Double Date
Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph are characters from Avatar, the Last Airbender, created by Michael Dante Dimartino and Brian Konietzko, and owned by Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom. This story takes place at the time of "Tales of Ba Sing Se," and in particular around the events of "The Tale of Toph and Katara," written by Joann Estoesta and Lisa Wahlander, and incorporates some lines from their dialog. This story, except lines and incidents quoted from the show which are © Nickelodeon, © 2007 cloudmonet.
This fanfiction was inspired by my friends at the Kataang Forever forum, who wanted to see Aang and Katara go on a date. I remembered "The Tale of Toph and Katara," and thought, maybe the spa and makeup could be in preparation for an evening out with the boys. I played a little bit loose with the chronology of "The Tale of Sokka," which is alluded to here as an earlier but recent event.
It was morning at the house in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, where Avatar Aang and his three companions were living while waiting for their audience with the Earth King.
Aang rubbed shaving cream all over the top of his head and carefully scraped it off with a razor. "I think I want to check out that zoo today," he said.
Sokka, who was shaving off a bit of mustache with his machete, said, "I don't think Appa's gonna be there. That place is a dump. They don't have the money to buy something as rare as a wind bison from a shady dealer. I think he's more likely to turn up in the mansion of some rich guy."
Katara reached back to pin her hair loops, and turned from side to side and looked in the mirror to make sure they were perfectly balanced. "It works better when we separate. Only one of us gets a Ju Di shadow that way."
"Don't fool yourselves," Sokka said, turning from his sister to Aang and back again. "There's always Dai Li agents spying on us from the rooftops, everywhere we go. So far they haven't interfered with us, but so far we've at least made a show of following Long Feng's rules." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Speaking of rules, whose turn is it to go with Toph today? Just to make sure she doesn't get in some trouble, of course."
"You know she prefers to hang out with you," Katara said, winking at her brother.
"She's so not my type, I mean, I'm with Suki."
"Unless you're crashing a girls-only poetry group," said Aang.
"Hey, you promised not to tell about that," Sokka protested.
"He got kicked out for making a haiku with an extra syllable," Aang told Katara, ducking Sokka's friendly punch. "Hey, I'm sorry, I kinda forgot."
"Yeah, you, uh, really seem stressed out this morning." Sokka said sarcastically.
Aang sighed.
Katara walked over to Aang and rubbed his shoulders. "Don't depress him when he's feeling good," she admonished Sokka.
"I'm okay, Katara," Aang said, with a smile that seemed to mean just that.
"Let's do something fun this evening, okay? We could go out to dinner. I found a restaurant where they're supposed to have musicians playing tonight."
"Sounds great."
"Let me see how Toph's doing," Katara said. "When we were traveling and camping, she was always the first one up—"
"Earthquaking rocks into my back," interrupted Sokka.
"Now she just doesn't seem to want to wake up at all."
"She hates this place," said Sokka. "I don't like it either— well, okay, Ba Sing Se doesn't seem as creepy as it did at first— but seriously, Toph hates it here, really hates it."
"Maybe I can cheer her up," said Katara, leaving the bathroom and slowly opening the door to Toph's room.
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Toph lay face down on her bed, her hair a tangled mess, her blanket rumpled and half-thrown off.
Katara gasped. "Uh, Toph, Aren't you gonna get ready for the day?"
Toph shook her head back and forth until her hair stood straight out in every direction, honked and spit into her spittoon, then got to her feet and brushed clouds of dust off her nightshirt. "I'm ready," she announced.
"You're not gonna wash up?" Katara asked. "You've got a little dirt on your— everywhere, actually."
"You call it dirt. I call it a healthy coating of earth."
"Ew—" Katara let her voice drop to a whisper. "You don't want Aang and Sokka to see you like this," she said, slightly emphasizing Sokka, then added, in her normal voice, "You know what we need? A girl's day out."
Toph moaned. "Do I have to?"
"It'll be fun. Get dressed." Katara closed the door.
"You don't know anything about Sokka," Toph muttered, picking up her green and yellow outfit and changing. She could feel Sokka and Twinkletoes walking out of the house. She opened her bedroom door, ran across the living room to the front door, and felt the walkway and street with her feet, but they were both gone.
