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The Importance of Food

Zuko yawned before he contributed his suggestion, "How about we bust the door down?"

Toph grinned widely as she jumped off the couch, "You have learnt well young grasshopper."

"NO!" Katara yelled, "It seems like an expensive door."

"Well you didn't mind when we tore a hole in the beautiful house in Ba Sing Se," Toph retorted, falling back upon the couch in dismay.

"That was just you Toph," Katara reminded her.

Toph thought for a moment and then nodded happily, "Oh right."

"Katara it doesn't matter," said Zuko, "I have people who would fix the door."

She shook her head, "According to the schematics of the palace you gave to Sokka, if you accidentally break down the structure of any rooms on this side of this floor you can send the whole palace down."

Toph licked her lips and sighed, "Alright then, no door destruction."

Aang then nodded slowly, "Fine, how about I contact the spirits, maybe they'll know what to do."

Zuko scoffed, "And what are you going to ask them? Hey Spirits, I'm stuck in a room with a locked door, what should I do?" How can my Avatar powers help me to overcome this obstacle? GIVE ME ALL YOUR WISDOM OF THE AGES!" He ended with a mocking look.

The room resounded with laughs until Toph managed to choke out, "Hey Sparky, you are quite funny."

"Yeah," Katara joked, "You and Sokka should do standup comedy together."

Simultaneously Sokka and Zuko both yelled:

"YEAH!"

"NO."

"Come on Zuko," Katara said mockingly, leaning over Sokka to punch his shoulder lightly, "You know you want to."

Zuko crossed his arms and turned to Katara grimly, "Want to what?"

"Start a comedy show with me!" Sokka said excitedly, whipping his arms around.

Zuko groaned and turned to Sokka; determined to make him understand, "For the last time no," When seeing that Sokka's facial expression had not changed the slightest Zuko slapped himself on the forehead, "Doesn't the word NO from the Fire Lord mean anything to you?"

The four sitting in their seats gave him large smiles and answered happily, "No!"

Zuko sighed once more, slumping even more downwards, if it was possible in the couch.

A sudden silence fell upon the five; making all of them look around each other.

"So," Katara started hesitantly, "What are we going to do now?"

Zuko immediately perked up and sat properly in his seat and opened his palm; the others watched in excitement as a small flame flickered on his palm.

"How about," He asked, for once a smirk on his face, "You all watch as I burn Sokka to ashes?"

Silence fell once more before Aang said evenly, "Sounds good."

Zuko looked at him with surprise, the flame flickering away, "Are you serious? You'd let one of your best friends die for the sake of your entertainment."

Aang stretched his arms and brought them behind his head; relaxing casually, "Yup, we're all getting quite bored in here so why not?"

"Hey!" Sokka shrieked from his seat, "But I barely lived my life," He turned to Aang, stuttering as his spoke, "I…I…I thought you were the Avatar."

Aang looked at him boredly, "That's right."

"Aren't Avatar's supposed to be peaceful?" Sokka asked desperately; his eyes bulging out of his sockets.

"Have you met a bored Avatar?" Aang asked Sokka seriously.

Sokka jumped up from the couch, "YES I HAVE!"

"Soooo?" Aang asked, elongating the O.

"Well you," Sokka stated, "Being the bored Avatar just decided to ride on giant koifish."

Aang waved his hand dismissively, missing the shocked look on Katara's face and the gleeful look on Toph's, "That was ages ago, koifish are so lost century."

"Does that mean?" Sokka asked with wide eyes, gulping before he continued, "You're going to roast me?"

"And eat you!" Toph said cheerfully, "'Cause I'm getting hungry."

Zuko shrugged, "Sounds good."

Ignoring Sokka's insulted face Katara quickly cried, "Guys, don't eat my brother."

The other three groaned in prospect of having nothing to do once again and slumped in their seats – not noticing Katara sneakily putting her hand in her pseudo-pocket.

"He doesn't taste good unless," With a dramatic flourish she pulled a bottle of fire flakes from her pocket and waved it around in the air, "Unless you season him!"

She quickly uncapped the bottle and sprinkled a generous amount of fire flakes on him.

"There," Katara said proudly, sitting back and throwing the now-empty bottle of fire flakes at Toph.

"Watch it," Toph yelled as Zuko eyed Sokka happily for probably the first time in his life.

"Perfect," Zuko commented, licking his lips slowly as the thought of Sokka roasting above a fiery flame invaded his mind.

