savedtheworld | [Appointments] March 2012-February 2013

[She pushes the door open with her back.]

Moro? Who's that?

[He slides on through and stomps up a piece of earth just large enough to act as a doorstop, pulling it back after they've both walked through.]

You never met her? She's this giant wolf spirit who protects the forest. Most of the people here seem to be aware of her. She seems to get... kind of mad about people messing around with the forest.

That's what that is? [Come to think of it, she'd felt a big creature in the woods with her earthbending when she'd practiced out there sometimes. But she'd never bothered to go see what it was.]

She sounds cool.

[He's known her long enough to have an idea of what she means in her question.]

She is really awesome, if you can get along with her. It's just sad that she has so little faith in people.

[And given his history with spirits, Toph isn't really surprised to hear Aang gets along with her.]

Did someone get on her bad side?

The people from her world. She said that they were real greedy and tried burning down the forest. I didn't hear too many details about it. [Or, only his older version did.]

Oh. [Yeah, she can understand why that would make someone mad.] Well, at least no one's trying to do that here!

Yeah, but she's still distrustful enough that she thinks it will happen here someday. It's hard to convince her otherwise. [He cracks a smile at her.] We have some pretty decent people around!

Yeah. I don't think there's anyone who would try to burn the forest down. At least, you know, not on purpose.

[Considering their house has burned down multiple times.]

Yeah, I guess we're covered there. That'd explain why Zuko never takes nature walks.

Exactly. I don't think she'd like Sparky very much.

[Now that they're out among the trees, Toph leans the metal she's been carrying against a trunk and takes a step back.]

This seems like a good place.

[He nods with a smile and sets his own metal down nearby, then he goes through some quick stretches.]

Alright! Time to learn some metalbending.

You betcha! [She picks out one rough sheet of metal and sets it aside from the others. In composition, it's still pretty rocky. It should be a good stepping stone material.]

Alright. Metalbending is all about feeling how the earth has been transformed into something new. It's been refined, so it's form feels different. But the one came from the other, so it's a matter of finding that connection and learning how to hold onto it.

[She crosses to his side.] So start by putting your hands on this metal. Try and feel it with your earthbending.

[He watches intently, trying to take in every word. He then nods and he presses his hands across the metal, remembering everything that Toph taught him about sensing earth. He can feel some faint twinges.]

I think I got something.

Good! That's a start, then. Knowing bendable stuff is in there is the first step.

[She crosses to the other side, still talking.] But knowing it's there and bending it is a whole different thing.

[He nods with a curious expression that is usually on display in Professor Sage's class. He moves his hand around the bit, experimenting to see how the feel changes. Aang doesn't think he'd been practicing his earth sensing as much as Toph would like.]

Yeah, makes sense.

[Time for the next step.] Now, take your hands off the metal. Can you still feel where the impurities are?

[He slowly withdraws his hands. And... it almost feels like faint tug.]

Yeah, I... I feel it. I think. It's kind of faint, but - oh. I think I lost it.

[Well, still not too bad for a start.]

Then you've gotta try it again. Hands back on the metal.

[Aang gives a diligent nod and puts his hands back on the metal, with a stronger focus. He has a better idea of what to feel for this time, so he's able to feel the impurities a bit quicker.]

Okay... I can feel it again.

Okay. This part might be easier to me because I'm used to seeing earth with my bending all the time. But you've really got to visualize it. Not only see those impurities with your hands, but with your mind, too.

Sorry. I guess I haven't been practicing that enough. But I'll... I'll try.

[He closes his eyes and focuses his mind, trying to attach the earthiness to his mind. And he slowly removes his hands.]

I think it's a better feel this time...

Good. That's the key to this whole thing--being able to see the impurities with your mind, and then move them. I think a demonstration is in order.

[He glances back on Toph.]

Sure!

[She cracks her knuckles and sets another one of the metal slabs against a tree trunk. She raps on the metal first, before grabbing it at the top with each hand and renting it in two.]

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