As Zuko walked ahead of his uncle, he didn't expect for him to bring back a vase of flowers. Zuko gave Iroh a judgy look as he glanced at the orange petals. A colour that reminded him of a 'violent' airbender.
"I just want our new home to look nice in case someone brings home a lady friend." Iroh gave Zuko a closed eye smile as he nudged the teen.
Zuko hesitated in his step, hating he still thought of that airbender. His uncle would noticed his pause, so she kept going, trying to block that girl out of his head. "This city is a prison, I don't wanna make a life here."
"Life happens whether you like it or not, now come on! I got us some new jobs, and we start this afternoon." Iroh smiled to himself as his remember who he found a tea shop needing new workers.
Zuko, however, wasn't so giddy-giddy about it. The owner of the shop stood in front of them as Zuko and Iroh out on aprons, showing they worked at the place.
"We'll, you certainly look like offical tea servers." The man smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Ridiculous." Zuko was quick to respond.
"Uh, does this come in an extra size?" Iroh asked as he struggled to make the string ends met.
"I have xtra string in the back, have some tea while you wait." This man poured two cups of tea before moving out the back to find said string. Iroh downed the tea and quickly disliked it. "Ugh! This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"
"Uncle, that's all tea is." Zuko shook his head.
"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible." Iroh must have forgotten who else was in his family. The old man stepped forward grabbing the tea pot and throwing the tea out the window, discussing the changes he would soon to make.
"The upper ring is home to out most important citizens, your house is not too far from here." After seeing the wreck of a village and the types of bunch of houses that were stacked together in the previous city, you felt bad just skipping over it. You would make a 0an to go down there and check it out.
After going past the palace and getting very friendly looks from the Dai Li, you made it to the place you would be staying in. Joo Dee, the woman showing you around didn't waver her smile the entire time. It was almost sinister.
"More good news." She said, looking at a scroll which was just handed to her. "Your request to speak to the Earth King has been processed and should be put through in, about a month! That's more quickly than usual."
"A month?" You walked down the steps, getting closer to Joo Dee. "We need to alert the Earth King about who to stop the fire-nation from winning the war! This is urgent!"
"The fire-nation cannot enter Ba Sing Se, you are safe here." Her smile was something you wanted to smack.
The lady followed you into the house, saying how happy you all should be. Something about her was off, that was obvious. Her unwavering smile and her habit of ignoring the war and anything was the fire-nation was strange. She didn't even let you go out by yourself, so going into the lower class area of Ba Sing Se would be more difficult, but that only made you want to go more.
To find Appa, you went to the closet pet stores around, but none of them knew anything about a giant flying bison. Even, the geeky student at the university couldn't tell you anything, he just said to speak with the professor was that 100% dead in an ancient library in the middle of the desert.
"Well, I'm sorry you couldn't find your bison." Joo Dee Apollinaire the seat of the ride. "Why don't you try and get some rest, someone will be over with dinner later."
After she left, an old man just warned you to not talk about the war and to stay away from the Dai Li. Something definitely wasn't right here.
The next day, you hatched a plan to get into the other side of Ba Sing Se. The King was hosting a party for his pet 'bear'. Just a bear, which was weird. Katara and Toph were going to be some nobel-woman, sneaking in Sokka and Aang, while you went to the lower part to find out information yourself.
And everything was going perfectly. You used your glider to go high enough so the guards couldn't see you fly over. You also wore a headband to cover your tattoo, just in case. You made your way down and started to roam the streets. It was sun-down, so shops were closing up and people were returning home.
You made your way into the centre of the area, and looked around for anything strange or fire-nation like. You found the perfect example as you walked over to a street fight that involved the Fire-Nation Prince.
You watched with your mouth agape as that Jet dude that Katara kinda of had a thing for fought with him, both of them using swords. The Dai Li showed up and took Jet away, and as people started to clear the area.
