Toph vs Mai (Suki vs Ty Lee Continued) part 3

Toph was allowed to rest for a while and she was more than content to do so, floating along on a cloud of relaxation. She didn’t quite fall asleep, listening to Ty Lee and Mai talk over her, discussing the next steps. Part of her understood, though she didn’t take much note of it, just lying there and feeling happy until Mai picked her up.

“Come on, loser,” she cuddled Toph to her chest, “It’s bath time.”

Toph squirmed a bit to find a comfortable position in the bigger girl’s arms and nuzzled into her chest, sighing contentedly. It didn’t bother her that Mai had called her a loser, she just liked hearing the girl’s voice, knowing she was being attended to.

“Remember to talk to her, Mai!” Ty Lee called, “Even when she doesn’t say things back. She’s all… moldable right now! Let her hear your voice and tell her things!”

“I got it,” Mai sighed as she carried the little girl away.

“I can’t wait to see you two together!” Ty Lee giggled, “I bet your auras are going to be so bright I’ll barely be able to look at you!”

Mai rolled her eyes and made her way into the bathing chamber, kicking the door closed behind her.

Blessed silence. Alone at last.

Even in a middling-sized fire nation city like this, there was noble housing that was not scant of luxuries. The bathing chamber was big, with plumbing heated by the city’s fire benders. There was a countertop with mirrors and hand bowls against one wall, several small individual tubs and one the size of a small pool, carved to look like a giant clam shell. Oils and powders for enhancing the bathing experience lined a nearby shelf, held in crystal jars and decanters that were almost artwork in themselves.

“Hm,” Mai shrugged, “I’ve seen better.”

She carried her limp bundle of Toph to the large tub, then turned and sat down. She eased the girl into her lap, resting her shoulders in the crook of an arm. Toph’s head fell back for a moment, then she groaned and turned it to rest against Mai’s chest, finding it much more comfortable.

Mai smiled down at her captive, looking her over. The position she was in shrugged Toph’s shoulders forward, pressing on her petite breasts, her thighs resting into one another, closed around a noticeable V that was protected by her yellow panties. Her face, still slightly round with youth, was soft and relaxed, lips pouting slightly, innocent and trusting as a baby.

“You’re not tough at all,” Mai stroked her cheek, “All that power and big talk… and look where you are now.”

She stroked down her neck, tickling with her nails over the girl’s chest, then back up under her chin.

“Mmm…” Toph shivered, nuzzling a bit deeper into Mai’s breast.

“The earth kingdom belongs to the fire nation now,” Mai cooed, “Just like you belong to me. I own you. You’re mine.”

Toph breathed gently into her owner’s chest, her eyes closed like she was asleep.

Mai leaned closer and took the little girl’s chin, turning it towards her so she could speak to her face.

“I beat you. You’re mine now. You belong to me.”

Toph’s eyelids raised, just enough to show her unique, gray irises. Though they saw nothing, they instinctively looked in Mai’s general direction, vacant and empty.

“You… beat me…” Toph squeaked, “I’m yours… now…” she sighed, “I… belong to… you…”

Mai couldn’t help but giggle for a moment at that. Ty Lee was right; the little earth bender was in a very impressionable state.

She stroked the girl’s chin, her smile tart and smug.

“And from now on you’re going to behave like a good earth kingdom slave,” she continued, “No more tough girl, just the scared little brat you really are.”

“Good… slave…” Toph mumbled back, “not tough… scared little… brat…”

Unable to restrain herself, Mai leaned in and pressed a kiss to her pet’s soft lips. She enjoyed for a moment then drew back with a broad smile.

Toph was smiling as well. She released a small, happy sound, entirely content, her eyes drifting closed.

“Such a little loser,” there was affection in Mai’s voice, “Already so obedient.”

Sitting Toph up a bit further, she felt around on the girl’s back, then untucked the silk cloth wrapped around her chest. Once it was loose, she tugged and the rest unwound itself.

Tossing the loose garment away, Mai ran her hand down her captive’s bare chest. Her skin was extremely fair, making the darker complexion of her nipples stand out from her modest, growing breasts, and all so soft. Not that she was rough on any other part of her, but her chest and tummy were particularly tender.

