Toph stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot to survey the aftermath of the fight.

"Guess we're lucky you were nearby," the foreman said behind her.

She was sure there was a spike of irony in his voice. They were lucky she had just so happened to be on the road to Republic City during the attack. During previous incidents, several workers had been hurt, and she had handily prevented that this time. His double-edged words, as she suspected them to be, likely had something to do with the state of his construction site thanks to her assistance.

"I can fix this," she said quickly, lifting her arms. With a few quick gestures, she smoothed over the disturbed ground. Next, she set to straightening out the bent rails on the section of the track that she'd commandeered during the fight. There wasn't much she could do about the splintered ties, though.

"This project might actually be completed on time if you and your metalbending students supplemented my laborers. Most of them can't fight to save their lives. Literally. And they have to carry the rail sections by hand."

"Sorry, but I have better things to do than construction work, and I can't send them here alone." She finished up and dusted off her hands. "There you go, good as new. Er, mostly."

"Thanks... I guess at least no one got hurt, this time."

"I thought you guys were supposed to be getting better security?"

"Believe me, I've tried! We keep getting promised more guards, but I think the Council is too preoccupied with crime in the city."

"Yeah, you might be right about that." Toph sighed, feeling that ever-present weight. "I'll see what I can do."

"Really?" He sounded surprised, but pleased. And a little skeptical. "That would be...helpful."

"No promises. Anyway, I've really gotta go now."

"Of course. Thanks again…"

One thirty-minute walk and a ten-minute carriage ride later, she arrived at the Earthen Fire Industries refinery. It could have been much sooner, but she'd been - 'politely' - requested to stop land-skiing between the two cities. Apparently, they didn't like what it did to the road or something.

"Oh, there you are," Satoru said. "I was beginning to think you'd gotten side-tracked with Academy stuff."

"Nah, I got held up on the way here. There was another attack on the railway construction." She neglected to mention that she'd already been running late before that.

"Oh, no! Was anyone hurt?"

"No, just some damage. Most of it my doing," she added with a sheepish grin.

"Why does that not surprise me…"

"Anyway, I'm here now. Where's my father? Might as well get this over with."

"In his office, I'm sure. You still want to help me out afterward?"

"Of course. That's why I came, isn't it?"

"I thought you came because your dad wanted to talk to you?"

"Oh, pfft." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "If that was the only reason, I'd have told him to just write me a letter."

"Which you can conveniently pawn off on your assistant...?"

"Exactly! Problem solved!"

"Something tells me he wouldn't be satisfied with that."

"...Yeah, you're probably right." She stood there for a second, feeling a little awkward. It's not that they weren't friends; she just wasn't quite sure how to act around him. After they'd formally hammered out the partnership between the refinery and her Academy, his exuberant admiration for her had fizzled out into brotherly coolness before she even had a chance to see where things went. It baffled her. And annoyed her a little, too. She'd hoped having another target for her adolescent cravings would solve the Sokka problem.

"You're stalling," Satoru said, voice thick with amusement.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she muttered, waving him off and turning to head toward her father's office. Arriving at the door, she took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in." He didn't say anything as she crossed the room. It wasn't until she was standing right at the edge of his desk that he spoke. "You're late."

"I know. There was another attack on the railroad construction. I couldn't very well ignore it."

Lao sighed, probably at the attitude she'd copped there at the end. "Well, no, of course you couldn't. Was anyone hurt?"

"No. Thanks to me."

"Glad to hear it."

Toph sat in one of the plush, oversized chairs facing his desk. It was deep enough that, if she sat back, her feet would dangle off the floor. Instead, she sat on the edge, trading comfort for security. Even so, only her toes touched the stone. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Right to the point, then. Well, I suppose we don't have time for idle chit-chat now, anyway."

Toph rolled her eyes; what sort of 'idle chit-chat' did he think they'd be able to have?

"I thought it might interest you to know that your mother and I have officially reconciled, now that she is convinced you are safe and well."

