It was obvious as soon as she walked into the room, Toph decided. The hushed but frantic voices, phones going off every five seconds, the thrum of nervous energy. She walked to her desk quickly, listening out for a familiar voice.
"—and it was absolutely FREAKING AWESOME! Just WHOOSH POW and it was blown to shreds!"
"Sokka, if you don't stop using the phrase 'whoosh pow' then I will not be able to think of any other phrase to describe it, and then I will not be able to finish this article, and then I will kill you."
Toph chuckled under her breath, heading towards the bickering duo. Katara and her brother Sokka were a legendary force at The Daily Cabbage, known for daring exposés and a strong moral compass. Katara was gunning for a Pulitzer for going after hard-hitting stories, for which Sokka backed her up on camera.
"There's no threat you can make that will ruin this for me so—Toph! You're here!" She heard Sokka bounding towards her and braced herself, ready for the warm and familiar weight to sprawl itself across her shoulders. "Did you see him? Err, I mean, did you hear the news?!"
"Evidently not." She dryly replied, gesturing to her mask of indifference, letting Sokka steer her towards her desk. "What's got everyone in this crazy place acting even loonier?"
He leaned in close. "It's a superhero!"
Even Toph was unable to stop the surprise from flashing on her face. "What, really? Here?"
"I know! I wouldn't have believed it if I'd not seen it with my own two eyes, he was like nyoom all over and throwing FIRE, oh yeah cause there were like these creepy spirit demon things, and he was just like chucking huge rocks—"
"—wait…wait, what? Spirit demons?" Toph sat down in her desk chair, throwing her bag onto the desk in a practised motion.
"No one knows what they are either. They showed up the same day he did." Katara joined them and started to unpack Toph's laptop from her bag, plugging it in. "We're on standby today, waiting to see if they return. The helicopter has even been reserved especially for us!"
Toph smirked and elbowed Sokka. "You sure love that helicopter don't you?"
Sokka sighed dreamily. "Huh…yeah…" He then squawked in pain as someone, presumably Katara, elbowed him harder.
"Can you stop fantasising about Suki for two minutes long enough for us to finish our write-up?"
"OW! If you'd bothered to date someone these past eight months instead of gluing your nose to your laptop screen then maybe you wouldn't be so jealous!"
Toph attempted to tune out the fight breaking out next to her desk and turned on her laptop, throwing her headset on as it connected. Several news outlets had already begun to report on the 'mysterious hero' that had saved several civilians on a ferry from being attacked by ghostly spirits that had emerged from the sea. So far, however, they'd all been short reports and updates, rather than full articles. Katara still had time.
"You need to be the one to name him, Sugar Queen."
"Hm?" Judging by the scuffling sounds next to her, Katara had her brother in a headlock.
"The paper that names him owns him. If you can come up with some moniker, one that sticks and that he answers to, everyone will be looking to your reports as the source of truth."
She felt Katara stand up suddenly, releasing Sokka to the ground. "Oh my goodness, you're right! I hadn't even thought of that…" She rushed back across the office to her desk.
Sokka clasped a hand on her shoulder. "Urgh, she's in one of those moods. She'll be a nightmare for the next two weeks."
Toph chuckled, letting him guide her hands to where a cup of tea had been placed on her desk, steaming gently. "It's a big deal. Republic City's very first superhero and our Dynamic Duo are hot on the scene." She discerned another familiar voice from the background rumble. "Suki's here."
"What? Where? Oh my god, how do you do that?"
Toph allowed herself a small bittersweet smile. "Well seeing as you like her so much, only makes sense I learn to pick her voice out of a crowd."
"She must be here to meet the new cartoonist. I've got to tell you, it's the wrong day to be the new guy. Are we still good for 7 tonight?"
"Urgh." She slapped her hands against her eyes and dragged them down her face. "I can't believe I'm helping you with this."
