Tearing her eyes from Sokka, Ryoko looks down at the satchel he was drawn to. "It's pricey, but I really do like it," Sokka says, a hand to his chin in thought. Ryoko stifles a groan as she leans her forehead against Katara's shoulder. The only person who was worse when shopping than Sokka was Iroh. The thought of Iroh's many items bought over the years, most of which were unnecessary, brought on a feeling of dejection that she tried to push away by remembering where she was now. The humorous part of Ryoko realized how she was not slick in getting away from the draining activity, no matter who she in the company of.

"Please get the satchel," she shakily says from Katara's shoulder.

"You should get it. You deserve something nice," Katara tells him, letting Ryoko rest on her shoulder, though she realizes Ryoko did it in exasperation. She suppressed her loud laugh by covering her mouth, but her shoulders shook against Ryoko.

"I do, don't I?" Sokka sparkled at the thought, but then his body drooped. "But no. It's too expensive. I shouldn't."

"Alright, then don't." Katara pokes Ryoko's head gently and then walks off, leaving the fire bender to her brother's indecisiveness. Ryoko lifts her head and turns to Sokka, patting him on the back and pulling her friend away from the temptation. He nodded in agreement with her until he glances back at it for one moment.

Sokka turns back, dragging Ryoko with him. "You know what? I'm gonna get it," he states, seeming very pleased with himself.

"Yes, get it now," Ryoko encourages not wanting him to change his mind once more. Once he bought it from the vendor, he proudly held the green satchel out as Ryoko smiled at his gleaming. "Katara's right, you do deserve something nice," she tells him with an approving nod. He put the satchel on and the two began to look where Aang and Katara ventured off to.

As Ryoko spots them, she sees a man leaning in close to them, handing them a paper. It raised suspicion in her. After a certain amount of time traveling, most people who approached them caused this tension in Ryoko, and the feeling of protecting Aang grew inside her. Times, when someone would approach them, came to mind as the next moment they would either attack or plead for Aang to help them with some mundane task. Of course, Aang would help each time and each time Ryoko did not feel any relief until they were off again.

She and Sokka approached them as the man walked away. Ryoko stared at the man as he went off, changing her attention to the paper Aang held. Aang's eyes spark with interest. She scanned the paper realizing it was a coupon for an earthbending academy.

Ryoko raised her brow, glancing at Aang unsure. "I guess an academy could help you," she comments out loud.

Not far away, this Master Yu's earth bending academy was shown in gold writing, and outside, Katara, Sokka, and Ryoko sat beside the entrance waiting for Aang. Ryoko glanced inside every now and then trying to get any insight on how it was going for him. She was far more impatient than the siblings who waited. All Ryoko could think of was the possible outcome of this academy. As far as they knew, Aang had only experienced three of the elements and had yet to make any progress toward earth bending without a true master. Was desperation their only option at this point? A man who probably wanted payment for each lesson, was he meant to be Aang's teacher?

As if answering Ryoko's questions, Aang comes out of the academy in the student's clothing, along with others trailing out. "Eh, he's not the one," he tells them, still trying to get the earth out of his ears. Ryoko stands to help him out, patting the side of his head when Aang perks up at the nearby conversation.

"I think The Boulder is gonna win back the belt at Earth Rumble 6", one student with short rounded light brown hair says to the other.

"He's gonna have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to even get a shot at the champ," the other student says.

Aang goes to them after overhearing being his usual content self. The two friends turn back as he gets their attention. "Excuse me but where is this earthbending tournament exactly?"

"It's on the island of noneoya, none o' ya business," the student responds as his friend laughs. Ryoko rolls her eyes as she approaches Aang, Sokka and Katara close behind.

"They're jerks, we'll find our way there without them," she says crossing her arms while Sokka comments on the quality of the remark.

"I'll take care of this," Katara tells Aang, rushing towards the direction the two boys went. As they wait for Katara, Sokka squints at the bag, his face construing into one of judgment.

"What was I thinking? I don't need a new bag! Ryoko, why did you let me buy this?" Ryoko groans.

Katara comes back a few moments later with a victorious smile on her face. "You ready to find an earth bending teacher, because we're going to Earth Rumble 6."

"How did you get them to tell you?"

