By the time they made it back to camp the sun was setting and Katara with the help of Aang was in full swing cooking dinner while Sokka was practising his sword stances.
The moment Lao saw them he yelled. "You?!"
Everyone halted and then turned to them, their eyes widening.
"Mr.. Mr Beifong?!" Aang asked. "What are you…"
"You kidnapped my daughter!" Lao shouted as he pushed Toph behind himself.
"What?" Katara asked. "No we didn't."
"I told you I ran away." Toph sighed annoyed as she side stepped Lao to get in front.
"Sweetheart you don't have to lie anymore. It's okay I wont let these people hurt you." Lao said and Toph groaned.
"Erhm." Aang halted then turned to Zuko. "Zuko what's going on?" he asked.
"We found a prison transport and Lao was among the prisoners. We freed all of them and well… I'm sorry but I doubt this guy can survive a day on his own. So we… Took him with us." Zuko sighed.
"My mom is in a womens prison camp." Toph added. "Guys we… We have to save her."
"No… No." Lao said. "You've done enough. I told you Toph. I'm sure this is just a missunderstanding. Ones we have all this sorted out we can go home! Things can go back to normal! Yes. Back to normal!" he smiled a smile which should have been assuring but it seemed manic.
That made Zuko look at the guy and try to take him more in. Honestly… Lao looked horrible. He looked like an utter mess. His skin looked thin and wax like, his eyes sunken in deeply with deep shadows under them. His hair was of course unkempt and hung oddly at his side. What looked like had ones been a well kept thin beard was now obscured by the stubble. His stands as well looked sunken and exhausted.
The man was fighting a brave fight to stand tall. But he looked more dead than alive honestly… And he was twitching. His hands, eyes, shoulders. Twitching.
"You look awful Mr. Beifong." Katara finally said stating what Zuko had just concluded.
"Things will be fine." Lao kept repeating. "Just a misunderstanding. Yes a misunderstanding." he said. "I can figure it out. You don't need to be scared sweetheart. Your dad can handle it! Of course he can!"
Of course it looked like Lao was the one having a panic attack and Toph was just fine.
"Dad." Toph turned to Lao grabbing his hand. "Sit down."
"No… No." Lao shook his head. "Your dad need to figure this out so we can go home. All of us. Paper… I need paper. I'll write a letter."
Toph cleared her throat and then suddenly spoke in a small soft voice. A voice Zuko could never have imagined coming out of this girls mouth. "Papa."
That made Lao look down and he swallowed. "Yes sweetie?" he asked.
"Please sit down papa." Toph asked and surprisingly Lao did as he looked at Toph with worried eyes. Then Toph picked up a stone from the ground and showed it to Lao. "What's this one Papa?" he asked.
"Oh that one." Lao smiled as he looked at the stone. "That's a pegmatite. See if you feel it, the surface will be coarse grained." he took Tophs fingers to guide it over the stone. "It's because of the crystallisation. These forms near the margins of magma chambers see."
"That's really cool dad. And what about this one?" Toph picked up another random rock.
"That's a basalt." Lao smiled warmly. "You can feel that because it's finely grained. Remember what the same rock is called if it's merely coarse grained?"
"A gabbro." Toph said and Lao beamed.
"That's my girl." Lao beamed as he pinched Toph's cheek.
Sokka squinted his eyes at Lao. "Don't tell me you're one of those guys who has a rock collection."
"My mineral collection is the finest collection in the earth kingdom." Lao huffed. "Not that I would understand you brutes to understand."
"So rock collection." Sokka stated.
"There is no such thing as just a rock." Lao replied dryly. "Each one will consist of different minerals and materials! You may call this a rock." he held up another rock that just looked normal in Sokkas eyes. "But this specimen of granite seems to also have traces of iron in it. Which means its spot of origin is most likely close to an iron ore. Which we need to create such things as iron or steel. For such common things as pots and pans. But also that sword you so happily were swinging around!"
Sokka looked at Lao then turned to Toph. "Toph you never told me your dad was a nerd."
The next moment suddenly a line of earth came straight towards Sokka and tripped him up sending Sokka down on his back. "auw!"
Toph sighed deeply. "How do you think the Beifong fortune is made?" she asked. "Dad owns mines. And he is well known for his special gift that he somehow always knows exactly what land to buy and excavate for materials."
"It is a simple matter if you just know what to look for." Lao stated importantly. Though even then he was shaking his head, trying to keep himself awake. The man looked beyond exhausted and just used. And now when Toph had managed to distract him from the panic with talks of rocks. It seemed like the exhaustion finally caught up to him.
"Why don't you lay down for a bit Papi?" Toph asked.
"No… I need to. Write a letter." Lao groaned deeply.
"Just lay down." Toph got Lao back on the ground and then found a blanket.
"Well… maybe I'll just close my eyes for a bit." Lao said. "Stay close Toph." he asked. "Don't walk off."
"Of course not dad." toph said as she put the blanket over Lao. Only as her hand was at his shoulder he reached up and grabbed it. Holding Tophs hands close.
"Thank Oma and Shu." Lao whispered as she swallowed. "You're all right. I was so worried… Your mom will be so relieved."
Toph halted.
"Things will be okay… It will be okay." Lao said and then finally… drifted off to sleep.
Toph sat there looking kind of awkward as even in his sleep. Lao was still holding Tophs hand.
Zuko quietly stepped forward as he spoke in a quiet tone. "You're okay Toph?" he asked.
"Yeah." Toph pouted looking down.
"Look I know. Your dad is kind of weird." Zuko said scratching his neck. "But he clearly loves you. So that's good right?"
"Loves me?" Toph asked as she removed her hand from her fathers. "He doesn't even know me!" she stated. "He only loves that girls he wants me to be. News flash, I'm not her."
"Toph." Katara breathed.
"Are you guys going to help me free my mom?" Toph asked. "Dad said they were together just two days ago before they split up male and female prisoners. That must mean she can't be that far away. Then when we freed her… I don't know what to do with them. We'll figure something out."
"Of course we'll help you Toph." Aang said. "When we're working together we can manage anything."
Zuko nodded then walked over to his bag and pulled up what looked like a journal he opened up to write in.
"What's that?" Aang asked in a blink.
"I am adding giving back land that has been taken from earth kingdom nobles to the list…. And give back farms to farmers." Zuko commented as he wrote.
"Wait… You're actually writing a list now?" Aang asked.
"Yes! How am I supposed to remember all of this crap by myself?" Zuko asked. "What if I forget something important?!"
"That's actually really sensible." Sokka commented.
"Thank you." Zuko nodded as he closed his book. "So erhm. If we're going to go bust out Tophs mother out of prison… What are we going to do with him in the meantime?" he asked looking at the sleeping Lao.
Everyone blinked and then looked at each other. Each one looking like a huge question mark.