"It's going to be great! Katara said that the dress looks amazing, and the vibe at this place is apparently incredible, so even if we don't strike gold tonight we can still have a good time!" He leaned in closer. "My little sister and I may be the Dynamic Duo, but we're Toph and Sokka, and we invented the great night out."
The event in question was the launch of a new business venture by the Comet Corporation, which was taking place on the 45th floor of a swanky skyscraper in the city centre. Sokka had, for months, been trying to find an opportunity to get Toph to use her "spidey senses" on the CEO of Comet Corporation, a man named Ozai. He was a guarded man, famous for a low tolerance of the press. So far, he had not conducted a single interview, and Sokka's strong sense of justice had determined that he had to be hiding something.
A commotion was starting to take place behind them. Sokka sighed. "Looks like it's the new guy. You good here?"
Toph gestured at the tea. "All set."
She turned back to the laptop as he walked away and concentrated on the last article she'd listened to. A passenger on board the ferry had managed to get a video of the spirits emerging from the ocean, but no audio description had been added, so she settled for listening, the screams of the passengers unsettling her.
There was something else. Furrowing her brow, she tapped the keys of her laptop to skip back to the start of the video and resumed playing, the screams again resounding in her ears.
There.
It was a low frequency, a hum or twang of some kind, so low it was almost impossible to pick up unless you were listening for it. And almost lost on the quality of the video.
But Toph Beifong was very, very, good at hearing.
"But you have to admit, it's suspicious right?" Toph tore savagely into her noodles. "I mean, what are the chances that the monsters and the hero that's perfectly placed to defeat them arrive on the same day?"
Zuko didn't answer, instead electing to dab at the sauce dripping down her chin with a napkin.
"God Sparky, you're such a mom."
"How can one so small devour their way through two extra large portions in one sitting?" He mused.
Zuko was the nephew of the owner of the café she liked to get her lunch from, as well as her spotter during their morning workouts. They had bonded a few years back over numerous similarities – both lovers of good tea, spicy food and weightlifting, but also both with visual impairments. It had taken her months to realise that Zuko had a gigantic scar covering the left side of his face, which had caused some loss of vision in his left eye, although miraculously the hearing in his left ear hadn't been affected.
"But anyway, everyone is going nuts for him. Man, I hope Katara comes up with a nickname soon, because I'm going nuts having to refer to him in my head as 'superhero guy'."
"There's not been an Ultraman yet. Or Ultimate Man?"
"Yeah, but how weird would a U look on the costume? People will get confused and think it's a bowl. Or a smiley face." She took a large sip of tea.
"Excuse me? Miss Toph?"
Shocked, and with tea now dropping down her front, Toph spun around to where she'd heard the voice. It was extremely difficult, no, impossible for anyone to sneak up on her like that. "Who are you? What do you want?" She barked. She felt Zuko tense up under the table at the hostile tone in her voice.
The newcomer started to splutter. "Gee I am so, so sorry Miss Toph. Miss Katara said to come here for lunch and to look out for you." He paused. "I'm Aang, I'm sitting at the desk across from you." Another pause.
Zuko intervened. "He wants to shake your hand."
Toph snorted and felt for a napkin, Zuko handing one to her wordlessly. "Well, I'm here. What do you need me for?"
"I—nothing. No, it's…it's my first day and I'm trying to get to know everyone at the Daily Cabbage. And I've met most people now except, well, except you."
Toph wiped her chin. "Well, you've met me now."
"Would you like to have lunch with us?" Zuko smoothly interjected, drawing out the chair next to him with a low squeak. She rolled her eyes and finished wiping her front.
Aang profusely thanked Zuko, clattering into his chair in a way that told Toph he was laden with bags, books and papers. She moved her cane to one side and tried not to get irritated at the surprise invasion into her personal space. She wasn't known for her patience, but it was the guy's first day, so she'd make a reasonable effort.
"What can I get you?" Zuko slapped one of the menus down on the table. "The noodles Toph is having are the special today. Spicy pork."
