Chapter 12 - Return to Ba Sing Se
"Let me help you," Aang went to grab Toph by the waist and hoist her up into Appa's saddle. She swatted his hands away and managed the task on her own.
"You don't need to coddle me Aang," she snarked at him from above, "I've already told you twice this morning that I'm fine. Yasuo is an ass and I might have to learn to swim after all, but I am fine."
Momo skirted after her a moment later, leaping from the ground to his shoulder and up into her waiting arms. Appa bellowed and nuzzled him as if to say that he would take the attention. He whirled himself up at last, settling in on Appa's head. He led the sky bison out into the sunlight and called out, "Yip yip."
Appa made a great leap, his tail whipping up and down as he ascended into the sky.
The rain had died off in the night and had left the earth damp; the sky a brilliant blue. If only it had washed away all the pain and suffering. He sighed and glanced back at Toph. When he woke up, he was relieved to find her still there in the morning. She sat beside him, brushing Appa in long strokes with a large grooming brush. The bison had relished in the attention.
It was more boredom than melancholy that drew her to the task. It was unusual for her to rise before him and after the trying night before she didn't want to deny him the sleep. He had noted that at some point she had unceremoniously dumped Mien Lo's borrowed dress in a dirty heap nearby. As they had prepared to leave later that morning, he was tempted to ask the stable master to send someone to return it and his own borrowed clothes, but decided that the Fang Shi family didn't deserve the courtesy.
He had, admittedly, expected that she would have disappeared only for him to find her cackling over the collapsed ruins of their estate. Seems that she decide it wasn't worth it either. It was a thought that had briefly crossed his own mind.
Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Aang encouraged Appa to turn north towards Ba Sing Se, refusing to look back as the city of Rangsen disappeared behind them.
"Aang," Toph called to him from the saddle. He glanced back to see if she was turning the awful shade of green that meant she was about to get sick. She looked fine though.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"Why do you think he did it?" He was surprised at the firmness but uncertainty of her question. It was clear she'd been thinking about if for a while.
"Yasuo?" Aang sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know. You don't do that to someone you love. It's just...wrong."
He knew Appa could lead himself for a ways so Aang rested the reigns gently against his head and clambered into the saddle beside his friend. She had leaned forward against her knees and he put a gentle hand on her back. "It wouldn't have been as bad if he had just been honest with you when his intentions changed. Maybe he was ashamed...I don't know."
"I'm not saying it's possible," Toph began, feeling that the disclaimer was needed, "but what would you do, say, if Katara had feelings for someone else?"
"I don't think Katara would ever do what he did," Aang automatically reacted defensively, though he knew that wasn't what she had meant by the question.
"Nevermind," her voice wistful and she suddenly shook off his hand, sprawling out on her stomach, resting her head on her arms.
He sighed deep and stared down at his hands as he clasped them together in his lap, "I'd like to think that she'd tell me if she did. She was honest about her uncertain feelings when she rebuked my proposal. I know that people change…situations change. I don't like that it happens, but I've resigned myself to knowing that even as the Avatar there are some things I can't stop. I left us in such a rocky spot I wouldn't be surprised if she went on dates just to spite my childishness."
"Well," Toph mused and he watched as her nose scrunched up, "Things like this make me wonder if it's even worth putting my faith in love again. It's been that one thing to consistently work against me. Even you, I always thought that your relationship was the one enduring bit of proof that it was worthwhile at all."
Her face was unreadable but he knew somewhere in her the emotions were still roiling. She was like a peaceful mountain whose face hid a dormant volcano, the magma burning hot as ever in her core. He wondered how she managed to contain it. He remained his own composure through meditation and when that hadn't been enough he would sink himself in his bathwater and scream till he ran out of air.
Toph thought back to her parents, how their misguided love for her only pushed her away. It made her jealous of happy, whole families. She thought about Yasuo, whose love was so fickle it changed just like a gust of wind. "Whenever I think I've got what love is pinned down, it changes direction again, like waves on a beach."
"Then, in that respect, I think we find ourselves equal," Aang told her, looking up to watch the blue sky go on and on above him. Momo curled up around his neck and nuzzled him.
"We're a pathetic lot then, aren't we?" She said with a smile. It relieved him. She waved her hands dismissively, "Well, I suppose we'll have to stop using pins and resort to boulders instead."
This made him laugh and he agreed it would be a far more effective method. It was good to lighten the mood after being piled with such heaviness as of late, even if it was short-lived. She closed her eyes, rolled onto her back, and let the sunlight warm her face. Aang knew she was done talking for now and retreated to his perch at Appa's head. He leaned back towards her again, "I'll let you know when we get there."
Her response was to wave her hand in acknowledgment, but she remained quiet and contemplative behind him.
Katara stood, breathless, on the stairs of the Earth Palace that led up to the stables. Her eyes were locked on the white spot hovering above her. It circle as it slowly descended and she was able to make out the familiar shape of the bison. She heard the pounding of feet skid to a stop behind her. Zuko, equally breathless came to a stop at her side.