Mai felt over a breast, not enough girth for a handful but still enjoying the sensitive tip plucking against her palm. Still supporting the girl, she eased her back, letting the little earth bending master swoon. Her head fell back and her shoulders slumped together, making her chest press out into Mai’s hand.

After holding her like that for a moment, Mai sat her back up and her toy slouched forward again, never losing her dopey smile. She pinched the nipple, pulling on it gently then letting it pop back. When this didn’t get a reaction, Mai took the girl’s chin and wiggled, wagging her head side to side, then tugged on her ear.

The only reaction Toph gave was a slight furrowing of her brow, a sleepy whine at being pestered. When it stopped, the girl’s expression smoothed back out, peaceful and unbothered. She was content just where she was, enjoying being touched.

Satisfaction glowed in Mai’s chest, tinted with a bit of excitement that sparked along her spine. She’d grown up around servants, knowing that there were lots of people she could order around, but this was something of different magnitude.

“I can do whatever I want with you,” she whispered, “All that power of yours doesn’t mean anything. I could kill you right now and you’d just smile.”

She leaned in and nudged Toph’s jaw with her nose, canting the earth bender’s head to the side, exposing her neck. Then Mai pressed her lips to the warm skin there, right where she was most vulnerable. She kissed her throat over and over, a lazy repetition of lips to skin, covering every tender place, moving up right under the girl’s chin.

And Toph did smile. Her head lolled back as Mai kissed higher, her lips spreading wide with dumb, delirious happiness. She was nibbled and she let out a coo. She didn’t mind at all when Mai’s hand found the strings tying her underwear in place and undid them, then felt around over the top of her bare butt, the edge of the gap between the cheeks, smooshed into where she sat.

The little girl was a bit disappointed when Mai stopped kissing her neck and drew back, but she continued smiling. She wasn’t bothered when she was drawn off her perch, letting herself slump into the older girl’s body, crumpling to the floor until Mai clasped a hand under her butt to keep her upright.

“Stand up,” the fire nation girl ordered, “Go on, loser. Stand up. You can do it.”

Toph stayed where she was for a moment, happy to be supported, partially sitting in her owner’s hand.

Mai wasn’t too unhappy about the position either, clasping the girl’s perky little bottom. She squeezed, admiring the fact that it was hers now, to enjoy with no complaint from the mini powerhouse to whom it was attached.

“You do have a cute booty,” she echoed Ty Lee’s earlier sentiments, “Now… stand up.”

Toph groaned, pouting at the effort it took, but did as she was told, straightening her legs and supporting her own weight.

Mai held her for another moment, making sure she was balanced, then drew herself back, leaving her captive to stand alone.

Toph didn’t like that at all. Without being held and touched, she felt cold, miserable, lonely. She swayed in place, slouched and naked, her eyes open to slits and a frown crinkling her young face. She finally made a low, sad moan, hoping it would earn her some attention.

“Hush,” Mai chided and stroked her cheek, “Wait there. And no whining.”

Toph swallowed and her face softened a bit at the touch, reminding her that her owner was still there. She just had to wait a moment and be quiet.

There was the squeak of a handle being turned, a brief rush of water through pipes, then it began to pour into the tub, lapping at the sides as it filled.

Mai moved to the shelf and picked out a few oils and powders to relax the mind and muscles, shook them out into the water, before finally moving back to the waiting girl.

Toph sighed with satisfaction as she was picked up and cradled in the older girl’s arms once more. She was just starting to get comfortable, nuzzling her head into Mai’s chest, when she was set down into pleasantly warm water. Something in the water tingled her skin, a scent rising up to open her sinuses, letting her take a deep, cleansing breath as she let herself melt with a long mewl of contentment.

The little earth bender wouldn’t remember the bath later, other than different flavors of pleasure washing over her. Being stroked and scrubbed, occasionally kissed, soft words spoken to her that she internalized without understanding. She relaxed into an almost unconscious state, aware only of being in heaven.

