Katara had returned to the teen shelter after leaving the Hyperion and had spent most of the night and following day telling Junjie all about her adventures with Angel Investigations. Unfortunately, he was set to leave the following afternoon. It seemed he'd gotten himself a job and his employer, in the time since she'd been gone, had offered to let him move into a spare room in the man's home. So it was with bittersweet emotions that she helped her first friend in this strange world pack his things, waving goodbye as the man drove him away in his fancy car.
Once he was gone, she hadn't wanted to go back into the shelter just yet, so she'd decided to go for a walk instead. Yet again her feet led her in the direction of the beach and, more importantly for her, the ocean.
Katara watched the waves crest against the shore for a while before rolling up her jeans to the knee and stepping out into the surf. Arms at her sides, she gathered some of the saltwater around her forearms and wrists and began maneuvering it through the air in gentle, flowing spirals. It was the first time in a while that she wasn't actually practicing any moves or trying to figure out new ones. She was simply enjoying the most basics of waterbending and allowing the peace that it offered to fill her.
Completely caught up in what she was doing, she didn't realize anyone else was even around until she heard a voice she knew all too well. It had carried over the surf and made her freeze in her tracks, heart skipping a beat in her chest.
"Toph?" she murmured quietly, shaking the water off her limbs and spinning in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, there stood the tiny earthbender, looking just as confused and angry as Katara imagined she might look if she were to suddenly appear her.
That was when it hit her. Toph had suddenly appeared here!
Before the thought had time to even firmly bounce around in her mind, Katara was on the move. Splashing through the surf, the first real smile she'd had in weeks filled her face as she closed the distance between them.
"TOPH!" she exclaimed when she drew close enough to her friend that she could be heard. She came to a stop a few feet away, feeling nearly giddy with joy. "I never thought I'd say it," she admitted, "but it is great to see you."