...
Iroh smiled as he was just about to officially open the Jasmine Dragon tea shop for the evening: the birds were singing, it looked like it would be beautiful night, the Pai Sho tables were prepped for games, and the tea was brewing marvelously. The young attendants he had hired recently were out and about sweeping the stone floor and polishing the counters; his large, decorated tea shop was becoming spotless before his very eyes. He sniffed, breathing in the slight scent of jasmine tea, and released, feeling more relaxed than he had in years. If only his nephew Zuko could see him now….
Suddenly, two cloaked individuals entered the shop. Apparently they hadn't noticed the closed sign, but, Iroh shrugged, what the heck? It was close enough to opening; besides, if their worn out and dirty cloaks were any indication, they were in desperate need of a stiff cup of relaxing tea. He approached the two. "Hello, how may I help you, kind sirs?"
"Iroh?" Sokka and Toph took off their hoods. Iroh's eyes widened with surprise.
"My young friends! It's been awhile." He hugged them. "What are you doing in Ba Sing Se?" Sokka held up a wanted poster with their faces on it, and Toph pulled down her scarf, showing the betrothal necklace underneath.
"We're….kinda in some trouble…." Iroh blinked, the hope for a peaceful evening dissipating slowly but surely. He nodded and gestured for the bus boys to stop.
"Men, you've been working hard lately; take the day off, I can take care of the shop for one night, despite my age." Two of the four employees nodded while the other two were trying to look somber and within two minutes, they had the shop to themselves. Iroh gestured to the table. "Take a seat while I get some tea ready." Sokka and Toph sat down and Sokka glanced around the room; apparently, business had been doing well since he was last here, if the new décor was an indication. Everything seemed a bit…fancier; sophisticated. He felt a little out of place. Seconds later, Iroh returned from behind the counter, carrying a tray with three cups and a large pot. "So, what happened?" The old man asked while he poured the tea. Sokka and Toph shot each other a look.
"We don't really remember…." Sokka answered.
"What do you mean?" Iroh sighed; this was probably going to be complicated…. Sokka began to tell the story, of how he had been drinking in a bar-though he didn't mention the trouble with Suki-, met Toph, began to party, woke up not remembering a thing, and all the problems they've had since. Iroh said nothing, just watching as the tale was told, with occasional debates over details between Sokka and Toph. Finally, as they squabbled over whether or not the gangster they beat up was in fact eight feet tall and a body builder, Iroh grunted to bring them back on track. Sokka misinterpreted the look on the old man's breaded face.
"Okay Iroh, look; we messed up, we know. But come on, you have to have partied like that once when you were young, right?" Iroh said nothing.
"Hey Iroh! What the hell are you doing? Put down that drink, you've already had like ten! No, no…don't you dare jump on that chandelier!" A loud crash was barely heard over the pounding music. "And don't you dare jump on that subsequent chandelier! Iroh! Keep your shirt ON! ON…! I'm telling your girlfriend! No, I don't want a drink!...well, maybe just one more…."
Iroh shivered at the memory and took a swift drink of tea. "No, I cannot say I have…., but what has happened, has happened. The most we can do now is sort out all that has transpired…." He paused. "So, when you woke up this morning, you say you found that you both were engaged last night?" Toph nodded. "That is quite odd….traditionally, rash romantic decisions are normal for drunken behavior, but Sokka, are you not in a relationship?"
"Iroh, I told you, I was drunk! And…"He paused , only to sigh and reluctantly continue. "And well, things haven't been completely…okay between Suki and me lately…" He saw Iroh's inquisitive look and explained. "We got into an argument and I freaked out and left...but I haven't talked to her since. I know, I know, it's not right and I'll work on fixing it as soon as I can, but right now, we need to figure out how to get out of this." He gestured to the space earth necklace around Toph's neck. "We thought we could just pretend that it didn't happen, but because the space earth is stuck, the minute Katara, Aang, or Suki or hell, anybody who's even heard of the Water Tribe, will know Toph's engaged to someone and it won't be long until Toph's parents find out, and there's a whole other mess that we have to deal with…." Sokka fell silent and stared into his tea. Iron turned his gaze to Toph.
"Is that accurate?" She nodded. "So this 'space earth', as you call it; you say you can't bend it, even though you used to be able to?"
"No! I've tried, but I can't get the thing to move at all anymore! We didn't know much about it when we took it…maybe it stops being bendable after a while? I don't know…" Iroh said nothing but he continued gazing at Toph, stroking his beard. They all fell silent. Finally, Iroh chuckled. "What?" Toph demanded, flustered.
"You two…ah, to be young again! This is quite the scrap you've gotten yourselves in." He laughed.
Sokka and Toph glanced at each other. "Um, Iroh? This isn't really something to laugh at…." Iroh nodded, but continued to smile.
"Of course, of course…however, in regards to the damages you have caused, I would be tempted to say that you should turn yourselves in, as it would be the right thing to do." Sokka and Toph swallowed a little; no matter the kind man's advice, turning themselves in was the last thing they were going to do. "However, the odds of you doing that are quite low, I admit, and perhaps there is some justice there…but not much." He gave them a stern look. "If you damage something, you have to pay proper reparations. Yes, yes, I'm aware being arrested is the last thing you want, and I would hardly enjoy seeing you behind bars, don't get me wrong! If you were to pay for the damages yourselves and formally apologize to the Earth King, that should suffice." Sokka turned to Toph.
"I hope your parents are willing to make a donation."
"What? What about you, Mr. 'Prince of the Southern Water Tribe'?"
"Are you kidding? We don't have shit down there, much less money! It's a bunch of buildings surrounded by snow and ice!"
"Ha! So you do admit it." Iroh coughed pointedly, bringing the two back to the discussion at hand. "Anyway, what do you think we should do about this gang? Kick their asses?" Toph smirked a little. "If that was their leader, then the rest should be easy pickings; hardly worth worrying over." Iroh thought for a bit.
"As nice a service as defeating those people would be, you should not seek violence; it would only make the situation worse. First you should apologize to the Earth King, and seek his blessing to defeat them and, more importantly, let him pay for the damages that will inevitably follow." Sokka blinked.
"That seems oddly devious coming from you, Iroh."
