What I Learned at SRU -43-

A/N: It feels like Christmas in July, doesn't it? Hopefully I'll actually have the entire Christmas arc written out by the time July is over.

What I Learned at SRU
Chapter 43 - Escape

- Tuesday, December 14th, 2010 -

"Man, I don't wanna hear the fuckin' excuses, Toph," Jane scoffed.

"What's it matter to you if Sugar-Queen gets her panties in a knot, anyway?"

"She put a lot of work into getting everything set up for you on Sunday, and you just pissed on her for it."

"Big deal. I didn't ask her to do anything."

"Doesn't make you any less of a bitch for blowing her off."

"I didn't blow her off, Shamrocks, I fuckin' told her to chill out. She was gettin' all control-freaky on everybody."

Jane sighed at Toph's stubborn stance on the matter. She was wasting her time trying to get the girl to see the error of her ways.

"Grugh...Whatever," she dropped it. "Do you know where she went?"

"How the hell would I know? Like we share schedules?"

"You're roommates."

"It's finals week. Get off my back. Christ. They invented phones for this."

Jane couldn't deny her own ignorance. She probably should have been smarter and tried calling rather than asking for Toph's aid.

"We done?" Toph barked after a moment of silence while Jane dug into her pockets.

"Yea..." Jane ignored the sounds of piano flowing into her back while she exited the room, shutting the door with some defiance. She dialed Katara number, and was immediately sent to voicemail.

["Hey, it's Katara. I must be busy at the moment, but I'm sure I'd love to talk with you. Leave me a message and I promise I'll get back."]

[~Beep!~]

"Um...Hey, Kat, it's Jane. I was just, uh...checkin' in, seein' how you were doing. I'm about to head out to my final. Are you sure we wanna go to that recital tonight? I mean...it's not like Toph will know either way..." Jane's words dribbled out before she could stop them from coming - she knew Katara was still going to go, regardless. Why this was, Jane couldn't comprehend. "Um, so...I'm just saying, is all. Anyway, so...Yea. Good luck with...stuff...today. Gimme a call when you're done. All right. Bye."
Click.

Jane spent a few minutes cramming for her test and bolted out across campus. She ate lunch alone - everyone else seemed to be occupied, as it was - trying to memorize various aspects of Buddhism theology while she fed. World Religion was not a course she much preferred, and thus she had stalled taking the mandatory class until now. That's what she got for attending a liberal arts college, anyway. Aang had raved about what a stupendous course it was, but Jane had to concede that such things were not common ground they shared. And then, at a moment she least expected, they appeared.

"Smellerbee?"
"Oh, hey, it's her!"

Wide-eyed, she looked up from her scribbled notes to see two familiar, somewhat nervous-looking freshman gawking at her from the side of her small table.

"The hell...?" she whispered in awe. "Wh-...? Guys, is everything...-?" Her question slowed as she watched their faces go pale.

"Can't talk about that, remember?" Pipsqueak insisted through grit teeth, trying to play chill and failing.

"Huh?" Jane was baffled. "Guys, I'm not part of that, remember?"

"Ohhhh..."
"Oh, right..."

"What...-? Ugh...The fuck happened? The police showed up?"

The two boys winced at her interrogating.

"Longshot said we weren't supposed to talk with anyone," The Duke quietly explained as the two sat beside her.

"About what?" Jane intensely demanded, joining in on their quiet tones.

"We weren't there that night," Pipsqueak explained. "Longshot forbid anyone who was a student from showing up to Saturday's meeting."

"He...He did?" Jane mumbled, somewhat aghast. Had he done this to protect them?

"I think he knew what was going to happen," The Duke theorized. "He put an order out that none of us were allowed to talk about the Freedom Fighters in public or with any non-members. Not a peep."

"Doesn't that mean you guys are...breaking his order?" Jane slyly pointed out. Pipsqueak slapped a hand on his mouth in shame and The Duke nervously scratched at his neck. "It's OK, guys, I'm...just teasing. God..." She smirked and rolled her eyes, biting into her pork sandwich.

"I hope Longshot's OK," The Duke muttered. "Have you gone to see him?"

