Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga (you know I had to do it)
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Chapter 8: A Betting Game
A little gamblin' is fun when you're with me
Take your bank before I pay you out
I promise this, promise this
Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous
"According to this map, the entire town is arranged like a pinwheel," Sokka says as they walk along a street, brightly colored Fire Nation houses and stores surrounding them. "And in the middle, where all the streets meet, is a huge statue!"
"I wonder what it's a statue of," Aang says. "I can't wait to see it!"
"Me too," Toph says sarcastically.
"Look! There it is!" Suki steps out of the street and into the center plaza. A huge metal statue towers over them, blocking out the sun. Flames burst from the sides. "And - oh."
They all stand in the shade the statue casts, staring up at the face of Fire Lord Ozai. His head is tipped back, more fire spewing from his mouth. They stand there in silence for a moment. Sokka gulps.
"Well? What is it?" Toph asks. Before anyone can answer her, a woman stops by them.
"Isn't it wonderful?" she asks. "Fire Lord Ozai is always watching over us, protecting us."
"Yeah," Aang says slowly. "It's great."
The woman continues on her way. They all stand there for a minute more.
"Maybe it's good that Katara isn't here," Aang says. "I feel like this would just psych her out."
A bird swoops right over their heads, landing on the edge of a wooden structure. A few more follow, all of them cawing loudly.
"Look at all of those messenger hawks!" Sokka exclaims, his attention already pulled away from the statue. He begins walking towards them and the others follow. "You know, I've been thinking about getting one of those lately. That way, I wouldn't have to talk to anyone."
Suki glares at him. "Even me?"
"Anyone except you," Sokka amends, wrapping his arm around her. "With a messenger hawk, I could just send them messages."
"I gotta say, I like the idea of not talking to you," Toph jokes.
"So, guys," Aang says. "What are we gonna do with our last silver piece?" He holds up the last coin in their possession.
"We can get more money," Toph says, stopping. She points to a table in an alley, where a group of men are gathered around a small table. "Right there."
The others look where she's pointing. The man sitting behind the table has three bowls and a stone. He puts the stone under one of the bowls and then switches them around on the table before asking the man sitting on the opposite side of the table to guess which one has the stone.
"This is where you seeing people are at a disadvantage," Toph explains. "Everyone guesses wrong because the dealer moves the rock at the last minute. But I can feel it with my earthbending."
The dealer stops moving the bowls and the man guesses. There's no stone under the bowl he guesses and he gasps loudly enough that they can hear it. His friends escort the devastated man away.
The dealer looks around and catches sight of them - or, more specifically, of Toph. He smirks, obviously sensing an easy target, and calls over to them. "Hey! You there! Want to play a game?"
"How could I possibly play?" Toph asks. "I'm blind."
She waves her hand in front of her face as proof. If Sokka didn't know already, he'd think she was the helpless girl she portrays herself to be.
"You don't have to see to be lucky," the man encourages. Toph makes a big deal about feeling around before she takes a seat in front of the table. Sokka, Aang, and Suki stand behind her. A few other townspeople stand to the sides and watch.
Toph feels around for the table and lays the silver piece down. The dealer begins to shuffle the bowls. She sits quietly and innocently while the man does his work. When he's finished, she considers for a moment before pointing to the far left bowl. Sokka is sure the stone is under the middle one, but the man picks up the bowl and reveals the stone.
"Flame-eo, Toph!" Aang exclaims. Sokka's sure he picked up that phrase from his school days.
The dealer hands over two silver pieces. "Wow. Fancy guessing. You're amazing at this! Would you like to make the game a little more interesting?" He takes out a small stack of silver pieces and juggles them around his hands.
Sokka knows the man thinks she got a lucky guess and if he makes the stakes higher, he'll win back the money he just lost. That's why he's still got a smug expression on his face. Sokka almost can't wait until Toph beats him again.
"More interesting?" Toph asks innocently. "How?"