"I'm...sorry," she said to him between breaths that were slowly normalizing. "I just, had too…"
Zuko took her hand in his and gave it a strong squeeze, "I understand."
He could see the fluttering of Aang's clothes in the wind now and impulsively leaned in to give her a kiss. Her cheeks flushed as he answered the questions her eyes were asking. His voice quiet in her ear, "I don't know when I'll get another."
Appa came swirling in low, his feet hovering above the ground before lithely gliding through the open stable door. Zuko held her hand tight for a moment and then released it, ushering her forward towards Aang. She took a few steps and stopped, glancing back at him. She smiled, bright and beautiful. It made his heart swell in his chest. His words were tender, "Go on, I'll be right behind you."
She nodded. As the distance between them grew, he watched her. Her braid bobbing behind her, her steps quick and gentle. He took a deep breath and followed after her, into the stable.
Aang was already dismounted, a swarm of attendants around him. Toph was standing in the saddle on Appa's back, tossing bags haphazardously at the ground. The attendants were doing well enough to gather them up where they fell.
Katara had reached him by now, pulled him into a warm embrace that made Zuko bristle with jealousy. Aang hesitated, looking down at her. His own hug was halfhearted at best which pacified the firebender. Appa bellowed in discomfort as one of the heavy bags Toph had thrown landed on one of his toes. In what might have been retaliation, he shook violently, throwing her off balance. She went tumbling inelegantly over the back of the saddle and down his long tail before ending in a heap on the ground.
Zuko took a few steps to help her, but Aang moved more deftly. His gaze darted from the pair to Katara, who stood awkwardly. She watched, unsure of what to make of it. Aang reached down and pulled her up by her arms despite her protest. He spoke with concern. "Are you okay?"
She shooed him away unceremoniously, "Will you quit babying me you knuckle head? Before I stick you and your stupid bison fifty-feet deep."
Toph followed the threat with a growl at Appa and a stomp of her feet. This only elicited the animal to smack his tail against the floor, stirring up dirt and hay at both her and Aang. She had a small coughing fit as she retreated from the dust towards his head. She put her face against his and held the fur in her palms, "Check the attitude you ten ton pile of fluff, I won't actually do it."
The seemed to soothe Appa and he responded by nuzzling her with his nose and trying to slobber her with his huge pink tongue. She pushed away from the bison, her blind eyes looking between her two friends as she addressed them in her usual effervescent manner, "Heya Sugar Queen...Sparky."
Hugs and greetings were exchanged for a moment, but both Toph and Katara sensed Aang's anxiety. Toph understood his reaction, knowing that it stemmed from the threat of a coup that still loomed over them. Katara, she guessed, might see it as his uncertainty over their relationship. She had a look of indignation when he pulled the younger woman aside to have a private conversation, swathed in whispers.
"I need to go make preparations for an emergency council meeting," he told her. She already knew, and wondered why he had bothered to pull her aside. Her lips formed a thin line on her face and he knew he had to explain further, "If I'm going to convince them to all agree to give me aid against the coup, I need to make sure I have everything well laid out. I'll have to make notes, summarize important events…"
"I understand, what do you want me to do?" she interrupted with a wave of her hand. She had already guessed that he was going to need a favor.
"Distract Katara," he requested, "She's going to want to talk things out, but I can't do that and take care of this too."
Toph nodded in agreement and turned to return to the others. Aang caught her arm to bring her back.
"I'll need you to come and give testimony to the council as well. And if they consent, I'd like your help stopping the Bandits. You've faced them in combat and know what they are capable of." He had put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in to emphasize the importance of his words. The gesture wasn't missed under Katara's watchful eye from where she lingered a few paces from Zuko.
Zuko thought she puffed up like a bird whose feathers had been unwillingly ruffled. He wanted to do something to calm her ire, but knew he couldn't with Aang there. He could see that she still struggling with her sentiments in regard to him, and didn't want to cause her the stress or the fallout if he let his own jealous emotions cause him to do something in poor taste.
"I have some very serious business that I need to take care of," Aang said when the group regathered, "It can't be put off."
Katara started in protest but he gently brought up his hands to quiet her, "There will be a council meeting as soon as possible to explain everything, but if you really want to know, Toph can tell you."
"I'll take her home. Toph too," Zuko interjected as the waterbender opened her mouth to speak once more.
"I have to go now," Aang turned as stepped away quickly, only to turn to walk backwards so he could add quickly "A summons will come soon. Zuko, you should be there."
Then he was gone. Appa lurched off to find a cozy place to sleep as Zuko put a hand on each of the young women's backs to usher them away. Toph had to admit that this was probably the most uncomfortable situation to be in when it came to her friends. Caught in between a lover's feud. Still, she would do it for Aang, she owed the knucklehead that much for saving her from drowning.
Toph laid comfortably on the cool stone floor in Katara's living room, a spare pillow under her head and a light blanket covering her. It had been two days since Aang had swooped away and left her to share with her friends the details of the recent events that the two had experienced. She had made sure to leave out the finer details such as the kiss in Qian or any of the unsavory events at the Fang Shi estate in Rangsen. They had accepted the news, which caused them great worry, and resigned to wait for the summons that was to come.