Jane nearly choked on her food. She pounded her chest and coughed, then swallowed down the correct tube.

"Wh-...What?" she hoarsely squeaked.

"He's...in the hospital, Bee," Pipsqueak explained. "We thought...you'd know about it..."

"Ugh..." Jane grabbed at her forehead in frustration. When she'd read in the paper that some people had been hospitalized, she should've figured Johnny would've been involved. "Guys...I don't know anything," she insisted to them. "I'm done. I've been done for a while...Remember?"

They both shrugged awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Hadn't she made it pretty clear she wanted nothing to do with the whole organization by now?

"Fuck," she grumbled, her appetite suddenly waning as she worried. Sure enough, the answer to the question she'd been ignoring had found her. "I'll...probably stop by...some time," she pushed out with a sigh. "Thanks for...letting me know, guys."

"Yea, no problem, Smellerbee."
"Sure thing, Bee."

"He's right, though, we need to not talk about this stuff from now on. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am."
"Mmhm. Yea."

"Right. So...I've got a final to go to."

"Of course."
"Ohhhh, right."

They shambled up from their seats and waved to her.

"See you guys," she said expectantly. They sure were taking their time leaving.

"Bye, Smellerbee."
"See ya!"

Jane took a moment of solace to contemplate the situation. Did she really want to go see him? After all, he had dug himself into this hole. She'd tried to get him out. But he had to be too fucking stupid to listen to her. Grah. For now, she had other things to worry about, anyway.

[To: Jane]
[Aren't you coming? =/ She's almost on...]
[Sent: 7:43pm]

Katara fidgeted in her seat at the small music hall. To her left, Aang was practically nodding off to sleep and Sokka had procured his Nintendo DS. Jane hadn't even bothered to show up. Some plan this had turned out to be...The cheerful, dancing melody that had been running for what felt like a small eternity drew to an end and a light smattering of applause poured across the space they occupied.

[From: Jane]
[sorry somethin came up. dont worry bout me have fun.]
[Sent: 7:45pm]

Katara had a sneaking suspicion that Jane was simply holding her grudge against Toph and wasn't going to show out of spite. It was sadly true, however, her excuse: Toph wasn't going to notice, much less care. Still, it was the principle of the thing...

Katara immediately snapped to attention as Toph was guided on stage, her guitar case in hand. Katara was pleased with the work she had managed to do with her roommate in the time before the recital. The girl had gone from looking like a street punk to a respectable lady. Her hair was tied up into a bun, she was still wearing the flat tops Katara had helped her dig up, her face was masked accordingly, and her black, shoulderless dress - the one she always wore to recitals - looked prim as ever.

The two had shared a very awkward afternoon in preparing. Toph had acted more robotic than usual toward her roommate, which meant practically no insults or name-calling, and no cursing, either. On the one hand, Katara appreciated this, but on the other, she felt confident it was only out of necessity - Toph needed someone to help her groom for her recital, and Katara was the only one who could really do it. It was a bittersweet process, but Katara was still confident that once the dust settled after finals, she'd be able to help who she felt was a misguided musician get back on track, and everyone would be all the better for it.

"Guys, she's on," Katara whispered, nudging Aang gently, his eyes popping open. Sokka continued his game, much to Katara's disapproval, but she knew it was useless to try making a scene about it. She reviewed the program.

{Toph Beifong}

{Solo ––Moonlight Sonata . . . . Op. 27 No. 2: 1 . . . . Beethoven}

{Solo ––Moonlight Sonata . . . . Op. 27 No. 2: 3 . . . . Beethoven}

As Toph began to pluck at her guitar strings, Katara immediately recognized the tune - a melancholy piece, but one she had always heard on piano before. It was refreshing to hear such a timeless song in a format she wasn't acquainted with. Toph's face stared blankly outward, almost to the ceiling, while her hands strummed with methodical timing. This...wasn't the way Toph played guitar...Never when Katara had been watching. It was as if a clockwork doll were playing, and not the girl she knew so well. The notes all came out properly, it seemed, but no emotion did. To Katara, this was a bit unsettling, and eerie, yet the music was elegant and beautiful regardless.

"Wow, she's so good," Aang muttered. "Isn't she?"

