Here's another chapter of this multi-chapter story. Obvious statement is obvious (I love tautology).

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you all, regardless of your opinions! And for everyone who reads this without reviewing... Stop it. Toph frowneth upon thee. To those who DO review (Toph smileth upon thine visage), don't forget that you can always make (reasonable) requests/suggestions (hopefully I won't be overwhelmed) and ask as many questions as you wish! I apologize for not directly responding to reviews, I am lazy fuck and socially awkward. Feel free to E-Punch me in the gut/face. I deserve it.

Quick favor, however- I would really appreciate if you guys could tell me who your favorite character is and why, which chapter you liked the most and why, and some constructive criticism, please! Concrit does not mean "0MFG, U LYK T44NG 0NLY CUZ U W4NT ZUT4R4, U B1TCH"or "WTF, N0 0ZAI? U 5UK B4LLZ" Those are not reviews, those belong on sites where arrogant people regularly war with one another by saying the most vile, evil things anyone could ever direct at another human being. Sites like Youtube.

Let's begin.


[flashback]

"After the harrowing game that concluded the warm summer season, Wilfred and Rupert wiped the sweat off their brow in contentment. Football was a man's sport, and having won, they were now to be revered by the lower classes once school started. Life was good, and they decided to celebrate by indulging in their favorites- a couple of bottles of Cokes for twenty-five cents each at the General Store down by-"

"Wait, wait, wait, what? What the hell is that? The bottle was a quarter each? That's fucked up!"

Zuko sighed and put the book down, having been interrupted for the third time in the past ten minutes.

"Things were a lot cheaper back then, Champ." he said somewhat wearily.

"That's sick, messed up, and awesome. Why don't they just buy all the Coke there?" Toph exclaimed, popping a salted peanut into her mouth in indignation (and nothing screams displeasure more than salted nuts).

"Err, let me rephrase that. It's not just that things were cheaper, but the value of money was a lot higher." he patiently explained, reaching over and grabbing a salted peanut for himself.

"Oh. Which explains why you need more dough if you want to buy a Coke now a days?"

"Yeah."

"Damn it. That sucks. I shoulda been born earlier. Okay, sorry, continue."

Zuko cleared his throat and began again.

"-the General Store down by Old Man Riley's rickety shack. Rupert and Wilfred crossed-"

"Uh, Sparky?"

The book went back down. By now, Toph's interruptions weren't so much "annoying" as it was something he'd grown to expect to occur every five to fifteen minutes.

"Yeah, Champ?"

"Okay, so... I didn't mention this since the beginning of the book..."

They were on the twentieth page in a book that was about 220 pages long. It had been two hours.

"... But could you do me a favor?"

"What's up?"

"So... I'm really bothered by their names."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"I mean... Like... Just the sound of them. Rupert and Wilfred. I feel my heart break everytime you read that aloud, man. Don't they feel ashamed of their names? What were their parents thinking? Why don't they give themselves nicknames? I dunno about Rupert, but the other guy could call himself Will or something, right?"

"I... I suppose..."

"Granted, it's not like we have the most normal names either, but it's better than- than Rupert and Wilfred. Those are so horrible, it feels like a papercut. It makes me wince in pain."

"Well... Things were different back then..."

"Nuh uh! Remember that book from last week? The, uh, wait... Oh right, the one with the rich bitch and that badass mafia dude?"

"You mean Sunrises?"

"Yeah! That took place before cars were invented. Like, back when girls weren't allowed to show their ankles or some stupid crap like that. And they had normalish names!"

"It's different. That one was written in a more modern time. This one is from the 1900's."

"That's no excuse."

Zuko groaned while Toph continued her tirade against "names that caused her physical agony."

[End]


The flashback you just read about was ended when Toph heard her phone ring (a recording of her screaming "PICK UP THE PHONE, HARLOT"). She scrambled off of her bed, shaking her head to clear her mind. Having a lot of flashbacks tended to slow down her thought process. She had to learn to stop having them.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Toph. It's me." Sokka's voice answered her from the other end.

