Chapter 2: Indication
Within an hour, Toph and her two officers, Chen and Jian, arrived outside of an obscure bar, close to the Central Station. It lay on a narrow street, at the bottom floor of a multi-storey building. Dimly lit inside, on the outside, a large wooden sign was brightly illuminated. The green board wore black symbols painted on it. They read 'Kang's Corner'.
"This is the place I heard about," declared Officer Chen dutifully. "Officers Quon, Wei and Chung were last seen entering, and they never left."
"Well, then," stated Toph in a business-like air, "it's time to put these new uniforms to the test."
Up until now, the police force uniforms had underwent multiple changes until they've reached this final, perfected design with steel cables rather than the Dai Li inspired iron gloves fired at the offenders, which would in turn grab and retrieve them.
"All right, let's go. Officers, keep your eyes open," Toph cautioned.
The other two men obeyed and followed their boss, who pushed the glass door wide open with one hand. As they entered, a thick veil of smoke mingled with the intense aroma of deep-fried food struck their noses. The gazes that Toph and her two officers received were not those of appreciation; even the barkeep shot them a dirty look. Customers whispered amongst each other, watching curiously. Another man emerged from the kitchen and spotted the new visitors.
Clad in dark iron uniforms and hats, the two policemen stood tall behind their chief who dwarfed by their presence, as tiny as she was in comparison. But what she lacked in size, she made up for in attitude and skills. Her sightless cloudy eyes stared reproachfully ahead of her, straight at this new stranger next to the barkeep.
"What's goin' on?" the man asked heatedly. "What is it this time?"
With a flick of the wrist, a solid black metal cable rolled out of a disc-shaped dispenser attached to her belt, ensnaring the stranger.
"Well, what do you know," she uttered rather smugly, more to herself, unreservedly delighted with this new design and its efficiency.
Only the pianist in one corner playing popular Earth Kingdom tunes broke the silence. The few customers that occupied the tables tensed up with anticipation and whispered amongst each other.
Toph narrowed her eyes at her captive. "Are you Kang?"
"Y-yes," grunted the man, squirming uncomfortably beneath the robust metallic ropes wound tightly around his body.
"What do you know about the disappearance of three officers?"
"I don't know…please, I don't!" he croaked.
"You're lying," Officer Ji chimed in. "Our source says this is the place they were seen last. You better tell the truth, or else…"
With one firm stomp, and the swift swinging of his arms up in the air, Ji raised several blocks of solid earth from the ground and encased the suspect's body; he was rendered immobile, completely trapped and unable to escape. Ji tightened the stone barrier around the man menacingly. At this point, Toph withdrew her ropes.
"Officer Ji, Chen: a word, please," the latter called, motioning for them to approach her.
They both obeyed and came closer to their boss. "Either he's telling the truth, or he's an extremely talented actor," she whispered earnestly. "In any case, interrogating him is a waste of time; we're not getting anything out of that guy."
"Are you sure? So, it's a dead-end?" Chen inquired, discouraged.
A mischievous smirk crept across Toph's lips. "Officer Chen, have you ever heard the expression 'more than meets the eye'?"
The young officer looked at her, puzzled. "Yeah…why?"
"This is a classic example," she uttered in a cryptic manner.
Thus, she headed back to her detainee, marching past him, straight into the kitchen, unyielding despite the man's numerous incensed protests and bold threats. Chen joined her as she proceeded to slam a foot into the cold stone floor, sensing the vibrations and whether the earth responded to her. By then, both officers as well as the barkeep and Mr. Kang himself had fallen silent, all tensed up in anticipation.
Chen's heart thumped at the sight of Toph's satisfied grin.
Without further ado, she stomped her foot harshly into the hard flooring again, and with her earthbending, she tore an opening into it, sending dust and rubble flying about the kitchen, knocking cookware off their shelves. Once the dust settled somewhat, what seemed like a hidden hatch materialized, and a ladder straight down into what appeared to be a passageway beneath the facility.
"Someone will have some explaining to do, down at headquarters," the chief declared, still wearing the same victorious smile. Pointing at Ji, she instructed firmly, "Officer Ji, take Kang down to headquarters. Officer Chen, you come with me."
Ji handled his duties without question and arrested the owner, and the youngest of the group, Chen, could barely contain his own enthusiasm, agape with amazement. "Chief Beifong…you continue to impress me with your remarkable talents!"
"Save your praise for later, kiddo. Let's go!"
With that order, he accompanied his boss into the blackness below, ready with his flashlight.
Despite the horrific notion that anything could have happened to her officers by this time, she pressed on. Whatever could have occurred with her colleagues, she would find them, as well as get to the bottom of all of this, by any means necessary.
With that, she descended into the abyss.
Sokka awoke with a start to the sound of a high-pitched voice shrieking his name. Reluctant eyes opened only to shut again once the dazzling daylight stung them. He grumbled in protest, but the shouts would not cease. Alarmed, he shot out of bed, looking around himself frantically.