"Oh, um," Aang paused. "Do you have anything without meat?"
Toph snorted, which she immediately smothered with a cough, knowing that Zuko was glaring at her. Their new cartoonist sounded like a complete wimp.
"Don't worry," Zuko responded, standing up. "We'll get you something meat-free." He strode over to the counter where she knew Iroh was taking orders.
Left alone, she could hear the sound of fidgeting where Aang was sitting and fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Spit it out."
He jumped. "Huh? Sorry. What?" He had a piping, almost melodious voice.
"You clearly want to ask me something. What is it?"
He stammered some more, which she allowed for a few seconds before interjecting. "I'm blind, yes."
"Ah right." He squeaked in response. "I…did hear someone say that, yes."
"Since I was born. I've never been able to see." She narrowed her eyes. "I can get around perfectly well. I don't need help to do my job."
"Of course! I've read your work, Miss Toph. You're very talented."
"Toph, talented?" Zuko had returned. "Talented at causing so much trouble for me maybe." She felt his hand ruffle her bangs and she scowled, swatting his hand away.
"You guys make a cute couple," Aang started, but trailed off immediately as Zuko laughed, and Toph pretended to choke on her lunch.
"Just very good friends." Zuko clarified. "We go to the same gym."
"That's awesome!" Aang seemed to vibrate in his chair. "I'm new in town, maybe I should check it out."
"I dunno," said Toph, scratching her nose. "Might be a bit hardcore. We lift pretty heavy there."
Aang laughed breezily. "I think I can handle it, but thanks."
Toph scowled, annoyed but not sure why.
"So this is your place?" Aang asked, clearly directed at Zuko.
"The shop is owned by my uncle. I work here most days." Zuko replied, pouring himself more tea from the teapot in the centre of the table.
"Oh, neat!" Aang bounced slightly in his seat, an action that reverberated through the table. "It's a family business? Do your parents work here too?"
"I wouldn't know," Zuko replied, shortly but not unkindly. "I never knew them."
There was a clatter as Aang knocked over his cup. "Darn I—oh gosh sorry—I am so sorry, I know, that is, me too. My, err, parents. Dead. Um."
Toph struggled through the second-hand embarrassment to grab hold of sympathy. "Sorry to hear that."
"I have great adoptive parents back home though. I miss them a lot. And my dog, Appa."
His voice, Toph decided. That's what was throwing her off. It was like he was putting on a voice, purposefully making himself sound cheery and squeaky.
"Is that chilli oil?" Aang suddenly exclaimed.
"Uh, yes," Replied Zuko. "But—wait wait—"
At a guess, Aang had already helped himself to the scorching condiment that had bought tears to Toph's eyes the first time she tried it. "What's wrong?" He asked innocently.
"No it's just…pretty hot that's all."
There was a sound of slurping noodles. "Tastes pretty good to me!" Sang Aang happily.
"Family recipe," Zuko added, weakly.
Not to be outdone, Toph reached over and grabbed the bottle back, putting a second helping on her noodles.
"Listen here." She pointed in Aang's direction. "No one is going to take pity on you because it's your first day in the big city. If you don't want anyone to take advantage of you, you need to drop the country boy act."
"What do you mean?"
"What she means," Zuko interrupted, "is that people in this city have a tendency to not act so honest if they think they can get away with it. Toph is just looking out for you, isn't that nice?"
"Thank you, Miss Toph." She didn't need eyes to feel the beaming smile aimed in her direction. Grumbling, she took another huge bite of her lunch and swore as the spice made her eyes water.
"Holy shit, he's here!" Sokka elbowed Toph sharply, almost making the glass she was holding slip from her fingers. She cursed under her breath, shooting him a glare and adjusting her grip.
"Yeah, and?"
"I thought you'd want to know!"