Mai would remember everything. She explored every inch of the small, athletic body, learning every secret, clasping and feeling over and over to know it all by memory, every shape slick and smooth and moist. She moved her pet where she liked and how she liked, cleaning her thoroughly, her confidence becoming unshakeable.

By the end, there was no doubt Toph had met her match at last.

She belonged to Mai now.

* * *

Eventually Toph slept and it didn’t matter to her how long she did. Her dreams were happy and full of formless pleasure where she could simply relax, every insecurity and worry gone.

She would have been content to stay in that comfortable bubble forever if it hadn’t eventually been pierced by a nagging pain.

Toph simply tried to ignore it at first. It was an intermittent poking that stung and itched, but the pleasure she basked in was much more immersive. Yet the stinging and prodding continued and as it did she began to notice other discomforts. Her wrists and ankles were bound, something supporting her and keeping her upright. The pain wouldn’t go away and it began to pierce through her happy feelings, drawing her back to reality.

A series of clicks was the first sound she noticed, a staccato rhythm. At each click there was a stinging pain on her shoulder blade that left a dull throb.

Nearby, Mai sighed, “Almost done yet?”

“About halfway, mistress,” another voice said much closer.

Tik-tik-tik-tik. More stinging pain.

“Nhhh…” Toph groaned, trying to lift her head.

“She awakens, mistress.”

“No kidding,” Mai said, “Keep working. I’d like to be done with this before I die of old age.”

As Toph woke up, the throbbing pain in her shoulder became more pronounced, but her earthbending senses were still so dull she couldn’t see a thing. She heard Mai’s footsteps approaching, something about them comforting.

“Was… happ’ning?” she slurred, trying to move.

Tik-tik-tik-tik-tik-tik.

The pain was stabbing now, a needle puncturing her over and over again.

Toph had always been tough. Pain was something she had disdained and ignored, but now something was different. The armor she’d built up to shield herself from it was gone. Now it gripped her, striking home and hurting her like it hadn’t since she was much younger.

There was only one thing she could do.

“Owwww…” she wailed piteously, tears filling her eyes.

“Hush, Toph,” Mai said, “No crying.”

And then she was there. Toph’s protector, mistress, owner. She knelt down and cupped Toph’s cheek, kissing her forehead, smoothing her bangs with a stroke of her other hand.

It was comforting and Toph relaxed a little bit, enough to focus on her immediate situation. She was kneeling on a cushion but upright, pressed back into a frame of bamboo shoots. Ribbons, sturdy but soft, tied her wrists and elbows to the shoots themselves, while more were looped around her stomach and chest to keep her from moving. More had been tied around her knees and ankles, not only restricting her movement but keeping her entirely immobilized.

“Wh-what’s… happening?” Toph whimpered, “What’s going on?”

“You’re getting a tattoo,” Mai cooed, “A marking of my house, so everyone knows who you belong to.”

“A… what? Of your house?!”

Tik-tik-tik-tik-tik.

“Owwww…” Toph wailed again, body clenching in her restraints.

Mai usually wasn’t one to show emotion, but for her new pet she smiled, her dark eyes twinkling. As much as she liked hearing the moaning, she loved the tough little earth bender’s pleading cries, that high-pitched voice that had always done its best to be gruff and gravelly now whining without a hint of pride.

“It’ll look good on you,” she stared into the gray, blind eyes, “Just a little decoration for when you’re not wearing your collar.”

Although Toph’s body told her that she should trust the older girl, that she owed everything to her mistress, something still felt wrong. The pleasure of her mistress’s soft words and caresses made it hard to focus on what it was, but it nagged and tugged at her. Being someone’s meek possession, a humble slave, no pride of her own, subject to every whim…

“N-no…” Toph shook her head, “I… I don’t want it… I don’t…”

“Yes, you do,” Mai stroked her cheek, “You’re lucky you get to belong to a fire nation family. Especially to me. My family.”

The words were reasonable and Toph knew she should obey, but still she found herself resisting. The clicking of needles in her shoulder made her want to cry again, but this time she bit it back, forcing herself not to whimper.