"Toph, what's wrong?"
"I really wanted to say something to Sokka."
"Like what?"
"Just something. Stuff. You know." Toph kicked at the ground and raised a big lump across the street. "Oops," she said. "Didn't mean to do that." She stomped and moved her arms to flatten the stone pavement again.
"You like Sokka, don't you?" Katara asked with a sympathetic voice as they walked back into the house.
Toph frowned and admitted, "Yeah." She filled the teapot with water and lit a fire under it with spark rocks. "Is it as obvious as you and Twinkletoes?" she asked.
"Obvious enough," Katara replied.
"Sokka doesn't like me that way, does he?"
"I think he could. You two have a lot in common."
Toph laughed while pouring two cups of tea. "Yeah, we both really annoy you without even trying."
Katara giggled.
Toph sipped her tea. "This is good stuff— tongueburning hot, like mom never let me drink it." She chugged the rest.
Katara was still blowing on hers. She tasted it cautiously, then waterbended her tea in a loop through the air to cool it, let it drop back into her cup, and drank it slowly.
"So what's Suki got that I don't have?" Toph asked, pouring herself another cup. "We're both strong. We're both fighters. I'm a better fighter than she is by far." Toph frowned. "But she's older, and I guess she's prettier."
"Hmm. You should've seen the way Sokka looked at you when we got dressed up for the Earth King's ball."
"Really? I couldn't feel anything but Aang's reaction to you."
"Aang's sweet," said Katara. "Sometimes I wish he was just a little older— but he'll get older, and so will you."
Toph patted her chest. "I'm getting a little more up here."
Katara burst out laughing and snorted tea out her nose.
"You okay, sugar queen?"
Katara coughed. "Stop being funny, please." She gasped and caught her breath. "It was so— so funny how I got so mad at you the first time you called me that."
"Good times. You want to gigglesnort another cup of tea, or should we get on with the ordeal?"
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Outside a large building decorated with painted flowers and plants, Katara watched elegantly dressed women walking out and smiling at each other.
"Feels like fancy ladies," Toph said, shuffling her dusty feet on the sidewalk.
"It's actually called the Fancy Lady Day Spa," Katara said.
"Sounds like my kind of place," Toph said dryly.
"Are you ready for some serious pampering?"
"Sure Katara, whatever you say. As long as they don't touch my feet. How are we paying for this, by the way?"
"Um—"
"Sure, let's stick it to my parents," Toph said, taking out her carved jade, gold-inlaid Bei Fong family credit card and showing it to the lady at the front door. "They'd probably approve, actually."
"Ooh," said the lady. "It is a great honor to serve you, Miss Bei Fong."
"It is your great honor to serve me. Call me Toph, and my handmaiden is named Katara."
Katara pressed her hands together and bowed.
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Toph's ordeal proved to be only one part ordeal, when the attendants actually had the nerve to hold her down and scrub massive amounts of dirt from her feet, and several parts fun— she liked the warm mudbath, the sauna, the feeling of girlish companionship with Katara as the walked down the street afterwards, and especially teaming up with her to dunk those mean girls in the canal. Whoops! Suddenly there was a hole in the bridge, and a big wave in the water.
But their remarks still stung.
"Those girls don't know what they're talking about," Katara said.
"It's okay," Toph replied. "One of the good things about being blind is I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances." She frowned. "I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval. I know who I am."
"That's what I really admire about you, Toph. You're so strong and confidant and self assured. And I know it doesn't matter, but…you're really pretty."
Toph smiled. "I am?"
"Yeah. You are," Katara assured her.
After they walked the better part of another block, Toph said, "I'd return the compliment, but I have no idea what you look like."
Katara laughed.
"Thank you, Katara," Toph said, punching her in the shoulder in a friendly way.
"Ow! Do you have to hit so hard?"
"Sorry. So now what?"
"How about a couple of really pretty dresses?" Katara asked, looking across the street at a clothing shop.
"What are you up to, anyway?" Toph asked with some suspicion.
"Oh, nothing real important. I'm taking Aang to Serenity Gardens for dinner."
