"If the girl really had a flying boar with her, then we need to head to Gaoling." Azula pulled out the map, which Sokka found a little insulting as she had taken it out of his bag without asking. But she was a little sister, so he supposed that was something that they did without guilt.

"Why Gaoling?"

"Because the Beifong's family symbol is a flying boar." She exchanged a furtive glance with Zuko. "They're an influential noble family, mainly politicians and merchants."

Sokka crossed his arms. "And how do you know about them?"

"Everyone knows who they are."

Sokka continued to stare. His big-brother instincts were telling him there was more to that then she was letting on.

Azula shrugged. "We may have… liberated some supplies from them before."

"So you stole from them."

"Call it what you want."

Aang twisted around from his position on Appa's head. "The girl I saw might be a Beifong, then?"

Zuko frowned. "I don't think they have a daughter."

"A flying boar is good enough for me." Aang turned back around and flicked the reins. "Yip yip!"

Sokka leaned back against the saddle as they surged forwards. He really hoped that this earthbending girl was going to be worth all the trouble.

They had an interesting day in Gaoling. Sokka bought a bag that was way too expensive (Azula offered to steal it for him, but Katara wouldn't let her), they got a coupon for one free earthbending lesson (Aang didn't vibe with Master Yu), and then they had a blast at the Earth Rumble VI. Aang winning the grand prize was just a cherry on top. Sure, technically it was cheating, but he was pretty sure the Earth Rumble VI was rigged anyways.

They didn't actually get to the Beifong Estate until later that day, because Aang had a small crisis over whether his vision was actually true.

"I just have a feeling that the Blind Bandit is the one!" He repeated as they scoped out the towering walls encircling the estate.

"You had that feeling about the girl with the flying boar." Azula pointed out. She had little patience for Aang's antics, but Katara came to the rescue as she always did.

"I'm sure the swamp was right, Aang. Maybe they're connected somehow."

Sokka still thought that they had inhaled too much swamp gas, but who was he to argue with Avatar mumbo jumbo? Maybe Aang really did foresee who his earthbending teacher would be. Stranger things have happened.

They ended up just walking through the gate, but immediately the ground rebelled against them.

"What are you doing here, Twinkle Toes?"

There was a girl standing over them, small and dressed in fine silks, and Sokka noticed that her eyes weren't really looking at them. She was blind, just like the Blind Bandit.

"How did you know it was me?" Aang immediately sprang up.

Sokka smacked his forehead. "Don't answer to Twinkle Toes, it's not manly!"

"You're the one whose bag matches the belt." Sokka didn't deign Katara's insult with a reply, since he looked fabulous.

The girl frowned, turning towards Zuko and Azula. "Wait a minute. You guys stole from my parents last year."

Azula and Zuko's eyes widened. Sokka crossed his arms skeptically. "How do you know that?"

"I was literally right there when they did it. They just didn't see me."

Azula scoffed. "And you didn't stop us?"

"Why would I? It was funny."

Sokka really didn't know what to think of this girl. She had the snooty, posh accent that all nobles had, but he was pretty sure that a few hours ago she was kicking ass in the Earth Rumble. The Blind Bandit was actually a rich, snotty kid.

Aang started blathering like he always did to try and convince her to join them, but unless you spend an abnormally long time with him then it was completely unintelligible. Katara translated for them.

"What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar. And if he doesn't master earthbending soon, he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord."

"Not my problem." The girl began to walk away, waving her hand dismissively. "Now get out of here before I call for the guards."

Sokka briefly considered just grabbing her, but he had seen what she had done to the Boulder without even touching him. "Look, we all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang earthbending."

That was the wrong thing to say. She called for the guards, and they all scattered, scrambling back through the gate and running to Appa.

It was Azula's idea to invite themselves for dinner.

Zuko awkwardly slurped his soup, trying to remember which spoon was the correct one to use. Was it the smaller one? Or did they do things differently in the Earth Kingdom? He couldn't remember. His lessons on manners and etiquette were years ago, but his posture automatically straightened when the Beifongs seated themselves.

He didn't pay much attention to the empty chatter. It reminded him too much of the stuffy dinners he was forced to endure as a child. The words exchanged weren't as passive aggressive (more aggressive than passive, actually) then the ones he remembered, but he could almost feel his father breathing down his neck, promising to punish him for using the wrong spoon.

