Uuuggghhh! This has to be most boring idea ever! Toph complained in her head. So it's a new year, big deal. Why does Zuko have to throw such a ridiculous ball at his palace? She was sitting on a bench with her arms crossed and one foot hanging on the opposite knee. Wearing a frilly dress that she loathed and a sightless scowl, she moped on the sidelines. The vibrations of an entire court of people talking merrily to each other and couples dancing were giving her a headache.
Being blind and having to see the world through seismic waves didn't exactly lend itself to learning dance choreography, and having parents who tried their hardest to shield her from any outside contact didn't help either. So while most others were grooving to the music and having a good time, Toph was left with virtually nothing to do. Even if she wanted or knew how to dance, she didn't have a partner, and the Lunar Festival was obviously about spending time with your sweetheart.
In that sense, Toph couldn't blame her friends for ditching her. Sokka had Suki, Aang and Katara had each other, and even Zuko had Mai. Although she usually brushed off questions about her love life, she was beginning to feel left out, and in some terrible way, inadequate.
Why do all the boys I like have to pick other girls over me? she wondered indignantly. What's so special about Suki and Mai anyway?
She spat at the floor in disgust, not caring if anybody saw her. As far as she was concerned, she was as invisible to the rest of the world as the rest of the world was to her eyes. If she felt bitter about being single and then being abandoned by her friends, why shouldn't she express those feelings?
However, guilt crept into her conscience when she thought about her spiteful lamentations, and she let out a sigh while tilting her head to rest on her fist. After all, she didn't hate Mai or Suki, and actually thought they were very cool girls; she definitely had more in common with them than Katara and Ty Lee. But why did their love interests have to be in common too? It wasn't fair!
"Is something troubling you, my friend?" said a voice full of concern and comfort that only could belong to Iroh. Toph smiled. She had a very close bond with the Fire Lord's uncle, considering him to be a grandfather of sorts. His kind reassurance and sage advice were exactly what she wanted right now.
"Yeah, kinda," she admitted, trying to keep her mind off things by prying the end off a particularly long toenail.
"Well, would you like to talk about it?" he inquired jovially, and Toph whimpered. She didn't want to talk about it, not really, but what good would it do to keep silent around Iroh? He probably had her figured out already, the old fox. "You don't have to if you'd rather keep it to yourself," he amended, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Toph sighed. "It's this stupid Lunar Festival!" she spat. "I hate these fancy parties. It's just a bunch of 'important' people chattering about nothing and laughing at unfunny jokes." She flicked the disjointed edge of her toenail about ten feet from her, and even its noiseless landing didn't escape her feet. Proudly smirking at her talents, Toph leaned back against the wall behind her seat. "Oh, and a bunch of lovesick friends twirling around each other instead of hanging out with their pals," she added tartly.
"Ah, so you are feeling left out?" Iroh surmised.
Toph huffed in reply, making her bangs bounce up and back down.
"Well, there's no reason you can't enjoy yourself just because your friends are paired off," he reasoned, making her sink back into her chair in dejection. "It's a party! Have fun, meet some people. You never know when or where your next friend might turn up."
Toph turned her head to face him; even though she couldn't look, she knew people appreciated this. "Kind of like you, old man?" she teased affectionately.
"Yes, like me," he chuckled in agreement, and ruffled her hair.
"Hey! Katara spent half an hour dressing that up for tonight," she giggled, not really caring. The waterbender would probably be offended, but she liked her hair in a mess and now she could use Iroh as a scapegoat. The Dragon of the West let out a big belly laugh; after five months, his abs were starting to lose their tone, but he was still wiry in comparison to when she first met him.
The thirteen year-old wore her cheerful grin for only a few more seconds. "I still don't like this party nonsense," she pouted. "I ran away from home to get away from this high-society mingling, and now I'm best friends with the Avatar and the Fire Lord. There's always something boring going on."