"I'm...glad for you," she said diplomatically, wondering where this was going.

"She has asked me to extend an invitation for you to come with me for a visit next time I travel to Gaoling."

And there it was. "Dad–"

"Keep in mind, your mother has not seen you in two and a half years, after you left without saying goodbye."

"I have sent several letters to her," Toph protested, not appreciating the guilt trip.

"It's not the same. You must know that."

"You have to understand that my responsibilities here don't give me the option of a minimum month-long journey there and back."

"I know all of your...projects are important to you, and – Spirits help me – I've accepted that you've chosen a working life for the time being, but you are still a child, Toph, however much you try to play at being an adult."

"I don't have to sit here and listen to this," she said angrily, getting to her feet. "You know, after all that stuff with General Old Iron, I thought you'd changed. I thought, finally, you could see me for who I really am. But I guess not." She turned and stalked towards the door.

"Toph! You cannot just run away from conversations you don't like!"

She stopped, her hands clenched into fists. "I'm not running. But I will walk away from any conversation with someone who refuses to speak to me as an equal." A moment later, she was past the doors and storming down the hall back to where Satoru was working.

"How did it– Ah, never mind."

"Feel like distracting me?" Toph asked, realizing the second the words left her mouth how suggestive it sounded. "Maybe an old machine I could smash up?" she added quickly, pounding her fist into her other hand. The last thing she wanted to do was make things awkward between them.

Satoru laughed. "Please, no, not my machines!" he said dramatically, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"Give me something to do, then."

"Alright, come here." He was shoulder deep in a panel on the side of what Toph had ascertained was a metal press. When she crouched down next to him, he pulled his arm out and took her wrist, placing her hand on one of the levers. She tensed at his touch, pulse quickening, and purse her lips with irritation. Wasn't she past this? She didn't need to kneel there, thinking about the leather-and-machine-oil scent she had come to associate with him. With a brisk shake of her head, she focused on the inner workings of the machine.

"Have you figured out what it is?" Satoru asked.

"I take offense to that!" she said lightly. "I knew it was a metal press long before you stuck my hand in here."

"I thought of calling it 'The Beefy Beifong'. You know, since it bends metal. Eh?"

"You name your machines?" She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how much she absolutely loved it.

"Not usually," Satoru admitted with a laugh. "But it seemed appropriate in this case."

"What ails you, Beefy Beifong?" she murmured, running her fingers along the gears and levers, occasionally rapping her knuckles to create a vibration. Satoru stayed silent. He was always good about letting her figure it out herself. "Ah-ha. You've got a cracked piston." She pulled her hand out. "Why are you fiddling around in this panel? The access for the pistons is around the back."

"Have a look."

"A 'look'?" she joked, getting up to walk around the machine.

"You know what I meant."

It didn't take her long to figure out the back access panel was jammed. Closer inspection revealed several dents near the latch. "What did you do? Hit it with a hammer?"

"I don't possess your talents," he said dryly. "Us mortals must make do with what we have. I thought I could pop it open with enough force. Sadly, I was mistaken."

Wrapping her hand around the damaged area, she tapped her knuckles just beneath it with her other fist then ripped the panel away like it was made of paper. It clattered to the ground noisily.

"That just never gets old," Satoru said.

She flashed a cheesy grin. "You should've mentioned this before I went up to see my father. I could've saved you some time."

"This happened while you were up there."

"Oh."

"Do you, uh, wanna talk about it?"

"Nope," Toph said, her upper body already deep inside the machine. She could just barely reach the pistons on her tiptoes.

After that, they worked in silence except for the occasional commentary on what they were doing. At times like this, it was an easy friendship, one that she was grateful for, but it would never satisfy that small part of her she tried to pretend didn't exist.

Hours passed and Toph finally realized she was starving. It was probably getting late. "I think I'm gonna call it a day," she declared, wiping sweat off her forehead. "Might go find something to eat. Wanna come?"