"That is merely my suggestion as to resolve both the problems; however, before you get the money to pay and apologize with, I would say that you should probably leave the city, if only to stop things from getting worse." Iroh slid a piece of paper towards them. "Fortunately for you, the young Avatar wrote to me and said he would be coming for a visit, since he was in the area; he should get here later today."
Sokka fist pumped. "Yes! That was a lucky coincidence!" Iroh nodded gravely.
"Indeed, but it is up to him to decide if he wants to help you two evade justice." Sokka's hopes slumped.
"Yeah…Twinkle Toes does have a stronger sense of justice than that…." Toph sighed.
"However, I believe that the young waterbender will be with him, Katara?" Sokka's ears perked up at that.
"So there's some hope, at least…the likelihood of Katara leaving me to the Unagi is sort of low…I think." Sokka paused. "Well, I guess there's that at least. However, we still have to figure out what to do about the necklace. I mean, we can't even cut the thing off since it's space earth, which can cut through metal, if my sword was any indication."
"About that…I feel that there is no helping the necklace. However, so long as you two are completely honest to your loved ones, I believe that they should understand, and perhaps the removal of the necklace will be solved afterwards." He gave them a stern look. "The key, however, is honesty." Sokka nodded skeptically.
"Okay, I guess…."
"Just have faith, my young friend, and all will work out the way it should." He smiled. "Now then, Sokka, if you would be so kind as to take this pot for a refill? There should be more tea brewing in the back." Sokka obediently got up and grabbed the tray. "Careful, it's going to be hot." The Water Tribe warrior scoffed at the warning and left the room. Iroh and Toph sat in silence for a few seconds, until Iroh asked, "So, young Toph, how have you been lately?"
"Until now? Okay, I guess." Iroh chuckled.
"You're a bad liar for someone who claims to be a human lie detector." Toph stiffened; Iroh always seemed to have a way to seeing through pretense, and three years seemed to have done nothing to change that. "Now tell me honestly; I heard after the War, you tried to teach metalbending to regular earthbenders; hardly an easy feat, considering the difficulty involved."
"So it hasn't been easy, so what? Just because I'm frustrated over how bad the others suck doesn't mean I'm not fine." Iroh gave her an almost pitying glance.
"Oh I think you are frustrated by more than just mere inability, young one. There is much on your mind; after the war, where would you go? Back home where your loving parents kept you trapped for your own safety?"
"I'll have you know I'm on perfectly good terms with my parents now; I reconciled with them years ago."
"If that is the case, then why are you wandering the land in such a manner? No, I don't doubt the reconciliation, if that's what you think!" He hastily added after Toph glared at him. "I just think that, now that the War is over, there would be no reason for you to travel, correct? Once you return home, it is possible you may not leave again for years...is that it? Alas, it is hardly my place to pry into others family matters, but I will tell you that so long as you avoid them, the worse things are going to get. But that is a matter for another time." There was a sudden yelp from the back as Sokka burned himself on the fresh brewed tea. Iroh rested his elbows on the table and leaned towards Toph.
"Listen…I think, no matter what you say, you never completely moved on from the old days, and an important lesson about alcohol: it doesn't just cause head pain in the morning; it removes your inhibitions completely. Do you understand? All your feelings and desires, blocked behind the wall of your restraint and will, let loose, hence why rash romance and destruction are normal for drunken endeavors." Toph paled a little at the thought of her secrets on display. "I can only trust that you will be completely honest with Sokka and the others, and more importantly…yourself." As if summoned by his name, Sokka walked back in the room, carrying the tray while cursing under his breath.
"Damn tea…" He set the tray on the table and threw himself back into his chair, while nursing his burnt hand. "Anyway, there you go. Now then, where do we go from here?"
"Well, I would say you can stay here until the Avatar arrives in an hour or so….however, it would appear the Dai Lee is approaching my shop, and unfortunately, I doubt it's for my tea." Iroh pointed over Sokka and Toph at the silent posse of subdued Dai Lee agents walking towards the shop. Sokka grabbed Toph's hand and yanked her out of her chair as he began to run to the back room. "There isn't an exit back there!"
"Toph'll make one!" Iroh grimaced a little at the thought of his shop being damaged. "Thanks for the help!" A soft crack came from the back room, followed by a low rumbling noise. At least they were nice enough to seal up the hole they made in his wall. The former Fire Nation general then turned to face the cloaked Dai Lee agent in front of him. With a long, loose sleeved robe covering his stone hands, it was hard to believe that the hat wearing man before him was much of a warrior; a creepy noble, perhaps, but a peace keeper in one of the largest cities in the world? Hardly. But if there was anything Iroh had learned in his long experience, it was that looks could be deceiving.
"What can I do for you, gentleman? You're just in time; I just brought out a fresh pot of Jasmine…."
...
"Okay, so we just have to survive on the streets for another hour…how hard could it be?" Sokka asked as he and Toph tried to blend in with the crowd. "I mean, we only have to worry about the Dai Lee, citizen's arrest, and the walking cliché criminal's gang; what could go wrong?"
"Wow, when you put it like that…" Toph rolled her eyes. "Why not just say 'nothing else could possibly go wrong', 'it has to be dead', or 'things can't get much worse' while you're trying to doom us?"
Sokka began to retort, but decided it wasn't worth the energy. Instead, he began gazing lazily at the buildings around them. Thrift store, clothing store, clothing store, another clothing store, the spinoff of that other clothing store that got boycotted and shut down, and there were a few food stands scattered in between. The signs and promoting flags looked worn, as did the street and buildings themselves; it appeared that he and Toph had wandered into the older section of the Upper Ring; the several dozen condemned buildings only cemented the theory. The architecture was still notably Asian though; it appeared that some things never went out of fashion, even a hundred years ago. Finally, he saw something that gave him pause.
It was on the roof top of the building on their side of the street; he narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look, but the sun made it difficult to see. Squinting, he raised a hand to block some of the light. "What the hell? Is that a guy up there?" So it seemed; from what he could tell, there seemed to be a tall, narrow blobish thing on the roof of "Granny's Closet: the store for all your 'bedroom' needs." Suddenly, several more blobs popped up next to the first one; realization began to dawn in Sokka's mind. "Oh crap." He quickly glanced around at the other rooftops on the street and sure enough, there were five or six guys on each one. Slumping, he muttered to Toph. "Toph, we're surrounded by archers."
