Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

27

❃ Misled Fortune ❃

It was a couple of weeks later when a couple of men from the upper ring visited the teashop. Their silk robes were made with the best dyes and patterns. Their tidy braids were slicked back traditionally, a sure sign of their prestigious status. They looked around curiously as Keya assigned them their table.

"Say, young lady, who owns this shop?" One of the men asked while his partner checked out the menu.

"Mister Pao runs this teahouse, sir." Keya answered with a polite smile.

The man hummed and looked around some more. His green eyes landed on Iroh, who was busy explaining different ingredients to a confused customer nearby. The old man could never stay in the kitchen for too long. He loved interacting with the customers too much. The upper class man at her table subtly pointed his thumb at Iroh.

"Is that him?"

Keya shook her head. "No, that's Mushi. He's the official tea brewer. Mister Pao is in the back. Would you like me to get him for you?" She asked.

"No, that's alright." The man exchanged a look with his partner. "We were just interested in who makes the tea around here."

Keya puffed her chest out proudly. "That would be Mushi, sir. That man is a genius. Of all the tea I've had in my life, his tea is the best."

"Aha." The two men smiled and exchanged another glance. The other man looked up from his menu and gave his order. "Great, then we'd both like to have some jasmine tea, please and thank you. If possible, we'd like for him to serve us ourselves."

Keya found their interest a bit odd, but hey, these guys were from the upper ring! Who knew what rich people liked to invest their time in. She certainly had no clue...

"Alright then, I'll see what I can do for you two gentlemen. Two jasmine teas coming right up!" She smiled a closed eyed smile and informed Iroh of their request.

By the time she had finished their order, a few extra guests had already arrived by the front entrance, waiting to be seated. These days, more and more customers filled the tea house. It seemed that Iroh's tea making skills had spread word around the town. People from all across the lower ring flooded in each day to taste 'Pao's tea'. The fact that that old fart liked to take credit for Iroh's tea always left a nasty taste in her mouth (not that she would ever dare speak up about it- Pao was still her boss, after all). She hoped that Iroh's dream could come true one day, she really believed that he deserved it. Plus, having Iroh as her boss would probably be a sweet gig. For now, she had to continue her job at Pao's tea house.

Sweat coated her brow, her wild baby hairs stuck to it in a way that could be considered 'unlady-like'. Her pale apron was filled with tea stains and spills. Even though her feet begged for her to take a break, but the girl pushed on. Keya kept her fake customer service smile bright and polite as she served rude and snobby customers. Those guys really didn't know how to treat people in the service industry, that much was clear. It was obvious from her time in the city, that those in Ba Sing Se who had grown up in the middle- and upper levels had a clear distaste for anyone below their status. It was rather funny, actually, to see them being forced to go down a ring or two just to get some good tea. Apparently, whatever Iroh brewed was better than the hot leaf juice they served in the upper ring.

From the corner of her eye, Keya witnessed Iroh pouring the two men their tea. He answered any questions they had with enthusiasm and joy. It was obvious to everyone who saw him that Iroh was the true mastermind behind Pao's tea shop. Once the men had tasted their jasmine tea, they smirked and looked at one another with a knowing glint in their eye. This was it, this was the guy. They walked over to their boss -who was seated at a different table- to tell him the good news.