What I Learned at SRU -89- (Part 1)

A/N: Sorry if you're not a fan of the song-fic stuff, but...I've gotta get some out of my system here. ^_^; BTW, to help clarify, you'll notice that some music scenes have things written in present tense. This has been intentional. It implies a different 'style' of narrative, in the same way a TV show will approach displaying a scene different when it's a 'music montage' scene, that sort of deal. It's a detail I might rework when I re-edit the whole story, but at this point I want it to just stay consistent. If you ever see something written in present tense, it's probably a dream sequence, or something vague, 'music montagey,' etc.

What I Learned at SRU
Chapter 89 - Sweet Memories

- Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 - First day of Spring Break

After her entirely engaging evening with Sokka, Toph was frustrated by the sour taste on the tip of her tongue left by the end. She'd trudged up to her dorm room, careful to sneak in quietly and get herself straight to bed without waking Katara. The next morning, Aang woke Toph up early, startling her with his presence at such an early hour. As it turned out, he had slept the night in Katara's bed, completely unknown to her. Aang had left the room to allow Toph to change, and returned with Katara. Toph could tell that Katara wasn't quite entirely awake yet, either, despite having just come back from dropping Sokka off at a bus terminal so he could catch a ride to the airport. It seemed like she was on auto-pilot. Aang seemed in somewhat better spirits, at least. Their morning preparations a hazed blur, they filed into the car. Aang sat in the passenger seat beside his girlfriend while Toph sat in the back seat by herself.

On their way out of town, they stopped by a McDonald's to grab some quick breakfast food. It wasn't until this process of consumption that the trio seemed to engage in conversation for the first time that day, the lethargic silence cured by fast food and cheap coffee. Toph's first crispy hash brown went down quickly.

"Yea, I got a text from him a bit ago," Katara was assuring Aang. "He made his flight and everything." She sipped from her coffee. She found it bitter, despite the fact that she'd added some creamer and a bit of sweetener. The caffeine was sorely needed today, though.

"That's good," said Aang, biting into his egg and cheese sandwich. When he'd ordered this item, Toph had almost called him out on breaking his 'vegan rules,' but managed to remember that Aang wasn't vegan, just vegetarian. Her own sluggish brain activity had saved itself from embarrassment by being too slow to act.

"You know-" Katara's voice carried toward Toph, catching her attention. "-he told me that you and him had a good time last night, Toph."

"Um...I guess," she mumbled half-heartedly. Katara smiled with sympathy. Based on what Sokka had told her on the car ride to the terminal that morning, it had sounded like their evening had concluded in a way that had left both Sokka and Toph confused.

"Did something happen?" Katara wondered. "I mean...You seem a little put off. But Sokka really enjoyed himself."

"Yea, maybe before I took him to the music building," said Toph grumpily, chewing on a bite of her second hash brown. She swallowed it down fast. "Ya know, when I fucked everything up."

"Aw, Toph," Katara sheepishly laughed, patting her friend's shoulder with encouragement. "I really doubt that. He told me about how impressed he was when you played that song for him."

"Mm...He did, huh?" She smirked, her eyelids hanging slightly.

"Oh, he loved it. What did he say? Ah, yea...'It was like seeing a new side to her. It was nice.' His own words."

"He said that?" Her face had lit up, but she was trying hard to sound skeptical.

"He did."

At this, Toph's cheeks dipped into a pink hue as she nibbled at her breakfast. Katara practically beamed at this subtle reaction, flashing her approval to Aang. Aang had to contain a laugh at his girlfriend's giddy grin, with her squinted eyes.

"What makes you think he didn't have a good time?" Aang wondered. Toph's smile faded, and she swallowed. She puffed air up at her bangs.

"Agh, he was all...weird about it. I dunno. Like, there we were, havin' a good time, and then I go out and play this song, and suddenly everything's fuckin' awkwardsauce."

"Toph, I think that Sokka just needs to...think on things," Katara advised. "I'm sure that one way or another, he'll talk with you about it."

"You sound optimistic," Toph mumbled.

"I-...Yes, I am," Katara decided with a curt nod. "I really can see something in you two," she insisted.

"I can't," Toph replied. A befuddled silence. "That was a blind joke," she pointed out, flapping her hand in front of her face. "'Cuz...The 'seeing,' and...-"

"I'm serious, though," Katara chuckled, having not appreciated the humor until Toph had made it apparent.

"I have to agree," Aang put in. "Sokka's got a couple of days to, like...stew it over. Stew on it?" Aang made a vague gesture, swirling his wrist around. "Stir in his own juices?"

"Something like that," said Katara.

"Meaty stew juices, and crap," put in Toph.

"Er, right," said Aang, going on with his thoughts. "For you, Toph, this has lasted a little while. But for Sokka, this is probably really sudden, and...-" Aang and Katara exchanged goofy smiles. "-...and you should just stick with it. Stand your ground." Aang lifted his arm, hesitating for a moment, then gently tapped his fist against Toph's shoulder. She smiled.

"Yea, yea. I hear ya, Twinkle-Toes," she replied warmly. "So, anyway, we've got like...two weeks to burn. So what the heck are we gonna do? I mean, like, no offense, Sister-Face, but...your town's kinda small."

