I'm ba-ack! If haven't read Forget Me Not, please check it out! It'll help you understand what's going on here a whole lot better ;)
"Katara," Sokka pressed again, his voice rising with accusation, "that isn't mom's necklace."
Toph could feel Katara's heartbeat quicken as her hand flew to her neck, clasping the ornamental jewel which, as Sokka had already pointed out, was new.
"It's not…" she said softly, a small smile forming across her lips.
Aang walked up from behind and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, and Katara lay her head on his shoulder. A year ago, Toph would've gagged at the scene, but now she just shook her head jokingly at their splays of affection. Currently, she admitted, Toph had become much more accepting of the mushy gestures of lovebirds, as she'd given in and become one herself.
She leaned closer to Teo, laughing inwardly at how she'd become this way. Nearly a year and a half ago, he'd rescued her from a conspiring plot devised by her father including brainwashing and an arranged marriage, and the nature of their relationship had changed ever since; she'd given in and allowed her little crush that had developed on him to grow into something much larger, and now she, the Blind Bandit, had turned into one of those mushy, gushy, puke-your-guts-out sappy girlfriends that she used to mock endlessly.
Even the rest of the gaang's favorite pastime was to poke fun at the youngest couple; that is, when they could risk getting Toph ticked off. Luckily for them, yet begrudgingly to her, Teo could usually manage to sweet talk her out of murdering them all.
Oh yes, in the last year, so much had changed. Although it still wasn't her preferred pastime, she'd grown more accustomed to flying, mostly due to Teo's insistency that it was the quickest way to travel. The gaang had officially become her immediate family in her mind, seeing as she couldn't even think of her own without cringing with anger. Quite gladly, they hadn't heard a thing from the Bei Fongs since her escape. Before, she'd only drawn attention to her surname in order to get things her way; now, she even thought twice before doing that, and nine times out of ten she would decide against it. She had even taken to putting a little more time into her appearance, if only sacrificing enough effort to comb through her hair, which she often allowed Teo to style into a simple ponytail rather than her old bun. The gaang liked to joke that love looked good on her.
She was still, without a doubt, champion of the Earth Rumble, although now her fellow competitors posed more as older brothers than enemies outside of the ring. Quite amusingly, they would often threaten Teo about hurting their "baby sister", which for the first long while would terribly frighten the poor boy, but now he just laughed at the threats and reassured them, growing used to their rough exteriors.
On Toph's end, Teo's father seemed quite fond of her. Deciding she should no longer stay at the now-lonely girls' apartment in Ba Sing Se, the Mechanist had given Toph her own room at the Northern Air Temple, and treated her nearly like his own daughter, one of the family, for all of which she was greatful. It was nice to, for once, live in a home where everyone coexisted, and accepted each other for who they were instead of trying to change them. A couple of times she'd slipped, and nearly called him "dad".
Aang cleared his throat nervously, and Toph refocused her attention on the two standing next to the outdoor table they were all sharing. Their pulses were both beating erratically; whatever this was, it was going to be good.
"We have an announcement to make," Katara said, twittling her fingers.
Aang grinned. "We're engaged," he finished for her.
The entire group was quiet for a few seconds, processing this information.
"Wha…" Sokka said shrilly, looking from one of them to the other, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Suki placed a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulate them," she hissed loudly.
"But," he squeaked again, pointing at the couple.
Suki smacked his finger. "Now."
Sokka sighed. "Fine…congratulations," he said, eyes narrowed at Aang, who was slowly inching behind Katara, away from her angry brother.
Toph laughed at his childish, overprotective reaction. She could feel Teo grin behind her, and soon the bride-and-groom to be were surrounded by the majority of the outdoor dining area, everyone chattering excitedly and fussing over Katara's betrothal necklace.
Toph leaned her head back. "As if they all didn't see it coming," she muttered jokingly into Teo's ear, causing him to snicker.
Katara made her way through the crowd and over to where they were still sitting, avoiding the swarms.
"Congrats, Sweetness," Toph said, acknowledging her presence.
"Toph," Katara grinned, "I want you to be one of my bridesmaids."
Toph simply blinked, awestruck. She could barely fathom the thought of herself being a bridesmaid, her. Sugarqueen had to be joking…Unfortunately, she'd sounded completely sincere with the request, and, if at all possible, felt like she was radiating with an unnatural sort of energy as she waited patiently for Toph's answer.
Teo elbowed her lightly, urging her to hurry up. Toph sighed at the feeling of dread for what she was about to say. "Sure," she said through a slightly fake smile.
Although she'd thought impossible, Katara grinned even wider. "Thank you so much," she chirped, before scurrying off to rejoin the crowd, and not doubtingly, fawn over her fiancé.
Toph thought of the inescapable barrage of dresses, heels, flowers, and the indefinite soon-to-be bridezilla and groaned, holding her head in her hands. "What have I just gotten myself into…" she complained.
Teo shook his head, smiling. "Come on, she's your best friend, it's the least you can do," he said. "Besides, you never know- it might be fun," he reassured.
She groaned again. "Yeah right…that's what you think. You've obviously never seen Katara stressed."
"Look at her, she's so happy!" Teo laughed.
Toph faced him, her blank eyes staring flatly. "That won't last long.:
Teo grinned again. "Come on," he said, looking over at the ever growing crowd of nosy spectators at the other side of the yard, "it's getting late. We should probably start heading back soon. Besides, I don't think we'll be too missed," he joked.
Toph laughed. "The sooner we get away from them, the better," she agreed. There were too many people…it was starting to interfere with the vibrations.
She pushed back her chair and stretched, letting out a small yawn. She stood, and the two made their way to the road.
"So," Teo asked once they'd reached the marketplace, "are you going to be lazy as usual and just get on now, or are you going to wait until we get to the actual takeoff point?"
"Um," Toph pretended to think. "III-'m gonna be lazy." She smirked and plopped down onto his chair without a second thought.
Teo rolled his eyes and chuckled. "As I figured…" he joked.
The leaves of a nearby bush rustled. She hadn't detected much of a breeze, but it was apparent that there must be one. Toph thrust her arms forward, and a pillar of rock shot them joltingly into the air as they started off for home.
Teo kissed her cheek as they got ready to part ways at the Temple. "Good night," he said. Toph suppressed a blush as she felt his gaze linger for a moment before turning around, heading down the hall to his own room.
"'Night," she called after him. She shook her head; sometimes she just couldn't figure that boy out. She stepped into her room, closing the door behind her. She walked over to the closet taking up most of the left side of the medium sized room that was stocked with a mostly new wardrobe, and pulled out a pair of sleep-pants and a tank top, quickly changing for the night and throwing her worn clothes in a pile in the corner by the door.
She pulled the elastic band out of her hair and shook her head, letting her long hair fall freely about her. She stretched the band back across her finger and let it fly across the room, bouncing off the window and landing not on the intentional dresser below it, but rather on the floor.
She signed and ignored this, instead going over and pulling back the thick, plush covers of her bed and crawling inside, burying herself in the warmth. One thing she still hadn't gotten used to was the chill, even in the middle of summer, of the mountain peak that the Temple was built on.
Nestling herself amongst the many pillows, Toph rubbed her eyes, thinking once again about being stuck as a bridesmaid. She knew exactly how Katara could get when she was freaking out about something. Unless she tried her best to steer clear of the immediate stress center, otherwise known as Katara in general, Toph thought, the fact that the next few months were going to be Hell would be a tragic understatement.
Eh, a little choppy, but it's gotta start out somehow, doesn't it?