Mai narrowed her eyes.

“No…” Toph grunted, “Stop… I don’t… want it!”

The fire nation girl sighed, holding up a hand to halt the tattoo artist.

“Hang on a second,” she said, reaching behind Toph’s neck.

The little earth bender blinked hard and shook her head. This wasn’t right. She wasn’t just a slave; she was a fighter, wasn’t she? She was a great fighter! Why would she let herself be a slave? She knew she should but didn’t know why she should.

Mai dug around with her fingertips at the nape of Toph’s neck, looking for the pressure point Ty Lee had shown her.

“Let… lemme go,” Toph protested, “I don’t want a tattoo. And… and I don’t want… I don’t want to be…”

The fire nation girl’s fingers found the warm little pocket between the firm muscles, the nerve cluster. She fanned her fingers out, then dug with her thumb.

Crack.

Toph went rigid, head jerking up, body straining in its bonds. For an instant her eyes were wide, her mouth gaping open, fingers and toes curling as an intense feeling jolted through her, but it faded just as quickly.

After the moment of tension, the little earth bender melted, slumping down with only a faint squeak of protest.

Mai smiled, “Ty Lee wasn’t kidding. Just like a little button.”

She cupped Toph’s chin and lifted the girl’s face once more. The expression on the girl’s face was wistful and dreamy, eyes more than half-closed, conscious but only barely so. She looked like she was either very drunk or on the verge of falling asleep.

Mai smoothed Toph’s bangs back. She liked doing that, brushing the soft hair back over her forehead, then letting it all fall back down in front of the big gray eyes.

“Mmm… you want the tattoo, Toph,” she cooed, “You’re going to be very proud of it. And you’re going to like the other… changes I make for you too.”

Toph sighed, the soft voice drawing her lips up into a sleepy smile.

“You lost and now you’re mine,” Mai continued, “You’re going to be mine forever. You won’t have to worry about anything other than serving me. Lots of earth kingdom girls are going to be slaves, but only you get to be my slave. You’re beneath me… and you’re happy.”

“Beneath… you…” Toph sighed again, “Huh… happy…”

“Mm hmm…” Mai purred, “That’s right. A happy, meek, submissive little slave girl. No more tough talk. Just my soft, cuddly pet.”

She slipped her hand down the curve of Toph’s back until she found the smooth, perky swell of the small butt. She squeezed and massaged, molding and shaping.

“Mmm…” Toph nuzzled into the hand, letting her eyes close. This was all she could ever want.

Mai’s smile faded as she gave the tattoo artist a significant look. She gave a sharp nod, indicating the artist should continue, then looked back to Toph.

Tik-tik-tik-tik-tik.

The little girl didn’t even flinch. Her eyes remained peacefully closed, cheek nestled into her mistress’s palm, the pain not even scratching the surface of her happy bubble.

Mai kissed her head, continuing to massage her little rump.

“You’re going to be coming with me to the fire nation. I’m going to show you off and you’re going to be so proud. All the attention you’re going to get. And then we’ll be in my room… and I’ll give you another nice bath… Ty Lee will visit with Suki and you’ll exercise, then…”

Mai continued to whisper, the soft words drowning out the clicking of needles.

Toph couldn’t imagine being happier. She wanted to stay like this forever.

* * *

“Come, Sook-Sook!” Ty Lee cried, clapping her hands, “Come here! You can do it!”

“This way. I’m right here.” Mai called, “Hurry up, little loser, unless you want to lose again.”

Several days had passed since Toph’s defeat and capture, days of relative calm and contentment. There had been little to do, as Azula was still plotting her next scheme, so Mai and Ty Lee kept to themselves and stayed out of sight for the most part. With Azula busy, they had time to rest and enjoy their toys, training them, dressing them, and coming up with games for them to play.

It had been Mai’s idea to have competitions between the two slave girls, pitting them against each other in various games to win approval and sometimes prizes from their mistresses. Their latest game was something they called Shout and Follow, where they put the two girls in different spots in a large, heavily furnished room and called them. Whoever reached their owner first won the game.

