For a moment, he's expecting that wily retort that never comes. He knows Toph... probably better than a lot of his friends, or at least he'd like to think so. In some respects, he probably knows Toph better than Suki. And so he's fully expecting her to tell him that "she's fine" and that he shouldn't have followed her off by herself.

But a moment passes, and that reflexive defensive posture that he's already unconsciously built up finds no bristles to defend against. The tension that he expected fades, and slowly Sokka manages to relax just a little bit, to no longer feel like he's walking on eggshells. She doesn't bare her soul often, but that prolonged pause breaks the ice just enough to know that he might, that he might get the honest Toph deep down instead of the tough Toph she's constructed around it.

And that makes him smile inwardly. Not a cocky smile. Not a sly smile. A smile of relief. A smile of fulfilment.

"Okay?" Sokka says in reply. He arches an eyebrow, unsure if that's the answer to his question or something else. "You must have had some good days since waking up in the fountain for it to average out to 'okay.'" Alright, so he'll crack a small joke.

"Can I sit down with you?" he asks.