"Snoozles! Hey, I just remembered that I had to talk to you! What's up?"

"Err... Well, it's about Suki."

Toph took a few seconds to smirk at the irony before returning to the phone.

"Yeah? What about her?"

"She's mad at me and I need your help to get back on her good side."

"Oh, you little maggot." she said affectionately, deciding to play dumb for now. "Why is she pissed at you?"

"I don't even know! She just started asking me weird questions, like why I'm dating her, and now she won't even answer the phone!"

Toph frowned at his answers and pressed further.

"Well, what did you say to her?"

"That she was hot, and good at kissing-"

"You dumbass! Why would you say that?"

"I thought she was insecure about her looks or something! I wanted to tell her what she wanted to hear. And it's true! She is pretty, and-"

"Shut up, Snoozles. I'm going to give you some advice, and you had better listen good, you hear me?"

Sokka gave a nervous "Mmhm," a bit worried at the girl's tone.

"Now, I dunno why the hell she decided to ask you this stuff all of a sudden, nor do I know what made her question you two. However, I do know that she was looking for a reason other than her looks. You might have thought you were making her feel good about herself, but judging from your answers, I can guarantee you that she probably thinks you're just another horny teenager who's trying to get into your pants."

Alright, slight exaggeration here, but what's wrong with a bit of theatrics here and there?

"B-but, but I'm not!" he sputtered, and Toph was pleased to hear the horror in his voice. "I mean, I like her! I really do! I thought she- She didn't say-"

"I'm not finished. She probably wanted you to say something about her personality, like how nice she is, or how funny she is. Or she might have wanted you to say something about her abilities. Like... How smart she is, or how good she is at kicking your ass around."

"I know what you mean, and I agree. What am I going to do now? I do like her."

"So tell her! Not exactly rocket science here."

"I can't do that!"

"Oh? Why not?"

"I... I just can't! She won't pick up the phone!"

"So go to her house."

"She won't see me!"

"Excuses, excuses, Snoozles. You and I both know that there's only one thing keeping you from making things right is you. So literally, get over yourself, sprint to her place, and grovel like a madman."

"But I-"

"You wanted my award-winning advice, and I gave it to you. Now if you'll excuse me, it's a perfectly good Saturday, and no offense, I have better things to do. Good day."

She promptly hung up on him and went downstairs. It was nothing short of astounding how willing people were to talk about their problems with anyone. Or at least, anyone but the one person you should talk to in order to solve said problem. She shook her head at the general foolishness of man and decided to go and harass Daichi for a while.


A few hours later, Toph sat on the tire swing in her backyard, soaking up the heat of the slowly setting sun. After bothering the ever-stoic chauffeur, she had waltzed off to the kitchens where she had managed to sneak out a few apples and a bottle of something she couldn't identify- it was sort of sweet, yet mostly bitter with a burning feeling when it traveled down her throat, and she decided that she liked it immensely. She would make sure to ask the head chef about it later. For now, she would eat, relax, and wait for her parents to overreact and panic once they realized she wasn't in her room, sending all their servants everywhere in a search party after her.

She munched on an apple and sighed contentedly. Yup. Today was a Fairly Decent day. She grabbed her walking stick and pushed against the ground, causing the tire swing to rock back and forth gently. Toph closed her eyes and began to doze off lightly, but was rudely interrupted when the phone rang. With a growl and another swig of the odd liquid, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Champ, it's me."

"Sparky, you'd better have a good ex... excuse for interrupting my qui... Quiet time."

Weird. It was hard for her to form words, and her tongue felt different. She must have been really tired. Zuko seemed to notice this too.

"You alright? Should I call back later?"

"Wha? No, no, no, I'm ffffiine. Yeah, that's it. Fine. What is up. What is... What is the dealio."

Another sip. She was getting kind of hot. And she felt... off.

"... Maybe this is a bad time. How about I call you some other time..."

"No! You already messed up my sleepy times. You hang up, and I swear, I'mma... I'mma get you."

Sleepy times? Man, she was tired. Yeah, that had to be it.

