Toph
Girl Talk
When Suki leaned over and whispered in Toph's ear that it was time for Girl Talk, Toph's instincts were to laugh, be dismissive, and immediately tell the boys. She was very proud of herself that she held down those instincts and only nodded. As they walked to the beach, Toph was elated.
The first thing she said was: "This better not be some dumb gossip session about feelings." She pointed a finger at Suki. "I know I can't 'see' on the wooden floors inside, but we do share a wall."
The ground Suki stood on went white hot. Toph grinned.
"Be nice, Toph," said Katara, for whom being nice is natural. "Or you won't be invited next time."
Toph stuck out her tongue and hoped very much that she would be invited next time.
And then no one said anything, for like a whole minute. Toph told herself to wait and be patient. She was new to Girl Talk; she should observe. But why was no one talking? It was called Girl Talk. Not girl shuffle-in-the-sand-and-ignore-each-other.
"Well? Someone talk!" Toph commanded.
"I don't know what we're talking about," said Katara, lying. Interesting.
Suki chuckled. "Okay, I'll start."
"I do not want to hear about my brother."
"Well, lucky for you, I don't want to talk about your brother. I want to talk about… the most eligible bachelorette on Ember Island."
Ooooooooo, Toph knew where this was going. And she had some info.
"Uhh, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Liar!" Toph exclaimed. "You and Zuko were holding hands at the play!"
Toph heard Katara gasp like she had just been punched and Suki gasp like she had just been gifted a surprise hawktiger.
"What? Katara!"
"I thought you couldn't see through wood!" Katara growled.
"The floor was stone," Toph informed her friend.
Katara made some sort of frustrated noise and started pacing. Toph waited. She told herself that she should approach Girl Talk like a duel. If you did nothing, eventually your opponent would strike.
"Okay, fine! Fine. You guys wanna know the truth so bad?" Katara tried to make it sound like she was annoyed, but there was something expressly joyful in her tone. She put her hands on her hips and stood like she was the one winning a victory. "Yeah, Zuko and I - we held hands, at the play. But…" She drifted off.
"But?" Suki prompted.
"We kissed," Katara whispered.
Outsiders observing the beach might have thought a bomb went off.
"WHAT."
"Tell us everything! When? Where? How many times!"
Katara sat on the beach and Suki and Toph joined her. She told them about the kiss. But it wasn't some stolen moment on the island paradise. It was in prison, under Ba Sing Se. Suki reached out to touch their friend. Toph didn't know what to do. Girl Talk had turned from teasing to emotional trauma so quickly - how could anyone keep up?
"Typical," Katara commented. "Not even gossip can be fun with us."
"Hey!" Toph said. "We're having fun. Even though, well, okay, that all sounds upsetting and scarring. But Zuko's our friend now. Everything's going to be okay!"
Toph could feel Katara's body relax, then she tightened again, hugging her knees to her chest and putting her forehead on her arms. Her voice was muffled when she spoke again.
"No, it's not!" she moaned. "Zuko might be our friends right now, but there's still…"
"Aang," said Suki.
Toph sat perfectly still, trying to pretend that she knew about this world-shattering news as well. It didn't go well. "WHAT. AANG? WHAT DID YOU DO WITH AANG?"
Suki and Katara fell over themselves laughing and Toph knew she was blushing.
"Oh. I guess I'm just the stupid one," she muttered.
"No! Toph!" Suki leaned over to nudge Toph with her shoulder. "I didn't know either. I was just guessing. He is always staring at Katara."
Katara groaned and fell back onto the sand. "And. He kissed me."
"Katara!" Suki gasped and Toph felt better knowing that she didn't know everything either.
"Okay," said Suki, sounding very businesslike. She folded her hands in her lap. "So, Zuko kissed you in Ba Sing Se, and then Aang kissed you, when?"
"Day of Black Sun."
Toph punched her friend.
"And last night."
Toph punched Katara again. She rubbed her arm.
"Okay," Suki continued. "So Zuko kissed you first. And then Aang. Then last night you kissed Aang and held hands with Zuko. And then - Katara how many other of our friends have you kissed? Haru? Jet? Smellerbee!?"
Toph's stomach did a backflip.
"Just those two." Venom dripped from Katara's words.
"All right. Just those two. Just the two most opposite boys we know. Who hated each other for...ever. Who have to work together or we're all gonna die. The Avatar .. and the prince of the Fire Nation. Just those two."
Katara snorted.
"Well, damn, Katara. Who do you like?" Toph asked.
Katara groaned again.
"Okay." Toph stretched out the word, because she wasn't entirely sure how this was going to be okay. But it would, somehow. They all lived their lives with "it'll be okay - somehow." In comparison to taking out the most powerful firebender in the world on the day all firebenders would be invincible, Katara and Zuko making it as a couple was cake.
"Have you talked to him?"
"Which one?"
Suki nudged Toph again. "Which one have you talked to?"
"Zuko."
"What did you guys say?"
"We confessed our undying love for each other."
"Really?"
"No. But… guys." Katara sat up. "He said - I mean, he said everything. It was… really nice. And then he said he wouldn't bother me until the war was over."
"Hmm." Toph tapped her finger on her chin. "That's a very one-sided conversation."
Katara kicked her feet in the sand and mumbled something under her breath.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that," Toph lied. She had very good hearing.
"I said I liked him too." Katara took a deep breath and then let everything out. "He was worried because he knows Aang likes me and Aang and I talked during that stupid play and so Zuko thought maybe I had feelings for Aang. But I was just telling Aang that I didn't know how I felt, which was a lie because then later that night I told Zuko that I wasn't deciding between him and Aang, I'd already decided and I'd decided on him. SO I GUESS I'LL JUST GO LIGHT MYSELF ON FIRE."
Toph and Suki were silent out of respect for their friend's impossible position. For approximately seven seconds.
"I know someone who could light you on fire," Suki said. "If you know what I mean."
Even Katara laughed.
"I just … I feel guilty. I don't want to hurt Aang."
"Yeah, but you're not gonna be with him just to save his feelings," said Toph. She knew she was oversimplifying it. This was all wayyyyy too complicated. That was something Toph could relate to; she knew complicated. "Aang's gonna be fine. He's thirteen. And he's the Avatar. He'll rebound quick enough."
Katara didn't seem convinced. Toph tried nudging Suki, like the older girl had done earlier. She was pretty sure she crashed into her like a rockslide, but Suki got the message.
"So!" she said in a bright voice. "Now that that's settled, let's get to the real reason we're down here. Katara, your brother is really hot."
"Hauhhh! Suki!" Katara pretended to vomit into the sand.
"Really, like you guys in the water tribe are beautiful people. And, even more, you guys really… know how to… paddle a canoe, if you know what I mean."
Toph's sides hurt from laughing as Katara scooped sand at Suki and begged her to stop. As they continued to tease each other like normal teenagers, Toph reflected that her first Girl Talk had gone pretty well. So well in fact that she could imagine another session happening in the future. At that hypothetical future time, Toph could tell Suki and Katara something… big. If Katara could confess to making out with the prince of the Fire Nation and the Avatar, then what Toph had to say wouldn't be a big deal at all.