"How'd they find us?" She hissed as Sokka began to guide her slowly towards one of the shops.
"Hell if I know; but we're almost to some cover…." Suddenly, there was a faint rushing sound and an arrow lodged itself into the street next to Sokka's foot. "Son of a…!" He grabbed Toph's hand and jumped to the side, just barely dodging four arrows. "Come on!" He sprinted, Toph in tow, weaving along the left side of the street; at least that way, he figured, they would only have to worry about the archers across the street, versus running into the center, a place Sokka was affectionally deeming "the kill box" from that moment on. The pedestrians around them began to panic once the first arrows fell and were running inside the shops, making Sokka and Toph's camouflage all the more scarce by the second. Granted, since the archer had fired right at them to begin with, Sokka figured that even having others to blend in with wouldn't help them. More arrows were flying, now that there were less people about; fortunately, it was a bit windy that day and that seemed to be throwing off their aim. Sokka leapt to the right as two arrows nearly impaled his feet. Or their aim was just fine, it appeared. "Toph, think you can cover us?" He hissed.
"If you're willing to stop dragging me for a few seconds sure. Think we can chance it?" Sokka ducked.
"Hold on!" He spotted an alley coming up and he feinted right, and then threw himself in, Toph a mere second behind. "Now! NOW!" She hurriedly gestured and a thick sphere of earth rapidly began to form around them. It wasn't quick enough, as several arrows swiftly flew in, just missing them by centimeters. At least the earth had obscured the archers' view enough to stop them from getting a clean shot. After a few seconds, the sphere was complete and they had a little breathing time. "Toph, we need to get a tunnel again." She nodded and was just about to do start, when a sudden impact rattled the entire sphere, knocking them to the ground as a loud, heated roar filled their ears. "Shit…they have explosives; at least they're quick learners." Sokka coughed as he forced himself to his feet; the dome had been cracked and was about to fall to pieces. Fortunately, at the end of the alley was an entrance to one building; at least they could hide out there.
"Come on!" He picked Toph up and began to sprint, while the dome covered them from arrow fire. After a mad dash, he hurled himself inside the doorway, just as another explosive was dropped into the alley. He dropped Toph onto the stone floor and slammed the wooden door shut and locked it for good measure. He backed away, panting. "That…should buy…us…some time…" Toph brushed herself off. "At least we're not hurt."
"Speak for yourself; at least you weren't tossed around like a bag of potatoes or something." Toph coughed.
"Is that anyway to thank the man who saved your ass?"
"Hardly; my ass is the most injured part of me. You really know how to show a girl a good time, you know that?" She paused and even flushed a little, realizing what she just said. Sokka winced.
"You know, I liked you better before you hit puberty; at least then you didn't have your mind in the gutter." He groaned. Ignoring Toph's protest, he glanced around at their surroundings. It appeared they were in a large, almost warehouse like room, with tables scattered all throughout. There were torches, some lit, along the stone walls and, if the blaze was any indication, they were practically brand new. Along on the far wall were several large boarded up windows and two large stone stair cases, one to go up and the other descending into what seemed to be a basement of some kind.
Toph's protests of "she didn't mean it that way" quieted and Sokka looked over at after wandering further into the room. It was hard to make out her facial expression in the poor lighting, but he knew it wasn't good. "Oh what now?"
"We need to get out of here. Now."
"Well, okay, but only if you make us a tunnel so we can get out underneath the street; I don't want to wind up as a human pincushion!" The attempt at humor sounded lame, even to his ears. Toph immediately began trying to build a tunnel, but outside of some stone movement, nothing happened.
Toph swore. "What's wrong?" Sokka hurried over.
"Wood."
"Wood?" He blinked and glanced down at the small hole she had begun; there was indeed a wooden layer right underneath the stone. "Oh…right; you can't manipulate that. Well, can't you just go all 'girl SMASH' on it with all this stone? What's with the hurry?"
"Not enough time!" She began to form a wall blocking the stairs to the basement, but a sudden explosion destroyed it. Over the rumble, stepped the leader, his face bandaged, but there was enough visible to make out his smirk. Sokka just placed himself between Toph and the oncoming man.
"Oh…that guy. Wonderful. Couldn't be happier." He drew his sword and glared at him. "Hey man, long time no see. You look different somehow…did you get a nose job?" The leader's smirk fell a little; apparently, he had pictured this going differently, probably with a little more fear and a little less sarcasm.
"You let my men lead you straight into my headquarters…and you ask if I've had a nose job?" He was almost dumbstruck; had the situation been different, Sokka would have laughed.
"Nose job, haircut, a vasectomy….something; you must have had that healer on 3rd Street do something to you, you look so…different..." Sokka glanced over at the staircase going up, or one of the boarded up windows. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something. "Toph, I'm going to need a smoke screen….Now!" he whispered. Fortunately for them, the criminals didn't appear to dust very often, so Toph had plenty to work with as she sent all the dust particles flying into the air, and rushed to the leader and the crowd of henchmen that were beginning to come up after him. Sokka dashed over to their immediate right and tried pushing on a dusty door; unfortunately, it seemed locked. Without hesitation, he cut out the knob with his sword and punched it out; he grabbed the new opening and yanked the door open, and quickly pulled Toph after him. With a gesture, she blocked it off with a stone wall; unfortunately, she had to use some of the stairs to do it, so Sokka had to jump over a few gaps, until he had reached the second floor. Quickly, he pulled Toph up inside with him and slammed the door shut after her.
They paused, to catch their breath. The room they wound up was about the size of a normal bedroom, but it didn't have any furniture in it; there was only a door to their left and several more boarded up windows along the wall. However, there was sunlight leaking through several of the sizable holes in the wood. Suddenly, they heard a voice calling from the street. "What the….?" Sokka and Toph cautiously approached a window and leaned against it, listening.
"Hello, this is the Dai Lee. We are aware that you are harboring two fugitives and we are giving you two minutes to send them out, or we will have to resort to force."
Sokka groaned. "Okay…I think we can say that we've officially lost control over this situation…."
