Path Ahead

Expectations

Sokka sat on the flat roof of the palace at Ba Sing Se, searching the sky and waiting. He had spent several hours after the battle helping to separate friend from foe and finding places and food for both. If all went as planned, they'd eventually send the Fire Nation prisoners home for Zuko to deal with. As for the Dai Li...well, that was an Earth Kingdom matter that would have to be addressed by the king and any city officials who might still be here.

Finally, Sokka had managed to get a meal for himself. Now he watched the sky and waited while the others rested below. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew the fate of his sister and the young Avatar they'd both come to love.

In addition, he'd recognized the need to distance himself from Suki for a little while. As physical as their relationship had quickly become, there was still a line or two they had yet to cross, and he felt honor-bound to keep it that way for now. The brief moment they'd snatched after the battle, however, had convinced him that he would not be likely to obey his sense of honor for long if they remained together, and he had the distinct feeling that she would not object. For the moment, therefore, it was better for him to be here and collect his thoughts.

Although Sokka admired the view, the city looked odd with most of the walls down. He hoped that at least the outer walls could be rebuilt soon. They were needed for defense, as recent history had shown. He wouldn't have minded, though, if some of the inner barriers were taken down. He'd never liked the separations that the city planners had made based on class, wealth, or whatever else they'd decided should keep people apart.

Still, he could see the reason the palace had been built here, on high ground with the lesser buildings stretching in ever-increasing circles around it. This kept the king and his household separated from the gritty details of daily life. From up here, you couldn't see the ragged refugees or smell the garbage in the alleys. More important to Sokka today, you couldn't see the bodies of the fallen or hear the moans of the wounded and the keening of grieving families.

He and his friends had managed to escape any real injuries, but the untrained farmers and shopkeepers of the city hadn't been so lucky. Without any waterbenders trained in healing, the local healers were doing as much as they could. Hopefully, Katara would be able to help when she arrived, although she was likely to be very tired.

A noise behind Sokka made him startle, but he relaxed when he realized who it was. Being who she was, though, she noticed his jumpiness.

"You can calm down, now; the war's over," Toph reminded him sardonically as she came to sit beside him. She stayed well away from the edges, which was understandable.

"Is it?" he returned. "We won't really know that until we find out what happened with Aang and Azula."

"I'm sure Twinkle-toes won," said Toph. "We prepared him as well as we could."

"I'd still feel better knowing."

"Why do you like it up here?" the small earthbender changed the subject after a brief pause.

"The view," he said without thinking. He quickly apologized. "Sorry." Toph shrugged one shoulder unconcernedly.

"It's okay," she replied. "I thought it might be something like that."

"This is also the place where I can see Appa coming first," Sokka added. Toph nodded, gazing blankly straight ahead.

"Do you think Zuko's okay?" she almost whispered.