attackfish

The age rule is really about characters who are old enough to be other characters' parents. I'm quite fond of Toko, though I age them up some.

~*~

The floor tiles of the banquet hall rose up to close around his boots. "Not so fast!"

"What?" Zuko shouted, whirling around and trying instinctively to pivot his feet, and listed dangerously sideways before he managed to right himself.

Tough brought her hands down, and the floor tiles shrank back into their normal flat surface, and marched forward to poke her finger into his ribs. "You might be the big, fancy Firelord back home, but this is my city."

Zuko stared, and blinked, and stood there for a moment. "I'm going to tell Sokka you said that."

"That this is my city? Good. Tell Councilman Sokka-" She stuck her nose in the air as she said their friend's title as mock-grandly as she could manage. "-Whose city this is. He needs all the reminders he can get."

He sighed. "Sure, Toph, now excuse me, but I'm going to sit down and-"

"Oh no you don't." Toph poked him again, harder. "This banquet has assigned seating, and you are nowhere near your seat."

Zuko glanced down at the card with his name on it next to the seat he was about to take. "Uh..."

Toph put her hands on his back and started pushing him. "You're sitting over there, with me, and a bunch of..." She sneered, "Prominent business owners."

"I'm sitting here with the ambassador from the Northern Water Tribe so that we can discuss tariffs while pretending we've never held a meeting."

"You will not leave me alone with these people, because I will hit somebody, and then I'll have to arrest myself," she hissed.

He gave in and started walking in the direction she wanted him to. "I don't remember you ever being this concerned with the rules before."

"I am when I make them."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Figures."

Toph stepped forward to stan beside him and lowered her voice. "I'm naked under my armor."

Zuko did his best to glare at her. "And how does that feel?"

"Kind of sticky." She shrugged. "I'm sweating like crazy in here."

"That's great." Zuko nodded slowly, unsure of what to say to that. "Really sexy. Uh, I'll just-"

She elbowed him in the ribs. "Are you coming back to my place tonight, or not?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess." He closed his eyes, and opened them again.

"Wow, Zuko, you're so decisive," she said with a smirk. "You must be unbeatable at the bargaining table."

"Very funny."

She grabbed his arm and slung her own around it. "So why do you sighted people find this whole naked-under-my-whatever thing sexy anyway? It's not like you can see any more than you usually can."

"I'm really not sure." Zuko scratched his head. "But we can try to figure it out tonight, if you want."

"Of course I do. That's why I asked you to come over. Moron, what would you do without me?"

"You know, Toph, I really don't know." He said softly, then smiled. "But a really important Republic City official told me I'm here tonight to keep you from getting yourself arrested."

She squeezed his arm. "Just so you know, if you fail, you have to break me out of prison."

He squeezed back. "Deal."