"Well yeah tell me, but why elbow me? What am I going to do, take a look?" She mocked, deepening her voice in a caricature of his. Already she was irritated with the evening. Far too many people were crammed inside the restaurant, and as gorgeous as she was sure it was, all she was aware of was the press of bodies, the sound of voices drowning each other out, and the nauseating smell of a dozen perfumes cloying at her nostrils. So far, the only upside to the entire affair had been the free-flowing champagne and the slight stutter from Sokka when she'd arrived in her new dress.
She heard Sokka gulp down his drink. "We've got to get in there."
"Eh?" She started as he grabbed her drink and downed that too. "Hey!"
He grabbed her hand, pulling her forwards and through the crowd around them for a few seconds until they emerged suddenly into a more spacious area. The music around them, a gentle, jazzy tune, was a lot more audible now. "OK, here's the plan." He pulled her close.
"This is not the plan." She protested, annoyed that her other hand had already risen of its own accord to rest on his shoulder.
"Shush, I'm scheming." He started swaying. "Let's use our position here to get a good view of where he goes first, whom he talks to, where he's looking. Once it looks like he's not occupied, I'll excuse myself and lead you to the side where he is, at which point you ask him to direct you to the bar. And then work that Blind Bandit magic."
She rolled her eyes, calming slightly as the gentle music washed over her. "And what happens if he's occupied the entire evening? He's running the show, I doubt he's going to be left alone for even a second."
"I doubt Ozai will want everyone at this party to see him refuse to come to the aid of a blind person. PR nightmare!" She felt him crane his head. "Got to make sure I don't lose him in this crowd though."
Toph gritted her teeth, trying to navigate her steps with his with little success. "You idiot, stop looking! It's going to be super obvious. And also, I doubt he even cares about PR. He's probably the kind of person that wouldn't help anyone, blind or not. I know what old money is like, and they treat everyone like crap."
"Yeah, but not everyone looks like you in that dress," Sokka replied absent-mindedly, head still seemingly turned in whatever direction Ozai happened to be in. She flushed, caught in one of those rare moments of wishing she could see facial expressions. Toph Beifong had a stellar reputation for being the kind of reporter that could get an honest word out of anyone; a mix of her invasive yet careful questioning and her emotional intelligence ensured her interviews were carefully crafted to lead the recipient of her questions into giving away far more than they probably would have liked. Sometimes she didn't have all the necessary inputs though, and that frustrated her to no end.
"Damn, this guy is chatting to Kuei now. That's interesting." Sokka's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she shook her head slightly, trying to focus and cursing the way that the champagne had gone to her head so quickly.
Sokka chuckled, apparently noticing this. "You already bored of me?"
"I'm bored of this party and being sleepy drunk instead of fun drunk." She clarified, tilting her face down so he couldn't catch the receding blush. "We should have done shots last round instead of more bubbles."
"Yeah but the champagne is being handed out. If we'd done shots I'd have had to go the bar and had the awkward 'is there a tab' conversation and then our cover as a very rich and suave couple would be blown."
She snorted. "You, rich and suave?"
She felt him lean a bit closer. "You're bringing the rich and I'm bringing the suave, baby."
There was silence for a moment, and then Toph felt herself shiver involuntarily and noticeably. Unable to help it she stopped swaying, tensing and locking her elbows in an attempt to create some distance.
"Uh." Sokka's voice was high and squeaky. "I'm…yes, let's do shots. I'll go. Get them. The shots." She felt him leave.
Fuck. Toph immediately turned to where she thought the edge of the dancefloor seemed closer and moved towards the sound of chattering people. Thanks to the several drinks she'd had, she immediately felt disorientated, moving slower to compensate. Pausing for a second, she fished her cane out of her clutch, unfurling it and creating a bit of space for herself as people sprung out of the way. Feeling a lot more secure, she marched towards where she thought the edge of the room was, and instead found herself at a huge window.
She leaned there, the chill of the outside air helping cool her down. The sound of traffic was barely audible over the crowd in the room, but its steady hum had a small calming effect.
Fuck.
