May the Best Grip Wins
A/N: Entry to Probending Circuit Round 6. Prompts used: (action) crying, (quote) "What is the function of a rubber duck?" - JK Rowling
Ty Lee is crying again.
I can't understand how she does that so easily. Does she have no shame? To burst into tears so effortlessly just because Mai and I had accidentally broken her new toy? If you can even call it that, I mean, exactly what is the function of a rubber duck?
Besides, breaking Ty Lee's toys is definitely not a new occurrence; Mai and I always accidentally break all her toys anyway.
And burns her clothes and her braid.
And one time she broke her arm when she fell off of that cherry blossom tree in the Palace garden. However, that one was entirely her fault- she didn't know her own strength. I told her she should just let go if she can't stand to hang on to that branch anymore. Who knew she would have taken me up on that suggestion and simply let go just like that?
"Ty Lee, if you stop crying I will let you try my new toy first?" Mai said in her usual monotone voice even though she was frowning in annoyance at Ty Lee's open bawling. The girl has no class at all.
"Why should she be the one to try your new toy first? I am the Princess of the Fire Nation! Any new invention, any new- "
"Oh alright already! Just shut up both of you!"
Insolence! The nerve of this girl with the face comma to decide now to raise her voice for the first time at me! I shall not take this.
"Azula you can try my new toy first and Ty Lee, you will try it before me- the owner of said toy. This way, we will all be first," Mai shoved the new toy into my hands so suddenly that I didn't even have the time to reprimand her for her rudeness.
I looked down into my hands and I see a metallic rectangular box. It looks like one of those devices that our Royal Mechanist always toys with whenever he tries to work one of his machines except this one, has no toggle stick on it. This is odd.
I flipped it over and I see a square window-like construct, fixed firmly against the box. Below the square window screen are two buttons like those on a tunic except much smaller and next to that are 4 buttons connected in a shape of a plus sign like in our Math books. This is extremely odd.
I have never seen anything like it.
I turned the contraption over in my hands again, my pride not allowing me to seem so ignorant by asking my companions how on Earth do I work this thing or even what is it? If Mai has this 'thing', how can I, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, not know anything about this? It should be a common enough thing and I should know how to work it. Already I am resigned to calling this 'thing' a 'thing' as I have no name for it. Never have I been in a situation where I find myself calling something a 'thing' just because I have no knowledge of what it is!
I can feel their eyes on me as I continued scrutinizing this frustrating portable metal machine in my hands. That's right! Instead of calling it a 'thing' I shall call it a "Portable Metal Contraption!". There! Sounds important enough! Now that I have a name for it, I feel my ears burning from the sheer humiliation and frustration of trying to figure this stupid thing out! How exactly am I supposed to work this thing? This is not a fun toy at all!
"Ughhh!" I screamed in anger and almost flung the Portable Metal Contraption to the ground and possibly breaking it into a million pieces if Mai had not ripped it out of my hands just in time.
"Wait! Let's let Ty Lee figure it out," The look of pure amazement was apparent on our faces, even on Mai's even though she was the one who had uttered those words- as if Ty Lee could figure it out when I can't! It was all happening in slow motion right before my eyes as I see the Portable Metal Contraption passed through Mai's hands and into Ty Lee's. Her eyebrows have turned to a frown while her usual cute pout on her lips remain as she stares at it curiously.
Okay! She has to stop doing that!
"You mean you don't know how to work it either?' I said rather condescendingly after I snapped out of my trance. I know Mai doesn't deserve my condescension at this point but whatever! She merely shook her head in response as she watches Ty Lee play around with it in her hands. 'And we are both going to rely on Ty Lee to figure it out?"
This incredulity is something I would never have expected at all and I certainly do not expect Ty Lee to able to figure this one out either from the looks of it.
Click.
A strange music is coming out of the 'Portable Metal Contraption'.
Holy Agni! She's figured it out!
I think my eyes widened and my jaw almost dropped but, by the grace of a pure Fire Nation Royal, I caught myself. Mai and I moved to stand on either sides of Ty Lee without a word and totally avoiding eye contact, fixating our gaze instead on the Portable Metal Contraption.