"Yea. This is normally a piano piece," Katara explained quietly.

"Oh, really? Neat..."

"It's kinda boring," Sokka whispered, still playing his game, only to be shushed by someone in the row behind him. He flinched, staring at Katara and Aang, and the three of them all worked hard to contain laughter for the sake of formality.

Jane sighed, staring at the hospital door.

{312}
{Jonathan Johnson}

So much for this matter waiting...She gave in to her doubts and concerns and had made the rash decision to simply go and see him. When she'd arrived, she'd been informed that visiting hours would be ending in a matter of minutes, so she had little time to spare. She slowly opened the door, attempting to make as little noise as possible, and carefully snuck inside. The bed closest to the door was occupied with an elderly man, fast asleep. A curtain divided the room, and the TV on the far side was on. Jane could feel her insides quivering at the prospect of this situation.

["Today - still wanted by the government - they survive as soldiers of fortune."]

Jane swallowed her saliva and slowly crept across to the second half of the room, only to see Johnny's abdomen wrapped in heavy bandages, his arm hanging in a cast, and various tubes plugged into his body. The sight sickened her with worry in a way she couldn't recall having felt before.

["If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire...The A-Team."]

"Johnny...?" She mumbled sheepishly. As strings and electric guitar played together on TV, Johnny's eyes wandered from the television set on the wall to her pale face. He looked exhausted, sickly, his hair a mess, stubble on his cheeks and chin. He smirked at her. "What the fuck, Johnny...?" Jane whispered in shock, her rubbery legs taking her to his side. He said not a word, but his eyes remained locked on hers. "Don't...C'mon, don't gimme...that," Jane croaked as quietly as she could, her eyes welling up with tears. "Not the silent shit. Not today, man..."

Johnny closed his eyes and took a deep breath, speaking to her with eyelids still shut.

"They got me...but not before I got a couple of them." He grinned with some pride.

"Fuckin' eh," Jane growled, her eyes burning with rage as tears streamed out. "What if they'd...-?"

"They didn't." His eyes were still closed and he spoke so peacefully. It was infuriating.

"But what if they did?"

"That sounds like worry in your voice..." he teased, his voice rough.

Jane choked on a laugh. What an idiot, trying to act all cool...

"W-well...it's not. You're fuckin' stupid..." Her words attempted - and failed - to cover up her humored concern.

"Sometimes, someone has to be..."

"If I knew this was gonna happen...-"

"You'd have run. Because that's what's smart. That's what you've had to do before..."

"Gargh...Shit, man..." She turned away, wiping at her face. "So...I mean, what now?"

"A few months..."

"Huh?"

"Doc says it's probably...-" Johnny groaned from discomfort. "-...a few months 'til I'm back in shape..."

"Wh-...? What about school?"

"What about school? I'm gonna have to drop out...Like I have a choice..."

"So you're...what? Staying here? Until you're better?"

"No, no...Soon they're transferring me back to Amarillo..."

"Where your folks are," Jane acknowledged, stomach wailing.

"Yup..."

"How-?...I-I mean...But...We need to...-"

Johnny sighed as Jane trailed off, turning back to face him.

"We need to...figure out what we're doing," Jane finished at last, staring at him with some slight desperation.

"Jane," Johnny huffed, clearly uncomfortable but unable to do much about it. "We're not doing anything...You're not gonna see me until...hell...September, looks like. And that's assuming we're both still going to the same school. Assuming I'm even able to get back in to SRU after all this..."

Oh, shit. Jane hadn't even thought of that. Being tied into a domestic disturbance might have been one thing, but a drug-trafficking ordeal? His chances of being accepted back into school were probably not looking so good...A fear wrenched at her intestines - what if it was discovered that she was involved, too? For Chrissake, she helped bury a body. What if that somehow got out?

No, no...That wouldn't. Everyone was going mum on it. Yea, exactly. Nothing to worry about. No one had any reason to get themselves in trouble...Then again, some - like Sneers - already were...

"Miss Fitzpatrick?"

"Wha...-?" Jane spun around to see a nurse staring quizzically at her.

"It's eight, ma'am. Visiting hours are over. Jonathan needs his rest."