Having only just clawed back her and Sokka's friendship from the awkwardness that had befallen it two years ago after her clumsy confession, it infuriated her to no end that she'd allowed her, admittedly much cooled, feelings once again to bubble to the surface.
But in the last few months, Sokka had met Suki, and she liked Suki. The other girl was fun, outgoing and so smart, and never hesitated to put Sokka in his place when it was needed, which was a lot of the time. The girlfriend versus the girl friend was a stupid trope that she wanted to disprove, but at the very least avoid.
Toph and Sokka going to parties, getting stupid drunk and toeing the line between banter and flirting had to stop.
"Good evening." A deep, masculine voice interrupted her train of thought.
For the second time that day, Toph jumped at the shock of being snuck up on. "Hey, watch it!"
"It wasn't my intention to startle you." The owner of the voice did not, she noted, apologise. Toph was tempted to say a few choice words, but restrained herself from being rude – a gesture reserved only for when she was acting in a professional capacity.
"Can I help you?" She ground out instead.
"I thought maybe I could help you. Your partner seemed very intent on knowing my whereabouts."
No way. No fucking way.
She extended her hand. "Toph Beifong."
"Ozai." She felt him take her hand and, instead of shaking it, raise it to his lips. Incredulously, she noted the way both his hand and mouth almost perfectly matched the temperature of her skin, so that all she could feel was the pressure of his lips on her hand. She intensely disliked the sensation.
"So you're our host. Thank you for the party. Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I recognise your name." He didn't seem to acknowledge her question.
When in doubt, Toph found that honestly was always the policy if you didn't want tall tales to backfire. "I'm a reporter for The Daily Cabbage. Perhaps you've read my work."
He chuckled, a low, dark laugh that made her hair stand on its end. "I doubt it, Miss Beifong." He stepped closer. "How do you find yourself at my party this evening? I distinctly remember telling my staff there were to be no journalists in attendance."
She clenched her jaw, tilting her chin up and attempting to meet what she assumed was his gaze. "I find it strange that you aren't aware of who is and isn't a shareholder of your company."
Honestly was almost always the best policy.
"Beifong. Earthen Fire Industries." Ozai hummed in appreciation and took a sip of his drink. "An unusual position you find yourself in tonight. As someone who is part of my trusted circle…but someone I find distinctly untrustworthy."
Toph smiled tightly, no apology again and followed by an insult without an inkling of a veil. Despite this, she was pleased that she'd managed to read Ozai correctly having only spoken to him for less than a minute. As she suspected, he was vastly intelligent but a recluse – the kind of person to know the details of everyone who worked with him and under him, but to have met only a very select few. She was lucky that seemingly he had not met the actual director of Earthen Fire Industries.
"Because I'm a reporter?"
"Because, Miss Beifong," His voice lowered until it was almost indiscernible, yet every word was immaculately articulated. "Your foot is tapping a tempo that matches my heartbeat perfectly."
She froze in terror, white noise roaring at the back of her skull. And then the window next to them exploded.
It was the sound of the wind that shocked her first. Then, the force of it, pushing at her face, her torso, her limbs, rendering it nearly impossible to get up at first. She was acutely aware of shards of broken glass coating her side. Whimpering, she tried to will away the deafening ringing in her ears preventing her from any sense of where to go, let alone which way was up.
Gingerly, she sat up, tiny pellets of glass falling to the floor around her that sounded like a wind chime.
"Hello?"
She could faintly hear screams over the wind and the ringing. Feeling for her cane, she swept through fragments of glass and dust. Nothing.
Suddenly her fingers reached an edge, an end to the floor. Panic laced through her; she was right next to a shattered window that lead to a dizzying drop from a 45th floor. She needed to back away, now.
"Miss?" Gentle hands found her upper arm, and someone was helping pull her to her feet. "Are you OK?"
"Thank you." Toph managed to cough out, allowing the stranger to help her to her feet. He began to lead her away from the edge of the floor, further into the room.
