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Chicago: still crumbled, still broken. Expedition Katara skirted it without needing to consult.

They've found a quiet field, sloping gently down to the shores of the lake. It's dry enough to set up camp again, all of them thankful to be finally out of the cars.

Katara is sitting by the water's edge, watching movement in the water, quiet and thoughtful. She hasn't said more than two words to anyone since the encounter with the cannibals, since healing Mel.

Steph, as per usual, is anything but quiet, chattering to Hana about everything and nothing as they set up the fire in preparation for roasting whatever the hunters find. Loo still won't leave Mel's side and Hana is grumpy about it, but willing to be distracted.

There's lots to be done now that they've finally reached their goal.

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Katara says, resting her chin on her hands and frowning out at the lake.

A THIS IS YOUR MOTHER SPEAKING, TOPH! would probably not be out of place tacked on the end there. Wrong, but not out of place.

Define 'wrong'.

Toph, against all stubbornness and superiority complexes, breaks into a fond smile.

"I miss you, Katara."

Katara eyes her suspiciously, and then realises she's not mocking.
she protests, but it's mild, and she's grinning, too.

"But you're out there, as well," Toph points out. "And I can't see you when you're all ghostly. And I know you don't remember, but you and Sokka and Twinkletoes - you're the best friends I ever had."

Katara smiles.

Well, this is true. Still, it's nice to hear it from her.

"I don't think I'm strong enough to lose you again," Toph admits.

Katara promises, and sighs.

"When I~ find the body, you can," Toph admits. "We're the gettest Benders in the world. If we can't do this, no one can."

Katara confides.

She grimaces, to show what she thinks of this, and then remembers Toph is blind and adds

"That's what I was going to say."

Toph suddenly raises a hand. She's found something.

Katara perks up, hopeful and bright-eyed.

"Maybe," Toph says.

She stands, bringing her hands up to herself, then pushes a foot back along the ground. A few, strong movements and the ground starts to move beneath her feet, as she pulls something from deep in the lake.

Katara doesn't notice the ground moving through her, but she notices the lake and Toph's movements, and draws her hands up to chew on her nails anxiously.

Toph pauses long enough to lift a hand to stop Katara.

"Don't bother them until I have it clear. It might just be a rock."

Katara tries not to hop up and down with anxiety, watching the big dragonsnake things in the lake react to Toph's movements.

Toph doesn't even know there are dragon snake things. But my the time her mystery object is about ten metres away, she stops completely.

"It was a rock."

Katara sighs deeply, and slides back down to sit on the ground.

"Rocks aren't stupid," Toph argues. "Water is stupid."

Katara complains, stretching her arms out towards the lake and looking satisfied when the water ripples in response.

"Rocks are not just rocks," Toph argues. "There's glassy volcanic rock and grainy sand rocks, and squished up rock, and there's earth and metal and space rock. And I can bend it all."

So there.

Interested Katara is interested!

"Am not!"

Honestly, Katara!

Toph places her hand over the black band on her arm, and it melts off into her palm.

"Sokka gave it to me."

HER BROTHER IS NOT THAT COOL.

LIES. HE TOTALLY IS.

"It fell to Earth when we were in the Fire Nation. Sokka made a sword out of it and gave me the rest."

And it's awesome. In Toph's outstretched palm, it writhes like living tissue, jumping up into shapes: a sphere, a cube, a cartoon representation of Katara, complete with hair danglies.

OMG!

Katara is wide-eyed and amazed.