"Yeah, we're pretty much screwed. How the hell did they find us?"
"Oh I don't know, it could have been all those arrows shot into a crowded street and maybe, just maybe, the two fucking grenades they dropped!"
"Okay, okay! Geez…. I'm surprised the Dai Lee went and announced themselves like that…"
"Maybe the Earth King made them stop being so...sneaky and cloak and daggery? After that coup attempt during the war and all…" A sudden shock reverberated throughout the building.
"…three, two…one. The two minute warning has passed and you have refused to cooperate; we have no choice but to force entry." There were more rumbles as the Dai Lee smashed the walls in. Suddenly, on the floor below them, the sounds of conflict broke out.
"I'm guessing the Dai Lee just met our friends downstairs." Sokka sighed as he rested his back against the wall. Toph slumped down beside him.
"Yeah…just as well; that wasn't even two minutes. With any luck, the idiots will take each other out and we'll slip out in the confusion." The sounds of arrows being fired outside brought them back down to earth.
"Shit…"Sokka gently hit his head against the back wall. "It's been more than an hour since we left Iroh's…Aang's probably already there." Toph looked at the sullen Water Tribe warrior.
"Hey, it'll work out…if there's anyone we can count on, it's Twinkle Toes. And besides, your sister would probably tear the Dai Lee and these gangster wannabes to pieces to save your sorry ass." Sokka returned her gaze and felt something: a small pit suddenly stirring in his gut that he couldn't quite put his finger on. He shook his head and tried to ignore it.
"Toph….it's been fun, despite this…mess," he gestured underneath them, where the battle was taking place. "And even if we get hauled off and arrested, this has been the most fun I've had since our adventures before the War ended..." He grinned, even if Toph couldn't see it. "Out of all the people I could've run into at that bar, I'm glad it was you." He punched her lightly on the shoulder; Toph just stared incredulous. She didn't know how to react to that; she couldn't even control the faint blush crossing her face or the old pang in her stomach begin to stir again. Damn subconscious…, she cursed. Never a hint of weakness…and yet she couldn't get herself to truly get upset by the reaction. Perhaps she wasn't quite the tomboy she had been three years ago, or perhaps she just wasn't as afraid of her own feelings as she had been….
"Yeah…right back at ya." She mentally scowled; that sounded so stupid. She must be falling to pieces. Before Sokka could respond and point out the lame comeback, the door they had come up from was kicked down. "Shit!" Toph blamed herself; because she had been too distracted, she had let some of enemy to sneak up on them. There were two members of the Dai Lee standing before them.
"Hey, we found the fugi-!" One of them began to call out, only to have Toph sink his feet into the stone floor and for Sokka to leap up and smack him across the head with the hilt of his sword. The other Dai Lee leapt away from them and shot two stone fists at Sokka, who ducked and pulled the other Dai Lee in the way. The knocked out Dai Lee was sent flying to the floor by the blows, while the conscious one didn't hesitate; he sent an earth wave towards Toph, who blocked it with ease; she sent it flying back at him. Taken off guard, the Dai Lee agent leapt to the side, only for Sokka to slash at him; the agent ducked, and Sokka only cut the large circular hat that seemed to be standard for all Dai Lee. Now hatless, the Dai Lee tried to sink Sokka, but Toph got the agent first; she caused a pillar to fly up underneath and it slammed into his torso, knocking the air from his lungs, and with another swift gesture, she sent him reeling down the stair case again, back to the first floor. They could hear him groaning and the cries of his fellows as they noticed the fallen agent. Without a word, Sokka and Toph raced to the door and opened it.
They wound up in a vacant hall, but they could hear the sounds of people rushing up the stairs behind them. Toph tried to block it off, but Sokka just grabbed her arm and dragged her to the end of the hall, where another stair case led even further up. They just barely ran up the stairs when the Dai Lee's stone fists thundered against them, sending chips of stone flying. Sokka didn't stop to wait for them or to even fight; instead, he just kept going up. Two floors, three floors, four floors….he could feel his lungs burning and his mouth had gone dry. He needed water, and the sweat dripping down his face wasn't doing anything to help; he tried to blink it away, but only got some of it in his eye. Finally, as he was charging up what had to be the seventh stair case, Sokka saw a wooden door at the top of the flight. Without missing a step, he grabbed the handle and threw it open, Toph close behind him. A sudden gust of wind almost knocked them back down the stairs. Sokka winced and forced the door closed behind them; he knew it was just a matter of seconds before the Dai Lee managed to force it down. After he had achieved that, he looked around, the wind howling around them. They had managed to make it to the roof.
"We're screwed, aren't we?" Toph called out over the roaring wind.
"Pretty much!" Sokka looked at the door just as it was kicked into splinters. Seven Dai Lee agents came pouring out; the second they saw them, they fired their earth. Sokka grabbed Toph and dropped to the stone surface. The concrete seemed to become liquid underneath them as several Dai Lee agents leapt towards them to keep them pinned as the others bended the floor. Toph noticed the sudden change in the earth and, with a quick gesture, managed to solidify it again, if only long enough for her to create a stone wall. The Dai Lee agents slammed into it and fell to the floor. Sokka got to his feet and kicked them down the stairs, while Toph fired some stone projectiles at the remaining Dai Lee agents, who countered with walls of their own. Sokka pulled out his bag and began to search through it.
"Why the hell are you just standing there?" Toph yelled as she blocked some more incoming shots.
"I'm looking for my-ah!" He pulled out a drawstring bag with a string coming out of it. "Bingo!"
"What are you-?" Before she could finish, Sokka had lit the string and hurled the bag at the walled in Dai Lee agents. An explosion flared, destroying the stone wall and sending the agents reeling towards the stair case. Toph stomped her foot and brought up a slab of stone, and sent it flying towards the entrance, and roughly shoving the fallen agents down the stairs as it slammed into the door frame. Sokka ran over and pushed on it; the slab was wedged so far into the frame, it didn't budge.
"Exactly like I planned." He smiled.
"That's just great, Sokka, I'm glad your little plan worked, but in case you didn't notice, we are trapped on a fucking rooftop with an army of Dai Lee and criminals just on the other side of this rock that's blocking the only way down!" Toph snapped. "What are we supposed to do now?" Sokka glanced down at the fallen wood and began to gather it. "Hello?"