And then she heard it. That weird, unsettling, low-frequency hum from earlier that day. And then, an electrifying presence that seemed to send static through her.
"Get down!" She screamed, tackling her companion to the floor as something swiped at the area where their heads had just been. He yelled in response, both of them falling into the dust that coated the floor, holding each other in terror. "What is it? Can you see?"
"The spirits! From the ferry!"
She swore, trying once again to find her bearings. Her head would not stop ringing, dammit.
"Kuei! You need to get away from there!" Someone yelled in the distance. Why did she recognise that name?
More yells then, suddenly, but somehow more excited rather than the scared screams she'd heard mere seconds ago.
"It's him!"
"The superhero!"
About time.
She tapped Kuei on the shoulder, gesturing at him to stay quiet. "We need to get away from this fight." She hissed. "Where's the nearest exit?"
She felt him look around fervently. "Uh, I can see a fire exit, but it's on the other side of the room."
Drat. "And the monsters are…wait. Fire."
"Huh?"
"Is there a fire alarm near us?"
"I…maybe? Just across from us on the other side of the window."
A crash of rock and debris interrupted them. "Shit, what was that?"
"The superhero is fighting them off. I think…it's like they're trying to get to us."
"What? Why on earth would they be—"
A roar then, and heat in her face, she pushed herself back, eyes shut as the scorching sensation washed over her.
"What the fuck was that?"
"Miss, are you OK?" That wasn't Kuei's voice this time, but a different man speaking. More of a tenor, but slightly husky.
"Please, um, your superhero-ness. We just want to get out of here!" Kuei garbled, hands letting go of Toph. She felt another pair replace his, holding her a lot more steadily.
"Don't worry, I'll get you to safety." The hero responded, helping Toph to her feet. "I need you to keep to the edge of the room and take cover whilst I take care of these demons first."
"We need to activate the fire alarm." She coughed out, trying to make herself heard over the wailing wind. Neither of the men seemed to notice, attention occupied with whatever was happening in front of them.
Suddenly the hero yelled out "Kuei, no!" and the hands holding her dropped. Stumbling, she righted herself on the wall and tried to hear what was happening, but it was useless with her still ringing ears.
Think, Toph. She did her best to focus. Based on where she was when the spirits attacked, and Kuei's description, she was in the corner of the room closest to the shattered window. If she walked along the length of the window to the other side of the room, she should find the fire alarm.
And all I have to do is make sure I don't lose my balance and fall 45 stories. Easy.
She pushed off, gently feeling her way and trying to ignore the way her stomach seemed to plummet to her feet every time her foot tapped against the warped reinforcement that had once held the mammoth sheet of glass. A minute crawled by excruciatingly slowly until she finally managed to find the other side of the wall and felt along it, searching for the elusive cube she hoped was going to prove her theory right.
There. She pulled the level down, and immediately relief coursed through her at the sound of bells and sirens. Barely a second later, there was a horrific screeching noise and a whoosh as the electrifying entities flew into her and out of the window behind her.
She didn't have time to think, to scream. Only a tiny step back and she'd already lost her balance and suddenly there was nothing but racing wind and her own choked grasp.
She was falling.
And then she wasn't.
One arm appeared at her back, the other scooping her legs and lifting them. She was now being lifted, flying, but the sensation felt no different to falling except for some moderate amount of stability.
The wind on her cheeks highlighted the tear tracks on them, and she gasped again, this time in relief. Her heart pounding, she quickly gripped tightly onto the shoulders of the man carrying her and took stock of the situation.
On one hand, Toph was flying through the air, god knows how many metres high, the only thing stopping her from falling to an untimely death being cradled in a stranger's arms. On the other hand, the arms. Um. Wow. Yeah.
Just because she couldn't see what she liked, didn't mean she didn't know what she liked. And she really, really liked the feeling of whoever was carrying her, which it was probably safe to assume was the same superhero she'd just met. He wasn't rippling with thick, corded muscles, but he felt supple, and toned, and wait—bare-chested?