"Ah...thanks, but I think I'm just going to keep at it a little while longer."

She instantly regretted the invitation. It wasn't the first time Satoru had quite obviously evaded any situation that could possibly be construed as a 'date'. Not that she had meant it that way. "Yeah, no problem."

"Are you staying in the city tonight?"

"Might as well. I'm pretty tired."

"With your dad?" he asked skeptically.

"Hah. Not a chance. I'll probably just go stay with Suki."

"Alright, well, thanks for your help. You've turned a week-long rebuild into a few hours of tinkering."

"It was a nice distraction. Guess I'll see you later."

Outside, the late summer air was just as hot and humid as it had been inside the refinery. There wasn't even a tiny breath of wind. She headed with purpose toward a nearby market square and bought a meat skewer from one of the street vendors. It was the specialty of this particular suburb, fondly referred to as 'meat medley'. No one really knew just what kind of meat was used on any given day, and no one really cared because it was fucking delicious.

As she casually plodded on towards the building that housed the Kyoshi Warriors, Toph idly considered going to Sokka's small apartment instead. He'd let her crash on his couch, no questions asked. At least then she wouldn't have to deal with Ty Lee fussing over her hair and the other girls pestering her about her personal life.

But...she'd never just shown up at his place at night like that before. He'd probably think something was wrong and worry about her when she denied it. With a sigh, she discarded the idea. It was inappropriate, anyway. Lots of people - random strangers - knew them. Recognized them and talked about them. She knew it would look bad, and while she didn't give a molerat's ass what people thought about her, she was mindful of Sokka's reputation.

So lost in thought she was that she had to stop and think about where she was going. It took her a moment to realize she'd wandered into a not-so-great part of the neighborhood, and another to realize that a pair of footsteps behind her had stopped when she stopped. After a brief study of her surroundings, she ascertained the quickest way to a road where she could hire a carriage and started heading that way. She was tired and full from her dinner, not in the mood for a fight.

The footsteps behind her resumed. Yep, they were definitely following her, and getting closer. Suddenly a small chunk of ground was hurtling towards her. She dodged easily, turning, stomped her front foot, and buried her pursuer up to the neck, holding him tightly.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" she yelled, approaching him.

"Oh...Spirits… It– it's you!" He sounded young, voice cracking. He probably wasn't much older than she was.

"That's right, motherfucker."

"I'm sorry, okay? Was just gonna steal a couple coins for a meal, alright? I didn't know it was you! Please don't hurt me!"

Toph grimaced. He was telling the truth. Spirits, but she hated this city sometimes. She stamped her heel lightly, shooting him out of the ground. "You could've just asked," she said, pulling some coins out of her belt pouch.

"I'd rather be a thief than a beggar."

She shoved the coins into his hand and turned to leave.

"W-wait!" he stammered.

"What?"

"Uh...never mind. Thanks, I guess."

Toph sighed, hoping she wouldn't end up regretting her next words. "I never turn away a student. Not unless they give me a reason to."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Okay. Thanks. My name's Luon, by the way."

The rest of her journey was, fortunately, without incident. By then, the fatigue had really started to set in. One of the Kyoshi Warriors answered the door when she knocked.

"Toph? What are you doing here? Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Can I crash here tonight?"

"Oh, sure! Come on in."

"Toph!" Ty lee squealed. "So good to see you!" She gave Toph an affectionate squeeze that was only barely tolerated. "What on earth have you been doing? You're covered in–" She gave an audible sniff. "Machine oil?"

"I was at the refinery."

"Straight to the bath with you!" she said, giving Toph's shoulders a firm push. "I don't want the couch all greasy."

"Toph?" Suki's voice called from down the hall. "I didn't know you'd be in the city today."

"I had to talk to my dad."

"Ooh. That doesn't sound good," she said in commiserating tone.

"It wasn't."

"You need to stay here tonight?"

"Yeah."