"Oh, a girl has her ways." Ryoko laughs, pulling Katara under her arm, the two girls then giggling to themselves as if hiding a joke only they knew. Ryoko had no doubt Katara handled the boys perfectly fine.

Arriving at Earth Rumble 6 in search of seats, they found one section entirely empty with a view of all the action. "Hey, front-row seats. I wonder why no one else is sitting here."

"As long as no rocks are thrown at me, I am quite alright with that," Ryoko exclaims, leaning back on the seats. Not a second later, a large boulder slams into the bleachers next to them. The dust settles and Ryoko takes a deep frustrated breath.

"I guess that's why," Sokka says patting Ryoko on the shoulder.

Among the cheering crowd in the middle of the ring, a man announces to the crowd, "Welcome to Earth Rumble 6. I am your host, Xin Fu."

"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?" Katara asks rhetorically, staring at her fingernails in disinterest over simple fighting for the sake of fighting.

"That's what I paid for, "Sokka replies much more excited.

Ryoko leans forward, perplexed by his interest, "I thought we paid to watch and find Aang an earth bending teacher?"

Sokka appeared in thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, that too." She chuckles and then leans back once again, trying to let herself enjoy a moment of plain fighting. Sure, there were other things she would probably enjoy more, but this was better than fighting for their own lives. Watching two people slam each other into the earth sounded like a sure way of forgetting real life for a moment.

"The rules are simple. Just knock the other guy out of the ring, and you win." Xin Fu jumps from the ring to the sideline. "Round one - The Boulder versus The Big Bad Hippo!"

The two opponents stood on each side sizing the other up. "Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain't bad. The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide."

"Hippo mad!"

The Boulder kicks up a large rock and launches it toward The Hippo, yet he is unaffected. As he chewed on the rock, Ryoko cringed. She could not see him as Aang's teacher. The Hippo starts rocking the ring between his two feet. "Unbelievable," the host announces, "ladies and gentlemen. The Hippo is rocking The Boulder." But as The Boulder is about to tip off the ring he brings a slab of the earth out below him to stop his hands and springs back up. The Boulder lifts the earth holding the Hippo up from the ring and tosses him off, ending the round. "The Boulder wins!"

Everyone leans forward from the stands in their observation. "How about The Boulder? He's got some good moves," Katara inquires.

Aang looked as unsure as Ryoko felt. "I don't know. Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the Earth. He's just listening to his big muscles."

"And it's just the first round," Ryoko mentions, "maybe someone will beat him. Someone better suited to teach you."

"Yeah, you're right. What do you think Sokka?" The three look away from the ring to see Sokka cheering louder than anyone else in the audience.

"Next match, the Boulder versus Fire Nation Man." A short, fat man came into the ring holding a fire nation flag. The crowd boos as he waves the flag around, an obvious joke at the fire nation. Sokka boos as well, standing from his seat. Ryoko shrinks in her seat, partially covering her face as a grimace makes its way onto her lips, the embarrassment rising up.

"Please do rise for fire nation national anthem." As he begins to sing, people boo again and throw rocks down at the ring. Sokka takes a rock as well, swinging it at him while yelling, "Go back to the fire nation!"

The Fire Nation Man sinks into the ground in a twist, then faces the Boulder, the culprit of his sinking. The Boulder rises on a tall rock pedestal. "No, no please." Despite the man's pleading, the Boulder leaps off, slamming onto the ring causing him to fly into the air in screams. He lands on the boulder by them. Sokka cheers again, his adoration for the fighter clear. Ryoko still was adamant about not trusting this person to be Aang's teacher.

"He's a great fighter," she whispers to Aang, "but that doesn't mean he is capable of teaching you." Aang nods in agreement and turns his attention back to the ring. He hoped for someone that not only Ryoko would approve of, but who felt like the right teacher. Someone Bumi made clear to him.

Round after round, the Boulder beat, destroyed, and crushed every challenger in various but still devastating ways. Ryoko found some amusement from Sokka becoming The Boulder's biggest fan and the fighting remained adequate. A part of Ryoko wondered if Aang would seriously consider this man as his teacher if he proved himself to win the entire thing.