In return for her information, she was regaled with the mind numbing details of the festival they had been planning. It was more to distract themselves all from the sordid news than to entertain her. Still, she didn't really care. One reason being that she had other things weighing on her mind, but mostly that festivals and whatnot lacked appeal to her beside the promise of delicious kinds of food.
A snort from the couch caught her attention briefly and it drew her mind from other thoughts. This is night two of two that Sparky has crashed on Katara's couch. He was sprawled across the loveseat awkwardly. His legs hung off the sides at strange angles and she thought that it was probably uncomfortable. Toph was suspicious. There was something odd about the way the two interacted, but with the chaos in her mind from recent events, she couldn't place it. For the time being, she would chalk it up to the same reasons that she had not lingered far from the house either. When the summons came, as surely it would, promptness was key.
Toph didn't like feeling as though she were restrained, but knew it was necessary. She couldn't wait to get the whole fracas over with so she might do something useful with her time. Katara was a polite and obliging host, gladly cooking some awful concoction in her kitchen that both she and Zuko choked down. Well, he actually seemed to like it, but I'm pretty sure the spicy stuff he eats in the Fire Nation has destroyed his ability to taste. She mentally reminded herself not to eat anything that Katara cooked without asking what was in it first. Sea prunes, no matter how they were cooked, still tasted like she'd been gnawing on shoes.
She flopped around on the floor for a while, but sleep did not come to her. Irritated, she sat up, cracking her spine in a long stretch. She felt cloistered and the itch to be outside nagged at her fiercely. Snatching up the blanket from the floor, she padded towards the door into the backyard. She heard Zuko stir and paused a moment, but he only muttered in his sleep instead of waking. She sighed as she stepped into the cool night air, the blanket loose on her shoulders. While it was nice to see her friends after such a long time, the close quarters of the past few days made her want for the solitude.
A little pond sat neatly in the middle of the yard. She walked circles around it without purpose. She could feel the prickle of goosebumps rise up on her flesh from the chilled air and bundled the blanket around her tighter. She wasn't enjoying the sleeplessness. After a while, her legs complained from the exercise. She thought about returning to the house but decided against it. At least outside she didn't have to worry about waking Katara or Zuko with her wandering.
She sat in the damp grass by the pond, absentmindedly running her fingers back and forth across the surface of the water. When they started to go numb, she stopped and laid down, not caring that the back of her shirt was slowly becoming damp. There was a strange feeling that had been following her since she'd arrived in the city. A weird sort of weight left upon her chest. She had thought, perhaps, it had been because of Yasuo. The more she thought about it, though, the more she realized that she really didn't care anymore, except maybe to feel pity for him for the life he missed out on.
"I miss Aang," she murmured to herself. The big squishy lunkhead was the touchy-feely kind and she knew he could explain why she felt as she did.
The summons came early the next morning without warning. The knocking had startled Katara awake and she nearly leapt from the bed, throwing on something to cover her nightgown. A loud yipe and a dull thud told her that Zuko had rolled himself off of the loveseat in the other room. Somewhat decent, she rounded the corner right into Toph, who was dragging a damp blanket in from outside. The surefooted earthbender recovered more quickly than she did, sidestepping around her towards the living room, though Katara was right on her heels.
Zuko had already met the messenger at the door. She just barely caught a glimpse of him as the Fire Lord tipped him and closed the door. He looked at her in her state of undress and flushed, before clearing his throat and handing her the envelope in his hands. Their fingers brushed lightly, which only caused him to turn a deeper shade of red. Toph was unreadable, but she sensed the way his heart had begun to beat faster when he saw her, how hers responded in kind. The suspicions from the night before were now up front in her mind. Silently, the heavy spot in her chest ached as it slowly became apparent that there was something more than a platonic friendship between Katara and Zuko.
There was no time to dwell on it, as Katara was already scrambling them to get on their way. If she had mentioned what the letter said, Toph had been too distracted to hear. Zuko crammed himself into the bathroom to pull his mop of hair back into a topknot and switch out shirts with one that smelled slightly cleaner. Katara disappeared back into her room to change quickly and then reemerge while brushing her long brown hair. When she was done she must have determined that Toph was going to go in whatever state she had woken in, as the waterbender assailed her head with the brush. If it had been anyone but Katara, she would have pummeled them, but Toph knew it was the motherly nature that drove the waterbender to do it. She was still pulling her long dark locks back into a queue when Zuko walked out, still buttoning his tunic.
A carriage was already waiting outside for them when they emerged, so the trip to the Earth King's Palace was quick. Katara navigated them to where they needed to be. It wasn't the typical room where the representatives met, but one deeper into the sanctum of the palace. Two guards stood outside the door as two other representatives went inside. They refused to let the trio in until Katara revealed the letter to them. Zuko looked back, seeing more representatives coming up from behind them. Katara gently tugged at his shirt sleeve to pull his attention back.
