A/N: I finally got a laptop~! Now I don't have to steal my roommate's computer anymore and I can write whenever I want to. Also, I have my laptop with me during school, so I can even type out chapters during all my free blocks. So this is good for all of us. I just can't stop staring at it! It's so gorgeous; I think I'm in love, haha! Well, let me not keep you all any longer. Enjoy!

OOO

Chapter 7

Preparations

OOO

Unfortunately for Aang, his little detour left him farther away from the warehouse he and Jet had agreed to meet up in than he would have liked.

The moment he made it back on the main road, he realized just how far from the market he really was. While Aang could certainly come up with a multitude of reasons for why that was an extremely good thing, he couldn't ignore the exasperation that came over him when he realized that he would have to walk quite a bit before he would be able to get all the way to where Jet was.

If he had to make a rough estimate, it was probably a twenty minute walk. It would have been a lovely stroll through the city on any other day, and he probably would have accepted it gladly and without any complaint. But the last thing he wanted to do was be outside in this weather for longer than he had to. Walking would keep him a bit warm, but he still wasn't looking forward to it.

Aang sighed and crossed his arms across his chest to still his shivering body. Now that it was around noon, the sun was finally peeking its way from behind the clouds that hung over the city this morning. Large patches of sunlight were actually falling on the sidewalks and streets for the first time in hours. Aang decided that that was his best bet if he wanted to stay warm. So, being careful to walk only where the sun was shining, Aang trudged through the busy streets to the safe house.

The boy knew that sulking wasn't a dignified habit to become attached to, but he couldn't help suppressing the frown on his face. As he walked, he felt his staff bump against him where it was strapped to his back. That was a comforting feeling, but the empty bags on his back weren't in the least.

Days when Aang walked home with nothing to show for were depressing for him, and that was saying it nicely. It didn't feel good to be walking around with only your clothes on your back and knowing that was really all you had to call your own at the moment. He mainly felt like a failure, first and foremost. Aang psyched himself up with the mindset that he would be coming home a rich (well, rich as per his standards) man today. He thought that he would be able to outsmart those worthless, cheating salesmen at the market, slink away unnoticed, and everything would work out well for him.

Now, looking back, he just felt incredibly stupid.

Then, of course, there was always that fear that came with not having anything to show for today. Empty bags and empty hands meant that there would be nothing of something for a few weeks.

One time, it had been no blankets. Thank the higher beings that it was the fall when that happened so it really wasn't that cold outside, and Aang had managed. But he remembered how frightened he was of cold weather that autumn. He had waited three weeks for the next market day that time.

Another instance, it had been no shoes. That was terrible. It wasn't uncommon to see people walking around barefoot in the city when they had nothing to wear on their feet. If anything, in the life Aang led, shoes were valuable, and you had to be really good to swipe a good pair of boots. But Aang's had worn out to the point where they were no longer usable, and he had failed to get a new pair during a market day. So he walked around barefoot for a month, stepping on sharp glass, stubbing his toes on rocks in the middle of the road, and scuffing up the soles of his feet. By the time he did manage to get shoes, his feet weren't a pretty sight.

Even now, as he was turning a street corner, three little girls munching on a loaf of bread were outside in only thin socks. Their poor feet looked cold, but there was nothing they could really do about it. Lucky for them, there was a market day in another week—or so he heard—so they wouldn't go too long without anything.

But at least they have jackets, Aang thought bitterly, hugging his meager sweater closer to himself.

That was the other scary thing about all of it: you never knew when market days were. They weren't scheduled. Often merchants came and went when they felt like it. The only time when markets days were scheduled was the beginning of the first winter month—like today—or the beginning of the first summer month. From listening to the excited chatter of the people he walked by, Aang heard rumors of another market day in approximately a week. But he didn't know how much faith to put into that.

During the rest of the year, market days were everywhere from two days apart to two months apart, depending on sales shortages, weather, traveling, and other variables that prevented traveling merchants from making a living. So if you missed your chance one day, you never knew when you would get a second one.

The biggest scare Aang had was about a year ago. Jet and Aang were running away with a basket of food on a day where it was raining heavily. But they had both stumbled and dropped everything they grabbed in a muddy puddle on the streets. They had tried picking up the food and considered eating the unsoiled parts, but everything was so saturated in dirt and muck that nothing was worth salvaging. It wasn't as if they could go back and get more now that they attracted so much attention.

The two were forced to endure through two agonizing weeks with nothing but a little bit of cheese and half a loaf of bread.

