Laughter rang out from every corner of the palace. Privately, Sokka thought that the place had never been so merry. Certainly Ozai or Azulon would never have tolerated the happiness of others.
His eyes strayed for a second and he bounced off of something, nearly tumbling to the ground. Thankfully he was able to right himself after a moment - he would never have lived down taking a spill at such an important event.
"Sorry, General Iroh," he apologised after he saw just who he'd ran into.
The Dragon of the West waved his hand in dismissal.
"Think nothing of it, young Sokka. I can hardly blame you for being distracted, this is quite the gathering. If only I had brought my tea to share with everyone," the old man muttered.
"How are things doing at the Jasmine Dragon?" Sokka asked.
"As good as ever, and I'm thankful for it. It is a joy to spread my passion to the world," Iroh said, chuckling.
"That's great to hear. If I'm ever in Ba Sing Se, I'll make sure to stop on by," Sokka promised, heading off to find his friends.
The crowd was thick and full of energy, though the ball had yet to truly begin. He pushed through the throng of young ladies, occasionally winking at the prettier ones or giving a nod to the men he recognised.
Finally he managed to pull himself free of the furore, spotting a familiar head of black hair surrounded by somewhat horrified-looking admirers.
"-And then I punched him across the face!" Toph's raucous voice travelled easily to Sokka's ears.
"Oh my," one of the ladies present whispered, fanning her face as the metalbender stood proudly.
"Yeah, he sure didn't know what hit him. After that I just dumped him with the guards and moved on," Toph finished her tale to somewhat muted, uncertain applause.
"Gee Lady Beifong, you sure know how to captivate an audience," Sokka mocked her.
Her blind eyes narrowed, suspicion written all over her face before she realised just who had approached her.
"I sure do. A shame no one ever wants to hear about your own stories of you bumbling about in the snow," she retaliated.
He snorted, snatching her up into a bear-hug. The shorter woman tolerated the contact for a moment, before a gentle (for Toph, anyway - it still felt like being struck by a platypus bear) thump to the shoulder let him know she wanted to be put down.
"I'll have you know people are always awed by the tale of how I single-handedly defeated the Fire Nation airship fleet," he replied.
She glared at him for a second, wrinkling her lip.
"Pfft. Single handed? And where was I at the time, then?" She questioned mockingly.
He shrugged, before realising his error and grunting.
"Oh, you were around, I'm sure. Getting under my feet as usual, I think," he smirked to himself.
"Yeah, yeah. Why don't we step outside and see who ends up under whose feet?" Toph demanded.
"Alas, as much as I would love to, this is a fancy gathering after all. It would hardly do if the high-brow ladies and gentlemen spotted us brawling like peasants," he said, his voice taking on a snooty accent.
"I'd take them all on as well," the metalbender boasted.
"I'm sure you would. It's good to see you again, Toph," he said sincerely.
"I'd like to say the same, but..." She grinned. "Though it seems you've been up to some interesting things while I've been away. Scarface's had you on babysitting duty, I hear. That right?"
Sokka sucked in a breath through his teeth.
"Yes, Zuko assigned me to take care of Azula," he confessed.
Toph laughed loudly, drawing looks from nearby guests.
"I expect that was fun. How close has she come to roasting you?" She asked, barely containing her amusement. "Bet you're covered in burn scars now."
"It has been fun, actually. She's not so bad when you get to know her," Sokka insisted, ignoring her question.
"I'll take your word for it," Toph muttered. "Me, I like to avoid venomous creatures."
Sokka mock-gasped, waving his arms in an entirely pointless theatrical display.
"Toph Beifong, avoiding danger? Who are you, impostor? The Toph I know throws herself headfirst at anything and everything that might pose a challenge to her," Sokka demanded.
Toph's grey eyes met his in a dead stare. Sokka fought the urge to not blink - he always lost, and somehow she always knew it.
"Ha-ha. As a matter of fact, nothing poses a challenge to me - least of all a half-sane princess, former firebending prodigy or not. I could take her with my eyes closed and both hands behind my back," the young heiress growled.
"Don't call her that. She's perfectly mentally sound, Toph. She just needs to... adjust to life around people who don't want to mold her into something unhealthy," Sokka admonished his friend, reaching out to grab a drink from a passing server.
"Wow, you really do have it bad. Oh boy, we're due some interesting times ahead. Still, on your own head be it, pal. Just don't come cryin' to me if this one goes bad too, I got too much stuff going on to deal with more mushy nonsense," Toph declared, casually swiping Sokka's drink before he could take a single sip.
"Gee, thanks Toph. Always glad to know I can count on your support," Sokka sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if you've changed even a bit since I met you."
"Why change perfection?" Toph replied, unconcerned.
"Why indeed. Nice seeing you Toph," he bid her farewell.
She toasted him with the stolen drink, smirking.
With the solemn focus of a seasoned hunter, his gaze was set upon the assorted greens and reds that made up the congregation before him. No matter where he looked, his prey eluded him.
Where could she be?
"Sokka. Sokka, over here!"
The brown-skinned warrior's stare cast around, attempting to find the voice calling for him.
His eyes landed upon a hairless head, adorned with traditional Airbending Master arrows. Bingo. He strode up to his friend, grasping his hand in a manly handshake.
