To The Edge Of The Earth
Chapter 2
Dinner was taken with the Monks and Nuns of the Air Temples. Anil doted on him much as he had when Aang had been at the temple as a young child – he had been one of his few companions whose opinions and actions did not change when he was revealed as the Avatar. He was getting on in years having celebrated eighty Autumnal Equinoxes but this just compounded how wise the man was – Aang would rarely seek advice from anyone else. Nun Yun from the Eastern Temple was similarly kind – she had been present when Aang and Appa had met for the first time.
Aang enjoyed the time he was able to spend with his people, but was glad to escape the room when he had felt Monk Tashi's stare on him. Tashi was fully enlightened and held no attachment to the world and while Aang appreciated the teachings that the Monk was eager to pass on he knew in his heart that as the Avatar he would never be able to become like Tashi.
He contemplated how one would feel if they were fully enlightened as he headed down the corridor of the Ba Sing Se Palace towards his suite of rooms. There were more rooms in his suite than he knew what to do with and while Prince Zuko had joked with him about the perks of being the Avatar when they had spent time together in the Fire Nation it still made Aang uncomfortable. He would much prefer to sleep in the stable, tucked against Appa's flank than in the overly opulent chambers he was provided with wherever he went.
"I would recognise that weak root anywhere."
Aang jumped, his Airbender fluttering his robes as he turned in the direction of the voice.
"The Avatar shouldn't be so easily frightened or startled!" The feminine voice cackled down the long corridor, her voice bouncing off the walls. She stepped out of the shadows and Aang relaxed as an easy smile spread across his face.
"Perhaps my root is so weak because my Sifu was terrible?" Aang asked, as a cheeky grin bloomed. He waited for the girl to catch up with him.
"Perhaps I should put you through that wall?"
"It's good to see you too, Toph," Aang wrapped his arms around the tiny girl for a quick hug before releasing her and laughing. "Spirits, what are you wearing?"
"Shut up," Toph punched at his arm, falling into step beside him. Her bare toes peaked out from beneath the long silk skirts of her dress. "The Lord Bei Fong decrees and the Ladies fall into line." She puffed out a breath, ruffling the strands of hair that had came loose from her up-do and spilled across her forehead. "Whatever, I'm sure you look dorkier than I do."
"Very true," Aang laughed. They continued down the corridor in an easy silence as they headed towards the guest wing. He opened his mouth, ready to ask about the health of a mutual friend when her small fist lashed out and rapped against the dark wood of a door.
Without missing a beat Toph continued stomping down the empty hallway. Aang gaped at her, confused as he trotted along behind her and followed her into an opulent sitting room. He continued to stare in astonishment as she merely threw herself onto a cushy sofa, skirts flying to her bruised knees.
"You better not be annoying any Ambassadors," Aang grumbled. He sighed in defeat as he shuffled to the other sofa and folded his lanky frame into it. "I can't be getting into trouble like that anymore."
"Cool your jets there Twinkle Toes," Toph waved a careless hand towards the still open door. "These guys are cool – not some of those old stuffy guys you have to spend all of your waking hours with from now on."
"Gee, thanks for reminding me."
Toph scoffed out a non-word at him in reply. The silence continued but was not uncomfortable – they were very good friends but truly had little in the way to relate to each other. Toph was unyielding and tough as the element she bended and if she had news she would have spit it out straight away – concisely and to the point. As the Avatar, Aang knew that his news would have already been broadcast to her.
"You interrupted my supper for this? Come on Toph, this is hardly a party."
A wide grin cross Toph's face and Aang turned his eyes to the door way. The Southern Chief's son, Sokka, strode into the room with a smile almost as huge as the Earthbender's.
"I dunno Sokka, it's not every day you get to have a private gathering with the Avatar," Toph cackled out in reply. Aang gave the tall man a sheepish grin as their eyes met, Sokka rolled his eyes in return as he moved to sit on a much too delicate looking chair. "Have you two...?"
"Yeah, we met before the meeting earlier," Sokka answered. Aang felt uneasy as he watched him lean back in the chair, tipping it onto two precarious legs. "Katara's pretty annoyed with you by the way."
"Me?" Aang squeaked out, a flush burning up his cheeks.
