"Toph! Stop running around this instant!" Poppy growled in annoyance at her daughter's unruly behavior, as she tried for the umpteenth time that day to get Toph to sit still. "You're too old to be acting this way!"
Toph shook her head and laughed. It was the Earth King's birthday, and all the noble families had been invited to the party. The Bei Fong's were staying with the Kang family during their visit to Ba Sing Se. Luckily, the Kangs had a garden house, so Toph didn't have to stay in the same house as Keito all the time, or the rest of the family for that matter. She didn't get along with the other nobles so well; after all, she had spent the last few years getting back to nature as much as possible.
And now here was her mother, trying to take that all away so that they could go to a fancy party. How could she even wonder at Toph's running away? Just as freedom seemed near, Little Iroh rolled into Toph's escape route, and she couldn't help herself; she swooped down to pick him up, giving Poppy the split second she needed to catch up.
Though her daughter was nearly eighteen years old now, Poppy had no trouble grabbing her by ear and dragging her back to her bedroom. "You are going to clean yourself off, and you are going to look proper for the Earth King's birthday party," Poppy lectured Toph, who was still holding her little brother in her arms. He laughed as he witnessed his sister's mistreatment at the hands of their mother, and Toph glared at him.
"Don't think I won't drop you," she growled at him, but when he smiled right at her, she forgave him everything.
"The Earth King wanted you especially to be there," Poppy was saying, as she combed out Toph's hair. Toph winced as the comb passed through the many tangles, and she thought about cutting it short again. "He really likes you, you know. I can't fathom why that might be, but he does," Poppy went on. "So you could at least make a little effort."
"Yes mother," Toph said dutifully, and she sat still while Poppy combed her hair. "But, don't you have to dress up too?" she asked after a few minutes, and Poppy started.
"That's right! Why didn't you say something earlier?" Poppy took little Iroh from Toph's arms and hurried out of the room. She stopped at the door to glare at Toph. "Don't move from that spot; I'm sending a maid to help you get ready."
Toph sighed and stared at the mirror. She reached out and touched it's smooth surface, and then with a smile, she twisted her fingers and bent the glass out of shape. It was all the same to her after all.