"Give me a second, I have an idea. Make a wall big enough to fit both of us, and a small half sphere." She did as he requested and Sokka arranged the wood into a small pyramid inside the sphere and placed another few drawstring bag, each with varying lengths of string and size. He stuck his hands in, struck a match, and lit the fire and the strings. Then he ran and hid behind the wall.
"So what is your brilliant idea?" A sudden explosion went off, followed by a second one ten seconds later, and a third a half minute later. The noise was deafening.
"Yep!" Sokka yelled, his ears ringing.
"What?" Toph gestured to her ears. "You have the yips?"
"No, I don't know any pimps! Where did you even learn that term anyway?" Fortunately, the wind began to relax as their hearing returned. Now that they had a chance to look, the sphere was decimated and smoke continued to pour out of it.
"What's going on?" Toph asked.
Sokka grinned. "Oh, I just set off a few of my handy explosives, sending fire and noise into the air, and hopefully getting the attention of most people in the Upper Ring while I'm at it."
"I thought you wanted to be subtle?"
"Nothing subtle about an SOS." Sokka grinned as he pointed to a large, flying mass drifting towards them; it was hard to see with just setting sun. "I think we got the attention we wanted." He began to wave his arms frantically in the air and jumping for attention. "Hey! Over here Aang!"
"Sokka?" As the object drew closer, Sokka could see the horns and the white fur; it was definitely Appa, Aang's flying sky bison, who had been their ride as they traveled across the world during the War. Aang himself was sitting at the reins on Appa's massive head, while Sokka thought he could see his dark haired sister sitting in the saddle that rested on Appa's back. "Sokka! Toph!" Aang smiled. "Long time no see!" He gave them a curious look. "You look…different."
"Yeah, well, you're still bald and haven't gone through puberty yet, so whooptie doo." Sokka scowled.
"We to get out of here! There's a whole building full of Dai Lee agents and cliché criminals after us!"
"What?" Katara thundered from behind a laughing Aang. "What the hell have you two been doing?"
"It's a long story, Sugar Queen." Toph rolled her eyes as Sokka led her to Appa as Aang pulled right alongside the building's ledge. Suddenly, the slab began shuddering as fists pounded on it from the stair case. "We should probably-" The slab shattered as more agents finally broke through, and began to pour onto the roof. Sokka picked Toph up and threw her onto the saddle and dived on.
"Drive Aang, drive!" Aang took one look at the bewildered Dai Lee and swiftly snapped the reins. Appa rose and began to build up speed as he distanced them from the building. One of the Dai Lee was about to shoot, until another smacked him.
"What the hell are you thinking? That's the fucking Avatar, dumbass! We can't hit him!"
"But, the criminals…!" The other agent groaned.
"Kid, we caught a ring of mobsters who've controlled the Pleasure District for months; and all we lost were two hooligans; get your priorities in order."
"But they've been declared public menaces…." The young agent looked doubtful.
"So they won't be stupid enough to come back. Now come on, we have some arresting to do. I'll even let you put some of the cuffs on them, how's that sound?" The Dai Lee headed back into the building, while the flying bison and his passengers continued on through the evening sky.
...
"That is awesome!" Aang laughed. After they had escaped the Dai Lee, they had flown south of the city, and after ten minutes, landed close to the Serpent's Pass, a thin and dangerous trail that divided two seas. All four of them had proceeded to set up a make shift camp and were all seated upon bed rolls around a fire, where Toph and Sokka had been telling their tale for the past hour.
"No it's not!" Katara scolded, but she couldn't quite wipe the smile off her face; Sokka rolled just rolled his eyes. As usual, whenever something bad happened to him, it was hilarious for everyone else. "So…I guess you're not going back to Ba Sing Se any time soon, are you?"
Toph snorted. "Like hell; they hate us there. We just barely got out with our lives. The casinos and tasteless bars aren't worth it." Sokka nodded.
"I just can't believe that after your experimenting with cactus juice back in the desert, that you'd be stupid enough to drink it by the gallon!" Now that the full story was out, Katara switched into full on mother mode, as she lectured them. "What the hell did you think you were doing? And then causing so much destruction, theft, getting wrapped up in criminals, becoming criminals? What do you have to say for yourselves?"
"Katara, please, my head hurts enough without you yelling…." Sokka groaned, resting his head in his hands.
"You are never to so much as go near alcohol for the rest of your life! Why I think I should let Dad know what you…"
"Sugar Queen, he's like eighteen; you can't just go tattling to daddy on him at that age." Toph rolled her eyes.
"Like hell I can't! And don't think I've forgotten about you, missy!" Katara's eyes narrowed as she turned her attention to Toph; Aang then reluctantly got to his feet and approached her.
"Katara, listen…it wasn't all their fault…and at least everyone is okay…right?" Katara's head snapped in his direction, causing him to shrink back. Great; the most powerful bender on the planet, and my sister's got him whipped, Sokka thought as she began to yell at the young monk.
"Well, baldy's going to get it now…." Toph muttered, while Sokka sighed. "…think we should save him?"
"How about we wait until she puts down the log first…." Sokka commented. Finally, he got up and put his hands on his sister's shoulders. "Katara, Aang's right; nobody important got hurt and Toph and I will work to pay the city back, right Toph?" He glared at Toph, who sighed.
"Yeah, don't worry about it Sugar Queen; we'll take care of it."
"See? Now set the…brother-in-law…" Sokka's teeth gnashed a little. "…down." Katara took a deep breath and reluctantly sat down. Aang gave them an appreciative look and then bent down next to Katara.
"Think maybe we should mention…?" Sokka and Toph glanced at each other, then stared at the other two.
"Mention what?" Toph asked. Katara gave Aang an appreciative look, but shook her head.
"First, Toph, can I talk to you?" Toph blinked, confused. "Alone?"
"Uh, sure, I guess…." She got up and approached the waterbender, while Aang walked over to Sokka.
"I think we may want to go get some more firewood."
