Toph, wily and quick, fingered the salt shaker in her sleeve. A little something for the new nanny. This worked a treat on Nanny 3. The last one before this one. The stern one. To Toph, there is nothing in the world quite so delicious as hearing a previously stern nanny just blow her top and lose it. When she cracked, she cracked with gusto.

All of Toph's regular misbehaviour had not bothered Nanny 3. In fact, Nanny 3 and administered Toph her first ever spanking – with some alacrity. (Though when her mother found out she had been quite cross- and then Nanny 3 got a scolding. Hearing her mother shout at Nanny 3 on her behalf almost made her sore bottom worth it. Almost.)

Nanny 3 was not fired however, as she was so clever and had so many accomplishments and so many glowing references. She clung onto the job like a barnacle. Toph had to diversify her tricks. Little subtle things. But for some reason it was the salt that pushed Nanny 3 over the edge. Toph started carrying around the salt shaker with her and would add it to Nanny's tea, toast, dumplings, snacks...until eventually she was adding it at every meal. Toph was not sure how she could tell when Nanny wasn't looking, but someone she could just sense when to shoot her little hand out, just so.

At first, Nanny complained to her mother – but mother was quite perplexed by the whole thing. No one else had ever complained about the saltiness of their food. Mother had the same thing for lunch and it had been fine. Nanny would protest that, really, everything was unreasonably salty. Mother would say something non-committal about having a word to the chef and would then go to a tea ceremony.

Toph had still not been caught red-handed by Nanny 3, but Nanny 3 had her suspicions all the same. These suspicions also got voiced to her Mother. It actually made mother laugh – and Toph had heard that so seldom that it really startled her. "My daughter? Add salt to your food? What a brilliant joke!" Nanny 3 protested that she was not joking and she had cause to assume that Toph must be adding salt to her plate when her back was turned. Mother chortled again, like Nanny 3 was the most exceptional comedian. "Oh Nanny – My dear daughter is blind! How could she even see your plate?" (this was one of the rare occassions that Toph felt grateful for the fact that her mother thought that her blindness made her incapable of nearly... well, everything). Nanny 3 got most indignant, mother chortled some more and Toph slipped under the garden table to feel the earth.

She was never allowed outside unsupervised – but the conversation between Nanny and her Mother had distracted them both, and this allowed Toph a rare occasion to go and play in the dirt for a few minutes...until someone noticed that is. She liked teh feel of earth under her hands.

Nanny lost it the day that she finally caught Toph, poised above her soup, salt shaker in hand. Her guilt was undeniable. Nanny had shrieked "I knew it!" with a great deal of vindication. Then she declared " You impudent little monkey! You will get such a slap!" Toph, sensing that she really would get such a slap, did the sensible thing and ran for it. She gave Nanny a good chase. Nanny began throwing various play room toys at Toph, in an ineffectual effort to trip her up. All was chaos! This was the scene that an astonished mother walked in on.

Nanny 3 had shrieked about Toph's guilt and how she was right all along. But the salt had been abandoned at the table along with the ruins of lunch. Mother made the noise she made when she was very cross. It sounded like bees buzzing. Mother took Nanny 3 outside. They had a conversation that was "for grown-ups only." Nanny 3 never came back to the playroom.

But mother did. She came and sat by Toph and stroked her hair and said she was sorry. Toph was confused. Mother said that she was sorry that she had given Toph such a Nanny. Really, all that complaining about the salt should have been taken as a red flag. The woman seemed rather unhinged.

-o-

The intervening days between nannies had passed in a mother filled dream. Mother did not want Toph's education neglected, so she tried to teach Toph accomplishments. Toph just loved spending time with her mother. Mother was much better than any Nanny.

But Toph tired her mother out. Mother did not seem to enjoy the Toph filled days as much as Toph enjoyed the Mother filled days. Mother said it wasn't Toph's fault, but she was tired, sore and just plain old worn out. She couldn't keep up. She wanted a rest.

She had to find another Nanny for Toph. Toph understood that, didn't she?

-o-

The first thing Toph knew for certain about Nanny 4 was that she was tall.

The second thing was that she was sneaky.

Mother brought Nanny 4 over. Toph could tell, but she couldn't tell how she could tell, that Nanny 4 was an enormous mooselion of a person compared to mother, who seemed like a dainty little peacock-sparrow in comparison. They sat together, and mother started talking about Toph's condition and Toph's needs and Toph's woeful lack of accomplishments. It hurt Toph's feelings when mother talked like this. But she had learned not to show it.

Instead, Toph waited until the adults were perusing what must have been an awful attempt at embroidery- Mother described it as such, and clicked her tongue in a displeased manner. (Nanny 2 had tried to teach Toph – but had given up after one lesson). It was then that Toph struck, and did her little trick with the salt. She waited in anticipation, while Nanny 4 sipped. But Nanny 4 did not comment at all.

Odd.

Toph was sure she had gotten it in the cup, but Nanny 4 gave no indication that she was drinking the world's saltiest cup of tea. Instead Nanny sipped again and conversation moved on to music. Nanny tried to involve Toph in the conversation. She asked Toph what sort of music she liked. This was a first for Toph. Toph didn't even know that there were different sorts of music. The previous nannies had just started teaching her what she 'ought to know.' Toph muttered a non-committal response and took a sip of her tea...and nearly spat it right out again.

Pepper!

Nanny asked, in a voice that sounded kind...but also sounded like it contained some kind of dare, "How do you like your tea, Miss?" This was the thing that alerted Toph to the fact that this Nanny was sneaky!

-o-

notes: height bending aside, the FN people seem, on average, taller compared to the people of the EK and WT. It seems like a national/ethnic charcteristic of the FN people. Also Poppy and Toph both seem very petite, even by EK standards. So Ursa is not some sort of giantess. She's just average firenation height and is standing next to Poppy, who is a tiny lady to begin with.