"Farewells and a few wise words"

CHAPTER VII

Awoken by a gentle beam of light on her face, Toph's eyes snapped open, the glassy orbs searching the surroundings that she could not see. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she let them dangle for a moment before lowering her small frame onto the ground. As soon as the soles of her bare feet touched the ground, the vibrations sent back a nearly picture-perfect image of her location. A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips. Standing now, she rolled her shoulder blades in a stretch before opening the door, jumping in slight shock as Momo brushed against her calves as he dashed past. About to exit the building, she bent over to pick up one of her soleless shoes she had crafted. Throwing it, she hit Sokka's sleeping form with perfect precision.

"Wha!? Firenaaa-…"

"Sokka get your scrawny ass up, we need to get some food then leave!" Yelled Toph, a devilish grin on her round face. Blearily letting his eyes open, Sokka propped up his lithe frame before stretching in a cat-like manner, scowling back at Toph.

"What about Katara and Aang!? Their not exactly up and wandering!" He protested.

"Hey Sokka, Toph!" Jumping down the spiral staircase in his customary boisterous persona, Aang smiled brightly, fully dressed in his orange robes, his face was slightly ruddy from splashing it with water to wake himself up.

His mouth dropping slightly, Sokka then frowned before eventually his face became blank. He shrugged; he was getting well on his way to becoming use to being contradicted at every opportunity.

Katara came next, a slightly strained smile on her face as she acknowledged her companions.

As the rabble made their way across the trodden path towards the main house, they were met by Ti scattering grain to the pickens from a bucket. A light smile played on her lips as she saw them.

"You lot must be hungry… Gram's prepared breakfast for us."

Leaning to Toph, Sokka covered his mouth with a sly hand before whispering out the corner of his mouth to her.

"Lets hope her cooking's better than her memory!"

Looking up, he was met from a steely glance from Katara, her arms crossed over her chest disapprovingly.

*****

It turned out that Gram evidently did cook well, the youth's nostrils were caught with the most divine of all smells as they entered the house.

"Sit down, sit down!" muttered Gram, hefting over the cauldron of stew showcasing an incredible display of strength considering her tiny frame.

"As if we need to be asked!" breathed Sokka, jumping awkwardly to his knees by the table, his eyes softening as he caught a stronger waft of scent from the meal.

The conversation was kept light, the discomfort between Katara and Aang barely noticeable. It was the smallest of things that effected the two of them, a brush of heated skin as they both reached for the spice shaker, the brief locking of gazes between each conversation…

Sokka was in bliss. Fully rested from the first peaceful night of sleep in too long, his blue eyes were bright, his actions even more energetic then usual. The food was also an obvious benefit, Sokka had been the one most affected by team Gaang's diet… To get any meat was a bonus, they mostly survived off chewy berries and scrounged bread from villages they had passed on their journeys.

"You like the soup, Sukker?" Queried Gram, a pleasant beam on her crinkled face. Sokka's eyes narrowed… Sucker!? The sudden realization crept over him and he felt a smile playing on his reluctant lips.

"Gram, like is an underestimation…"

"Well, I didn't even make it! Ti did." She chucked then looked over to her granddaughter. Ti glanced away embarrassed.

"You made this Ti!?" Exclaimed Sokka, his eyes widening as he looked over to her.

"Yeah… But Gram taught me originally."

"Its amazing!" He blurted, admiration welling up inside of him, now this was the kind of girl he liked!

"Thanks Sokka…" She gave a genuine smile, dimples appearing on her rosy cheeks. Her eyes locking with his, Sokka wanted to look away but found he couldn't, his face decided to glow instead. Rolling her non-seeing eyes, Toph gave a theatrical shudder making Aang grin childishly.

"I think we should get going. Come on, Sukker!" Spoke Toph, a teasing tone in her voice. Sokka didn't bother even reacting, that one shared moment of joint appreciation between him and Ti had boosted his ego considerably, he felt like he could fly. Katara gracefully stood up, her braid swishing in the motion. Bowing once in the hosts' direction, she spoke.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Gram. We really appreciate it." Following her companions out the door, she gave a final smile before walking out.

******

With Appa fully rested, Aang skillfully attached his saddle to his back and fastened up the strap under his heaving belly using his airbending receiving a look of admiration from his friends.