"Now the moment you've all been waiting for - the Boulder versus your champion - the Blind Bandit!" The crowd erupts into cheers and chants of "bandit". In the ring, a short girl holds the champion's belt. Ryoko peered closer as did the others in curiosity. Compared to someone older and larger like The Boulder, the champion was not much older than any of them. And she was blind, surprising the four of them in the stands.

"She can't really be blind. It's just part of her character, right?" Katara asks, trying to get a closer look.

"I think she is."

"I think she is going down!", Sokka yells while holding Momo.

Ryoko laughs to herself. She only looks from the corner of her eyes as she tells him, "I'm rooting for the blind bandit."

"What?!" Ryoko shushes Sokka, using her hand to turn his wide-eyed, veiny face back to the ring. She stops laughing as they continue to watch the tension fueled fight.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young, blind girl."

The girl doesn't hesitate to bite back with a sly smile. "Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder." Ryoko laughs, covering her mouth. This girl was hilarious.

After a moment, The Boulder speaks. "The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you in a rock-alanche."

"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble." She lets out a menacing laugh causing Aang to freeze. He remembered the laugh, it only took him a second to remember where it came from when he realized it was the same as from the forest.

"It's on."

The audience was left in silence as they waited in anticipation for something to happen. Everyone was on the edge of their seats, seeing who would make the first move. Ryoko glances at Aang, seeing the almost disturbed look on his face.

"Aang? You okay?"

Before he could answer, The Boulder let out a yell, preparing to make his move. He picks up his foot, and as he is about to bend, she kicks the ring, a line of rocks making its way towards The Boulder. The man falls into a split, and while he's reacting to the quite painful movement, she shoots out pillars that hit him, slamming him out of the ring. It was over before it started, Ryoko noticed.

"Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!" She raises her fist in victory as the crowd cheers wildly. Sokka lets out a cry, while Ryoko cheers, partially because it was fun and because of how easily this girl beat the man who won against every competitor so far. There was a reason she was the champion, that Ryoko could tell.

"How did she do that?" Katara wonders out loud.

"She waited and listened," Aang answers, surprised himself.

The host, Xin Fu, jumps down to the ring. "To make things interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat The Blind Bandit." When no one dares make a move or says anything from the stands, he sounds shocked when he says, "What? No one dares to face her?" Ryoko did not get the chance to tell Aang whether or not his going into the ring to talk to her was a bad idea or for him to be careful as he already was on his way. She looks to Katara who has an unreadable expression, unusual for her.

"I will," Aang says, not a threatening tone in range when he comes up on the ring.

"Go Aang, avenge The Boulder!"

"He's not there for that, Sokka!" Ryoko chides, trying to pull him down.

"Do people really wanna see two little girls fighting out here?" The crowd erupts into soft sounds of excitement.

"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you."

"Boo! No talking!"

"Don't boo at him," Katara tells her brother as she slaps his arm.

Aang stepped forward, but she seemed to be able to tell. Her foot moves forward. As the earth reaches up from below, he only floats up, moving towards another spot on the ring. "Somebody's a little light on his feet," Toph comments. "What's your fighting name, the fancy dancer?" Aang smiles, leaving him vulnerable to getting thrust up by a large earth pillar. When he didn't land instantly on the ground, she asked, "Where'd you go?"

Aang lands behind her. "Please wait-"

"There you are." Toph brings a long boulder up, pushing it towards Aang, who twists in turn, to shove the boulder away. The blast of air knocks Toph off of the ring. It takes a second for everyone to comprehend the loss, blank stares and mouths ajar filling the crowd. Ryoko's mouth goes ajar as she looks between the siblings.

"Do- do we go down there with him?" Ryoko wonders as the crowd begins cheering, muffling her voice.

"I guess so," Katara answers. Entering the ring, Ryoko sees Aang's deflated figure return from where he just talked to the Blind Bandit. Sokka hugs Xin Fu, taking the belt and gold pieces from him. "Way to go, champ."

Aang only looked down, hiding his disappointment beneath the hat, but Ryoko could see how bothered he was. She could only mask the concern on her face with joy as Sokka shook her shoulders underneath his arm.

They left the arena and now were left with an unsettled feeling in the air that was unnoticed by Sokka. "Now I'm really glad I bought this bag," he says as he reaches down to his stomach, "it matches the belt perfectly."