At this very moment, both our prides are bleeding.
Just a little but it still hurt.
A bald man appears on the square window and I think I've seen the likes of him in our History books. He is a true blue Airbending monk- skinny and bald and wearing almost nothing on his back. I think his brother had made a special appearance in the chapter where our Royal Army had marched through their temples and totally annihilated them.
I know, I know it sounds harsh but they were wreaking havoc in society with their weird chanting and charms and their recreational use of hallucination-inducing inhalants. They were breeding a race so backward that it was posing a tangible danger to our advanced way of life.
Kudos to my Grandfather for that even if personally, I would not have done the same thing he did. I think everyone is expendable and to kill them all off like that is truly a waste of potentially useful manpower.
Anyway, I digress so back to the topic!
The screen pans out and I see another figure in the picture- a Fire Nation soldier, looking smart and sturdy on his feet standing opposite the scrawny monk who is about to be sentenced. Permanently.
This looks promising and I was staring at the Portable Metal Contraption with increased interest. I was wondering what could have possessed Mai's parents to get her a toy that promises such things as violence and death for their perfect little lady.
I see orange whips that emit from the hands of the Fire Nation dude and I upon closer inspection, I realized they were flames. Ty Lee was frantically pressing on the two buttons with her forefinger and middle ones and I think whatever she was doing, was working.
I see the naked bald man advancing towards our soldier who for some reason keeps moving back! Much to my annoyance, I mean- we are the Fire Nation! Retreat is not in our dictionary!
"Ty Lee!' I cried with anger, my patience running thin with her obvious incompetence. 'If that bald man somehow kills our soldier, you do know that it is an act of treason on your part?!"
"Azula! Don't be so mean! I'm trying here!" Ty Lee response in a rush as she frantically presses all the buttons at once. I don't know when but my left hand has found a home on Ty Lee's arm and firmly digging into her skin.
"She's going to kill you, Ty Lee," Mai says suddenly, announcing her presence once again. I had almost forgotten of her existence and only smirked in response to that remark.
"Mai! Shut up!" it is a desperate plea, one of so many we've made Ty Lee cry out. She is the only person that I've ever known who uses pretend harshness as a plea for kindness.
I think Mai and I are bad influences on Ty Lee.
A puff of white smog appears on the screen, enveloping our little soldier. If it was even possible, Ty Lee's fingers are now flying all over the buttons, faster than I've seen anyone move their fingers!
Impressive, but it means nothing if our little soldier boy gets his ass kicked by a scrawny and bald air-bending monk. Time to take over!
I grabbed the Portable Metal Contraption, wanting so desperately to play the patriot and save our Nation's pride. To my utter surprise, Ty Lee has a firm grip on it!
"Azula, stop it!"
"No! You better give it up to me willingly Ty Lee! You're ruining our country's reputation by losing this fight!"
"You two! Timeout! You're going to break my toy!" Mai was trying to raise her voice but Ty Lee's shrill cries far exceed her tone while I can hear myself grunting with frustration trying to pry their fingers off of the toy.
And now, it's down to a real fight between the Fire Nation's best, most elite trio of female fighters the world has ever seen. You can be sure it will be the greatest showdown ever! It will all come down to this,
"Who amongst as has the best grip?"
Apparently we all did until someone (definitely not me!), lost it.
Everything came to a standstill as we watched the Portable Metal Contraption flew out of our hands and into the pond. It would have been hilarious if it had hit a turtle-duck but unfortunately, it didn't.
All that had happened was Mai's Portable Metal Contraption had flown all the way to the pond and landed into the water with a quick and sharp, "Plop!"
That was certainly a waste of time but whatever!
"Well, it was good while it lasted but it wasn't all that," I crossed my arms and heaved a sigh, playing with my bangs as I did that.
Ty Lee was crying again! Lord Agni! Make her stop!
Mai- well, being Mai- simply stood there with her usual deadpanned look as Ty Lee wrapped her arms around her, crying her big eyes out.
"And this feeling is why only Ty Lee ever brings her toys for us to break," Mai rolls her eyes and I just smirked.
: Fin.
1784 words