A/N: Thank you for all your reviews and favorite(s) for the previous chapter! :D This is the next (and last) prompt that I did for Toko Week 5. :) Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Prompt: Payback
Summary: Toph's stuck attending a stuffy gathering again. But there's always hope that a certain firebender would come to her rescue.
Breathtaking
"Now, you're a Earth Kingdom noble, dear. Carry yourself well."
Toph scowled, before switching to a neutral expression when she heard her mother click her tongue. She let out an exasperated sigh. As usual, she could not come up with an appropriate excuse to be absent from one of these stuffy gatherings.
In fact, despite all the words that was flowing oh-so-fluently from the other nobles' mouths, all she could make out was "Oh, I'm trying to impress you with my high status and expansive influence."
The worst of all, Toph's trump card was missing. He had been missing in action for the entire month. Of course, like Katara had once reminded her, as the Fire Lord, Zuko could not be at her beck and call. But this time it really was bad. He would have visited her once every fortnight, or she would have visited Fire Nation. Either way, there had been no chance of them actually doing something fun like sparring.
So, today, Toph Beifong would have to fraternize with the snobs and have her mother set up blind dates for her. Today, she would not be able to escape with the excuse of the Fire Lord requiring her assistance. Today, she would be alone.
She scratched the metallic piece positioned on the bridge of her nose. She had to keep it on apparently. It was a mask that covered half of her face. A masquerade, this ball was called. Attendees of the ball each had to put on a mask to avoid being recognized. Some masquerade, Toph thought, I can recognize each person distinctly if I wanted to.
"Good evening," A person greeted her.
"Likewise," She replied, not bothering to remain polite.
"You look simply breathtaking," The man was obviously unfazed.
"And you look…" Toph waited as the Earth feedbacked to her. "Relatively healthy. Although I would say snacking on too many sweets isn't exactly the wisest choice."
The man stopped in his tracks completely. Toph chewed her lips to keep herself from laughing. Before she turned to leave, she regarded him again. "Oh and I wouldn't really care about my looks. I'm blind."
She scanned the area to find that her parents were over at the other end of the hall. Taking the chance, Toph slipped away out of the hall.
She took a deep breath as she welcomed the fresh air.
Who needs Zuko when I could do it myself? She smirked as she gathered the hem of her skirt to a side and tied it so she had freedom of movement.
She climbed onto the stone walls that lined the area. All right! Get ready for rock and roll!
She hopped off the stone walls and summoned a mound of earth before running down the hill, feeling the breeze against her face. Ah… This is the life!
And in the midst of her enjoyment, she tripped over a piece of wood. She landed headfirst in a pool of mud.
When was it when it last rained? She scowled as she picked herself up.
The feeling of her clothes plastering themselves to her skin felt horrible. She pulled a wisp of mud-soaked hair away from her face as she trudged onwards, the exhilaration she felt earlier gone altogether.
"Earlier on, I would've disagreed with the Earth Kingdom noble," A familiar voice drawled. "But I take it back, you are simply breathtaking now."
"Shut up, Sparky," She snarled, half resisting the urge to earthbend him back to Fire Nation. "Where have you been for the last month?"
"I don't have to report to you," He said, a grin evident in his voice.
"Oh yeah?" She asked as she made the ground rumble.
"You're acting like a clingy girlfriend."
"I am not!" She summoned a column of earth to pummel him.
He leapt out of her detection as he dodged it, countering it with his own attack. She blocked it with an earthen shield. She took a stance as she prepared herself for his next attack.
A rustle of leaves and Toph could hear him coming. Then, she had a brilliant idea. She knelt down quickly and readied her 'weapon'.
A direct attack? Not what I'd call smart, Sparky. She thought as she deflected it.
"HAH! Eat that, Sparky!" She yelled in a bout of euphoria, smashing his face into the mud.
Toph stopped immediately after she noticed something was amiss. Her victim wasn't even struggling.
"… Sparky?" She asked uncertainly.
"I'd rather not eat that," His voice came again. "So, what do you think of the dummy I brought along with me?"
Toph lifted the 'victim' and felt it. She flung it away, getting the tiniest bit of satisfaction from hearing it smack against a tree.
"Fine, you win," Toph conceded with a huff.
"Really?" Zuko asked in a surprised tone.
"Yeah. Now pull me up."
She felt Zuko walk over to her. "Seeing that you're already 16, I would've thought you'd be less spoilt, Miss Beifong."
Ignoring that comment, she stretched out a hand for him to take. Feeling his callused grip, she smirked, tugging him down.
The splash and roar provided Toph with instant gratification.
"You did not just ruin my new robes," He said in a low growl.
"Oh, I'm not too sure," She grinned as she patted his head before getting up. "I think I see an improvement."
"In fact, my dear, I think you look absolutely breathtaking."
A/N: And that's all I have! Thank you for reading! :D Please review! I value reviews a lot. :]