Of course, a race through a roomful of furniture was too simple to be a fun game and would be over much too quickly. To make things more interesting, each girl had wooden clogs tied to their feet that added several inches of awkward height. With the hardwood floor she was standing on, this left Toph unable to see with her weakened earthbending, while Suki was blindfolded to achieve a similar result. It was a game that tested their balance as well as taught them to trust their mistresses.

Toph blinked wide eyes, head turning to and fro as she tried to pinpoint her mistress’s voice. With a distressed furrow in her brow, she took a wobbly step, holding her hands out in case she bumped into anything, balanced for a moment, then took another.

The little earthbender looked quite different from a few days before, both in clothing and general attitude. Rather than baggy trousers and top, she wore a tiny red dress, with skirts that barely reached mid-thigh, complete with frilled trim. Her hair had been fitted into pigtails and cut so short they stood almost straight up, tied with little bows of satin ribbon. Her entire ensemble was a popular style for very young fire nation girls and Toph’s new attitude fit it perfectly: meek, nervous, and self-conscious.

She took another cautious step, her gray eyes still peering around, trying to remember where her owner’s voice had come from.

“There’s a chair there, mouse.” Mai called to her.

Toph heeded the advice too late and bumped into the chair with her hips. She clutched at the piece of furniture and squeaked in surprise, illustrating how she’d earned that nickname, among many others. She didn’t like these games very much, but wanted badly to please her mistress, and earn the rewards that came from playing them.

Suki, on the other hand, took these games as a challenge. Fearless, eager to return to her owner’s gentle caresses, she clopped along like an excited foal, giggling as she fell down and bumped into things, then picked herself back up, often working herself into a pant.

“Here, Sook-Sook!” Ty Lee called again, “You’re almost here! You’re doing so good!”

Hearing her mistress’s voice so close by, Suki turned and bumped into a large vase in her haste. However, instead of letting it stop her, she spun around the obstacle in the same way she’d avoid a tackle, managing gracefully even on her stilted clogs.

“Good job!” Ty Lee cheered, “There’s a little bench there! I bet you can hop over it and then you’ll be right here!”

Suki took another step and felt the bench with her knee. She paused to lick her lips, grinning as she concentrated. Flexing her fingers, picturing the bench in her mind, she bent slightly, wiggled her hips like a kitten, then sprang.

The former Kyoshi warrior leapt, brought her knees to her chest, cleared the bench, then landed on the other side without even a stumble. To add a flourish, she thrust her chest out and threw her arms wide in the gymnastic finishing pose Ty Lee had taught her, grinning broadly.

Her mistress immediately applauded.

“Yay, Baby-Sook!” Ty Lee cried, “You won! You did so good! You’re such a good, good girl!”

Giggling with giddy delight, Suki took off her blindfold and skipped right into the other girl’s arms.

Ty Lee was waiting, wrapping her up and giving her rapid-fire kisses on the cheeks and neck.

“Such a good… pet you are.” the fire nation girl cooed between kisses, “My sweet… sweet Suki girl.”

Suki closed her eyes and mewled in utter bliss, a broad smile on her lips. She let herself melt, knees buckling, head lolling back, basking in the affirmation and pleasure of her owner’s touch. This made everything worth it; there was simply nothing greater than giving Ty Lee her body like this, soaking up her affection like a sponge.

Ty Lee squeezed her pet around the waist as she went limp, pecking a few kisses on the exposed throat. When she realized she was supporting Suki’s weight entirely, she drew back to giggle down at her.

“Look, Mai! See?” she called to her friend, “Whenever I do this, she goes all limpy and loose!”

She lifted Suki’s wrist to demonstrate, waggling it around to make hand the hand flop, before letting the arm drop and hang once more.

“I don’t know why she does this, but it’s SO cute.” Ty Lee giggled, tickling her fingers across the girl’s tummy, “Are you a floppy Sook-Sook now? Hm? Are you pretending to be a jelly squid?”

Suki’s tummy flexed at the tickles and she shivered but bit her lip and stayed still. She wanted this to last as long as possible.