It wasn't just the fact that coming back empty handed made you feel like a pathetic good for nothing. Aang was terrified of starving or freezing to death all because of the fact that he managed to slip up one day. That was something he was afraid to accept, with very good reason. He hoped that it would never come to that.

Aang's thoughts began drifting towards meaningless topics, and he allowed his mind to race randomly in hopes that it would distract him from the cold and just keep him going towards his destination. Truthfully, he really didn't want to dwell on horrible memories like that anymore. Sometimes, he had nightmares about being stuck in the cold or going a month without food. Even now, he could feel his stomach clenching in pain from the memories. It wasn't healthy for him to recall such things. His focus now was making sure that his friend was alright and not injured.

The safe house that Aang and Jet had chosen actually used to be a workshop that manufactured toys. He vaguely remembered the shop when it was in operation and when the polished display windows held toys, dolls, and models in every color imaginable. Of course Aang never had enough money to purchase a toy of his own, he remembered sitting in front of the toy shop on some days watching all the children inside smile and enjoy the presents they had purchased.

The man who owned the shop died a few years ago. So the workshop was currently left abandoned since no one else was left to care for it. But as Aang began to see the workshop come into view, he smiled when he realized that it still looked much as it did when it was still running. A few windows were cracked, the door was off the hinges, the shutters were splintered, and the whole place looked dusty. But overall, nothing had had changed. And because no one bothered to pay it any mind, it would be the perfect place to escape to after they finished raiding markets.

Aang tried the doorknob to the front door, but found that he couldn't push the door open. He even tried throwing his weight into the door with his shoulder, but nothing seemed to be working. Upon closer inspection, Aang noticed that the hinges looked rusted over, so there was probably no sense in trying to force the door open. It didn't look like it would budge anyway.

"There's got to be another way to get inside…" he muttered to himself.

He considered the idea of calling out to Jet to see if he was inside, but he was afraid that this would cause the few people who were walking past to turn their heads. He didn't need to bring attention to himself.

Of course, another more frightening thought crossed his mind afterwards…

No, Aang thought adamantly. There's no way he'd let something happen to him. He said he'd meet me here. I know he made it.

Aang walked around the perimeter of the building to find another entrance. He had to climb over piles of broken furniture and other useless junk that cluttered the sides of the building in order to circle the workshop. There was a back entrance that Aang considered trying, but quickly shot down the idea once he realized that the doors were boarded shut. He looked along the sides of the building again and wondered if there was perhaps a window he could climb through.

Going back, he saw that there was indeed a window that was opened just a crack on the second floor. Directly underneath it was a pile of wood; if he stood on it, he could probably just reach the window and get inside.

Hoping that this was his ticket inside, Aang lifted himself onto the high perch and reached up towards the open window. He was able to open the shutters and saw that the glass to the window was missing. He wasted no time in lifting himself onto the ledge and quietly slipping inside the open window.

Aang made sure to land silently on the slim chance that someone else besides Jet was inside. He seemed to have entered a spacious room that was probably used either as a large storage closet or a small studio. It was still a bit cold inside the building, but Aang found some relief now that there was no wind blowing in. Satisfied that this room was empty, Aang closed the shutters and proceeded through the rest of the house.

There were only two rooms on the second floor, so Aang entered the other entryway on this floor. There were several candles lit around the room since the lighting was already dim to begin with. The room was also considerably warmer than the rest of the workshop—not by much, but it was something. However, Aang's attention was drawn immediately to the body slumped over in the corner of the room.

"Jet!" Aang knelt down next to his friend and noticed that he had fallen asleep with his hook swords gripped loosely in his hands. He must have gotten tired of waiting for him.

Aang shook the boy's shoulder and his eyes immediately began to flutter open. On instinct, he backed away further into the wall and lifted his swords in front of him, probably thinking that there was an intruder in the building. But his eyes quickly focused and settled on Aang who was holding his hands up in defense. Jet sighed and laid the swords down on the ground with a small clatter.

"You scared me," Jet sighed. "I was waiting for a while for you to come back and I was about to go and get you. But I think I fell asleep somewhere in between. Sorry."

"It's fine," Aang answered and shrugged his staff and his bags off of his shoulders. "Nothing happened on my end. I was more worried about you. Are you alright?"

Jet shrugged and lifted his arm, showing a shallow but long cut that ran the length of his upper arm. "Nothing big. Just a little scratch. It's already stopped bleeding already so I figured there was nothing to worry about."