"What, no!" Sokka gave him a strange look. "Though she probably hates you on principal alone being the Avatar and all. I meant you Toph – you run off and don't say goodbye when we were all in Omashu and then you knock on the door so loudly our Gran Gran could probably hear it in the South Pole."
"Please, she needs to loosen her bindings and stop being such a stuck up-"
"And I've missed you too, Toph."
Aang suppressed the whimper that tried to escape his throat as his eyes darted to the doorway once again. He didn't think he had ever seen an icier glare than the one covering the face of the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe. While he was glad that it wasn't inflicted on him this time it still didn't diminish its effects.
"You know we'll never see eye to eye," Toph retorted easily, sliding to sit up straight and twisting her skirts in an extremely painful way. There was silence in the room. "Get it? Never see? Eye to eye?"
Katara sighed, clucking her tongue in annoyance as she finally stepped into the room. She hooked her foot around the wood and pulled the door closed behind her, carefully balancing a tray with tea service on it, and moved to place it onto the low table between all the seats. Aang managed to calm himself down a he realised that her ire wasn't directed at him.
"I swear to the Spirits, your jokes never get better," Sokka laughed, slapping his knee as he reached forward and plucked a small baked treat from the tray.
"Neither do yours," Toph retorted, reaching out to grab a tea cup and then holding it out in the general direction of Katara. The Water Tribe woman took it from the younger girl's grasp and moved around the room, sitting on the sofa with Aang and pouring the tea easily. She passed it back before reaching out and pouring the rest of the group tea.
"So... what did we do to have the Avatar grace us with his presence?" Sokka asked gleefully, the stiff body language and demeanour from before the meeting gone. Aang opened his mouth to interject. "Sorry, sorry, just Aang, I remember."
"I taught this guy all the Earthbending he knows," Toph proclaimed. She continued on with pride lacing her voice. "Worst student I ever had."
"I'm the only student you've ever had," Aang protested weakly, accepting the filled tea cup from Katara and only briefly meeting her cold gaze with a soft nod of thanks.
"Exactly."
"Toph and I are good friends," Aang answered Sokka's question. He shifted nervously on the embroidered fabric as he felt Katara's eyes boring into the side of his head. "We don't get to see each other enough. I didn't realise she was going to hold the Bei Fong Court when I bumped into her earlier."
"Twinkle Toes, if I was going to hold court you would know all about it," Toph sneered before downing her tea cup – she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, smearing lip paint across her cheek. She jerked her head towards Sokka. "I don't know how you've managed to avoid this bone head for so long, Aang."
"Not everyone's bad reputation precedes them," Katara said quietly with a pointed look at the Earthbender, eyeing the streak of red.
"Sweetness you're the one with the reputation, not your brother," Toph cackled out a laugh as an angry blush spread over Katara's cheeks. "You must be burning in rage having to be in the same room as the Avatar. A man in a powerful place – he's probably here to trample your feminism to the ground."
"Toph!" Aang yelped out, turning to face Katara as an embarrassed flush spread down his neck. "That's not true, I swear. I think all men and woman-"
"Please, I don't want to hear about it," Katara interjected, raising a hand to cut him off before taking a sip of her tea. Aang stared at her profile as she drank, the high line of her cheek bone and the gentle curve of her jaw imprinted in his memory. "While you may have your ideals and morals now, give it a year – if that – and you will be the same as the other pig-headed and deluded men who make up a majority of that council."
"Katara," Sokka groaned out, a hand drawing down his face in exasperation. "You can't say stuff like that to the Avatar."
"No, it's okay." Aang shrugged, taking a gulp of his own tea before plastering a pleasant smile on his face. "Everyone is allowed an opinion and it's not like you guys know me. For all you know I could be the misogynist that you think I am. It just means that I'm going to have to somehow prove to you how wrong you are about me."
"She's always like this, Aang," Sokka replied, pleased that the other man hadn't reacted in the way he had expected to Katara's tirade. "It's nothing personal."
The group sat in silence for a few moments, Katara looking suitably affronted at the lack of reaction from Aang. Toph broke the silence with a snort.
"Urgh, this is so awkward now," Toph threw her head back against the sofa. "I thought that this would be a good opportunity for Twinkle Toes here to make friends."
"I have friends, Toph," Aang answered, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Yeah, I mean friends your own age and not just Fire Nation nationals. No offence, but Monk Anil isn't exactly going to be taking you to any taverns for ale any time soon," Toph explained. "And I don't think Prince Ozai is going to want you to braid his beard either."