"That is a big relief," Katara says to him as Ryoko pulls him along.

"If we want to find the blind bandit, the earthbending academy is a good place to start." Ryoko looks to the academy unsure of how much help it would be. As they entered the open courtyard, they saw the same boys from earlier who were not much help until Katara had certain ways of getting it out of them.

"Oh great, you again," one says. All it took was a glare from Katara to make them shiver in their spots and scream in fright. What Katara did to them, Ryoko didn't know, but it made her smirk as they started to calm down.

One recognizes Aang and perks up. "Hey, you're the kid who beat the blind bandit."

"We need to talk to her. Do you guys know where she lives?"

"The blind bandit's a mystery. She shows up to fight, then disappears."

"Let me handle this," Katara says, shoving her finger at the boy's chest. "You're not telling us everything."

"No, no. I swear it's true. No one knows where she goes or who she really is."

Aang realizes the mistake they made from the boys utter confusion. "That's because we're asking about the wrong person. In my vision, I saw a girl in a white dress with a pet flying boar. Know anybody like that?"

"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Bei Fong family. They're the richest people in town. Probably the whole world."

"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter."

"Like you two know everything," Ryoko mutters with a roll of her eyes.

"A flying boar is good enough for me. Let's check it out," Aang decides, leading the way out of the academy, Ryoko was hot on his heels.

"If she's apart of the Bei Fong family then there might be a reason The Blind Bandit is such a mystery," she states. Aang nods in agreement, his own thoughts of the girl from his vision clear as day in his mind.

The town was a decent size, filled with Earth Kingdom citizens going by their day to day. Along the edge of the town near the mountains was the Bei Fong estate, where two guards stood. The four spied from the edge of the forest, seeing the large flying boar above the large wooden doors.

"That's the flying boar from my vision. Come on."

Past the front entrance, Aang leaped over the tall stone fence, Sokka flopping over, where the two then help Katara and Ryoko have a more dignifying landing. It was all for naught as they made the way through the estate though. Leaning against one another, none noticed the earth burst up, launching them into the air into the bushes and the ground. Ryoko groaned, feeling the pain in her back. "I'm so tired of this," she mumbles.

"What are you doing here, twinkle toes?" A voice asks causing Ryoko to look away from the blue sky and towards the blind bandit herself who stood above Aang.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Don't answer to twinkle toes. It's not manly."

"You're the one whose bag matches his belt," Katara hits Sokka with the rebuttal.

"How did you find me?"

As he floats up into the air, Aang answers, "Well, a crazy king told me I had to find the earth bender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp, and -"

Katara ends his convoluted answer with her own  clear explanation"What Aang is trying to say is he's the avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon, we won't be able to defeat the fire lord."

"Not my problem," Toph says without a second to waste.

Ryoko approached her, eyeing her up as the girl was so much different from how she presented herself in the ring. "It will be your problem eventually. When the fire lord decides to move further into the Earth Kingdom." She stated it curtly, hoping to reach some part of her even if she did not know her well. Aang, Katara and Sokka knew the danger that lay ahead, but hearing it come from her lips like that sent shivers down their spines and filled them with uncertainty.

She was met with silence but then Toph waves off the concerns. "Get out of here or I'll call the guards."

"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach earthbending," Sokka tries intervening as well.

"Guards! Guards, help!" Her outburst alerts the guards and the four rush into the bushes to hide from the earthbenders. The guards could not tell the intruders in the gardens were just a mere distance away. Ryoko shakes her head, frustrated with their failure.

"Toph, what happened?" One of the guards questions her.

"I thought I heard someone. I got scared." Ryoko held back a scoff of disbelief. Toph was an excellent actress, able to switch in an instant. Ryoko knew she must have had the practice.

"You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph."

Their footsteps reside and Ryoko releases a sharp exhale. "Why don't we take the direct approach? A man like this would love to host the avatar in his home."

It took no argument from the others. Approaching the doors, the guards blocked the middle and glowered at them, but once they revealed the avatar wished to see the Bei Fong family, they were let in. Ryoko and Aang share a smirk of triumph while they were let into the dining room. She sat next to him, facing Toph's mother. Toph sat across from Aang, perfect for their mission.