Jet's reassurance didn't quell the sinking feeling inside of Aang's chest. While he was busy hiding in an alley, Jet was putting himself in danger all to cover up for his friend who wasn't paying attention to his surroundings as well as he should have been. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place," Aang muttered. "If I had paid more attention and gotten out of there right away—"

"Look, save the guilt trip, Aang. It's fine," Jet chuckled. "I'd need more than both my hands to count the times you bailed me out of a sticky situation. Consider this one small step towards making it up to you."

He knew that Jet was only trying to make him feel better, but Aang still didn't allow himself to feel relieved just yet. He truly hated it when either of them had to get hurt for the other one. It didn't seem right and he was never okay with it when Jet had to help him out and get hurt in the process. But, Aang supposed since Jet wasn't stressing it as much as he was, he would let it go. They had bigger things to worry about anyway.

"So, how did it look when you got away?" Aang asked hesitantly. He was almost afraid to ask. Jet escaping with all of his limbs and no serious injuries was only a small step towards quelling all of Aang's worries. As much as he knew what the answer would be, he almost hoped that Jet would be the bearer of good news. But he supposed it wasn't good to get his hopes up.

Jet's face scrunched up. "Well…let's just say that for the time being, we should seriously consider the benefits of living as fugitives for a few weeks."

Upsetting, but again, Aang saw it coming.

Jet was immediately aware of his frustration and frowned. "So," Jet started casually, hoping to change the course of the conversation. "Is that girl okay? What was her name again? Toph or something…"

Aang blinked. He had almost completely forgotten about Toph while he was busy sulking al the way back to the safe house. He nodded. "Yeah, she was fine. A little bruised around the wrists but she was fine."

"I'm surprised you didn't walk her home or something," Jet smirked and nudged Aang playfully with his elbow. "You strike me as the gentlemanly type that would do something sappy like that."

"I don't think she would have let me take her to her house," Aang replied. Ignoring the fact that this girl was physically too proud to even consider letting Aang of all people walk her home, he imagined that she would still insist on going home by herself.

There were many things that he still didn't know about her and she was still something of a complete mystery to him. Why was someone like her hanging around the market place when she probably had people who went and bought the things she needed for her? Why was she dressed like a commoner and mingling around with people like Katara when she probably had rich friends she could be having simple conversations with? What was she trying to do? What was she trying to prove? Although all of this remained unanswered, Aang was able to surmise one thing for certain: she clearly did not want anyone to know that she was a noble.

He knew that much from the fact when he asked her about her fighting skills. He may not have been a human lie detector, but he definitely saw her struggle with her answer as if she was searching for a lie to tell him. If she was hesitant to reveal who she was, the idea of walking her home was completely out of the question. It probably would have only depressed him to go through the rich part of the city anyway.

"That was pretty crazy what you did, by the way," Jet commented after the little lapse of silence. "Talk about a close call. A half a second more and that poor girl would have been nursing an amputated limb right about now."

"It's not really that impressive if you think about it," Aang replied and tried to sound humble about the ruckus he caused today. "I would have done it the same thing had it been anyone else."

"I don't know," Jet laughed. "You looked pretty frantic when you saw who it was. Love struck, are you?"

The grey eyed boy just glared and allowed Jet to laugh at the very faint but still apparent flush in Aang's cheeks. It was frustrating. There was something just so completely infuriating about the girl, so much that sometimes he couldn't stand thinking about her because of all of the stress she had already caused him in the past. But then again, his thoughts also ran back to the first time he had ever seen her: all dressed up, solemn, depressed, sad, disconnected, but still stunningly and completely gorgeous.

After today, she supposed she wasn't exactly as demonic as he thought before. The fact that they managed to have a civil conversation was proof that things weren't completely strained. She even offered to help him with his issues, even though he adamantly insisted that such a gesture was completely unnecessary. He supposed she was charming in an annoying and irritating sort of way, and that was only part of the time.

Of course he knew that if he didn't jump in to save her today, the two boys would have probably gotten away with stealing a winter's worth of clothes and more today. But despite all of the fighting and yelling they had subjected the other to, it was still worth saving her. He didn't regret it in the least. What he did regret was the fact that he hadn't been a little bit more careful to ensure a clean getaway for himself.

Now they were stuck in this mess.

"Have you been listening around?"Aang suddenly asked. "Apparently there's going to be a market day in a week."

Jet snorted and shook his head in disbelief. "I'll believe it when I see it. Don't trust random people off the street with information like that. It's never true. Besides, we have to worry about how we're going to last from here on in."

