Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or its characters.

49

"Welcome to 'Panda Lily Express', it is my distinct pleasure to take your order," Toph said in a voice as dead as she felt.

There was muffled thud, and then she heard a voice she hadn't heard in weeks. "Well, if it isn't our favorite little blind bandit."

"You're Jet, aren't you?" Toph asked in a tone that expressed little more than mild curiosity. "That asshole that was picking on Aang?"

"I was putting that jerk in his place, and you would be next, except it looks like you're already there," he sneered. She could almost hear the curling of his lip.

Toph held back a number of choice replies, choosing instead to shrug noncommittally. In her extensive life experience, nothing pissed off assholes quite as effectively as not caring about their assholery. "What do you want? The orange chicken is adequate."

"I want to know how our mutual friend is doing- still mooching off my ex, is he?"

A woman's voice entered the fray, and in the deep register of her mind, Toph thought she recognized it. "Jet- can we just place our order and go, please?"

"In a minute," was his reply. "Well? How is he?"

"Fine, I guess," Toph said placidly. "I'll let him know you're interested, but you should know that he's in a relationship."

"Is he?" the girl asked in surprise, and Toph frowned. She'd definitely heard that voice before.

"Do I know you?" Toph asked her.

The girl didn't reply, and Jet commandeered the conversation. "Have fun behind the fast food counter, blind bandit."

Toph snorted in contempt. "Okay."

But for the rest of her shift, that woman's voice pulled at a very tentative string. She knew that voice.

"Are you happy with it?" he asked her in a hopeful voice, his lips hidden behind his clasped hands. "I wasn't intending for you to pass out and then fall fifty feet, but I'm kind of hoping this will make up for it."

Katara stared down at the vouchers in her hand. She was excited to receive any gift that Aang was willing to give her, but in truth, she wasn't entirely sure what she was looking at. "What is it?" she asked in as inoffensive a voice as she could muster. "I am excited, of course, but I don't know what 'Hai-Bei's Catering' does, exactly."

He bounced on the balls of his feet as he began his explanation. "Well, remember how I told you that I got kicked out of the storage facility after they caught me squatting in one of their units? And then they sent me jail, more or less?"

She nodded, unsure of what an adequate response to that question would be.

"I was there for two days, and while I was in, there was this guy named Lahuo in there who said that he liked my tattoos," Aang continued. "And, he had pretty cool tattoos, too, of snakes that wound their way-"

"Don't get sidetracked," Katara chuckled, unable to keep the amusement out of her voice.

He nodded. "Right. Anyways, we kind of kept in touch. I stayed with him a time or two after jail, and he cooked for me- he's an incredible cook. We got to talking, and he started a catering business! He does dinners at home, parties... and picnics, like the one I've planned for you and I this weekend. An overnight stay at a campsite outside the city," he added, his heart in his eyes as he glanced sidelong at her. "I don't know if you're a 'camping' girl, but I am-"

Katara laughed outright at that. "You're a 'camping girl'?"

"Definitely," he said, giving her a tight grin. "Do you like it? I know it's not a night at 'The Empress', like what Suki and Sokka have. I'd love to give you something like that, if I could," he said in a lower voice, and his eyes dropped from hers to his hands that twisted a bit nervously in front of him. "I just, well... I can't really afford that."

"Sokka and Suki can't really afford that, either," she reminded him. "They won it, remember?" But the look of concern on his face compelled her to lean forward to place a lingering kiss on his cheek. "But, I love this, Aang. It's sweet and thoughtful, and very... you. I love it. It sounds great." She smiled encouragingly at him.

His returning smile was full of warmth, and he took one of her hands in his, their fingers lacing together tightly. "Then, it's a date. A second date."

There was actual dirt on his sheets. Suki stared in horror at it. "Look," she said in a grim whisper, pointing at the dark stain.

Sokka lifted his head to look. "Yea," he said, shrugging. "Didn't we already established that I'm a dirty working man?"

"I can't explain why, but an hour ago it was unbearably sexy. Much less so, now."

He laughed, and she felt the vibrations through the mattress. "That's on you. I appreciated the compliment, though."

Suki rolled away, carefully avoiding the dark spots of grime and dirt that marked the positions- the many positions- he'd occupied on the bed.

"Where are you going?" he complained.

She made an indelicate sound. "To shower. I actually have dirt on me- see?"

He squinted. "I missed it."

"It's right here."

"Can you come closer?"

Frowning when she finally realized his game, Suki stood from the bed and rolled her eyes. "No, I will not. I'm going to the shower to wash this encounter out of my skin and hair. And, not that I'm in charge of you-"

"This is news to me-"

She ignored him and continued. "Not that I'm in charge of you, but I strongly recommend a shower for you, as well. And then you should wash your sheets."

He laughed wickedly. "You're not going to tell your 'highly polished and urbane' boyfriend about this, are you?"

Suki had already glided from the room before turning over her shoulder to answer him. "Not sure yet- we'll see how my date with him goes tomorrow."

A/N: TR13 I really am just going with the flow haha but I'm really enjoying it. I'm just happy you guys seem to be as well! Thank you for your review, and all the others you've left! And thank you everyone who made a suggestion. I hope this surprise was worth it lmao. Glad y'all are liking Maiko! They're kind of challenging to get right for me.