"But we have plenty…" Aang grabbed Sokka's arm and began to drag him away from the campsite. Sokka was taken aback by Aang's strength; he was definitely stronger than he was before. Now that he got a better look at him, the monk even seemed a little taller…perhaps his childish looks were misleading; maybe, just maybe…he had hit-or at least lightly smacked-puberty after all. Aang led him out to the entrance to the Pass and stopped. Aang didn't say anything immediately; instead, he and Sokka gazed up at the night sky. The moon was almost full and there wasn't a cloud in the sky; Sokka glanced behind them and could distantly see a huge wall of black and countless lights blazed behind it. It was hard to believe that just that morning, he had woken up in some fancy restaurant; now, he was considered a public enemy and was probably banned from Ba Sing Se for the rest of his life. He sighed as he looked at the moon. Yue…what would you make of me now?
"Sokka…it's been rough." Sokka glanced over at Aang, listening. "The world…it's in bad shape; we're still a year away from agreeing to comprise about the compromise. The War hurt so many people and lasted for so long, the idea of reparations being evenly paid to everyone is almost impossible. People are out, begging for the Fire Nation to pay for it all, something that as much as Zuko wants to, he can't allow, since it would literally destroy the Fire Nation's economy, and send almost all its people into poverty. Since he won't pay the whole amount, the Earth Kingdom's people are refusing to allow their king to agree to anything less, to the point of threatening to dethrone him. Zuko is pretty much in the same boat, except he already has a small rebellion brewing on his hands. People aren't happy with him." Aang sighed and for the first time since Sokka had met him, truly looked the hundred and fifteen years old he was supposed to be.
"It's funny how things were so much easier when we all were trying to kill each other. Now that we have to agree, no one can do a damn thing." Sokka muttered. Aang reluctantly nodded.
"Yeah, but I still think it was worth it; no matter how it seems now, these are good people. Things will work out, even if it takes another hundred years." Aang smiled and began to look more like the fifteen year old he had come to know.
"Without being frozen in another iceberg, I don't think you'll be around another hundred years." Sokka pointed out. Aang just rolled his eyes.
"Oh come on, what happened to the new, improved 'optimistic' Sokka?" Sokka just pointed to Ba Sing Se. "Oh…right. That's still funny by the way." Aang grinned while Sokka just pouted. "So…you and Toph eh?" Sokka said nothing; he just punched Aang in the shoulder. "Ow…." The Avatar mumbled as he rubbed the sore area. "Anyway...as you can see, I have a lot on my plate right now."
"No shi…er, I mean, obviously." Aang ignored the stumble and continued.
"I need a favor."
"Anything." Sokka answered. Aang looked taken back.
"Don't you want to know what it is first?"
"Doesn't matter what it is, you know I'll do it anyway. You're my best friend after all; how heartless do you think I am?"
"Okay…" Aang shrugged, then winced at the motion. "You've heard of Republic City, right?"
"That city you and Zuko had commissioned pretty much right after the War was over?"
"Yeah, that one. The idea was a city that was not really dedicated to one nation, you know? It's a place where the nationalities, benders, and nonbenders alike just crossover…. We don't have a clue how it's going to turn out; for all we know, it's just going to blow up in our faces. But that's not what I need you to be worried about. The thing is, it's still in its very early stages; it took forever to get several hundred people from all three nations to agree to stay in the same city….the situation is still tense, even after two years of living there. Almost anything could set it off and send the whole thing back to square one. And now…people are disappearing."
"Disappearing?" Sokka felt a chill run down his spine, but he just blamed it on the cool temperature. "Disappearing how?"
"That's the thing; they're just gone. One minute they're there, the next, nobody's heard from them for days. Their homes are left untouched, and no…bodies have turned up." Aang looked sickened at the idea of them being murdered. "And it's not just one group of people being targeted either; people from the Water Tribes, Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation have all been victims…however, so far, the Fire Nation has only lost two people while the other two are up to about twenty each."
"Is there anything at all linking the victims? Like money, age, gender, or, hell, shoe size?"
"Well…there is one thing." Aang hesitated. "They're all benders."
...
"So…what did you want to talk to me about?" After Sokka and Aang left, an awkward silence had fallen upon the camp. Katara ignored Toph and continued to stare into the fire, looking contemplative. Toph waited for another few seconds, feeling a twinge of annoyance. "Hello? Anybody there?" She waved a hand where she hoped Katara's face was.
"Can I see the necklace?" Toph blinked, surprised at the request.
"Uh, sure." Hesitating, she took off her scarf and placed it on the bedroll beside her. Katara gazed at the black necklace, her brow furrowed. Finally, she nodded.
"It's beautiful. I didn't know my brother was that artistic."
"Seriously? It's nice?" Katara chuckled.
"Yes, it genuinely is…surprising, considering how he can't draw a stick man. To think that he could carve it while drunk out his mind baffles me." The waterbender's expression became more serious. "So, you say that you can't bend it back?" Toph shook her head.
"For the last time, no! Geez, why do you all keep asking the same stupid question?"
"Maybe because we don't believe the answer." Toph tensed.
"What?" She asked quietly.
"Toph, the question is simple: is it that you can't bend it or is it that you won't?"
"You think I'm lying?" Toph glowered. "Why the hell would I do something like that?" Katara paused and considered her next words.
"Look, I know, okay? I know that you fell in love with Sokka back when we were traveling together during the War." Toph opened her mouth to protest, but Katara cut her off. "Don't even bother trying to deny it; I'm not making it up and I know that, deep down, you know it."
"What makes you so fucking all knowing?" Toph spat. "Back then, you were so wrapped up in your fucking soap opera with Aang that I'm shocked you'd find time to see something that wasn't even there!" Katara just sighed.
"Okay, I know you're mad and perhaps you're right, that I didn't get as good a look as I'd like to think, but I wasn't as completely ignorant as you seem to think; give me more credit than that, at least. Who was the one who missed him the most when he went to train with Piando? Who was the one who actually blushed like some school girl when he returned? Or when he tried to save her life at the Serpent's Pass?" Toph looked furious and was about to retort, but seemed to almost visibly deflate; Toph slumped and looked unseeing at the fire.
"So what? That was years ago; it was only a crush…a short lived one…besides, he chose Suki, remember? I may not seem like it, but I'm a good sport…the better person won, right? I get that, I accept it…I'm happy for him…even if she can't tell a joke worth shit…can't seem to come up with the right words, fucks up the timing every time…" She sniffed a little; Katara just nodded. "Anyway, why would it matter now? I'm over the dumbass…."