"O-oh, right...yea..." Jane scratched her eyebrow roughly and gave Johnny another glance. "I'm coming back tomorrow," she firmly advised. "It's not just...ending like this."

"Heh..." Johnny shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Looks like those friends have made you go soft, but you're still damned stubborn as ever..."

Jane took this as a compliment as she saw her way out, her mind swirling. Johnny could've died - like Jet had. And for what? Had this been his plan the whole time? Take over the captain's wheel, shove the children on lifeboats, and sink the fucking cursed ghost ship?

Toph's fingers glided across the keys like the furious hooves of herd of buffalo on the run. The notes she struck were quick like lightning, ice-cold and precise. Katara was awestruck, and Sokka had even paused his Goomba-stomping to observe the seemingly miraculous skill on display.

"Heh, she's so good, isn't she?" Aang gloated, observing their shock.

"No kidding," Sokka weakly agreed.

"I...I guess that's...what happens when you spend all of your time practicing, right?" Katara managed to theorize as the marathon of music proceeded. She couldn't shake the notion that the girl on stage wasn't really Toph - like before on the guitar, the motions were mechanical and exact, but it was soulless in a way. All execution, but no feeling or conviction behind the sounds erupting from the grand piano. Katara knew how Toph performed music she cared about - she'd seen it often enough at band practice, and had grown wary of Toph's change in attitude more recently at her distaste in the band's current venture. Katara couldn't place her finger on it, exactly, but just like during their recent practices, up on the stage this evening, Toph just seemed...somehow off. Not herself. This was perhaps what she had to do when she performed for school? It made enough sense. But then again, she had been like this with the Kyoshi Warriors recently, as well.

"She...just keeps going," Sokka squeaked under his breath, jaw slightly agape.

"Really something, right?" boasted Aang.

"I can't even comprehend how someone who can't even see can do that," Katara confessed. "She must have a lot of natural talent..."

"It's a thing of beauty," Sokka concluded.

"You said it," Aang agreed.

After Toph's second piece concluded, she received a fairly enthusiastic applause, which was due in part to her friends' excitement, and quietly was led off-stage as quickly and quietly as she'd shown up. The group likewise took her lead and slipped out of the hall and into the lobby of the music building.

"She rocked it," Sokka reiterated.

"Yea, no kidding," said Katara. "Practice pays off, doesn't it?"

Aang nodded, his expression a bit wistful all of a sudden. Katara's instinct told her it was probably the thought that her music was more important to her than he was, but she didn't really know what to say to this at that moment.

"We'd better get back to Aero," Sokka decided, at last shutting off the DS and handing it over to Aang. "More tests tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

"All right, guys. Good to see you."

"Good night, Sis."

"Bye, Katara!"

"Bye!"

And off the boys shot through the dark, snowy evening, bound for their dorm. Unsure of what to do with herself, Katara stood in front of the music building's entrance for a moment of uncertainty before the door swung open behind her, Toph trudging across the sidewalk, rattling her cane against one edge's snow pile.

"Toph?"

"Katara?"

"Hey...Are...-? You're not staying to greet people?" Katara understood that generally at events like this, the musicians would often linger in the lobby to greet their audience. After all, that had been how Aang had met Toph in the first place.

"Nah. I'm just glad to be done."

Katara approached Toph and linked her arm under Toph's. This was a more nerve-wracking affair than she originally anticipated it to be - things were still tense between them, but she knew they'd never improve if one of them didn't try to back down. Toph seemed receptive to Katara's guidance, but continued swiping her cane along the ground with her other hand.

"Was that your last thing to do?" Katara wondered.

"I've still got one last thing to deal with tomorrow, and...then we've got that crap with the band..."

"Then we're done!"

"Yea...Guess so."

"I can't wait. I'm definitely ready to go back and see family. And you get to come to this time, too!"

"Mm-hm..."

"My dad's been curious to meet you."

"Ah..."

"It'll be fun. We all need a break."

"Tell me about it..."

"Yea..." Katara had been itching to say something for the past couple of days, and now finally seemed like the right time to do it. "So, um...I just wanted...to apologize...about-"
"It's OK."

"Really, I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry about it."