"Oh. Well...-" Katara shrugged, scratching gently at an irksome pimple on her forehead. "Sokka will be coming back early next week, so...pretty rough trip for him."

"Man, that stinks," lamented Aang. "Being all the way on his own Easter Sunday? That's not going to be fun."

"Probably not," Katara sighed on behalf of her brother. "But we'll all have a family dinner and stuff after he gets back - kind of celebrate the holiday a little late. But so, then...I was thinking that we could maybe go over to Toronto at some point, just for fun. There's, ya know...some places there?"

"Mm." Toph finished her second hash brown and dusted the crumbs off her fingers.

"I think we're going to just take it easy for the weekend until Sokka gets back, though," Aang explained. They ate for a few moments before Aang's face lit up. "Oh, I've got something: we should call Meng tomorrow. Catch up with her. Wish her 'Happy Easter' and stuff?"

"That's a good idea," Toph agreed. She'd been a bit too busy lately to be in contact with her dear cousin, and Meng would no-doubt love to have a group chat with Katara and Aang present. "I hope she's doin' OK."

[fortuneteller114 - hey! you there?]
[12:02 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Hello? Who's this?]
[12:02 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - oh! lol. this is meng. from facebook.]
[12:02 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - OK. Sorry, I just don't remember where I know you from.]
[12:03 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i'm toph's cousin. friends with that group.]
[12:03 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Ah.]
[12:03 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - so hey. youre on break now, right?]
[12:04 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Yes.]
[12:05 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - how are you spendin your vacay time?]
[12:05 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - With family.]
[12:06 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - yea, me, too. then it's back to the books for finals!]
[12:06 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Good luck.]
[12:08 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - thanks! ^^ you too!]
[12:08 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - umm...i'm not bugging you am i?]
[12:10 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i'm real sorry if i am. ]
[12:15 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - You're fine. I'm just busy.]
[12:22 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - oh. ok. i can leave you alone then.]
[12:22 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - No, it's all right. I could use a bit of a break, anyway.]
[12:23 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - So, what year are you, again? What's your Major?]
[12:24 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - haahhh. ^^' i'm going to be a freshman next year, i'm just finishing high school.]
[12:24 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Oh.]
[12:25 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - but i got accepted to sru. i don't know what my major will be yet.]
[12:26 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I see.]
[12:27 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i'll be visiting campus next month, though. :3 can't wait.]
[12:28pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - It's a nice enough place. Self-contained.]
[12:29 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - yea tophie likes it there. i will, too. i miss her so much, gonna be so cool to live on campus.]
[12:29 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Oh, right. Toph's your cousin? So...how is she doing lately, anyway?]
[12:31 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - yep! uh, she's ok, i think? haven't heard from her much lately. think she's been busy w/school and stuff.]
[12:31 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Yes, I'm sure.]
[12:32 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - btw]
[12:33 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - you should try saying hi to her some time.]
[12:33 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Oh, no. I'd hate to bother her.]
[12:34 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - she still feels really bad, you know...]
[12:34 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - What? Why? About what?]
[12:34 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - about you. she feels bad that she hurt you.]
[12:34 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Oh.]
[12:35 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - you know that. right?]
[12:35 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I guess. I'm assuming she told you about...all of that?]
[12:36 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - yes. i am soooo sorry about that.]
[12:36 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - srsly she is super sorry. tophie can just..be stubborn. she doesn't know how to apologize very good.]
[12:36 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Yes. I noticed.]
[12:37 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - but really. she wishes you and her could still be friends. she's told me that.]
[12:38 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - She hasn't told ME that. So...]
[12:40 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - would you...still be friends with her?]
[12:42 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - That doesn't seem to be what she wants. Maybe if she tried to make amends...]
[12:43 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - ok. that is totally fair. i know exactly what you mean.]
[12:43 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - you're not the only person toph has hurt. you know.]
[12:43 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - ?]
[12:44 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - but she is a good person. i swear. she is getting better.]
[12:44 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I wouldn't know.]
[12:44 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i understand. and i am so sorry she hurt you. she is sorry, too.]
[12:45 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - ...]
[12:45 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i'm sure she will tell you that herself when she's ready.]
[12:45 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - she just needs time with this stuff.]
[12:46 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i will talk with her about it.]
[12:47 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - really. she's got a good heart. she just makes bad choices some times.]
[12:47 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - and she beats herself up over it. she's so stubborn, i know.]
[12:47 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - but she's my family. and she can be a good friend.]
[12:47 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - OK, OK. I get it. _]
[12:48 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i'm sorry! D: i didn't mean to annoy you.]
[12:49 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Ha. You're fine. It's OK. You're looking out for your family.]
[12:50 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - right.]
[12:51 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - You seem very caring. I'm just surprised. My experience with Toph just...didn't end well.]
[12:51 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - no i get it. i know.]
[12:52 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I trusted her and she betrayed that. It takes time to earn that back. Which she hasn't done anything about.]
[12:52 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - right. exactly. i'm just saying...that happened to me too. but she made things right with me. i'm sure she will with you, too.]
[12:53 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I'll wait and see. I'm not exactly holding my breath.]
[12:54 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - that's fine. it's her responsibility.]
[12:54 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - That's my feeling on it.]
[12:55 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - yes. i'm sure that will get sorted. god i'm sorry. i got really pushy. i didn't mean to.]
[12:56 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - No need to apologize. I'm just surprised you care that much, I guess.]
[12:58 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - i just felt so bad about it. you seem like a real nice guy. nice guys deserve better than that.]
[12:58 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - Uh, thanks.]
[1:01 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - so you play violin?]
[1:03 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I do, yes. I'd like to become a music teacher some day.]
[1:04 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - oh, really? that's neat! like, selfless, in a way.]
[1:04 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I'm not sure about that. But I don't really study music to perform, honestly. That's not my goal.]
[1:05 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - what is your goal?]
[1:06 pm]