"Are you nude?!" She yelled, trying to be heard above the noise of the wind.
"Wha—excuse me?" He yelled back. Ah yes, husky voice.
"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" Despite her best efforts, she was pretty certain the last word hadn't been properly conveyed and it had sounded like she asked him why he wasn't covered in poo.
They veered off to the side and slightly down, the wind around them slowly fading as, presumably, they'd settled down onto a sheltered ledge.
The hero placed her down gently, helping her find her balance before releasing her.
There was a pause. "I…I'm wearing pants." He finally said.
"Good." Toph replied. "That's um…pretty dangerous not to?"
He laughed, and she found herself grinning back. "Thanks for saving me."
"You know, I'm pretty intrigued by what you did." He replied. "That was quite a trick with the fire alarm."
She shrugged. "I had a theory."
"Oh really?" She whirled around, his voice suddenly appearing from a completely different direction. "Pretty lucky theory. How did you come about it?"
"I'm just quite tuned in to what's going on around me." She gritted her teeth and tried to listen. Where was he?
"I'll say." His voice appeared right next to her and she jumped.
"Holy shit, will you quit it?!"
"Sorry." He did sound apologetic. "I'm pretty light on my feet."
She snorted. "OK, Twinkletoes. But, for my benefit, it would help if you could sit still for two minutes so I know where you are."
He laughed again, and then his hands were back, gently holding hers. "Is this better?"
Toph feigned indifference. "Eh, it's a bit cheesy."
"I'll return you to the ground in a moment, don't worry."
"Me? Worried?" She laughed. "I was in a battle and I fell out of a building? Awesome." Was her laughter bordering on hysterical? Better tone it down. "I'm Toph Beifong by the way."
"I know."
"You know?"
"I keep an eye on the papers." He responded. "You have a knack for getting the truth out of people."
She shrugged. "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome at what I do."
"I'm very curious about what you did do, actually." His voice was still light and playful, but there was now an air of seriousness. "How did you know to pull the fire alarm?"
"Lucky guess." As if she was going to share the credit on this scoop.
"Miss Beifong, please don't lie to me." The playful edge of his voice was now lost.
Damn it, why is that such a turn-on?
"OK, I can tell you what I know. But I want something out of it too."
"And what would that be?" She left him step closer, and for the second time that evening, Toph felt the aching awareness of being very close to someone she was attracted to.
She found her voice. "Agree to answer to the name Katara gives you in tomorrow's article for the Daily Cabbage. And I want you to agree to an exclusive interview with her."
"Katara?" He sounded surprised. "Not you?"
She chuckled. "You wouldn't want an interview with me, Twinkletoes, not if you want to keep your identity a secret."
"That's a confident statement, Miss Beifong."
"I'm very good at getting under peoples' skin."
"I'd like to see you try."
Was he flirting with her? Was that even possible?
"Well if you really insist, I could try to find some time. But Katara gets the first interview, I won't budge on that."
A pause. "OK then, you have a deal."
"Fantastic." Toph shivered, fading adrenaline now making it painfully obvious how cold it was. "Uh, you want me to tell you now? We can't go anywhere warmer?"
"Ah." He sounded rueful. "That's my fault. Can't take me anywhere. But I can help you feel a bit warmer." He let go of her hands, and there was a noise, almost like he was blowing, and Toph felt the air around her begin to warm. It felt toasty, like she was out in the summer sun, and she began to relax.
"How's that?"
"Wow." She stretched, revelling in the warmth. "That's fucking amazing. Is that your power? Have you been battling the evil spirits with the power of being a space heater?"
"Please don't try to distract me, Miss Beifong." He gently chided.
She fought the urge to ask if he was referring to the stretch or the digression. "It's based on a frequency." Toph started, taking out her earrings and the clip that held up her hair. "It was playing earlier today on the ferry, and again at that party. My theory was that it was somehow summoning or controlling the spirits, so I introduced the fire alarm in an attempt to drown it out."
