TOPH

"SO, WHO ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT, AND IS SHE PRETTY?"

The night before, at dinner, Korra, in an apparently inquisitive mood, had asked Toph Bei Fong how it was that she could see. It had apparently been a topic of muted discussion among the three Southerners through much of the evening. Toph was only sixteen-years-old, but even given her limited time on the planet, she had already grown exhausted with trying to explain how she experienced the world. So, she had fallen back on the rather caustic manner that life and heritage had gifted her with, shrugging and saying, I just see what I fucking see, and that's all there is to it. I can see that Sokka here is bored, that Katara's mind is wandering, that young Dingxiang in the corner can't stop tapping his finger against the wall, and that you, my dear, and here, she paused to throw in a wink, are just cute as hell. That brought shocked reactions from their guests, a chuckle from the servant Dingxiang, and synchronized groans from her parents.

All in all, a bit of a hat-trick, really, she felt. Not to mention that the brief (if slightly confused) flutter in Korra's chest was quite encouraging, in Toph's never humble opinion.

But there was a truth hidden behind the flirtation and the obscenities. How could she explain it? She honestly didn't know; every time she tried, she was left fumbling for words, feeling just in general like an idiot, and she was damned if she was ever going to feel like that. And the way she felt people look at her when she explained…though, she shouldn't blame them, she supposed. She did blame them, naturally, but still, she shouldn't.

Take the young woman sitting in the grass before her, for example. She knew that she was pretty, from the tremors that ran through young men's bodies when she walked by. She knew that the girl was tired and worn and stretched thin, that she was worried and mentally exhausted, that there were a great many things on her mind. Her heart always sounded like a rock rattling around an empty pail. Around her brother and her charge, she was always a least a little on guard, her body tensed, her movements fidgety. Even when she sounded happy, her body carried a cloud of sadness, seeping from every pore.

But just now, for a few moments, all of that had faded away. The signals changed, the heart sped up, the body relaxed. Toph swore that she could feel the ghost of a smile somewhere on the young woman's face. Yes, Katara of the Southern Water Tribes was thinking of something that made her rather happy, and as much confidence as Toph had in the earthbending she had been practicing for the past hour, she knew it damn sure wasn't that.

Probably a boy, she thought, though, she continued, feeling hopeful, maybe, just maybe…

For the record, if one had cared to point out the six-year age difference, one would've fully deserved whatever happened next.

At first, there was no reaction. The past hour had been like that. When Toph had headed off for practice, Katara, curious, had asked to come along. Then, for a solid hour, she paid absolutely no attention. In fact, Toph was pretty sure that she stopped even pretending to pay attention within five minutes. Probably staring at the sky, she had thought, though only the gods know what's so fucking fascinating about that. Toph Bei Fong had lived for sixteen years without seeing the sky, and was doing just fine. The hell did people look at it so much for? Fucking bullshit.

Even after Toph decided it was time for a water break, taking a big gulp and striding over to the small hill from which Katara was ostensibly watching, there had been no change. And now, if the girl had noticed Toph's presence, there was no sign that Toph could see.

And I can see all the gods-damn signs, thank you very much.

Intrigued (must be some fucking fantasy), Toph had bent a pebble-sized lump of dirt from the ground and pinged it off Katara's head. That got her attention, though the signs said it was likely to be negative attention. There were some odd signals, like the girl was rubbing her head, but Toph ignored those, leaning forward to say, "Got your attention now, Sugar Queen?"

If Katara wasn't frowning, Toph would eat her sweat-soaked hairband. "Yes, as a matter of fact, you do, since it's so important to you. What did you want?"

"No big deal," Toph said, pausing to take another gulp of water, "it's just that I asked you a question and all. It's polite to respond when people talk to you, you know."

That brought a scoff, which raised Toph's opinion of the young woman even higher. "And the hell would you know of politeness?"

Yeah, Sugar Queen was a bit of inspired fucking genius. "Quite a lot, actually. A young lady's education is quite comprehensive in that regard."

"I see it didn't stick."

"Oh, it stuck; I know every one of the 100 Rules of Etiquette, thank you very much. I ignore them as a point of honor, though, because, you know, Blind People Perks, but they're in there."

"Good to know. So, what did you want?"

"What I wanted," Toph said, plopping herself down but keeping her bare feet firmly planted in the grass, "was to know who you were thinking of, and if she was pretty."

Toph strained her senses, and was not disappointed. Katara's heart did a rather nauseating lurch, and if this blushing thing that people kept telling Toph about wasn't just a weird joke, she was willing to bet money that it happened to Katara's face. A rustle came to Toph's ears, as if Katara was nervously playing with her hair, and Toph had to resist the joint urges to laugh and gag.

"Well…um…for one thing…um…why would I be thinking about a she?"

Damn. "Just being hopeful. So, we're talking about a dude, I take it?"