[TheDukeofFreedom - I'm not entirely sure. Now that you ask. -_- I just want to do something meaningful.]
[1:08 pm]

[fortuneteller114 - hm. so what kinds of music do you play? or listen to? i'm curious.]
[1:09 pm]

+ Youtube.com/watch?v=r34i3aU14cY
('You're My Home'; Billy Joel)

~When you look into my eyes, and you see the crazy gypsy in my soul~

Katara, casting a warm glance to Aang as she starts up the car.

~It always comes as a surprise when I feel my withered roots begin to grow~

"You OK back there, Toph?" she asks the girl with the distant look.

~Well, I never had a place that I could call my very own~

"Eh...I'll be all right," Toph sighs out, trying to smile.

~But that's alright my love, 'cause you're my home~

Aang's hand caresses Katara's shoulder as she drives.

~When you touch my weary head and you tell me everything will be alright~

His hand moves up her neck, pushing back her hair, and she smiles.

~You say use my body for your bed, and my love will keep you warm throughout the night~

She remembers their time together the night prior, his gentle touch.

~Well, I'll never be a stranger, and I'll never be alone~

Aang leans over and kisses her temple.

~Where ever we're together that's my home~

"Love you, Eskimo."

"I love you, too, my Penguin."

~Home can be the Pennsylvania Turnpike~

{You are now leaving Wayward, PA}

~Indiana's early morning dew~

Jane driving southwest along a flat highway, elbow hanging out of her car window.

~High up in the hills of California~

Sokka, gaping at the Rocky Mountains from within his airplane.

~Home is just another word for you~

He snaps a picture of the cloudscape on his phone.

He scrolls through his photos, observing his recent pics.

Many of them are of Toph, he notices. He lets himself stare at them for a bit.

Each smile, each grin, each moment he caught her unawares - like droplets of moonlight into a spring, each ripple a cherished memory.

~Well, I never had a place that I could call my very own~

Toph drifts to sleep in the backseat.

~But that's alright my love, 'cause your my home~

She dreams of her own laughter melded with his.

~If I travel all my life, and I never get to stop and settle down~

Katara stops at a gas station and fills the tank back up.

~Long as I have you by my side, there's a roof above and good walls all around~

When she re-enters the car, she notices that Toph is snoring, curled up in the back.

~You're my castle, you're my cabin and my instant pleasure dome~

She turns to Aang and smiles. They kiss.

~I need you in my house, 'cause you're my home~

Their noses rub together. She starts the car back up, and they pull back onto the highway.

The midday sky is clear and bright.

~You're my home~

The rumbling of the car waking back up managed to stir Toph from her slumber. She gasped awake, groping around the backseat for reference of her surroundings.

"Humma...?"

Seat, door, other seat in front of her...window...? Oh, right, car. Yes, car.

"Morning, Mud-Slug," Katara greeted, glancing up at her rear-view mirror. She spent a single moment taking in Toph's cow-licked hair and dazed expression before looking back to the busy road.

"Rrrmmm," Toph whimpered out groggily. "How long was I out...?"

"Maybe an hour or so," Aang guessed.

"Fuuuuck," Toph whispered out. "Just one? So where are we, then?"

"Passing through New York state," Aang explained. "Still going to be a while. I think...-" He glanced to Katara. "-...we'll be stopping for lunch some time soon, right?"

"Yea, probably in the next hour or so we'll...-" Katara yawned. "-...take a break somewhere," she finished, her voice cracking as she concluding her yawn while speaking. Aang smiled warily, patting her thigh. Katara was used to Sokka taking up driving duties for at least part of the trip, so Aang was pretty certain that Katara would be tuckered out by the time they got to Akiak.

"So, Toph," said Aang, twisting his head around to look at her grumpy face. She had pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and was pushing her messy mass of black into a ponytail. This didn't make her bangs or her new cow-licks change in any way. "What did you dream about?" Aang coyly inquired.

"Huh?"

"You were giggling a lot in your sleep," Aang teased.

"You were," Katara agreed.

"I...I don't know!" Toph sputtered out, blinking with wide eyes and letting loose a sheepish laugh in spite of herself. She honestly didn't recall, as her dreams often alluded her own memory upon waking.

"I think we all know what it was," taunted Aang.