"That guy gives me the creeps," Sokka shivered, his fingers moving to pull his skin up at his eye brows in a crude imitation of an arch. He tried to mimic the voice of the Prince. "Do you think we are hatching a diabolical plot? I mean really, who talks like that?"
"He's not that bad a guy," Aang offered sheepishly. "I mean, yeah he's a bit... devious and razor sharp and there was that time that he shot lightening at me." Katara's mouth dropped at she looked at him wide eyed. "But I mean that was for my Firebending mastery test and I don't think he was trying to kill me."
Sokka laughed, a high nervous sound, as Katara continued to stare at him as though he had ripped the head from an otter-seal and handed it to her. "You're kidding?"
"Uh... no?" Aang answered, a hand rubbing over the back of his neck nervously. "He's no pig-puppy, but he's not the worst guy I've ever met."
"Sounds like there's a story there buddy – tell us about it?" Sokka asked eagerly.
"Uh... sure," Aang leaned forward to begin his tale.
...
Aang tried to stifle a yawn, his position at the dais making him easily visible to every single member of the Council. The weariness was of his own doing of course – he had stayed up well past midnight talking with Toph and Sokka. Katara had remained in the room with them, occasionally piping up with a comment of her own, but stayed fairy inconspicuous otherwise.
He felt that he had gotten to know the Prince of the Southern Water Tribe fairly well the previous night. Sokka was funny and sarcastic and so unlike anyone Aang had met before. Toph and Sokka played off each other well, picking at each other's stories and jokes as the night went on. Aang felt that he and Sokka could be good friends given the opportunity and hoped that they would have that chance. Toph had been right in her relentless teasing – the Avatar did need friends his own age.
Eyeing the Southern Water Tribe delegation across the room he noted that Sokka wasn't doing as good a job at hiding his tiredness. The dark skinned man had heavy bags under his eyes and had propped his chin on his palm, his stare glassy eyed as Nun Yun talked about the proposed fruit harvest rates for the upcoming Autumn. By contrast, his sister looked fresh. Katara looked as though she had had a full night's rest, her complexion bright and hair twisted into a neat braid that draped over a slender shoulder.
Her eyes suddenly shifted and met his across the room, an eyebrow arching at him, and Aang felt a flush of heat sweep up his neck. Pulling his gaze away quickly, he darted a glance about the room and just about died when Iroh caught his eyes dead on and grinned. Aang was sure the aging Firebender would have flashed him a thumbs up if the hadn't been in such a formal atmosphere.
The morning passed sluggishly slow, the discussions continuing on about less important matters – minor trade routes and grain harvest expenses – before a break was called for lunch. Aang had stood, moving through the room, smiling and nodding at the other delegates. He had intended to head back to his suite for a private lunch (and a possible nap) when he was stopped by Hakoda, a large hand on his shoulder and an even larger smile across the older man's face.
"Aang, why don't you join us for lunch?" Hakoda asked, steering the Avatar from the room. "I would like it if you could – I want you to meet some of my councillors who have travelled from the South with me."
"Oh... uh, sure? That would be great – thank you Chief Hakoda," Aang answered, apprehensive as Hakoda continued to lead him. He heard Sokka's loud voice behind them, chatting away to Katara as they wove through the halls.
"What have I told you about that Chief stuff?"
"Sorry," Aang was sheepish, shrugging his shoulders apologetically. With a chuckle he continued, "I guess it was drilled into me in all those etiquette lessons the Sages and Lotus made me take."
"The men that make up those groups can become... tiresome after a while," Hakoda replied diplomatically and the two shared a mirth filled look. "My son had some things to say about you this morning."
"Really?" Aang answered. He was nervous, the older man's blue gaze penetrating him. "All good things I hope."
Hakoda laughed as they continued walking, clapping a massive hand onto Aang's shoulder. "I haven't heard him gush about someone that much since the first time we stopped at Kiyoshi Island and he met the pretty Leader there."
"Suki is a lovely, isn't she?" Sokka interjected loudly, practically splitting his father and the Avatar from each other. The younger Water Tribe man continued to exult about all of Suki's good points to his father as Aang fell back to walk next to Katara in awkward silence.