Jet was right, and Aang nodded in affirmation. But he wasn't sure how much they could really do at this point save sucking it up and dealing with the cold for who knew how long.

"When I was running back, I saw some boxes filled with old blankets behind a building." Jet pointed to the far left corner towards a small pile of thin quilts folded and piled neatly on top of each other. They looked thin and worn, as if someone had thrown them out because they weren't in good enough condition to keep. Aang turned to Jet as saw the defeated expression on his face. They both knew it wasn't much to smile at, but at least it was something extra.

"We can each take half," Jet reasoned with his face set into a hard look of concentration. "It doesn't solve the clothes problem, but at least it'll be more cover for us when we're sleeping. That's a start."

"Yeah," Aang agreed. "But what are we going to do when we have to go outside? It's only going to get colder from here on in and going outside without proper cover won't be a very smart idea."

The anxiety from the situation was already getting to Aang as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, attempting to piece together his thoughts. "It's easier to get sick when it's cold out, so I don't think it's smart to go outside unless we're properly prepared."

"So what are you saying? We can't go outside until a market day shows up?" Jet asked incredulously. "Do you realize how stupid that sounds?"

"I'm not saying to completely quarantine ourselves," Aang explained. "But we shouldn't go out unless it's absolutely necessary. Going out for food and water is unavoidable, but other than that we should stay inside where it's at least remotely warmer."

Jet didn't seem as if he were taking the news of staying holed up in his home well. Aang understood that, but it wasn't as if they had much of a choice.

"There are a limited number of stores and shops that we can steal water and food from without getting caught, Aang," Jet said, his voice rising little by little the more the two of them discussed their extremely limited options. "The employees at a store don't change. If we steal from them once, they'll recognize us the second time. And even if we do manage to get away with taking something unnoticed, they'll notice two ruffian kids are always walking into the shop, keeping their backs to the employees, and not buying anything each and every time. It won't take a genius to figure out what we're doing."

It was all true, but there was still no need to so pessimistic about it. The last thing they could afford to be at this point was pessimistic. "Would you calm down? You're making it sound as if we're going to starve to death."

Jet wasn't looking in Aang's direction. His posture was rigid and he was adamant in keeping his eyes on the wall across from him. Aang knew that when Jet was particularly annoyed, he had a habit of blowing things up into issues that they really weren't. He overreacted and he often let his anger get the better of him. He knew that if he was driven far enough, he could get himself so deep in trouble that not even Aang would be able to get him out. It was never good to lose patience with him, as Aang constantly reminded himself.

"I've still got that basket of bread that I got from the bakery yesterday, so that'll still be good until the end of the week. There is still some fruit left from today that we can spare, you've got two big jugs of water back at your place, and there's still come dry crackers that I have that we can eat. They won't go bad for a while and we'll be covered. And of course, if we happen to run out, we can hit another bakery or a small restaurant and steal some little things to keep us nourished."

Taking all of those factors into consideration, they could be kept busy for about two weeks with what they have currently, and probably another week and a half depending on what they managed to steal from stores afterwards. By then, a market day would have to pop up sometime. Market days weren't usually too far apart during the winter, so they should be fine. The only real problem was the bitter cold.

"Fine," Jet assented. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact that we are going to freeze to death."

Aang frowned and returned Jet's glare with one of his own. "Could you not say 'freeze to death'? That's not funny, and it's not going to happen."

That seemed to have done the trick in terms of softening Jet's expression. At least now he looked apologetic as opposed to looking absolutely livid. Aang waited to see if he was going to say something in apology, but Jet just turned his head to look out of one of the windows in the room. Aang shrugged and moved himself to lean against the wall next to Jet. If he didn't want to talk anymore, then Aang wouldn't talk.

"So," Aang started conversationally. He picked up his staff from the floor and started running his fingers over the little kicks and cracks the weapon had gained over the years from repeated use. "When do you want to head home?"

"I don't know. I kind of don't want to go outside yet," Jet admitted quietly.

Aang nodded. "That's fine. I'm kind of tired anyway." They both seemed content with the decision and fell into a comfortable silence, Jet looking out the window and Aang fiddling with his bo staff.

They really didn't have anything else to do today now that they couldn't go back to the market. It wouldn't hurt to stay here for a bit since it was warmer than anywhere else they could afford to go. Neither felt like talking either, since any and all conversation would no doubt diverge from the topic and settle back on their current lack of supplies, a topic that neither wanted to touch for the sake of sanity. For now, taking a breather here was an enjoyable activity.