Katara wasn't sure whether to be relieved that Toph seemed to be dismissing the matter so easily...or be concerned about it.

"It happened. It's done. Let's leave it be."

Toph's somewhat cold disposition put Katara a little on-edge, but at the same time, it was hard to ignore her logic.

"O-OK. So...You think we're going to be ready for tomorrow night?"

"I dunno. I guess. We sounded OK last time."

"We'll have to make the most of practice tomorrow."

"Yea."

- Wednesday, December 15th, 2010 -

The tall grass whipped in the wind, the rains pouring down in a drizzle. The beast lumbered through the cold, wet woods, his shaggy fur a mess. Spines and sticks poked out at every angle, his face soiled and his feet sore. His huge eyes were dull from exhaustion. The white fur on his head gave way to a dark patch in the rough shape of an arrow pointing down.

Sokka observed the title of the piece:
{Lost Days}
{Part 3}

To the left were two more pieces in the series - the 2nd depicting the beast ready to engage in a battle with a giant...pig...porcupine...thing? The one before that showed the beast sleeping in a barn beside bales of hay. The images were pencil-drawn in black and white, hanging on the walls of the small art museum.

"Damn," Sokka nodded. "These turned out pretty baller."

"Thanks," said Aang, admiring the work of a fellow student.

"Real sweet that they got in."

"I'm pretty happy. I was just hoping even one would get in."

"Guess they liked to see all of the pieces lined up together, huh?"

"Guess so."

"Man, all you creative people," Sokka grumbled.

"Huh?"

"You draw, Toph does her music...Even the other girls play instruments. What do I do?"

"Um...You...Eat?"

"That doesn't count, Bud..."

"Well, y-you cook. Sometimes."

"Sorta. Hm. Maybe I could get more into that..."

"You like studying history, too."

"Yeaaa, but that's not, like, a creative hobby..."

"Video games can be really creative. You play a lot of those..."

"But I don't make them...I don't create anything."

"I saw that level you made in LittleBigPlanet. With all the orangutan ninjas."

"Heh...Not exactly what I meant."

"You seem pretty critical."

"Guess I am. I want to pick up some kind of...making-things-hobby."

"You should try and find something that works with what you love most."

"Maybe..."

The two casually strolled out of the gallery and out into the chilly afternoon air.

"So you're done?" Sokka checked.

"Yes, thank God..."

"Bah. I've still got one more final tomorrow..."

"Have fun."

"Yea, right...Well, at least when we're all done with this crap everything can go back to normal, right?"

"Uh...I sure hope so..."

"'Cuz all those girls have been driving me freakin' crazy lately."

"Yea..."

"Can you believe how Katara flipped out at your girlfriend's party?"

"Er...Y-yea, that was...weird."

"No doubt. She's been freakin' odd lately."

"Has she?"

"You haven't noticed? She's always like this at the end of the semester. She gets all tense and her screws get loose...Just a simple bump and her gasket blows."

"Oh..." Aang shrugged. Sure, she had seemed a little overbearing at the party - which she had worked pretty hard to put together, actually - but Aang wasn't sure he could see what Sokka was talking about. Either way, he was probably right in that things would get better by week's end and everyone could take a load off...Though this didn't excuse him from his issues with Toph.

"It's like they've all rotated," Sokka humored himself.

"What do you mean?"

Sokka spun his index fingers around one another as he replied.

"Toph's become super bitchy and defensive like Jane, Katara's become really pushy and grouchy like Toph, and Jane's become kind of...I dunno, worrying all the time...like Katara."

"Whoa..." Aang's eyebrows raised in acknowledgement. "Ha, yea, that's...kinda true, I guess..."

"For real," Sokka reaffirmed his observation. "It's bonkers. But at least you and Toph are getting along better, eh?"

Aang's eyes averted downward and he shrugged.

Sokka added, "She was all over you at the party."

"She was," Aang admitted. "She was...also drunk..."

"So?"

"So? I want my girlfriend and I to get along without needing...booze...to do it."

"Hmph." Sokka frowned with concession at this statement, crossing his arms as they paced through snow.

"And besides, she was...still doing that thing that she does..."

"Which is...?"