Aang stood at the front of the room, his expression blank except for a thoughtful glint in his eyes. The members of the council slowly trickled in. Hushed whispers exchanged between them were the only sound. He did not move and did not speak until they had been seated for several minutes. When he did finally addressed them, his tone was more serious than any of them had heard him use. The news was not new to Toph, who had lived it. Nor Katara and Zuko who had already had time to mull over the story for a few days now. It was the gasps and murmurs of the other representatives and even the Earth King that filled the spaces between his words. His full explanation of the pirates, the assassins, and the child slavery ring was worded flawlessly. Toph shared what she knew, when asked, to validate his claims, though she otherwise stood inanimate near the door. The room lay silent for a moment after, as he let it sink in, but not long enough for any of the members of the council to raise their voices with questions.
"What I'm now going to ask is not easy," he told them, finally sitting in the broad chair that had been brought in for him. "I would like to make a motion to rally troops in the various regions of the Earth Kingdom as well as in the other nations. These Black Band Bandits, as they are known, pose a serious threat to the stability of the world government. The coup they plan could seriously undermine the peace we are still struggling to build. Even as the Avatar, I cannot possibly root out these criminals on my own. At the very least they should be apprehended for their individual crimes of theft, attempted murder, and child slavery."
The room was in an uproar in the moments after his request was made, but he brought order to the chaos swiftly. When the representatives had calmed themselves, he gave them each a turn to speak their mind. Most were to ask Aang, or Toph, to repeat parts of the tale, to clarify what happened when.
"I think that we all can agree that the Avatar ran into unrest while in the southern provinces," began a rotund Earth Kingdom representative when he was given consent to speak, "But I don't think that we can justify raising troops or even engaging in forming a collective marshal system to handle this situation until there is substantial proof of the matter."
"What more proof do you need?" Toph called out, crossing her arms and turning towards the clutter of voices. "Are you saying you don't believe us?"
"That's not it," interceded a Fire Nation woman who glanced at Aang for permission to speak before continuing, "I think the point being made here is that there is no proof that these are nothing more than isolated incidents that aren't connected. I mean, black bands on their arms, it's not a terribly distinctive mark of an organization. It is weak, at best. Then there is the testimony of this girl-thief and the supposed confession of the delegate, Ling Dao Ren. I can't so readily accept the girls story because she could be simply lying to save herself from punishment. As for the delegate, his written confession might persuade me."
A swirl of agreement rose up after her voice faded and as Toph finally moved to the place set for her at the large table. Her voice rose clear out of the din, a snark bite to her words, "I have an acute ability, acquired in part due to my blindness, to be able to read the truth or falsity of a persons statements. I personally questioned both the girl, Tamae, and that sot of a delegate Ling Dao Ren. What has been presented to you is the truthful account."
"Toph, you do have that ability, but there is no way for them to know it the same as you," Aang spoke gently, "What Tamae told you has to be thrown out because of the unusual nature of it. However, ladies and gentlemen of the council, I can request that the confession of Ling Dao Ren be sent here for your examination as to it's fact."
Earth King Kuei was the one to speak, after a long discussion and vote from the council members. "Avatar Aang, we must deny your motion for action until such time as you provide substantive proof that the coup is a reality. Until then, the members of this council feel that it would cause further unrest among the people in our nations, as well as be an unwarranted expenditure of taxpayer money and military resources."
"I'm sorry Aang, I tried," Katara told him when the council dispersed. "One voice only carries so much weight."
Zuko nodded from beside her. "As Fire Lord, I can still do something about the soldiers turned pirate that are terrorizing Southern waters. I'll have one of my advisors that are here with me send an order for their immediate capture and trial for their crimes."
"That's not enough Zuko," Aang told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "It would be so easy to unseat you while you are out of the country. You need to return to the Fire Nation to defend your crown."
"I can't do that Aang," Zuko argued, "To pack up and retreat would only prove to these bandits that they are being seen as a legitimate threat. I refuse to let them think that or to have anyone believe that my nation would bend to an idle threat such as theirs."
"At least send some of your advisors back," Toph interjected before Aang could speak, "You've probably got enough of them crawling around here that it won't seem like you're retreating."
The grave look on Aang's face made him concede to the idea, "I'll send a small contingent back, and have them warn my generals of the potential threat, but I do agree with the council to the point that I won't put the stress on my people that there could possibly be another war."
"I'll have to take that then," Aang agreed, "However, I still think that it is wise to warn Bumi in Omashu as well as the Water Tribe Chiefs to be on their guard. It's not just one nation versus another now. These bandits have a collective from all nations working in tandem to undermine our governments."
"While you do that," Katara spoke as she put herself between the two young men, "I will send the request for Ling Dao Ren's confession. Then Zuko and I will continue our work for the End of War Festival. Even when this threat is proved real, we need to give people something to remind them of the peace we've achieved. This festival is now far more important than what it started out as."
Zuko left in a rush to see his advisors, who had been left to their own devices while he had bunked at Katara's. It was decided that Toph would stay with Katara while she helped Aang lay out his plans for if and when the council decided to move forward with his proposal. Katara also told him that she would be coming to see him so they could have a long talk now that he had returned. He reluctantly accepted, being both excited and afraid of what that conversation might entail. After that she dismissed herself, leaving Toph and Aang alone.