"Yeaaaaa, OK," Toph grunted, laying back down in the seat on her side. "I admit, it is likely..." She puffed air out at her bangs, moved them off her face. "Ya know, you guys...better not be like this when Sokka's around," she pointed out. "'Cuz it's...kinda awkward already, and if...-" She sighed, adjusting herself in an effort to get comfortable.

"We'll be good," said Aang.

"Don't be fussy," Katara advised. A brief glance at her mirror tipped her off that her friend had laid back down. "Yea, just...get some more rest, Hun."

"Don't mind if I do..."

Sokka sighed to himself, folding his map and stuffing it into his back pocket. He fidgeted with his backpack straps impatiently, and pulled his iPod from his pocket, tapping it to resume playing its music. He couldn't wait to relax at his hotel, go eat out some place in downtown San Francisco, take in the evening sights.

+ Youtube.com/watch?v=ba1UFP186F8&t=1m38s
('I'm Still Here'; Goo Goo Dolls)

["~...know me, 'cause I'm not here~"]

He took in a deep breath, pacing in place as he waited for his transportation to arrive.

["~And you see the things they never see; All you wanted, I could be~"]

Toph's visage lingered in his mind, singing with closed eyes and flushed cheeks.

["~Now you know me; And I'm not afraid~"]

Being with her was usually so simple and comfortable, and easy.

["~And I want to tell you who I am; Can you help me be a man?~"]

Toph had shown him her vulnerable side, her soft spot. Could he - did he want to - do the same in return?

["~They can't break me; As long as I know who I am~"]

But what was his soft side? What did that mean for him?

Man of Science, Man of Sarcasm - Sokka often felt like he had two brains mashed into one.

["~And I want a moment to be real; Wanna touch things I don't feel; Wanna hold on and feel I belong~"]

The way Toph had been so calm and intimate the night prior...When he thought on it, Sokka acknowledged that it was her way of reaching out to him.

She'd been looking for his acceptance. The same thing he'd wanted from Suki for so long.

["~And how can the world want me to change? They're the ones that stay the same~"]

Suki would always bother him about growing up and acting like an adult...But when would she ever lighten up, change for him?

["~They can't see me, but I'm still here~"]

Toph didn't bug him about that - like she had with Aang - and instead had tried to express herself to him.

["~They can't tell me who to be, 'cause I'm not what they see~"]

Toph saw him for who he was - both sides - and seemed content with that.

["~Yeah, the world is still sleeping while...~"]
-BEEP-BEEP-

Sokka paused his player, stuffing his headphones in his pocket as the subway train approached. As it slowed to a stop before him, air rushing by from its movement, he smiled in spite of himself.

Goddamnit, Sis, you've got me listening to this sappy music and making me think about...feelings...and stuff.

- Sunday, April 24th, 2011 - Easter

"So...Happy Easter!" Katara chimed into her phone, finally getting a hold of her brother after three attempts to call him.

["Happy Easter."] Sokka sounded less-than-thrilled.

"You OK?" Katara mumbled with some concern. "Um...Bro?" she added.

["Yea, yea,"] Sokka sighed out, seeming to come to his senses from some stupor. ["It's fine. I'm fine. Things are fine."]

"Sokka," Katara goaded, expectantly. "Come on. Tell me what's wrong." She sat down in her bed, still dressed in her church clothes. Her hair was neat and straightened, and she was wearing a spring-time dress of yellow with orange flowers printed upon it. She had been curious about her brother ever since the night prior, when he had texted her and Hakoda rather than called to confirm his safe arrival.

["Eh, just...nervous about this interview thing tomorrow,"] Sokka explained half-heartedly. ["I've been going over my material and stuff."]

"Where are you?" Katara asked, worried that he was cooped up in some hotel room for the day.

["In the hotel,"] Sokka confirmed her doubts.

"Sokka...You should go out there, enjoy San Francisco while you're there..."

["I dunno..."]

"Come on. What's really bothering you?"

["Nothing!"] he insisted. ["C'mon, Sis, stop being a worry-wort, you know that stuff just makes me more nervous."]

"OK, all right..." Katara took her headband out of her hair, fluffing it into place behind her shoulders. She grinned, suspecting that Sokka was preoccupied with thoughts of Toph, the same way she had clearly been obsessed over him in the past day.

["I just...have been thinking about Toph...and...yea."]

"Uh-huh."

["Shuddap..."]

"And?" Katara slipped off a high heel. "What do you think?" She popped off the other.

["Urgh, I...I get what you were saying yesterday, Katara. But Toph's not like Aang. If something screws up, then...there goes that."]

"Sokka, listen. I know that you're really worried and all. But I told you...What you're feeling, right now? I've been there. I really have. And I had to get past that. Because Aang was worth it. This relationship was worth taking that chance on."

["Sure, but...you know that if things don't work out in the long run, you and Aang are still going to be friends. You can't say that with Toph. She's...fickle."]

"You know, she's really not as fickle when it comes to that, Sokka. Her and Aang are just fine now."

["Yea. Because of Aang. Not because of her."]

"W-well, but...Look at the logistics - who else does she have to go to, if it came to that?"