Meanwhile, when Toph realized she’d lost another game, she stopped what she was doing and hung her head. Before she’d been captured by Ty Lee, she usually won at everything, but now she lost every game she played against Suki. She wasn’t surprised by it anymore, but she was disappointed that she couldn’t win for her mistress. Now there was nothing to do but wait for the fire nation girl to come get her.

As Mai’s footsteps came towards her, Toph clasped her hands in front of her and lowered her head further, chewing on her bottom lip. Chewing on her lip had been a habit she’d picked up over the last several days, due to her consistent nervousness surrounding pleasing her owner. She felt particularly nervous now, having lost yet another game and hearing the girl approaching.

The footsteps approached then stopped right in front of the little earthbender, their owner remaining quiet and stern. The silence made Toph squirm, pulling at her thumb, shame reddening her cheeks. The anticipation was worse than if Mai had simply scolded her. Toph wanted to preemptively apologize, but she’d already learned not to speak unless spoken to first. She simply had to stand there and count the seconds.

“What are we going to do with you, my little loser?” Mai finally asked, clucking her tongue.

Toph shrugged her shoulders and tucked her chin to her chest, like a turtle crawling retreating into its shell.

“I’m s-sorry…” she whimpered.

Mai sighed and took one of the small pigtails, giving it an affectionate wiggle.

“It’s okay, I guess,” she said, “You’re just not very good at things.”

She patted Toph on the head.

“And you don’t have to be, actually. You already lost the big one, so now all you have to do is what I tell you. Winning at things isn’t what you’re good for, mouse.”

Toph slowly nodded, accepting what she was told, even if it made her feel bad.

“Now turn around,” Mai ordered, “It’s time to check your tattoos.”

The young earthebender nodded again and slowly turned, clopping on her clogs and swaying as she struggled to keep her balance.

Her dress was cut low enough that all it took to examine the tattoo on Toph’s shoulder was to brush a strap just to the side. Toph winced as Mai did this. The curving design was inscribed onto her in dark ink, but the fair skin around it was now pink and a little angry, tender to the touch.

Toph swallowed, “I’ll… I’ll try harder next time. I promise.”

Mai touched the pink skin with a careful fingertip, “That’s okay. You’ll just lose again.”

Putting the strap of Toph’s dress back into place, she then lifted the girl’s skirt to examine the second tattoo. The fair, plump little cheeks were bisected by a red satin thong, “Mai’s” tattooed across one cheek.

The fire nation girl grinned. That one was her favorite.

“But…” Toph said, “But I don’t want… to disappoint you. I don’t like it.”

“I don’t mind,” Mai said, looking the tattoo over for another moment before letting the skirt fall.

“B-but… maybe if I try harder… I didn’t always lose before… I-I can win sometimes maybe…”

Mai rolled her eyes. On her pet’s back was a third tattoo, this one in red ink. It was several circles of incrementally larger sizes inside one another, like a bullseye, right at the spot where Toph’s chi connected.

Mai pushed the dress down just enough to expose it, then pressed hard with her thumb.

“M-maybe I—NEEK!”

Toph was cut off with a squeak as Mai pushed what she was beginning to call her “special button”. It locked her body up, made everything clench, little muscles fighting against each other in spasmic rictus. She was held like that for several seconds until it released. When it did, everything that had been clenched went instantly limp.

Toph collapsed with a sigh, only to be caught under her arms by her mistress. Everything felt wonderful now. All her worries, sadness, nervousness, and disappointment were gone, replaced by contentment, happy tingling, a lightness in her tummy.

Mai turned the slack little girl then tossed her over her shoulder, placing her hand on the small bottom.

“You’re always going to lose, Tophee,” she cooed, “Because you’re a loser. You’re my little loser. And that’s just how it should be.”

With a pat on the girl’s bum, Mai carried the slack little weight across the room towards Ty Lee and Suki.

Ty Lee had sat down on a bench and had the limp Suki sitting across her legs, smiling broadly. The former Kyoshi warrior had her cheek nestled into Ty Lee’s neck while the other girl squeezed and rocked her, letting her free hand roam over Suki’s chest.