After a pause, Toph dropped whatever composure she'd been maintaining for the meeting. "What the hell was that?! You'd think if you were warned that some crazy group was trying to overthrow you there would be a little more concern!"
"They're just being cautious," Aang began, but Toph was already in a tizzy, storming about the room. She threw up her hands in frustration and he was surprised that she hadn't tried to rend the wall from the floor.
"Bah! They're being stupid," she turned on her heels and approached him, jabbing him in the chest with a bony finger. "You should have made them do it. I know you're one of these pacifists and whatnot, but you're also the Avatar. What choice would they have had if you had demanded it?"
"A leader leads by example not by force," he explained. "I could make them do it, but then they would only be self-reliant on me to fix things for them. They will come to the rational decision on their own, given time."
She didn't seem to like that answer much and stormed off. He knew that it was wise to give her space and to come find her later. First and foremost, he had letters to write and send. There would be much to do in the coming days while waiting for the confession to be delivered, and he wanted to have everything laid out as detailed as possible so all that had to be done was get the approval of the council before it could be put into action.
Toph was lounging in Katara's backyard. The weather had finally turned towards summer and she was enjoying the warmth the sun left on her skin. It was like any other mid-morning during the past three weeks she was in Ba Sing Se. Katara rose early and disappeared to her festival planning. Aang would show up later, not for the waterbender, but to consult with Toph about the Black Band Bandits. Toph was curious as to why he continued to seek her help, as she's expounded every bit of wisdom she had on the subject within the first week. She thought it might just be an excuse to see Katara, but he always seemed to wait until after she was gone to appear.
The two had their talk, and what the earthbender could glean from her friends was that she had accepted his apology but left their relationship where it had been when he left. Aang, it seemed, felt that this was because Katara still needed time to reflect on her feelings for him. She hadn't had the opportunity to grow close to him again before he left, and her festival planning and his strategizing left little time for the two to be alone. Either Toph or Zuko were always there as a third party. He claimed his own feelings were a bit less firm than before but he still loved her.
It had become evident, though, that Katara was not of the mindset that Aang thought her to be. She hadn't outright said as much, but Toph knew that her friend's affections had drifted from one young man to another.
People forgot that the slip of a woman, still outgrowing her girlhood, saw more in her blindness than any working eyes could. Certainly more than the duplicitous pair thought was being revealed. Katara and Zuko were involved with each other.
She sensed it in the way he would always step nearer than he should. The way her heart would flutter when he spoke to her. The sudden change it took, almost in fear, when she and Aang once entered unannounced to the work room where they furtively plotted. Though, Toph noted, that Zuko responded more strongly to her than she to him.
She always made their presence known after that incident though: a loud chortle from down the hall, her feet falling heavy against the tile that bounced a slapping echo off the wall, shouting Aang's name from across the garden when Katara and Zuko were at her home together.
The Fire Lord and the Southern Chief's daughter. Secreting away to hidden places while the man who loved her couldn't be with her. It sounded like the title to one of the trashy romance novels that Mrs. Ling favored, wrought with scandal. The old woman had read Toph some passages from one once and even now the bile rose into her throat. "Gross."
She shook the imagined scene from her mind as quickly as it came. Katara, most likely, was hiding this truth to spare Aang some pain. Which was similar in reason why Toph had yet to reveal it. Her plan, though, was to tell him all if the waterbender herself did not do so by the time Ling Dao Ren's confession arrived by messenger hawk from Omashu. As his friend, she owed him that much. It would spare him some of the pain of heartache, which she was all too familiar with.
"What's gross," the Air Nomad's voice called out from above. She sensed him when his feet his the ground. It seemed he had taken his glider down from the palace today.
"Nothing important," she lied, unmoving from her sunny spot until his shadow blocked the light. She rolled away towards a new warm patch."Why are you here again? Like I've been telling you again and again, I have nothing more I can add. You should really ask Zuko, he'd know better than I."
Aang frowned, though she couldn't see it, and leaned against his staff, "I have, but he wasn't much help either. Same ideas as you, except always busy with that festival."
"The confession come?" She inquired, though somehow she already knew it hadn't. Aang's deep sigh only confirmed it. Just like when they were in Qian, there was no response from Omashu. She half wondered if the mail system in the city was just that terrible, but she knew that it wasn't. "I got a letter from Tamae the other day. Well, more like a letter from Miyu containing the letter from Tamae."
"A letter?" Aang's voice rose an octave and she knew because it confirmed the same suspicions she had.
"She writes that she and her mom have settled into Omashu. She's going to school again and her mom works for a man who runs a small tailor's shop near their house." Toph recalled, trying to piece together what Katara had read to her the other night. "Apparently the city is nice, though a lot of the refugees from the ruined coastal towns are upset for the lack of action by the government. With such an influx in people, jobs are hard to come by without a marketable skill. Most of them are farmers or fisherman, which isn't terribly useful in Omashu. This only adds fuel to the refugees fire, it seems. It just seems like angry talk to her, and to me, but her mom is still worried it could escalate into rioting if left unchecked. Tamae isn't even allowed out once the streetlights have been lit."