"You're welcome any time, of course. But, um, I've got my own plans tonight," she said apologetically. "I'm really sorry. If I'd known you were coming I would have planned to stay in to catch up with you."

"It's okay. I'm probably just going to crash anyway. I'm exhausted." She could guess what Suki's 'plans' were and thanked the Spirits she had thought better of going to Sokka's apartment. That would have been...awkward.

"Alright, well, have a good night. Feel free to use my room."

Some of the other girls made crude remarks to Suki as she left, confirming Toph's suspicions. She didn't have much time to think about it, though, because Ty Lee was marching her off to the bathroom.

"I can wash myself," Toph warned once they reached the door.

"Hm. That's debatable." But she consented to give Toph her privacy.

Standing there, dismally regarding the water pump that hung over the tub, she began the process of filling it while she worked up the will to immerse herself in chilly water. At least it's summer... There were few things in life worse than a cold winter bath. It almost made her miss living in a house full of servants.

Once clean and dressed in the change of clothes she had brought, she braved the bubbly atmosphere of the common area to ask which room was Suki's. Unfortunately, Ty Lee wasn't having any of it.

"We hardly ever get to hang out. C'mon, sit and chat with us for a bit."

Toph sighed. She just wanted to sleep but was too tired to argue. Ty Lee had her firmly by the shoulders and practically pushed her onto the couch.

"Suki's so lucky," one of the girls was saying. "Sokka is such a hunk. And just a decent guy, you know?"

Toph rolled her eyes; this was their favorite topic.

"Hold still," Ty Lee said behind her, trying to get a comb through her thick hair while she suffered in resigned silence. There was no stopping the woman. Toph had tried before and ended up chi-blocked. Escaping Ty Lee's attentions would require her to resort to violence; it wasn't worth making a mess and getting kicked out.

"Do you think they'll get married?"

"I don't think Suki wants that, not right now."

"Really? She said that?"

"Not in so many words, but that's the impression I got."

Toph could distinguish all their voices but couldn't be bothered trying to match them to names. Too tired.

"You're his best friend, Toph. Has he mentioned anything to you about proposing?"

"Uh.." She wasn't thrilled to suddenly be included in this conversation. "We don't really talk about that kind of stuff."

"Good, because what you hear in this room stays between us."

"Relax, Ming, she's not a gossip. I think that's pretty clear."

Underneath the discomfort, Toph couldn't help but be amused by the irony of it all. There they sat, gossiping their hearts out in front of her, asking her to reveal any privileged information she might have, then warning her to keep her mouth shut about anything she heard. She wished Suki were here, not just because her friend was pretty good about deflecting any probing questions that came her way, but also because Toph wouldn't have to think about what Suki and Sokka were up to.

"Huh?" she said, realizing a bit late that she'd missed a question directed at her.

"Daydreaming? Ooh, who's the guy?"

Toph's face decided to betray her by blushing. She'd chosen a poor moment to think about Suki and Sokka together.

"Hah! I knew it! Come on, spill!"

"Oh, leave her alone," Ty Lee said, though there was a hint of laughter in her voice.

"She's too young to have any juicy stories for us, anyway."

"I'm not that young," Toph protested before she could stop herself. It was all her father's fault; being called a child always rankled.

"Are you saying you do have juicy stories?" The voice was highly skeptical.

"Well, no–" They laughed and Toph tried to scowl at all of them at once. Staying here without Suki acting as a buffer was maddening. She was so fucking tired of the people around her not taking her seriously. "Actually. I have a question." The room went suddenly silent and she cursed the moment of frustration that had caused her to say that. She gritted her teeth and took the plunge. After all, what did she have to be embarrassed about? "What does it mean if a guy seems really interested and then all of the sudden isn't anymore?"

"Hm. That's a tough one. Could mean a lot of different things. We need more details."

"Did he get involved with someone else?"

"Not that I know of," Toph said. Then again, would Satoru even share something like that with her?

"Did you change your look at all?"

"My look?" Seriously?

