Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but thank heavens Mike and Bryan do. That's why it's such a successful show(:
Dinner
"Hey, guys!" Aang barged through the doors of their fancy house in Ba Sing Se (for their temporary stay as things are being worked out between the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation) with a piece of paper fluttering in his hands and an wild grin plastered on his face. "Take a look at this!"
The small group of teens (well, only Katara and Sokka) directed their attention to the overly-excited, arrowed-head boy. "What is it?" one of the Water Tribe siblings asked.
Aang wasted no time in explaining the important piece of writing. "It's an advertisement for some-"
"An ad?" Sokka immediately cut in. "For what? Some sort of junk that we don't need? Everyone knows ads are deceiving, Aang. They say their products can do something wonderful that can improve your life, but when you, the customer, finally decides to buy it and try it out, it doesn't work. Then you have to waste your time trying to get it to work, and it still doesn't. Then you have to waste your time returning it to the store or just dump it somewhere where you will never try to use it again. If you ask me, it's a waste of good time and money. That's why I never trust an ad, and neither should you, Aang." The Water Tribe warrior shook his head in disapproval and went back to polishing his already-polished boomerang. The others just stared at him with raised eyebrows.
"But Sokka, it's an ad for food not products."
The older boy's ears perked up at that one magical word and his mouth instantly began to water. "Food?!" He grinned as he thought of a whole buffet table dedicated only to him, filled with mouth-watering, delicious-looking necessities for life. (Well, for his life anyways.) Bread, noodles, Moon Peaches, dumplings, fish, Seaweed Soup, Sea Prune Stew, Giant Sea Crabs, rice, cakes, salads, Turkey Ducks, Platypus Eggs, Jook, Bean Curd Puffs, Komodo Chicken, Smoked Sea Slugs, Egg Custards, and Fruit Tarts flowed through his mind along with servants delivering even more varieties on shiny, silver platters. He imagined himself as royalty, eating and eating and eating until he could eat no more, but the long table of food and servants serving food ceased to end. Now that's called paradise.
"Yeah! They're giving away free Fruit Pies for dessert tonight! And it's tonight only. We have to go!" Aang pleaded, clutching his hands together with a hopeful expression on his face.
"Fruit Pies?" Katara asked, not knowing how they taste like. The icy tundra from where she came didn't exactly have the right conditions for plant growth.
Aang nodded eagerly. "Gyatso and I use to make them back at the Southern Air Temple. Not only was he a great Airbender, he was great at making pies. They were delicious...and great for target practice." He grinned at the memory. "So will you guys go with me? Pretty pleeeeaaaasee?" he begged, like a child asking his mother for a piece of candy just before dinner.
"Sorry, Aang, but me and Suki got a date tonight," Sokka answered, wishing he could go, but no, he had to choose this particular day to go out with Suki, this day which conflicted with the giving of free pie he has never tasted and a date. But sacrifices must be made for love. He went to examine himself in the nearby mirror. Using his saliva, he smoothed out his hair, which was tied up into his usual Wolf-Tail. "Lookin' good," he complimented as he flexed, giving himself a sly smile and a click of approval. Suki is sure to think he's handsome tonight. Katara rolled her eyes at her older brother's egotism, but didn't say anything.
"Katara?" Aang focused his hopeful beady eyes on her. They begged the Waterbender to join him, not wanting to have another friend short for dinner.
"I'm sorry too, Aang," she apologized sympathetically.
His eyes dropped, hope quickly disappearing from them.
"I promised Iroh I'd look after the Jasmine Dragon for a couple of hours," she explained.
"Oh..." The disappointed Avatar suddenly perked up. "What about Zuko?"
"Firelord mumbo jumbo with the Earth King," Sokka replied, dismissing it with a wave of a lazy hand. "Iroh's accompanying him." He chuckled at the thought of the Firelord not being able to handle being Firelord.
Aang kicked the ground lightly, feeling defeated. He didn't want to go alone, and he was going to miss his chance to have a taste of Fruit Pie after 100 years (give or take a year and a few months). "Oh...well...I guess we could all eat together when everyone's not so-"
"What about Toph?" Katara chimed. "You haven't asked her yet." She pointed her chin to the sleeping girl in green at the far corner of the room.
Of course! Toph! How in the world could he have forgotten about her?
"Well, we have to get going, Aang," the Waterbender informed. She put on her water pouch before heading out the door with her brother.
"Good luck waking Toph up," snorted Sokka and closed the door behind him. A moment later, he came back in. "Bring me back a slice of that pie, will ya, Aang?" ...A brave, strong, constant energy burner like him has to eat in order to replenish his strength, right?