Servants bring in food and place them down in front of everyone.

"Blow on it. It's too hot for her," Toph's father orders the servant standing behind Toph.

"Allow me." Aang lifts his hand, swiping through the air that bring a brush of wind to the broth.

"Oh my." Toph's mother was impressed and smiled showing such. "Avatar Aang it's an honor to have you visit us." Her kind eyes leave Aang and they flicker with apprehension at Ryoko. Ryoko knew, she could dress as much of a person from the Earth Kingdom as she wants but she'd never run from herself. No one seemed to notice the looks Ryoko received. Not that it bothered her too much. She was used to associating with people that hid all their true feelings, keeping themselves seen on the surface as rich and perfect.

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao wonders.

"I'd like to defeat the fire lord by the end of the summer but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first." Aang stares at Toph the entire time but Lao takes no notice of it.

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land. He's been teaching Toph since she was little." Ryoko perks up as well as Aang.

"Then she must be a great earth bender, probably good enough to teach someone else. Ow!" Ryoko whips her head, glancing down seeing a piece of rock shoved towards Aang's chair. She stifles a chuckle as she sees Toph innocent eat.

"Toph is still learning the basics."

"That's been a while then. Has she struggled all this time?" Ryoko then asks, ignoring Toph's slight widen of her eyes and the discomfort from Master Yu. She takes a bite of the food in front of her, sitting straight and mannerly, keeping an intense eye contact that made Master Yu look down at his plate, sweat dripping from his brow.

Lao decides to answer for Master Yu. "Sadly, because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." Ryoko lifts a brow, looks of disbelief passed between the group. Ryoko knew all too well.

"Oh, I'm sure she's better than you think she is," Aang says before Ryoko could interrupt and another force of the earth pulls Aang forward into his dish.

"The food is delicious," Ryoko compliments distracting the others and herself before Aang lets out a purposeful sneeze that sends the food flying into the faces of Toph, Poppy and Master Yu. Ryoko covers her mouth, biting her tongue.

Toph slams her hands against the table, raising her voice. "What's your problem?!"

"What's your problem?!" Aang echoes.

Poppy puts her hands together, ever the hostess. "Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert, then?"

Ryoko was the only one to reply. "That sounds lovely."

The Bei Fong family was gracious enough to allow them to stay in their home for the night and while they set up their things inside, Ryoko roamed the halls, once again feeling like home was so close yet so out of reach. The blind bandit, Toph, Ryoko reminded herself, was just a young girl like herself. She reminded Ryoko so much of her days in the fire nation trying to find herself and her destiny. Days left alone by her father were filled with bending secretly and practicing sword fighting when Ryoko felt she was not prepared for what she truly was, back when she did not want to think about Fang's memories. Back then, her connection to Fang was an infliction, now it seemed to be a part of her that was always meant to be there. A small smile reaches her lips as she thinks over the years before joining Zuko in his banishment. She was a different person then, she thought.

"What are you doing around here?" Toph's voice rings in Ryoko's ears making the fire bender turn around.

Ryoko's mouth stays open, yet words are hard to come out. "Uh, sorry, I got a little lost," Ryoko finally states rubbing the back of her neck, lying through her teeth. She couldn't admit that she was looking for her, it would sound ridiculous and like she was hoping to advocate for Aang, which was not the case. At least not the entirety. She lets out a nervous laugh as Toph walks past her. Lying still wasn't her strong suit, Ryoko would admit.

"That's not it, but whatever." Ryoko catches up to Toph as they continue walking around the halls that are deserted. Toph scoffs as the older girl still strays.

Looking down at Toph, Ryoko wondered, "How did you know that by the way?"

Toph ignored her question as they walked. There was no destination, just aimless wandering. Toph would not admit that she felt Ryoko walking around and was simply curious as to why she was alone. "Why are you really walking around here?" The guards who were always ready to protect Toph and her parents were now nowhere to be seen. Ryoko notices this yet they walk in silence.

It was easier to admit the truth now that she was able to speak with her. "I was looking for you."