"...Never mind."

"How old is he?"

"Er...eighteen."

"Ooh, girl, get it!"

"When you say he was interested in you before, what do you mean?"

"Well," Toph began, in too deep now to stop herself. "I can tell when people's heart rates increase. So that was the main thing. And he always would get really close to me when we talked and generally seemed kind of obsessed with me. But now he just acts normal."

One of the girls sighed wistfully. "I wish I could tell when a guy's heart beats faster. Would really speed things along. Spirits know I don't have the time to pussy-foot around."

"Hm," another said. "It does sound like he might have been genuinely interested. But, I don't know, I gotta say I'm a little concerned by an eighteen-year-old guy putting the moves on a...what are you? Fourteen? Are you sure he's a good guy?"

"Yeah, I'm not worried about that. And anyway, I can take care of myself."

Several of them laughed. "Oh, I don't doubt that," someone said.

"Maybe he realized it was a little inappropriate. I'd say wait a few years and give it another go."

"Nah, girl! You need to find someone your own age."

"Yeah, I bet there are tons of eligible young things at your school, eh?"

Toph made a face. "I don't get involved with my students. That's just...wrong. I can't even think of them that way. Even the ones who are older. They're all just lily livers to me. And how did this conversation turn into trying to 'find me a guy'? I don't have time for that shit."

"Girl, you're preaching to the choir. None of us have any free time to meet people, much less actually go on dates. It's just been me and my lonely hand at night for far too long."

They all laughed raucously at that and launched into a spirited debate on technique, which Toph pretended very hard to not be listening to. She leaned back and closed her eyes, the drowsiness creeping in. Ty Lee was now busily braiding her hair. The gentle tugging on her scalp felt kind of nice, actually.

The next thing she knew, the room was empty and quiet, and she was flat on the couch with a blanket covering her. She blinked a couple of times, then let sleep retake her.

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Toph stamped her bare feet on the stone of the Academy's courtyard, trying to banish the autumn chill. Ugh. She'd have to start wearing shoes soon. Blech. The familiar form of Sun approached her from behind.

"Sifu, could we talk for a second?" he asked.

"Five-minute break, lily livers!" Toph called to the students in front of her. She turned to Sun and they walked a few steps away. "What's up?"

Sun didn't answer right away. She could feel him digging the toe of his shoe in the dirt. "Um. I'm leaving."

"Wh–"

"Just...hear me out."

Toph crossed her arms and scowled, but kept her mouth shut.

"So, here's the thing. I'm really glad I came here to train with you. I've learned a lot. But...I think I've reached a block. I think I need to spend some time on my own, figuring some stuff out. It's just something I've gotta do alone, you know? I feel confident that I won't hurt anyone now."

Toph sighed. Was this her fault, for not being able to devote enough time to their lavabending sessions? They hadn't been able to find much time lately. "Where are you going to go?"

"I thought I'd travel around. Maybe go to the Fire Nation, even. Heh. Lots of lava there, right? I don't know, I just feel like I need to do this. Figure out who I am."

"Yeah. I get it."

"I hope you'll keep training on your own. You can't call yourself the greatest earthbender in the world if you don't master it!"

She knew he meant it as a joke, but his words hurt. "Pfft. I'm still the greatest earthbender in the world, regardless! Or do you wanna spar so I can prove it?"

Sun chuckled. "Nah, I'm not in the mood to get my ass kicked right now." An uncomfortable silence settled between them, then he cleared his throat. "Well, anyway. I just wanted to say goodbye. And thanks, for everything."

Toph stood there dumbly for a minute while he walked away, then stalked into her office and slammed the door. It was so frustrating. Sun leaving wasn't really a surprise, but it still rankled. He'd become increasingly depressed over their last couple of sessions, and she'd become increasingly impatient with her own lack of progress.