"Wanna play a game?" Jet asked after a few minutes.

Aang nodded and turned towards Jet. "Sure. What do you want to play?"

"Remember when we were kids and we used to imagine what our dream mansion would look like, and then we'd compete to see who's was cooler?"

Both boys laughed at the fond memories. Those were definitely simpler times, and Aang half remembered that the game had caused multiple scuffles because they were so competitive over the years. But at the very least, it was distracting and it passed the time rather quickly. To be honest, Aang didn't feel like doing anything substantial at the moment. He was tired in every sense of the word, and he just wanted to clear his head and relax. Then, he could worry and stress later.

"Alright," Aang offered. "You go first."

OOO

If Toph wanted to do anything to make up for all that boy had done for her today, this afternoon was the perfect time to do it if she had all her dates and times right.

She spent the entirety of her walk through the city planning out exactly how she could come up with a good enough form of compensation and at the same time make sure that it didn't get connected back to her. Knowing him, he wouldn't take a gift if he knew it came from her. However, the chances of him accepting such a peace offering would increase if a stranger gave it to him or if he managed to get it by accident or pure chance. Toph didn't care if he knew it came from her or not. The point was that he accepted it. If he did that, then maybe she could sleep at night, and these continuous thoughts of him and his well being would stop.

As Toph got closer and closer to her own neighborhood, the number of people around her quickly started to diminish. It only made it easier for her to sneak in and out of the neighborhood without seeming suspicious. After all, if anyone she knew caught wind of what she was doing, the results could be catastrophic. There would have to explanations topped on top of more explanations and that would never do.

In the distance, Toph saw a small square paved with cobblestones with a large fountain in the middle. Around the square were various benches, stone tables, and greenery decorating the area to make for a relaxing spot that people often came to for dates and casual outings. Because common people still came here to relax, Toph blended in well enough and no one would pay attention to the plain boots, the simple coat, and the less than exceptional cloak that she was carrying around in her arms. She wasn't dressed too lavishly, and she wasn't underdressed either. She blended in perfectly and didn't draw any attention, which is exactly how she liked it to be.

However, this normal façade she had put so much effort into would only work up to a certain point.

Past the square was where the neighborhood started to look particularly high class and cultured. The houses were bigger, there were lawns with grass, bushes, flowers, and trees, and the people walking around were also particularly rich. You could tell by the velvet cloaks, the animal-fur coats and gloves, the expensive hats and scarves, and the high quality winter boots on their feet. Sometimes, it amazed her how different this side of the city looked compared to the opposite side of the city that she had just come from. It was as if she had walked into a completely different city.

Toph tread carefully through this part of the city. She put her cloak back on and lifted the hood up as far as it could go. She made sure that her face was covered as much as possible and walked quickly towards her own home.

It wouldn't do well for people around here to see her dressed so casually. Admittedly she didn't care much for how she looked currently and she also didn't care whether people thought she looked homely. What she wanted to avoid was anyone giving her heat over it. If anyone of her mother's friends were walking around here and saw her dressed so plainly, they would start pestering her and then Toph would never hear the end of it.

Being an expert at sneaking around in places without being seen, Toph managed to walk behind houses, crouch behind shrubs, sneak behind trees, and take as many detours as was necessary in order to make sure that no one saw her. There didn't seem to be many people outside anyway. It was far too cold for people in this neighborhood to be walking around for leisure, and Toph was thankful for that. They wouldn't dare go outside for something that they probably already had or could manage to get in the comfort of their own home. However, there were still faces that she recognized walking around the streets, probably heading off to eat at an expensive restaurant in town for the afternoon.

She reached the end of the street and was soon met with a large gate leading to another part of the town. Past these gates led to the Gaoling mansions and estates. These were families that were almost just as rich as the King over at Ba Sing Se. They were the crème de la crème when it came to nobility. They were often led around on palanquins, had more servants than they knew what to do with, and had the money to hire tailors, chefs, tutors, and gardeners to do all of their work for them. They were practically worshipped by the citizens of the city and they held influence all over the country.

And this was unfortunately the life that Toph lived.

It was easier to sneak around in the estates. Walls and gates separated them all, and no one could really be spotted behind them unless you were intently looking. The rich folk that she had just passed were probably still willing to go out in the cold to enjoy themselves, but the high nobles that lived over here would never even dream of going out for walks anywhere else other than their gardens. Due to the bitter cold, they were probably curled up in their dens and sitting rooms in front of a roaring fire. The only time they really exited their homes was to go out of the city for a well-needed vacation.

