Toph felt like she wanted to scream. Was Hakoda REALLY serious about what he said? Did he realize everything that was going on right now? Was he guessing? Or was it just pure chance, and he was unintentionally insinuating about Toph's feelings for Sokka?

She felt like she wanted to throw up again. But seeing as there was nothing in her stomach tothrow up, it didn't bother her all that much. There was too much thinking going on, all she wanted was to be able to stop worrying.

Hakoda spoke, interrupting her thoughts. "Ya' know, Sokka was planning for a fishing trip. Maybe you kids should go together."

Toph couldn't help but let a grimace slowly creep onto her features. "I-I don't know about that, Chief," she said honestly. "Me and boats don't really go well together."

Hakoda chuckled at this, remembering Toph's bodily distress during the invasion's preliminary stage. "That's okay, he could take you ice fishing. You'd never even go nearthe docks," he said in an assuring tone. "Besides, I don't know of much that could keep your interest very long here in town. Plus you don't seem like the type to sit around doing nothing for a week while Aang and Katara go off pirate hunting."

"WHAT!?" Toph bolted to her feet, knocking the chair over.

Judging by the girl's reaction Hakoda deduced that Aang hadn't informed her of his intentions. "I … uhhh … Aang's out there reigning up Appa now."

As if the great beast was confirming his statement, one of Appa's deep groan's filled the room. Toph ran towards where she thought the kitchen door was. She clipped the icy frame with her shoulder and fell to the floor of the next room. Her arm went numb, but she didn't care.

Then Hakoda was there beside her, trying help the girl to her feet. Toph was running before he had her completely upright. Her outstretched arms bent as she ran into the door and her hands fumbled for the doorknob.

However, after she was outside Toph had no idea where to go. "DAMNIT KATARA! GET BACK HERE!"

But Aang and Katara were already in the air. Faintly, Toph heard Katara's voice, "You'll be fine. We'll be back in a couple days."

Toph raised her fist in the air, intending to slam it into the ground. "GRAHHHH!"

"Whoa," a hand grabbed her right wrist. Hakoda didn't know what the girl was going to accomplish but he knew an earth-bending stance when he saw one, and the end result wouldn't be good for her hands. So he held Toph to keep from hurting herself.

Toph wasn't in the mood to be stopped anymore. So instead of slamming her anger in the ground she turned on the chief. Toph wheeled left; bringing her elbow to bear whereabouts she suspected the man's gut was. She was a little low, hitting his pelvis, but the effect was the same. Hakoda doubled over and Toph pulled down with her right arm, flipping the man over her shoulder. "KYHAA!"

Hakoda's world upended itself and the next thing he knew he was flat on his back. Stars spangled his vision and a mild pain shot through his body. If he hadn't been worried about Toph that would have almost been a fun trip, san Toph's elbow driving his gut into his spine. But, like many benders, Toph wasn't used to hand-to-hand combat, and Hakoda still held her wrist. He wrapped his legs around Toph's left arm and held her right arm tightly with both hands.

Toph's legs flailed as she yelled at him. "Let me GO." Hakoda apparently wasn't listening to her. "Let me GO, you overgrown pinwheel."

"Now just," Toph was stronger than she looked and he was struggling to keep her in control, "just calm down, Toph. They're already gone."

Now Toph could hear spectators coming to see what all the commotion was about.

Hakoda switched his left leg from Toph's arm to up around her neck, trying to subdue her.

"DAD! TOPH!" Sokka shouted, basket of various fruits in one arm. "What the heck is wrong with you two?"

The tension relaxed in both of them as they stopped fighting, but they remained in the same position.

A mildly awkward silence filled the air between the three.

Hakoda was the first to speak, "Uhhhhh," trying to come up with an explanation for the boy "... She started it."