A short, transitionary chapter.

CH 28

Earth crumpled away along the edge of a grassy dune off the bay. The three Team Avatar members emerged—two of them slightly stunned by their first travel-by-dirt experience. Sokka was the first to speak as he noodled out on trembling knees, "woah…that was really weird. I would like to not do that ever again."

Though Katara was equally rattled by the experience, she made no response other than to sink down into the dune, arms hugging her calves. Toph had delivered them right into an empty part of the beach just off campus, cold winter wind gusting off the choppy bay waves and kissing her face. She suspected the earthbender chose it for her benefit. It was exactly the place Katara would have chosen herself to grasp the perspective now slipping through her hands like cupped water. Yet, the comfort she would normally pull from the glitter of the cresting waves, the smell of the tide, the sound of squirrel gulls, was absent.

"And Katara—" Sokka sighed as he plopped beside his bloody-knuckled sister, "that was awesome. Stupid, and irresponsible, and if I'm not mistaken, heavily tinged with petty jealousy…but awesome."

Toph sank next to her other side, placing a comforting hand on Katara's shoulder. The sand made it difficult for her to get a good read on the waterbender's emotions. Touching her now, she could feel such intensity—her chest was clenched painfully tight with shallow breath, holding back a racked sob. Her blood pressure was positively through the roof—enough that Toph suspected Katara was also dealing with no small amount of a headache. Hopelessly tangled layers of rage, grief, shame, confusion, hurt.

"Hey." Toph said softly.

"Hey." She said again. "It happened. We're still here with you."

He isn't. He's not here.

The dam broke loose and Katara buried her face into her knees, her back heaving as she wept. It wasn't just the most recent events, but the entirety of her singular half-semester. Was this how the rest of the world was outside the south pole? Was this amount of exposure, this unending rawness just what life was to be outside her one-traffic-light town? Katara was equal parts exhausted and restless.

She'd studied, navigated hopelessly complex friendships, committed theft, espionage, and destruction of national property. She'd been skydiving with no parachute, been kissed breathless, she'd fallen in love.

"And I can't have him. I can't keep him. He was never mine. He'll never want to be mine."

All three phones chimed, signaling an incoming group text. "It's Aang." Sokka said.

"Can you read it out loud?" Toph asked, not taking her hands off Katara's shoulder, who was still shuddering miserably.

Aang: I tried talking Azula off the ledge. I think she's going to go to Ozai. We need to get out of the city for a while. None of you need to fight this fight, but Katara at the very least should skip town for winter break. I can drop you guys off somewhere—I suspect I'm going to attract heat now and you shouldn't have to worry about that. I'll pack up Appa and will be by the house in 30.

"What an obnoxious martyr." Toph complained after Sokka finished reading. "Yeah, like he actually thinks we would go on winter vacay and leave Appa in danger?" Sokka responded, trying to lighten the situation. There was the smallest pause in Katara's crying. "He probably thinks he's taking Baby Momo too. Like Momo would go anywhere without his mommy." Toph said, giving the waterbender a playful shove. Katara finally let out a weepy chuckle, looking up from her fetal position.

"C'mon, sis. You didn't think that semester was stressful, did you? We're just getting started." Another text chimed.

Aang: I just had a crazy idea. Toph, do you have Iroh's number? Can you add him into this group text?

Sokka raised a confused eyebrow at Toph, who pulled out her phone and handed it to Sokka. He scrolled through and added the number.

Toph: Hi Iroh! Welcome to the Team Avatar group chat. Aang needs to ask you something.

Iroh: Bluetick

Iroh: Bluetick Coonhound

Iroh: Connect Bluetick

Iroh: CONNECT BLUETOOTH

Sokka: Hey. Stop. Go to settings and turn on Bluetooth. Typing it in text doesn't do anything.

Iroh: How do I sext

Iroh: Not sext, sext.

Iroh: SEXT.

Iroh: I NEED TO SEXT.

Iroh: No, SEXT.

Aang: Wow, please, please stop. Just read. I have reason to believe Azula is going to Ozai. I can't explain the whole idea I have right now, but you need to check Zuko out of his facility and then we're going to take him on a trip.

Iroh: Bluetick

Iroh: Ducking Bluetick Coonhound!

Aang: Can you just call me?

0000o00o0o0o 00o oooo0o00 oooo0 ooo0 o0o0o0o0000oooo000 oo

The atmosphere was tense when Aang came in through the downstairs floor. He usually came down from the roof to his and Sokka's room both because it was convenient and because he felt it would give Toph and Katara more privacy.

"Hey. Sorry to interrupt. I've got Appa parked out front and we need to split as soon as possible. Mrs. Meng across the street always throws a fit. Also, cops."

"Where exactly are we going?" Katara asked. She was too mortified to poke her head past her curtained room space, but knew he heard just fine. There was an awkward pause. "Well…I mean that's up to you. I can drop you off anywhere you feel safest…I was planning on stopping on the coastline near Hei Bai forest—it's pretty close to Crescent Island."

"I guess we're going to Hei Bai forest, then." Sokka called from the kitchen.

"Guys…" Aang started. "Don't guys. We already decided. Pack your shit. Like you said, Appa's waiting."

"Besides…" Toph said, coming out with a backpack and her bedroll, "you're ready to earthbend Twinkle Toes." She was grinning widely at her new pupil. It was the first time she'd felt him standing squared, rooted, and confident. He really was ready.