After passing the fourth estate, she finally approached a bronze gate that she recognized. On the handles of the gate was the Bei Fong insignia, a beautiful rendition of a flying boar that had been a symbol of the family for centuries. There was a slight hesitation in her step when she approached the gates, so slight that she herself probably didn't really notice it. It was never a happy experience walking through these gates. But there was nothing much she could do, so Toph quietly pushed open the gates, slipped through to the other side, and shut them quietly behind her.

Goodbye, Toph. Hello, Miss Bei Fong.

She supposed that had she been anyone else, the sight of the gardens would have impressed her. Perfectly kept grass, flowers that her gardener had imported from the neighboring country, tall trees, and even a small little brook that ran underneath an old stone bridge. Her estate was surrounded by a tall stone wall, and up ahead she could see the large double doors that led into the foyer of her house. She looked up and saw the three story building that rose up above her head. From here, she could see the balcony of her room as well as her parents' room on completely separate sides of the house.

If Toph was correct, her parents should be having a lunch party with a family close by in another house and therefore wouldn't see her sneaking into her room. This would make her life incredibly easy and she could plan out everything today without a hitch.

Toph completely passed the front door and started walking around towards the back door which led to the servants' quarters and kitchens. Toph dug through the pockets of her coat and pulled out a silver key that she kept hidden on her at all times with a bronze chain. She slipped the key into the lock and entered the house without a sound.

The kitchens were empty and lunch wasn't for another hour, so the path to her room should be pretty straightforward. In the afternoon, the maids and servants cleaned the west wing of the house where her parents' room was. That meant that the east wing was completely free and she would be able to head straight to her room, get dressed, and meet her tailor who should be arriving in the next fifteen minutes. The only reason she wasn't invited to the lunch party was because Toph needed to be fitted for her winter wardrobe today.

Toph pulled off her gloves and cloak and carried them in her arms as she exited the kitchen and made her way into the dining room, past the sun room, through a long hallway of storage rooms, and finally into the main room.

She climbed the large staircase that was set right in the middle of the room and made it to the first landing. The stairs then curved left towards one side of the house and curved right towards the other side of the house. Toph immediately turned right and started walking through the long hallways, through double doors, until she reached a large oak door that led to her own bedroom. She quickly opened the door and silently shut it behind her in case anyone else was within ear shot and could here her and come and find her sneaking around when she shouldn't have been.

The girl sighed in relief and shed her coat and scarf and let it drop on her bed. She had about ten minutes before her tailor would let herself in and start fitting her for her new gowns and dresses and whatever other nonsense her mother felt like she needed to add to her daughter's already-crowded closet. Toph grimaced at the impending fate of having tape measures being wrapped around every single part of her body and being stuck with pins and swathed in all sorts of stuffy and irritating fabrics.

Toph entered her closet and looked around for a simple dress that she could wear simply to lounge around in her room. She searched for the gown that she was dressed in this morning and decided that that would be the best option. She located the simple emerald dress and took off the pants and tunic she had worn outside.

"As if I really need anything else added to this," she muttered hatefully as she stared at all of the clothing she had with her. "Anymore clothes and my closet will implode."

It wasn't as if she was unused to such luxuries. Her father owned emerald and sapphire mines all over the country and made enough money to put even the richest nobles to shame. Her mother was a huge public figure. In fact, she was the one who ordered the construction of the square she had passed on her way home and fixed up the city park for everyone else. Any other city projects that she felt were necessary were immediately planned and executed. Basically, her parents were loved, and they were rich for being successful and being loved. When she was born, she was plunged right smack in the middle of all of it. Being a part of the prestigious Bei Fong family was quite the honor. Or so everyone thought.

She supposed that such treatment wouldn't have been so bad if her parents would learn how to lighten up. It always seemed as if her parents never saw eye-to-eye on anything they discussed and things were therefore always strained between them.

Just the other day, she suggested to her mother if she could start leaving the house and looking around the city by herself. Her mother of course insisted that it was far too dangerous and she wasn't old enough to take such responsibility. That was when Toph snuck out the morning after and escaped over to Katara's house to complain about the injustice of it all. Toph always snuck out of her house without permission since her parents thought she wasn't ready to travel by herself. It would have been nice if they gave her permission to do what she wanted, but apparently such luxuries were too much for their pampered and sheltered daughter to handle.

