savedtheworld | Book 11: Memories Down the Stream [Voice/Action]

[By now, it almost seems like a way of Luceti - that whenever good news happens, it will be followed by bad before long. Just yesterday, Katara had come back to the house. As herself. But today? The house woke up to a different empty room. Toph's.

It seemed like so soon since she had given him his last metalebending lesson. He still had so much to learn. And he still remembered so clearly when she showed up, tunneling from the earth like the little badger mole she was. Her original presence in Luceti may have precluded his, but when she came back, she was from the same time as him. He know that aside from missing one of his best friends, he'd miss being able to relate to one of the few people from that time.

But in a way, Aang knew this could be for the best. He remembered how she had worried about her life, with everything the future had shown to them. The short time that her daughter was around. How Toph feared the possibility of having to live her life in Luceti without ever returning home, that she might not become the person she thought she was supposed to be. But now she didn't have to worry about that anymore. She could live that life for herself. And hopefully, she'd find peace and happiness in that life. They could all still be friends there, too, in that lifetime.

Aang spends a little time wallowing in his grief, first. After all, he misses her already. Then he remembers one of the first things she told him when arriving. "Missed me? After only a month? Come on, don't get sappy!" With a faint smile, he nodded before he rose to do what he had to do. Toph had put her hopes in him.

And he soon addressed the journals.]

Hi everyone. This is Aang. You should know that Toph Beifong is... She's gone back home. I guess our world can only go so long without its greatest Earthbender around. She left some letters to hand out, but everyone who knew her should know... She cared about you a lot more than she says. Even her punches had friendship in them.

[He grabbed the letters that she had left behind, knowing all too well what they all said. After all, he was the one who had to transcribe them for her.

And so, Aang starts to play the distribution game. He first gives out letters to those around the house. If there were any who did not find about Toph's absence at the same time as him, then he would give them the letter and the news prior to the journal announcement. Then, he seeks out Suki, Ion, Fenimore, Shikamaru, Masaomi and Saori to deliver their letters. If there's any he can't find, he'll leave the letter at the door of their house. Or in their mailbox. Do we have mailboxes?

He tries to go about his normal daily activities afterwards, showing few signs of anything wrong. Places to frequent include the Welcome Center, library, tea shop and item shop. And in the evening, after dinner, he takes some of the remaining metal sheets lying around the house out to the forest to do some metalbending practice on his own. Still, every time he messed up, he could almost feel the punches.]

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[He stares at it enough to read it once -- then twice -- and then quietly folds it up and places it back in the envelope.]

[But he doesn't set it back on the table, instead holding the envelope close to his chest.]

...were you the one who helped her write these?

[He tries not to look at him too much. Having helped to write them, he's afraid of having intruded on something personal. But he has to fess up. He responds simply.]

I am. And I'm sorry that I know, but... she was earnest about every word.

I'm sure she was.

[Even knowing that she'd forget everything about him and this place upon returning to her world... he still believes her words when she says she'll never forget.]

...thank you, Aang. I... know this must be difficult for you as well.

It is. [He admitted freely. It was only fair.] I'd grown so used to her being here. She was teaching me so much, and she could always make me feel stronger or make me laugh when I wasn't feeling like either. I - I miss her already, Ion.

[Aang may feel helping Ion takes priority over his own feelings, but for someone like Ion, focusing on helping someone else is easier to deal with, rather than confronting his own pain upfront.]

[Perhaps in this way, they can be a comfort to each other.]

...I wish I could tell you it gets easier over time, but I know that isn't always the case. Nor is it something most people want to hear when they're upset.

But... I feel as though that's the reason Toph set out to have these written. I'm sure she knew how much it hurts to have someone close to you sent home... even knowing, in the grand scheme of things, it's often better not to be here. She must have wanted to leave something that could bring us comfort, knowing she wouldn't be here to do so herself.

[In a way, the words didn't matter even half as much as the fact that the letters existed at all -- it was symbol of how much Toph really cared about them.]

[He gives a light smile, remembering what Toph's letter to him had said. That she still believes in him, after everything.]

I think you're right, Ion. These letters... They're the best she could do to assure us that she's here for us, even when she's not. She's smart like that. After all, she figured out all kinds of ways to communicate and see and do things even though she couldn't see. So she found a way to leave us with reminders that she cares. I didn't think of that too much when I was writing the letters down for her. I was too busy trying to convince myself that this wasn't something I'd have to worry about... that we'd all go home together.

If I'd thought, then... of what you're telling me now... I wish I would have. Then I would have thanked her for that while I still could.

...I'm sure she would have denied it and punched you in the arm even if you had.

[It's painful, but he can't help but smile a little fondly at that. That was how Toph was -- her actions spoke for when she didn't want to put her feelings into words. It was just as Aang had said before -- even her punches had friendship in them.]

[He finds himself smiling nostalgically as well. As opposed as he was to blunt violence... it was something he'd grown accustomed to from Toph. A constant reminder of how tough a friend she had, and that despite that she cared for them.]

You're right, Ion. And it would hurt. But at least she'd hear it. And I'd know for sure, that time, that she's denying it.

Book 11: Memories Down the Stream [Voice/Action]

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