"You wouldn't be able to afford to eat anything there but boiled rice."
"Which is okay, because Aang's vegetarian."
"I don't think you want me spoiling your moment."
"There's musicians, Toph. I'll be dancing in Aang's arms. I'm fine with you going out with us for dinner."
"Whose arms do I get to dance in?" Toph asked dryly. "Unless—"
"You know Sokka won't want to be left out of anything involving food if the rest of us are going, and if you're wearing a really pretty dress—"
"You really think he cares about that?" Toph asked. "What if he thinks we look like clowns or something?"
"He'll think you look very pretty."
"Well, you're the sophisticate when it comes to this stuff," Toph said, as they walked across the street to the dress shop. "I just know how my mom wanted me to act around boys."
"How was that?"
"Pretty much keep quiet and smile demurely."
Katara chuckled as they stepped into the store. "Oh, this is so beautiful," she said, standing in front of a turquoise blue silk dress with embroidered cherry blossoms.
"For me or for you?" asked Toph. "I'll have to trust your judgment."
"Well, your mom seems to have picked subtle pinks, creams, and silvers for you, and those colors do flatter you, but so does the bright green and yellow you're wearing now." Katara glanced around the store, looking for dresses that looked about the right size for Toph, especially dresses that might make her look a bit older, and saw a deep green dress decorated with hand-painted bamboo. "Come over here, Toph."
The blind girl followed her effortlessly through the store.
"Hmm. I don't know," Katara said. "Maybe it's a little too dark for you. It makes your skin and eyes look pale."
"Who cares about my eyes?" said Toph.
"They may not work, but they're beautiful. Big and pale as a hazy winter sky. When I look at your eyes, I see the colors of my home at the South Pole."
"Maybe I should wear blue," said Toph. "That's the color you wear, isn't it?"
"Actually, you know—" Katara began, and turned to look over her own loose sleeve at Katara's face. "That might look pretty good. I just don't see anything that's close to this blue. Excuse me," she said to the saleswoman who was showing some really elaborate gowns to a wealthy looking older woman.
"I'm sorry, young lady, but I'm rather busy with an important customer," the saleswoman replied, managing to be polite and rude in the same breath.
"Too busy to help a Bei Fong?" asked Toph, showing her the gold and jade card.
The saleswoman gasped and turned to Toph. "A thousand pardons, Miss Bei Fong." She turned back to her other customer for a moment. "You will excuse me, Lady Ting. I'll be back with you as soon as I am able."
Ting folded her hands and bowed slightly to the saleswoman, then more deeply to Toph.
"I would like a fine dress in a blue similar to what my handmaiden is wearing now. She thinks it would flatter me, and I trust her judgment."
"Hmm," said the saleswoman. "I would have suggested subtle pinks, creams, and silver for you, but your handmaiden could be right about the blue. Of course, you'll want her to wear a different color."
"Of course, but it is quite all right if her dress is every bit as pretty as mine."
Katara had mixed emotions about this. On one hand, she considered herself in every way Toph's equal and friend, and didn't like pretending to be her servant girl. On the other hand, Toph was buying them both nice dresses, at Katara's request, and if this got them better service, well—
The saleswoman told thumbed through the rack of dresses, and pulled out a light blue one painted with a pale moon reflected on the water. "How about this one?"
"It's the perfect color," said Katara, "but please, nothing with any image of the moon."
Toph looked puzzled but didn't say anything.
The saleswoman was puzzled too, but the customer is always right, so she found another dress for Toph with appliqued snow-topped mountains around the hem. Katara got the turquoise dress with embroidered cherry blossoms.
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"So, not that I have any real idea what the moon is, other than a second round thing in the sky that doesn't feel warm when it's shining— why didn't you want me to get a dress with the moon on it?" Toph asked Katara, as they walked through a park, wearing their new dresses. "People say the moon is very pretty."
"Sokka's in love with the moon," Katara said quietly.
"What?"