"Well...let's say you toss in your friend's staff there - " he points to Aang's staff - "and I'll toss in twenty silver pieces against it and that makes it more interesting."
Toph snatches Aang's staff and holds it in front of the man. "I'll do it for forty silver pieces," she bargains. "It's an authentic Airbender staff."
The dealer smiles. "Forty silver pieces it is," he agrees, counting them out and putting them into a bag.
He shuffles the bowls again, this time much faster than before. Sokka quickly loses track, and when he glances over at Aang and Suki to see if they got it, they both have confused expressions.
Toph concentrates, her forehead wrinkled. Then she points to the middle one.
"Sorry, little lady, but -" The dealer picks up the bowl and stops instantly as he sees that the stone is there. "Huh?"
"I won!" Toph exclaims, picking up the bag of silver pieces and Aang's staff and taking off running. Sokka and the others are on her tail. She may have won fairly - well, as fairly as can be - but there's no certainty that the dealer won't get so mad he'll try to pull something.
They frequent some shops, picking up fresh fruits and vegetables and bread still warm from the ovens. They return to their campsite, Toph and Aang and Sokka laughing. Suki is oddly quiet.
"Are you okay?" Sokka asks as they all sit around the firepit, munching on apples.
"I just feel like we cheated," she admits.
"I only cheated because he was cheating," Toph defends herself. "He was flipping the rock into his sleeve - if I hadn't used my Earthbending, there wouldn't even have been a stone to find! I cheated a cheater. What's wrong with that?"
Suki frowns. "I just don't think this is something we should make a habit of doing."
Sokka reaches into a basket and hands her a bright red apple. "Just relax and enjoy the best food we've had in a while."
She hesitantly accepts it. Toph is still staring at her. "Why?" she finally asks.
Suki shrugs. "It just feels kinda wrong. It wasn't okay that he was scamming other people, but scamming him makes us no better than him."
"Oh, this is one of your honorable Kyoshi Warrior codes, isn't it?" Toph asks.
Aang stands up and bows to her. "I promise we won't make a habit of doing this."
She smiles tightly. "Thank you, Aang."
The next day Sokka, Aang, and Toph return to the village. Suki doesn't come with this time, explaining that she wants some peace and quiet to do some exercises.
Although Aang promised they wouldn't do it anymore, somehow Toph ropes the two of them into doing even more scams. Aang uses his airbending to make the fortune sticks always land on the appropriate side. Toph uses her earthbending to hammer the meter into the air - literally, she hits the pad so hard that the strength meter indicator blasts through the top of the measure. Sokka dresses up like a guard while Toph pretends to get hit and injured by carriages and then they collect bribe money.
When they return to the campsite later in the day, Suki is not happy at the amount of cash they're carrying.
"These scams have gone too far," she says, shaking her head at them. "Something bad is going to happen if you continue."
"Like what?" Toph demands.
"Like we might get recognized! Or draw suspicion to ourselves. Or someone will sneakily out-trick you guys and then you'll be exposed! Am I the only one who remembers that we're in enemy territory?"
"You're starting to sound like Katara," Toph grumbles. "Just lighten up." She tosses her up a coin, which Suki expertly catches.
"Someone here needs to keep you guys out of trouble, and if Katara isn't here to do it then I guess I'll have to." Suki turns her glare to Aang. "You promised me you wouldn't make a habit of this."
Aang holds his hands up in surrender. "Two times isn't a habit."
Suki sighs. "Fine. We have enough money now, so can you guys stop? Katara should be back sometime tonight, tomorrow morning at the latest. We have to avoid getting caught until then. I say we just lay low and keep a quiet profile while we can."
"But that's all we do," Toph moans. "What's the point about travelling the world if we always have to hide in caves or forests? It's just no fun!"
"You think this is about fun?" Suki motions around with her arms. "You think it's fun that we're running from the Fire Nation, who will at best capture us and at worst kill us? You think it's fun that we're helping the only person who is capable of defeating the evil Fire Lord who controls most of the world? You think it's fun that we have families and friends at risk and that we're their only hope?"