"Toph…I think you know why." Katara said gently.
"No. I. Don't."
"Yes you do."
"What part of 'he chose Suki and I accepted that with open arms' are you missing?" Toph snapped, her temper beginning to rise again.
"Look…two weeks ago, I got a letter. It was from Suki; she told me what happened with Sokka…I know that things between them aren't the best right now, and I'm sure he told you about it too. You knew that he was in doubt over his relationship and, after a few drinks…that seems like a second chance." Toph gaped at Katara.
"What sort of person do you take me for?" She thundered. "Besides, if you know what Suki did to him, what makes you think that maybe he shouldn't move on to someone else?"
"Toph, listen to me…I know how you're feeling right now, but you have to listen. The argument was not all Suki's fault. Do you hear me? Sokka may not be aware of it, or he's just choosing not to remember, but he had a hand in this as well. Suki is not the bad guy here. I know it, Aang knows it, the Kyoshi Warriors know it, …and I think, deep down, Sokka is aware of it too." Toph's jaw fell.
"Are you seriously siding with her, over your own brother? You practically raised him!" Katara breathed and tried to keep her voice level.
"Yes, and because of that, I know his faults better than anyone; Sokka is not a perfect person by any means, and he doesn't try to be. Frankly, I think if he didn't run away like he did, he and Suki would have worked it out already-and they can work it out, I'm sure."
"How can you say that? She humiliated him, and drove him off the island! He's been living in some shithole bar, drinking his sorrows away to some underpaid and under-qualified bartender who hated him! Do you think Sokka would do that to himself? You should know him better than that."
"That isn't what actually happened; if you would just look at this…" Katara reached over to one of the bags and, after some sifting, pulled out a folded, if slightly crumpled paper. "…you'd get the full picture."
"I can't 'look' at the bitch's letter, since I, as I constantly have to remind you people, am blind." Katara's patience began to wear thin.
"You know what I meant!"
"Besides, even if I gave a damn about what she had to say, why is this necklace such a big deal? Why can't he just run back to his apparent soul mate and make up and everyone goes on with their lives?" Katara's teeth began to grind a little; she was having more than enough of Toph's lip.
"Because, if you must know…"
"Oh, I 'must'."
"If you must know…, despite the drunk binge aspect…technically that betrothal necklace is valid…in the eyes of our customs, at least. Hence why Sokka made such a big deal about it to begin with." Toph's expression became unreadable, but Katara could guess what was going through her mind. "No, Toph; he didn't know what he was doing, and he clearly still wants to be with Suki…and, whether you like it or not, she wants to be with him too."
"You know what? Once she proves to me that she's sorry for what's she done, then we can talk about what happens to this necklace." Toph crossed her arms defiantly. Katara groaned.
"How old are you? Do you have any idea how petty you sound right now?"
"You think I'm the one wrong here? What about you, siding with the girl who hurt your brother? See, to me, that's more messed up than trying to make sure it doesn't happen again." Toph grabbed her scarf and began to get to her feet.
"There aren't any 'sides' to this; all it is a disagreement and misunderstanding." Katara said; Toph ignored her and started to leave. Finally, the waterbender stood up and said, "This 'war' is over, Toph."
Toph paused and glanced over her shoulder and scowled. "Not for me, it's not." She walked away from the camp and headed towards the Pass.
...
Sokka and Aang jumped when they heard footsteps; they glanced behind them and relaxed when they saw it was Toph. "So, you had your talk with Katara?" Aang asked; when he saw the look on Toph's face though, he shivered a little. "I guess that would be a yes…." He whispered to Sokka.
"Yeah, only Katara can piss Toph off like that…" Sokka agreed; Toph coughed pointedly.
"I can hear every word you're saying." The men quickly distanced themselves a bit from one another and tried to look preoccupied. Toph just groaned and sat down on rock, clutching her forehead. Aang sensed her mood and turned to Sokka.
"Well…I should probably go check on Katara…see you back at camp?" Sokka nodded and Aang left-Sokka pretended to ignore the reliefed expression on his face as he walked away; instead, he contented himself that if Toph was this pissed, chances are Katara is about the same. Had he not run out on me, I'd feel a little sorry for the poor bastard. For a while, he and Toph were silent; only the faint sound of waves filled the night. Sokka meandered over by Toph and, with a loud sigh, sat down on the rocky ground beside her seat; however, he winced in discomfort at the sharp rock he had sat on. Toph just angrily flicked her hand and the earth surged under Sokka, making a reasonable seat. Sokka grunted his appreciation and stared at the ocean for a bit. Finally, he broke the silence.
"Well…long day, huh?" He said; Toph just grunted and glared at the ground. "I take Katara was her usual self then?"
"I can't see how the hell you guys are related! She is just so…." Sokka chuckled.
"Yeah…she can be like that, you know…but she means well, deep down. And usually, there some way or the other, she turns out to be right anyway." Sokka blinked. "Toph…are you pouting?" Toph scowled and crossed her arms. That would be a yes...Sokka mentally groaned; if there was any doubt that Toph was female, this whole adventure had dismissed it. He glanced up at the moon, almost as if to silently beg Yue for guidance. After that failed, he glanced over at Toph and noticed the necklace. "Oh, you're not wearing that scarf anymore…yeah, I suppose that makes sense; Aang and Katara already knowing and all. A shame really; it was a nice scarf…really nice scarf. I sometimes have such good taste, that I surprise myself, like when your belt matched my man bag perfectly…at least until you made me give it back."
"…you dropped it on my head." Toph reluctantly commented; encouraged, Sokka continued.
"Well, I sort of thought you'd…, you know, catch it."
"That's right Sokka; you not only stole my heavy, steel championship belt, but then decided it would be a good idea to return it by tossing said heavy, steel championship belt to a blind person."
"But…"
"To. A. Blind. Person." Toph emphasized grudgingly; Sokka noted she was hell bent to keep her bad mood. "Seriously, how hard is it to remember I'm blind? Spirits, you are such a dumbass."
