Author's Note: I'm not going to list this as complete. We'll see what the plot bunnies say. Enjoy.
Later that night, Azula was still trying to figure out how to ditch Ty Lee and Mai so she could see Toph compete. They made it easy on her though, both claiming to be tired and heading to bed early. Had she been thinking clearly, Azula may have questioned what the two girls could have been doing all afternoon that made them so tired. Instead, she thanks Agni for her luck and slipped out of the inn quietly, barely garnering a glance in her Earth Kingdom clothing.
Walking towards the area, Azula could see torches and began to hear the growing crowd as the outdoor tournament's beginning neared. She narrowly avoided a scuffle that broke out to her left, but stayed clear of the town's meager guard force as she approached the front of the crowd. She could see several earth benders assembled in the area pit, including Toph, who was dressed in her regular clothing and, unlike the other contenders, was not bothering to flex for the cheering townspeople. She stood, arms crossed, and waited.
Azula waited as well, as the preliminary round began. She found herself rooting for Toph, yelling with the people around her, those they were gunning for a local. The princess knew the large man was in for a hell of a shock when Toph began bending. Sure enough, Toph ripped the ground out from under his feet before he'd even finished taunting her. The crowd hushed.
"What were you saying about little girls and dolls?" Toph smirked. She'd heard Azula in the crowd and was glad that Aang and the others had decided to skip the tournament. Like she's said, the Fire Nation princess intrigued her. The emotions she felt when Azula was around were foreign to her, though she understood perfectly what they meant.
Her opponent groaned and failed to regain his feet. Toph shrugged at the assembled townspeople and walked from the ring after being declared the winner. Much of the night progressed like this, with Toph soundly defeating each man within minutes. Even the town's champion fell quickly when Toph punched him in the gut with her fist encased in stone.
After collecting her winnings, Toph began to search with her earth sense, trying to locate Azula. She didn't have to look for long, as the princess was walking towards her. "Hey, Lightning Bug. You enjoy the show?"
Azula nodded, though the gesture was lost on Toph, "Yes, Bandit, I did. You're quite impressive." Normally, Azula would have added 'for an earth bender,' but something stopped her. She wasn't in the mood to insult Toph.
Smirking at the returned nickname, Toph nodded. "Glad to hear it and, yeah, I'm pretty good."
Azula laughed, stopping a few paces from Toph.
"So, where's my victory prize?" Toph cocked her head to the side, still smirking.
Azula pointed to the bag on Toph's shoulder. "Surely you're earnings are in your bag."
"Yeah, but I was thinking of…" she paused, her heart loud in her ears, "something else."
"Like what?" Azula raised an eyebrow, daring to wonder if this conversation was really happening.
"Like a hug?" Toph stepped forward, bringing the two girls almost nose to neck, given the height difference.
Azula considered this for a moment before leaning in and kissing the earth bender with a bit of force, though not enough to upset either's balance.
Toph's hands found their way to Azula's arm and shoulder as she kissed back. The kiss lasted for what felt like an eternity, but of course, it was much shorter than either wanted.
Pulling back, Azula said, "How about a kiss instead?" Her voice was hoarse.
Toph blinked a few times and then smiled faintly, her head feeling light and her toes tingling. "I didn't realize you were a thief, Azula."
Laughing, Azula began to walk away, calling over her shoulder. "Neither did I. Guessed we both learned something tonight." Her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest, but Azula kept her gaze trained ahead of her, refusing to look back at Toph.
Toph stood with a finger to her lips. "I guess so."