More Than Useless

1. Look My Way

-

"Can we have all the models move to the set please?" A voice called through the PA system. There was a flurry of movement as make-up artists did last minute touch-ups and the fitters did final adjustments for their clothes. They all marched towards the white backdrop, smiling at each other, unable to believe that they were actually at a fashion shoot.

Not just any fashion shoot, the fashion shoot. The top designer, photographers and staff were all assembled, ready to make these girls front cover girls.

The theme today was obvious, from the girl while a corset, large pigtails with ribbons and her umbrella to the other with pants near her knees, a hat tilted on her head and chains hanging on her chest. Music genres in the flesh – or fashion – and while all these models knew that this theme had been done before they didn't care. The clothes on their backs were made by the Zuko Jiang.

He was the first on set; he flicked the gold-rimmed aviators off his dark eyes, causing many girls' knees to go weak. He was a top designer, his work known to any person that even wore clothes. He lifted a hand, running it through his dark hair, his ripped and torn wife-beater tank contrasting harshly with his snappy dress pants.

Katara Kirima soon followed; her long brown hair tied back and tanned skin glowing the light. Many of the girls wished they could look half as pretty as she did but she'd always brush them off saying she was nothing special. She was the screener. Every picture taken would go through her before it was even seen by the higher ups.

She was also the main reason why Zuko Jiang was getting not attacked by rabid fangirls in back hallways. Attack Katara Kirima's boyfriend and fiancée and you guarantee yourself a one-way ticket out of the modelling industry. She granted him a quick peck and the cheek, commenting on how he should at least put on a nice shirt. He grumbled, looking away, Katara just clucked her tongue.

Next on their merry crew was Aang Gyago, who entered smiling and waving amiably at the girls who all chorused, "Hi Aang!" This little man with his hedgehog hair was the lighting and location guy. While this may not sound like the most important job (indeed Zuko commented to Aang, "I don't see why we needed you, I could've set up the giant white sheet myself.) Aang was known for setting up shoots from the exotic jungles in India to the barren wastelands of the artic.

"It's not just about the models" was Aang's motto; "You have to make the area around them just as stunning."

"Twinkle Toes, Sunshine and Sugar Queen," a voice called from somewhere offside, "They never told me you were going to be here, now I might not die from boredom."

The models turned, the girl standing there was not exactly beautiful, but she did have some short of air about her that made her hard to not stare out. Her long black hair was in a low ponytail while bangs hung in her celery-eyes. Her clothes were so ripped and torn they bordered on the realm of offensive and there no way someone so, so, short could possibly be a model.

Of course, Toph Beifong was of those few models that had it. Of course she didn't make into the industry on looks alone. Oh no, her father wanted his daughter to be a princess so he had paid off the agency to let her in.

From the moment Toph had her first photo shoot she was in the business. Plain and simple, she had the look and the look sold.

She gave the tall models a roll of her eyes before greeting Katara with a smile and tapped fists with Zuko before pulling Aang into a headlock and giving him a noogie.

After Toph settled herself beside a ruffled-looking Aang, there was a silence. Zuko looked down their line and whispered, "Where's Sokka?"

Katara shrugged, her blue eyes worried, "He said he'd be here…"

Then, after there was a crash from the right and some angry yelling from a crewmember a young man fell out of the tangle of cords, a camera swinging around his neck. He straightened, looked around, gave an irate-looking Zuko a nervous smile. "I'm here!"

There was a silence as the models stared at him, each sizing him up. "Wait a second…" A blond one said. Out of nowhere she whipped out a Vogue magazine and flipped through it. The girls beside her peered at the flipping pages. The blonde's blue eyes widened as she stopped on one page.

She turned the magazine over, showing it to Sokka. "Sokka Kirima? You took this?" The photo on the page was stunning. A girl with strikingly white hair was staring at the moon, a long white dress piled around her like water. Her feet were dipped in a pond reflecting the moonlight with two koi swam around her. The blue in her eyes was the only colour in the black and white photo.

He nodded. "Yeah, that was me."

"Okay, now that we've got everyone here I'd like to start." Zuko said, shooting a very, very, very, pointed look. "Models, come to me so I can assign you numbers."

There was a small line in front of Zuko as he numbered them off. Katara wandered towards the large Mac computer sitting in a corner, seating herself and booting up the computer.

Toph, meanwhile, was getting changed in a corner, pulling on the clothes Zuko had made for her. She emerged in a black t-shirt, the word 'PUNK' scrawled across her chest in while under it was a striped long-sleeved top with holes ripped in the end so she could stick her thumbs out of them. Her jeans were tinted green, held on by numerous belts while the tongues on her bright red high-tops were hanging out, the white shoelaces flopping around.

In all honesty, she probably could've just worn her regular clothes and people wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

Finally, the shoot had begun and first up was Toph. She shrugged onto the white backdrop. Sokka fiddled with his tripod, trying to fit his camera on.

"Can we get started please?" Toph asked, tapping her toe impatiently, "I'd like to get this over with before the second Ice Age comes."

He ignored her. "There. Now, if I could just a test shot." He waved his hand above his head, "Look at my head."

Sokka had dealt with some pretty annoying girls in his line of work. Ones that would only work if his camera was this kind, ones that would only pose if he asked them in the kindest, most incredibly unnecessary way possibly. He had even worked with one model who refused to have her picture taken until Sokka blindfolded himself so her beauty – which was reserved for camera only – would not be wasted on his eye.

But never, had any of these girls even come close to Toph Beifong.

As soon as Sokka had asked her to face him, she had turned right around, legs far apart and arms crossed. He cleared his throat and asked again, "Could you look at me? I need to take a tes-"

"I heard you the first time." Toph said, cutting across him.

This continued for an hour. Each shot was a beautiful, stunning, breath-taking shot of Toph's backside, which she had absolutely no problem wiggling in front of the camera. The crew was in tears as they watched Sokka try to get Toph to cooperate and her snarky replies. Even Zuko, who most were sure couldn't even smile, was smirking.

The day ended with Sokka packing up his camera and storming out. Toph was sure to blow him a goodbye kiss.

"You just lost us our photographer…" Katara scolded half-heartedly.

Toph shrugged.

-

Sokka stopped at his local corner store and was browsing for certain magazines that wouldn't be appropriate to mention when he saw it.

There, on the cover of Vogue in full-colour, was Toph Beifong's ass.

"You win," He told the picture, "this time…"

Author's Note

Lol lame ending or what? I had no idea where I was going with this so it had no proper ending. Any ideas?\