Sokka thought about this and shrugged. "Yeah, yeah I am."
"And an idiot."
"True."
"And clumsy, a sucky drawer, overly sarcastic, meat-obsessed, paranoid, easily offended, wimpy, a shopaholic...funny, nice, smart, dependable, determined..." She trailed off, as she realized what she was saying; Sokka merely laughed.
"Wow, Toph…almost seemed like you were saying something nice about me." Toph frowned, a mix of relief and hurt weighed on her mind.
"Yeah, well…don't get used to it, Snoozles."
"Don't worry." Sokka dismissed. "I'll try to keep my ego in check at your high praise." They fell silent; Sokka stared at the gently lapping waves, while Toph just tried to focus on anything but the heartbeat next to her. Sometimes, knowing a person's heart rate just made situations like these all the more hurtful. Sokka then spoke up. "Aang needs me to look into something; apparently, benders are disappearing in Republic City."
"Any bodies?"
"No, apparently; they're just there one minute, the next, they're 'poof' and gone without a trace. Problem is, it seems that the firebenders are the ones being spared the most grief; if it keeps up, it won't be long before people start noticing and blaming the Fire Nation for it….and the whole thing would probably collapse."
"Sounds like a mystery…." Sokka grinned a little.
"And you know how I love a good mystery. Though, I'll probably need some help…." He glanced at her.
"Already got a plan, I take it?"
"Oh yeah."
"Does it involve disguises and other annoying detective gimmicks?"
"You bet your ass it does." Toph cracked a smile.
"Okay, I'm in." Sokka grinned.
"Great! We leave first thing in the morning; Aang's probably already filling Katara in on the details." He carefully looked at Toph's expression and decided to risk it. He took a deep breath and casually asked, "So…what did she want to talk to you about?"
Toph stiffened and Sokka winced, already expecting her to explode at him; instead, he was surprised to see that she was staring at the ground, as if in deep thought. Finally, she appeared to have come to a decision and slumped a little.
"Katara…well, she was just telling me that…that…Suki wrote to her about you." Sokka's jaw dropped and Toph could sense his heartbeat pick up a little; a bitter pang of jealousy flared through her, but she gritted her teeth and continued. "Apparently…she wants to talk about what happened…though, she sounded pissed." Toph couldn't stop the words from pouring out of her mouth; the second they did, she hated herself.
"She…did…?" Sokka turned away from Toph and stared intently at the moon, as if that would give him an answer. "Di…did she say why?" Toph could hear the hurt and confliction in his tone and cursed herself.
"Well, she may have…but you know how bad I am at that sort of thing and I couldn't read it; it was probably just how Katara sounded, since she was still pissed about the whole 'reckless drinking' and 'the most property damage that Ba Sing Se had seen since the War' thing." Toph babbled, trying to make up for the lie. "Er…from the little I could tell, she sounded like she just wants to explain….or something; I never could tell what that romantic shit was about." Sokka relaxed a bit and Toph released a breath that she hadn't even noticed she was holding.
"That's…better at least; maybe things will work out after all…" Toph could feel an invisible knife twisting her guts the more she heard the hope in his tone.
"Then…maybe…before we go to Republic, you should go talk to her. Get it worked out." She mumbled. Sokka considered this, but shook his head.
"No." Toph lifted her head, surprised; and she hated herself for the small flutter of hope that she felt. Sokka noticed her reaction and continued. "As much as I want to get to the bottom of this with Suki, other people need my help first; I figure they deserve my attention more. Besides, she didn't try to contact me…she wrote to my sister. If that's the case, perhaps it may not be as urgent for her as I thought…. She probably didn't try to go drown her 'sorrows' with crappy booze for weeks while trying to figure out what went wrong." Sokka's tone, despite the hope, had a small hint of anger and resentment to it.
"Besides, you helped me get out of my rut, off my ass, and made me have fun for the first time in ages." Sokka gave a sad grin. "I figure I need to pay off that debt somehow, right?" Toph truly was at loss for words. Sokka didn't notice and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "With Wang and Sapphire Fire on the case, this mystery will be solved faster than if a gang full of traveling, mystery solving youngsters were on the job!" He declared in a dramatic voice. Toph froze; her light necklace seemed to weigh a ton. Finally, she just rolled her eyes.
"No way in hell that's going to be our cover. I told already; Wang Fire is a crappy disguise, remember? That cliché idiot even saw through it right away." Sokka looked annoyed.
"True…perhaps it's time to come up with something even cooler than an awesome beard…"
"What is with you and your facial hair obsession? It's so…weird." Sokka just shrugged off her criticism and got to his feet. He reached over and gently grabbed Toph's hand, and helped her to her feet. She blinked and reluctantly allowed Sokka to begin to lead them back to camp. "I wonder if tomorrow is going to be as odd as today was." She wondered aloud. Sokka laughed.
"Oh, I think it would be hard to top this day. Though I have decided something."
"What?"
"I'm never going to drink again." Toph snorted. "Hey, I'm serious; it's too much trouble. I mean, this time, I stole money, destroyed property, did terrible things to a goat, and wound up engaged…I don't want to see what happens in that particular sequel, thank you very much." He and Toph laughed and, with a quick glance over his shoulder at the full moon, they returned to the other two and, for the rest of the night at least, the world seemed to be right for the first time in three years.
...
…the end? Look, I know that this may be a little crappy, but for the time being, I'm leaving this as it is; this one shot wound up turning into more of a prologue to another fic idea I've been kicking around for a while now, but unfortunately, that fic is a long way off from being worked on, since I'm actually going to begin to try and write something original I could earn money with…but otherwise, I think this works out pretty well on its own. (however, if anyone is interested in taking over for the 'sequel' fic, contact me and I'll let you know how the rest of it is meant to go, and you can take it from there)
It also drastically changed while I was writing; I was aiming for light and toss in some mild romantic themes as well (because I'm a somewhat bitter Tokka fan and desperately need the practice anyway)…but it wound up becoming borderline angst by the end…I hope that I retained the light atmosphere I was aiming for, but also achieved decent romantic frustration…(and that Sokka's speech during the building attack thing didn't seem to forced or crappy) and I apologize if the dialogue was a bit too frequent or whatever.
Thanks a lot for reading!