"... Riiight..." he said slowly, regretting having ever called. "I just wanted you to do me a favor."

"Toph Bei Fong at yer service! Whaddya need, Sparky?"

"Well, you know how I... kind of got in a fight with Katara?"

"Sugarness? Or what was it... Whatever. Yeah, her?"

"Well, I called her and I apologized, and she wouldn't forgive me."

"Really? That is highly unusual... You musta reeeeally pissed 'er off." Toph took a large bite out of her apple and washed it down with another drink.

"Well, now what am I supposed to do, Champ?"

"Why... Why does everyone ask the wrong peoples?" Toph slurred lightly, gesticulating with her hand (forgetting that he couldn't see her). "I mean, they ask fer advice and shit, but they don't talk to the one person that- that actually matters."

"Are... Are you drunk?"

"I mean, yeah, I know it must be *hic* hard n' all, cuz u don' wanna discuss things with the person you fought with, but geez, if you want yer problems solved, you gots to grow a set and... and yeah, confront her."

"Where are you? Why are you drinking? Is someone with you?"

"But you know what I'm talkin' about, Sparky? Do you feel which way I be flowin'?"

"Answer me, Toph, I'm serious!"

"You said Toph! Not Champ! You are serious. I will answer your questionses. I be at my house. I be with me, myself, and Toph. And I'm not drunk! I'm just feelin' gooood. You're drunk." Toph giggled... drunkenly.

Zuko was relieved that she wasn't out drinking with anyone shady, but was still reasonably alarmed.

"You are drunk, Toph." he said firmly, making sure every word got to her through her alcohol-induced haze. "Why."

"I dunno what yer talkin' about, Zuko. I am drinking something, but it don't taste like alcohol."

"Do you know what alcohol tastes like?"

"No." Toph giggled again. "I guess I do now!"

Zuko slapped his forehead.

Also, Ransta does not support underage drinking, nor does the cast of AtLA.

Zuko slapped his forehead. What went on through this kid's mind would forever be a mystery to him.

"Should I come over, Toph?"

"Naw, man, is cool. I'm fine. Dandy. Don't need yer help."

Okay, she thought, maybe I am drunk. Just a little, though. I don't know for sure what I'm saying, but at least I can walk properly. I don't need help walking out of the backyard!

She gingerly placed a toe on the grass below her and was pleased to find that she could still "see" pretty well. She celebrated with another drink.

"Yup! I checked it, bro. I can not need help." she reaffirmed with him.

"I can't believe this! How did you even get the alcohol! What were you thinking? This kind of reckless behavior-"

"I'm not reckless. Yer reckless." Toph hiccuped and continued. "Didn' you wanna advice 'bout what to do with Sweet... Queen?"

"Toph, I don't think that's the problem here-"

"Hokay, so, Sugarness doesn't normally get pissed off so often, but from what I has been able to notice, she has this thingamajig for holdin' a grudge."

"Err-"

"Shaddup and lemme talk. So, like, I dunno why she does it. But... But she does. Personally, I thinks it's cuz of how she always, like, trusts people. You know what I mean?"

"Wha-"

"Yeah, so, since she always be trustin' people so easy, like some kind of... Trust floozy," Toph giggled, "She feels betrayed when people she trusts start being dicks. Kinda like you did!"

"I didn't-"

"But I'm speculatin' here, so don't quote me. Oh, and don't tell her about the trust floozy thing. So, she be pissed at you. And she probably will stay pissed at you until you really, really, really, really, really, really prove her wrong. Know what I means?"

"I get what you mean, but I think you should-"

"Even... Even if she don't wanna see yer face, you gots ta make her see it. Like, make sure she has no choice *hic* but to acknowledge that you really are sorry, and that... And that you've done all you ever possibly ever ever could. Then she'll prob'ly realize that she's the only person left that's keepin' her mad, not you. Know what I'm sayin'?"

"O-okay, but I really, really think you should go-"

"This was a nice talk, Sparkster! Heed my advices. The Toph has spoken!"

