Evening
She could feel through the indulgingly decorated floorings approximately how many girls were circled around him; this evening's amount toppled last month's record: seven. But Toph wasn't a fan of numbers. She wasn't a woman of logic, but a woman of feeling and instinct.
Her instinct told her that it wasn't a good time to approach him.
Smiling faintly at a passerby, she strolled towards the drinks in the grand hall, eavesdropping on the whispers of civilians commenting on the marvelous velvet rugs and the occasional, "Look at the gold columns!" Some would just nod in response or even mention that it's "not the most extraordinary" they've seen. These were people too puffed up with pride to admit their admiration. Toph smirked, but remembered to keep the sarcasm and sardonic looks at a minimum as Aang had warned. The airbender had reminded her multiple times not to upset the visitors, especially the Water Tribe nobles. The nobles, after all, were the target of this event – impress the nobles, gain their trust. And soon enough, their money, too.
Toph was usually interested in money schemes and raising funds for extravagant missions (usually implemented by an over-eager Zuko). Schemes and plots were entrancing; they called for deceit and trickery, both of which intrigued Toph to no end. The excitement stirred her up and the sneakiness and scandal were treats to enjoy. Yet tonight an aura of uncertainty clouded her mind like an impending storm. With much on her mind, only the muggy twilight air wafting in from the open hall doors reminded her to stay level-headed.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" Katara piped in from behind her. Toph twisted around and smiled.
"It would feel better without all the aristocratic chatter clouding up the atmosphere!"
"Come on," Katara beamed, "You have to admit you love hearing all the nobles make fools of themselves." She absent-mindedly pushed a few strands of hair behind her shoulders as she looked on. Her waves of thick hair transcended down her back. It swayed back and forth with every movement she made to see above heads in the hall.
"Looking for someone?" Toph asked.
Katara's head snapped back to Toph. "Oh, just my brother. He said one of the councilmen had a…" she glanced around nervously, precariously tilting her head to Toph's right ear, "crush on me."
Toph snorted and threw her head back with laughter.
"Imagine that, sugar-queen," she snickered, "The moment you and Aang hit a rough patch, someone steps out of the shadows towards you. I would probably wait too, if my competition was the Avatar," she added matter-of-factly.
"Shhhh! Now you be quiet!" she fidgeted nervously, shifting her shoulders. "Our relationship is nobody's business," she finished, after whacking Toph with a rolled up pamphlet she had received earlier at the hall's entrance.
"Now I'm just saying," spoke Toph, "A couple of dreamy dudes on your tail isn't exactly an unfortunate problem," she scoffed. Katara whacked her again, this time shaking her head with a big grin. "Alright, Toph, just tell me you know where Sokka is!"
"Oh, you know, the usual…surrounded by multitudes of fan-girling romantics practically drooling at the faintest mention of a boomerang."
"I see," Katara broke out through a couple laughs. "So…by the drinks?"
This time it was Toph's turn to laugh. "No, not tonight. He's got work to do in the morning…He was over there by a food table a few minutes ago," she said, recalling the young man's location.
"You sure it was him?" Katara pressed fervently.
"You think I spent years tagging along with you light-weights without being able to memorize who's who?" Toph asked, only slightly offended.
"Geesh, okay, okay. Listen, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. We're still on for some old-fashioned sparring, right?" Katara playfully mimicked entering a fighter's stance. Toph grinned. "You bet, sister!"
With that, Katara galloped off towards the main food table with glee in her step. Toph admired the way she walked; even with just a few steps, Katara could convey her contentedness. Perhaps a lot of it was in her face, too. Toph regretted that she would never be able to see Katara's famous grin so many people seemed to love. But she shrugged off the thought and walked to the nearest clearing that didn't inhabit any more people.
She eventually found herself on the eastern terrace. It overlooked a small pond and a few woodsy areas – some trees here, a garden there, everything that pertains to a typical terrace. Toph leaned her elbows up against the cold marble railing and let out a long-held sigh. The cold was refreshing against her warm skin. Eager to let her mind meander away from this place, she tried to recall the last time she bended marble. Was it two months ago? Three? There was that sparring session she held with Bumi, but she couldn't be sure if that was marble or limestone, which he honestly pulled out of nowhere. It wasn't like they were standing above a quarry, or –
"Toph!"
She pushed her arms from off the railing and turned around to face the man who had spoken her name.
"Aang, I thought you couldn't make it tonight," she said.
"Yeah…well…" he hopped up onto the railing to sit, "Neither did I." He pulled an apple out of his robes and chomped a massive bite out of it. He was in the middle of chewing when he noticed Toph's frown.
"…What?" he mumbled out.
"You eat when you're nervous," she said flatly. He rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at the quaint pond. "I'm the Avatar, Toph. I'm supposed to always be nervous."
She couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious. She pondered both possibilities.
"Well, y'know," she cleared her throat apprehensively, "You could…uh…talk about it…"
Aang blinked. Then the two of them broke into roaring laughter. Onlookers turned their heads to see them both whooping along. Aang appreciated the hilarity of the suggestion and Toph continued snorting.
"Good one," he laughed. He lifted himself off the railing and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "You were right though, I am nervous. Nervous that these stingy nobles aren't going to donate to Zuko's expedition funds…it'll sort itself out though, I suppose…" he trailed off as he gave her one more pat on the back and walked away. "I better get back to the crowd. Have a good night, Toph," he said as he entered the menagerie of magnificent robes and luscious extravagancies.
"You too," she said to herself, turning back around and facing the pond. She moved her foot forward slightly and two small pebbles lifted up into her hand. She twirled them through her fingers, passing the time inattentively. What a beautiful night, she thought. But deep under all the smiles and lavishness, she knew it would be a lie to say so.
For he still stood amongst those beautiful girls, talking and smiling and story-telling with the voice she longed to hear every evening. It was the voice that – as far as she could tell, laying in her somber bed at night – even the farthest reaches of her heart had come to yearn for.
Toph kicked up some more pebbles. "Beautiful night," she muttered mockingly. She then overheard a man a few meters away comment to his wife how lovely the air felt. Again she sighed. Perhaps the air, at least, she could agree on.