Hey there everyone, this is my first time doing a story for AVATAR. The last Airbender. I've done one other fan fiction for Teen Titans. CHECK IT OUT! Please read, enjoy, and comment!
With the fire lord defeated and the world at peace once more, the whole gang finally had a chance to relax. Suki and Katara were watching Aang kick Iroh's butt at Pisho, Toph was outside practicing her earth bending skills, and May and Zuko were sitting near the window sipping tea and talking mushy gushy love stuff to each other. Sokka on the other hand was in the bedrooms by himself thinking.
Now that the war was over there was time to get a real life started. He peered out of the room and caught a glimpse of Suki laughing at Iroh's reaction to one of Aang's moves. Sokka loved Suki's laugh. It reminded him of bells chiming softly.
He looked back at the emerald green lace in his hands and blushed. He was going to ask Suki to marry him. He continued working on it quietly hoping no one had noticed that he had left the commotion to be by himself.
He began to make a swirled pattern out of golden silk thread on the outside of the lace. He pricked himself twice, but ignored the pain and continued. Once he was done with the golden design, he hid the lace underneath the blankets of his bed and walked of the room carrying a large sum of gold coins.
He walked back into all the commotion to realize no one had noticed he left. Perfect.
"Hey I'm going to the market, anyone need anything?" Sokka said taking out a gold coin and flipping it in his fingers.
With only some of them saying they were fine, and the others telling him to have fun, he walked out the door and into the fresh air to find three huge rocks fly by the front steps. He looked around to find a small Toph testing the new tricks she was talking about for weeks.
"Hey Toph," Sokka said putting the coin back in the bag. "I'm going to the market. Do you need anything?"
Toph stopped and turned to look at Sokka with her pale eyes. "Well I did here about this cool place near the shops to practice earthbending…" She said. "Can I go with you?"
Sokka thought about this. Should anyone else know about his plan with Suki?
"Sure, I don't see why you can't." Sokka said smiling. "But we have to hurry; the market's going to close down soon."
"Alright well then let's go!" Toph said running towards Sokka and grabbed his wrist so she could pull him with her. They ran for a few minutes until they reached the first shops in the market.
"The spots right over there." Toph said pointing to a hill covered with boulders, rocks, and kids bending them. "I'll be here. Come and find me when you're done doing what you're doing." Toph yelled as she ran towards the hill.
"Will do!" Sokka yelled back.
He walked into the first store that had shelves covered in large porcelain vases. He walked over to the elderly woman sweeping the floor in the corner.
"Excuse me, Miss?" Sokka said reaching the elder and taping her on the shoulder. She turned around to show two big brown eyes surrounded by wrinkles.
She smiled. "Yes? How can I help you?"
"Do you know by any chance where I can find a store that sells jewels?" Sokka said hopefully.
"Yes. Yes I do." She said smiling and going back to sweeping.
Sokka hesitated. "So…can you tell me where it is?"
She turned and walked back toward the entrance door and walked out pointing down the street. Sokka quickly followed after her.
"If you go all the way down to the end of the market, you will find a small green store with a bright red door. Haung works there and sells a rainbow of jewels at reasonable prices." She said still smiling.
Sokka smiled and walked out of the store only turning to thank the elder woman.
"Take care!" She said then went back inside to finish her sweeping.
Sokka walked by all the different shops and stores. His eye was caught by a weapons shop but he decided Suki comes first. Then his nose was assaulted with the scent of meat being cooked over a fire. His stomach growled.
"Well," Sokka began. "Maybe I can stop for a bite."
He entered the shop and went up to where the butcher was chopping a leg that once belonged to an animal.
"Hello." Sokka said to the butcher. "Do you sell sea slug?"
"Yeah," the butcher said putting his knife down. "Ten gold pieces for one pound."
"Sounds good to me," Sokka said taking out a handful of gold pieces, counting out ten and handing them to the butcher. "One pound, please."
The butcher went behind a door that was covered by red drapes and came back with a wrapped up smoked sea slug.
