Bitter Almond
An elderly woman named Jin employed Tahno in her modest, yet charming ice cream parlor, the little lady still full of youthful vigor and laughter, as well as regrettably prone to pinching him on the cheeks. He first approached her due to the far away location of her shop, assuming there would be very few customers who would notice him, and offered to clean up after hours.
"Smile," she told him after his informal interview.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, smile. Think of something nice, and hold onto it while you work here."
Praise of fans? The lewd jokes of his teammates? The beautiful women he once slept with every so often? His heart fell ten stories upon the discovery that he found no pleasure in his conquests, suddenly empty and worthless.
"I don't have much to smile about right now."
"Well, what was the last happy thing you experienced?"
He thought of Korra's immediate forgiveness, which managed to slightly tug at his lips.
"Someone did a nice thing for me even though I was rude to them."
Jin clapped her hands together and held him in a tight embrace, catching Tahno unprepared. Her diminutive form did not match the strong grip of her arms, still sinewy with remains of muscle, implying years of labor.
"You remind me of someone I went on a date with ages ago. When he smiled it was like constellations lighting up, even under a cloudy sky."
"Must have been a real catch," Tahno replied, not expecting the frailty in his voice.
"He became the firelord, you know." She released him and laughed, the sound like a tickle in her throat. "I don't expect you to believe that, but he wrote me a letter years later. He was really a sweetheart, he just took some turning around."
The room grew empty save the shuffling of his feet. "Oh, nice… When do I start work?"
"Oh! Silly me. Weekdays after 8 pm, Saturdays after 5. But I think you'd do good serving as well. It's really only me here, and I could use the extra company."
A small loneliness weighed her voice down like a stone.
"I'll do it," he decided, looking forlornly at the neatly ordered flavors in their tubs, kept frozen by the woman's modest machines. "I'd love to."
Her smile felt perfect on her face, as though it was the only expression she should make. "Come here tomorrow then. Also, when we have leftover ice cream at the end of the week, would you mind going to the town center and giving it to the street children? I've always wanted to do that, since it's so much better than just throwing it out, but the walk is too long for me. I'll put it in a container that will keep it cold."
Of course, a gentle reminder of his lost bending, but her words meant no harm. "That's very generous of you."
"There's enough cruelty in the world, it's better not to contribute. Go against the tide, set a new trend! That sort of thing makes me feel young."
She wasn't judging him. Small victory, but it made him happy.
"I'll see you then, Miss-"
"Jin. Just Jin."
"Alright."
-o-o-o-o-o-
Unexpectedly, the parlor had many customers, most of whom were fifty years old or older, and regarded him with quiet interest and brief, polite greetings. Tahno learned most of their names, slightly amused by the smiling elderly women with their strawberry cream scoops, patting his hands and calling him 'dear.' The men in their glasses and heavy coats remarked on how he needed to put more weight on his bones with unusually genuine concern, and he would laugh in reply, setting down the bowls and giving monosyllabic responses.
It was stress free and, for a reason he couldn't pinpoint, very relaxing.
The Fridays with the little runts in the town square was first met with "aren't you that loser waterbender," but quickly ended into "wow thanks, awesome," the thankful grins and clever jokes causing both happiness and guilt in Tahno's chest. In one fell swoop, he was reminded that had some of these children been benders, they could have been scooped up and adopted.
Ungrateful. He was ungrateful, and reminded every time a blushing young girl would eat leftover vanilla nut flavor while complimenting his hair, every time a dirt smeared boy taught him a new handshake and invented curse word.
Both sweet and bitter; if life wanted to teach him a lesson, this more than sufficed. He enjoyed it, despite the fact. These people, from the barely seven to the seventy-eight, saw something in him other than smugness and skill. As he opened up with snipped conversations of stories and hobbies, they listened without interruption, observing how he made paper birds small as coins, his origami flowers eventually decorating the shop's tables.
If someone had told him that he would be working in a modest establishment and liking his job, he would never had believed them, and yet there he was.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Jin was away from the shop and recovering from a flu when the parlor had a new visitor, a young, golden eyed man, probably no older than twenty-five. He wore light clothes and a high ponytail, hair with a bright luster, body carried confidently. Tahno raised an eyebrow and wondered if it was a former probending fan who came all the way to the establishment to mock him, but found no words from the other man. No "You're that guy who got knocked off his high and mighty throne." No "My condolences." None of the sort.
"I'd like three scoops of green tea ice cream with crushed almonds," he told him, and Tahno could not help but try to connect the dots, wondering why the stranger felt so familiar.
He was used to small talk with the regulars, and accidentally slipped into routine. "That's my favorite. When Jin let me try that flavor I was shocked by how great it tasted. Never tried it with almonds, though."
"You've changed," the man said with a gentle smile that hinted everything, but revealed nothing. "Do you like it here?"
A strong anger crept up in his spine, but was washed away with truth. "Actually, yes. Yes I do. Old people are the nicest people anyone can meet, and kids aren't actually idiots when you get to know them. I love it here. I have no regrets."
"Glad to hear," came the response, and the man removed a book from his bag and began to read.
Tahno prepared the order with his usual care and set it with a customary spoon and tissue, wiping the other tables and trying not to pay attention to the man, who finished his sweets faster than expected. He stood and left a hefty tip on the table, looking at Tahno with subdued curiosity, as though he had unearthed a pearl.
"I'm glad my revolution has such beautiful results," he said with a smile as he walked out the door.
He didn't chase after him. He didn't even alert the police. Instead, he scooped up the tip and pocketed it, regarding the words like a stone so large that he could not ever hope to lift it.
(This fanfic's alternative title: Amon is actually a liar and just uses the massive burn scar story to get more followers.)