THE OTHER AIRBENDER (Book 2)

(XIX) Air

Being stuck in Ba Sing Se has been the single most frustrating thing I've ever gone through. All I want is to leave this place for good, but as long as we don't find Appa, that's out of the question. Clearly, we have to forget about asking the Earth Kingdom's help with any potential invasions, as they refuse to even acknowledge that there's a war going on outside the city's walls.

"Alya... You need to stop worrying. I'm seriously starting to get concerned," Katara says, noticing the thoughtful frown on my face.

"Did you even sleep last night?" Toph questions. "I heard you pacing around all night. Not even pacing quietly."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," I reply with a sigh.

"How about you get cleaned up and we go for a walk around the city? That'll cheer you up," Katara suggests with a smile. "There's not much we can do right now by worrying."

"I don't know..."

"Come on! It's just what we need: a girl's day out!"

"Does that include me?" Toph groans in complaint.

"It'll be fun!" Katara insists. "Besides, the more active Alya is, the better she'll sleep tonight. Weren't you complaining that she woke you up?"

"Good point."

***

Of all the places we could've gone to, I never expected for Katara to choose to visit a spa. Maybe it has something to do with her wanting me to relax, but it probably also has to do with Toph's stinky smell.

Just because she's an earthbender doesn't mean she has to stink like actual dirt, you know.

"The Fancy Lady Day Spa? Sounds like my kind of place," Toph says sarcastically.

"Are you ready for some serious pampering?" Katara asks excitedly.

"Sure, Katara, whatever you say. As long as they don't touch my feet," Toph sighs heavily. "The things I do for you idiots."

The first thing we do in there is get our feet scrubbed and properly trimmed. I have to admit, it isn't so bad. Maybe Katara's right: the only thing I needed to feel better is to take care of myself. However, it takes three people to hold Toph down on the chair so that she can get her feet done. I've never seen someone struggle so much with not murdering someone else for scrubbing their feet.

The next activity is a mud bath. This I don't particularly enjoy, but Katara insists that it's great for the skin. Toph, on the other hand, is the first of us to jump into the bath. She's clearly back in her element. We have a few laughs together, especially after Toph kind of scares a lady away by bending her mud mask into a weird face.

Finally, we go to the sauna, where I truly allow myself to relax, at least for a little while. Honestly, I don't know if it's the spa itself or the fact that neither Aang nor Sokka are here creating chaos, but I do feel better. It's pretty much the first time us girls hang out without any of the boys, and it feels very nice.

We leave the spa with amazing makeup looks, and smelling great. Honestly, I'm more impressed with how relaxed Toph looks, even for someone reluctant to go there in the first place.

"Well, that wasn't so bad. I'm not usually into that stuff but I actually feel... girly," Toph admits, sighing calmly.

"You should! I mean... We're girls, right?" I reply with a smile. "It's only natural we feel girly."

"Agreed. It's about time we did something fun together. All the three of us usually do is bicker with each other," Katara adds with a smile.