Toph wanted to go to sleep as she recognized Sokka outside on the balcony. He stood there starring into the night sky. "What are you doing here?" "Oh Toph! I didn't noticed you." "No problem! So what are you doing? Is it what Suki calls "mooning"," she teased him. "She calls it what?" "Oh, I don't know if I was allowed to tell you that," she grinned. Sokka ignored her remark. Toph moved beside him and rested against the balustrade. "At least she has a word for it," he started talking without looking at Toph. His eyes were directed at the moon. Full moon... Toph had heard that story about princess Yue turning into the moon when they saw that play on Ember Island, but no one of her friends had ever told her what really happened. She couldn't imagine how somebody could turn into the moon. She didn't even know what the moon was. It was there every night. But it was something Toph would never be able to sense. "Sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it," Sokka turned towards her and smiled. "It's just what I expected from you," Toph smiled back at him. "Tell me about it!" "About what?" "About the moon. I"ll never be able too see it. Tell me, what does it look like?" "Hmm, it's far away and white .. or maybe yellowish. And it's round," Sokka started explaining in his usual way. Toph gave him one of those "Stop-it-you-moron"-looks. "I see! No colors and stuff... Uhm let's try elsewise. At night everything is dark. I think I can compare it with what you feel if your not on stony ground. Actually we wouldn't see anything at night. But there is a spot in the sky..." Sokka moved behind Tophs back and clasped her right hand. He lifted it up in the air and formed her ahnd as if they wanted to pick up something. "It's just as big as the distance between your fingers. But this little spot shines brightly..." Sokkas lips were pretty close to Tophs ear, so she could feel every word he was saying onto her cheek. "This little spot is the moon. It doesn't make us see the things like the sun does, it just gives an idea of what the things could look like..." Toph couldn't hear herself thinking right know. His breath on her cheek, the smell of his skin and his hand still holding hers and pointing at the moon. She could feel the beat of her heart losing its rhythm. Or was it his heart she felt pounding that strong? She just wasn't able to think a plain thought when his voice broke through the chaos in her head again. "And there are stars..." "Sokka?!" All of a sudden Sokka let go. Suki had called from the inside of the house. "Just a second," he answered. He turned to Toph again. "Next time I'll tell you what the stars look like," he whispered.
"... not even I know exactly what I'm doing at those nights. I think it is the feeling. Full moon nights feel different to me."