"Wait! Toph! You can't-"

It took her a while to hang up on him, as her hands wouldn't cooperate, but she eventually did (with Zuko protesting every second). She tipped her head back and tried to drink out of the bottle again, but found (much to her disappointment) it to be empty. With a groan, she reclined on the tire-swing (similar to how you and I would sit on an inner tube) and dozed off. She'd go to her bedroom later.


That was how a frantic maid found her half an hour later; snoring loudly on the tire swing and clutching a large, empty bottle of 24 year old Sauvignon amontillado (a dry sherry so strong it causes grown men's eyes to water). The ground around her was littered with apple cores, and she was carried (with difficulty) back to her room with the help of a few reluctant housekeepers. It was a long and arduous process, as she had a tendency to groan and wiggle away from any sort of contact, making lifting her near impossible. She, however, was able to somehow stay asleep throughout this entire process, catching only a few phrases such as "Hold still... Won't stop flinching..." "What will we tell them... To her room?" "An entire bottle of amontillado... Amazing how she's still..." "Where did she even..." "Chef... to kill us..." "Why won't she let go of the bottle?" "... Just keep... for now..."

But Toph ignored them all, too busy dreaming.


She dreamt that she was in a stadium, surrounded by thousands of screaming fans. Why they were screaming her name she wasn't all too sure, but hell if she wasn't enjoying herself. She raised her fists in the air, grinning like mad, while the crowd continued to roar. Suddenly she was holding a heavy belt, like one of the big wrestling ones The Boulder had brought her once. He'd said he was the champion of some wrestling tournament, impressing her. She was momentarily caught off guard when the thing had materialized in her hands, but she was able to hoist it over her head with pride. More fanatic shouts from the adoring crowd, cheering her on for her great victory (although just what exactly she was victorious over was unknown to her). Man, this was awesome.

Suddenly the belt was gone; It hadn't suddenly disappeared, it was snatched from her hands by someone.

"Hey! What the hell!" she exclaimed angrily, unable to feel any sort of presence anywhere in the arena. Wait... No, there was one more person here, a guy, just a few feet away. How come she hadn't been able to see him earlier?

"Give that back, you good for nothing-!" she tried to tackle him and was shocked when he disappeared. No, not disappeared, he'd jumped over her! He must have jumped pretty high, too, because he landed about thirty feet away from her.

"You can't do that, you cheating, dirty..." She stomped the ground in frustration and was pleased (yet not surprised) when the earth beneath him opened up into a gaping hole. The mystery boy fell in, and almost immediately the ground around him closed up, trapping him up to his neck.

Toph laughed loudly.

"How do you like that, Twinkletoes? No one steals my Champion Belt! No one!"


Toph abruptly woke up when her phone rang again; she had woken up before her fist had made contact with that mystery guy's stupid face. Damn it. She always woke up before the best part. She wasn't sure what time it was (but it had to be late), and her head felt like someone had screwed open her head, taken out her brain, and stomped on it for a few hours before putting it back in. She vaguely realized the phone was still ringing (she winced at the sound) and made a grab for it.

"Hello?" she groaned. She realized she was still holding the empty bottle. She set it down for now, opting to rub her scalp in a vain attempt to dispel the throbbing.

"Hello? Toph? It's me, Aang. Did I wake you up?"

Was his voice always this loud?

"What... What time is it?" More scalp-rubbing.

"Ten thirty, I'm sorry, I thought you'd be awake..."

"Oh, I'm fine. Geez my head... What's up, Twinkie?"

"Are you alright? You sound... Pained."

"I feel like I jumped off the Empire State Building and landed on my goddamn head, but continue."

"Err... Should I call back some other-"

"No. You already woke me up, Twinkles. Just talk softer while I nurse my first hangover."

"Okay, well, I wanted to- Wait, what."

Whoops. She hadn't exactly meant to tell him. She was going to brag about it to Zuko or something. Someone a bit more... understanding of her achievement.

"Well, I just had my first alcoholic drink." She said somewhat smugly.

"What? Why? Where? How could you?"