Katara looked around, to make sure no one was near. "There was a general named Zhao, who attacked the water tribe city at the North Pole with a huge fleet of ships. He somehow knew that the spirits of the Moon and Ocean actually lived in physical form. Aang and I saw Zhao kill the spirit of the moon. Aang's avatar spirit helped the spirit of the ocean take terrible revenge on the Fire Nation fleet. But there was a princess named Yue, who Sokka fell in love with, who had part of the Moon spirit's life in her. She gave that life back to the moon spirit, and died in Sokka's arms. Her body disappeared and her ghost gave Sokka a final kiss."
"You're serious," said Toph. "But that sounds more like an old story than something that could really happen."
"There are still some spirits walking the earth in physical form. I've met at least five of them besides Aang himself, the Hei Bai of the forest, the Moon and Ocean, and the terrible Wan Shi Tong of the library and his fox-spirit assistant. A spirit's death can have terrible consequences."
"So Sokka's— girlfriend— gave her life to save the moon, and seeing the moon, or a picture of it, could upset him?"
"He seems to react that way. He doesn't usually want to talk about it."
"I remember him saying something about this in the desert, how the moon was Princess Yue, and how she was always alone. That's so sad. Was she his first love?"
"I think so, but I'm not sure. I was surprised me when Suki greeted him with a kiss."
"I was so jealous. Then I wondered, why am I jealous? He can't even bend. But he makes me laugh. He makes me happy. I'm just asking for heartache, right?"
"Do you know how much my heart ached when Aang was cruel and enraged in the desert? When I tried to comfort him on the Serpent's Pass and he wouldn't even hug me? My love wasn't enough to pull him out of it. It was the love of that refugee family, with their newborn baby girl, who they named Hope, that opened him up again. Aang even kind of said he loves me."
"Really?"
"Seeing this family, all filled with hope and love, reminds me of how I feel about Appa, and how I feel about you."
"Yeah, he loves you," said Toph. "I'm sorry I crowded between you. I can usually tell who everybody is with earthbending, but your hearts, both your hearts, were beating so fast, I thought I was crowding between Sokka and Suki kissing."
Katara laughed.
"So you think love's worth the bummers?" Toph asked.
"Definitely."
Toph sighed. "Okay, so now what?"
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"Well, Appa wasn't at the zoo," Aang told Sokka as they walked back toward the house, "and nobody tried to sell Appa to the zoo, either, but there's a bright side— I made the animals a much better zoo— and I built it with earthbending. It's beautiful. You should see it. Toph would be proud of me. Anyway, the zookeeper said he'd send a message to me right away if anybody does try to sell him an air bison."
"That sounds cool. I didn't have any luck with the rich guys, and worse, the new Ju Di started bothering me."
"How'd you lose her?"
Sokka laughed. "This is funny. I started flirting with her."
"Noooo!" said Aang.
"Yeah, I started trying to hold her hand, you know, slip my arm around her waist, cuddle up a little bit, and poof! The fake smile just vanished. She got all nervous and flustered, then poof again! She was gone! She was so gone."
"Aw, too bad," Aang said with cheerful sarcasm.
"I figured it was a win/win for me. Either she'd freak and leave me alone, or she'd cuddle and get friendly." Sokka shrugged. "She wasn't that pretty, anyway."
They came to the front door. "Katara! Toph! We're home!" Aang called out.
"I hear muffled giggles," whispered Sokka.
"There's packages for us on the table," said Aang, examining them. "This one's yours." He handed it to Sokka. "There's a note on mine. Put this on and knock twice on the door to my room. Katara. Okay." Aang tore open the the wrapping and found a nice green and brown Earth Kingdom robe.
"Looks like someone's got a date," said Sokka. "But I have one, too. A dress robe, I mean."
"Let's just put them on and see what's up," Aang whispered, draping his over his arm and walking toward his room.
"I have a bad feeling about this," said Sokka.
In a couple of minutes, a considerably more elegant than usual Aang and Sokka, wearing their silk robes and dress pants, stood in the hallway at Katara's door. Aang knocked twice.
"Come in, Aang," said Katara's voice.
"I think you're supposed to knock on Toph's door," Aang whispered to Sokka.
"Do I have to?"
"Oh, let's not spoil their surprise," said Aang, giving Sokka a gentle push in that direction as he opened Katara's door. He looked around the room but didn't see her.