It was why she was always careful when she went outside. If her parents knew she snuck out, they'd no doubt lock her in her room all day and never let her leave ever again. If anyone saw her sneaking around outside, the news would reach her parents and then the same thing would happen. The maids couldn't know, the servants couldn't know, and all hell would break loose if any of the commoners recognized her when she visited the town. It was exhausting and a lot of work, but at least she got the freedom she needed.

With a sigh, Toph pulled on her dress and sat by her window and picked a random book off of her bookshelf. She really didn't look at the title of the book, but started flipping through it and pretending that she was reading the book. She had already heard the door open and the maids greeting her tailor at the door. Toph sighed and balanced her chin in her hand. She really wasn't looking forward to this, but if she wanted to do something nice for Aang like she was planning to, this encounter was unfortunately necessary.

Toph licked her finger and casually turned another page in her book and rolled her eyes as the door to her bedroom was immediately opened unceremoniously without so much as a knock on the door.

"Hello, Miss Bei Fong!"

Oh my god, Toph lamented. Here we go.

"Such a pleasure to see you're as happy as ever, Ty Lee." Toph hoped that the smile that she forced on her face was convincing enough to satisfy the young woman. At least she was good at faking mannerisms and bright demeanors for everyone around her. Clearly Ty Lee seemed to buy the act and smiled brightly with all of her teeth.

"Oh, it's an absolute joy to come and visit you. I'm so excited when your mother told me to start getting your winter wardrobe together. I have so many ideas for you, you're just going to love them!"

Out of anyone else's mouth, Toph was sure that the words would have sounded sarcastic. It was just the way she stressed certain words and the way she gesticulated along with the smile that took up half of her face. Every time she spoke, Toph felt like she needed to take a nap. But she supposed that she wasn't all that bad. A little annoying when she wanted to be, but she made good company. It was either Ty Lee or her parents. It wasn't exactly a difficult decision to make.

It was pure chance that she became the family's tailor. The family had vacationed to Ember Island for the summer and had happened to see a showcase of the girl's designs at an art showcase that was held every year for the tourists. Toph's mother seemed to take a liking to the line of clothing Ty Lee had created and started asking her all sorts of questions about the process and where her inspiration to design came from.

The conditions were almost picture perfect. Ty Lee used to be an acrobat at a traveling circus when she was younger, but the business fell through a while ago and she was hoping to find some decent money selling her designs at Ember Island. She used to help her fellow circus mates with their costumes and make up, so she was rather skilled when it came to tailoring. Toph's mother offered her a job as the family's personal tailor as well as a more than decent salary, and the young woman said yes immediately. Toph supposed that her mother could have found someone worse, and she had to admit that the girl was sweet at the very least.

Toph put down her book and walked to the little stage that Ty Lee had rolled in with her along with tape measures, pins, and swatches of different types of fabric. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Ty Lee giggled. "Aw, you seem like you're in a bad mood today," she teased. "Is something bothering you?"

The noble shrugged her shoulders and allowed Ty Lee to walk behind her and undo the clasps on the back of her gown. "Nah. Today just didn't go exactly like I hoped it would. It's no big deal."

The dress fell off of her shoulders and Toph was left standing in nothing but a light chemise that she wore under her dresses. Ty Lee instructed her to lift her arms for measurements and Toph did so obediently. Toph mentally prepared herself for the fitting that would no doubt take over an hour if she was lucky. But it was better that she got it over with sooner rather than later.

"I can imagine," Ty Lee lamented quietly. "You always look so depressed whenever I come to see you. You were reading that book earlier with such a sad look on your face."

"It's not as bad as you think." Toph smirked to herself suddenly so that Ty Lee couldn't see. "I find ways to keep myself occupied."

"Well that's good to hear," Ty Lee smiled and stretched the tape measure along the length of Toph's arm. "I'd hate to hear that you were just sitting cooped up in your room all day."

It wasn't as if Toph hadn't done it before. On the days where the weather was too awful to go outside, Toph was forced to stay indoors and just stare out the windows all day and occupy herself with whatever she managed to have in her room.

It was another reason why she liked going outside so much. She had been sneaking out of her house ever since she was twelve years old simply because she felt that the lavish mansion she lived in was more like a prison that her parents kept her in rather than a home. Her parents didn't like the idea of her mingling with commoners. They felt it was too dangerous and too demeaning to be exposed to such a 'base culture.'

