The ride back to the Misty Palms Oasis was quiet as Team Avatar had a lot on their minds.
Sokka and Toph both lead to the deaths of people. Toph's case was the more direct cause as posed to Sokka's. Toph directly causes their deaths while Sokka on the other hand.
His betrayal of the trust that Wan Shi Tong had placed in them. While it would lead to the direct and immediate death of Prof. Zei. The guy would be dying down there in the spirit library as he had no way of getting back from the spirit world after all. Plus this could cause problems later on for others in the future.
Wan Shi Tong had been burned too many times by humans to trust one again that easily if at all the next time. If Sokka had kept his word like he was supposed to then Prof. Zei would have been given a death sentence just now.
Sure he wanted to be there forever at the time the place was sinking and thus did not try to escape but what if that was merely a lapse in judgment? One moment in time where he actually made the wrong decision in the long term for mere short term success.
There was a story about a very powerful bender that was supposedly fighting against a lord that like be referred to as the Dark Lord. In the story, the bender died because something they had searching around for years was finally there. In lasp, in judgment, they did something that doomed them to die.
Aang wondered if Prof. Zei would end up like that bender in the story. Sure staying in the library forever seemed like a good idea as a spur of the moment decision but he could easily come to regret that choice later or even right now with a clear head.
"So Aang what are we going to do about the sandbender that got killed by Toph," Sokka asked.
"Do not you mean Toph who killed the sand bender" Aang replied?
Toph was going to say something but then decided to keep quiet.
"Nope as they were killed by Toph because of their own actions. Not the other way around. If they merely left Appa and Toph alone then they would still be alive. Toph went and got angry because they almost got us killed" Sokka said.
"Because of your actions, Sokka" Katara pointed out "That info might be useful but it almost cost us our lives as Wan Shi Tong did not look too happy about you betraying his trust"
"You two could have betrayed me. Sided with Wan Shi Tong then just been allowed to leave the library before he returned to the spirit world" the older water tribe sibling said.
Going on to explain that Aang might not have been able to stop Wan Shi Tong from doing what he did but he could postpone it enough that he would not have rushed out there like the three of them did.
After all, he was supposed to be the bridge between spirits and humans as the Avatar. As Sokka explained only he broke Wan Shi Tong's trust. Aang and Katara could have played off knowing the darkest day in Fire Nation history as merely the desire to know. They would have had no intention of using it for personal gain at all as Sokka had from the start.
Appa then set down near the Misty Palm Oasis where they were approached by Sha-Mo of the Si Wong tribe.
"You all came from the desert, right? My son and his group have not come back yet. Do you happen to see them in the desert" he asked
"Pick Wrong Prey" Toph told him
Sha Mo was taken aback by this for a second as he then realized what those words could mean as his face with white.
Aang then was about to say something but that was when Sokka stopped him and Katara too.
"Your son was going to leave us in the desert with no means to get back here other than walking," Sokka told him
"She could not have gone easier on him or...no looked at her face she was not left with a good choice," Sha Mo said.
"If my son was willing to do this so easily then this was not the first time that he had left others out to die in the desert after raiding them?' Sha-Mo thought that Ghashiun and his group were seriously going to leave this group to possibly die out in the desert. It is plausible that he had left others out in the desert to die as well.
That he had not been caught until now because they did in fact die out there in the desert where no one would know about what Ghashiun and his group had done. His son kept testing his luck over and over again. It seems that today his luck had finally run out.
"Go" Sha-Mo told Aang and co.
"But sir..." Aang started
"I SAID GO!" Sha-Mo yelled at them
Katara looked confused at the sight before them.
"What do you mean we are leaving" Aang then said as once again Toph spoke in a manner only he could understand for some reason.
"Yeah she is right to let go as there is nothing more we can do here," Sokka said as pushed Katara back toward Appa.
Appa was not stolen by Ghashiun and his group. Which could have led to the deaths of Team Avatar if one wrong move was made by them
Instead, Appa was safe but the Ghashiun and his group were dead because they pissed off Toph who already had her hands full just trying to stop a massive library from sinking into the sand as it returned to the spirit world.
Rather than heading straight to Ba Sing Se with all the knowledge that Sokka had 'acquired' from the Spirit Library. It was decided that they would all be taking a break at a waterfall that was along the way to the capital of the Earth Kingdom.
So much had happened that they would need time to take it all in and process it properly.