That lurch again. Gag me with a fucking spoon. "Well…uh…maybe. Just…well…a friend, a good friend of mine, that I met, you know…nothing special…just…he's been on my mind a lot lately…no big deal."

"Uh huh." Bullshit. "So, you were totally daydreaming about that Fire Nation officer your brother keeps teasing you about, right?"

The sounds Katara made at that were utterly fascinating. Like anyone who lacked something, Toph, in weaker moments, did find herself wishing she could see, even if only for a moment. But then someone would splutter like Katara was currently spluttering, and Toph would reaffirm her opinion that the sounds were much more fascinating.

"Well…uh…maybe…" The sensations shifted. It was like Katara had reached in and grabbed her own heart, willing it to behave itself. The language of her body changed, as if she was shaking herself and setting her shoulders. "Not that it's any business of yours."

"Oh, it's not in the least bit my business, but if you think that's going to stop me from prying, you've got another thing coming, missy."

"You are…you're quite something, you know that? I honestly can't get a handle on you."

Toph scoffed, which was, by far, her favorite form of expression, short of earthbending. "Save yourself some trouble, Sugar Queen, and don't even fucking bother. I'm Toph, in case you didn't notice, and nobody's going to get a fucking handle on me."

"Heh…not even your parents?"

"Please. They know better than anyone not to bother trying."

The signals changed to confused. These people are all over the fucking map, I swear. "But…surely they're training you to inherit the estate."

"Nope! Ever since my dad's brother had a son, they've stopped worrying about it."

"Your father has a brother?"

"A few; my grandfather liked his concubines. But Zhang Shao, who was born at the same time as Dad and raised with him, is the only one who's worth a damn. When his son, Guangli, comes of age, Dad's going to make the kid his heir."

The confused signals continued. "And you don't mind?"

Toph felt that this deserved her third-most derisive scoff. "Why should I? Guangli's a good kid, he's smart, he's got a good head on his shoulders, and, most importantly, the poor fucker's going to get stuck with being a noble while I get to run off with Avatar Has-a-Nice-Ass. It's pretty much a win-win for me."

"I…I really want to ask you how you could possibly come to the conclusion that Korra has a…um…what you said…but I'm afraid to ask."

Toph shrugged. "It's probably better that way. Let's just say that I know that the same way I know you have a pretty sweet rack."

This brought forth another round of splutters, and if Toph wasn't mistaken (and she rarely was), at least some of those signals had turned to radiating offense. Fuck yeah, I'm on a roll. "For the record," came the response, "I'm not even going to dignify that with a reply."

Toph giggled. "Probably for the best, Sugar Queen. Most things I say should be left in the gutter from whence they came."

This brought forth a sigh that shook Katara's entire body, and sent waves rippling through the grass. "You know, I shouldn't like you, but I do. It's like…I can't help myself."

"Heh…it's a common problem. I wouldn't worry about it. Hey!" She switched some mental gears in her head, and began speaking in Inuktitut. "How about we change languages! You know how often I get to practice my stuff? Like…hardly fucking ever. After all, who wants to speak Guangzhou all gods-damn day, and besides, no offense, but your accent is just the pits."

This brought out a light chuckle. "Yeah…I know…six months with the Northern Water Tribe didn't do wonders for my language skills."

Toph frowned; it was her turn to feel confused. "So, we're sticking with Guangzhou then?"

The signals changed, and suddenly, Katara was sad again. And they say I'm hard to get a handle on. "Yeah, if you don't mind…I mean, you speak well, and I love my native language as much as the next person, but, well, I need practice, and besides that…you…" A deep breath, and Toph could swear she sensed a few tears somewhere in there. "It's not important. Don't worry about it."

One of these days, I'll be Empress of the World, and I'm going to make it punishable by death to fucking lie to me. One of these days, I fucking swear. But out loud, she said, "Uh huh. Look, you want to stick with Guangzhou, I'm cool with that; like everyone else, I swear better in my native tongue."

"I've noticed."

"Hey, the night is young; give me a few weeks, and I'll out-swear you in yours."

"You'd be surprised."

"Probably not, but whatever. Point is, seriously, what the fuck is up with you guys? I mean, it's crazy. One minute, Sokka's cracking wise, and the next, he's staring off into space, or, at least, that's what it feels like, grinding his teeth. And then, last night, Korra leaves dinner all happy and bubbly, after which I have to feel her toss and turn all gods-damn night, and this morning, she looks all morose again. And don't even get me started on you."

"What…what about me?"

"Let me put it this way: When I was fourteen, in a desperate attempt to find earthbending instructors and sparring partners who could keep up with me, Dad brought in this prize fighter. Seriously, this asshole had never lost a fight in his entire life, and he acted like it, too. He was all smiles and politeness to Dad, but when he got me alone, he dropped the act and just trash talked and acted like a real fucking prick. So, naturally, I beat his ass harder than a teenage boy beats his own dick. Don't congratulate me, though, because I feel pretty bad about it. After all, the guy had every reason to sneer; probably thought that I was some noble's only daughter, coddled all her life, who needed a reality check. That beating broke him; I've never felt anything like that. I didn't just defeat him; I destroyed him. And, when it comes to the readings I'm getting from you? He got off lucky."

