Telling the Truth
Title: Telling the Truth
Fandom: Avatar: the Last Airbender
Character(s): Toph, Azula
Pairing(s): Toph/Azula
Rating: K+
Genre: Romance/Humor
Warning(s): N/A
Word Count: 655
Prompt: game
Summary: Toph decides to make her session with Azula more interesting.
Toph heard Azula shift in her chair, and she felt the weak vibrations through the floor as Azula crossed her arms and legs. She could just make out a vague scowl on Azula’s face if she concentrated hard enough.
“This is ridiculous,” Azula said. “What do you hope to accomplish?”
“If I can tell when you’re lying, we’ll know that you’re getting better.”
Azula scoffed. “How will that help you? You couldn’t tell I was lying before.”
“True.” Toph crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on the table in front of her. “But if I can tell when you’re lying it means you’re getting better as a person, too. Or at least, that’s what Aang says.”
“And you believe him?”
“Well, he’s the one who understands all that spiritual mumbo jumbo,” Toph said, drumming her fingers against her arm. “So, yeah.” She heard Azula scoffed again, softer this time. “Let’s start with something easy: what’s your name?”
Azula uncrossed her legs, putting her foot down harder than necessary. “You know my name.”
“I need to get a read on what you’re like when you tell the truth. That way I have something to compare to when you’re lying. What’s your name?” Azula didn’t answer, and Toph grit her teeth. After a moment, a grin spread across her face. “Okay, fine. Let’s make this interesting. If I can tell when you’re lying, you have to do whatever I choose tonight. Whatever I choose. And if I can’t tell when you’re lying then you win, and I have to do whatever you choose. Sound fair enough?”
Silence. Then:
“Fine. My name is Azula.”
Toph kept still, carefully studying the vibrations that came to her through the floor. Everything seemed normal. “Good.” Now to think up a question that Azula might lie about… She wracked her brain for a long moment; an idea came to her. Oh, that’s a good one. “How do you feel about me?”
There was a moment’s silence.
“What?”
“How do you feel about me? You seem friendly most of the time-or as friendly as you can get anyway. Do you like me?”
“No.”
There. That was it; the slightest flutter of the heart. Toph grinned. “I can tell you’re lying,” she said, in a sing-song voice.
“I’m not lying,” Azula said, but her pulse jumped and betrayed her. “You’re no better than a filthy peasant.”
Toph chuckled. “I think that’s what you like about me. You like that I don’t take orders from anyone, and that I do what I want.”
Azula said and did nothing, and for a moment, Toph was lost on how to proceed without a guide as to what Azula was thinking. Her heart was beating a bit harder than usual, though. It dawned on Toph that she knew these signals; she felt them when Aang was around Katara. Of course, they were stronger with Aang than they were with Azula, but they were still there, and that intrigued her.
She had an idea.
Toph stood up, the chair scrapping across the tiled floor. “Looks like you lose, Azula. Too bad because I know exactly what I want you to do tonight.” She grinned, sensing Azula’s uncertainty. “I think we should do something together some time. Tonight, in fact. I’m taking you out into the city.” Her grin broadened. “You’re going to go on a date with me.”
“What?” Azula leapt to her feet, panicked and furious, and the chair clattered as it hit the floor. “I never agreed to that-”
“You agreed that if I won you would do whatever I told you to do tonight. Well, I’m telling that you’re going on a date with me.” Toph turned around so that Azula wouldn’t see her smirk; she knew there was only so far she could push her. “Be ready in two hours.”
Tonight was going to be fun.