A/N: Finals week has kind of been kicking my butt lately. So I'm super behind. But I will finish all of these prompts (even if it isn't by the end of the month).

OOO

Day 7: Tranquil

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Canon Universe

OOO

Toph didn't really like the Air Temples as much as people thought she did.

When the curving corridors, vaulted dayrooms, columned courtyards, and intricate shrines distracted her, she loved the place. Exploring with Teo and Haru turned out to be a lot more fun than she thought it would be, because only those two—and Aang of course—truly appreciated the beauty of the temple. Earthbenders always had an appreciation for good architecture, even if they weren't as perceptive as Toph was. It was amazing that the nomads could have possibly created stone structures and temples with such attention to detail. It still took Toph's breath away.

She just hated exploring alone.

For some reason, the spacious environment bothered her. Toph knew that these towering structures and echoing hallways were meant to be full of activity. When she was sitting in her lessons learning about the history and origins of all the different nations, her tutor mentioned that the nomads were a peaceful people who found freedom in disconnecting themselves from the complications of the world. Before, she imagined tranquility, peace, and introspection as the main facets of the nomads. They were a quiet people who honored spirituality over hope and desires and were all potent benders because of it.

But all Toph could imagine was thousands of Aang's running around the temple, riding around on air scooters, gliding through the hallways, and chattering along with the flying lemurs they probably carted around on their shoulders all day. Fun-loving and humorous. Sometimes, if Toph concentrated hard enough and let her imagination run for long enough, she could sometimes trick herself into thinking she was sitting in the epicenter of Air Nomad culture and could actually hear all their voices. But when snapped out of her reveries, she was alone. Everything was quiet, and it left her strangely empty and unsettled.

During the afternoons when training was over and dinner wasn't for hours, she'd lay out in the middle of a dayroom that let a lot of sunlight in to tan her skin and cool her clothes with the help of a slight breeze. Birds would twitter by the windows and little insects would scurry around on the ground, but other than that it was an unusually peaceful and quiet place to relax. It didn't make sense that this was the location of so much horror. Where did all the sadness go? The death? The emptiness? How could this temple still feel so calm?

"You know, it amazes me that you're able to find such good places for sightseeing."

Toph smiled. Nowadays, she couldn't even feel Aang coming anymore. He was the only one that could actually sneak up on her and surprise her. "Yeah, well, I've said over and over again that I'm not inept. Besides, I'm sure this whole temple is ideal for sightseeing."

"Yeah, but not like this," Aang commented, his steps only lightly padding along the stones. "To think that a day room this ruined can still be beautiful."

Toph didn't know about aesthetics, but she had to admit there was this strange pleasure in seeing so many different angles, structures, and shapes around her. There should have been something exciting about being here—like cracking open a new cave or walking through an abandoned ghost town. But there wasn't.

"Can I ask you something? And, you swear that you're not going to mention me being emotional and serious to anyone? You know. Unless you want a broken nose."

Toph could practically hear Aang's eye roll. "Well in that case, I guess I have no choice."

"Oh, no. You always have a choice. There's just an obviously stupid choice."

"Your question, Toph?"

Toph sighed deeply and let herself sink further into the ground. "Does being here bother you?"

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

Toph wrinkled her nose. "This place isn't just abandoned. No one decided to stand up and walk away. Everyone here was…I mean…"

A beat passed and Toph could tell that Aang was frowning. "Ah. I get it."

For someone who wasn't very perceptive to others' emotions, Toph was quick to wince at bringing up something delicate in front of the last person who wanted to hear it. "Sorry. Stupid question."

"No, no. I wouldn't say it was stupid, per se…"

"Blunt?"

Aang laughed. "Well, I'm too used to you being blunt. I don't notice it anymore."

Toph scowled. "Gee, thanks."

Aang chuckled again and lifted his arms so that he was resting them behind his head and staring up at the ruined ceiling. "I made peace about my people a while ago. Denied. Got angry about. Got sad about it. I realized I had to accept it and let it go. So, it doesn't bother me as much as you'd think."

"Really?" Toph asked, a little surprised at Aang's maturity over the entire situation. His maturity had been surprising her a lot lately. "It bothers me."

"Why?"

"I can't explain it," Toph admitted. "I guess it's kind of like seeing you walk up to Katara and knock the bowl of food out of her hands and tell her she stinks at cooking."

Aang shifted and turned his head towards hers. "I'm…not really understanding the relationship."

"Exactly!" Toph exclaimed. "You're not supposed to understand it because it doesn't make sense. Seeing this temple this empty doesn't make sense. Considering everything that happened here it shouldn't be this calm."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"I dunno," Toph mumbled. "Isn't it?"

"It doesn't have to be," Aang commented. "I mean, don't you think that you deserve a break after a long day of training and running around?"

Toph snorted, quickly knowing the answer. "Of course. Dealing with you is practically a chore."

"Haha," Aang mocked. "But seriously, the temple works the same way. Don't you think after all that hardship…this temple deserves a little tranquility?"

Toph shrugged and rolled her shoulders that were aching from her position on the hard ground. "That's very hopeful. Even for you. Things just don't calm down after the storm. That happens beforehand. Haven't you ever heard the saying?"

Bad things just didn't disappear. It's why it was always so hard to calm down and have fun without having the reality of the war glaring down on her shoulders. It was impossible to forget about her parents, impossible to forget about the people they've lost on the way here, and definitely hard to forget about the nation that disappeared in this very room by fellow human beings. While Aang's optimism was a lovely thing during those times, it didn't make sense sometimes how accepting he could be of the garbage around him.

"You're looking at it all wrong," Aang explained. "Things don't necessarily fix themselves. I think no matter what, these temples are always going to be…missing something." Toph nodded, shifting her heel and feeling the dilapidated structures that were piled nearby that would probably never go back to the way they were.

"But," Aang continued. "That doesn't mean it can't heal. That something new, different, but equally as good can't come of it. That's the definition of rebuilding—making something new out of something destroyed."

Aang's optimism really filled Toph with more hope and confidence than she would ever tell him. It was dorky, and maybe to idealistic, but it made her feel better about everything she worried about, but didn't let everyone else know. He made her feel like everything was going to be okay. All this useless fighting and grapples for power would be over soon. If this temple could still be quiet and calm, surely the concepts carried over.

Toph shook her head and nudged Aang gently with her elbow. "You're too much of an optimist, Twinkle Toes. I don't know how you do it."