"Okay, everybody! I think I've finally managed to figure out the perfect travel plan!" Sokka proudly announces.
Katara puts down the scroll she's reading about a Fire Nation lady traveling across the world looking for safe haven from the war. It was a very interesting tale, somewhat more recent, but seemed to be more of a fictional prophetic fable.
"I was wondering what was taking so long! This has been almost as boring as being stuck back home." Toph grunts. A small pebble flies out of the window of the room they're in.
"Where to first, Sokka?" Aang asks, hoping to stop an argument about Toph and her parents with Katara.
"First, we'll go back to the Southern Water Tribe. Katara and I haven't been home in forever. And since Air and Water bending are similar, there is a good chance that some of the younger Water Tribe members might be able to Airbend. And if not, we can at least see which ones might be interested in an Air Nomad lifestyle. I know of some of the younger teens who weren't happy about the war ending, since they enjoyed getting out and seeing the world. Once we're done there, we can go back to the Fire Nation and do the same thing, and check up on how things are going with Zuko. After that, we'll drop off Aang and the people we have so far back here, then work our way through the Earth Kingdom, a few villages to start, Earth is the opposite and all that."
"You remembered that?" Aang asks.
"I pay more attention than you think I do." Sokka shrugs and rolls his eyes. "Anyway, we'll probably have to make several trips back and forth once we get there, since Appa can't carry too many people. So, it would be a pretty reasonable guess that we won't get all the way North for at least a year."
"Can I see that map?" Aang asks, reaching out for it. Sokka hands it to him and he examines it. "I think we should head for the Earth Kingdom after we stop in to see how your people are doing. We aren't expecting to find so many Earth Kingdom followers, but Kyoshi and the Swamp villages might be good places to start. After all, the Water Tribe in the Swamp doesn't have any formal Bending training, so they might have an easier time picking up Airbending. That and they're basically already somewhat Nomadic anyway. And Kyoshi is on the way. I want to check up on how they're doing now that the war's over, especially since it was sort of my fault that their village was damaged. Then, we can look at some of the villages in this mountain pass." He points to the mountains north of Gao Ling City and Chin Village. "And on the way back, we can look in those towns."
Sokka's eyes widen, and then he shrugs.
"Okay, fine! Rewrite the whole plan a day before we leave! See if I care!" He starts walking over to where Suki is reading another scroll. He stops and turns back around. "Just don't blame me when everything goes wrong." He pouts. Suki looks up and laughs a little, then makes room for him to sit beside her.
"I guess that settles it then." Katara walks over and hugs Aang. He kisses her and then she leaves to start dinner.
A cool breeze blows in through the window. Aang wanders outside and finds Appa and Momo.
"Hey buddy. How are ya?" He asks, hugging Appa's head. Appa yawns and rolls over.
"Yeah, me too. We've sure got a lot left to do." He sits, crosslegged, on the ground and looks up at the sky.
"The stars sure are bright here. And the air is clear!" He takes a deep breathe. It smells of woods and stone, with the occasional scent of the local flowers.
"Can't see the stars, Twinkle Toes, but I'll agree with you on the air. It's way cleaner here than in the Fire Nation. That's for sure!"
"Toph! What are you doing here?" Aang jumps up, startled.
"Same thing as you. Getting fresh air. Got a problem with that?" She crosses her arms and sits next to him before he can answer.
"Of course not. You've just been quieter than usual. I, uh, nevermind." Aang waits for the light punch in the shoulder. It doesn't come.
"You almost forgot that I was here." It's not even a question.
"I'm sorry, Toph." He's not sure what else he can say.
"What for? Like you said, I've been pretty quiet. Nothing much for me to say. You knuckleheads seem like you're doing alright without my input for the time being."
"How have you been keeping busy?" I wish we'd have thought of something for you to do. I should have remembered that you can't read!
"Mostly just listening to everyone's conversations, learning what I could. I got Katara to read a few of her scrolls to me. The one about the Fire Lady was sad. It seemed almost real, given recent events, but it was written as fiction. The names are all different, and the dates don't quite match. Other than that... Not to seem insensitive or anything, but did you notice the lack of armor and bodies?" She doesn't sound offended or rude, just factual. If it wasn't Toph, Aang would probably take offense to the almost indifferent tone in her voice when mentioning the bodies of his people, but he knows that's just the way she handles touchy or sensitive topics.
"I guess I was too busy to notice..." He starts.
"It's ok. I saw something to do, so I went ahead and took care of it for you. The graves are by the water at the start of one of the walking trails down below. A nice spot with lots of trees. I figured the Air Nomads would like it. There are two separate ones. I decided it wouldn't be right to bury the Fire Nation in the same place as the Air Nomads, but they're close by. Since the Nomads were all, "peace and forgiveness". I wasn't sure what you wanted, and I didn't want to bother you while you were doing your thing up there, trying to get a plan together. I can change things around, if you want."
"No, it's alright. Thanks, Toph. I really appreciate it."
"Don't get all mushy on me! Like I said, nothing else for me to do around here!" She protests. She moves closer to Appa and lays down on his leg. Momo, shivering, curls up beside her.
"One more thing: I made a little monument in the middle. I can't write, being blind and all, but it's there. All ready for an inscription." She says.
"I'll get Sokka to carve something there before we leave."
They are quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the sounds of the night coming in. The crickets and a few peeper frogs can be heard, and a few lightbugs can be seen flying around. It is peaceful. Just like it was meant to be here.
"We'll be passing by where my parents live." Toph says, suddenly.
"Did you want to stop in and say hi?" Aang asks. He looks over at her. She's staring blindly towards the sky, her expression one of deep thought.
"I don't know. I think I know what you're going to say, but I'm going to ask anyway. What do you think I ought to do? She sits up, scaring Momo. He flies off looking for dinner.
"I think you should at least go see them. You don't have to stay, if you don't want to. But, you should at least say hi and let them know you're ok. You sent your last letter before the comet, right?"
"Yeah, but what if they try to stop me from leaving again? I want to do right by my family, but I also have other plans for my life than just sitting quietly in a room doing nothing but basic Earthbending. I've been thinking of starting a school to teach Earthbenders how to metalbend. I can't do that if I'm stuck in my room!" Her voice gets a little louder. A few nearby mountain goatrabbits scamper away into the sparse bushes.
"We can go with you to back you up. Now that I've actually done something important, they may listen to me. If not, we'll find a way out. I bet they miss you. I'm sure they're worried. They probably heard about what happened in the Fire Nation. They may have even been at Zuko's coronation! But we haven't seen them. They don't know if you're alive or not! And who knows? Maybe now that you've proved yourself by being the Avatar's Earthbending teacher, they might even be willing to fund your school." He reaches over and puts a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be with you, whatever you decide."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Toph grunts gratefully.
Momo screeches and dives into Aang, in an attempt to avoid a group of angry batrats.
"I think you're right, Momo. Time to go get dinner." Aang laughs.