"Look if you're here to talk for twinkle toes, forget it-"

Ryoko cuts Toph off, surprising her. "I actually just wanted to talk. I wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier. I know what it's like to not be able to be yourself." She pauses for a moment, testing the waters for how Toph would react. When she didn't say anything and did not leave in the opposite direction, she resumed. "It's hard and the people who should be most supportive wind up being the ones who block you from your fate." Ryoko hoped to earn any reaction from her. To impact her memory. Ryoko remembered her own acts of defiance in the past.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, "

"You can't really say that when we saw exactly who you are and then met who your parents believe you to be. I mean you can continue to lie to yourself. I'm sure Master Yu is a great teacher. You'll get the basics eventually." Toph glared in front of her as the two did not stop their walk. "Or-"

"Or what?" Ryoko could sense it. She had her.

"Or you can accept your destiny."

"Now you're just talking like twinkle toes!" Ryoko stops her laugh when a guard walks by, not realizing the conversation was taking place not too far from him. After he is out of sight and out of range, Toph lets out a breath, showing her frustration.

"You know," Ryoko starts, "my father used to be the same way." Toph did not acknowledge this and continued staring ahead. "He would call me fragile and weak. Say that I could not uphold our family's legacy. He did it so I wouldn't recognize how strong I really was, because, in truth, he was scared of me, of what I am. And I think your family, while probably for different reasons, are also afraid of letting you show your true potential. You're Toph Beifong to them, their little blind daughter. You will never be the earth bender you want to be if you allow them to control you. Just keep that in mind."

"Just because you weren't allowed to bend, doesn't mean we're the same."

"Okay maybe we're not." There still remained a hopeful tone in Ryoko's voice that made Toph confused. "I used to find ways to bend and sword fight without my father knowing. I think if he knew then, things would be much different." Ryoko chuckles to herself, recalling the bittersweet feeling of going behind Zhao's back and learning the art of sword fighting. It was her relieving secret as Zhao grew more brutal and neglectful. Zhao's words were not so sharp when she knew the impact of a blade. "I'm guessing you becoming the blind bandit is kind of similar." Silence is what she was met with, but it didn't deter her. "Look, I'm not going to act like I know you. Or that I know what is best for you. I'm not saying this to make you talk to Aang or to force you into something you don't want. I'm just saying that if you let your parents and teacher hold you back from your real self, you might just regret it in the future. And just maybe, you're a little lonely cooped up behind these walls."

Ryoko did not notice but they had gotten closer to her room as they spoke. "When I became the blind bandit, I didn't have to be Toph Bei Fong," she says suddenly. Ryoko stops in her tracks. "People treated me like how I wanted to be treated."

"Like you were worthy? Strong?"  Toph nods. Ryoko smiles and rubs her shoulder. There was a silent understanding between them. Without words, they both knew how the other felt to be ridiculed with even the best intentions, and looking at the same sky to wonder what was wrong with them. Toph didn't move away and when Ryoko stops, Toph punches her arm, making Ryoko let out a little surprised, "Ow!" Toph laughs, and somehow that was more shocking to her.

"Go to sleep," Toph tells her.

Ryoko approaches their room and looks back at where she left Toph, seeing the empty corridor now. She didn't know what would come of her words to Toph but at least she was able to say something. She opens the door, the creaking just enough to catch everyone's attention.

"Where did you go?" Katara asks.

"Oh, just on a walk. I wanted to clear my head," Ryoko answers, unknowingly being heard by Toph. Toph considered the possibility that Ryoko really was just trying to talk to her. Not get anything out of her or from her. Maybe others do want what is best for her, and what is best is not staying in the house pretending to be the demure daughter. It made Toph grin to herself. She approaches the large room and leans against the doorframe. Ryoko, startled by the noise, turns around seeing Toph make her presence known. It brought a smile to her face that she quickly tried to hide.

Aang notices her approach as well, instantly on the defense that made Ryoko chuckle and walk off to sit on the couch with Dokka and Katara.

"Relax." Toph could tell where Ryoko went and sighed lightly, not strong enough to be noticed. "Look, I'm sorry about dinner. Let's call it a truce, okay?" She backs up and then waves to Aang. "Come on."

After Aang leaves the room, Ryoko remains content, staring up at the ceiling, hoping she did right by what she said.

—-
A/N: so I realized I never updated and published this chapter when I thought I did, so here it is now! Thanks for reading. Ryoko is so tired of the earth beating her up lol