She couldn't get his words out of her head. You can't call yourself the greatest earthbender in the world if you don't master it. She paced around the small room, jaw clenched. He'd only said that because of his unflinching confidence that she would master it, despite his lack of confidence in his own abilities. And yet she saw his slow progress as her own failure.

A knock interrupted her morose reverie. "Sifu Toph? Are we going to keep training?"

Toph threw the door open. "No. We're done for the day." She blew past him and headed for the trail down the hill. The other students in the yard were still and quiet, undoubtedly watching her, but she didn't care. "I am the greatest earthbender in the world," she muttered under her breath as she left with the intention of going to the site she and Sun had been using to train lavabending.

"Hey, Toph!"

Sokka's cheerful voice jolted her out of her frustrated musings, a warm feeling spreading out through her body. She'd been so preoccupied she hadn't even noticed him coming up the path.

"What are you doing here, Meathead?"

"Can't a guy just come visit his best friend?"

"It takes almost two hours to walk here. You must have a reason."

"Okay, you got me," he said with a light laugh. "Suki is meeting with Kori and the Mayor, so I tagged along. She says hi, by the way."

"Kinda late for a meeting, isn't it?"

"She said it was the only time either of them had for weeks. We'll spend the night and leave before dawn." He said it with a slight groan. "So were you headed into Yu Dao?"

"Er...yeah," she lied. "Just wanted to clear my head."

"Rough day?"

"Something like that." She couldn't talk about the lavabending thing with him. Sokka had always had so much respect for her and her abilities, never doubting her. It was all just too frustrating.

"Let's go get some dinner, then," he suggested. "I heard about this new Fire Nation restaurant that recently opened. Suki's not a fan of spicy, so I haven't been yet."

Toph was torn. She really wasn't in the mood to relax and chat. She wanted to go out and smash some rocks and force that goddamn lava to her will. She was all fired up, and that would make it come easier. But...Sokka was here, and Suki wasn't. It was so rare that she got to hang out with him alone, but she didn't want to fail at lavabending in front of him. "Yeah, sure."

"Great! I'm starving."

"When are you not?"

"Plenty of times! For example, right after I've eaten."

They bantered easily all the way down to the city, falling into their usual rhythm, but Toph's heart wasn't in it. Still, it allowed her to cool off a little. Sokka led her to the restaurant and they headed inside.

"Hm…" he said, perusing the menu. "How about the flaming fire koi?"

"Meh. Not feeling fish tonight."

"Sizzling tofu rice?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Kidding," he said with a chuckle.

"I'll just get whatever you're getting. Surprise me."

When someone came to take their order he just said, "Two of that, please," presumably pointing at the menu. Toph rolled her eyes in mild amusement. Clearly, Sokka was going to take her 'surprise me' comment to the extreme. "And a glass of sake," he added.

"Make that two."

"Er…" The waitress just stood there.

"What?" Toph challenged.

"I'm...not sure if I can do that."

"Are you shitting me? I fought and nearly died in a war to keep people like you from dying horrible deaths, and you're telling me I can't enjoy a drink with my meal?"

"I… Well, I'll have to talk to my boss."

"You do that."

She walked away, leaving Toph and Sokka sitting in uncomfortable silence.

"Bit harsh, T. She's just doing her job. I mean, you're fourteen."

"I'm not a child," she snapped.

"I didn't say you were…"

"Fuck's sake. It's not like I'm trying to get drunk. It's just one glass."

Sokka sighed and neither spoke until a large man approached their table, his heart beating erratically. "Ah, Ms. Beifong. I am Lu Shin, the owner of this establishment. I would like to apologize for any misunderstanding. Of course, you may order whatever you like here. Within reason."

"Thank you," Toph said stiffly, and a little smugly.

"Please don't hesitate to let me know if I can be of any more assistance. I hope you enjoy your meal." He offered a slight bow and left.

"So," Sokka said while they waited for their food. "What's got you all grump? You mentioned something about a rough day?"

"Ugh. I thought the whole point of this was to relax?"

"Complaining is relaxing."

