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It’d been a long but fun day; Toph had successfully escaped her minders and found the badger moles. They were blind like her, but were so powerful! And by following their example, Toph could feel the vibrations through the earth. Almost like sight, even if her eyes never functioned. And there was something coming up behind her. Soft steps, light like butterfly wings. An arm snaked around Toph’s middle and she squawked as she was hoisted in the air. She flailed her limbs, but hitting Toji was like punching a tree. A rock at least would give in with her bending.
“Put me down! This is no way to treat a lady!” Toph screeched. She jostled with Toji’s laughter.
“I don’t see a lady. I see a brat who’d been crawling after badger moles all day.” Toji teased. His grip wasn’t careful or cautious like her parents or the servants. One wrong move and Toph knew she’d be falling to the earth.
“At least I don’t stink like an ostrich horse’s backside.” Toph shot back jabbing elbow into him with humph.
“No, but you’re just as filthy as them.”
“You rotten turnip head!”
“Oh no, my pride, it’s wounded.” Toji’s voice was scathing, it only made toph angrier. How dare Toji treat her like this? Brothers are the worst! When she got down, she was gonna — her thoughts were interrupted by her being shifted, Toji’s arms manipulating her so that she being held upright rather than sideways now.
“That better, dirt magnet?”
Toph sniffed imperiously, turned her face away from where she knew his voice had come from, but settled against his shoulder. Then she sat back up, her nose wrinkled at the smell permeating off her older brother. Toji was broader than their father, Toph’s arms couldn’t connect while wrapped around his neck. Another difference was smell; father’s smell was of dry papers, ink, and nose clogging perfumes. Very unlike the warm dirt and sweat that threatened her sinus’ a slow agonizing death. This was actually the first time they interacted with eachother, Toph realized. Toji was always in the background, heard and noticed, but never making time to interact with her. One of tophs hands crept up to touch Toji’s face, tracing features. Her nose wrinkled at damp touch of sweaty skin along his neck and chin; Toji’s face was wider than their parents’, almost square if it weren’t for the pointed chin shared by the family. His nose was crooked and flattened, as if her brother ate boulders to the face every day. Toph’s brow furrowed when she reached his mouth.
“What’s this?” She asked, tracing the bump that cut through the lips.
“It’s a scar,” Toji said flatly. Toph’s finger buzzed slightly from the vibrations of his speaking.
“What’s a scar?”
“A momento of a battle. Shows that even if your opponent was able to land a hit, you survived.”
“What were you fighting with this one?”
“Dragon. Fought it when it tried to steal my socks last night.”
Toph sat up in his arms in outrage.
“Nuh uh, dragons were wiped out years ago, and they were in the fire nation. Teacher taught me that!”
“…it was one of the barn pumacats when I was 5. Took offense at my ugly mug.”
“Ugly and stinky.”
“For that you can join me in stink.” Toph squealed in affront as Toji rubbed his sweaty head and arms against her, using her clothes like a sweat towel.
“Masters Toji, Mistress Toph!” The Beifong house staff had seen them, making their way over and worrying about their less than perfect conditions. Toph was snatched out out of Toji’s hold, the servants scrambled to give their bows and apologies.
“Not my fault the brat got out,” Toji drawled, “and I was lucky to find her. She needs a bath. Don’t know what she’s been playing in, but she definitely has a reek.”
“Hey!”
“Right away Master Toji.”