Katara, who had hidden behind the open door, closed it behind Aang and smiled at him. "How do I look?" she asked. She was all made up, with her hair in an elegant style, and wearing the most beautiful turquoise blue dress with little white flowers. "You look very handsome in that suit," she said, straightening his collar.
"I do? I mean, you're so beautiful, I really— that dress, and your face, your eyes, your smile— I'm—"
Katara giggled. "You make being beautiful fun," she said, and gave him a hug that lasted longer than usual.
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Meanwhile, at Toph's door, Sokka hesitantly knocked.
"Who's there?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound sweet but not quite succeeding.
"It's Sokka," he said, wondering why his voice always cracked when he was nervous, and wondering why this little girl made him nervous when a few hours before he'd been acting quite smooth with a grown woman.
"So glad you're here. Please come in," she said, sounding like a little girl playing grown-up with excessive politeness.
Sokka opened the door and saw her standing next to her bed, shuffling her feet to face him.
"I wish I could see how you look," Toph said. "Do I look okay to you? Katara said I look beautiful this way. You seem kinda nervous or something."
Sokka found himself at a loss for words, looking at this strong girl with mountains on the skirt of her blue dress, and seeing the beautiful woman she would someday become. "You— you look very nice," he stammered.
Toph got up and stood right in front of him, and ran her hands down his arms. "Your jacket feels very nice," she said, closing her blind eyes and smiling. Before he knew what was happening, one of her hands slipped around his back and up to the back of his head, and she was standing on tiptoes pressing her lips against his.
"T-Toph, do you really think this is a good idea?"
"I gave you my first kiss," she said firmly. "Don't make me cry."
"Toph, I— I'm honored." Sokka's hands were resting on her shoulders. Surprised and confused, he might have said, but for some reason, he really didn't want to see tears in her cryptic eyes.
"However you feel, if you don't know how you feel, it's okay," she said. "I don't know what I'm feeling, either."
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Toph and Sokka followed Aang and Katara to the Serenity Gardens restaurant, leaving Momo in the house with a bowl of food. Katara had a lot to say, with music in her voice. Aang responded cheerfully. Sokka and Toph were both being rather quiet, except for the occasional wry remark.
They took an outdoor table under the trees. Aang had a bowl of rice and vegetables. Katara, after a bit of dithering, ordered the same. Sokka and Toph shared roast turtleduck with almonds. Now they talked quite a lot, mostly about their favorite foods.
"It's okay if you eat some turtleduck," Aang told Katara, who kept looking at the dwindling roast. "You don't have to be vegetarian just because I am."
"Maybe I'll just have a little bit," Katara said, slicing off a small piece with the serving knife and setting it on her plate beside the rice.
"It's good stuff, Aang," said Toph.
"I don't like the idea of killing something with a soul, a spirit, to live," said Aang.
"What about what the swamp guy said?" asked Sokka. "The plants have spirits, too. Everything's connected to everything else. Those grains of rice would be growing into rice plants if they didn't get cooked and chewed. What's the difference?"
Aang frowned thoughtfully at this argument.
"I think I changed my mind," Katara said, putting the small piece of turtleduck meat back on the serving place. "We should have respect for Aang's beliefs, whatever we choose to do ourselves."
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At twilight a man lit the lanterns, and the musicians took the stage, and shimmering music filled the garden. Aang and Katara were up on the dancing ground in an instant, holding hands, her hand on his shoulder, his on her waist.
"I think I remember how you taught me to do this," Aang said, stepping in rhythm with the music and turning.
"It's a series of moves, just like bending," Katara replied. "You're doing fine."
Other couples got up and began dancing, blocking Sokka's view of Aang and Katara.
"This music is really pretty," Toph said to Sokka, who was still chowing down on almond turtleduck.
In between mouthfuls, Sokka managed to agree.
"So would you like to dance with me?"
Sokka swallowed his meat, took a sip of tea, and looked at Toph's inscrutable sightless eyes. "Well, I— okay."
"Well, if you're not really into it—" Toph said.
"No, I'm fine. Let's do this. I want to dance with you." He put down his chopsticks and took Toph's hand, leading her to the dancing ground.
