Chapter Text
I
Sokka moved out to Ember Island for tranquility and peace that was far away from most of his friends. He worked for a travelling construction company, specifically in the electricity department. It was him and a few other men, just trying to make sure everything was working and making electricity come into the houses. The pay provided him just enough to live comfortably by the beach, something that he had enjoyed his entire life.
His little cottage on the beach was full of trinkets that he had been picking up near the beach. Every night, he went out to the beaches and picked up trinkets that had been left before. There was a specific area protected by rocks, in the water and near the cliff, that had dozens of little items collecting in the sand. He had taken a few of the seashells and coins, finding them fascinating. They rested in his white windowsill, shining when the light hit them.
“Boys, I’ll let you all go early today,” His boss comes walking in from the hallway, “It feels like a thousand degrees and we don’t have air conditioning here. We still got three months to finish this and we’re nearly done. I’m proud of you boys.”
His co-workers let out a sigh of relief, all leaving to go back to their air conditioned homes in the city. Sokka didn’t mind the heat, but it certainly wasn’t his favorite. It was one of the many things that came with living on Ember Island--hot days and cool nights. Instead of going immediately home, he decided that if any day was going to be nice to swim, it was today. Stripping down to his boxers, he trekked in quickly, the ocean water being shockingly cool for how hot it was.
He was an excellent swimmer, he was so used to being surrounded by water. It was one of his favorite pastimes--to relax in the water and let the waves carry him. He swam around the cliff, being able to walk as well, the water wasn’t too deep very close to the cliff, but any further and Sokka would’ve had to swim. A shadow crossed by him quickly, making him turn around to look. It seemed like a fish, but no fish was that fast. He studied the water as it moved with the shadow and watched as it was hidden where the trinkets usually were.
He couldn’t move nearly as fast as the shadow could, but he was pumping his arms and legs to the best of his abilities. There was a woman there, with long inky black hair that drifted off into the water. Her arms were pale, despite the sun. She clinged to the rock, going through his area of trinkets he found.
“Hey, what are you doing?” He asked and she turned around instantly.
She was shocked and her hair was completely peeled back, allowing for the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen to be on display. They were certainly green, but they weren’t emerald green. They were glazed over, but she was looking right at him.
“...Why are you asking?” She returns the question.
“Because those are little trinkets behind you and I don’t want you stealing them, I think they’re very pretty.” Sokka shrugs, now standing in the water.
“...But, they’re mine.” She blinks, turning back around to her pile of trinkets and messing around with them.
“Yeah, sure,” He sarcastically speaks, “They’re just sitting there because they’re yours.”
“You’re the idiot who took my coins and seashells, aren’t you?!” She turns around, quickly. Her hair flung as she did so, and suddenly his stomach rolled over with guilt.
“Yeah, but I promise I’m taking care of them,” He backs away as she comes forward, swimming instead of walking, “I mean, I can always give them back--”
“--No, keep them, I have better ones.” She ends up in front of him, looking him up and down.
Sokka looks to the water and doesn’t spot her legs, but instead an emerald green tail.
“Why do you have a tail? Is it some costume?”
“Costume? No, lily-liver, I’m a mermaid.”
Silence passed between them for a moment. Her milky eyes are looking at him up and down as he stares at her in shock. His father used to tell him tales of mermaids, how they weren’t dangerous but it was sirens that he had to look out for. Sailors were targeted by sirens, trying to offset them from their mission, something that Sokka had feared… But… she didn’t seem dangerous. Her chest was bare, something that he found distracting, but he was respectable. She had seemed a little… aggressive, to say the least but he wasn’t horrified.
“So… what’s your name, miss mermaid?” He raises a brow.
“Toph. What’s yours?” She asks.
“Sokka. You have a pretty name.” Sokka smiles.
She smiles and he couldn’t tell if her face was pink from the sun or the compliment, either way, it was adorable. She swims around him, before coming back around. He could tell he was being studied, she probably didn’t get to see humans often, so he wasn’t upset. Sokka could understand studying something to understand it--he had to do that at work all the time.
“I should get back to my duties. Will I see you tomorrow?” She blinks, tilting her head.
“Sure, Toph.” He nods and she waves, before diving under and swimming away, like the shadow he once saw.