"She gets all forceful and stuff. It...makes me uneasy. And then...And then later, when I try to initiate, she just brushes me off."

"She does?"

"All the time lately..."

"Oh. Well...Suck. That's annoying."

"Yea."

"Maybe you just need to talk it out?"

"We've tried," lamented Aang. "Over and over. Lately, all it does is get us into fights, so we just...stop. I dunno..."

"Sounds rough, man..."

Aang sighed and shook his head, his feet tiring of marching through the snow.

"Not your fault."

"Just a few more days, Dude. Then you won't have school to deal with and can...maybe look into that."

"Mm..."

The band on stage riffed out a pop-infused set of chords, the three members casual and aloof as they played their next peppy rendition of a Christmas classic.

"~You'd better watch out, you'd better not cry~You'd better watch out - I'm telling you why~"

They were dressed to match - each wearing red T-shirts with fireballs printed on them and black jeans. Their guitarist, a tall and skinny brown-haired kid, took lead in singing, while a butch guy with slicked black hair calmly smashed at his drums and a mousy brunette girl strummed at her bass.

"~Santa Claus is coming to town~"

"Blech," Toph mocked a gag from their table at the back of the bar.

"I like them," squealed Ty-Lee. "Especially the drummer..."

"Why am I not surprised?" Mai teased with a knowing glance.

"They don't seem so bad," Katara offered her opinion in defense against Toph's.

"Your tastes in music are a little less sophisticated than mine, Sweetness."

Katara's brows lowered with some irritation.

"Either way, we're gonna be better," boasted Jane.

"Yea, we are," Suki agreed, offered Jane a high-five.

"I don't think this their normal style," Katara explained to Toph. "I've heard these guys before. They're usually...more reggae? Or something?"

"Whatever. Right now they sound stupid."

Katara sighed as her memory recollected the last time she'd heard this group: back when she was dating Jet.

"Well, we're on next," Suki advised. "So we'd better get ready."

"Good luck." Sokka kissed his girlfriend on the forehead.

Aang made to kiss Toph in turn, but it kind of missed as she rose from her seat, reaching her arm over and ruffling his hair around.

"Cheer us on, Twinkle-Toes," she slyly advised as Katara took her arm and followed Suki and Jane to the back of the stage, shoving their way through teens and other college students.

"Seems pretty busy tonight," Zuko noticed. "Is this place usually like this?"

"Naaahhh," Ty-Lee insisted. "It's usually pretty calm, but once or twice a week they'll have stuff like this and BAM!" She clapped her hands together. "Buncha people show up."

"You come here a lot?" Sokka wondered.

"Heeee, not really," Ty-Lee shrugged, shaking her head. "I used to come - one of my exes used to like this place a lot...But I know a lot of people who come all the time."

The Fire Cave was a small concert-hall mixed with a ball, so to speak. It had a 'pit' before the stage for people to congregate and dance and shout, and a bar area toward the back, with some tables interspersed on the sides, as well as a balcony with seats up on the second floor. It was a dimly-lit place, living up to its name, and seemed a little bit grungy around the edges.

"Seems all right, I guess," Sokka mumbled, glancing around. "I've been to worse, anyways..."

Aang sipped at his glass of water, seeming to tune out of the conversation until the song ended and the applause shook him back to attention.

"That was the Flamey-O's," announced the concert's host as the applause died down. "Flamey-O's...Thanks guys." The band disconnected their instruments, waving the audience off as they headed into the backstage, only for the girls to come in, filling their places and hooking up their own guitar and bass. As Sokka admired Suki readjusting the drum set to her needs, Aang took the slice of lemon from his now empty glass and began sucking out its juice. The girls weren't wearing a uniform of any kind, but Suki had managed to convince them to at least all wear Santa caps for their performance. Jane and Toph had begrudgingly accepted the compromise.

"And coming up next we have The Kyoshi Warriors."

Applause ramped back up again, especially from the group's corner of the restaurant. Sokka whistled rather loudly, and Aang tried crying out a cheer, only to choke on a lemon seed and need to hack it up.

Toph plucked out the opening to "Jingle Bell Rock" and the band took off playing the song in its classical style, with Katara belting out the lyrics.