"What happened, what-"
By his bedside, however, a wide-awake Lin demanded his immediate awakening by slamming her palms on the bed.
"Get up!" she shouted in his ear. "Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!"
As his grogginess abated, relief washed over him at the discovery that this was an ordinary morning like any other, in Lin's presence.
"I'm up, Lin," he mumbled, then stretched himself lazily while a yawn attacked him. Rubbing his tired, sore eyes, he forced himself out of bed, straightening out his somewhat creased day clothes which he had apparently slept in. His head swam, his eyes still foggy and his mouth dry.
The morning was warm. Sokka had to mentally remind himself that he had work to attend to, at City Hall that very same afternoon. And so, he decided to take Lin with him to Air Temple Island and have Katara watch over her while he was away on duty. The girl was absolutely thrilled with the idea of seeing her aunt and uncle, and especially her three friends.
Lin was a loud-mouthed, stubborn and rowdy little girl, but also very mature and eloquent for her age. Already at the early age of three, Sokka had single-handedly taught the girl to read and write. He had been amazed by the child's interest and excitement to learn, as well as her extraordinary memory. Aside from some difficulties pronouncing the letter 'H', and sometimes 'S', and some spelling and grammatical mistakes, by the age of four, she wrote her own stories, which Sokka subsequently read to Toph. She was so pleased with her 'little badgermole' as she lovingly nicknamed her child.
He taught her to tie various knots, to weave, and to set up a tent. The girl had proven herself to be skilled at many things, including fishing. Sokka had brought with her on many 'fishing trips', where he taught her all she needed to know about catching fish, and showed her the best sites around Yue Bay to gather shellfish and mollusks. It had become a habit of theirs to sail out in the bay and discover smaller uninhabited islands, odd-shaped cliffs and caves. Naturally, because Toph could not have made herself more clear on her absolute contempt of traveling by sea, she never joined them. Sokka proudly recounted their adventures to the girl's mother, and praised the girl for her exceptional skills, but mostly her passion and determination. The child showed off her new-found expertise and knowledge eagerly.
On this particular morning, the heat from the sun was relentless. The Beifong residence was situated only a walking distance from the docks, at the very brink of the western area of the city. Sokka's undersized sailboat was tied up there among hundreds of other smaller boats.
The day was breezy enough to carry the vessel across the bay for a visit to his sister and brother-in-law. Lin expressed pure delight over the ferry ride, and Sokka promised to allow her an hour at most on the beach before they would head up to his sister's residence.
Upon arriving on the island, Lin scurried to the beach, entwining her little fingers with his, leading him to the lagoon. He settled in the shade near a cliff, and the toddler scampered into the shallow water to collect sea shells and chase after crabs.
Sokka sat very comfortably in the sand and kept an eye on the child whose interest focused solely on the excavation of the wet sand, and the exploration of the lagoon and all the small creatures living in it. It didn't take long before she came running with something new in her hands.
"Look!"
She scuttled over to him and asked him to open his palms. Releasing the contents of her two cupped hands, she revealed a tiny creature in a spire-like shell, with six miniature legs, pincers, antennae and two beady black eyes.
"It's a hermit crab," Sokka disclosed. "I haven't seen one of those in many years."
What a rare sight, indeed! He hadn't seen one since his last visit to Kiyoshi Island. He let his mind wander, and he revisited a special place, ten years ago.
On a cloudless blue sky hung a scorching sun. It had been hot that day, just like today, and the couple had spent their time swimming and lounging on the beach.
"Hey, I found a new pet for you," Suki announced playfully and motioned for him to come into the water.
She showed him her new find; a little crab in a shell.
"It's looking at you," Sokka noted.
Suki could not resist teasing him. "You think if I kiss it, it'll turn into a prince?"
"Only badgerfrogs do that, in fairytales. But if you kiss me, I just might turn into a prince."
Puckering his lips in an exaggerated manner, he moved closer to give her a kiss, but she pushed him away, giving his chin an odd look. Sokka had for the first time in years been able to grow some hair on his chin, much to his delight, and he showed it off proudly. His significant other, on the other hand, was not particularly fond of it.
"What? No kiss?" he whined. "Is it the goatee?"
"You're shaving that thing tonight," Suki insisted.
"Aww, come on, Suki! It's not that bad!" he argued. "Besides, the guys think it looks cool."
"Then maybe you should ask Zuko or Aang to kiss you," she retorted mockingly.
Sokka grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her close to give her a playful kiss, but the woman quickly swatted him away in jest.
"Come on, babe, be reasonable about this. Okay, how about this: I'll shave it…let's say…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "if you marry me?" he suggested innocently.
Suki blinked in confusion, then burst out laughing. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well?" he inquired timidly. His cheeks flushed when he asked, "How about it?"
As her boyfriend, Suki blushed, heartbeat quickening. "Are you…proposing to me?"