"Not all of us have family and friends that we're fighting for," Toph shoots back. "In fact, you're the only one. I hate my family. I willingly left them behind. Aang doesn't have a family, just some monks who are riding this war out safely in isolation. And Sokka's whole family is dead. No offense."
Suki stares at her for a minute, looking like she might explode. Then she takes a deep breath and walks away. Sokka waits for a moment and then follows her.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asks when he catches up to her.
She shrugs. "How can I be? We're so close to our enemy with no plan to defeat them. All of my warriors are captured and locked up somewhere. Katara is gone to see some strange man on an island and we won't know if everything's okay until she returns. And instead of being ready to move on and defeat the Fire Nation, we're risking our entire position so a couple kids can have fun!"
She takes a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry. I'm just a bit stressed."
Sokka rubs her back gently. "I know. But we're just bored. We can't do much without Katara here. And there's no harm in earning some money that will help us defeat the Fire Lord."
Suki sighs and relaxes into him. "Alright. I don't want to be super uptight. I just want to keep everyone safe. I can't lose anyone else important to me."
"We'll be more careful," Sokka promises, wrapping his arm around her. Then he pulls a small bag of coins out of his pocket. "Would it make you feel better to spend some? We still got all evening."
She stares at it for a minute, debating. Then she finally nods. "Okay. But just you and me."
He leans down and kisses her. "Just us."
Suki knows she shouldn't be surprised when they walk out of an animal shop with a messenger hawk, especially after Sokka's excitement this morning. But she can't complain since she also bought some new clothes.
"Welcome to Team Avatar, hawky," Sokka says, holding the bird out on his arm. "My name's Sokka and I'm your new owner. And as such I should warn you that there's already a lemur in our group, so I don't want to see any fighting." The hawk screeches. "Good little messenger hawky," he cooes.
"You know he can't understand you, right?" Suki asks, her lips tugging up into a smile.
"Don't underestimate him," Sokka warns, stroking his bird. But something else is drawing Suki's attention. She stands in front of a poster.
"What is it, Suki?"
"Bad news," she says, glancing around before tugging the poster down. She shows it to Sokka before rolling it up.
"Is that Toph?"
"A bad rendition of her, but yes. The Fire Nation may be onto us." Suki tugs him out of the street and into the shadows and they attempt to get out of the village as quietly and subtly as possible.
Aang is practicing some airbending when they return to camp and Toph is smiling as she counts their money. Suki and Sokka approach her directly, holding out the poster.
"We found something in town that you're not going to like," Sokka announces.
"Well, it sounds like a sheet of paper, but I'm guessing you're referring to what's on the paper," Toph replies, crossing her arms.
"It's a wanted poster," Suki explains. "Of you."
"They've nicknamed you 'The Runaway'," Sokka adds.
To Suki's surprise, Toph grins. "Really? A wanted poster? That's so great! 'The Runaway.' A new nickname! I love it! Is there a picture of me? Does it look good?"
Sokka glances back at the poster, but Suki answers for him. "No."
"Well, yeah, it actually does look pretty good," Sokka disagrees. Suki shoots him a glare. "But you're missing the point," he quickly adds. "These scams are drawing too much attention to us."
"Don't be such a worrywart. You're starting to sound like your sister." Toph stands and dangles a bag of money in front of him. "Think of it this way: you're starting to collect money for the eclipse day invasion plan!"
"Well, that is true…"
Suki cuts him off. "We're thankful for the money you've earned, Toph. Really. But you can't risk going out again. Just sit tight until Katara returns."
Toph completely ignores her and turns back to Sokka, dropping some gold pieces in his hand. "Here's a little extra for you so you can buy yourself a nice map of the Fire Nation."
It isn't that Sokka is weak. It's just that he is sometimes. Suki could facepalm herself right now.
"You know what?" Toph says, handing him the whole bag, "Make it an atlas."
Sokka rubs his fingers together before accepting the bag. "I do like expensive atlases."