"I admit, while I enjoy a good time as much as anyone, these last few months serving tea in Ba Sing Se and plying Pai Sho with my friends have been the happiest I've had since...well, a long time," he retracted somberly. "Living the life of an important person can be overwhelming at times."
"I don't feel very important," she retorted. "I feel like a tag-along."
"Ohhhh, you are very important to me," Iroh sang. Toph blushed and punched him in the arm. "Ouch!" he yelped before chortling again.
Toph rolled her eyes. "You are almost unbearably sweet sometimes, grandpa." The label doubled as an insult and a term or endearment, like almost all of the nicknames she'd invented for her various friends.
"Bah!" he deflected humbly. "It's age and life experience. I've lived long enough to know that the world can be callous and unforgiving to people, so I try to balance it out with compassion and love."
"How noble," she snickered.
"Are you sassing me?" he asked in mock annoyance.
Toph dramatically put her hand on her heart. "Who, me? Sass? Never, O Wise One!" she replied snottily and bowed on the last three words.
"Right, silly me," he answered, and Toph attempted in vain to stifle another giggle.
"Well, I best be going," he puffed importantly. "Some of the older ladies here look like they need some entertainment!"
Toph stuck her tongue out. "Ewwww, too much info, wrinkly!" she shoved him off his seat.
Iroh started to step away, but she felt him turn his head. "By the way, if the party isn't to your taste, maybe you should walk outside," he suggested. "I met a nice young man on the way in who looked like he could use some entertainment.
Toph narrowed her eyes in his direction. "Are you playing match-maker with me?" she accused, pointing a finger at his nose.
"Who, me? Play match-maker? Never!" he recited before walking off, humming to himself merrily.
She growled. "He thinks he's so clever."
However, she didn't really have anything better to do, and escaping the bustling noise of the palace sounded like a good idea to her. Tossing herself off the bench, she marched her way past the crowd and out past the doors to the magnificent private square that Fire Nation royals had used for special occasions for centuries. Most recently, it had been used for the public declaration of peace. And, if she was to believe the plans Zuko and Mai whispered when they thought no one could hear them, it would soon be used for a wedding.
The thought of that sure-to-be joyous and overdone occasion did little to boost her spirits. Toph sat down on the stairs, removed her bracelet of "space-earth" and started to mold it into different shapes absentmindedly. The stone was a gift from Sokka, and it was precious to her. Many was the time she played with it to relieve stress or boredom, or even just to think of its giver. Her attraction to him had been almost instant, and was very confusing and at times infuriating. She could not comprehend why thinking about him turned her into a fawning little girl, something which really conflicted with her self-image.
Lost in her own little world, she barely noticed her finger carving waves into the stone, or that the scratches bore a striking and not incidental resemblance to Katara's necklace.
"Hey there Toph, what are you doing?" said a cheerful voice.
Toph gritted her teeth and squished the earth in her hand. Distracted by her thoughts, she hadn't noticed the wooden wheels of Teo's wheelchair rolling towards her. Blushing furiously, she awkwardly tried to shift the rock back into a bracelet.
"Oh...uh...nothing, nothing interesting," she stammered. "Just uh, practicing my earthbending! Yeah." Toph bit her lip, knowing she wasn't at all convincing.
"Hey, that's cool," Teo answered excitedly. "I gotta admit, I've been jealous of you earthbenders ever since I met Haru."
That made Toph smirk. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. I dunno what I'd do with myself if I couldn't bend."
"That's pretty much how I feel about my glider chair," Teo confessed.
"Ehhh, I'm not too big on flying," she replied. "It's horrifying actually, since I can only see where I am if I'm on solid earth."
"Aww, that's a shame," he said sympathetically. "To me, it's the best feeling in the world."
"To each their own," she chirped smugly. "Hey, why aren't you at the party and having a good time?"
She heard him chuckling. "Well you know, I'm not really the dancing type," he pointed out dryly.
