Sometimes Aang saw the girl walking in the park with her parents, in stiff, handmade satin dresses. She never went on the swings or the slide, or left the sidewalk to run in the grass Even when the other kids pointed and laughed at her, she just walked with her parents, holding their hands.
He never saw her in school. He didn’t think she went to one.
Whenever she walked by him, he was too busy flying kites to say hi, but he didn’t laugh at her.
He didn’t even know what her voice sounded like.
“INCOMING!” The basketball flew through the air towards him, and he ducked. It hit the kite string and snapped it in two, and all that Aang was left with was the plastic kite spool. The girl who had shouted flung her arms around his middle and bore him to the ground, scrambling over him to chase after the ball again. Her pretty green satin dress was hiked up around her knees and covered with mud and grass, and his kite was floating away, its snapped string trailing behind.
“What are you doing!” he cried out, wiping the mud and pebbles off his cheek. “Are you crazy?”
She grinned, catching up with the ball and bouncing it off her knees. She flopped down on the grass beside him and curled around the basketball “I was playing soccer.”
“You knocked me over!” He sat down next to her, hand still wrapped around his kite string spool.
“Yeah, well if you were on my team, I wouldn’t have.”
“You’re not supposed to tackle anybody in soccer.” He glanced at her. “Besides, you don’t have a team.”
She leaned back against the grass and stared up at the sun. “So?”
“You’re not supposed to do that,” he whispered. “You could go blind.
She waved a hand in front of her face and blinked really fast. “Been there, done that.”
He stared, feeling awful. “You’re blind? How did you know where the ball was?”
“I knew where I kicked it, duh.”
“So,” he said lightly, feeling awful and stupid. “Where are your parents today?”
She picked at a clump of grass. “I snuck out.”
“Oh.” He watched his kite drifting further and further away. “I’ll be on your team if you want me to.”
“If you’re just saying that because I’m blind, I’ll kick your ass, Twinkletoes.”
Modern Day: Toph and Aang
Date: 2010-10-02 07:22 pm (UTC)He never saw her in school. He didn’t think she went to one.
Whenever she walked by him, he was too busy flying kites to say hi, but he didn’t laugh at her.
He didn’t even know what her voice sounded like.
“INCOMING!” The basketball flew through the air towards him, and he ducked. It hit the kite string and snapped it in two, and all that Aang was left with was the plastic kite spool. The girl who had shouted flung her arms around his middle and bore him to the ground, scrambling over him to chase after the ball again. Her pretty green satin dress was hiked up around her knees and covered with mud and grass, and his kite was floating away, its snapped string trailing behind.
“What are you doing!” he cried out, wiping the mud and pebbles off his cheek. “Are you crazy?”
She grinned, catching up with the ball and bouncing it off her knees. She flopped down on the grass beside him and curled around the basketball “I was playing soccer.”
“You knocked me over!” He sat down next to her, hand still wrapped around his kite string spool.
“Yeah, well if you were on my team, I wouldn’t have.”
“You’re not supposed to tackle anybody in soccer.” He glanced at her. “Besides, you don’t have a team.”
She leaned back against the grass and stared up at the sun. “So?”
“You’re not supposed to do that,” he whispered. “You could go blind.
She waved a hand in front of her face and blinked really fast. “Been there, done that.”
He stared, feeling awful. “You’re blind? How did you know where the ball was?”
“I knew where I kicked it, duh.”
“So,” he said lightly, feeling awful and stupid. “Where are your parents today?”
She picked at a clump of grass. “I snuck out.”
“Oh.” He watched his kite drifting further and further away. “I’ll be on your team if you want me to.”
“If you’re just saying that because I’m blind, I’ll kick your ass, Twinkletoes.”