activities afterwards, showing few signs of anything wrong. Places to frequent include the Welcome Center, library, tea shop and item shop. And in the evening, after dinner, he takes some of the remaining metal sheets lying around the house out to the forest to do some metalbending practice on his own. Still, every time he messed up, he could almost feel the punches.]

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[Shikamaru's gotten into the habit of waking up earlier for training, but it doesn't mean he likes it. He usually sleeps in on the weekends, but today's another exception since Masaomi just got back yesterday.

But gosh you just don't make house calls this early, rude.]

Come in, I guess. [He picked up on the stutter; processes the nerves.] What's up?

[He yawns and opens the door wider, so Aang can come in. Waking up some, his first though is Katara actually. He wonders if something happened.]

[For once, it's not. Things have been presumably well with her recently back to normal - aside from this. He quietly walks in before he turns to face Shikamaru, while holding onto the letters in his robe.]

It's Toph. She's gone home.

[He stops, looking over his shoulder. There's a tone shift, from groggy to serious as he gives Aang a second look and shuts the door.]

You guys okay?

I... we will be, I think. We miss her already, but... she's the toughest person we know. So we should be tough, too.

Heh. [He walks over to clap Aang on the shoulder; friendly, with a smile.] I don't think she'd have it any other way.

[He feels disappointed though. Last week he had Toph help him with the store, and making that basement. He didn't even get to pay up for that, like she demanded he'd have to.

He didn't know Toph as well as Katara, but she was still a friend. She could come back, but it's weird thinking how different that could be...]

[He lightly smiles as he looks up to Shikamaru.]

Thanks, Shikamaru. [And then he looks down as he pulls out the two envelopes.] But the reason I came here... It's that she left letters. For you and- and for Masaomi. [Presuming he didn't know of Masaomi's return yet.]

She did?

[Wow, he didn't think he'd warrant that.]

...he's back now. I'll see if he's up, and you can give it to him in person.

He is? [He asked, with a mix of relief and uncertainty in his surprise. It would be easy to assume he was himself from the way Shikamaru said it, but he's still a little burned from the Katara incident.] Is he himself?

[Shikamaru nods, heading towards Masaomi's room.] Yeah. He got banged up some, but that's been seen to.

[There's still something off, but Shikamaru's not sure if it's the Malnosso or his imagination. He checked out with Mia, so that seemed good enough.]

Oh. [There's some relief there.] I hope he's better soon, then.

[You and him both, Aang. But it's not so bad that Shikamaru has any doubts he won't be on his feet soon enough. He knocks on Masaomi's door before opening it a crack.]

Oi, Masaomi. You up?

Surprisingly, yeah. [He's sitting on his bed, legs crossed and smiling a little. Him and Linda are doing some weird... game. Wherein they're touching each other's facts while he lays on his belly]

[He opens the door a little wider then.]

Aang's here.

Yeah, why?

[He's not getting up. Or stopping with the face-touching]

[He peeks from behind Shikamaru.]

Hey, Masaomi. It's about Toph. She - she's home now.

...Yeah? [And he turns his head now, Linda turning as well, curious. Masaomi just looks confused]

Yeah. [He confirmed before he reached for the letter and held it through the gap in the door.] She left this for you.

[Ehh. No sense making him get up to get it when there's two of them here. Shikamaru will take the letter from Aang and step over to Masaomi's bed to give it to him. They all might as will come in.]

[Masaomi sits up to open it, Linda now going to sit down next to her. and he looks at it, confused. That's... odd]

For me, huh?

[And he follows Shikamaru in, getting a better look at Masaomi.]

Yeah. She left ones for some of her friends. [He doesn't want to go into more detail and betray the details of the letter.]

[Shikamaru's still surprised he ranked up enough for that. He goes to lean against a wall.]

I'm not her friend though.

[With the little still in hand, looking at it like he's sort of expecting a bomb or something to be in it]

Trust me. You are.

[That earns Aang an odd look from Shikamaru's corner over here. That's said with confidence. He wonders if that was discussed between him and Toph at some point...

Ah. No, it clicks and that makes more sense.]

You were her penman, weren't you?

[He points two fingers at his eyes. She was blind, after all.]

[...What? His body straightens a bit more, and he looks down at the letter in his hands. He still hasn't opened it. What..]

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