"Aang, it's been too long!" He said cheerfully.
"I saw you a few hours ago, Sokka. And every day the week before," the Avatar said, confused.
"Oh yeah, you're right. Aang, it hasn't been long enough!" Sokka tried again.
Aang shook his head in exasperation, long used to Sokka's antics. On his shoulder, his pet chittered.
"Ah, if it isn't Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty! I'm surprised they let him in," Sokka greeted the flying lemur with an affectionate scratch behind the ears, careful not to knock the miniature hat off the simian's head.
"Well, he was pretty important too, y'know. Appa would be here as well, but he couldn't really fit. He's happier eating his own little feast anyway," Aang explained.
"Now that would be a sight to see. I bet Appa's a great dancer - he's got the legs for it," Sokka grinned, imagining the sky bison attempting to tango with a much smaller woman.
"I think he's more comfortable with all his feet on the ground. Or in the air."
"Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, where's Katara hiding?" Sokka wondered.
Aang nodded towards a group of guests who chuckled to one another as the waterbender spoke, rubbing her bulging tummy. Sokka turned back to make a witty remark, but swallowed it down at the adoring expression on his friend's face as he admired his wife.
"Well that's great. Glad things are working out for you there buddy, I was always rooting for you. Y'know, I always had this weird fear that she'd, I dunno, make off with Zuko or something," Sokka admitted lowly.
The last airbender's nose wrinkled.
"Zuko? What?" He said, confused by this sudden change of subject.
"I know, I know, it sounds crazy now. He was always in love with Mai and Katara was into you for quite a while even before you hooked up. But still, she's been known to do weird stuff before," Sokka shrugged, waving his hands. "Anyway, it doesn't matter - I'm just glad it all worked out. You've got a kid on the way, the world is at peace, everything is going well."
Aang regarded him with uncertainty for a moment.
"I... Sure. What about you though?" He asked.
Sokka made a dismissive noise, looking away.
"Me? Hey, I got no complaints - I'm not freezing my backside off or getting hit with stuff any more. On the up and up! I live in a swanky palace and get all the cooked meat I can eat whenever I want it. Who could say no to that? Apart from you, obviously, you plant-eating weirdo."
Aang was not swayed by his jokes.
"That's not what I mean. I know things were tough after Suki..."
Sokka's eyes narrowed a fraction, going absolutely still before he eased up slightly.
"Listen, don't worry about it. I'm good, trust me. Go see to Katara, Mighty Avatar, let us mere mortals worry about our own pitiful existences. This is all about co-operation tonight, right? Get to it then."
He shoved the shorter man towards his wife, who looked up at the commotion and smiled, beckoning Aang over.
The monk frowned, uncertain if he should let his friend be for a moment before giving up and hurrying to Katara's side.
Sokka watched him go, his lips pulled into an annoyed snarl for a moment, before the anger drained out of him.
He really needed a drink.
"Thirsty, barbarian?"
The voice slithered through his ears like a breath of air to a drowning man. Without thinking, he spun around. He had hardly a second to take in what lay in front of him before his brain sputtered to a halt.
It was a vision, or maybe a mirage. Perhaps he'd caught Midnight Sun Madness. Truly, nothing so beautiful could exist within reality.
Eyes that burned brighter than the sun met his, a gleam of wicked amusement held within. Onyx hair ran in shimmering waves, contrasting against flawless ivory skin. She was adorned in the purest scarlet, with azure flames licking at the hem of her long dress, reaching up mid-thigh.
Someone could have punched Sokka in the face right then and he wouldn't have noticed.
What was this unbelievable creature, this queen of elegance? Surely earthly eyes such as his were not fit to gaze upon her perfection?
"Are you going to stare at me all day? I'm used to it of course, but it does get terribly boring after a while."
The words cut through his daze, freeing his mind from its paralysis.
"Azula?" He croaked.
The woman's smirk grew.
"Naturally. I asked if you were thirsty," Azula said, proffering a glass to him.
He took it woodenly, downing the liquid without even looking at it. It burned his throat, but he
ignored the pain.
"Wow." Words seemed so hard to form. "You... Just wow."
Satisfaction radiated from her at his obvious captivation. She serenely sipped at her own glass, her gaze half-lidded.
"Did you expect anything less?" The princess wondered airily.
"I... I suppose not. But even then, my imagination couldn't do you justice," Sokka admitted.
"I should hope so - clever as you may be on occasion, it takes a certain kind of mind to conjure up magnificence such as I," Azula stated.
"Modesty certainly doesn't become you, huh Azula?" Sokka chuckled, amused by her boast.
"An accomplished liar I may be, but the cold, hard truth has its own place," she replied. "Why diminish myself when all can see the reality before them?"
"I guess that's fair. So; you're here, I'm here, there's a dance floor. How about it?" The Water Tribe warrior asked.
Azula let out the tiniest sigh of resignation.
"You really don't have any sense of romance, do you?" She muttered. "I suppose I'll just have to get used to that. Very well, I hope you can remember what I taught you."
"Frankly so do I, but seeing as how that stuff you gave me was stronger than I expected and I'm in close proximity to an unparalleled beauty, I'll be lucky if I remember my own name by the end of the night," Sokka declared.
Her answering smile made his heart beat faster as they made their way onto the dance floor.