Finally getting off the ferry I look around at its passengers and of course, my mother is still missing. I continue on with Zuko and Iroh arriving at the ticket booth.
Iroh, Zuko, and I place our tickets onto the ledge, "So, Ms. Li, Mr. Lee," I look at Zuko with a confused expression but he does not meet my gaze, "And Mr umm... Mushy, is it?" The ticket booth operator continues.
"It's pronounced Mushi," Iroh corrects. The ticket booth operator frowns, "You telling me how to do my job?" She snaps.
Iroh steps closer to the woman, "Uh, no, no. But may I just say you're like a flower in bloom. Your beauty is intoxicating." He flirts.
"You're pretty easy on the eyes yourself, handsome. Raorr!" She growls, "Welcome to Ba Sing Se." She flirts back, stamping our tickets.
Zuko makes a disgusted face and grabs his ticket, "I'm going to forget I saw that." I burst into laughter at his statement, "Well if you don't like your uncle doing all the flirting maybe you could try next time." This comment only earns me a scowl from the grumpy prince.
-
I sit between Zuko and Iroh on a bench when I finally decide to ask Zuko about his alias, "Lee, really? You know how weird it will be to introduce ourselves to people. 'Hi I'm Li and this is my friend Lee! We're twins from different mothers!" I say in a mocking tone.
"It was the first thing I thought of."
"Well I'm glad you were thinking of me while I was gone, but I didn't think you were going to steal my name." I push him with my shoulder.
"Why don't you just go by Mei?" Zuko suggests.
My face contorts in anger, "You know full well why I don't like being called that name." I turn my back to him and he doesn't say anything further and we return to an uncomfortable silence. If this moment couldn't get any worse Jet approaches and squeezes himself between me and Zuko, almost pushing me to the ground.
"So, you guys got plans once you're inside the city?" Jet asks Zuko, most likely trying to recruit him. But I'm soon distracted from their conversation when a man with a cart full of tea walks by.
"Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!" Iroh waves his hand excitedly to signal the tea merchant.
"Ooh! Jasmine please."
The tea merchant pours the tea into a cup and hands it to Iroh. The merchant looks over at me, "Does the pretty young lady wish for a cup of tea?" He smiles at me, gesturing a cup in my face.
"No, I'm fine." I push the cup away. Iroh happily sips his tea but his face soon turns to one of repulsion, "Blaugh! Ugh, coldest tea in Ba Sing Se is more like it! What a disgrace!" I chuckle at his response until I listen to Jet's voice again.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Jet stands up from beside me and I can finally unsquish myself from Iroh as the two boys walk away. Suddenly a warmth washes over me and I see that Iroh has created a small flame in the palm of his hand under the teacup.
"What are you doing?" I move my body to shield Iroh from anyone's vision.
"I don't like cold tea." Is his simple answer as he lifts his steaming tea to his lips. Before getting a second sip in, Zuko stomps back over to us and knocks the cup to the ground, the scalding hot liquid narrowly missing my legs.
"Hey! I don't want another burn from you!" I exclaim while Iroh cries over his tea.
"What are you doing firebending your tea? For a wise, old man, that was a pretty stupid move!" Zuko says between gritted teeth.
Iroh ignores his nephew's comment and looks sadly at the cup on the ground, "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but... It's just so sad." He sniffles.
-
I rest my head on Zuko's shoulder while Iroh beside me coos over some baby. I look out the windows across from us, the city comes into view but it's nothing luxurious. The train stops and I stand up and stretch keeping my eyes out for my mother but again she is nowhere to be seen.
-
Iroh catches up to me and Zuko in the streets of the Lower Ring holding a vase of orange flowers. Zuko frowns at the flowers but I lean over and smell the scent, "I just want our place to look nice, in case someone brings home a lady friend!" Iroh elbows Zuko in the side.
"Good thinking!" I exclaim, getting a strange look from Zuko, "We all know that you don't actually have any features that would attract a female. Maybe the flowers will help, Firefly." I tease. Zuko slaps me on the back of the head to shut me up.
"This city is a prison. I don't want to make a life here." Zuko finally speaks up.
"Life happens wherever you are, whether you make it or not. Now come on, I found us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon!" Iroh says excitedly, "And Li Mei," I turn to look at the man, "I think I found you a job as well."
"Oh, you didn't have to do that, Iroh. When I find my mother I'll just work with her." I decline his offer.
"Just look at the place first." He gestures to a place not far up the road from us and I can already smell freshly baked pastries. I run down the road and into the small bakery, "Mother!" I shout as I see the familiar woman behind the counter, "Hello, Li. I've been waiting for you."