"Toph, I'm being serious." Suki hardens her tone. "You've had your fun. We have a bigger mission that can't be jeopardized by a couple hours of games."
"Fine." Toph throws her hands in the air. "I quit! No more scams from me."
She walks away from them. Suki has the feeling that Toph's admission wasn't an admission so much as an attempt to throw them off of her scent. She'll just have to keep an eye on the other girl.
"Oooh! You bought a messenger bird!"
Suki jumps a bit as Aang drops right in front of them from above. Sokka holds his hawk protectively.
"Of course I did! Now we can send messages all over the world! Even to your monk friends!"
"Wow! How does it work?"
Sokka frowns. "Hm...I never even thought about that!"
Suki sighs. Of course he didn't. Sokka is one of the smartest people she's ever met, but he's also one of the dumbest. But it's a bit adorable and she loves him for it.
"Hawkey! Monk Gyatso, Air Temple!"
The hawk squawks and makes a movement like it's shaking its head.
"I think he gets it," Sokka says confidently.
Momo suddenly leaps onto Aang's shoulder, narrows his eyes at Hawkey, and then springs at Sokka. Sokka ducks while the two creatures fly around him, squawking and screeching.
Suki covers her mouth with a hand so he can't see her laughing.
"Alright, Toph," Suki says, approaching the girl. "I can't stop you from pulling scams, so I've decided to join you."
Toph turns around, looking surprised. "Are you being serious? I thought it was too dangerous."
"It is. That's why we're not pulling just any scam - we're going to pull the ultimate scam." Suki smiles and takes a seat by her. "That wanted poster says you're worth a lot of money - ten times more than you've already earned. What do you say we cash in on it?"
Toph is the one who grins now. "Alright. I'm listening."
Toph runs through the center of the town, towards the statue of the Fire Lord. She doesn't quite make it before a net encaptures her and causes her to hit the ground hard.
"How could you do this to me?" she yells. "You betrayed me!"
"You brought this on yourself." Suki stands over her. "I had no choice." She turns her back as the Fire Nation guards drag Toph away.
"You did the right by turning in the Runaway," an official looking man tells Suki.
"I'm just doing my duty as a loyal Fire Nation citizen," she replies.
"That's nice to hear," he says.
"But...I still want the actual reward."
He nods. "Of course. Follow me."
She follows him out of the city center and to the fancy city hall building. As the man is unloading a cash box, the door opens behind Suki. She whirls around but she's too slow; her arms are already being pinned behind her back.
"What is this?" she asks, straining.
"You're not a loyal Fire Nation citizen," the official accuses. "No one has seen you around before today, and suddenly you capture the master scammer? No way."
"Why? Because I'm a girl?"
He grumbles out a response that she doesn't quite understand. Then he waves to the soldier who has her captive. "Put her with her friend."
Suki is thrown into a wooden cell with Toph. They sit slumped against the back, completely at a loss at what to do next.
"You sure you can't bend wood? Trees come from the earth."
Toph throws her hands up in the air. "Maybe one day I'll discover the secret to woodbending, but for now I don't feel anything. We're stuck in here."
Suki frowns, not quite ready to give up. "There's got to be something you can bend."
"Wood walls, wood floor, wood ceiling. Nothing."
Suki crosses her arms, trying to think. Her metal bracelets tink against each other annoyingly. Now, what might be in this cage…
Suddenly she gasps and sits up straight. "My bracelets!" She slides them off and holds them out to Toph. "These are metal, right?"
Toph stands up and inspects them. "You're a genius, Suki! I can definitely work with this." She hesitates. "They're going to get destroyed, though."
"It doesn't matter. You can always buy me a new pair with all that money you've scammed."
"This scam was your idea," Toph reminds her as she bends the metal bracelets into sharp objects.
"We'll discuss it later."
Toph cuts through the wooden beams with the once-bracelets. Then they sneak out of the jail.