Aang was tapping his foot furiously against the ground now, thinking hard, "Well, at least we know some mail makes it out of the city. Bumi is the only one I haven't gotten a response from either. I can't be certain, but I think letters and other exchanges, important ones at least, are either being delayed or intercepted en route."
"What are you going to do?" Toph spoke bemusedly, "Fly Appa there and start making demands for things and flaunting your power as the Avatar? Then it will look like you're the one plotting the coup."
"I'm going to send one more letter, but not label it as urgent like I did with the others." He replied, now pacing a bit. "Maybe if it looks unsubstantial it will make it into the city."
He didn't even give Toph time to respond, just took flight again back to the palace or wherever it was that he dealt with these things.
"Aang isn't staying?" Katara's voice carried from a short distance. Toph located her standing in the doorway. She had been there to hear some of the exchange but hadn't spoken before now. The waterbender looked to the sky, hoping to see the speck that was the Avatar return to the ground.
"Nah," the earthbender shrugged, delving into a brief explanation of her exchange with Aang, "No Sparky today?"
"He's finally managed to convince a group of his advisors to return to the Fire Nation," she began calmly, though Toph picked up on the wistful tone she took. Katara didn't like being apart from him. "So the imperial airship is being readied. He'll be sending them off in a few days, but first they want to make sure everything is organized. They won't let him be."
The conversation was terse, at best. Despite Katara's obvious preference for Zuko, she also exuded jealousy whenever Toph and Aang appeared together. In the time she had been there, the tension between the two women had slowly grown. They hadn't come to words like they would have in their youth, but Toph was about ready to at least confront her on her affair with the Fire Lord. It might ease up on Katara's hostility towards her whenever Aang was around. Toph knew that Katara, at least, had affection for both the Avatar and the Fire Lord, though with how much fervor for each she wasn't sure.
She mostly wanted to broach the subject if only to assuage her friend of the idea that whatever there was between her and Aang was strictly platonic. At the same time though, she didn't want too. Toph, as cruel as it was to admit, enjoyed the frustration she caused Katara. It seemed fitting justice to her for the way Katara was playing at Aang's heartstrings, though he himself did not know that fact.
Katara had already retreated back inside as Toph finished her reflection. Rather than be the cause of discourse if she stayed, the young woman agilely slipped from the yard. Another habit she had found for herself while in Ba Sing Se, was to spend her free time in a quiet corner of the Jasmine Dragon. Iroh was always obliging to let her take up the space for whatever length of time she felt like. Zuko had become quite busy, she had been told, and wasn't able to visit much like he had when he first arrived in the city. So the company that she offered was always welcome. She wondered how much the old man knew about what was going on between his nephew and Katara.
He must know something, at least to the extent that it was causing frustration for her as a guest in Katara's house. As if to make up for it, he had offered his services as her letter writer and reader instead of the waterbender. This reminded her, again, of how she hoped that they would be hearing a response from Omashu soon.
"Why are we here Aang?" Toph stomped a foot in vexation while the young man paced about behind her in similar irritation. They stood on the veranda off of his bedroom. It was large and offered a good view of the city below. It offered little to her but it was wide, private, and away from Katara.
"My balcony has the best view of the sky to the south. The guards on the walls have been on alert for signs of a response from Omashu," he explained, glaring at the sky as though he could force what he wanted to appear before him, "There's been no returned messenger hawks, nothing until today."
"You've got the confession?" She tried to contain the hopefulness in her voice. Aang had sent his second letter a week ago and the continued lack of response had been enough to cause her serious worry about what what happening in the southern provinces of the Earth Kingdom. Her own letters had made it through and while Miyu had been insistent that Gaoling was unchanged, she worried for the safety of her loved ones. As soon as the coup was put down and the last of the bandit ilk dealt with, she wanted to go home to them.
"If only," his voice full of frustration. He had paused in his circuit to look skyward again before resuming it, "There have been reports from the towns outside the walls that an airship flying the flag of Omashu had been seen though. It's why I'm watching."
"That's good right?" She commented offhandedly, finally fed up with his movement as she unceremoniously halted him and pushed him into a cushioned chair nearby. He stayed there only long enough to sip from a cup of fruit juice. A moment later he was back at his paces, which only added to her ire. She was tired, dragged from her bed before the dawn. She was also hungry, having been fed little more than some fruit and juice for breakfast since she had dined with Aang. He might be a fan of rising early and eating sparsely, but she was not. It just left her agitated and grumpy, with little energy to deal with his impatience. She let out a heavy sigh that was deep and throaty as she slammed open the screen door to his room and flopping onto his bed in an undignified manner.
"I'm not sure if it is good or not," he entered the room in time to see her nesting in a swath of his pillows, wrinkling the duvet as she got comfortable. He frowned, "That's my bed."
"I know, mine for now though," she remarked unabashedly, sinking further into the fluff. The bedding smelled softly of soap and sandalwood. She yawned and urged him on with broken statements. "Omashu, airship, good or bad...keep going. I'm listening...mostly."
