One Shot - That Man is a Waterbender (AtLA Short Fic)

my brain is dead

Context: The Gaang has made it to Ba Sing Se, and split up to accomplish various tasks. Katara and Sokka are out shopping for "supplies" while Aang meditates in their complementary two-story glorified hotel room. Toph is out to sate her boredom.

Toph wandered in the streets, listening in on conversations and generally enjoying being nosy. No one paid any attention to her, and that's the way she likes it, she tells herself. She made her way away from the stuffy, orderly neighborhood that the weird lady had planted them in and eventually felt herself drawn to the outer rings. She liked the people here more; they had worse manners. A scrappy little street dog ran across the street to bark in front of her.

She bent down and let it sniff her hand, and started to pet it's head when it ran off again. She chased after it around a few corners and suddenly lost sight. The dog was nowhere to be found.

There was, however, looming beside her what seemed to be a tea shop. The people inside were relaxed and enjoying themselves, except one who seemed pretty grumpy, so the tea was probably pretty good. She walked inside.

"Hi, my name's Li, what can I get you?" said the grumpy teenager.

"Chaos," said Toph, sensing the lie.

"Unfortunately, we don't have that in stock, can I get you anything else?"

"Jasmine?" said Toph, sitting down.

"Great choice, I'll get right on that," he said, walking away.

Just then an old man came out with a tray and handed it to Not-Li. Toph recognized the slow, easy, walk and proud smile he wore. It was definitely the same man. She turned her head in his direction and waved. He looked at her in surprise.

"You take that to table three and go make the tea, Li, I have an old friend to catch up with," he said. Not-Li frowned and glanced between the two of them, but relented.

He slid into the seat in front of her.

"How have you been, my dear?"

"Pretty good. Did you find your nephew?"

"Ah, yes. I didn't tell you this at our last meeting, but my name is Pao, and my nephew is Li," he said with a knowing look in his eye.

Toph suddenly remembered the names she had been reaching for since she saw the waiter, but she kept her mouth shut and nodded her head. Iroh and Zuko were obviously taking refuge here.

She was just about to ask how they'd ended up operating a tea shop when the doors to the shop slammed open.

A scruffy kid with an annoying sneer and a piece of wheat in-between his teeth walked in and glared at everything moving thing in sight. Zuko returned from the back, took in the sight of the newcomer, and set down his tray with a very small, tired sigh.

"THESE MEN ARE FIREBENDERS!" he roared. The customers glanced around in disbelief. A few politely filed out.

"We're citizens just like you," said Iroh. The kid pointed his finger at him.

"I saw you heat your tea. It was cold, and there wasn't fire anywhere near."

Zuko looked like he was ready to rumble with this guy, but Toph could feel his heart racing. They were firebenders. But she liked these firebenders.

Toph slammed her hands down on the tabletop and whirled around to face him.

"This man is a waterbender!" she said.

"What?!" said the kid.

"I know a waterbender that can freeze your buttcheeks off. Anybody ever told you they can't heat water too?" she said.

His face twisted in concentration. Toph could tell he was thinking very hard, and for a second she worried she overdid it. Then Zuko rushed forward with a couple swords he'd produced from somewhere, and she didn't have room to worry anymore.

"You need to leave!" he said. The kid bolted out the door. Zuko followed him, and Toph rushed after them, happy to finally be having some fun.