"How the hell are we gonna get her out of there?" Sokka asked, face paling. He nervously twirled his boomerang in one hand. Aang shrugged, eyes trained on the house across the street. An armed guard of Earthbenders lined the perimeter; security had been increased tenfold since the last time they'd been here.

"I have no idea. But we have to," he said, turning away from the street and crawling out of the bushes, facing the siblings. Katara nodded, and turned to Sokka.

"This is your job," she said. "You're the plan man. Find out how we get her out of there."

"Zuko was no help, then?" Aang asked. Katara sighed.

"He tried his damnedest, but he's really in no position to make demands of the Earth Kingdom government, not with the debt. And the Earth King said that they could legally do whatever they like with their daughter. The Bei Fongs are too high up on the status ladder for him to interfere. I asked him personally, but he really can't help." Sokka frowned.

"We did how much for him and he won't even do us this favor?"

"Sokka, it's more of a political issue. The Bei Fongs are one of the richest families in the Earth Kingdom, and, therefore, are a major participant in political and economic matters," Katara said, and Sokka rolled his eyes. He shifted his weight in the dirt.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Sokka said. "Give me a little while, I'll come up with something." Aang grinned and nodded.

"That's what I like to hear."


The room was entirely silent, save for the murmurs of maids' voices drifting down the hall and through the open doorway.

She was wearing the same clothes she used to adventure and fight in, the ones she'd had since she was eleven. They fit now only through sheer determination, the term "fit," of course, being used loosely.

And here she lay in the same room, the same bed, in the same clothes, with the same sounds. And Toph felt like she was eleven all over again. This was how it was every night. She never really began to feel her age; she denied growing up. At least, for now. It was easier that way, to try and forget how exciting her life had been before. But Toph didn't like to whine.

A large boom racked the house, rattling the walls and windowpanes. She could tell it was on the opposite end of the house, and she could hear maids and guards running, yelling, though no one burst into her room just yet.

Toph grinned in the darkness.


AN:

Word: Save.

Part one of two. Or maybe one of three. We'll see what happens. What's with all of these S words?

Okay, so, as any regular readers may have noticed, (do I have regular readers?) I haven't kept up my weekly updating schedule. And there's a reason for it. Kinda.

Basically I just haven't been bitten by the plot bunnies. My desire to write comes and goes, and I've hit the "gone" stage of my writing abilities. So, as this is the halfway point in my goal of 25 chapters, I'll be taking a small break. Maybe participate in Camp NaNoWriMo or something. Essentially, my focus is elsewhere.

No worries, I won't poof for years. But maybe a month or two or three, and then I'll most likely be able to start up again. Or maybe I'll even write chapters in the meantime whenever the urge hits, and the later updates will be guaranteed. Whatever the case, in essence, no updates for a while. Sorry! On the plus side, this story broke 5,000 hits. Bam.

I love you guys like I love reviews. And I love reviews a lot. Even though this chapter is like 400-some words, any feedback is appreciated. ^^