You shoved past the crowd, eyes dead on Zuko as his back was to you. As you past Iroh, you gave him a happy smile and wave. His face fell into shock and a wide eyed expression. You smirked stopped behind Zuko, tapping his shoulder. As he turned to see who tapped him, you moved away from his point of vision, tapping the other shoulder. You jumped in the air and he fully turned around and appeared where he once looked. Seeing no one behind him, he scoffed and turned back, yelping and falling over once he saw you.
"Good Evening, -" you looked from side to side, seeing no one was watching anymore. "Prince firecracker." You still spoke in a hushed voice.
Zuko made various noises, his face contorted into emotion you couldn't point out clearly. Diarrhea? Constiption? Just stabbed in the heart? Tears? You couldn't tell.
As Zuko tried to figure out how to talk again, Iroh stepped in, saving the day. "Would you care for some tea? It's on the house!"
"I would love some!" You happily walked with Iroh, stepping over Zuko as he looked forward, trying to process what happened before chasing after his uncle.
In the tea shop, you walked to an elderly woman who left just as you arrived. You took a seat and bowed as best as you could as Iroh brought over a cup and pot, pouring your tea.
"I hope you liked jasmine tea." Iroh giggles.
"Any tea you make should be the best I've ever tasted." You say as you take a sip from the tea, making a double take and chugging it down. "Spirits, this is holy water blessed upon me!"
"I'm glad." Iroh pours you another cup as Zuko rushes in, grabbing his uncle's arm and moving him towards the counter.
"Uncle, are you crazy?" Zuko looked over his shoulder as you chatted up a guy with a scar over his nose. "She's the enemy!"
"Zuko, I hope you understand what change of path we are taking on." Iroh sighs and places a hand on his nephews shoulder. "She is of no harm to us here, I knew this when she smiled at seeing the both of us. She is not hear to tell anyone what we came from. Learning to put trust in someone you once fought is a difficult task, but maybe...just maybe you should try and socialise with some girls your age? Learn to trust again."
Zuko looked over at the girl, seeing her raise her eyebrows and her now empty cup. The prince felt Iroh shove the tea pot into his hands, and the teen sighed at having to do the job he was being paid to do. He walked over to the girl and poured her tea in silence.
"You look cute in the little apron, your royal highness." You smiled at the boy.
Zuko tensed, his face going a very bland shade of pink. He told himself it was embarrassment. "I'm not talking to you."
"By telling me that, your talking to me." You pointed at him, wiggling your eyebrows as he scrunches his nose up in his face.
"No, I'm not!" He yelled slightly. "What are you even doing here?"
"Oh you know, casual sight-seeing. I thought I'd tour Ba Sing Se before...you know, going back to everyone and tryna win the war." You whispered the war stuff before bringing Zuko in with your air-bending. "Just to warn you, don't mention the war around these people. Something weird is going on. Oh-I know it's kinda your thing to be caught by authorities and stuff, but stay clear of the Dai Li. All the fancy police people, they're fishy."
"Thanks for the tip." Zuko brought himself away, looking anywhere but you.
"No problem, Firecracker." You winked as you drank your tea.
As the night went on, almost all of the customers left, all but one man who passed out in a booth. The owner went to wake him up as you walked to the counter. Even though Iroh said the tea was on the house, you gave them your 3 gold pieces, as the tea was worth more, but that was all you had at the time being.
"Oh, and just so you know, I'll be down here again, so don't get too bored of me." You waved to the uncle and nephew before leaving the tea shop, opening your glider and flying back to the richer part of the place. More uptight place would be more like it.
"Guys!" You announce your arrival as you went through the doors. "You find anything?"
"The head of the Dai Li caught us, we couldn't tell the King anything." Katara says, wiping the makeup off her face with a little too much aggression. "What about you?"
"Uhhh." You put your glider next to your bed, narrowing your eyes as you tried to think of something. "The Dai Li do go down to the lower area, but no sign of Appa anywhere...and um..."
"And what?" Sokka lifts an eyebrow as you trailed off on your statement.
"Nothing." You smiled, brushing it over. "Just a bit tired."