Iroh

"Stupid Aang…" Toph grumbled as she marched down the street, pounding her feet into the pavement as she walked. "Dumb little dork!" She punched the Stop sigh next to her. Hard. Her knuckles turned red and her skin cracked, but Toph pretended that it didn't hurt.

She and Aang had (yet another) fight, although this fight was a little more intense than the others. One thing lead to another, both started fuming smoke and breathing fire and Toph ended up storming out of Aang's house, like a tornado leaving a trailer park.

Toph walked aimlessly in one direction, blinded by her rage. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going; she just needed to get away. She was so preoccupied by the thunder storm of emotions in her head that she ended up walking in the direction opposite to her house.

"And now I'm lost because of that little nerd!" Even alone, Toph blamed Aang. She turned around and headed back to her house, angrier than before.

Again, she so blinded by red hot rage that she wasn't paying attention to what was in right front of her. She flew around the street corner and…BUMP! SMASH!

"Ouff!"

"Ow!" Toph fell back after running into someone's chubby stomach. She jumped onto her feet, ready to punch who ever had walked into her, but she forgot all of her rage when she was when she saw a fat old man on the ground.

"Ooo. That really hurt my tailbone." The elder said as he rubbed his extra-large backside.

"I'm sooo sorry!" Toph said. She grabbed his hand and tried to help him up, but he weighed more than she had guessed and she nearly pulled her bicep trying to lift the chunky elder.

"It's alright young lady." The old man picked himself up. "Ow! My back!" He said after standing.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Toph panicked.

"No, no. Don't worry. It's quite alright." The bearded man assured her, but he continued to rub his aching back. He pointed to a small box on the ground. "Would you please pick that up for me Miss? Ooo."

"Yeah!" Toph grabbed the small box and heard its contents jingle. Whatever it was, it had been shattered to pieces. "I…don't think it made it." She said, feeling worse.

The old man sighed as he took the box. "I just purchased that tea set not more than an hour ago."

"I didn't…a tea set? I mean, it was an accident! I didn't mean to break it!"

"Young lady…"

"I'll pay for it!" Toph reached into her pocket and pulled out her father's credit card. She had "borrowed" it for the weekend.

"I don't think that'll work. That was a somewhat expensive set. Pure porcelain, imported from China."

"Trust me, I've got the money." Toph said. "Let's go back to where you got it and…"

"I'm sorry Ms. Bei Fong, but, as I said, that set was imported. Custom made. I would need to order a completely new one."

Toph's eyes widened. "How do you know my last name?"

"I can see the name on the credit card from here. But you do not look like a 'Lao' to me." The elder smiled softly. Toph put the card back in her pocket, blushing. "My name is Iroh." The man started to bow, but stopped short and held out his hand instead. Toph hesitated, but shook it.

"Toph." She said.

"Toph Bei Fong. What a pretty name. It is perfect for you." Iroh smiled. Toph tried to smile.

"Are you hurt?" Toph asked.

"No, no. Nothing another cup of jasmine wouldn't cure."

"Here you go." Iroh gracefully poured Toph a cup of his favorite brand of tea in his favorite little tea shop that he had escorted the young lady to. Even though Toph accepted his invitation, she felt very uncomfortable. A complete stranger, who was over three times her age, had just invited out for a cup of tea that he volunteered to pay for and he still didn't expect her to replace the tea set.

Still, she didn't feel threatened by him at all. Her confliction was simply from the strange mannerisms he used. The politeness, the smiling, the humility. American teenagers were not used to such treatment. Toph felt uneasy as she drank, but she did not want to offend Iroh, the stranger who had been so nice to her.

"So…" Iroh began to speak. "…you seemed very upset when you bumped into me."

"Oh yeah. Sorry. I was just…a little distracted." Toph sipped her tea. It tasted vile, but she gulped it down anyway. "I had a fight with a friend."

"Oh. Was she angry at you too?"

"No. I mean, yes. I mean…it was a boy."

"Oh! Your…uh…how do you say it?" Iroh paused, searching for the right English words to use. "Friend who is a boy, or a boyfriend?"

"Just a friend." Toph frowned.

"I see." Iroh drank deeply out of his tea cup. "Then what were you doing here away from him?"

"I was mad at him and…" Toph glanced at Iroh. There was something about him that made him so easy talk to. "…I just didn't want to be around the bonehead."

"Where is he now?"