I slide behind the counter while tying an apron behind my back, "How long have you been here?" I ask, finishing my knot.
"A few hours." She responds, handing a small bag of bread to an old woman.
"A few hours!? Which ferry were you on?" I grab some fruit-filled pastries and hand them to a young boy and collect his payment.
"It must have been the one just before yours. I snuck on it."
"And you didn't take me with you?" I shake my head in disapproval.
"I thought you had some unresolved issues that needed to be solved. The ferry ride seemed like a perfect place for you and your boyfriend to fix your issues."
"He's not my boyfriend!" I yell a little too loud making all the customers look
at me quizzically, "He's not my boyfriend." I say quieter, directed to just my mother.
"I'm just teasing," She ruffles my hair, "No need to get so worked up." I cross my arms tightly across my chest, "Oh, Li?" I hum in response, "Can you take this to the tea shop down the road?" She lifts up a small basket, "They ordered some bread."
I grab the basket and untie my apron leaving it on the counter. I walk down the street and my eyes wander to all the different shops and people that populate the street. The street reeks of some mysterious smell. Everyone looks filthy and it makes me wonder how the city can allow these people to live like this.
I push open the doors to the tea shop and I have to cover my mouth to suppress a laugh. I walk into the shop and push Zuko's back gently making him aware of my presence.
"What are you-" He starts but once he turns around and relaxes once he meets my eyes, "What are you doing here?" He questions, though it feels more like an order.
I lift the basket, "I have a delivery. Who runs this place?" He points to the back where a small man stands looking over the shop. I walk over to him, bowing slightly to make him notice me, "I have your delivery." I hand over the basket and he opens it quickly.
"Yes. Yes. This is perfect!" He exclaims, "The customers will love it!" He pats me on the back and heads into the kitchen in the back. Iroh walks around the tea shop greeting and serving customers, too busy to notice my arrival.
I walk to the kitchen and lean in, "Do you have an extra apron? I would love to help out." The manager nods quickly and runs away before returning quickly with another apron, "Thank you." I reply, taking the apron and tying it around my waist.
-
"Where have you been?" My mother questions when I return to the bakery late at night.
"I was just helping out at the tea shop. Don't worry I'm not getting into trouble."
"I'm not worried you'll get into trouble. I just need an extra pair of hands here. It's difficult dealing with all these people at once." She closes the bakery door and forms a lock out of the earth on the other side, "Ready to see our new place?" She asks. I nod my head excitedly, hoping that our house will be in the Upper Ring.
Instead, we walk for a while and reach a dingy-looking building.
"Home sweet home!" She swings the door open to a very small apartment.
"It's so..." I struggle to find the words.
"Small." My mother finishes my sentence, "I know it's not what you are used to, but it's all that I could get,"
"You were an Earth Kingdom general, does that mean nothing to the people of Ba Sing Se?" I slump into one of the small chairs in the main room.
"Apparently not," She joins me in the main room by sitting in the chair across from me.
"I'm sick of tea!" A familiar voice rings through the air. I get up from my chair and look out of the window. A few floors down from us in the building next to ours I can make out Zuko laying on a bed mat and Iroh standing at the stove.
I pull back from the window, "At least we have some familiar neighbours." I point out to my mother.
"I guess that is a benefit, even if it is a small one." She stands from her chair moving to one of the two rooms branching from the main room, "I'm going to bed. Your room is right next door." She waves her hand in the direction of the second room.
I walk into the dark room. I secretly light the candle with a bit of firebending and I'm able to make out the room. A small bed sits in the corner of the room along with a small wardrobe. On top of the wardrobe is a framed painting. Walking closer to the wardrobe I can see that the painting is of me and my family on Ember Island when I was just a kid. I smile down at the picture remembering the day that it was made.
"Mother! Father! Look, my sandcastle is the best, right?" I point to the small tower at the side of the water. Before my parents can say anything Azula kicks the tower with a blast of fire. She looks back over at my devastated expression, "Oh, sorry Li Mei. Was that yours? I thought it was just an ugly pile of sand." She giggles evilly before running off to destroy Zuko's sand sculpture too.
"It was beautiful, until..." My mother tries to soothe my upset feelings as I kick the sand gently where my castle was.
"Azula ruins everything!" I shout. My father kneels down and puts his hands on my shoulders, "She's just jealous because she can't make a sandcastle. That's why she destroys everybody else's." I smile now knowing that Azula lacks all creativity.