He rolled his eyes, an effect she wouldn't see but it made him feel better at least. "It could be a supply ship with trade goods from the city. The confession, maybe a response from Bumi, might be a part of the cargo. OR it could be the sovereign ship from Bumi's fleet, meant to carry important officials from the city."
"So we might have to visit with the crazy old codger for a few days," She peeked her head up a bit as she thought of King Bumi with his off-the-wall personality and mad earthbending skills, "I kind of like him, even if he is ancient."
"You do understand that if he's left the city, it provides the Bandits an opportunity to take it or try pushing the people to riot like Tamae's mom is worried about." he stormed with frustration, snatching the pillow out from under her head and flopped next to her as if to reclaim the bed. He balled it up under his head and stared daggers at the ceiling. His bed was huge, enough to have held two more full grown people in it, so his actions did little to deter her. She sighed and grabbed another pillow from behind her, content to let him rant, "It's why I sent out a warning and why I urged Zuko to go home. Apparently the Avatar isn't worth listening to anymore."
"Hmm, we're you saying something?" she barbed, trying to incite him though to what end she didn't know. An exasperated sound filled his throat as he whapped her in the face with a decorative pillow from nearby. She sputtered feathers from her mouth and returned the volley, albeit halfheartedly. "Sourpuss."
"You're so unhelpful," he chided, hitting her again for good measure.
"Yep," was her response rolling onto her stomach. She laced her fingers together and propped up her elbows, placing her chin on her hands, "If you wanted someone useful, you should have left me at home to sleep in and asked Sugar Queen instead. It really ruffled her feathers this morning that you came for me and not her. Even Sparky can't spend time with her because the advisors are leaving today."
Aang smirked at this thought. Zuko was one of his closest friends, but he still felt himself heat with jealousy when he saw the two together. He tried to believe that jealousy was beneath him, but he knew that wasn't true. He smooshed the decorative pillow a bit in his hands, returning back to the conversation with Toph, "If Bumi is on that airship, we'll need to talk to him. I want insured privacy. You can sense people who might be eavesdropping or being deceptive. Katara can't."
"Why is that so important?" She yawned wide now and laid back down, curling herself up.
"I'm probably paranoid," he began, "but who knows where the Bandits have placed a spy or ally. They got to the delegate of Qian, who's to say they haven't breached the walls of this city too? And someone that Bumi trusts, perhaps, has been conspiring to keep the turmoil in his province from reaching him. I can't detect that on my own. I need you."
The statement had struck her in an odd way that made her smile into the pillow. Her eyelids were heavy now and her response came out as a mumble, "I'll do what I can."
The next thing the earthbender remembered was being shaken, unapologetically, from her nap. When she didn't move fast enough, she was whirled from the bed by a gust of air that made her dizzy. Her gravelly voice was full of irritation. "Good morning to you too!"
Aang hadn't heard her, just tossed the pillows back in place and brushed the wrinkles from the bedsheets. "I watched the ship land. I told the guards that if any officials were on board, especially Bumi, that they should be brought to see me here. That was half an hour ago and I was just notified that a contingent of guards were bringing guests to my suite."
He pushed her out through the bedroom door on another gust of wind, into the small sitting space that was the central area that conjoined his bedroom with another. That one was empty though, obviously meant to be filled with children or other family members of whatever guest would stay there. She barely had the chance to sit down and rub the sleep from her face when the door flew open. She halted in a squat and tried to move herself into a standing position again. Aang used a hand to steady her, before bowing as their company entered.
"Aang!" Bumi threw his arms wide, his froggy voice echoing in the rafters and he noogied Aang. He chuckled and then shook the old man's hand.
"Bumi, this visit is a surprise!" Aang forced a cheerful tone to his words, but she felt the quavering worry behind them. She was greeted with equal fervor from him before he took over a whole section of the couch, pulling them both down with him. They sat, all three squashed together, with Toph and Aang either side of the King of Omashu.
"Tell me, young Avatar," Bumi began exuberantly, "why I was so swiftly dispatched to see you, hmmm?"
"I'm guessing," Aang began, clasping his hands together in his lap, "that you did not get any of my letters."
"False," Bumi replied, shuffling for a pocket. "I recieved this one earlier in the week."
He produced an envelope and held it out to Aang as proof. Aang looked at it, the broken wax seal being his own and the destination scrawled in his own hand. This is my letter. Before he could speak, Toph had cut in, "If you got it, why the heck did you come here you dunderhead?"
Bumi at first looked offended by her comment, but soon cracked a delightfully crooked smile and laughed as he rumpled her hair, "So snarky! I came here because the Avatar asked."
He motioned to the letter that Aang had already whipped open to read. Toph already knew that the wily old king was telling the truth. Looking through it though, the letter was written carefully in Aang's own hand, though the words were not the ones he had put there. It had warned him of the events that had taken place, though the details of previous unresponded letters was left out. There was also no warning about the coup or any of the unrest that had been mentioned in the letter from Tamae. At the very end, where his insistence that Bumi remain vigilant and secure within his city, it instead insisted that the king come see him in Ba Sing Se as soon as possible. He relayed all of this to his friend, who seemed caught by surprise.