Mai strode up to the bench, frowning slightly as she watched how happy and content Suki seemed to be.

Ty Lee grinned up at her friend, clasping Suki’s breast.

“She’s playing baby doll right now,” the acrobat explained, “She likes to do that. She’d stay like this all day, but she needs exercise too.”

Mai grunted and sat down next to Ty Lee, easing Toph from her shoulder and into her lap. The little earthbender wore a faint, dopey smile, her eyes lidded. Her head nodded forward until her owner repositioned her, hugging her against her chest.

“Mine’s still all nervous and stuff,” Mai sighed, twisting Toph’s pigtail around her finger.

Ty Lee just smiled, giving Suki a smooch on the eyebrow.

“It takes a little time. She might always be a little… scaredy. But after—”

The door to the room slammed open.

“THERE you are. Finally!”

Ty Lee yelped in surprise and Suki made a similar sound, hugging her mistress and burying her face into her chest. Mai’s eyes widened slightly, which was as close to startled as she ever became. Toph only cooed and let out a deep, contented sigh, still too high off the manipulation of her chi to care what was going on.

Azula had entered the room.

Nose wrinkled in annoyance, the fire nation princess barged in without preamble, making a beeline towards her friends/henchgirls.

“I should have known you’d be somewhere playing with your new toy, Ty Lee,” she scoffed, “Honestly, if you can’t learn to manage your time more—”

The princess stopped in her tracks when she noticed the little body in Mai’s arms.

“What is that?”

Mai stared back at Azula, her expression calm but body rigid. She’d known that the princess would find out sooner or later. The plan for what she would do when that happened hadn’t been entirely formulated, but she did know she had no intention of letting someone take her pet.

Squeezing Toph’s firm little body with both arms, Mai narrowed her eyes.

“Nothing.” She flatly said.

Ignoring Mai’s defensive posture, Azula stepped closer and peered down to examine the girl’s face. The hair was different, the outfit was much different, but she recognized the face, especially the big, gray eyes. They were hard to miss.

“Is that the Avatar’s earthbending friend?!” she snapped.

Mai lowered her brow, her jaw set.

That alone was enough to make Azula blink in astonishment. She’d never seen Mai glare or even get angry before. Now not only was she aggressively emoting, but it was directed at her!

“No.” Mai growled, “It’s someone else. And she’s mine.”

Beside her, Ty Lee was frowning as well. There was more fretfulness to the expression than Mai’s but it was still there, defensive, protective.

Azula gaped, not knowing how to respond. She had anticipated some level of push back from her friends at some point, but not this directly and certainly not in concert. She hadn’t even asked them to do anything yet and they were already showing defiance.

On the opposite side of the standoff, Mai and Ty Lee watched the princess warily, ready to move if they had to. They didn’t want to fight Azula, but they didn’t know what the princess’s reaction would be. Like Azula, they hadn’t been prepared for this moment, but unlike her they could only wait to see how she would take it.

As the surprise faded, Azula’s eyes narrowed, lips pursed as she reassessed the situation. It was a familiar look on the princess’s pretty features, one of tallying the factors, weighing options, calculating outcomes. She looked from Ty Lee, to Mai, to Toph, then back again to Mai. She stared at Mai the longest, seeing if her friend would look away or flinch.

“Hm,” she finally mused, “I suppose I was mistaken.”

The princess looked back and forward between her friends, her narrowed eyes making it clear that she was letting them have this. But pushing their luck wouldn’t be wise.

With that she turned on her heel and strode away.

“Put your playthings aside for now,” she said, “We have a mission. It will be a good way to earn yourselves back into my good graces.”

Ty Lee and Mai waited for Azula to leave the room before they sighed in relief.

Azula strode down the hall from the room, clicking her fingernails irritably. There would be no point in punishing her friends now; she needed them, perhaps even more so than she’d originally thought. They had each taken down a companion of the Avatar’s on their own, shrinking his number of allies, even somehow taming them.

Still, this could get out of hand. She couldn’t just let them do as they wished. Something would have to be done.