"~Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock~Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring~"

"Oh, wow," gasped Ty-Lee. "They're so cute, all up on stage. Even the cranky one."

"Which cranky one?" Sokka joked.

"I think she means Aang's girlfriend," Mai theorized. "The black-haired one."

"Yea, that one," Ty-Lee affirmed. "She's really bringing down everyone's positive aura. What's her problem, anyway?"

"Me, apparently," Aang huffed, running his finger along his cup's brim.

"She's the one that's being a tool," Mai explained to Ty-Lee, whose eyes widened while her lips formed an 'O' in acknowledgment.

"You seem like such a sweet guy," Ty-Lee sympathized to Aang. "I don't get why she'd have a problem with you..." He shrugged doubtfully in reply.

"She's probably just feeling insecure about something and is taking it out on you," Zuko guessed. "That's what my sister does to everyone."

Mai sighed thoughtfully and nodded her head.

"That is what she's doing," Sokka agreed. "She recently had a big falling out with her folks, so...That's probably the source."

"It's more than that, but...-" Aang mumbled, but let the conversation die down after that. he was starting to get annoyed with how his troubles with Toph seemed to be the only topic of discussion he was involved in lately.

"It'll pass," Sokka encouraged, slapping his friend on the back and laying the matter to rest. "But...OK. So let me get this straight...Your name's Ty-Lee."

"Uh-huh!" Ty-Lee bobbed her head cheerfully.

"You...don't look Asian. At all. In the slightest."

"Hee." Ty-Lee shrugged. "Wellllll, maybe that's 'cuz I'm not." She winked, holding her index to her nose. "I'm pretty white. Also, I'm from North Carolina."

"But...That name sounds pretty Asian," Sokka observed, still confused.

"OK, OK," Ty-Lee stuck out her hands, preparing to explain. "So, technically - technically - it's Tylee. Like Tyler, but a girl."

"Uh...-?" That didn't seem to help change Sokka's opinion of how odd the name was.

"But it just sounds better like Ty-Lee, don't you think?"

"Sure...-?"

"Way cuter, right?"

Sokka suddenly regretted having asked.

"Do people every say anything?" Aang wondered.

"What do you mean?" Ty-Lee responded to his vague question.

"About how everybody you hang out with looks all Asian. Like we do. And stuff..."

Ty-Lee tapped her chin carefully, observing that everyone present at the table around her did basically fit that description. Aang reiterated.

"'Cuz Jane says people find it weird sometimes."

"Find what weird?"

"They make fun of her about it once in a while. How she hangs out with all, like...Asian-looking people, I dunno." Aang shrugged, his mind conceding to itself that he didn't really know where he was going with this.

"Huh," Ty-Lee's head cocked to the side and she puckered her lips in thought, eyes glancing elsewhere. "Now that you mention it, no one ever says anything about that..."

"Probably for the best," Zuko decided.

Their thoughts were interrupted when a lean young man wearing tight pants and a plaid button down squirmed over to their table. His hair was dyed black and slicked over so it covered half of his pale face. He walked with a bit of a hunch and paused when he reached them, everyone staring his way.

"Yo...Ty-Lee? Ha, that is you," he muttered.

"Oh! Hey!" Ty-Lee squeaked back. "I sure am me! You're looking like you, too, Ron-Jon. What's goin' on?"

Ron-Jon shrugged and flipped his hair, though it ended up falling right back where it had been.

"Was just wondering if you might be interested in getting a drink, maybe dancing a bit?"

"I love dancing! And I am pretty thirsty..." Ty-Lee turned to Mai with a puppy-dog pout. "You don't mind, do you, Mai?"

"Knock yourself out," Mai dryly advised with a contained sigh.

"Cool! OK, I'll see you guys later!" Ty-Lee bounced from her chair and took off with the emo-styled runt.

"Ty-Lee," Mai groaned to herself.

"She...sure seems to like attention," Sokka noted.

"Yea, she's...like that a lot," Mai admitted. "She came from a pretty big family where she always felt ignored, so...now she acts kind of eccentric."

"That's one way of putting it," Zuko scoffed, receiving a sharp elbow jab.