Toph's eyes widened. "Oh...right," she whispered, scratching her hair in embarrassment. "Sorry. I guess I forgot." Since when is it ME who has to remember who's handicapped? she whined in her head.
"Meh, it's no biggie," he insisted mildly. "Besides, it's not like my wheelchair is staring you in the face."
Wanting to bury her head in the ground, she instinctively corrected, "No, it kinda stares me in my feet!"
Teo laughed heartily. "Good one!" he commended, relieving Toph's tension somewhat. "So, why aren't you at the party? You've got two working legs," he declared unnecessarily.
She lazily rolled her eyes. "Would you dance on your eyes?" she countered cheekily.
"Oh...I guess that makes sense," Teo considered bashfully. "I guess I have lots of things to get used to when talking to a blind person. No offense."
"Oh, you'll pick it up soon enough," she assured him casually. "Besides, I need someone new to scold now that the gang actually thinks about what they say around me."
"Not to mention you'll probably have a few awkward moments talking to me," he sneered.
"Very likely!" she agreed, enjoying that he seemed to be as insult-immune as she was. While she knew Teo, she had never had a long conversation with the kid, and was pleased to find it was easy and natural to talk to him. Even if some of what they said was rather peculiar.
"Well, I'm glad to have company," he said. "I've kind of just been out here looking at the stars and the moon all night."
"Can't say I've ever done that," she interjected.
"Um, yeah," he concurred shyly. "I guess I've always wanted to go in the sky. I mean, on the ground, I'm just a kid in a wheelchair, but in the sky, I'm king," he reminisced.
Toph listened intently, interested to hear his story.
"In the sky, I'm free," he continued. "Nobody telling me what I can or can't do, nothing to stop me from doing what I want. It's amazing."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," she empathized quietly. "People have been telling me my entire life that I can't do things just because I can't see like a normal person, but I've never let it stop me."
"Me either," he seconded brightly. "Life's what you make of it. I can't walk, but that doesn't define me."
Favoring him with an understanding smile, Toph couldn't help but admire him. "Thanks Teo. You're really inspirational, and I'm not just saying that," she complimented.
"Gee, thanks," he said in a gratified whisper.
Grinning, Toph lightly jabbed his shoulder.
"Ow," he shouted. "What did I do?"
"Nothing. That just means I like you," she explained wryly.
"You like me?" he repeated dubiously.
"Well, sure, I mean what's not to like?" she asked rhetorically, not really thinking about any alternative meanings for what she was saying. Being a thirteen-year old tomboy had made her accustomed to not flirting.
"Well, I can't dance for one," he muttered. "Most girls can't get over that stumbling block?"
Girls? Toph realized how he was interpreting her words, and her heart skipped a beat. Oh, does he think I like him like him? She wished his feet were on the ground so she could get a read on his pulse.
"Oh, well, I can't dance either, so I don't care," she pressed on. What are you doing Toph? Why are you encouraging him? Shut up.
"Hey, lucky me!" Teo exclaimed cutely.
Cutely? CUTELY? What's wrong with me? Since when do I notice that guys say things cutely? She was barking at herself inside of her head. Wait a minute...
"Hey, Toph?" he interrupted her thoughts.
She gave an obligatory, "Yeah?" while trying to decide whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that she thought he was cute.
"Well, I know you aren't crazy about flying," he began. "But the wind is just awesome tonight, and I wanted to catch some currents..."
"Uh-huh," she acknowledged automatically, not really paying attention.
"But I don't want to leave you alone, so..."
"Okay."
"Would you like to fly with me?" he finished enthusiastically.
That brought her out of her dreamland. "Huh? What?"
"Would you like to fly in my glider...with me?" he repeated more timidly.
"But I...well, I don't..." she stuttered. Even though she couldn't see him, she could infer from his tone of voice that he was practically begging her to do this. And for some reason she couldn't quite explain, Toph knew she didn't want to disappoint him.
"Is it safe?" she worried meekly.
"It is if you hold tight," he soothed her fears in a way that gave her butterflies.
