Toph lied on her bed. She closed her eyes, it didn't made any difference but she wondered how it would have been to other people, opening and closing their eyes. Then she wondered what's Sokka's doing, hoping that he's thinking of Toph too and the moment that they shared when Sokka was helping the problems that she faced at her school, the brief moment that she thought at that time would turn into something special. Toph laughed at her silliness. 'Sokka's probably with Suki right now' sighed the blind bandit. Although, Toph is blind, she knows how Sokka looks at Suki, she can feel his heartbeat with her earth bending, how it's faster when he's with Suki. She thought she felt the same rate of heartbeat last week when Sokka came to check on her, but Toph thought it was something that she wishes so much to happen that she was just imagining it.

It has been 10 years after the end of the 100 year war. Everything has fallen into place now and Zuko and Aang is working on something big. They asked Toph to be a part of it, but she still wants to concentrate on her school. Toph went to sleep that day thinking of things that she can order her pupil to do tomorrow and smiled at that thought. She just loves giving other people a hard time.

Watch your stance!

In order to move the rock, you have to be the rock!

Be steady and strong!

These are the advices Toph gave to her students, or rather, she just shouted these to them. Caring and nurturing just isn't her style. One of her students succeeded at his attempt to move one of the rock Toph had position in front them, but as he tried to throw to the nearest wall, Toph crushed the rock into sand. Sure, he was aiming to throw to the wall, but the rock moved towards the opposite side instead, the side where much smaller students are training. As Toph moves towards him, he cringes. She opened her mouth "What the hell do you think-"

Footsteps.

She recognised those footsteps. Sokka! Toph almost smiled, but regain her composure.

"So, what brings you here, ponytail guy?"

"What?! How did you know it was me? I was going to make a sneak attack on you!" Sokka said with a pose. "And I didn't even yelled it out loud!"

"Well, you did a good job at that considering I didn't hear your footsteps from a mile away" Toph was being sarcastic, but Sokka seems please of himself.

"Hey, wanna grab a lunch? I'm craving some of the earth kingdom grub that you fed me last time"

Toph heard Sokka's stomach growled.

"Did Suki starve you or something?"

"Yeah, she said I was gaining weight. That woman is off her wagon. Me, the mighty Sokka, is getting fat? Ahahahaha!" boomed Sokka.

"Well, I think you might have been, I mean, your footsteps are turning into stomps." Joked Toph and punched Sokka on the shoulder. Toph's skin brushed a little against Sokka's and she felt electricity.

"Oh, come on, Toph, that hurts! Are you sure you're a girl? " Sokka said as he rubbed his shoulder as he was easing up the pain. He likes this. The playful thing he had going on with Toph. He stole a look from her, Toph of course was looking ahead, but she knows Sokka's looking at her, she always know and her heart skipped a beat. But the question Sokka asked "Are you a girl" keeps ringing in her ear. Of course, she's a girl. She might not be a pretty one, but she's still a girl, with feelings! As if he read her mind, Sokka chided sheepishly while rubbing off the dirt on Toph's left cheek "You know you're pretty, right? And of course you're a girl. "

Toph felt her temperature rise, she knows Sokka is just being kind. People tend to do that around her, but Sokka knows better than to baby her, but perhaps he's being honest after all.

Toph pulled away from Sokka, she tried to answer with a sarcastic statement, but her brain decided not to coorperate with her this time, instead, as she pulled away, she tripped on a pebble and stumbled into a stranger. This made her angry, she had never fell into someone else, let alone trip on a petty pebble. "Hey, watch it!" snapped Toph. She felt Sokka rushed to her side and held her arm. That made her even angrier, she doesn't need anyone's help. She confronted the stranger and began to sputter a few rude words while Sokka held her arm so that she doesn't go yelling right in front of the stranger's face, and Sokka said something about the stranger, but she was too busy being mad and the way Sokka's hand touches hers doesn't help either.

Smiling, the stranger then said "Hey! Is this how you greet an old friend?"

Sokka release his hands from Toph "The Duke?!" Toph asked. Before The Duke answers her question, she punches him right on his liver. "Ouch! First you screamed at me, now you punched me in the gut?"

"Haha, that's how I show affection." giggled Toph and Sokka mumbled something unintelligent but neither of them heard him. Only The Duke can make Toph giggle, and Sokka too but only if she allows herself to.

"So, what brings you to my humble village?" asked Toph, ignoring Sokka's plead for food.

"Well, I have someon- err, thing I have to see"

"Oh, are you in a hurry? Cause, me and Sokka are gonna go for a lunch, you- Ouch! What the hell, Sokka, you elbowed me!" Sokka muttered a sorry and stated that it was an accident. But, in fact, it was not. "As I was saying, me and this dummy over here, are going to that earth kingdom food joint, if you wanna come with us?" Toph continued. The Duke glanced at Sokka's sour face, and say "Nah, maybe next time. Sokka seems like he wants to be alone with you." The Duke whispered the last sentence in a voice too low for Sokka to hear him. "Oh, okay, maybe next time." Toph can't help but feel a little dissapointed. Sure, she would love some alone time with Sokka, but The Duke was one of her best friend and it has been a long time since they both spent time together. Her dissapointment showed in her face and Sokka felt his temperature rise, he can't think of a reason why he felt that way, but he hated the way The Duke looks at Toph, and the way Toph acted around The Duke. Yeah, he just couldn't figure out why. Sokka was quiet all the way to the restaurant, Toph didn't care to ask.