Sokka made a quick check of everything they had and, as expected, they'd need more food and a few other small supplies. So he went out shopping for the third time today.

Per request from his son, Hakoda stayed to keep an eye on Toph. He watched from the kitchen performing simple chores. Toph just lay there on the couch bending her knee with one foot on the couch, while the other leg hung off. To anyone who'd just happened upon her it would seem she was completely unmannered in the ways of feminine behavior, but Hakoda noticed her hands. They were folded regally in her lap.

Having encountered royalty upon more than one occasion the man had learned to notice the difference between simply clasping your hands and gently folding them in place. You could tell quite a bit about a person if you got a close enough look at their hands. She was trying to hide it but at heart he knew Toph would always be the heiress to the Bei Fong estate. For reasons unknown this troubled the man, seeing a woman in conflict with herself.

Then he saw as she reached into her sleeve and remove a bracelet he hadn't known she'd been wearing. As he watched her gently trace her fingers over the object he wondered of its significance. It was black, and looked to be made of metal, but it wasn't shiny or even ornate. Though he'd never seen that piece of jewelry before Hakoda couldn't help but think it seemed familiar to him. From what little he knew of the girl it still seemed hard to believe she'd wear any form of jewelry.

"That's a pretty nice bracelet," he said as a matter of fact, taking seat in a nearby chair.

Toph, who hadn't known he'd been watching, sat up and clutched the item down to her side. The expression she wore made it seem almost as if she were going to say 'what bracelet?' but stopped herself. Her cheeks blushed slightly. "Yeah it is," she responded.

"Where'd you get it?"

"I- … well- …" she felt embarrassed by the answer, and almost wanted to lie about it. Only three people knew of its actual origin, and it was deeply personal to her. However, it was for that same reason that she couldn't lie, not about this. "It was a gift."

Hakoda nodded and smiled in understanding. It was a special gift. "So who's the lucky guy?" he asked jokingly, not quite winking.

Toph's face now turned beat red and she turned away, trying to hide her embarrassment. Her mind stumbled over what words to form. How was she supposed to say 'I have the hots' for your son?'

He noticed the girls discomfort and decided to retract his question. "Sorry," he said, "it's really none of my business."

Toph felt her teeth start to clench. Figuring that if Hakoda really knew he'd probably think a little differently.

"But regardless of that," the man added. "Whoever he is, I think he's a pretty lucky guy." Hakoda watched the blush in her cheeks subside and her expression change to something like wonder. He could tell there was something she wanted to say, but for whatever reason couldn't bring herself to say it right now.

She heard the man's clothes rustle as he got up to leave. She felt slightly ashamed of not talking to him about this, but she just didn't know what to say. Hakoda turned to leave but heard the girl's voice behind him. "Chief Hakoda?"

"Hmm?"

"I uhhh … well … Thank you," she finally said, "for everything."

He smiled at this, for some reason seeing a girl he could have considered a daughter, if only for a moment. "You're welcome, Toph.