There were so many things that she could occupy herself with. Her parents were almost never home, and that left her ample opportunity to sneak past the servants and disguise herself in suitable garb to blend into the city. Sometimes, she stopped by tea shops and bakeries for some pastries and warm beverages. One particular tea shop owner always set her up with piles and piles of books that she was allowed to keep that definitely kept her busy on the days where she couldn't go out. Even market days were great when she could buy a bauble or two for herself. Although, she did admit, it would be best to stay away from market days for a while. There was no need for a repeat of today.

Ty Lee sensed the dejection that seeped from Toph whenever she found her stuck in her room during their visits, and the noble was almost a little annoyed that the girl was able to see through her so well. But aside from Katara, Ty Lee was one of Toph's few friends. Granted she couldn't trust Ty Lee to keep her mouth shut about Toph's escapes from her house and made sure to keep that a secret, but Ty Lee was excellent company. Sometimes, the excess peppiness was what she needed after a long day.

"Can I ask you something?" The tape measure moved from her arms to wrap around her bust, waist, and hips shortly afterward.

"Of course," Ty Lee answered, her tongue poking out of the corner of her lips with her face set in deep concentration. She was mentally keeping the measurements in her head the more she progressed. "What's your question?"

Toph bit her lip and tried to formulate her words as best she could without trying to sound suspicious. "It isn't exactly a question. It's more like a favor."

Toph could have laughed at the look of curiosity that flashed across the girl's eyes. "Ooh, a favor? What sort of favor? Anything I can do, I'll be glad to help you."

"Well," Toph started, quickly working her mind in order to come up with a decent excuse that would justify what she was asking Ty Lee for. "My father has a friend who lives up North and he was going to be leaving for a week to discuss business with him in a calmer setting that over here in the city. If he manages to impress this friend of his, we could extend our emerald and sapphire exports further North to other countries. So this is pretty important."

"Oh really?" the tailor gasped in delight. "That's so exciting! I hope everything goes well with him."

Toph rolled her eyes when Ty Lee wasn't looking. Her father did not like cold weather in the least. He probably would have preferred walking around in the slums of Gaoling than vacationing somewhere so cold. But this was the only story she could come up with at the moment.

"He's going to be leaving in a couple of days and it's rather urgent that he gets all of the coats, scarves, and gloves he asked for as soon as possible so that he can leave right away."

It was a complete lie. The only reason Ty Lee made new coats for Master Bei Fong was because Lady Bei Fong insisted. Toph's father liked his old coats that he had had for years and never asked for new ones. So if Toph managed to intercept these brand new coats, they wouldn't be missed.

Ty Lee bit her lip and stepped away from Toph for a moment to look over Toph again quickly before walking to measure the distance from Toph's waist to the floor. "His wardrobe is practically done already," Ty Lee explained. "All I need to do are add a few finishing touches and I can bring them over for you tomorrow."

Toph's eyes widened and couldn't help but grin. "Really? That quickly. Ty Lee, you are pretty awesome sometimes, you know that?"

The young woman smiled and did a slight bow. "Oh, why thank you! I appreciate the comment especially coming from you." Ty Lee started holding up various shades of green fabrics to Toph's skin in an attempt to match her skin tone perfectly and at the same time get a proper winter style for the young girl.

"My father won't be home tomorrow." Thank goodness, otherwise this won't work, she thought. "If you leave them with me, I'll be sure to tell him that they came straight from you." She watched Ty Lee consider her words as she started sifting through all of the samples that she brought with her. She finally nodded and looked up.

"I think that'll be fine. Make sure you tell your father that he has a good time, alright?"

Toph smirked. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to tell him for you."

The rest of the visit went by surprisingly quickly now that Ty Lee was questioning her about this mysterious, yet fake, friend of her father's. Toph found it rather entertaining and stimulating to come out with story after story and fed them to Ty Lee in order to keep her plan in order. She was barely listening as Ty Lee described all of the designs and outfits she had planned and simply nodded in agreement with whatever Ty Lee said.

Her mind was working on a completely separate wavelength than Ty Lee's was. Her focus was on that infuriatingly fascinating boy that she couldn't seem to get out of her mind. She swore to herself that she was going to help him, and she was sure that this was going to work out. At the very least, she would help him out in ways that he wouldn't have thought imaginable.

It wasn't usually her style to go so much out her way for someone else. But for some reason, she felt oddly determined about this. And she wasn't about to let all of that raw determination go to waste.

OOO

A/N: This was written quickly as I have a busy schedule this week, so apologies if that was reflected in the writing. But thank you all for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. And even if you're just reading, thank you again. Tune in next time~!