Sokka shivered and leaned away from Zuko into Aang, "But I don't want to be eaten," He pleaded.

"Come on Sokka," Toph rationalized, "You can't sacrifice yourself for the sake of others? How selfish." She ended her statement by crossing her arms which only succeeded in shifting Momo from his makeshift campsite on her left arm.

"I'm not being selfish," Sokka whined as he squished himself beside Aang to avoid Zuko's hungry gaze, "I'm just not being self-sacrificial."

For a moment longer Zuko looked at him with utmost glee before an understanding seemed to pass across his face, "I doubt he'd taste good anyway," He said blandly.

Sokka looked affronted, "What? I am sure that I taste very good," Quickly without thinking he brought his hand to his mouth and bit the skin, "Sshe," He mumbled, "yunny."

He think whipped his arm away from his mouth when he realized what he was doing and tried to spit out the taste of sword warrior from his mouth.

"True," Aang said, apparently ignoring Sokka's little exhibition, "There is no point in eating something that doesn't taste good."

Sokka stopped spitting to stare at Aang, who stared back with a friendly and completely inconspicuous smile. Sokka slapped himself on the forehead and slid down to the floor in front of the couch; waiting to be whisked away by the sands of time.

"It's so boring in here," Toph complained, sticking her finger into her left ear and wiggling it aggressively, "When is someone going to find us?"

"Soon," Zuko said with a shrug, "I don't actually know how long."

"I'm getting h-u-n-g-r-y," Toph whined, falling off of the couch and looking behind it. A sudden silence fell across the room and without being urged Aang asked.

"What? Toph what?"

However it was not Toph's voice that answered; instead a maniacal voice called out from behind the couch. A voice which sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"I am not Toph," Not-Toph said slowly, "I am the Coconut Protector."

"What are you talking about Toph?" Katara asked exasperatedly.

Not-Toph slowly poked her head above the couch, her eyes were a strange grey and her hair was spiked as if electrocuted.

"Coconut Protector," She repeated slowly, bringing her hands above her head which held a single coconut.

Sokka's eyes widened, "Food! Come on Toph bring it here and we can share."

Not-Toph hissed and bounded away, holding the coconut in her hands like it was a delicate piece of jewelry, "No. It is mine."

Sokka stood up, "That's not fair. We have to share here."

"The Coconut Protector does not share!" Toph yelled as she clutched the coconut in her arms and dashed into the adjoining washroom.

As she slammed the door shut the four other habitants of the room looked at each other with equal amounts of curiosity.

"What was that?" Zuko muttered.

Aang rubbed his arrow, "I don't know. I've never seen Toph like this." He paused as his eyes widened with understanding, "Unless…"

"I'm not Toph, I'm the MELON LORD!" An evil cackle resounded through the air as fiery stones flew through the sky.

"I don't know how that happened," Aang said thoughtfully, wondering how his normal friend had suddenly turned into an aggressive monster.

"We have to get her out of the washroom," said Katara, "I am getting hungry and that coconut is the only food we seem to have in here."

From the corner of the room Sokka was already busy drawing elaborate designs on the wall, "I'm way ahead of you sis," He said happily as he continue drawing the schematics, "We'll get her out of the washroom." He stated, "And we will have our coconut."

The next few hours were spent with Katara languidly waterbending the water in her pouch around the room; amusing herself with the variety of shapes she could produce. Zuko watched Sokka as he continued to draw 'War Plans' as he had named them; the plans were getting more elaborate and were starting to spread to the ceiling. Meanwhile Aang was using Momo as a rocket and trying to send him through the ceiling.

"Done," Sokka announced; as he rubbed the charcoal off his hands and onto his face, "Now all we have to do it put the plan to action." He looked at Zuko, Aang, Katara and Momo.

"So," He started off excitedly, "Zuko what you do is set fire to a fire cracker that Aang and Katara will make using the curtains and cushions in this room. The fire cracker will launch Momo straight through the air and into the washroom; there Momo will execute moves of a warrior and will incapacitate Toph. As her legs are tied by his tail he will then use the bludgeon I will equip him with to break down the washroom door where we will be waiting to –"

Zuko sighed angrily and got up off the couch; interrupting Sokka's plans. He quickly walked towards the washroom door and executed a kick; sending fire to the door and successfully knocking it down.

"You may continue your plan oh great warrior," He said to Sokka as he eyed Toph greedily looking at the coconut which was sitting in the bathtub.