"I...I guess so," she concluded nervously. "Just promise you won't let me fall."
"I promise," Teo declared confidently, and then took her hand, making her blush. "Come follow me!" he urged, and against her better judgment, she allowed him to lead her out of the palace and to a cliff side. The glider his father had made for him was resting by a nearby rock.
He drove himself over to his glider. "Hey, can you help me put this on?"
Toph nodded and went over to him. She followed his instructions to lock the front part while he took care of the back end. Did I really just agree to fly with him? On this thing? Can it even support both of our weights? Oh no, oh no, I don't want to do this, what do I tell him? Stupid Toph, why didn't you just say no?
"Alright, everything's ready. Now, I don't exactly have a space for a passenger, but you can sit on my lap," he offered deftly.
"What?" she squeaked out against her will. Is he crazy? On his lap? I'm gonna die! But even though her logic was protesting, the idea of sitting on his lap had a certain undeniable appeal to it.
"Sit on my lap? I have a seat belt!" Teo cajoled, maintaining his air of confidence. Toph felt her spine shiver. He was getting bolder, and she liked it. "Come on, don't you trust me?" his voice reached her ears, making her melt.
Quieting her nerves, she stepped closer to him, and sat down on his lap anxiously. The weirdest thing was the amazing lack of sensation when both feet dangled in the air. It was both terrifying and intriguing. "Yeah, I trust you," she whispered. "But you better not..." she threatened.
"I won't," he quieted her gently. "Let you fall."
He was so calm and collected that she couldn't help but believe him. She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. "Okay."
Toph felt him wrap his arms around her waist, securing the leather strap tightly against her and forcing her to lean against his body. Fidgeting with her hair and curling her toes because of their alarming proximity, she wondered if this was one big trap to get her to touch him. If that was Teo's intent, she was taking it hook, line and sinker.
"Alright, Toph, hold on tight," he commanded, and started to roll the wheels forward and towards the cliff.
Closing her eyes even though it didn't really change anything, Toph started to have second thoughts. She threw her arms around his neck and intertwined her fingers as tightly as she could. Whimpering quietly, she tried to picture herself anywhere but where she was, begging for it to be over.
And then, she felt them falling and screamed at the top of her lungs. "We're gonna die, we're gonna die, we're gonna die!" she chanted in horror, waiting for the inevitable crash into a house or the pavement.
But it never happened. She heard Teo laughing spiritedly and felt the cool wind blowing against her face, her hair floating in the breeze.
"See, we're not dead!" he told her sarcastically. "You can trust me."
Toph pounded his chest irritably. "I hate you," she lied halfheartedly. "Hold me." She clung to him in a desperate bid to avoid falling out. Teo laughed it off and Toph huffed. Stupid boy, always trying to be a show-off, she thought to her self, denying that it was pretty cool that he wanted to show off for her.
His glider shifted positions, which made Toph whine in protest, but she found that as long as she kept her tight embrace on Teo, she was relatively comfortable. Gradually, her fears left her and she focused on the absence of awareness. For a girl that was used to being almost completely cognizant of her surroundings, the knowledge that she was...somewhere in the air was unnerving.
Toph tried to focus on something, and that ended up being Teo. She felt his strong neck muscles pressing lightly against her left arm, listened to his heavy, exhilarated breathing and counted his steady heart beats. Even with the chilly air hugging her face, his body heat was keeping her warm.
She felt happy, safe, and secure. Well, as happy, safe, and secure as she ever would while gliding through the air and having no idea where she was.
"I know you can't see this Toph," he yelled over the wind. "But with you this close to me and me gliding around, it's kind of like we're dancing."
Toph grinned. Okay. He's cute, I admit it. "I'd rather do this than dance...uh..." she put one hand to his face and it grazed his goggles. "Four-Eyes!" It was weak, but it was better than nothing.
"Do you always insult your friends?" he asked.
"Yep," she confirmed happily. "Especially the really cool ones."