Azula frowned and pulled at a strand of her hair, in springy motions it bounced back into place. The princess tousled her slight curls, running her fingers through them in a helpless attempt to detangle them. Truth be told, Azula hated them. They were always in her face and frizzy, and unruly.

The firebender ignited a small flame in her palm and held a pair of tongs over her them. She waited until they were decently hot before taking them to her hair. With careful hands she ran the hot tongs over her waves until they lie flat against her neck.

She'd been doing this for as long as she could remember. The first time she'd tried this trick, she had managed to burn a good chunk off. Evidently this is also when she learned to tie her hair into its topknot—she had to hide her mistake somehow.

Azula smiled and brushed her hand over her hair, which now fell silky and smooth over her shoulder. Or at least the right side. The left side of her hair was still as wavy as ever. That would soon be fixed. She reheated the tongs and clamped them over the next strand.

This whole time Ursa had been so sure that her daughter had simply outgrown her wavy hair. She had been so disappointed, she had always loved her daughter's wavy hair. They were adorable and suited her well.

"How could you do that!?" Ursa shouted, taking the tongs from her daughter's hands. "You have such naturally beautiful hair. How could you just…just destroy it?"

"Destroy it?" Azula grumbled. "I'm fixing it." She combed her fingers through her hair. "See, it looks much better this way." She held her hand out, "so give them back."

Ursa tucked the tongs away. "Not a chance. You will learn to love your natural hair."

"Mother, nobody wants wavy hair. I don't know anyone in the Fire Nation that has it."

"So if no one else has it, it's bad?" Ursa asked.

"That's right." Azula drummed her fingers against the wall. "My tongs." She beckoned with her free hand.

"I don't know anyone else with blue fire…" Ursa lifted an eyebrow.

"Th-that is totally different." Azula sputtered.

"How so?"

"Because blue fire makes you look badass." Azula muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Ursa cupped a hand over her ear and leaned closer.

"I like my blue fire."

"And I like your hair wavy." Ursa stated as if that concluded the conversation. "And so should you." The woman clutched the tongs tighter and sauntered out of Azula's bedroom.

Azula sighed and flopped down onto her bed, her hair fanning out behind her.

Her hair.

Her lovely hair.

Now she would have to deal with those annoying waves for who know how long.

She had to find a way to get those tongs back, or else she'd spend the rest of her days with awful hair. Where had those waves come from anyways? Her father didn't have wavy hair, her mother certainly didn't. So why did she?

Ursa set the tongs on her dresser, wondering why her daughter would possibly want to ruin such pretty hair. So long ago she had scorched her own waves away. She had always assumed that eventually they would go right again, but looking into the mirror she was reminded once again that she was wrong. Her hair was a straight as she regretted making it in her youth. She couldn't possibly let Azula do that. She looked towards the door and then down at the tongs. But perhaps her daughter knew what she wanted. She should let the girl make her own decisions.

She looked at the tongs once more.

She would give them back, so long as Azula agreed to give her hair a break every once in a while. As small a problem as it was, Ursa wouldn't let her daughter ruin something so naturally flattering. Wouldn't let her change something that she didn't need to.