Luckily, dinner wrapped up quickly after Aang flung food into Toph's face. The Beifong's were much more polite than Ozai would have been, even allowing Toph to storm out of the room instead of apologizing. They were directed to the guest rooms to sleep, small but lavishly furnished to remind them of their host's status. Zuko felt his skin crawl as he stared at the silk bed sheets. He would rather sleep on the floor.

But they didn't get a chance to sleep, because Aang and Toph were kidnapped. Which was actually kind of funny, since a group of grown adults had kidnapped two twelve year olds for "cheating" them. They were performers, not mercenaries. Aang and Toph were never actually in danger. Zuko would have kicked their asses himself, but Toph beat him to it. It was even better than her performance at the Earth Rumble VI.

It didn't matter to her parents, though. Zuko wondered if they knew how much they were really hurting her, keeping her locked up like a fragile doll. Funny how parents worked. His Father pushed him to his very limits, and when that failed he tried to kill him. Lao and Poppy Beifong loved their daughter, but they loved the fragile, obedient doll she presented to them. He couldn't help but reach the conclusion that parents sucked.

"We should head for Ba Sing Se." Sokka was saying as they loaded up Appa. "The Fire Nation can't reach us there, and there'll be plenty of earthbenders for Aang to choose from."

"It was supposed to be her." Aang was sitting on Appa's head, his head resting on his knees. "Bumi said I needed someone who waited and listened. I won't find that in Ba Sing Se."

Zuko helped Katara climb onto Appa, not because she needed it, but because it was nice to hold her hand. Aang was about to flick the reins when Toph came running up the hill.

Aang sat up excitedly. "Toph! What are you doing here?"

"My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world."

Zuko exchanged amused glances with the others. She wasn't a very good liar.

"Well, we better get going, before your dad changes his mind again."

They could now add kidnapping to their long list of crimes.

Ozai was sure the engineers were conspiring against him. The metal contraptions that he commissioned were no better than ostrich horses- loud, bumpy, and uncomfortable. They had told him that the noise level and constant jolting was "normal." He almost would rather be back on his ship. But the Avatar was flying inland, probably to Ba Sing Se, and Ozai was determined to capture him before he could reach the city.

It was laughably easy to track them after they left New Ozai; their bison was constantly shedding, literally leaving a trail for them to follow. And despite his discomfort, the tanks were making good time. Ozai studied the map closely. Their bison was fast, but would eventually need to stop and rest. They could not run from him forever.

Katara was initially excited to have another girl in the group. But it felt like they had adopted a stray prickly cat instead of a nobleman's daughter. She had felt the same way about Azula, actually, but at least she helped with setting up the camp!

After traveling together for so long they each had their own share of chores and a natural flow to setting up camp. Katara would fetch the water. Sokka and Zuko would set up the tents. Aang would settle Appa down for the night. Azula would start the fire. And, when they were all settled in, Katara and Zuko would cook dinner. But Toph insisted on "carrying her own weight," which was completely foreign to Katara.

In the tribe, everyone helped each other. If someone tried to "carry their own weight," then they would starve. The community was there for each other. Katara quite liked the community they had built together, and she wasn't sure where Toph would fit into it. Maybe she never would. Katara looked up from the fire, glaring at the tent that Toph was hiding in. She wasn't even eating dinner with them!

"She could at least sit with us," she huffed to Zuko, who was stirring the pot to keep the stew from burning. He glanced at her without turning his head, trying to hide a small smile.

"Maybe she's shy." He said halfheartedly.

Katara rolled her eyes. Toph Beifong was not shy.

Zuko finally turned to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "She might be a little intimidated. And she left her whole life behind to help us, that's a little scary." Katara looked back at the tent, her gaze softening at his words. He was probably right. It would be hard to join such a tight-knit group.

"Were you intimidated by us?" she asked.

"A little," he admitted. "I only ever traveled with Azula. We couldn't trust anyone else. It was weird getting used to new people."

Katara hummed, placing her hand on his. Sokka was taking a pre-dinner nap, Azula was meditating by the treeline, and Aang was brushing Appa, so she could risk a little public affection. "And what about now?"

"You know I trust you, Katara. You guys are like family to me."

She smiled. "I feel the same way." Katara leaned forward and pecked his lips quickly. "I'm sure that Toph will open up to us more. It should be easier than it was with Azula."

Zuko chuckled. "I know she's not easy to get along with."

"None of us are. But we get along anyway."

She was sure that Toph would find her footing with them soon enough. It was only the first night, after all. They had plenty of time to work out their differences.