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Steph is in the barn, sneakily going over her bike and wondering when Sokka will work out she's putting the occasional rock in the engine just to make him frustrated.

Boys are fun to tease.

So; short blonde in jeans and tank top, greasy to the elbows, half buried under her bike.

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"Oh, they don't," Steph says, beaming up at the newcomer and sliding out from under the bike. "But Sokka needs something to worry about. Hi!"

Woo hoo excuse.

"Hi," Ai-Lin says brightly. "You must be Steph."

Steph laughs. "You've met my Sokka." She beams, because she has a Sokka. "That's me! And you're new to the farm?"

"Sorta visiting," Ai-Ling says. "I followed my husband here, but Sokka says he hasn't seen him in a while."

"Who's your husband?" Steph sits up, wiping off her hands before getting to her feet. "I bet Babs could have a look for him, if he's not here any more."

"Miki," Ai-Ling replies, crouching down to be the same height as Steph. "He's Water Tribe as well, but taller than Sokka."

"Oooh, him! I liked him." Steph beams at her. "Water Tribe boys are awesome. Especially if they're Sokka."

She offers the rag to Ai-Ling, then realises there's no need and chucks it back under the bike instead, finishing the wiping-of-hands on her jeans.

"But he seemed really sweet. You guys are from way in Sokka's future, right? It must be super weird getting to meet him here. Weird but awesome."

SMIRKY SMIRK Ai-Ling ships Sokka/Steph SO HARD.

"About nineteen years?" Ai-Ling guesses. "I was born just after the war, so that's about right."

Steph ships Sokka/Steph pretty hard too, so that's OK.

"Wow," she says, beaming. "Is he really cute old? As cute as he is young?"

Only - shit, Ai-Ling realises, it's not 19 years in Sokka's future, but the future of Sokka's world. This is all confusing.

"I guess?" Ai-Ling hazards. "I mean - he's old."

Also, father-in-law. Ick.

Steph grins, a little dopily.

Change of topic before she bores the new girl to death.

"So -- I think Miki told us what your name was, but I've forgotten."

"Ai-Ling," says she. "I'm from the Earth Kingdom."

Because obviously Steph can tell she doesn't have a Water Tribe name.

"Cool!"

Steph is easily excited.

"That's right, Miki said something about you being Earth Kingdom. Oh man, I can't believe he's already gone. What a dork. I bet he's really impatient to find you and hasn't figured out to stay in one place."

BOYS ARE SILLY.

Ai-Ling nods solemnly. "He's really not that bright," she says. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him."

"Maybe you can train him," Steph suggests. "With a rolled-up newspaper and a wooden stick." She giggles.

Ai-Ling giggles, then laughs louder.

It's funny because that's so Steph!

Steph laughs because Ai-Ling is and she likes Ai-Ling.

"Oooh, ooh, hey, you absolutely have got to try some stuff while you're here. Chocolate, most of all. Sokka says your world doesn't have it and that's just cruel."

KITCHEN THIS WAY!

OKAY!

Ai-Ling gets up quickly and fo0llows Steph, hand on her hilt automatically.

"What's chocolate?"

"Chocolate is less delicious than fresh mangoes," Steph tells her, "and way more delicious than any other prepackaged food in the whole world." She grins, indicating some mangoes on the bench, thanks to Lucy. "Those are mangoes. They're next."

Ai-Ling pokes a mango.

"They look like orangemelons," she says.

"What's an orangemelon?"

"Fruit from our world." Ai-Ling pokes it agan, then brandishes her eating-knife. "You cut into it and eat the inside."

"Cool," Steph says, grinning. "Mangoes are a bit similar. The skin's kind of poisonous, so you don't eat that, but the inside's delicious. You cut it open and then kinda turn it inside out, here..."

Chocolate is forgotten for demonstrating how to eat mangoes. Mangoes are AWESOME. And sticky. And also, smell brilliant, and in short order attract sleepy toddlers who should be napping.

Loo toddles up to the kitchen door with her thumb in her mouth and blinks at Suffie and the stranger. "Me?" she asks, eagerly. "Me, Suffie?"

Toddler! Ai-Ling smirks down at her with a sticky mango mouth.

"Hey there."

"'lo," Loo says shyly, peeking up at Steph to make sure she's allowed to play with this person. "Suffie, meeee!"

Steph laughs and scoops her up to sit her on the table, bringing the bowl of sticky mango chunks over. "Okay, Loo-loo. Just one at a time, kay? Let's see if you can do that. Heeere you go! Where's your sister?"

"Tiny'nappin'," Loo informs her, through a mouthful of mango. "I have hers!"

"No, we save some for Tiny," Steph says, kissing her head. "Ai-Ling, this is Loo."

Loo grins messily at Ai-Ling. "Hiiii."