"Thanks." Sokka said inhaling the scent that made his stomach growl in protest. He walked out of the store and opened the packed meat and took a bite that tickled his taste-buds.
He tucked the meat into his sack that was slung over his shoulder and continued to the small door that was only a few feet away.
He opened it to find many jars and boxes on shelves. He closed the door behind him and started to gaze into the clear jars. And saw rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.
"This place is perfect!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Who's here?" said an elder man in the corner arranging necklaces.
"Hi, my name's Sokka." Sokka said shaking the man's hand. "And I could use some help looking for something."
"What do you have in mind?" He said setting the necklaces down.
"Alright," Sokka began. "Well first, do you have any medium size emeralds?"
"Yes I do." Haung said walking over to a glass jar that had tiny bits of green inside. "But what do you need it for?"
"I need it to put on a choker that I'm giving to a very special girl in my life." Sokka said blushing. "You see, I'm from the water tribe and the men from the water tribe propose with chokers to the woman that we love. And I love this girl so much; I want to permanently make her part of my life. So I'm going to get her to marry me."
Haung smiled. "Good for you boy." He said patting Sokka on the back.
"Thanks." He said feeling proud.
"Is this size alright?" Haung said pulling out an emerald the size of Katara's broche.
"It's perfect!" Sokka said taking the emerald in his hand. "Now do you have a piece of gold I can hang this on from the choker?"
"Yes hold on one second please." Haung said.
"Of course," Sokka said still looking at the emerald. He knew how much Suki loved the color green, so hopefully she would love emerald too.
Haung came back to Sokka with a gold tag with a chain to hang it from the choker.
"Thank you so much! How much for all this?" Sokka said taking out his bag of gold pieces.
"One hundred and fifty gold pieces," Huang said.
Sokka whistled. "A little steep; but Suki's worth it."
Sokka didn't bother counting out one hundred and fifty gold pieces he just handed Haung the bag and told him to keep the change.
"Thank you, son!" Haung said waving good bye as Sokka walked out of the store.
Sokka now had all he needed to complete his choker for Suki. He had to pick up Toph and get home to finish it.
He walked back to where Toph told him to meet her to find Toph talking to a boy around her age. She was looking at the ground and blushing. He was taller than her and had black hair that stuck out in every direction.
"Toph!" Sokka said waving at Toph to get her attention.
Toph looked up and had a disappointed look on her face that matched the one on the young boy's face.
"I'm sorry Lee," Toph said. "I have to go now."
Lee smiled at Toph. "That's alright Toph. Maybe I'll see you here again sometime."
"Yeah, maybe." Toph said laughing. "Bye, Lee!"
She ran over to Sokka still blushing. "Did you find everything you need?"
Sokka looked back at Lee who was now earth bending at the top of the hill. "Yeah I did."
They walked back to their home and began to talk.
"So," Sokka began. "Who was that boy you were talking to?"
Toph blushed. "His name is Lee. He's thirteen and just moved to the city."
"Oh. Well that's cool, maybe you could show him around some time!" Sokka said opening the door.
"I was just thinking the same thing." Toph said walking in.
Sokka was welcomed by Suki pecking his lips with a kiss. "Welcome back." She said.
Sokka just smiled and put an arm around Suki's waist and walked over to everyone else who were now seated near each other drinking tea. Toph, Suki, and Sokka joined them. Zuko walked over and offered each of them a cup of tea which they all took and started sipping.
"So," Katara said setting her tea down. "Toph you went with Sokka to the market?"
"Yes I did." Toph said setting her tea down as well.
"Did you two do anything special?" Suki asked.
Sokka looked at Toph who returned the look, and then they both went back to sipping their hot tea.
"No, nothing that interesting." They both answered at the same time.
"I just bought some stuff." Sokka said looking at the others who were listening.
"And I was just practicing my new earth bending moves." Toph said.
"Well I'm sorry it was so interesting." Aang said. "Maybe tomorrow will be different."
"Yeah maybe" They both said at the same time.