Hey everyone! Happy Tokka Week! :D Here's my entry for the first prompt, Shopping, I'm sorry that it's late! Oh, and by the way, this is alternate universe, so there's no bending and Toph isn't blind.
Shopping
"No! I'm not going in! You can't make me!"
"Toph, stop being so immature. You are going to pick a dress, and you are going to pick one today."
Toph scowled angrily as Katara dragged her by the arm to the nearest bridal store, the both of them getting strange looks from other shoppers at the mall. It was a chilly, rainy day in early March, and Toph would much rather have been at home playing video games instead of going to the mall with her fiance's sister. Ever since Toph and Sokka had gotten engaged last Feburary, Katara had been on a warpath, flinging wedding catalogues in their direction and dragging them to furniture stores all across town.
And now, Katara had taken Toph to the local mall in hopes of finding a wedding dress for the ceremony that would take place in June. And Toph wasn't having any of it.
"You know I hate wearing dresses." she said in an irritated tone.
"I don't care if you hate it," Katara replied. "You can't wear sweatpants and a t-shirt at your own wedding! It's not traditional!"
"So?" Toph glared at her. "In case you haven't noticed, Sokka and I aren't exactly a traditional couple."
Katara ignored her. "Here we are." she said, releasing Toph's arm.
Grimacing, Toph surveyed the shop Katara had brought her to. Dana's Bridal had peach-colored wallpaper, illuminated by fluorescent lighting from the ceiling. Everywhere you looked, there were racks upon racks of white wedding dresses and assorted bridesmaid dresses in a variety of colors. In one section, there was also a display of men's tuxedos, shining like jewels.
A woman in a navy-colored suit came up to Toph and Katara. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," Katara answered. "I've made an appointment to look at wedding dresses. It should be listed as Toph Bei Fong."
Toph clenched her teeth as the woman flipped through her clipboard. "Ah, yes." she said at last. "Toph Bei Fong. Are you her?"
"No," Katara shook her head and gestured towards Toph. "She is."
"Pleasure to meet you." The woman smiled. "My name is Denise. Let me show you our selection of dresses. Follow me, please." Turning around, Denise began leading the two women towards the bridal gowns, her short, bobbed hair swishing around her face as she did so.
Toph sighed, and Katara turned to her. "Don't be so sullen." she said. "You'll thank me later."
Toph ignored her as they paused at one of the racks. Denise turned to them.
"We have many gorgeous bridal gowns in a variety of sizes and designs." she said. "I'm sure you'll be able to find something you like."
Katara turned to Toph. "Well?" she asked. "What kind of dress do you want?"
"I don't want anything too fancy." Toph replied. "I just want something simple, okay?"
"Of course." Denise nodded. "Pick anything you like."
Wasting no time, Katara led Toph up and down different isles, picking out a variety of gowns for Toph to fit on. Once she was finished, she led Toph into one of the dressing rooms and handed her the pile of gowns.
"Try them on," said Katara from the outside. "Then, come out and show us, okay?"
"Okay." Toph answered, surveying the outfits that lay before her. She didn't know which one she ought to try on first, since Katara had chosen so many for her. So, she decided that she would pick one at random. Closing her eyes, she let her hand sweep over several dresses, before grasping one at last. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was holding a long, strapless white gown with a green sash that tied around the waist.
Toph grinned when she saw it. Green was her absolute favorite color, plus the dress had no extensive frills or lace, a must for someone like Toph. After she had stepped into the dress and tied the sash, she opened the door and walked out to show the others.
"Well?" she asked. "What do you think?"
"Oh, Toph!" cried Katara. "It looks beautiful on you!"
Denise agreed. "Simply gorgeous."
Smiling, Toph surveyed herself in one of the full-length mirrors. "You really think so?"
"Definitely." nodded Katara. "But nonetheless, maybe you should try on a few others before you make any final decisions."
Toph sighed. "Fine then." she said as she went back into the dressing room.
For the next hour or so, Toph continued to try on an assortment of different wedding gowns, and hated them all. Some had too many frills and ruffles, while others had none at all. Some had too many designs and patterns, and others, not enough. And none of them were as nice or as simple as the first gown, the one with the green sash at the waist.
"I guess it's settled then." Katara said. "Toph, are you sure that this is the dress you want?"
"Yeah," Toph replied, smiling. "That's the one."
"Fantastic, then!" exclaimed Denise, writing down the dress's serial number on her clipboard. "Give us two weeks, and we'll have it delivered straight to your house."
"Great." Katara beamed.
3 months later. . .
Toph held a death grip on her wedding bouquet as Katara put the finishing touches on her hair. Even though she had been anticipating this for weeks on end, Toph still had a hard time believing that today was the day she would get married to Sokka. The idea made her both excited and nervous at the same time.
At that moment, her maid of honor came forward to give her a hug. "Ready?"
Toph nodded as she pulled away from Katara. "Yes," she said. "I'm ready." Then, the wedding march began to play, and she took her father's arm. He smiled at his daughter with tears in his eyes; Lao wasn't especially fond of Sokka, he confessed, but he wanted his daughter to be happy, so he had given the pair his blessings anyways.
As Toph made her way down the isle, she caught her fiance's eye from the front of the church. Smiling back at him, she thought to herself,
Thank you, Katara.
Read and review on your way out, please. ^-^ I don't own A:TLA, by the way.