They had a bit of awkwardness finding a comfortable starting position, because Sokka was so much taller than Toph. He ended up putting his hand on her shoulder while she put hers around his waist. They had just begun dancing when the music ended and everybody clapped. But it made little difference, because the musicians soon began another piece of music.
"Thank you, Sokka," Toph said while they danced. "I'm having fun with you."
"You're a good dancer."
"So are you, I guess. It's kind of hard for me to see what you're doing. When you dance, you're as light on your feet as the airbender. Almost."
Sokka twirled Toph with the hand he was holding and caught her shoulder again.
"Whee!" she said, and started laughing.
"Am I dancing with a woman or a little girl?" Sokka asked.
"Which would you like better?" she asked, after another twirl.
"If you're a little girl, I probably shouldn't have kissed you."
"Hey! If I'm old enough to fight in a war, I'm old enough to kiss a boy!"
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"Look who decided to get up and dance," said Katara, who caught a glimpse of Toph and Sokka while dancing with Aang.
"Hey!" said Aang, waving and smiling at Sokka.
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After Toph paid for the meal with her Bei Fong credit card, she and Sokka walked home. Sometimes she held his hand like a girlfriend; sometimes she punched his arm and joked like the brother Sokka never had. He wasn't sure exactly what kind of girl she was, and she wasn't sure either. Strong and confident and self assured, like Katara told her earlier? In some ways she did feel a bit more confident. In some ways she felt more vulnerable.
"What do you see in the sky, Sokka?" She asked him.
"Stars, bright silver stars on a deep dark blue."
"I feel the street, and the houses and shops, even some of the people inside them, but all I feel of the sky is the breeze on my face. Is it beautiful?"
"Yeah," said Sokka.
"Are there any clouds?"
"No, the sky is clear.
"Except for the stars," said Toph. "You said there were stars. What are stars?"
"I don't know. Stars are stars. They look like little points of light."
"Little flames?"
"Flames are yellow or red," said Sokka. "Stars are silvery white. Maybe—" He stood facing her and took both her hands and put them together, palms up, toward the sky. "Now if there were clouds and it was raining, you'd feel drops of water falling."
Toph smiled. "Yes, of course."
"But, if you could feel the stars, there'd be one here—" Sokka touched the center of her right hand, "and another one here, and here, and here—" He touched the pattern of bright stars in a constellation across her two spread hands. "I'm poking a little harder for the brighter stars," he explained.
"So there's ten of them?" she asked.
"Ten bright ones that you would feel over there. But if you felt all the stars in every direction, I think there's more than a thousand."
"Wow! And they're pretty?"
"Yeah," said Sokka.
"If I saw them with you, would I want to kiss you again?"
"I don't know."
Toph laughed and grabbed one of his arms with each hand and shook them. "You don't know! As if maybe I don't want to kiss you again? As if maybe I don't even like you?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty much an idiot with girls."
"You showed me the stars. Now let me see your face." She slid her hands up his arms to his neck. "Close your eyes so I don't poke them accidentally," she said, gently moving her fingers around his chin, over his cheeks, nose, forehead, eyebrows, and gently over his closed eyes.
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Under the same sky, on a different street, Aang and Katara walked hand in hand.
"It seems like just yesterday I was laughing and penguin sledding with you," said Katara. "Now I'm dancing in your arms."
Aang smiled. "I had fun. It's the most fun I've had since—" his voice dropped.
"We'll find him," said Katara. "We'll find Appa."
Aang stopped walking and wiped the beginnings of a tear from his eye, smiling at Katara's beautiful blue eyes. "You know, the way I acted toward you after Appa got stolen— I'm so sorry. I was so thoughtless and mean."
Katara smiled. "You've already apologized for that, more than once. Let's think about the good times."
"Penguin sledding with you was so much fun, but this—" he put his arm around her as if they were dancing again, and they spun around in the middle of the empty street. "This is more fun."
"You know what else was really fun?" Katara asked, sliding her hand on his shaved head to bring his lips close to hers. She closed her eyes and they kissed each other.
"Um, yeah—" Aang said, suddenly wobbly on his feet.
Katara giggled and gently held him steady. "Are you okay?" she asked.
