Yay! Third chapter of Up for Grabs! Happy happy!

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(Up for Grabs)

Chapter II (Good Tidings)

Toph's normally rock solid features melted into confusion. She was not quite sure what to do. A good daughter should probably go forward and hug her father, but Toph Bei Fong had never been a good daughter.

Hmmm… maybe I should have thought about what I was going to say beforehand…

Her father was no less awkward. He took a few tentative steps towards his daughter, stopped, and then started walking over to her again.

Toph stiffened as he clasped her loosely in an awkward embrace (which she did not return) and stepped back.

"Toph, I cannot express how wonderful it is to have you home again. You have been in our thoughts for years, and we are so happy that you have finally decided to come home."

Home…?

He paused, apparently waiting for Toph to say something. When she did not, he went on.

"Come with me to the foyer; that is where your mother is waiting."

Toph followed him, sensing vibrations from all parts of the house. Her father's footsteps were still the same, but had gotten just the tiniest bit heavier. She could feel her mother getting up, and noticed that her feet had started to scuff the floor, ever so slightly. People change when you're away for four years.

As soon as Toph stepped into the foyer, her mother enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Oh, Toph. Thank goodness, you're safe. We've missed you for so long."

Her mother let her go and Toph smiled at her a little.

"I, I've missed you too… "

Her father sounded like he was immeasurably regretful when he next spoke.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't accept you for who you were last I saw you. We never wanted you to run away. I cannot say how proud I am of you for having brought such honor to our family."

Our family… it sounds… weird. And there is definitely something that he's not telling me…

"We've never just sat down and talked about your participation in the Earth Rumble Six tournament. We've both allocated the rest of the afternoon and evening towards catching up with our daughter and getting to know her again. Why don't you tell us all about your victories in the tournament, your adventures with the Avatar, and your life after the war."

Toph was stunned. It sounded and felt like her parents were genuinely interested in her life. As if they truly understood her, or were at least trying. There was still something they weren't telling her, but she could figure it out later. Toph Bei Fong wasn't one to be silent when invited to boast about her greatest accomplishments.

"Well, when I walked into my first Earth Rumble fight… "


Toph was changing for dinner in her old room. Her parents had restocked her closet with a plethora of new clothes. None were her style, per se, but she had managed to select a dress for dinner that didn't have any frills.

Her parents had been the perfect audience for hours. They listened well to all her tales, and had gasped at all the right moments. It was almost too good to be true. Now she was preparing for dinner. It seemed like they finally understood her.

Toph tied the sash in the back and gave herself an inner once-over.

Now let's go to dinner, and keep up the winning streak!

She made her way down to the dining hall and sat down. They made pleasant small talk through the appetizer, and only started talking about anything of importance midway through the first course.

"So, what do you plan on doing while I'm here?"

Lao Bei Fong shifted slightly uncomfortably in his chair. Toph sensed it and frowned.

"Well, how long did you think that you would be here?"

"Aang will be back to check on me within the week. I was thinking that I would decide then. At the moment I believe that I will be here for at least a week or two. I hadn't planned on staying any longer than three weeks to a month."

Toph paid special attention to her father's tone of voice as he replied. He sounded more like the father that she had known when she was twelve than the one she had come to like that afternoon.

"I had hoped that you would have stayed longer. We made some plans."

"Ok… and what would these plans be?"

"Now that you are of the proper age to be wed, we- "

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'to be wed'?!?!?!?!"

It was starting to resemble the last family dinner. The only one missing was Aang.


A/N: Hehe... that was fun. I hope you liked it!

Toph: What the hell did you mean, 'Good Tidings'???

Me: Uhh... for the readers?

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