"Sure," the younger boy nodded. Aang looked back to watch his only companion for the night. She was sound asleep on top of several comfortable-looking pillows. He tiptoed towards her. "Toph?" he whispered. Poke. Poke. "To-oph! Wake up, Toph!"
She stirred and groaned and swiped at the intruder who dared disturb her sleep. "What?!" she growled into her gigantic mass of pillows.
"You wanna come with me to get some food?"
"No!" she snapped. How dare he woke her, but she was too sleepy to give an attack.
"C'mon!" Aang urged, tapping at her back. It tickled.
How was anyone suppose to sleep with an annoying Airbender bothering you? "NO! Go away!"
He continued on with his nudging.
"NO!" She swiped again with sharp, claw-like hands. He barely managed to dodge it.
"They're serving free pie tonight! Don't you wanna go try some? It's fruit pie. It's very yummy. We have to go get some!"
"Why don't you just go with Lady of All Things Dark and Gloomy or Happy-Go-Lucky?" Toph offered sarcastically.
"I think Mai's going with Zuko to the meeting and Ty Lee is out somewhere with those guys she met the other day." Who were those guys anyways? They seem pretty big, but Ty Lee should be able to handle them, he thought, and shrugged it off.
"Mmm..Ok," she mumbled lazily, wanting to drift back to Dreamland, to the dream before someone woke her up so rudely from. "Well, why aren't you going with them? To that stupid meeting with Hothead and Iroh?" Toph asked, realizing he wasn't attending it with them.
Aang shrugged. "I already went yesterday. There isn't much. Besides, I'm the Avatar. I get special privileges." He smiled proudly at himself. "For instance, getting out of boring meetings with smelly, old people in order to go to a restaurant that serves free Fruit Pies for one night only." He hoped against all hope that she would agree to go with him. "Please, Toph! Please!"
"Hm... Let me think about it.. No." She rolled over so that her back was turned to him. "Go by yourself," she told Aang before letting out a loud, uncovered yawn.
"But it's no fun eating alone," he reasoned. He made a baby moose-lion face, but she couldn't see it.
"Go with Katara or Sokka or whatever."
"Katara's watching over the shop, and Sokka is with Suki."
"Then pick a girl, ask her out on a date, and go with her to get your stupid free cake."
Aang frowned. She was stubborn. Very stubborn. "But..." he thought, and a grin spread across his face. "...I already did pick a girl, and now I'm asking her out for a date to get my stupid free pie, but she's turning me down."
"Ha! Well, sucks for-" Toph paused and her eyes widened. Color seeped up to her face. She realized that girl is her. Good thing her back was turned so he couldn't see the embarrassment painted on her cheeks. "Actually," she corrected, regaining her usual color before shifting back around. "You picked our whole group asked them out, but everyone turned you down because they have something more important and better to do than get pie that can be bought any day."
"However, today's the only day where we don't have to buy pie." He lowered his head closer to her so they were at eye level. "So Miss Toph Bei Fong, would you care to go on this date with me?"
She felt his warm, soft breath come evenly against her cheek, and in turn, made her cheeks become warm.
This time, though, he saw her blush, which (chain-of-reactions) made him pinken slightly too. He let out a small, nervous laugh before withdrawing away, giving them back their personal spaces. What in the world was he trying to accomplish getting that dangerously close to her? "So...will you? You know, go with me to grab some food?"
Toph sat up and fixed her hair. It suddenly felt awkward lying down. Her bun had come loose while napping. She took quite a while at the simple task so that she could stall for time and think.
"It will be fun," he insisted. "Listen to your stomach. You know you want to come with me. Free Fruit Pie!"
The young Earthbender giggled. (Toph giggled!) She pretended to think. "I am a little bit hungry," she reasoned. "And I've been sleeping all day. I do need to get some fresh air and exercise...and food. And I guess it would be fun."
All the while, Aang encouraged her, trying to convince her that she should go with him to grab a bite of free pie.
She sighed. "What the heck. I'm willing to try a new restaurant, test their cuisine."
Aang beamed. Finally!
"You're paying," she told him matter-of-factually. She got off the pillows.
"Sure," he agreed. As long as there's a guarantee of free pie, there is no problem at all. He put on an orange hat to cover his arrow. (Ever since he'd defeated the Firelord and everything, people have been going crazy around the Avatar. But hey, what can you expect when people see the guy who saved the whole world from evil and destruction? It's only natural they'd go orangutan-bat on him.) The hat was just a safety measure so that the two won't get ambushed by a mob of lunatics tonight.
"After all, the man always pays for his date," she joked. He blushed, and she blushed.
--
"Hurry up! Before they run out!" Aang and Toph ran through the streets of the middle ring in Ba Sing Se.