["Well...erm...-"]

"Right. She's got us. She's got you. She has no other real friends on this campus. But anyway, besides all that...if she likes you, then think about it. Instead of throwing herself at you, and making out, and...all that...she played you a song. She's been dialing it back. Keeping it down. Doesn't that tell you something?"

["I guess..."]

"It tells you that she really cares about this, and probably that she's afraid of the same stuff you are."

["Hm."]

"Seriously."

["OK, maybe. But...Toph's like...a little sister to me, Katara. And I mean, no offense, but I feel like she gets me more than you do."]

"Mm-hm..." Katara felt a little prickle of disappointment from that remark, but she knew it was true.

["I mean, you know me better than...anyone else."] Ah, well, that helped her feel a bit better. And, of course, the reason Sokka had specifically added that in was because he knew her well, too. ["You're not like a sister, you are my sister. And I love you lots. And I'd hate for anything to screw things up between us, right? Never, ever. And Toph's...kind of like that, too. It's the same deal."]

Katara's eyes slid closed and she smiled peacefully at her brother's rare moment of sentimentality.

"I understand, Sokka," she assured softly, reflecting on her own similar experiences. "You do realize that I know exactly how that is, right? How that's precisely how I felt with Aang?"

["Right, but...-"]

Katara gave him a moment, but when he didn't finished, she jumped back in.

"But? Sokka, someone like that, someone you trust and who you value that much? Isn't that exactly the girl you should give a chance? Maybe instead of trying to get with girls you hardly know, like Ty-Lee?"

Sokka made an odd, sputtering sound, sighing out through vibrating lips.

["Mehh...But...but Suki...-"]

"We've gone over this," Katara pressed on. "You and Suki always had that issue where she expected you to change. To...To 'grow up.' But Toph doesn't. Toph likes you exactly as you already are. Hee. If anything, she'd probably be happy if you stayed a man child forever."

["Heh..."]

"N-not that you should do that," Katara mumbled with sudden decisiveness. "Not literally."

["Ha."]

"I-I don't mean-...Like, I'm not saying that...that you can't-"
["Whoa, hey, it's fine. Simmer down."]

Katara rubbed at her nose, breathing out slowly.

"Sokka. Am I making sense?"

["Yea."]

"I love you. I want you to be happy. When I see you with Toph, or like...yesterday, when you were talking about the night you guys spent together-...You were so relaxed, and you smiled a lot, and-...You seem comfortable around her. You have someone who understands you. And I know what that feels like. When you have that person that makes you feel that way, and you're petrified of losing it. I really understand that. I swear."

["Yea, I...I'm aware. You keep pointing that out..."]

"Because it's true. And Aang...is so good for me. He is. You know he is, I mean...-"

["I know."]

"After those other guys from high school, and...after Jet-...You told me every one of them would be bad news. And you were right. And you also knew Aang was good for me the second you found out about us."

["Oooooogie."]

"O-OK, let's-...No. Let's not do that."

["Sorry."]

"But...So...So, like, think about that. Think about how you felt when you saw me and Aang together."

["Mm."]

"That's how I feel about this."

["Yea."]

"Am I...-? Is this...this making sense?"

["Sure."]

"No, is it...is it really making sense? Like, sinking in?"

["No, yea...it's good. Yea, I get it. I feel ya."]

"You feel me?"

["I do."]

"That's gross."

["Chh!"]

"Ha. A-anyway..." Katara smiled to herself. Sokka sounded less weirded out. He sounded a bit more calm. Yea.

["You really wanna hook me up here, huh, Katara?"]

"No. Ha! No, Sokka. I want you to be happy. I want Toph to be happy. And I just...really think that it'd be worth it for both of you to just give it a chance."

["Really? You don't say! When I think of it, I'm kind of getting that impression from you. I mean, it's not, ya know, a hundred percent clear-"] Quite a sarcastic tone he was carrying. ["-like, you could maybe make it a little more obvious for me, and stuff, but maybe that might be what you're trying to convey here."]

"Sokka," she grunted. "Just one date. One. People can go out on a date, and see if things click. And if they don't...they can still be friends, right?"

["Heh. I get it,"] he insisted with a sigh, dropping his humor. ["You see something in me and her. And while I kind of understand your comparison here - to you and Aang - there's a big difference you're forgetting. Toph isn't Aang. And I'm not you."]

"Yes. That's true. But you need to give her more credit, Sokka. She's grown up a lot these days. She's really trying. Don't write her off so easily."

["Mm..."]

"She hasn't dismissed you yet, but Suki sure seems to have done that..."

Sokka's stomach churned at that fact, which he couldn't deny.

["OK,"] he conceded. ["I'll...try to think on it some more."]

"Good. That...I mean, that's really all I'm suggesting."

["Actually, you're suggesting more than that, but...-"]

"Ugh." Katara pressed her palm to her forehead. She was coming across as rather forceful about all of this. "All right, I know. I apologize."

["Heh. It's OK. In a way...I rely on you to be a little pushy some times, Sis. A lot of the time, you know what you're talking about when it comes to all this...feelings and emotion and...girls."]

"Heehee."

["Speaking of...where's Aang?"]

"Hey!"

["Heh. I gotta say hi to the 'girls,' right?"]