I run over to Zuko while he stares sadly at his destroyed art piece, "Firefly!" He snaps his head up to look at me, "Let's make an even better castle together, okay?"
His frown becomes a smile, "One that Azula can't ruin."
I flop onto the bed remembering how cool our final sculpture was. Azula luckily didn't destroy the castle - not on her own - Azula's goonies helped her stomp all over it, ruining mine and Zuko's mood for the day. In the drawing, I am frowning, and in the background, our destroyed castle is just a large pile of sand. I shake my head, wishing that I could be back in those days when Azula destroying my sandcastle was my biggest and only problem.
-
"One cup of jasmine tea please," I order from the not very happy-looking Zuko. He takes a cup and pours the hot water into it making the tea leaves spin, "Thank you." I smile at him teasingly. He knows I only come here to make fun of him.
"Shut up and enjoy your tea."
I fake a gasp, "Is that any way to treat a customer?" I place a hand on my chest. I can see Zuko's anger boiling in him like a kettle over an open flame. Before Zuko can retort, the tea shop door busts open with Jet behind them, "I'm tired of waiting! These two men are firebenders!" He points accusingly at Zuko and Iroh. I push myself out of my chair and prepare myself for a showdown.
"I know they're firebenders, I saw the old man heating his tea!" Jet exclaims. One of the customers near the front of the shop stands up, "He works in a tea shop."
"He's a firebender! I'm telling you!" He attempts to convince the customers.
"Drop your swords, boy. Nice and easy." Another one of the customers stands.
"You'll have to defend yourself. Then everyone will know. Go ahead, show them what you can do." Jet directs towards Zuko.
Jet walks closer to the prince. I move in front of him in a defensive stance, but he pushes me out of the way gently. Zuko grabs a pair of swords from a customer, "You want a show? I'll give you a show!"
"Zu-Lee, don't!" I warn, but he grabs a table and kicks it in Jet's direction.
Jet slices the table in half with his swords, jumping over it. As he lands he swings both swords at Zuko which the prince blocks with his own swords. Zuko jumps onto a second table which Jet then slices in half. Zuko stays balanced on one half until Jet slices at the table legs causing Zuko to jump off. The prince swings his swords at Jet's feet which the other boy avoids by doing a somersault to the side. Jet crouches before charging at Zuko. Their swords clash together with much force. Jet swings around and pushes Zuko through the doors of the tea shop. I quickly run out the door after the two of them. They charge at each other again, locking swords.
"You must be getting tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?" Jet taunts.
"Please, son, you're confused! You don't know what you're doing!" Iroh tries to stop the fight but Jet doesn't listen. Jet continues his endless attack on Zuko.
"Bet you wish he'd help you out with a little fire blast right now." Jet continues taunting. As Jet swings at his opponent's feet, Zuko catches one of the hilts of Jet's sword with his own.
"You're the one who needs help." Zuko retorts. The two fighters continue with only one sword until Jet jumps onto the side of a well.
"You see that?! The Fire Nation is trying to silence me. It'll never happen!" Jet swings himself from the top of the well with his hooked sword. Jet dodges Zuko's attack which leads them to fight each other back to back with seemingly no further progression in the fight the Dai Li steps in finally.
"Drop your weapons." They order. Zuko follows the order, lowering his sword while Jet points at Zuko and Iroh, "Arrest them, they're firebenders!"
"This poor boy is confused, we're just simple refugees," Iroh says to the Dai Li.
"This young man wrecked my tea shop, and assaulted my employees!" Pao, the tea shop owner points at Jet.
"It's true sir, we saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city." One of the customers defends Iroh and Zuko. Flattered by this compliment, Iroh blushes, "Oh, ho, ho. That's very sweet."
The two Dai Li agents approach Jet, "Come with us, son." Jet, not thinking, swings his sword at the Dai Li who quickly disarms him and pull his arms behind his back. They drag him into the back of a caged wagon.
"You don't understand! They're Fire Nation! You have to believe me!"
I sigh deeply watching the wagon pull away. I put my hand between Zuko's shoulder blades and push him back into the tea shop.
"Are you crazy!?" I scold as he sits down on one of the undamaged chairs.
"He was the one asking for a fight. I think you misunderstood who the crazy one is." He replies grumpily. I turn another chair over and sit next to him, "You're right... But still, you could have gotten badly hurt." I cross my arms.
"He's reckless. He would never be able to get a hit on me."
"Maybe so, but when you are throwing chairs at each other I have the right to be worried."