"This is troubling indeed," he mused, stroking his beard in thought, "I would not have so readily left if I knew there was trouble right in my own backyard. I would have sent an advisor instead."
"Is that who's running the city while you're away?" Aang questioned. Bumi nodded, explaining that a few of them had even pressed him into going. It was obvious now that the aged king had been drawn out of his city intentionally. Aang was determined now that his friend could not delay in returning. "You need to go home, protect your city and stay on your guard until this threat can be stopped."
"That is a wise decision, but my return will need to be delayed until my ship is refueled and my captain rests after the long flight. Give me two days, and I will be off like the wind." Bumi agreed. Soon an attendant had been summoned to start the process of the turnaround. Aang just hoped that it wouldn't be too much of a delay.
The rise of voices and lights in the hallway that night had first alerted Aang that there was something going on. He had thought it was Toph and Bumi being boisterous, as he was exhausted from stressing the day away, but the pre-dawn sky out his window suggested otherwise.
He pulled on a pair of pants for a semblance of decency but nothing more. He took large strides into the dark central room of the suite, a flickering orb of light in his upturned palm to guide him. The windows here were still shuttered for the night. He saw that Toph hadn't gone back to Katara's. She must have been asleep on the couch, as her overshirt was slung over the back of it. He couldn't spot her in the din, but did see Bumi, clad in only a stubby night shirt, was already beelining for the door.
Aang squinted into the shadows beyond his own dome of light to try to locate Toph. A touch on his elbow made him jump, but he saw that it was her.
Aang cast out his flame to nearby lanterns when he identified them, illuminating the room in orange-gold hues. They weren't the only ones disturbed by the arrival: a night guard carrying an irate messenger hawk with a note still around his neck. Aang noted the singed feathers on the animal, Toph crinkled her nose from the smell, letting him know she understood what was going on. The night guard told him of the unusual arrival of the bird, and with it being addressed to Bumi. However the hawk had been so distraught that it would let anyone near it to remove the letter.
"Firebender?" she asked as Bumi placated the bird with baby talk and gently smoothing out it's feathers. When it was willing to be pleasant, he removed the note and read it in silence. She noted the movement as Bumi passed it to Aang, but neither spoke of it's contents. She had paused, listening the the thrum of the old king's heart to gauge the seriousness of the contents. It gave no hints. Aang, however, was a different story. The stressful pounding of his part soon drowned out Bumi's. She stood there in silent wonder as the paper made it into her hands. The two men exchanged glances, bursting into broken sentences that, without proper reference, didn't make sense to her.
"The singed bird?" Aang's questioned, Do you think it's burning?"
"I hope not," Bumi's voice echoed his brilliant mind, the senile carefree overtones gone from it, " but I wouldn't bet on it being hole."
"We need a plan of action." Aang told him. She sensed him leap towards his room, propelled by airbending to get there and return quickly with a shirt and his boots.
Bumi followed suit, but not as nimbly as Aang,"I must go, they'll need help to squelch the insurgence."
"Bumi, I'm not leaving you to face the unknown," Aang lectured, "You need my help, but we need to go now."
The night guard interjected, apparently also privy to whatever information was being withheld from her, "The airship?"
"No chance of it being a viable option." Bumi answered, now fully dressed and pushing Aang out of the door. "Our only choice is the sky bison."
"Hey, what's going on?' Toph asked as the two blustered past her. She followed them down the hallway a while, the two still furtively discussing the contents of the message, and got no response.
"AANG!" He was even oblivious to her shouting his name. She felt the roughness of the paper, now crumpled in her fist, frustrated that she didn't know what the words on the page said.
"Read this, out loud," Toph forcefully shoved the beaten letter into Katara's hands. The other young woman had started to chide her for staying out all night and making her worry, but halted abruptly upon the demand. There were few people Toph trusted, and even if she wasn't pleased with the little love games that the waterbender was playing with Aang and Zuko, she couldn't take the message to anyone else. It was far shorter than the earthbender expected it to be.
King Bumi,
The city is besieged with rioters. The other advisors and I cannot contain them and soon they will take the palace. We implore your immediate return and beseech that you enlist help.
It wasn't signed and Katara commented that it looked 'crispy' around the edges. "What, what is this Toph?"
"The start of the coup," Toph found that her voice was hard in her throat when she thought about it, "It all makes sense now, what they were saying."
It was Katara's turn to be confused, but Toph quickly explained, "Bumi left, with Aang and Appa, to a city that could be burning to the ground right now."
Author's Note:
So, updated goodness! And it didn't even take another four years to finish it. And, yes, I will be playing up my long hiatus for kicks. It's good to laugh at yourself every now and again. Still, a nice review is always welcome, especially since I'm still getting back into the swing of fanfiction writing. I've spend those last four years writing college papers. I'm also reworking some of the plot, which means I'm trying to be careful not to retcon myself.