[Emotions aren't completely easy for Toph. She was an only child, so there were no siblings to react to -- and certainly her parents didn't share their more complicated emotions with her. Exposure to working with other people's emotions came more from being around Aang, Katara, and Sokka, forcing her to both moderate her own and, on occasion, attempt to deal with theirs.]
[Normally she would feel like she should do something practical. When Aang was freaking out about facing the Fire Lord, she offered concrete solutions. Rock massage. Acupuncture. Things that were easy and involved her expertise.]
[It didn't feel like a concrete solution would work here, though. This didn't seem as simple as punching a punching bag or screaming into a pillow. This was delicate. Complicated. Suddenly she wished she'd listened to Katara more on this sort of thing.]
[Yet, as much as her own discomfort rose, it felt absolutely important, absolutely vital that she sit there then, confront what was in front of her.]
[It was one more challenge that she had to take head on.]
All . . . what?
[She has the feeling she knows the answer -- and isn't going to like it. A hand reaches out, brushes against Korra's forearm, then grasps gently.]
no subject
[Normally she would feel like she should do something practical. When Aang was freaking out about facing the Fire Lord, she offered concrete solutions. Rock massage. Acupuncture. Things that were easy and involved her expertise.]
[It didn't feel like a concrete solution would work here, though. This didn't seem as simple as punching a punching bag or screaming into a pillow. This was delicate. Complicated. Suddenly she wished she'd listened to Katara more on this sort of thing.]
[Yet, as much as her own discomfort rose, it felt absolutely important, absolutely vital that she sit there then, confront what was in front of her.]
[It was one more challenge that she had to take head on.]
All . . . what?
[She has the feeling she knows the answer -- and isn't going to like it. A hand reaches out, brushes against Korra's forearm, then grasps gently.]
Hey . . . slow down.