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Toph didn't go into the pizza party. Partly because she doesn't know what a pizza is, partly because the linoleum on the kitchen floor makes everything annoyingly out of focus, but mostly because she wanted to be on her own. It seems she wants to do that a lot these days.

She surveyed the bunker: fixed some structural damage, reinforced it, expanded a little. But then she ends up crouched on the edge, toes curling against the rock, head bowed.

She could be accused of staring into space, except she doesn't really stare anywhere.

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"I have no idea," Steph points out, rolling her head to look over at the other girl. "One with a reason to have a grudge against Firebenders and the power to build a dorm out of the dirt?"

Even if she's not too clear on what exactly that reason is. Sokka -- her-Sokka -- doesn't talk much beyond 'Zuko and I were enemies at home but not here' and the other Sokka didn't really get into the subject with her in their handful of brief conversations besides mentioning that there was a war he needed to get back to.

"What are you going to do?"

"Yeah, but Idon't go around hurting innocent babies," Toph objects. "That's what the Fire Nation would do."

Thus. Firebenders bad. Earthbenders good.

"How'd Sokka end up as their uncle, anyway?"

Steph is about to object, but then shrugs. She doesn't know what Fire Nation people would do, apart from sit on their rooftops and sulk for a year.

"Adopted," she explains, relaxing a bit. "He and Mel went through a whole lotta shit together and wound up family."

"Huh."

What? Toph knows Steph's telling the truth, and Sokka hates Fire Nation more than Toph, so he's have to have a reason.

"What kind of name is Mel anyway? It doesn't sound Fire Nation."

"It's not. They met in a totally different world. Mel's home's more like mine, I think, but, like, years in the future. They have flying cars. Sokka -- my one -- he totally got to drive one on the way to Gotham, way awesome."

Steph isn't entirely subtle about attempting to change the subject, no.

Toph shudders.

"I hate flying. Trust Sokka to invent new ways of doing it."

She says it fondly though. Sokka is Sokka is awesome.

It is very true. Steph laughs. "He didn't invent that one, but he was better than me at the driving. I would've been good if I had practice. Totally."

Edited 2008-02-27 12:40 (UTC)

Toph shudders again.

"At least metal's got to be better than flying by bison."

"Flying is awesome! How come you don't like it?"

Leaning back on her hands, Toph wriggles her dirty toes into the air in front of the bunker.

"Can't see anything if I'm not on the ground."

"So you see ... like, through the dirt?" That sort of makes sense. Steph had been wondering if it was some kind of ESP thing.

Toph nods. "That's why Earthbending is the best bending ever."

"It does sound pretty cool," Steph admits. "I dunno, I think the girls are kinda awesome too, though."

"They aren't being brought up in the Fire Nation," says Toph. "Maybe they'll be OK."

"They will definitely be more than okay," Steph insists. "They're the best kids in the history of ever. Apart from setting people on fire sometimes, but that doesn't even count."

"Probably better when they don't set people on fire ever."

"Hey, it was once, and she's one." Steph grimaces. "His hair got up her nose and she sneezed. Raising Firebenders is risky."

Toph shrugs. She doesn't know.

"So they're Sokka's neices? Was he there whan they were born?"

Steph is apparently reassured by Toph's shrug that she's not about to go take revenge on babies, judging by the way she sprawls a little more comfortably on the sun-warmed roof.

"The way he tells it, he pretty much caught them when they popped out," she says, and grins fondly. "The way Mel tells it, he fainted."

"Ha!" Toph barks out a laugh. "Some things are always the same."

"Really?" Steph looks fascinated by this. "Same in your world, he really did?"

Toph nods.

"Fainted like a little girl."

Steph considers this for a moment.

"But yours is way younger than mine, right? So it was definitely more embarrassing for mine?"

It's important to get the details right.

"Yeah," Toph admits. "I guess. How old are the girls?"

"Nearly one and a half, I think."