"So where are you guys all from, anyway?" Sokka wondered.

"I'm from Connecticut," Mai confirmed. She nodded to Zuko. "He's from...Well, Japan, really."

"Ha, I was born there," Zuko explained. "But I grew up in Los Angeles."

"Wow, no kiddin'!" Sokka expression acknowledged his surprise. "That's...a long ways away from here..."

"What made you come here to PA?" Aang questioned with curiosity.

Zuko shrugged, rubbing his upper lip.

"It's, uh...Well, basically, it's because my Uncle teaches here."

"Ahhh..."
"Oh, OK...That makes sense," said Aang.

"Me and Katara," Sokka began, pointing over to his sister while she sang. "Our mom used to go here - and I really liked it, so...Yea. And my sis, well...She just couldn't be without me, obviously..."

"Oh, wow," Zuko chuckled. "My mother went here, too."

"Whaaat?" Sokka said with skepticism.

"Yea. My Uncle and her were friends when they went here together - that's how my dad met her."

"And his older sister went here," Mai continued, "He followed in her footsteps." Zuko frowned at this remark, and Mai's dry smile teased him.

"Get outta town...Small world." Sokka shook his head at the coincidence.

"Hey, Sokka, maybe you have an uncle who teaches here, too," Aang joked.

"That would be a little creepy, Aang," laughed Sokka. "Only biological uncle I have is up in Canada.

"Canada?" probed Mai.

"Yep! We're Canucks, baby! Our whole family's up there."

Aang seemed to withdraw again, getting lost in swirling around his sucked-on lemon slice in his cup.

"What about you, Aang?" Zuko probed. "Where are you from? How'd you find this school?"

Aang's expression tensed up, his grip on his cup tightened, and he swallowed.

"Wh...Well, I-I...-"

The girls finished their first song, receiving a healthy portion of applause. Sokka, noting Aang's worried expression, paved an escape for him.

"Whoa, dude, you OK? You're lookin' kinda sick there..."

"I'm...-" He trembled a bit, shaking his head, sweat forming on his forehead.

"Hey, c'mon." Sokka tugged on his arm and pulled him out of his seat. "You probably need some air. Get your coat on. We'll get you some more water."

"Y-yea, OK..." Aang fumbled with his coat and managed to pop himself into it.

"Sorry, guys, we'll be back in a bit," Sokka assured.

"OK," Mai responded, waving them off.

"He has been looking a little off tonight," Zuko realized. "Hope he's not down with something."

"It is that time of year," said Mai.

"Guys-guys-guys!" Ty-Lee squealed out to them, an awkward-looking Ron-Jon beside her. "They're starting a new song! C'mon, let's dance!"

"Oh, brother," Mai sighed, a smirk forming on her face. "She's just full of energy today..."

"Shall we humor her?" Zuko dully pondered.

"We shall." Mai lifted up from her chair and took Zuko's hand, leading him to the crowd.

A/N: A little bit of a lot in this chapter. I've been wanting to expand the "Fire Nation" guys a bit more, so you've noticed more Mai/Ty-Lee and now some Zuko lately. Ron-Jon is, by the way, an interpretation of Ruon-Jian, a very minor character who shows up in The Beach episode. Likewise, the Flamey-O's are a reference to a band that performs in the episode The Headband. There will be some more references to both those episodes in the future, since both contain minor characters that can help add some variety to the cast of school students. I'm trying to more specifically reference and homage various elements of the show while still making them seem organic.

Lotta YouTube links in this one!

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Movements 1 and 3, on the instruments Toph plays them on, respectively.
Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=kS8eVFq1ZdU
Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=zucBfXpCA6s

I admit that the guitar performance in this video is more "raw" and real, but the piano performance has that icy, precise intensity and mechanical-ness I think of when I try to describe Toph performing for school. Not that it's BAD to play music this way - often that kind of emotionless accuracy is required. But it still conveys that Toph approaches her music one way when its personal, and another when its for someone else (school, her parents, etc.).

A-Team Intro
Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=_MVonyVSQoM

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Green Day)
Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=qwGPzRd3XIY

Jingle Bell Rock (Bobby Helms)
Youtube(dot)com/watch?v=BWXqmukiD3U