The Warrior's Gambit (Zutara)

XXVII

8:30 PM

Suki was lingering near an Earth Kingdom food cart. At first, Katara would have just described her as taking a break, but as she drew closer, she realized it was something more. She was jumpy; not like she'd been threatened, but as though she was avoiding someone...or trying to make herself do so.

"Whatcha doing?"

Suki nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Kat! Don't do that!"

"I can't believe I snuck up on a Kyoshi warrior," Katara teased and it took a second, but she soon heard a quiet chuckle from Suki.

"Yeah, don't tell my mentors. They'd kick me out of the troop for sure," she replied good-naturedly, but something was still off about her.

"Are you okay?"

"Dandy. Pfft. Perfect, even," Suki said, waving a hand, so convincingly that Katara almost believed her. She did, until-

"Liar."

Both Suki and Katara did jump at the unexpected voice of Toph. They spun and saw the diminutive girl standing behind them, grinning wide, with her aide following inches behind her.

"You...how did you...where did you even come from?" Katara gasped out, trying to slow her heart-rate.

"Amazing what people who aren't blind still don't see," Toph shrugged, pleased with herself, "And Suki over here is-"

"Toph," Suki growled a warning.

"Feeling the little oogy butterflies about Anaselma's older brother."

"Anaselma has an older brother?" Katara echoed at the same time that Suki slapped her hand over Toph's mouth.

"That's treason to even joke about! And I do not," she hissed, "It's just indigestion. That's what you're 'feeling' from me."

"Oh, blah." Toph pried Suki's hand off. "You're not in love with him, about to run away in a scandal from the Choice. You just think he's hot and nice and has dreamy eyes," Toph said.

"How would you know he has dreamy eyes?" Suki asked, crossing her arms and muttering.

"You just confirmed it, sistah," Toph said. "See, over there," she said, pointing across a room.

"Uh...where?" Katara asked, scratching her head. Toph was pointing at a very elderly lady. She doubted that was who Toph was referring to. She shielded her forehead against the lights from the room and found Anaselma. Toph's aide did the kind thing and readjusted Toph's arm to be pointing in the right direction, finding her mark. Anaselma was indeed lingering around a man about her height.

Toph was not deterred by her lack of directional correctness, "I can feel how lots of girls are just melting over him."

"Oh, huh, yeah." Katara had forgotten that Anasemla had mentioned him once, along with the fact that she really admired him. It had been her brother and father who taught her earthbending. Apparently, he was as skilled as she was, if not more so. "Habu?"

"Haru," Suki corrected, "And it's absolutely nothing. I danced with him. He's nice. End of story," she said meaningfully to Toph.

"Oh, secret's safe with me."

"There's no secret."

"Great deflection!" Toph said, giving her a thumbs-up, "No one will ever know."

Suki looked about ready to strangle Toph, though Katara wasn't sure if it was because Toph was lying or because she was actually telling the truth. Then, seemingly pleased with this minor amount of chaos she was allowed to create, Toph turned to Katara.