The heartbeat slowed, and, if it was physically possible, Toph wouldn't have been surprised if Katara's heart had just dropped into her toes. And that sigh? Toph was pretty sure she would've felt it a mile away.

"What do you know about what happened at the North?"

I don't like how that voice sounds, either. "That shit went tits-up, and the Fire Nation is doing its absolute best to pretend whatever it was didn't happen."

"Yeah, well, we were there. Right in the middle of it. And tits-up is a pretty good way of describing it. Everything went wrong, in the worst possible way, and…" A deep breath came, one which even Toph felt the pain in. "We had a friend, a friend my brother got very close to. One of the most wonderful people in the world, and we lost her, and…well…when you speak Inuktitut, you speak it like a Northern noble. Very clear, very erudite, with the weird nasal accent and everything. In other words…"

"I sound a lot like her."

"Pretty much. So…it just…it calls to mind things none of us really want to think about."

"So…I have to ask…what happened?"

Katara was looking away; even Toph wasn't sure how she knew that. "Let's just say that all three of us bear more of the blame than we care to think about."

Toph knew she shouldn't ask the question the second she thought of it, but she never had been good at keeping her mouth shut. "And Korra bears the most blame of all."

Toph was prepared for a lot of things to happen, but what she wasn't prepared for was the ice cold fury that flashed out from Katara and sent a chill up her own spine. One of these days, that mouth is going to get me killed, I fucking swear.

"No, she doesn't. That bastard Zhao is the one who bears the most blame, Zhao and that man he served."

Desperate for a change of topic, Toph grabbed at the most obvious one. "Zhao the Butcher?"

The fury subsided. "You know about him?"

"Psh. Everyone knows about Zhao the Butcher. Let's just say that he made his career right here in the Earth Kingdom, doing the jobs no one else in the Fire Nation was willing to do. He's the kind of asshole who thinks that the way to drive guerillas out of a district is to burn the entire fucking province to the ground."

"That…that explains a lot, you know."

"I have a talent for making shit clear like that." With that, Toph felt they were back on solid ground, and the negative signals had begun to fade into, if not positive ones, at least ones that were neutral. Feeling confident, she heaved herself to her feet, not bothering to brush the dirt and grass from her already filthy, sweat-soaked workout clothes. "And on that note, I think it's time for a change of pace. Don't you?"

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I'm not sure I want to know about what, exactly, happened up North, and you don't seem inclined to tell me about this naughty with a nice body that you keep fantasizing about, so how about we head over to this stream over the next hill and have a little spar?"

That brought a laugh from Katara, and Toph could only hope it came with a smile. "Something tells me that there's no such thing as a little spar with you."

Toph put her hands on her hips and struck what she hoped was a confident pose. "Damn straight. I much prefer the phrase, beating the shit out of each other in the most fun way possible, but, you know, that tends to scare people."

Katara was rising, accompanied by the sounds of her hands running along her skirt. "My dear, I've defeated a Crown Prince, brought down a bandit, slept with the enemy, and faced down a god. You're not going to scare me."

Toph scoffed, choosing, for now, to ignore the phrase faced down a god. "Yeah, sure, you say that now…"

"Oh, it is so on."

"Sweet."

That was when Toph officially decided that Ms. Sugar Queen was cool. Now, she thought, as they headed for the stream, if only she liked girls…

What, you guys thought I was going to write a fic that has multiple POVs without hoping into Toph's head? Please. And that was ridiculously fun, too. I actually read through it twice, it was so fun. But I digress...

Moving on...a couple of shout-outs and responses, because you guys are awesome and I love encouraging you:

Lady Kaelyn - I read that review to my wife last night, and she burst into hysterics. Then, she informed me that you won't have to find me, because she will have already put me in the ground. So no worries! At least, for now! *shifty eyes*

inthehood - Sweet! You have no idea how good that review made me feel! I really do try to make sure that my ship doesn't take over the entire story, and I seem to have succeeded thus far. Like I said, my goal is for a fervent Kataanger to be able to read this and enjoy themselves. Not sure how much that's possible, but there you go. Also, hmm...I dunno about you comment about Aang...I like the kid, so I like to think he'll grow up...but the sad thing, one could write him as a dick in his adult years, and it wouldn't be completely off base. It doesn't help that LOK doesn't make a very good case for him as a father.

Project Tenma - What do you mean? I mean, thanks for liking my fluffiest of fluff, but even that one...yeesh.

CherishRedemption - You're welcome!

That's all for now! In the next chapter, Zuko gives a briefing. You could actually probably skip the next one, but then again, you guys never listen to me. Stay tuned!