"Fine. You go right ahead."

"Fine, Grump," he laughed. "I've been going mad, lately, with this song stuck in my head all the time. Suki used to love this song, but now she says if I don't stop humming it she's going to leave me. You might recognize it. It goes something like 'duh duh dunnnn, doo doo duh dun.'"

"Don't you fucking dare…"

"And then it goes 'Secret tunnelllll, sec–'"

Toph leaned across the table and covered his mouth with both of her hands. He grabbed her wrists and pried them off, laughing.

"Geez, Toph. You're causing a scene."

"Me? No one in here wants to listen to that."

"I got you to smile, though. Mission accomplished."

It was true, though she was making an effort to keep her face straight. She smacked the side of his head lightly and sat back down. "Great, now that fucking song is going to be stuck in my head for the next month."

"Hey, at least you didn't have to live it."

His words caused an unpleasant twinge, as always happened when he, Aang, or Katara mentioned the adventures they had been on before they met her. To her, it was like their lives hadn't really begun until they became a group. A family. Reminders that that wasn't really true were difficult to process.

"Well, fuck, that was obviously the wrong thing to say," Sokka said.

Toph blinked; he wasn't usually so perceptive. She had never shared that particular insecurity with him, or anyone else. "What?" she said, feigning confusion.

"You look upset."

"What are you going on about, Meathead? I'm just sitting here listening to you natter on about stupid songs and wondering when my food is going to get here."

"It's been like, three minutes since we ordered. I think it'll take longer than that."

Toph sat back and crossed her arms, unable to shake the bad mood. Usually, talking to Sokka helped, but right now she just wanted to be alone. The waitress appeared with their drinks; Toph took a long, deliberate gulp before the young woman had a chance to leave.

"Man, it looks like I'm going to have to resort to drastic measures, tonight," Sokka said. He cleared his throat dramatically.

"Oh, please don't start singing again," she groaned.

"Hey, what's wrong with my singing? And for your information, I was going to recite some haikus. I've gotten pretty good at coming up with them on the spot. Don'tcha wanna hear them? Eh? Eh?"

Despite her best efforts, amusement pulled at the corners of Toph's lips.

"Hah, you do! Alright, here goes." He cleared his throat again.

"Flaming fire koi-

Toph does not want to eat you

because you are fish."

Toph pursed her lips in a failed attempt to not smile.

"She is a big Grump.

So I will make up haikus

because I'm awesome."

"Alright, I admit it, Snoozles. You're pretty good at this."

"You call me Snoozles

because I slept in one time.

But you hate mornings."

"Every single one of those had the word 'because'."

"This is not easy.

I'd like to see you try it.

Go on, I'm waiting."

She sat back and crossed her arms, giving it some thought. Sheltered she may have been, but her childhood education had been full of pointless shit like this.

"Like the badgermole

Digging through the mountainside

I earthbend your ass."

On the last word, she stomped her foot and lifted the floor beneath the booth he sat in, making it bounce. He let out a short, girlish yelp. She threw her head back and laughed heartily. "Thanks, Meathead! You were able to cheer me up, after all!"

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A/N: Just a quick little side note for all chapters in general: Sometimes Toph uses language related to seeing ('Nice to see you', etc.); just know that this isn't an oversight (pun intended). In these instances, she's either being ironic or simply using an expression that wouldn't work well being said differently ('Nice to feel you'? Sounds terrible, amirite?). To put it another way, I think of Toph as being someone who uses the word in a more general sense, like how she 'sees' with her feet.

On a similar note, I've thought a lot about Toph's facial expressions, and even done some research on the subject. As it turns out, expressions are, by and large, instinctive rather than learned (based on what I read; I'm by no means an expert). So she knows how to smile and scowl and roll her eyes, etc. I like to think she's not that great at modulating them, though, so she's either consciously 'blank' (when actively trying to be), or extremely easy to read. All that said, I would be greatly interested to hear the perspective of an actual blind person :)