"Will you forget about your stupid pie already?!" Toph yelled. "And are you sure it's this way?"
"I'm positive. See? The map points to this location."
She looked to him as if he was stupid, which, in this case, he pretty much was for showing her a map.
"Over there!" He pointed. "The Koi Palace!"
For a middle ring restaurant, it was pretty fancy. Two gigantic colored Koi stones laid at the entrance where it greeted those coming in and gave a farewell to those departing. The doors were long and narrow, it's glass decorated with fish. Even their employees had to wear aprons with a picture of a Koi Fish on it. Customers lined the restaurant's benches, waiting to be called up. The place was really bustling tonight.
"See? I told you I can read a map," he boasted.
"Oh goodie," she muttered sarcastically. "You've finally reached Sokka's level of intelligence."
--
"It's so crowded in here," Toph said as she entered. A fat man shifted and accidentally bumped into her, but she managed to stand her ground and ignored him.
"Yeah, who knew offering free pie would attract so many people", the fat man replied with a laugh.
"I wonder if they still have any left," worried Aang. More people came in, pushing those already in front. "Ex-Excuse me, sir!" Aang called out. Somehow he had managed to locate one of the restaurant's employees through all the crammed spaces.
The busy worker barely turned around to acknowledge him. "Yes, I'll be right with you, kid," he answered.
He was about to run off, but Aang caught up to him and asked, "How long is the wait?"
"Judging from the massive amount of people, maybe an hour and a half or an hour if you're lucky."
"An hour?!" he gasped. Surely the food would be gone by then, and so will the free dessert.
"Well I'm not waiting that long for food," Toph declared, and she crossed her arms, tapping her bare foot impatiently. More people moved, almost stepping on her feet. "Let's get out of here, Twinkletoes." She started out the door.
"But sir, is there any way you can let us in earlier?"
"Sorry," the man shrugged. "But you'll have to wait in line like everyone else." He gestured to the wave of people behind them. There was no line, but there were a lot of hungry customers waiting to get seated. The waiter started to walk away.
"B-But! Pie!" Aang wailed in dismay. "H-Hey! Wait!" The Airbender ran to the man, pushing through the crowd and receiving angry grunts from those he tried to gently shove space. "I'm the Avatar," he declared. In proof, he took off his orange hat and quickly pointed to his blue arrow with a sheepish grin before stuffing it back on again. "And I don't usually play this card, but my friend and I, we really wanna eat here, so if you could just-"
"T-The Avatar?!" Shocked and excitement filled the employee. "Oh my Kyoshi! You! You! You're the one who saved us! The world too! And, and you saved the whole world! And! Oh my! Oh my! It's such an honor to have you with us here! Please! Avatar! Oh boy! Wait until my mother hears of this! She would be so happy to know-"
"Ahh, shhh!" Aang tried to calm the man down. Yep, another one of those lunatics again. "Please! Can I just get a table for two? We'll be finished eating in no time."
"Why-Why yes! Yes, of course, Avatar! Of course!" He bowed and extended his right hand to guide Aang to his location. The strange waiter wondered why such highness would come eat at a place like...this, a place in the middle ring. "Right this way," he directed.
"Toph!" Avatar Aang called, signaling for her to follow. "Over here! I got us seats!"
--
They were led upstairs and outside to the balcony. The crisp summer night air greeted them with a low, relaxing breeze. The noise of the first story was greatly muffled, and they were free to enjoy the scenery above and below them. The sun was getting ready to set over the horizon. The moon was already out, its pale form shining through the clouds, a beautiful mix of blue, pink, purple, orange, red, and white. The Firelight Fountain laid just across the street from the restaurant. It's soft, rhythmic music of water-on-water flowed throughout the evening sky. Fire was already lit in the lamps, making everything seem even more romantic. Somewhere far away, distant music of the Erhu played. Few people were out on the balcony. There weren't many tables, about three or four surrounding, and they were separated by wide gaps so that privacy was possible.
"Avatar." The waiter bowed again and waited as Aang, being a gentleman, pulled out a chair for Toph, who rolled her eyes, but sat. Then Aang took a seat himself. The waiter pulled out a candle from his apron and used Spark Rocks to light the fire.
"Errm..." Aang tried to protest.
Two menus were handed to them. The waiter explained their special for tonight and their free pies offer (no limit, but only because the Avatar gets special privileges). "Our special tonight, Tomato Stew, will be served shortly. I will be back as soon as you have your orders. Enjoy your date."
Toph and Aang both immediately reddened at the last word, but none corrected him as he skipped off happily having met the great Avatar himself. Of all women, Toph wondered if she should have dressed a bit more properly.
