060: Costume

Like Glaciers, We Drifted

When Toph visits him at his home (she calls it the bottom of the earth) she is always stubborn enough to bring barely anything with her, not even a thick jacket. She shows up, shivering and cursing almost everything around her, and Sokka sighs.

He grabs her into his hut, where he'll throw her one of his jackets and his four-sizes-too-big boots that engulf her petite body to the point of her looking like a blob. Only her face and jet black hair are recognizable through the blues and whites of his tribe's clothes.

At first he thought she looked funny and pleasing, but he knows it doesn't match up with her; the soft furs and pastel colors don't look good on her. Sokka believes for a time that it's because the clothes are his and overwhelm her thin body, but even when he buys her size appropriate clothes it doesn't make him smile. She looks like she's an actress dressing up for a role.

He thinks he realizes that deep down, no matter how much he wants her to belong here in this frozen, lovely world, that she doesn't belong.

She belongs with the green of trees and the deep, romantic browns of the earth. She belongs to the sun that lights her eyes; not the clouds and snow that darken them and make them seem as dead as they are.

So, even though it hurts when she leaves, he knows it has to happen.

.

023: Tribal

Meeting the Relatives

When Sokka tells her he wants to introduce her to the men of his tribe, Toph lightly scowls; she thought that he would realize by now she wasn't a very great people person.

"Why do you want to do this?" she asks as they move to begin walking towards the large group of lively men.

"Because you're a great warrior and I want you to tell them about how awesome you are."

The grin on her face is hidden by her bangs.

"And also tell them about all our awesome stories," he tacks on; she punches him in the side.

"So you just want to show me off and make you look cool?"

"Heck yeah I do! Not many people have such an awesome best friend like I do!"

Her smile is too wide for her to hide anymore and laughter bubbles out before she really slugs him in the arm. Even though they might die tomorrow in the invasion, it's nice to know that Sokka praises her high enough to introduce her to his family and friends.

The sound causes the men to stop their banter and turn towards the two approaching youths; they all show shock in their own way at seeing the young girl with their youngest man of their tribe so jovial.

Sokka turns his attention back from Toph to the men and waves. They are invited to sit down and they do before Toph quickly introduces herself and begins talking.

Her grin flickers to smirks sometimes, but it stays on through the duration of her talking and it's the same for Sokka as he listens, reminiscing.

For the listening men, they laugh and enjoy the storytelling, too, just not as much as the two youths who've lived it together.

.

070: Sun

Unwavering Trust

Toph sighed under the sun rays as she lied on the rock slab she's made; Sokka, aside of her, raised an eyebrow.

The teenager flipped onto his back before he turned his face to her and asked the question of, "Do you like the sun Toph?"

"I don't 'like' it, I love it!" she exclaimed happily as she arches to stretch; he sees her ribs push against her skin and watches a bead of sweat travel down her side.

"But you don't even know what it looks like," he argued as he raised a hand to stop the thing they were talking about from burning his eyes.

"I don't need to see or understand something to love it," she snapped.

"What else do you believe in that you love and can't see?" he asked in defense; "You don't like the moon."

"Because it does nothing for me," Toph sighed. "I can't see light and I can't see it in the sky; it's useless for myself. Not that it's useless for other people;" she added the last line so he wouldn't get on her case again.

"Alright, but answer the question."

She hummed in contemplation for a moment before saying, "I guess affection and friendship. I can't see it, but I trust it and love it."

The teenager is quiet for a moment, again reminded that she does have a brain in that stone-head of hers.

"You know, you're not the blundering idiot people believe you to be," Sokka grinned as he glances at her again; she's grinning as well.

"I'd say the same about you," she said lightheartedly.

.

033: Rival

Cracked and Discovered

She has taken on mountains and volcanoes; she has taken on never ending enemies and an entire nation and 100 year war. Toph Bei Fong is afraid of nothing if she is always able to have her earth, her ground to steady and protect her. If she still has her small, so powerful, fists and able feet she had felt like she could take on anything and come out victorious.

But then something fell on her that weighed more than the world. She doesn't believe in destiny, but she wonders if that what is making her feel so heavy.

And that something that fell on her, and almost crippled her in consequence, was love.

It crumbled her walls and cracked her foundations; it made the stronghold she'd resurrected around herself for safety to fall to the ground she so dearly worshiped. It made her suddenly conscious of her words and what she was doing around him. The emotions she was feeling when he was around her and others made her bite her tongue and close her eyes off in failed attempts to shut out the world.

She thought love was her rival in how it was making her feel, making her suffer. And this enemy was the most dangerous in how it was unseen and created by her own self; she had allowed it to fester and manifest.

And she knows that there's nothing harder than defeating yourself.

But she discovered that when you get help, it isn't so bad.

That help came in a kiss from the person who had infected her with the disease himself; he had been both the curse and cure all along.

And so she had correctly muttered, "I hate you."

But he only laughed before he whispered against her lips, "I love you, too."