"Back at his house. Probably mad too. Little jerk." Toph huffed. Iroh saw how troubled she was and decided to, temporarily, change the subject.

"Where do you live young lady? I mean, what part of town. I have never seen you around here before."

"I live…on the other side of town." Toph didn't want to mention her family's wealth.

"Oh." Iroh poured himself another cup of tea. Toph jumped to conclusions and assumed that he knew that the 'other side of town' meant the rich neighborhood.

"I know what you are thinking." Toph said, once again assuming that Iroh was thinking something bad about her. "I look like I can't handle being by myself."

"I wasn't thinking that." Iroh said, honestly.

"You wouldn't even let me pour my own tea." Toph pointed out.

"I poured your tea because I want to. And for no other reason."

Toph blew the hair out of her eyes. "Yeah. Sure. People see me and they think that I am weak…because I'm a girl and because I'm small. But that doesn't mean I want to be taken care of. I can take care of myself, by myself."

Iroh's eyes softened. "You sound like my nephew…always thinking you need to do things on your own, without anyone's support. That mentality seems to be very popular. I do not know if it is the times we live in, if it is the way this country teaches its children or because you are both young, but that is such a poor way to go through life. There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you help you." Iroh stopped for a second. "Not that I love you. Uh…I just met you."

Toph laughed.

"It is a shame though." Iroh looked at the crush box by his feet. "That was supposed to be a gift for him."

"You…were going to get him a tea set for his birthday?" Toph thought he was joking at first.

"Yes, I know it does not seem like a normal gift to give a young man, but let me explain. Young lady, I am not from this country. I love living here, but I still miss my old home very much. My nephew's life has recently changed and he is going through a very difficult time. I wanted to give him something that would remind him who he is…what he is…and where his family came from. That tea set was from Xian, the city where I grew up. You see, I once shared a cup of jasmine tea with my father when I turned my nephew's age. And I thought that, since I have no sons of my own…that me and my nephew could share the same tradition."

Toph felt even worse for breaking the tea set now, but she still listened diligently.

"I was not really going to give him the set though. Even I know that would be a little…strange."

"Kids these days have another word for it." Toph grinned. Iroh laughed.

"And besides! The best tea in the world tastes the same whether it is in a porcelain pot or a tin cup. I can have some tea with him any time. I only hope that he will at least listen to my story as politely and as courteously as you have."

Iroh tried smiling, but Toph saw plenty the sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sure he just needs his space. I know what that's like." Toph tried to reassure Iroh.

"I know he does not want me around right now, but if he needs me…I'll be there."

"Your nephew is very lucky. Even if he doesn't know it." Toph smiled. She suddenly realized that she wasn't angry at Aang anymore. In fact, she regretted even starting the fight with him.

"Would you like some more?" Iroh offered Toph another cup of tea.

"No thanks. I think I should be leaving." She stood up. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Iroh's smile refused to leave his face, like it has always been there. "Having tea with a fascinating stranger is one of life's true delights."

"No. I mean what you said. It helped me."

"I'm glad."

Toph was just about to leave, but she turned around to say one last thing to Iroh. A bit of advice, to repay him for what he told her.

"Oh…and about your nephew. Maybe you should tell him you need him too." Then Toph left.

Iroh drank the rest of his tea. "Nice girl." He thought as he sipped the last few drops of jasmine out of his cup. "Though she is a little lost too."

Toph knocked on Aang's door, but he did not answer. She heard Appa barking from the behind his house. She ran to his backyard and jumped over his fence, not announcing her arrival.

When Appa saw Toph, he ran up to her and began sniffing her legs, looking for something to eat. Always thinking with his stomach. Toph patted him on his head.

Aang was there, sitting on the ground next to Appa's toy rope and bones.

"What do you want?" Aang asked, still angry. Toph kept her mouth shut (for once). Without saying anything, she walked up to Aang and hugged him, tightly squeezing her arms around his neck. "What the…?"

"I'm sorry." Toph whispered in his ear. That was the first time she was the first to apologize…for anything.

Aang blushed gently. He slowly put his arms around Toph and hugged her back.

"It's…okay Toph." Aang said, sounding more afraid than sincere. "What happened?"

"Someone…never mind." Toph's arms squeezed Aang even tighter, cracking his back.

Slowly, Aang wrapped his arms around her waist. Toph smiled.

I heart Iroh.