"You know what? This town owes us some money. I'll be back in one second." Suki takes off, ducking through back alleys to get to the town hall. She sneaks in, takes the money box, and then meets back up with Toph, jiggling it slightly so the other girl knows what it is.
"You should have been out here the entire time," Toph complains. "You're the best at this!"
Suki can't help but smile. "Let's go."
"I'm sorry if I was acting a bit bossy earlier." Suki and Toph are sitting on one side of the fire while Sokka and Aang are messing around with Sokka's new bird on the other side. "I'm just stressed about my warriors and worried about Katara. I don't mean to be an obnoxious, unwanted companion."
"I'm sorry, too," Toph says. "You don't know this, but my parents were super controlling. Sometimes I forget what's at stake here. I originally just joined the team to get away from my family and to explore the world without them worrying over me."
"I can't imagine anyone worrying over you," Suki says with a quiet laugh. "You can take care of yourself."
"What's it like, growing up as the leader of a group of warriors? That sounds like a dream. Although, I do prefer to fight alone, but still."
"It was amazing." Suki thinks back to when she first began training and then when she passed her test and became a Kyoshi Warrior. From then on she simply worked hard and rose through the ranks, eventually earning the leadership position. "My parents worried about me, too. It took me a while to convince them that it was okay for them to let me go."
"What I said earlier about hating my parents...it's not true. I just want them to see me as I really am, not as a helpless blind girl. And it's really frustrating that no matter what I do, they can't get over that impression." Toph rests her head in her hands. "But I know that when I left I really hurt them. And even though they were controlling, I do miss them sometimes."
"I'm sure they'll see the real you once you stand at the Avatar's side after Katara defeats the Fire Lord. They'll have no choice but to recognize your talents."
Toph's milky eyes sparkle. "Thank you, Suki. It means a lot. And you can be pretty fun when you want to be."
"Thanks for showing me how to let a little loose."
They sit in silence for a moment, and then Toph speaks up again. "Listen, Suki, I have a little favor to ask."
Surprised, she turns toward the younger girl. "Yes?"
"I think I want to write a letter to my parents, to let them know that I'm okay. Would you mind...would you mind helping me?"
Suki feels her heart warming up a bit. Of all of Katara's companions, Toph is the only one she hadn't connected with. She's always felt a bit distant from the girl, but apparently that's changing tonight.
"I would love to."
"Hey, where did my messenger hawk go?" Sokka demands.
"Hey, Appa just landed about a hundred yards away," Toph says, her hand pressed against the ground.
"Appa's back!" Aang exclaims, jumping up.
"And Zuko," Suki reminds him.
There's the sound of brush rustling and Appa appears in their small clearing. Aang runs forward and gives him a big hug. From on top of Appa, Katara and Zuko jump down.
"I thought Katara went to go see a Guru," Toph says.
"I did," Katara explains, hugging her brother first and then Aang. "And Zuko picked me up on my way back." She moves on to give Suki and Toph hugs.
Zuko hangs out in the back until Sokka slaps him on the arm. "Thanks for giving my sister a lift. Flying is faster and safer than walking."
"So how did it go, Katara?" Aang asks. They all settle back around the fire. It's pretty late, the moon already high in the sky.
"It went, uh, really good," Katara says.
"So you mastered the Avatar State?"
"Yup. It's not too hard. Just had to open my chakras."
"What are chakras?" Toph asks.
"Energy in the body. Don't worry about it, it's not too important." Katara turns to Zuko, who she's sitting by. "Zuko's story is much more interesting."
"I found my uncle in Ba Sing Se. We talked for a bit and then when he tried to sneak me back out of the city, my sister showed up."
"How'd you get away?" Suki asks.
Zuko hesitates. "My uncle fought her off for me. Gave me a chance to run. And Appa had my exit covered."
"So, did you guys do anything interesting while we were gone?" Katara questions.
Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Suki all glance at each other before saying, "No, not really," at the same time. Katara and Zuko share puzzled looks but decide not to question it.
"Don't forget to get up bright and early tomorrow morning!" Sokka announces. "It's time for us to get moving again."