Story commissioned by MrLerys on DeviantArt. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Mask.
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Streaking through the desert like a bolt of lightning, Maak Toph was running on complete euphoria. How could she not be? After beating six elite benders and an undefeated strongman with near-complete ease, she was a queen, a goddess, an idol among mere mortals.
And she needed to be idolized, needed the adulation - where else but Ba Sing Se to get it?
As she burst through the inner gates and stopped in the center city, Mask Toph announced her grand presence.
"Look everyone! I am phenomenal! I am unstoppable! I am unbeatable!!!"
She looked around - crickets, with a few confused stares. Hmmm. Maybe that wasn't the best way to garner attention.
Putting her arms down, she decided to start exploring the city. Toph had always considered Ba Sing Se to be a second home, and her new 20/20 vision allowed her to see the places she could only imagine.
And her imagination couldn't have dreamt up a greater place. As beautiful as Gaoling was, this was 10 times better. The city was buzzing with life, every inch full of intensity that she could sense with every step. She noticed even more colors than before - the purple cups at a tea shop, the orange and black stripes on a tiger painting, the silver streaks of a woman's hair.
It was then that Mask Toph was stopped in her tracks. The older woman about 100 yards in front of her was suddenly hit with several large rocks and fell to the ground in a heap. Four teenage boys grabbed her belongings and sprinted off into an alley.
It all happened so quick, but Mask Toph had to help. Running to their aid, she got the woman back up on her feet.
"Are you OK, ma'am? Is there anything I can do to help?"
On the verge of tears, the older woman pleaded out, hardly noticing her helper's green head. "Please…my purse…somebody get my purse."
Mask Toph nodded. "I'm on it, ma'am."
And off she went, into the alley ways on an important rescue mission. Despite her overwhelming desire to kick the boys' asses, she has to be quiet - that time would come soon enough.
And it did. About 10 minutes after she started, she heard them, snickering with excitement as they dug through their find. Turning the corner, she prepared to see the shock when they saw her green head.
"Hello boys."
They jumped in fear. "Oh my god, who the hell are you?!?"
"I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. It depends on giving me that purse."
"Hell no, green freak!!!"
That set Mask Toph off. "Oh, you're going to pay for that. Come back here you losers!!!"
As the four boys took off, an enraged green monster roared behind them. Brushing the wimps aside like feathers, the last boy soon felt warm air breathing down his neck.
Stuck in a corner, he turned to stare back. Every vein in her muscular body was throbbing in rage, as her eyes glowed bright red in anger. How did he find himself in this situation?
"NOW…give me the purse or I'll throw you into Lake Laogi. Deal?!?!?!"
He dropped the purse on the ground. "Everything's in there. Please don't hurt me."
"I won't", Mask Toph sneered. "You're not worth a second of my time. Get out."
As medics tended to the older woman, the bystanders on the street turned to see a muscular woman with a large green head approaching, smiling brightly - purse held safely in her hand.
"Is everything in your purse?"
"Yes ma'am. Thank you muscle woman. Thank you Jirou."
Jirou? She had never heard that word before, but she liked it - muscle woman Jirou. Besides, she wasn't really Toph with her nice green head, was she?
"Thank you ma'am." Jirou smiled. "It's a pleasure to have made your day."