"That's not funny," Katara whimpered out crankily. "Aang's very manly."

["Tssh. OK, yea. If you insist."]

"You know, Sokka, there's more ways of being manly than...whatever it is you're thinking about."

["Yea, yea. I'm just kidding."]

"You better be kidding. Did you forget the entire-"
["I am! He sorta saved you from a burning building!"]
"-time when he...Yes! OK! See? So...Don't be stupid."
["Just a joke."]
"It's not funny. I don't like it. You'd better not say stuff like that to him."
["Uh-kay, uh-kay."]
"I mean it."
["Got it. Yes, Ma'am."]

Katara laughed tiredly through her nostrils as she went toward her bedroom door, phone still up to her ear.

"And don't say anything stupid to Toph," she added in.

["I won't."]

"I'll hurt you."

["Right."]

"Don't test me."

["You are pretty grouchy lately."]

"Sokka..."

["OK! Man! Lighten up, Sis, come on..."]

Katara's stomach gurgled unpleasantly as she left her room. She could do with some food by now, having skipped breakfast. She traversed the hall and went down the stairs, where Aang and Toph were waiting in the living room. They were comically dressed, since Aang was in a button-down and slacks, having just come back from church with Katara; Toph's cow-lick from the day prior persisted, and her tanktop's shoulder strap was lazily drooping down her arm.

"All right, I'm going to give you to Aang," Katara announced, establishing eye contact with her boyfriend, who reached out his arm to accept the device.

"Sokka?"

Katara rolled her eyes at Toph, who was munching on an apple, picking wax from her ear with the other hand.

"Yea, it was all right," Aang answered Sokka. "It was really quiet. You weren't there, so...Heh...Yea, exactly...No, do it right now. Say something funny...Hahaha!"

"Urk!" yelped Toph as Katara tugged the girl's shirt upward, ensuring both shoulder straps were on shoulders, where they belonged, and no bra was showing. If she was going to be so lazy about how she dressed, Toph could stand to wear shirts and such that more properly covered her body. Urgh.

"There," said Katara primly. Aang laughed about whatever Sokka had just said.

"Uh, thanks?" Toph mumbled, confused. She set the half-eaten apple down carefully onto the coffee table in front of her.

"You were...kind of hanging out there a little," Katara whispered in her friend's ear beneath Aang's conversation. She gave Toph a pat on the back before wetting her fingers with saliva and trying to push down the girl's cow-lick.

"Oh," Toph laughed with a silly grin. "Agh, hey! What...-?!" She grimaced from Katara's hand pressing down on her head.

"Your hair, it's still messy," Katara sighed out. It seemed like a lost cause for the moment. "Nevermind. We'll worry about that later."

Katara made her way to the kitchen and set half a pot of coffee to brew while Aang's brief discussion with Sokka came to a close.

"Yea, I brought it, so we can play through that together some time...Yup...Sounds good. You want me to pass you over to Toph?" Aang glanced to his friend, who was wiping her waxy finger finger through a tissue. The girl seemed to flinch with worry at the prospect of speaking with Sokka. Aang gave her back a gentle and encouraging rub. "Sure," he said to Sokka. "Here she is."

Toph's teeth were clenched as Aang pressed the phone into her palm. She crumpled up her ear wax tissue and dropped it on the floor, slack-jawed. The two breathed into the phone for a second or two while Aang got up, cautiously pinching Toph's tissue and carrying it to the kitchen waste bin.

"Um..."
["...Hey."]

"'Sup?"

["Not much."]

"Yea..."

["Er...So, what's their deal?"]

"Huh?"

["I've been gone for like, one day, and it's like Katara and Aang are already losin' their marbles, eh? What's up with that?"]

"Fff." Toph tried to pass herself off as nonchalant. "I...don't know. They miss you or something. I don't care." Her cheeks burned up with embarrassment at her own stupid remark, and how bluntly untrue it was.

["Oh, thanks,"] Sokka came back sarcastically. ["That, uh...Yea. That really warms my heart,"] he said flatly. Toph hid her red face in her palm during the awkward silence that passed.

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

["Anyway, sounds like you're still sane despite my absence."]

"Meat-Head, I'm never sane," Toph joked, hoping to bypass her verbal misstep.

["Good point, Dead-Eyes."]

"It's what I get for hanging out with all you psychopaths."

["Can't argue with that one."]

More breathing into the phone from both sides.

["Uh...So, yea."]
"Yup."

["Guess I should...go."]

"Ermm...Yea, me, too."

["See ya in a few days."]

"...Yea."

["Happy Easter n' stuff."]

"You, too."

["Peace."]
"Later."

Toph awkwardly dangled the device up before her.

"Umm...Katara?"

"Oh." Katara was in the kitchen - probably snuggling with Aang or whatever - but her footsteps quickly approached, and she retrieved the phone. "Thanks." She cleared her throat. "Sokka?" She faded back to the kitchen. "Mm-mm...Yea, don't worry, we'll pick you up, just text me what time you're supposed to be showing up at the airport...Yup...OK. Well, I'm sorry, Bro...Yea, I know..." She sounded very sympathetic. It made Toph feel a little bad, since it meant Sokka was probably a little discouraged about something. Damnit, she should've been, like, trying to be supportive, or asking him how he was doing, things like that. Instead of telling him she didn't care, ugh. Stupid. "'Kay. See you soon. Love you."