He just smiled.
"I'll take that as a yes," she said.
He took her hand again and they walked around the corner and stopped short. Katara pulled Aang back just far enough that the flowering shrub almost blocked their view of the two figures standing and kissing in front of their upper-ring house.
"I don't believe it," Katara whispered.
"Wasn't that why we walked the other way?" asked Aang.
"So we could kiss. I didn't think— I'm gonna have to have a little talk with big brother. He'd better not break her heart."
"Toph's a strong girl," said Aang. "There's no way he could do this if it wasn't her choice."
"Don't ever tell her I said so, but she's not as strong as she seems."
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Back at the house, when Aang and Katara walked in, Sokka and Toph were laughing and joking, apparently about Sokka trying his moves on somebody.
"So you slipped your arm around her waist and then what?" Toph asked. "Did you pat her butt?"
"Yike," Sokka said, his voice squeaking into a whisper. "Sister alert."
"Yeah, yeah, get to the good part," Toph insisted. "Hey, Katara, glad you're here. Is Twinkletoes still floating in the air from that kiss you gave him? Cause I can't feel him on the floor."
"Nobody said anything about a kiss," said Aang.
"Yeah, whatever—" said Toph, smirking at Aang, then punching Sokka's arm. "So go on with your story, Mister Smooth Moves."
"Yes, do go on, Sokka," Katara said, crossing her arms. "Did you or didn't you pat her butt? And whose butt are we discussing?"
"Uh—" said Sokka, blushing bright red. "I didn't say anything about a butt."
"Yeah, right," said Toph.
"Well, she freaked when I tried to impress her with my war stories, and the time I bopped Wan Shi Tong with my club bothered her, too."
"You bopped the giant owl spirit?" asked Toph.
"See? That story does impress the ladies," Sokka said smugly. "I bopped him hard and knocked him right out, well, for a few moments at least. He looked at least ten feet tall, but he could stretch his neck out and get bigger."
"Wow."
"You are so smooth at changing the subject," Katara said. "Who is she, the girl you were talking about?"
"The second Ju Di."
"What?!" Katara exclaimed, an incredulous smile on her face. "Noooo, you're kidding!"
"She was really being a nuisance, so I decided to mess with her," Sokka explained. "So when my stories got her all flustered and nervous, I slid my arm around her waist, kinda smooth, like, 'There, there, calm down, I'm just trying to impress you,' and gathered her into a hug. She felt like a little bird in my arms, all scared and confused."
"What were you thinking?" asked Katara.
"Maybe I could make her more friendly to us. Hey, she's a pretty girl, I'm a suave guy. It could've worked."
Toph was overwhelmed with fits of giggles.
"You don't think so, do you?" Sokka asked dryly.
"You know she's probably old enough to be your mom," said Toph. "You're lucky she didn't like you."
Now Katara giggled.
"But I had a backup plan," Sokka said. "Maybe she'll just freak out and run away. And that plan worked brilliantly. Okay, girls, not that funny."
Katara was doubled over with laughter, and Toph rolling on the floor.
Sokka sighed. "Okay, maybe it is that funny."
————————
The next morning, Katara walked into the bathroom, wearing her nightshirt, her hair loose and mussed up. Toph was already there, washing her face and hands.
"Good morning, Toph," Katara said, pleasantly surprised to see the other girl taking care of herself.
"Hey, Katara," she replied, after blotting her face with the towel. She spread her feet on the floor to sense her surroundings, and, aha! There was the hairbrush, which she picked up and began dragging through her hair.
"What's the occasion?"
"Sokka and I are looking for Appa together. He's gonna start taking me to every big manor house in the upper ring, and I'm gonna feel out the grounds with earthbending. They can't hide a ten ton fluff bison from me."
"About my brother—"
"Maybe I know some things about him that you don't."
"You may," Katara said gently. "I didn't expect him to actually kiss you."
"I'll tell you about my kisses when you tell me about yours," Toph replied.
To Katara it felt almost as if, somehow, Toph could see her blushing.
"But maybe we should talk about this later," the blind girl continued. "You better brush your hair. The boys are getting up, and you don't want them to see it all messed up."
The End