"Relax, Twinkletoes! I know it's not something to be proud of, especially since it's sorta illegal, but damn if I don't feel pretty freaking manly right now." There was a pause. "Alright, so I feel more pained than manly. But come on, a drink is a rite of passage!"

"That's not what I was taught!"

"Okay, so maybe hanging out with The Boulder and Sparky for the better part of my life didn't exactly get me a pure childhood. That doesn't stop me from feeling all grown up. Besides, I haven't barfed, streaked, or had sex with a stranger, so I'm pretty sure I didn't get too drunk. I remember having a decent conversation with Sparky, even!"

"Please tell me you drank something light. Watered down rice wine, maybe. Do you still have the bottle? Read it!"

"Hmm." Toph mockingly examined the label on the empty bottle, even though he couldn't see her. "Funny enough, Twinkletoes, I can't tell!"

"Oh. Right. Sorry. I keep forgetting-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's good for a laugh, though. There is a gigantic 24 embossed on it, so I'm guessing that's the age."

"Oh God, Toph, what if you become an alcoholic or something?"

"Relax! I'm not, so chill your face. Stop screaming. Now, why did you call?"

"I just wanted to ask if you... Well... If you wanted to... Sometime... Like, when you're free... I mean, you don't have to, but..."

"Spit it out, Twinkletoes!" Toph said amiably. Unfortunately, this didn't help, and only managed to make Aang lose his resolve.

"I wanted to know if you... Could tell me what the English homework was?" he sighed. Second attempt at asking her out: Fail.

"What English homework? Mrs. Tan had to have an emergency lobotomy, remember? They sent all her classes to study halls while they took her to the ambulance?"

Attempt at creating excuse for calling her: Epic fail.

"Hahahaha!" Aang laughed loudly and unconvincingly. "I forgot! Hahaha! Silly me!"

"I'm starting to wonder if I'm the only one who consumed alcohol around here, Twinkletoes. You alright? You seem bothered, to put it lightly."

"You have no idea." Aang muttered.

"Well, lucky for you, I just spent the day listening to the never-ending woes of other people. I can handle one more! Don't worry, I won't charge... This time. Although I totally should, I'd be rich. Well, richer, anyway. Sorry, I got a bit distracted there. What's getting to you?"

"Err... Well..." It couldn't hurt to "tell" her. In fact, maybe she'd find out he was talking about her! Then, in a way, he will have been able to tell her what he'd been wanting to say for a while.

"There's this girl," Aang began slowly, trying to keep his voice casual. "She... She's something else. She's tough and really strong, and at the same time, she's really pretty (although she doesn't know it), and smart, and funny, and a good friend. I... I..."

"You like her?" Toph asked. Aang gulped.

"Y-yeah. And... I'm hoping... I really want her to like me back... But I'm not sure. And if I tell her I like her, I might end up ruining our friendship. And... I never want that to happen."

Toph was caught in between intense sympathy and choking back comments on how cheesy he sounded. Instead she said,

"That's pretty deep. Now, I'm not too good at this kind of stuff, but I... I think I know who you're talking about."

"You do?" Both hope and anxiety flooded the boy.

She thought carefully about what he'd told her. Tough, strong, intelligent, and good-looking (but doesn't know it). Funny, and a cherished friend. And if he tells her he likes her, he might ruin their friendship. He won't say her name, so obviously it's someone she knows well.

Toph was no fool.

Aang liked Katara!

She wasn't surprised; he was a sweet, somewhat feminine guy, and a girl like Katara would easily get his attention! She would support her friends one hundred percent, although if their relationship got in the way of their friendship, she'd have to do something... severe.

"I think... I think I do. And the only way you can find out whether she likes you back is to ask her in person." Toph said wisely.

Aang was a bit confused. Was she referring to herself, or did she really think there was another girl? Her next few words answered his question.

"But don't worry, Loverboy! I will assist you in your noble quest. I will dig around a bit, find out what I can. And if she likes you back, I'll be sure to let you know! Then you won't have to worry about the possibility of rejection."

