Carved In Rock || ATLA

Be Alright

The Chase

"So I still look back at all the messages you'd sent, and I know it wasn't right, but it was fucking with my head. And everything deleted like the past, yeah, it was gone, and when I touched your face, I could tell you're moving on. But it's not the fact that you kissed him yesterday, it's the feeling of betrayal that I just can't seem to shake. And everything I know tells me that I should walk away but I just wanna stay." - Dean Lewis

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No one knew exactly how long they had been flying, the team's fatigue and lack of sleep already starting to affect their judgment, but it damn sure felt like it had been a long time. Aelita's eyes still stared out an empty, eerie blue, the firebender having yet to return to her body. Sokka and Katara worried for their friend as much as they did themselves, and Toph was starting to second guess her decision to join this band of misfits. Aang sat at Appa's reigns with heavy eyes just wanting to get through the night. As the sky bison crested the mountain range below the Avatar determined they had to be somewhere safe. Toph was the happiest of them all when her feet touched the ground again.

"Ahh - sweet land!" She cried out as she flopped down and made an angel in the dirt. Thank spirits that were over. She hated flying, she couldn't see a thing. "See you guys in the morning!" She said cheerily as she pushed herself to her feet to find a spot to sleep.

"Actually, can you help us unload?" Katara asked.

"Really?" The other girl scoffed. "You need me to help unload Sokka's funky-smelling sleeping bag?"

Sokka had been busy carrying Aelita in his arms down Appa's tail when he heard the quip, his sister having just tossed his bed roll to Aang. He leaned over the monk's shoulder and inhaled deeply, but the smell was enough to leave him gagging and almost dropping the girl.

"Well, yeah," Katara said curtly. "That and everything else. You're a part of our team now, and..."

Toph jabbed a finger in the waterbenders direction. "Look! I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff!" She turned on her heel to stomp away. "I'm carrying my own weight!"

"That's not the point!" Katara huffed. She stormed down to get in the younger girl's face. "Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!"

"What? Look here, Sugar Queen." Toph pushed Katara's shoulder. "I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending. So don't you talk to me about being selfish!"

Before the older girl could fight back Toph sank to the ground and bent a closed tent of rock around three sides of her, done with the conversation. "Sugar Queen?" Katara seethed. The earthbender added a fourth wall, closing herself in. "D-did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?"

Sokka and Aang watched as Katara pounded on the sides of the structure, continuously raging on.

"Should we do something?" Aang asked.

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Sokka snorted, laying Aelita against Appa's leg and crawling into his sleeping bag he rolled out next to her. That was where he'd be all night.

Aang couldn't let it go the way his friend could. "Okay, okay, you both need to calm down." He said as he approached Katara. The waterbender spun around to glare at him, her face as red as a Fire Nation flag and her blood as hot as Aelita's bending.

"Both?" She scoffed. "I'm completely calm!"

The volume of her voice said differently. "I...can see that." He raised his hands and retreated for safety.

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When Katara finally relaxed enough to crawl into her own sleeping bag she had Aang and Sokka to her right, while Toph was alone in her tent. Her arms were crossed over her chest still in frustration as she looked up at the dark sky. "The stars sure are beautiful tonight. Too bad you can't see them, Toph!" She taunted.