Author Note: The prompt for this ficlet was 'tea'. I'm a massive fan of tea myself, so just love Iroh's facination with tea. I also love haiku, so couldn't resist the urge to add one. Hope you enjoy!
Heavenly
Infused with sweet tang,
Leaves of subtle aroma,
Oh, tea is heaven!
The season of falling leaves had come upon the earth Kingdom so quickly. It seemed like only weeks ago he was preparing the teashop for the tourist season of hot sun and yet there he stood at sunset, his shop practically empty and a flutter of orange and red falling to the ground from the nearby trees. He smiled to himself, noticing how lit by the glow of the setting sun, each leaf blazed bright in colour and looked like a tiny flame.
With him it always came back to fire, except when it came to tea.
One could hardly blame a Fire nation Royal and powerful fire bender for the obsession with the flame, but his love of tea was something more unusual.
Iroh heated some water over a flame and sat out on the deck, watching his colourful garden as he prepared the dried leaves of tea.
From his earliest memories, Iroh could recall a fascination with the ancient tea ceremonies he saw performed at the palace. Each step of preparation was like a dance, with sweeping movements for emphasis, and gentle swaying, some curt, precise motions and all so formal. He found it beautiful. The performers of the ceremony were beautiful women, whose beauty was emphasised by the graceful and calm movements of the ceremony. Young Iroh could not understand how they achieved this grace – his own attempts at mimicry had only left him frustrated with his clumsiness. It had taken him years to learn the art of tea, but after so long he found he had come to truly appreciate all of the effort. As beautiful as the tea ceremony is, Iroh knew it should be performed at special occasions, but he took pride and great care with his tea preparations nonetheless.
Once the water had boiled, Iroh poured the steaming crystal-clear liquid into an antique teapot with some of the sweet Jasmine leaves he had prepared. He hummed a tune to himself as the leaves steeped, before carefully pouring the tea into a cup, through a strainer. What was left was a beautiful golden liquid, the colour of the lightest crisp leaves of the tree. He breathed in the smell and instantly relaxed. A sip, though burning like fire on his lips and tongue, both invigorated his spirit and calmed his body.
Here he was happy, surrounded by his tea. With each sip he found himself in heaven.
Author Note: Thanks for reading! May all your cups of tea be heaven-sent cups of deliciousness!