"He's still a little nervous, isn't he?" Aang asked. "About the public speaking stuff, and the interview?"

"A little," Katara admitted. "He'll be fine." She smiled, glancing through the opening in the kitchen wall to the living room, where Toph was resuming her apple eating. "He just needs to be OK with putting himself out there - taking a chance."

Jane slowly trudged down the familiar steps. They were tall steps, and very narrow. The third one from the bottom squeaked loudly, flexing underneath her weight, just as it had for so long. She surveyed the living room. Desolate, drab, and kind of a mess. Cigarette smoke clung to the air, a foul reminder of her bad habit she had mostly managed to overcome. She pulled up her left leg, as it itched something fierce, and scratched at it irritably. Gragh. She pulled up her pantleg to double check it, and confirmed her own suspicions - it looked like a set of bug bites. Flea bites, from what she could gather. Good times. They were resilient bastards. Fuckin' eh, they didn't even have a dog, why...-? Ugh. Whatever. Clearly nothing was being done about them, and fleas were nasty little sons of bitches to get rid of. Jane was glad she wasn't going to be here long, and hoped she wouldn't be infested with the things when she left.

Her uncle was flopped back in his recliner, watching the television with a cigarette in his hand and a can of beer in his lap. He scratched at his mustache, his wary eyes glazed over as he took in the moving images being projected at him. He had barely noticed her presence since she'd arrived last night. Her cousins were scarce, as well, and despite being made aware of her impending visit, had yet to show up to see her.

Pretty fuckin' warm welcome. Yep. Just like old times, all right. Happy Easter.

Jane sighed to herself, not even caring to try and initiate contact with her uncle. She went to the kitchen, which was at least a bit cleaner than the living room. She opened the fridge, which was half empty. With some reluctance, she took a can of beer from the case she saw. There was literally nothing else to drink but nasty tap water. She'd go and get herself something else later.

She made her way back upstairs, prepared to continue her digging. She'd been sorting out old boxes and shelves all morning, things she'd pulled up from the basement - which, of course, was completely disgusting. If anything, she was hoping to salvage some of this stuff from rotting down there. She knew that somewhere here she would find the box she had her sights set on, though: some of her father's old possessions. A she recalled, it was mostly boring stuff, things that had never interested her as a child. But now, maybe she could find some answers, or at least form more of a retroactive connection. Upon graduating from college and moving off to live with Mary, his soon-to-be wife, some of Joel Fitzpatrick's belongings had been left with his parents, getting mixed in with his brother's things, only to end up here. As a kid, Jane had been made aware of this box after her father had passed away when her uncle had been going through his things.

She'd asked her uncle about this particular box that morning, and he'd passively dismissed it, citing that he had no clue where it could've gone off to, and that she'd have to rummage around to find herself. Which she would do, and screw him. He could go back to his...whatever that crap on TV had been. Some kind of History Channel something or other. She had a can of beer to drink and some family heirlooms to find.

Jane was getting distracted by all kinds of old family relics during her search, however. One box had been stuffed with elementary school trinkets, signed in chicken scratch with the name " E," the 'J' sometimes backwards. It wasn't until after the can of beer had been drained that Jane managed to find what she had sought out all morning. It was unlabeled, and the contents within had a film of dust over them. She choked a bit as she blew at the box, kicking dust all around. Agh, damnit, all in her eyes, and-...Gah, that had been a retarded idea.

The box contained some poster frames at the top. She pulled one out. It had cursive text laid out, with cheesy drawings of four-leaf clovers, gold coins, and beer mugs around its border.

{When we drink, we get drunk}
{When we get drunk, we fall asleep}
{When we fall asleep, we commit no sin}
{When we commit no sin, we go to heaven}
{So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!}

She couldn't help but smirk a little at this amusing find. She found a few more objects like this, with similar little phrases, mostly praising the virtues of alcohol. Jeez, her dad really liked embracing that part of his heritage, huh? The next layer down, she found a wooden slab, rustic and weathered. The paint was cracked all over, and it had a frayed length of twine attached to its back so it could be hung. Despite its condition, she could make out the words painted upon its surface. Green lettering printed on a white background:

{Always remember to forget}
{The troubles that passed away}
{But never forget to remember}
{The blessings that come each day}

She lingered over this piece for a minute or so, contemplating its philosophy. She grasped for her beer can and tipped it to her lips, though it was empty. She lamented its lack of liquid and placed it back on the floor. She wiped her sleeve across her nose, which had started running from all of the dust in the air.

Another layer down and she found some hardcover books - oh, snap. Yearbooks! Damnit all, these were his SRU yearbooks! Shit. Ha. Well, if she had any doubt before, this certainly had taken care of that. She'd have to take these back with her, or...something. Maybe just cut out of the pictures of her dad? Hm, come to think of it, what if her mother was in these somewhere, too? Had she attended SRU, as well? Jane had no clue. It was worth looking into later.