"And that's when the spirits fled."
"You'd know better than me." She waved her hand in front of her eyes. "I can't even get a decent description of what an evil spirit looks like, let alone figure out which way it's moving."
"The spirits aren't evil. Just…some of them are corrupted."
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Feels like you know a lot more than I do then."
"They're from where I'm from. That is, not from this world."
"You're shitting me. You're an alien?!" Toph felt her jaw drop.
He laughed. "Not exactly. It's more like, another plane of existence. But I am different, biologically."
"Wow. How, um, how so?"
"I'm more resilient. My skin is thicker. My heart is also larger than a regular human heart."
She listened. He was right, the sound that reverberated was deeper, almost fuller. Despite his challenge, that was already some identifying information he'd given her within minutes. It was time to take a bit of pity before she got his address.
She held out her hand. "OK."
He took it. "OK?"
They stood there for a few seconds. "Um, aren't you going to return me back to the ground?"
"Oh fuck, sorry." And they were off. Toph laughed, loudly and fully, both at the feeling of flying and hearing her companion swear for the first time.
"I can't believe you met him and you're telling me nothing!"
"I've told you everything! Why do you think there's more to it?"
"Because!" Katara whined, slamming her hands down on the table. "You don't just emerge from the sky cradled in the arms of a hot monk man, dress ripped, hair down, cheeks flushed, and the only thing you talk to him about is fire alarms!"
"My cheeks were not flushed!" Toph argued back, at the same time as Sokka barked "Her cheeks were not flushed!"
She pulled a face in surprise. "Uh, thanks Snoozles, but I can stand up to your sister by myself."
He ignored her. "Nothing happened with that superhero guy."
"The Avatar." Corrected Katara smugly.
He threw up his hands. "You're impossible when you're like this."
"Well done on naming him, Miss Katara. Looks like it really stuck!" interjected Aang, helpfully.
"Thank you, Aang!" Responded Katara, pleased to be congratulated. "This is only the beginning though. We're going to try and get an interview next."
"Gee, that's super!" Aang chirped. "I bet everyone will be talking about it."
"I still don't get why 'The Avatar' though." Zuko had arrived with their food and was setting it down. Toph ecstatically pulled her spicy aubergine rice towards her and picked up her chopsticks.
"It's a reference to the Hindu concept of a deity that has manifested in a bodily form on Earth," explained Katara.
Toph scoffed. "That's bit grand isn't it?"
"Come on Toph, you were starstruck after you met him! You don't think he's godlike?"
"I was not starstruck!" She yelled, along with Sokka once again. Katara and Aang both laughed, and she flushed.
"It's OK to be a little starstruck, Miss Toph." Aang gently teased. "I've been pretty impressed with him myself."
"Why?" She rolled her eyes. "Everyone is so worked up over him, and it's only been a day."
"I think it's cool there's someone out there trying to make the world a better place."
"That makes no sense." Toph waved her hands. "Those spirit demons didn't appear until he did!"
"Maybe they've always been around." He retorted. "Maybe we've just not noticed them because they've been good."
That was way too close to the truth. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on his heartbeat, trying to detect any small palpitations that would reveal dishonesty. Disappointingly, it was beating steadily.
What sounded so familiar?
And suddenly, there it was. The sound she'd done her best to commit to memory the night before.
Looking back, the inflections in their voices did seem similar. But it was the sound of his heartbeat, the tone of the beats matching perfectly to the one she'd heard so clearly last night that confirmed it.
"Pass me my tea, Twinkletoes?"
"Sure, Miss Toph!" Aang chirped happily, passing the cup over to her. He froze then, cup banging onto the desk clumsily.
Katara immediately swooped onto the scene, wiping up whatever spillage had been caused. "Oh don't mind her, we all get nicknames. Hey, you OK? All the colour has just like, left your face."
His heartbeat was now twice as fast.
Toph sat back and smiled.