"How long have you been hiding that one for, Aang?" Laughed Katara.

"Yeah! All this time you could have just done that!? You know how I hate his saliva Aang!" Spluttered Sokka.

Hearing footsteps, the group looked around to see Ti walking over in her usual fluid gait.

"Hey. I though I'd come and see you guys off.. Gram's gone to feed the ostrich-birds… If she could think straight, I bet she'd come and say goodbye properly." She pushed her hair out of her face before looking in awe to Appa's cumbersome form. She looked back to Katara as she heard her speak.

"We can't thank you enough, Ti. To just be trusted for a night is so… So revitalizing! It gives us hope… It reminds us the reason why we set off on this quest. We set off on this quest to help people like you."

A disgusted expression appeared on Sokka's face as he listened to his sister's words. 'You have truly outdone yourself this time.' Was the one thought circulating his head.

A light smile appeared on Ti's feline face.

"Thank you Katara. Its been so nice to actually speak to some people my age. It's been too long… " Her expression seemed to reveal a complexity, one that only could make sense to Aang having heard her story. The veil of anguish disappeared from her face as she looked to the group packing around her.

"I packed some extra food for you guys, I figured you'd appreciate it." Taking her hands from behind her, she produced a bundle of bulging parcels, each wrapped up in soft paper, string holding them together, elegantly. At her side in a second, a bright smile appeared on Sokka's face, his hands twitching in anticipation as he looked at the bundles of food held in Ti's small hands.

"Enjoy them Sokka. But remember to share!" She chucked before handing them over. Guffawing, Sokka's eyebrows knitted together. There was a certain ambiguity to his outburst, nobody particularly was sure if it meant that he would share the food or not!

"So, I guess this is it. I wish we could have got to know you a little better, Ti."

Sharing a brief, gentle hug, Katara gave a final smile before scrambling up onto Appa's back. Looking down at her friends below, a tender smile began to emerge on her face.

"It was nice meeting ya."

Toph gave a small nod of acknowledgement to the girl towering above her before following after Katara. Taking her place where Toph had previously stood, Aang beamed a silly grin to the girl before resuming a more virtuous expression.

"I think Katara basically said it all," Aang began before glancing over his shoulder at a snort from Sokka. "You've been really generous and I can't thank you enough. You've been through a lot and if there's anything-"

"- Aang. Fulfill your destiny. You were born into greatness and you need to embrace that fact. I can tell by how you talk of you duty, you seem so strained. You need to find a spur, an incentive, it might be power, it might be love… You need to face your role. You are the Avatar." Taking both of his hands in her own, she squeezed them affectionately before releasing them. Hopping with ease up onto Appa, Momo readily followed after him before hesitating and springing back down to Ti. Weaving his lithe frame a couple of times around her slim legs, a small indecipherable purr escaped from the lemur before he finally glided up onto the Sky-bison's saddle.

Hovering close to the swelling sides of Appa, Sokka dropped his gaze shyly, digging the toe of his boot into the dusty ground. Looking back up, sapphire met with jade and both teens felt a light glow form on their cheeks.

"I hope I'll meet you again Sokka."

The inevitability of ever seeing her again poked harshly at Sokka's fragile heart. The chance that they would ever see each other again was tiny. She had to stay here and care for Gram whilst Khan was out fishing. Sokka had to go with Aang. As much as he hated the corniness of the situation, it was his destiny.

Stepping forward, Ti let her arms slip through his as she gave him a gentle hug. At first, the awkward teen's eyes widened in shock before softening with happiness. Wrapping his lean arms around her back, he hugged her back before they both broke away. Without a word, energetically he leapt up onto Appa, using the straps to heft himself up. Grimacing, Toph lay face down onto the saddle; she had never been a huge fan of flying, her powers were useless in the sky.

"Yipyip!"

Flicking the reins on Appa's broad neck, the creature gave a low groan before spiraling up into the sky using his huge tail to control his speed.

Watching below, Ti felt a wistful smile fade from her face as she watched the silhouette of the sky-bison disappear over the hill…

Author Notes: I realize that these current chapters haven't been too exciting. I promise they will take a turn now; I just wanted to set the general scene and introduce the characters decently. Hang in there and thanks for reading! Any plot suggestions would be appreciated although I do have a general idea at the moment!

Daise x