He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Uh…well, yeah, I guess I am. I mean…"
Hawking in embarrassment, he faced her solemnly. His formerly lighthearted visage melted into a serious expression when he felt his own heart pound wildly against his chest. His trembling hands grasped both of hers, and he stared into her azure eyes.
"Will you…do me the honor?"
In return, her eyes welled up and she smiled, unable to contain herself. "Yes! Yes, of course!"
Overwhelmed with emotions, she threw her arms around his neck lovingly and kissed him. They held each other, and Sokka kissed her passionately in response. She whispered his name dreamily, to which the man squeezed her. How joyful her answer had made him! As though he walked on clouds; truly, he was the luckiest man alive! Already, so many plans for the future ran through his mind all at once.
"Oh," he murmured ardently into her ear, "I'm going to make you so happy!"
"Promise me we won't be away from each other like this again," she beseeched.
She thought of the months on end when they couldn't see each other; Sokka's duties to Republic City tied him to the ever growing metropolis, and her own family and friends tied her here. The journey between the island and the city was long, and whenever Sokka visited, his vacations merely lasted two weeks at a time. They filled in the gap with letters, and they wrote weekly, whenever time permitted. But it was far from enough.
"We don't have to be," Sokka offered. "Come with me to Republic City! We'll build a house. One big enough for at least five of us!"
"'Five of us'?"
"Well, I figured we'd have at least two kids," he explained in good humor. "We should have a big family."
Suki laughed. "We'll see. You're not the one who has to carry them!"
He could only smile in response to her statement, and he walked backwards in the near knee-deep water, always watching her beautiful face. Without warning, Suki saw him take a tumble into the water. She didn't see how, but assumed he must have stepped on something or tripped, but she was immediately by his side, pulling him out.
"Sokka! Are you all right?"
Her alarm was met with a mischievous smile.
"Admit it, you freaked out there!"
From his impish grin, she knew right away that he had fallen on purpose.
"You jerk! I did not!" she snapped, and cuffed his arm.
Still, he teased, "Oh? 'Cause your face told me otherwise."
Just then, Suki pushed him back into the water and it was her turn to laugh.
"Hey! Is that a way to treat your future husband?"
They both laughed and Sokka pushed her, but this time, Suki grabbed hold of him, bringing him down with her.
As they sat there, both soaked, still giggling, a thought occurred to him. "This is where we first met," he remarked. "You captured me on the beach, and then you threatened to feed me to the Unagi."
The woman was surprised. "I can't believe you still remember that."
"How could I ever forget? It's the day I first laid my eyes on you."
Once again, she blushed. "Oh, Sokka…you're so unfunny sometimes."
"I wasn't joking," he declared sincerely.
Azure met cerulean, locked in an intense gaze. His lips brushed against hers yet again, and they held each other. It was just the two of them, on a beautiful afternoon like this, in quiet ecstasy.
Before long, the memory faded. Like a mirage, it evaporated, when reality called his name. Sokka was jerked out of his daydream when he heard laughter behind him. Three children ran towards him.
"Uncle Sokka!" they cried in unison.
Upon turning his head, he immediately recognized his niece and two nephews, who pounced on him gleefully and hugged the man. "He-hey! Kya, Bumi…Tenzin!"
"Sokka?" Katara saw him and approached him. "So it was your boat that I saw! I'm not just imagining things," she acknowledged with a smile.
He greeted his sister with an affectionate hug, and explained, "I have to meet with the council. Toph trusted me with Lin, but if it's not a problem, I'll have her here while I'm away. I'll pick her up as soon as I'm done."
"Of course."
He turned to the girl. "Lin-bean, why don't you join your friends? I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"
"Okay!" she cheeped. Without a second glance, she ran off with her three friends, though always close by where Katara could see them. The latter turned to her brother and smiled.
"I've read your speech," she revealed. "It's very inspirational. I think Toph will be pleased."
"'Speech'?"
For a moment, Sokka was at a loss. What was his sister on about? He froze up.
"For the commemoration gala tomorrow night," Katara reminded. "Try to look presentable, they'll be taking photographs of us," she declared with a childlike smile when she dusted off and straightened out his creased robes. "They're raising that statue in Toph's honor at the headquarters."
He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, his gaze trained on the ground. "Yeah..."
Katara sighed when she recognized this behavior. "Don't tell me you forgot! You've known about it for months, and you know how important it is! It's your best friend's party," she chided disapprovingly. "You're such a scatter-brain lately, what's going on with you?"
"Nothing," he mumbled and waved it off, shunning her searching gaze. "Just a lot on my mind is all."
Katara arched an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest at the unsatisfactory answer. Her brother eyed her and fidgeted uncomfortably under her scrutiny.
"What?" he demanded innocently.
She merely shook her head. "I'm just trying to figure out what it is that you're not telling me."
"Look at the time!" he cut her off, gazing at his pocket watch and walked slowly backwards. "I should get to City Hall. Well, see you later."
With that hasty farewell, he ran before she could ask anything else. Katara sighed and shook her head.