"Uh, but-"

"Don't worry, I'm pretty good at lying. I'll be like... a double agent!"

Aang groaned (away from the phone, so that she couldn't hear) and smacked his forehead. She thought there was another girl! She was going to investigate this imaginary girl! Why did these things always happen to him?

"Thanks Toph. You have no idea how much this means to me." he said. No, she really didn't know what this meant to him. She didn't even sound the littlest bit jealous! In a way, he'd gotten the answer he'd been waiting for. At least he didn't have to give anything away about his feelings. Now he knew enough to keep quiet and cherish the friendship he had.

Somehow, that didn't make him feel better. At all.

"No problem, Twinkletoes. I'm very good at this advice... type... stuff. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to blurt their life stories at the first person to listen. Not that I mind, of course. Feel free to blurt life stories whenever you want."

Aang rolled his eyes but smiled. Things weren't going to change between them, after all.


"The niiiight is yoooung and yoooou're so glamorous," sang Jet loudly as he crashed into the dorm room. "Pardon if I seeem over-amorous, Laaaaaadyyyyyy~"

"Jesus, Jet, are you drunk too?" griped Zuko as he closed his books. No point in studying anymore, now that Jet was here. No matter what he did, the guy would always find a way to distract him.

"Drunk too? What are you talking about?" Jet threw his backpack on his bed but collapsed on Zuko's instead. It was a bad habit of his, but he claimed that Zuko's bed was warmer. "I'm sober, Hothead. I'm just feeling reeeeally good."

"Yeah, that's exactly what my drunk friend happened to say. Why are you so... happy?"

"No reason." Jet said, with a smirk that indicated otherwise. "Met a girl at the bookstore."

"Never mind, on second thought, I don't want to know."

"Heeeyy!" Jet complained, sitting up quickly. "You're the one who asked!"

"You'd have told me anyway."

"Oh. Touché. Well, I met this chick at the bookstore, right? Well, actually, no, first off, I was at Starbucks, you know? And I was ordering coffee, because, you know, I was at a coffee shop, and I was tryin' to get my wallet, right, and-"

"Will you hurry up and get to the point?"

"Sheesh, alright! You're in a grumpier mood than usual. So, I have to buy a new guide, cuz I spilled coffee on it, so I head over to the bookstore across the street. That's where I met this hot, goth-type chick behind the counter! I tried to get her number and talk her up, right? And she's all, 'If you continue to harass me, I'll report you to my manager,' and so I'm all 'Chill, I'm not harassing you,' but she wouldn't listen." Jet took a deep breath; he'd been talking pretty quickly, you see.

"So she turned you down. That's not that amazing." Zuko chuckled.

"Pft. Whatever, man. I'm thinking about visiting her again. She can't last long." Jet reclined on Zuko's bed with his hands behind his head. "Even if she did threaten to cut my balls off."

"Seriously? Damn, I want to meet this girl. Sounds like someone I could get along with."

"Meh, she seems like your type. Dark, kinda goth, although she doesn't really dress like one, and she doesn't smile much, although that may have been because of me."

"What was her name?" Zuko asked without really paying attention, pulling out notebooks from the drawers. The more questions he asked, the faster Jet would lose interest in the conversation and go to sleep.

"What was it... Oh yeah, it was on her nametag! Her name was Mai."

Zuko dropped his things.

"What?" He almost yelled, hoarsely.

"Her name was Mai..." Jet repeated slowly, now looking a bit alarmed. "You know her?"

"Uh, no." His answer was much too quick to be even remotely believable.

"Dude, you know her. What's with you? Is she an ex or something? Your cousin? A friend?"

"Drop it."

"No! You know her, and when I said her name you went all weird. What's with you? Who is she?"

"I said drop it!"

"Tell me! Or I'll just ask her!"

"Shut up!"

"Dude, what is your fucking problem?"

"You mention me to her, or her to me ever again, I swear to God, I will kill you."

Jet didn't speak, but he glowered at his roommate before walking to his own bed.

"I'm gonna go to sleep, asshole. Don't keep the light on for too long."

