Chapter 8: Trash
"Alright, well I'm gonna go raid the fridge and take a nap."
Azula and Sokka exchanged puzzled glances.
"You're not going to help us look?" Azula asked.
"Nah," Toph responded casually. "I've already done the heavy lifting. And besides, I am on my lunch break, which reminds me, don't take too long, okay?" She stalked away to the kitchen before anyone could interject.
"Okay, Detective Sokka," Azula said, flashing a coy smile at her comrade, "what do you say we split up to cover more ground?"
"I was just thinking the same thing!"
"Efficiency!" With a pre-celebratory high-five, the search commenced.
Azula started with one of the bedrooms, checking the obvious spots like the nightstand and luggage. Then she extended her investigation to the living room, examining the couch cushions, notorious for devouring small electronics. However, as time passed and her possessions remained elusive, her search intensified in both scope and vigor. What started as peering into drawers and cabinets evolved into a wild scattering of items across countertops and careless flinging of clothes as every nook and cranny of the house became fair game.
After a thorough but unsuccessful search, frustration crept in. Azula sighed, taking a seat on the bedroom floor surrounded by a chaotic sea of displaced belongings. She couldn't believe it. Could Chan have taken her phone with him?
Sokka, equally defeated, sat down beside her. "We've turned this place upside down…"
Toph's laughter echoed from the bed.
"What's so funny?" Sokka questioned.
"She knows where my stuff is," Azula groaned, finally connecting the dots. Toph could feel that no one was home – she could easily detect a misplaced phone.
"I've known the whole time!" Toph continued to cackle, hopping off the bed. She lifted the mattress, revealing Azula's cell phone, her credit card still tucked away in the case.
"Why didn't you just tell us you knew where it was in the first place?!" Sokka demanded.
"Because it's funnier this way, duh! You've turned the whole house inside out! Now Chan is gonna get in huge trouble with the owner!"
Azula's stomach dropped as she heard some commotion at the front door. "Speak of the devil…"
"What the – "
"Oh shit…"
"Were we robbed?!"
Azula and friends rushed into the living room.
"Thieves! Thieves!" Chan shouted, quickly arming himself with the nearest object, an empty wooden fruit bowl.
Azula couldn't help but snicker.
"No, man, those aren't thieves," Ruon-Jian corrected, his eyes fixing on Azula. "That's the girl you banged last night…"
"Hello, Chan," Azula smirked. "Remember me?"
All the color drained from his face. "Listen, I can explain – "
"Why you robbed me, you fucking asshole?!"
"I-I didn't rob you, well, I did, but I had a good reason!"
She cocked an eyebrow.
"I only took your phone so that you'd have to track me down and I'd get to see you again. I thought it would be a funny meet-cute story to tell later when we're dating…" He forced a smile.
"Bullshit," Toph called out. "I can tell you're lying."
"Fine." Chan's rueful smile morphed into something more malicious. "I wanted a trophy. That's why I did it." And more malicious yet. "And now I'm going to call the cops and press charges against you all for breaking and entering and trashing the place!"
"Good luck with that," Toph grinned. "I am a cop. If you press charges, I'll arrest you for theft."
The dumbfounded expression Chan's face was icing on the cake.
"Okay… we're cool, we're cool," Chan resigned, turning bashfully toward his friend. "We were just going to get cleaning anyway…"