--
Their food was served in about ten minutes after ordering, which was pretty quick considering all the other customers who ordered earlier and didn't recieve their food yet.
"Perks to being an Avatar, eh?"
Aang shrugged apologetically, feeling guilty for getting dinner faster than everyone else who had waited longer than they did.
"Rice. Dumplings, no meat. Roasted duck with a side of Crab Puffs. Noodle soup. Egg Custard Tart. Passion Berry Blend. Watermelon Juice. And your sauce," the server said as he placed their dinner on the table.
The two 12-year-olds stared at the food in front of them with awe. It looked deliciously set up. Such fine, luxurious food. It smelled just scrumptious. They felt their stomachs rumble with hunger and excitement as the aroma reached their noses. As soon as the server bowed and went away, they dug in like a pack of ravenous hyena-bears.
--
Their table was filled with silence. They've already finished half the plates with bits on conversation in between, but now they were both too full to eat, leaving them nothing much to do than to talk. Which is something they're not doing at the moment.
"So," Aang said awkwardly, trying to start a conversation, but what to say? What to say? He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Are you going back to your parents soon?" He had been wondering that for a while now. Lao and Poppy are sure to miss their daughter greatly. She has been away for quite a while now.
Toph was caught off guard by the question. Going back? Does he want me to leave? Am I no longer needed? Am I just a thorn to their sides now that I've already finished my job? Was that all I had come for? Hurt filled her mind, but her stoic expression did not show it. "Trying to get rid of me already?" she asked, forcing some humor and sarcasm into her tone.
"No! Never! I just wanted to know if..." His reply was sincere. "Why would I? You're my best friend!"
Just a friend?
"You're their best friend too," he said, referring to their small group of friends. "Everyone would miss you." He added softly,"I would miss you."
Her heart fluttered. She repeated his words in her mind. Everyone would miss you. I would miss you. He would miss her if she leaves. Something warm and inviting began to glow inside her.
Aang was looking down at his plate, poking at his food sheepishly with his pair of chopsticks. Did he just say what he thought he said?
"I would miss you too," she told him just as quietly. She looked away for a moment, letting the words sink into him. "But lucky for you, I'm not going anywhere. You're still stuck with me, Twinkletoes, and you know what that means," she added and grinned.
He returned the smile with a slight color to his cheeks (So many blushes for one evening!).
--
"I don't think I'm gonna be able to handle the Fruit Pies," said a stuffed Aang.
"Me neither..." Toph moaned. She was way too full, and she needed to burp. Badly. But the air could not be forced out. It bloated her stomach distressingly.
The Airbender started laughing. "You have a little food over..." He gestured to some red sauce stuck on her face.
Toph wiped at it but missed. "Gone?"
"No it's over here," he said, chuckling, and went ahead to wipe it for her. His hands lingered for a second longer than necessary.
"Um..."
Realizing the smudge on her cheek was already gone, he pulled his hand away in a flash. Aang cleared his throat and set the handkerchief aside. He sat there and mentally kicked himself in the face. Awkward! Very awkward! Why did he have to make things so awkward between them?! Way too many awkward moments tonight!
Toph looked equally as uncomfortable. "Thanks," she mumbled. Though it was gone, she wiped her cheeks again (in the right place).
No one said anything. Silence filled the void once again. Their hearts pumped a little faster than normal. They picked at their leftovers without meeting the other's eyes. Aang's eyes kept lingering to the green handkerchief by his cup. Toph had both feet on the ground.
--
When they finished, Aang paid for dinner and added in a little extra tip for their service.
Toph snorted, "Always the generous one, aren't you?"
He thanked the few waiters standing by and grabbed the box of Fruit Pie to take back. (They ended up stuffing two whole ones for dessert. It was that good.)
Toph was already at the door. "Ladies first," she smirked.
He stuck out his tongue as he passed her through the door. Their hands brushed against each other's in some "accidental" touching. A smile flicked across their faces as they headed downstairs and out the main entrance.
--
Ba Sing Se sure is beautiful at night. Lights danced in the darkness. The moon and stars were bright in the sky. People contently passed by. The air was gentle and still. The music of the crickets served as relaxation from a long, hard day of work. Perhaps a little stroll around town before heading back?
A/N: Ok, so this one seems kinda rough. Agree? To me, it seems like one moment they go from being good friends to crushing on each other to awkward moments to just being friends again. Get what I'm saying? Seems inconsistent... Do they like each other or do they not? sort of thing.
One more thing: I wanted to put more events into their dinner, but damn, this thing's already up to 4,000 words(Holy Guacamole), so not much on dinner stuff. Besides, how much can happen while one is eating?..or two in this case. And I'm no good at cutting out things.
There. Done. Finished with my useless rambling.