Zuko didn't reply.


"... And that's pretty much why I needed someone else to write for me for two months or so."

"Wow, Twinkletoes! You have to show me sometime. My respect for you has been increased by 40%."

They were still on the phone, and Aang had just told her about one of his hobbies: parkour (or freerun). Toph hadn't known what it was, but had been quite impressed after he'd explained it for her. For those of you playing at home, if you don't know what that is, Youtube it!

"40%? How much respect would that be in total?"

"I would say... Seventy-four."

"Seventy four? Out of...?"

"A possible ninety."

"That's it? And why ninety?"

"Why not?"

They both erupted into laughter. Not that it was funny in the slightest, but they'd been on the phone for four hours (Toph's hangover dissipated sometime around midnight), and everything is hilarious at two thirty in the morning.

"Oh man..." Toph groaned after her laughter had subsided. "That wasn't even remotely funny..."

"Didn't you know? Everything is hilarious at two thirty in the morning!" Aang exclaimed. "It's a scientific law!"

"Pft, listen to yourself, you nerd, acting as if you know all about scientific laws." Toph said, grinning. Their conversations were making no sense, and there were so many digressions that she could barely keep track of what they were talking about. She loved it.

"Of course! I'm a master of scientific laws. You said so yourself, I'm a nerd." Aang said, puffing out his chest proudly (forgetting that she couldn't see him, regardless).

"Oh yeah? Name another one other than the Two-Thirty Hilarity one."

"Alright! Did you know that when you wear sandals, there's a 60% increased chance that someone will step on your feet or shoes?"

"I don't know which is worse, the fact that I believe you, or the fact that you even memorized that in the first place."

"Memorized?" He exclaimed, mock-offended. "That was all improv!"

"An geek, an athlete, and an actor? Be still my heart!"

They both laughed again (although Aang could feel his cheeks warm a bit). Their laughter turned into giggles, before a tired, happy silence was all that remained. Toph was sleepy as hell, and her jaw hurt from grinning so much, and she didn't ever want to hang up.

"Twinkletoes?"

"Yeah, Toph?"

"... You know what'd be awesome?"

"What?"

"If we had a tent."

Aang paused, letting it sink in.

"I think I heard you wrong," he said finally. "Did you say a tent?"

"Yeah! I mean, remember how we were talking about camping with our friends?"

"Uh huh."

"We might not exactly be able to go to the Rockies and stuff, but what's wrong with hanging out in a tent? Do you know what we should do? We should get a bigass tent, set it up in my bigass backyard, and we should just sleep there."

"That actually doesn't sound too bad..."

"Think about it! No stuffy parents breathing down our throats, no stupid school. Just us and our friends and our tent. You guys could look at the stars and constellations, and you could tell me about what you see, and their stories."

"I don't know any constellations-"

"Shut up and listen, Twinkletoes, I'm trying to be thoughtful. We could make a fire in that patch of dirt in the backyard, and we could tell scary stories to each other and freak everyone out. We could play games, and tell each other about our problems without using only me as an outlet. Wouldn't it be fun?"

"Yeah... I think it'd be a lot of fun. I don't like the thing about the stars, though. It's not fair if we all look at everything and just tell you about it."

Toph was silent for a bit.

"I could see it, if you guys described it enough. And besides, I have other ways of entertaining myself. I'd be happy knowing you guys were with me. I'd be happy listening to your voices. I could enjoy the cooler breezes at night. I could feel the heat of the fire." her voice was getting softer, and she began speaking slower. "I could hear the cars in the distance. I could feel the grass grow under my feet. Sometimes I feel like I could feel the whole earth shifting beneath me, like it's alive."

This had to be the most poetic he'd ever heard Toph speak. He didn't say anything, not wanting her to stop.

"Sometimes I go outside, and I just stand barefoot for a while. When I feel the plants... and the vibrations from different sources... It's like I'm feeling life from underneath me... You know how that feels?" she stifled a yawn and struggled to keep her eyes open, not wanting to fall asleep.

