31_days | [September 10] [Avatar: The Last Airbender] Freedom

Title: Freedom
Day/Theme: September 10/grow up and blow away
Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Character/Pairing: Toph, Zuko
Rating: G
Word Count: 341

In the Western Air Temple, Toph sat with her arms around her knees, finally able to "see" through her healed feet. Right now, her feet felt the vibrations of an approaching person.

"Hello Zuko," she said.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"Partly because you were going really slowly, like someone who is afraid he's going to get yelled at," Toph replied.

Zuko sat down next to her. "Well... are you going to yell at me?" he asked tentatively.

"No," she answered with a little smile.

"Good. Am I interrupting anything?"

"Not really, I was just thinking."

"About what?" Zuko asked.

"Well, when the war is over and we win, I'm going to have to face growing up. I never really thought about it before, but I'm going to be a "young lady" as my mother would say. And I might not be able to get away with all the stuff I do now."

"You'll still be a great Earthbender," said Zuko.

"Sure, but in my family it doesn't matter how great you are at bending, if you're a woman. You get to get married and have kids and that's about it," Toph said.
She wiggled her toes. "Going around everywhere with Aang and Katara and Sokka, I'm free. But after the war, Aang's going to have to go be the Avatar and I might have to go deal with my parents."

"And I might have to be Fire Lord," said Zuko.

"I guess that's not so easy either," said Toph.

"No. And there will definitely be a lot of people telling me what to do," he said.

"Well, you've already done some pretty hard stuff, including coming to us to try to help. So I think you can handle it."

Zuko nodded. "Well, if it helps any, I think you can handle it too. I don't know you very well yet, but I can't picture you being anything but free."

Toph grinned. "Maybe you do know me pretty well," she said, and then they sat in silence.