Wait, so, if this box had yearbooks, then...this all had to have to been Joel's college stuff, she decided. Things from his dorm room that he'd just left behind at his parent's house after he graduated and moved out. So all of these posters and stuff, he must've hung that stuff up in his dorm room, maybe? Jane pulled the yearbooks out of the box to set them aside. Something fell out from the covers of one of them.

Heh. Her curious eyes studied the pages of the magazine that had fallen out - a porno mag. Well, at least her old man had some good taste, she'd given him that. Damn, quite a rack on that hispanic chick. Hm, the asian one on the next page wasn't so bad, either. Jane was ironically drawn to the woman's face, pale and round, her eyes closed with an elegant but angry expression. Jane's mind inadvertently went to thoughts of Toph. Okay, well, this train of imagery had gotten very strange very quickly. Jane was rubbing a fingertip at her eyebrow at this point, both stimulated and disgruntled at once. She dropped the magazine to the floor beside the box and shook her aroused mind of such things, going back to her task.

Then she found it: an unexpected gem of a find. An ovular stone, cut cleanly. It was flat, almost like a large, oval-shaped coin of rock. But the stone was some kind of dark green marble, an intricate natural weave of pale and dark greens and grays. When she picked it up off of an old sheet of paper, its dry surface smooth but dusty, she realized that the bottom side had a divot carved into it. This gave the small rock a concave quality. She slid her thumb across the indent thoughtfully. What the heck was this?

She noticed the slip of paper it had been resting on, which had clovers printed on it around a poem of sorts. There was a bit of hand-writing at the top.

{To Joel}
{Happy Birthday}

Jane's eyes were starting to water up again, that heart-tugging sensation she'd experienced back at the library on campus worming its way in. She puffed out a trembling breath and read the printed text.

{Worry Stone}
{Rub this lucky little rock and read this poem if ever you start to worry.}

{Why Worry?}
{There are only two things to worry about:}
{Either you are well or you are sick.}
{If you are well, then there is nothing to worry about.}

{But if you are sick,}
{There are only two things to worry about:}
{Either you get well, or you die.}
{If you get well, there is nothing to worry about.}

{But if you die you have two things to worry about:}
{Either you will go to Heaven or Hell.}
{If you go to Heaven, there is nothing to worry about}
{But if you go to Hell...}

{You'll be so busy shaking hands with friends}
{You won't have time to worry.}

A watery-eyed grin spread across Jane's face when she read the last stanza. She giggled to herself, dabbing impending tears from her eyes with the sleeve on her wrist. She folded up the note and dropped it onto the cover of the yearbook that sat at the top of her stack. The 'worry stone' still in her other hand, she stared at it as if it were a mystical artifact from an ancient race. In a sense, it seemed it was: an artifact from her race. Her fingertips danced around its pleasant surface for a few moments. She proudly tucked it into her pant pocket, going back to her digging.

She sorted things out into two piles: one for things she would leave in the box and keep in this house for now, and the other for things she was going to take back to college with her - the yearbooks, some old photos, a couple of the proverb-type posters her dad seemed so fond of, some letters her mother had written to him...She had gleaned from said letters that Mary had not been a student with him, as the writings she'd found seemed to be inscribed through the context of him attending classes, and she residing elsewhere.

After she'd sorted the box's items and replaced what she wasn't going to take with her, she folded its cardboard top tightly and found a marker to write {JOEL} upon its surface. When she went through the yearbooks - there were only two, not a full set of four - she came upon something quite curious. A torn strip of loose-leaf was wedged between the final end page and back cover to the earlier year of the two. The strip had only a few words hand-written in fancy, cursive pen writing. Jane could immediately tell that the writing was not her father's - it was far too neat, he wrote much sloppier than this.

{White Lotus}
{"One who has eaten the fruit and tasted its mysteries."}
{ - Ursa}

White Lotus? That was the name of the school's newspaper, right? The one Jane's father had used to write for. But what did this mean? Why was it scribbled, all by itself, and stuck in this yearbook? What the fuck did it mean? What did eating fruit have anything to do with a newspaper? And what the hell was 'Ursa?' All Jane's mind could think of was, like...Ursula. That gross, flabby, octopus witch from that one Disney cartoon. Bleh. Ulgh, damn, that thing had been so disgusting, and creepy...Uh, but...Wait, yea. 'Ursa.' What was that?

Jane double checked the paper, and it seemed pretty clear - that was all that had been meant to be written on it. It seemed important for some reason. Something about all of this seemed like it was more than a coincidence. Jane impatiently tapped her index finger against the back cover of the yearbook, glaring at the scrap of writing as if it would answer her questions. She remembered Iroh's words from earlier.

"If you are truly that set on investigating this matter...you should look into the school newspaper for information. I believe if you look there, you are bound to find some answers..."

Wait. The school newspaper...Aw, damnit. Doy. The actual newspaper, the people writing it? Was that what the old coot had been meaning? What the fuck was with all the cryptic, vague bullshit? Why couldn't the guy have just said something? Well, one thing was for sure: Jane needed to ask someone else about this as soon as she got back on campus. Who did she know that might have any idea what this could mean?