"I think I do," Aang said softly. "But now's not the best time to explain. Go to sleep, Toph, I can tell you're tired."

Well, so was he, but that didn't matter at the moment.

"No way, Twinkletoes. I'm totally aw... awake." She yawned at the end, unable to hold it back.

"No you're not... Go to sleep, Toph, we can talk tomorrow. Or... Today."

"Promise?" Her eyelids began to droop. Stupid, disobedient eyelids.

"Promise."

"Good-" Another yawn, "Good night, Twi- Aang."

"... Good night, Toph."


Suki floated through the hallways, invisible and unheard. She was in an enormous palace of some sort- an old fashioned building that reminded her of those palaces owned by emperors in ancient China. Everything was red with decorations in solid gold, and servants were running around everywhere. But where she was didn't matter, nor was the fact that she was but a ghost in this place. All that mattered was that she had to find something. She wasn't sure what. She "walked" through a hallway that was completely empty and passed an open garden. She stopped, turned, and went back. The garden itself was beautiful, with an enormous willow overlooking a crystalline lake with a group of ducks (were those turtleshells on their backs?) swimming around. There were multiple flowers growing everywhere, their colors bright and appealing to the eye. But that's not what caught her attention.

Zuko and Katara were talking to one another. He was wearing sweeping, heavy, crimson robes, with his hair tied back and held up by what appeared to be a golden crown. She was wearing a simple, light dress in a nice blue shade, her hair cascading down her back. Suki couldn't tell wha they were saying, and went closer to listen.

"... Wouldn't stop eating the pies! But then again, that's Aang for you." Katara exclaimed, rolling her eyes. The two of them chuckled softly. "And how is Mai?"

"She's fine. She's having a lot of fun scaring the officials who were affiliated with Azula. She's an excellent Fire Lady." The pride in his voice was unmistakable.

"I think so, too! The Fire Nation is doing great under you two. Without you, we never could have reached the peace we're enjoying today."

He scoffed at this.

"Please. If it weren't for Aang, I'd probably be dead, or waging war just like Ozai. Give me another year, and I'll make sure there's a national holiday celebrating the your wedding."

Suki stopped listening sometime around here. Yes, she was in some kind of mystical, ancient past. Yes, she was some kind of ghost. But things still didn't seem very serious to her at the moment, and Suki was still Suki. She grinned mischievously and crept closer and closer, forgetting that it didn't matter since no one could see or hear her. She brought her hands to Katara's back and shoved her as hard as she could towards Zuko.

She squealed in surprise and brought her hands up to break her sudden fall, but was caught when Zuko quickly wrapped his arms around her back. Her hands and face were against his chest, and her eyes widened when she realized how close they were. Suki had expected laughter, or fear towards this invisible prankster. She hadn't expected this suddenly tense, charged atmosphere.

"Careful, there are a lot of stray rocks around here." Zuko said quietly, his voice low and husky.

Suki began to wonder if she had made a slight mistake. They had yet to let go of each other.

"Um. Yeah." Katara stammered. Her hands curled slowly, gathering a fistful of the thick robes he was wearing. It didn't look like she was going to let go.

"Katara." he said after a while.

She didn't respond, opting instead to chew her lip and look at her hands. He repeated her name, and she slowly, slowly looked up and met his eyes.

They stared at each other a bit before quickly pulling away with hastily concocted excuses and leaving, going their separate ways. Soon, Suki stood in the wide, sunny garden alone, shocked and blushing.

The look they'd exchanged was far too personal, too intimate to be between friends. It had said too much, revealed too big a part of themselves to be simply platonic. His eyes had been passionate, smoldering, while hers was longing and tender.

Suki felt dirty, like some kind of sick voyeur, and she wondered just what exactly was the story between the two.


Fact: Suki woke up with a start, gasping and sweating and in general, a mess.

Fact: She began wondering if having dreams about your friends hooking up was significant, or if it meant you were just a messed up person.

Fact: She sought out her answers with Google.

Fact: It was there that she found out about a local fortune-teller of sorts who specialized in such matters, a woman by the name of Madame Wu...