The next morning, everyone awoke from a decent night's sleep, and all were out performing their daily duties. Sokka went out for meat (Again! Had this boy a bottomless pit for a stomach?), while Suki and Katara were tending to the yard, discussing the gifts they had received from their boyfriends the night before. Suki had bragged about Sokka, having given her some expensive perfume from a famous abbey located in the earth kingdom, and a beautiful banded bangle, with gemstones that matched the kyoshi warrior paint perfectly. Reds and whites embellished in a gold trim to match the fans used in combat, although Suki ruefully noted that she'd have to take the bracelet off during her training, as the bangle would likely interfere.

Katara quietly and thoughtfully shared what Aang had brought her, which was simpler, but sweeter in her opinion: A bouquet of hand-picked flowers from throughout the region, each having a unique fragrance or delicate appearance. She noted he must've spent all of the evening looking for the perfect bouquet. He had also crafted a small kite with both the water and air insignias combined as an emblem on the front, and promised her they'd fly it the next day. Both girls seemed very satisfied with their gifts, and continued their chores in a comfortable silence. Aang had left to feed appa and momo the remainder of fresh apples from the last grocery trip, and at last minute decided to buy some produce for himself that wasn't meat oriented, as he was positive the scatterbrained water tribesman would forget about him as usual.

The morning had long passed, and everyone was awake and active, except for Toph.

"..I mean I realize she loves to sleep in, but it's almost past mid-day! This is getting a little ridiculous," Katara sighed, finishing a lengthy sweep of the courtyard they'd been tending to in their old upper-ring abode. She knew the young earthbender wasn't one to go out of her way for others unless absolutely necessary, but for spirit's sake! This had to have been the longest she'd slept in during their stay in the city, and she hadn't done any chores since they'd settled there about a month before. "I'm sure she's just worn out from all the metalbending training she's been doing," Suki replied gently. "She's like a different person.. I mean, she's always been pretty headstrong since I met her, but it's as if she's putting all of her concentration into it lately."

"You have no idea, Suki. If there is one bender out there who is focused on improving themselves and their abilities more than the avatar himself, it's Toph. But whether that's because she wants to improve or whether it's because she just likes to brag.." Both girls let out a fit of giggles, but the laughter quickly trickled down into a slightly awkward silence, as their soft jabbing hadn't changed the fact that Toph was still supposedly missing in action. "Maybe I'll go check on her," the waterbender said with a little remorse of having teased her best friend without much of a thought. Of course as if right on cue, though, Toph stumbled outside with a bewildered expression on her face. Katara mouthed out an "..Are you all right?" after a few seconds of staring, and ran beside the earthbender, who was still in her bindings and loose fitting pants as if she'd forgotten to fully dress for the day.

"I guess, but I think someone broke into my room lastnight," She said flatly, with little expression in her voice.. She could hide her feelings pretty well when she wanted to; after all, had someone actually broken in she'd be the first to hear, or "see" the intruder, and a stranger coming into their residence without instant detection was not only strange, it was frightening.

"What makes you say that?"

Toph turned toward Suki's voice, staring blankly about a foot off center from the kyoshi warrior. "Well, other than the fact that my room was displaced and I woke up this morning with a blanket over my feet! I spent all morning searching the place to make sure nobody was hiding in any crevices!" The metalbender pounded her feet into the earth in sheer frustration, and the earth submitted to her will, loosening up and rattling beneath her. It's like the echo of her own words roused her up into a frenzy. How dare someone sneak into her room! "I would've pounded 'em so hard if I had felt them coming, but.. I was dead asleep, and they must've known to cover my feet up so I couldn't sense their presence. I'm usually quick to rise if my feet are messed with.. I just don't get it. You're all good? Nothing is missing?"

Katara glanced over to Suki, who had just as much of a shocked expression as the waterbender. The fan wielder gave a soft shrug and looked back to Toph, who had now crossed her arms and fell silent, staring beyond into emptiness. "No.. I don't think anything was taken, and we're all safe here." "Obviously, fanny fingers. I could sense you all when I woke up, hence the not panicking over your safety." "Did you have anything taken, Toph? Maybe it was just a prank.." Toph glared in Suki's general direction, a scowl replacing her blank features. "Why's that, Suki, are you admitting guilt or something? You are pretty sneaky when you want to be.."

Toph knew the Kyoshi warrior wouldn't have snuck into her room as her voice was sincere enough in question, and she was almost certain the fan wielder feared her, to an extent. Still, she placed a hand on her hip in mock irritancy, and then frantically patted her side a few times, eyes widening at the realization. "My clothes!" She then catapulted herself back into the house, using the earth as her cannon. Again, Katara and Suki exchanged bewildered glances, completely shocked at this news, and Toph's incredibly odd behavior.

"What was THAT about?"

Both girls whirled around to face none other than the firelord himself, dressed in his official garb. He fit very well in his clothes and looked rather handsome with his hair top-knotted and his form well-tailored, but the quizzical and lost expression he gave made him look less like a lord and more like a dopey lost teenager. Katara was the first to speak.
"Zuko! How much did you see—err, hear? How much did you hear?"

"Should I be concerned for my safety or something? I just heard a rumble and was on my way to speak to Uncle Iroh about some matters at the.. Wait. Shouldn't you guys be telling ME what's going on here?" The firebender peered from Katara, to Suki, then his one good eye and his slit of the other traveled to the displacement of earth leading into the Avatar's official guest house. "I'm… guessing that rumbling was Toph, then.."

Suki piped up. "She went crazy.. Well, sort of. I think she's just having an off day?" "I'm going to go see if she's alright," Katara spoke. "She does seem a little off but I'll see if I can't talk to her and find out why. Don't worry, Zuko. We'll clean this up later… again." She purposefully didn't mention an intruder and offered a small smile to the firelord, who just mouthed a steady "Thanks", while Suki commented that she thought she saw Iroh in the middle ring earlier in the morning, and led him away in attempts to find the tea-loving, wise old man.

Author's note: Hello, guys! I'm sorry if this story is at all confusing but bear with me. I'm hoping it gets better as we go along. These beginning chapters are all here for a reason. I'm always open to comments and criticism; If you feel like i'm not portraying a character right or i'm not making sense, i'd love to know and hear from you all!

Thank you, take care C: