Title: The Bei Fong Bar and Gambling House

Rating: T

Words: 4408

Summary: Now that Katara was sitting in the middle of all the noise and excitement, she should have known that Toph would decide to open up her own gambling house and emblazon her name over its doorway. Gen fic. Gaang-centric. Submission for the A:tLAFC Monthly Competition.

a/n: Submission for the A:tLAFC monthly competition with the theme for this month being dream jobs (i.e. if there weren't any wars to end or thrones to assume, what would someone be doing with their lives?) So this is going to be a cross between an AU and a cracky-funny fic, but hopefully it'll at least be enjoyable and fun to read.

Warnings: A little random, a little silly, a little AU since this probably wouldn't happen considering the canon plot, but hey that never stopped me, right?

OOO

The Bei Fong Bar and Gambling House

OOO

"Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen. Please keep in mind that any fighting or roughhousing that happens on the floor will lead to an immediate dismissal of all parties involved. Also, anyone who has a problem with this risks me stealing all of your winnings for myself and kicking your sorry ass to the curb. Don't test me, because you will lose if I'm the one you're answering to you. Thank you!"

Katara raised a brow at the announcement. She knew that Toph was loud, but she didn't think that such a raucous voice could come from such a tiny body. What's more, she didn't think that the entire establishment—which wasn't exactly quiet or orderly—would completely fall silent at the mere sound of the Earthbender's voice. She supposed that's what earning and demanding respect led to, but it was still impressive to watch.

Toph huffed, rolled her eyes, and turned back to the uniformed employee that had just whispered into her ear only a few second ago. "Thanks, Ying." She pulled a silver piece out of her pocket and placed it in the palm of his hand. "If you see the same two guys starting more crap, just come and get me again. I'll deal with them no problem," she promised with a terrifying smirk.

"Of course, Miss Bei Fong," Ying bowed, bustling away amidst the crowd.

Katara reached over and picked up her tea—the only non-alcoholic drink she was able to order in this place sans a glass of water. "Miss Bei Fong, huh?"

Toph shrugged and picked up her tumbler filled with awful smelling liquor that Toph swore was delicious. She tipped her head back, downed the entire drink, and slammed it back on the table. "Eh, not my first choice. Metalbending Extraordinaire would have been nice, but at least they respect me. It's so hard to find good help nowadays, you know?"

Katara laughed at the comment and took a moment to look around her once more. When Toph sent a letter to Katara in the South Pole insisting that she had a huge surprise for her, this wasn't exactly what she was expecting. Of course, now that she knew about it, Katara couldn't exactly say that she was entirely surprised. Now that the war was over and that Toph had absolutely no intentions of going back to her home in Gaoling anytime soon, it left the Earthbender with a lot of free time and excess energy. She had complained to Katara on the day right before the Waterbender left for the South Pole that she was so tired of being told what to do and being forced into responsibilities that were completely out of her control.

"I mean, for Spirits' sake!" she bemoaned. "There's gotta be a way that I can just relax and do what I wanna do."

Katara had implored her to do whatever felt right for her. The Waterbender never got to see whether or not Toph actually followed her advice since she had spent the past year in the South Pole making sure that the reconstruction and reunification of all the scattered, skeletal remains of Southern Tribes went up to snuff. But now that Katara was sitting in the middle of all the noise and excitement, she should have known that Toph would decide to open up her own gambling house and emblazon her name over its doorway. To be fair, being the owner of a very successful gambling house was a good look on her. Toph settled into authority like it was born for her.

There were dice games, card games, gambling lots, bets on bending matches, roulette tables, and Pai Sho games going on all around her. Everyone was running around with satchels of silver and gold in their hands, and occasionally there would be a large uproar when a person had a particularly fortunate win or when someone had lost nearly three quarters of the money that they had originally entered the establishment with. Bustling around the floors were Earthbenders with aprons embroidered with The Bei Fong Bar and Gambling House whose responsibilities ranged from breaking up fights, picking out cheaters and thieves, and delivering food and drinks to the patrons in the bar and restaurant who were sat on the second floor of the building where Toph and Katara were currently seated. There was a stage with a band playing on the bottom floor, a bar in the corner with bartenders hard at work, and well lit atmosphere that promised fun and fortune.

All in all, Toph wasn't doing too bad for herself.

It certainly wasn't Katara's scene—she had really had enough of scams and gambling to last her a lifetime even if she only partook in the practice once—but she had to applaud wonderful entrepreneurship and business savvy when she saw it. Toph was a hell of a business owner. "I have to say, I'm really loving my surprise. I mean I didn't expect you to have such a solid set up in only a year. Business is booming."

Toph shrugged and tapped the bar table. A bartender came over and leaned down so that Toph could mutter in his ear. He listened attentively and nodded curtly, hurrying to the back of the bar in order to fulfill what must have been a personal request. "Yeah, it's doing better than I thought it would. But this is a port city, and the shores of the Fire Nation aren't that far away. A lot of Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation folk mingle around here, so it's a pretty hot tourist spot. Plus, you can't really go wrong with money, food, and booze. That'll attract anyone."

"Still," Katara sighed in awe. "This is pretty amazing. I only wish that everyone else in the group could get to see this. I'd bet they'd be impressed too."

Toph laughed and leaned her elbows on the bar table. "Actually, it's funny that you mentioned that. This is only half your surprise. The rest is still coming."

Katara didn't know what Toph meant by that, but she was beginning to figure out what the rest of the "surprise" was supposed to be when she saw a familiar shock of black hair turn the corner and come to the front of the bar.

Their new guest didn't even get a chance to open his mouth before his eyes locked onto Katara and widened in horror. "Oh, crap."

Katara probably looked just as shocked. "Zuko?!"

The Waterbender was tempted to think that it was a mistake, but there was no mistaking the light eyes and the scar across half of the young man's face. Zuko wasn't dressed like the rest of the employees, but he was dressed casually in a simply tunic and trousers in order to help him blend in with the commoners in the establishment and not have him stick out quite so much as the Crown Fire Prince he actually was. He was holding a bottle of liquor in his hands and he was currently turning towards Toph and berating her.

"You said you'd warn me before she showed up!" Zuko hissed at her through gritted teeth.

But Toph didn't seem fazed by his ire. "Does it matter? You were going to see her anyway. Besides, I want my usual and you're the only one who makes it right."

Katara was starting to put the pieces together. "Wait, Zuko…you're a bartender here?"

"No!" Zuko immediately corrected. "No I am not! Please don't start saying that out loud," Zuko pleaded, looking around suspiciously at the other customers and employees that were in the immediate area. "Everyone's going to start thinking I actually work here permanently and then word is going to spread that the future Fire Lord spends his time mixing drinks at a shoddy gambling house while he's waiting to become "of age" and take the throne."

"Shoddy?" Toph perked up, sounding offended. "Speak for yourself, this place is the classiest joint on this side of the Earth Kingdom."

Zuko dropped his shoulders and looked at her tiredly. "What did I say about you exaggerating? Call this place what you want, but I wouldn't attach the word classy to a place where cheating and scamming are a regular occurrence."

Katara was still confused. "Wait, if you don't work here, Zuko, then why are you behind the counter serving drinks?"

Zuko rolled his eyes and reached underneath the bar to grab a cup and another bottle of what looked to be a non-alcoholic chaser. He pulled out a tall cocktail shaker and started pouring the chaser together with the alcohol along with a few chucks of ice. "Let's just say that I gave Toph a blank check of credit for burning her feet all those years ago. Clever little beast that she is, she decided not to cash in on it until she opened this place up."

Toph jutted her thumb at him. "He was the one that helped me make the drinks menu and actually helped train a couple of my bartenders when I started expanding the place."

Zuko was shaking the shaker when Katara smiled teasingly. "I thought you were a tea brewer, Zuko."

The Fire Prince rolled his eyes and poured out Toph's mixed drink inside the cup and pushed it over to her. "I am. But I picked up a few things in Ba Sing Se and when I came back to the Fire Nation. Didn't think it'd be useful. Of course, I probably shouldn't have told Toph about it because she was quick to take advantage of the fact that I learned."

Toph didn't seem sorry for that. "Hey, I needed a person who was decent when it came to mixology. You were the only one I could think of." She reached over and took a sip of her drink. She nodded in approval. "Mm. Not bad. Not bad at all, Sparky." She gestured to the scarred teen. "I always make him come and help behind the bar when he's in the city visiting. The guy's a natural."

Zuko shrugged at the compliment and put the shaker away. "I'm more of a tea brewer. I would prefer working in Uncle's teashop and waiting tables in a heartbeat. Actually wouldn't be too bad of an occupation if things were different."

Toph smiled up at Zuko in a way that positively reeked of sarcasm "Is that why you were so willing to jump into the Jasmine Dragon uniform and why you won't wear mine?"

Toph stuck her tongue out at him with a smile, and Zuko reached behind Toph's head to affectionately yank at a lock of hair as payback for her teasing. Toph was about to lift her fist and punch Zuko straight in the arm when he placed a hand on Toph's shoulder and jutted his chin behind the two women. "Here comes your music man. Coming up right behind you."

The Earthbender took her feet down from the bar stool and back onto the floor and nodded in acknowledgment. Katara didn't have time to ask who this new person was before she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and kiss planted on her cheek.

"Hey, Katara! Toph said you were going to come, but I didn't think you'd actually make it."

Katara turned to see Aang decked out in trendy Earth Kingdom clothing that cleverly hid his arrows and made him blend in perfectly with the young, middle-class crowd milling about in the gambling house. He wasn't wearing the gambling house uniform either, but he certainly looked like he was attempting to immerse himself in the environment more than Zuko was. He took a seat in between Toph and Katara and nodded at Zuko. "Is she still making you stay behind the bar? I thought this was a reunion, not a way for Toph to get some part-time employees."

Zuko certainly didn't like the assumptions that he was behind the counter because he genuinely enjoyed it. "Ask her!" he replied in annoyance, pointing to the Earthbender in question. "Remind me to never give Toph a blank anything. She's going to make me sail back here to mix drinks until the day I die."

Aang laughed and leaned his elbows on the bar table. "I mean, that's totally possible," Aang agreed. "It's sort of your fault for getting her angry in the first place. Rule number one about Toph: don't get her angry."

"Ain't that the truth!" Toph raised her hand and met Aang halfway for a high five. "By the way, is the next group here yet?"

Aang nodded, pulled out a small list from his front pocket, and quickly scanned it. "Yup, they just got here and they're setting up in the back. They're late so they agreed to play an extra two sets to make up for lost time. Which actually works out fine because Tan Lin and her band almost always takes over twenty minutes to set up their instruments, so it should leave them plenty of time to get settled. I also called up that singing group that I told you about that usually performs at that small tea shop a few blocks away. They're going to come in a couple of hours and play a few sets as well. I already have their payments ready in your office. I'll give them out on your call."

Toph nodded in approval. "Not bad, Twinkle Toes. Remind me to stop underestimating you."

Aang frowned in mock annoyance. "Only when you stop ignoring me when I do remind you."

Katara started to understand the conversation. "Wait, so you book the music groups?"

Aang shrugged and winced. "Eh, sort of. I'm not actually here all the time so I only do it when I'm around. But if I'm travelling and I find a cool music group, I make sure to send them Toph's way. For now, since I've been here for about a week waiting for you to sail over, I've been pretty much handling the schedule for Toph. It's actually kind of fun!" he grinned boyishly. "It's a nice break from all the Avatar stuff. Plus, I love music and dancing and I always scope out some great talent."

Zuko nodded in agreement and turned to Katara. "He's like a magnet for some pretty good music and dance groups. Then again, he's pretty artistically inclined so I'm not surprised."

"I mean, that's giving me a lot of credit," Aang replied bashfully. "But this actually wouldn't be a bad gig if I didn't have to help the Earth King with an edict in a couple of weeks!"

The next music group was already walking on stage and introducing themselves as the members of the band started to go through some practice scales. Katara nodded in approval and turned to Aang. "That's pretty impressive, Aang. I didn't think you put so much work into this place."

"Yeah, well Toph needed a lot of help when she was first trying to get this place off the ground. I helped a lot with the logistics since someone doesn't really like to think about practical things like actually paying her employees."

"Hey!" Toph pointed in Aang's face defensively. "I'm not the financial expert. That's Sokka's job. I'm responsible for the vision, you're responsible for the ambiance, and Sokka is responsible for all the boring financial stuff. That's how it works. It's not my fault that I wasn't figuring in the boring specifics."

The mention of her brother's name had Katara leaning forward in her seat with bugged eyes. "Wait a minute. My brother is involved in this place too?"

Aang nodded. "Oh yeah, he was actually the one who was most excited about it. He's been in this city with Suki for at least three months. This place is like his favorite new pet project. Actually, I think that's them right now!"

Katara turned in her seat and saw Sokka and Suki coming up the staircase to the second floor of the building and excitedly making their way over the rest of Team Avatar. Suki was out of her Kyoshi uniform and dressed similarly to Aang in comfortably, stylish Earth Kingdom clothing that made her fit right into the atmosphere. However, Sokka—ever the goof, her brother—seemed to be sporting a tunic, an apron, a hat, and a satchel that all had The Bei Fong Bar and Gambling House embroidered all over them. Suki seemed to be embarrassed to be walking next to him, but Sokka was proudly marching past the tables and customers and probably thinking that he was the best looking guy in the entire establishment. Katara had to hand it to her brother: he held a lot of confidence in himself even if it wasn't completely warranted.

Katara said the first thing that came to her mind when her brother was within earshot. "You look like a souvenir shop threw up on you."

Sokka stopped his march of pride and stared levelly at his sister. "That is the first thing you say to me after not having seen me in literally months? I'm hurt, sis. Honestly, that hurt right here," he pouted, pointing to his heart.

Suki rolled her eyes and walked over to give Katara a hug. "Ignore him. He's been working on merchandise all week and he's really proud with what he came up with."

"You're darn right, I am!" Sokka exclaimed proudly. He turned towards Aang and Zuko. "Okay, guys. Here are the prototypes. What do you think customers would want more? Shirts? Hats? Bags? Maybe we can start selling jackets!"

Zuko squinted at the ensemble and tilted his head to the side. "Honestly? You're gonna be giving the poor girl less business if you stick with those bags. They look horrendous."

"Yeah, Sokka," Aang agreed, looking equally unenthused. "It looks like you just stitched together some old fabric you found in the dumpster."

Sokka looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "Well, duh! That's because I did make all this out of stuff I found from the garbage. But that's because this is just the prototype. Obviously if we decide to mass produce these things they're gonna be way cooler."

Toph looked like she was about to develop a serious migraine. Katara smiled and was positive that it was a direct result of interacting with Sokka for extended periods of time. "Since when were we selling merchandise? Besides, I thought I told you to make sure that our property permits were paid off and to give me an update on how much we made this week."

Sokka momentarily came down from his excitement. "Permits are paid, employee paychecks were handed out, your amenities have been covered, we cleared around 2,000 gold pieces this week alone, and we've been in the black for the past six weeks and have absolutely nothing to worry about. Don't worry, Toph. Everything's peachy. Now!" Sokka held up a finger and pulled out a small piece of fabric from his back pocket. "Let's talk underwear! I think this is gonna be a big seller."

Katara leaned over to Toph and Aang while Zuko and Suki were forced to listen to Sokka's latest pitch. "You gave the Idea Guy the job of handling your finances? Didn't you realize that he was just going to start coming up with ridiculous gimmicks in the near future?"

Aang tried to defend the man. "Hey, he was actually helpful in the beginning when we were trying to balance the books, as it were. Sokka's really good at managing the details. Okay, so he gets a little overzealous, but the money's always accounted for. Besides, this is what Sokka does best, and he's having fun with it."

"So long as he doesn't go crazy again like when he bought all of those employee aprons," Toph grumbled.

"Hey, they're pretty stylish!" Aang offered.

Toph reached over and poked Suki in the arm, pulling the Kyoshi warrior's attention away from Sokka's rant. "Hey, Fan Girl. How's security? Did you find those two guys that were causing problems a few minutes ago? Ying mentioned that they were stirring up trouble again."

Suki didn't seem too worried and simply nodded in assurance. "Yup, all taken care of. Turns out they were just too drunk and fighting over who's turn it was next at the dice tables. I already escorted them out and took back their winnings, like you requested. It's sitting in your office," Suki finished with a wink.

Toph smiled and pointed at Suki. "See this is why you get a warrior to handle security for you. She doesn't play around."

"I mean, it's what I do best," Suki shrugged nonchalantly. "Scaring the life out of grown men and ordering a bunch of people around? I may as well be back on Kyoshi Island. If it wasn't that this place was so far away and I didn't have an entire team of warriors to get back to once everything is said and done here, I would totally stick around. I'm getting pretty good at Pai Sho just from watching all the players on the floor. Plus you start to pick up on who the cheats and liars are."

"And anyway," Toph added. "Someone has to keep the Idea Guy on a tight leash. Fan Girl here is the only person that can talk any sense into that lummox."

Zuko looked about ready to breathe fire. "For the last time, I'm not trying on your prototype briefs. Who knows where on Earth you got those from? Probably from the dumpster, too."

"Oh, give me some credit, Zuko," Sokka insisted. "I'm not that classless. Honestly!"

Katara looked on the argument between the two men and couldn't help but agree with that statement. "Yeah, sometimes I forget how much of a blessing you are, Suki. Sometimes, I don't think I can handle my brother when he's this hyped up."

"You just gotta know how to slap him around a bit and give some good incentives," Suki smiled. "He's actually very well-trained."

Aang started laughing at the comparison, but then he leaned his chin on Toph's shoulder and sighed deeply. "Okay, everyone's here. Can we go eat now? I'm pretty sure the place is gonna be fine for an hour while we all catch up. I'm starving."

Zuko was pointedly ignoring Sokka at this point, who was still trying to convince the Firebender about the finer points of marketing through the selling of undergarments, one of the most sought after pieces of clothing this side of the Earth Kingdom. Katara wasn't even going to comment on the accuracy of that comment. "I agree. Anything to get out of here and to get this guy to stop talking about supply and demand."

Toph turned in Suki's direction. "Are we good?"

"Everyone's at their posts," Suki assured. "If anything goes down, they all know what to do."

"Perfect," Toph grinned. She patted the top of Aang's head and ushered him off of his barstool. "Come on Twinkle Toes. Quit complaining, you'll be fed in a second."

Sokka adjusted the strap to his satchel and patted it affectionately as it hung against his hip. "I don't understand why we don't just eat here. This is a restaurant too, after all."

"I can barely hear myself speak in this place, Sokka," Suki reminded him. "Besides, I want to take a break from all the excitement, and Katara hasn't seen much of the rest of the town yet."

Toph was leading the group down the stairs of the restaurant and leading through the chaotic floor while she tapped her chin in thought. "Huh. When was the last time we updated the menu here, anyway?"

Zuko shrugged. "I haven't been here in a while, but just from glancing at it, it sounds the same as it did when you were describing it to me like two months ago."

"That sounds about right," Aang confirmed.

An idea struck Toph at that instant and she grabbed Katara's arm just as they exited the building. "Actually, I just thought of something. Sugar Queen, you feel like revamping a menu for me?"

Katara blinked. "Wait, me?"

"Yeah, why not? You're a pretty good cook, and anyone who can make a decent meal out of mint leaves, leechee nuts, and water can definitely scrounge up something appealing with a fully stocked kitchen."

Hm. A fully stocked kitchen definitely sounded appealing. "Well, I mean, I did plan on being here for a few weeks. I'm pretty sure I could whip something up…"

"Are you kidding? Stick that girl in a fully stocked kitchen and she'll cook you a seven course meal complete with a buffet table," Sokka teased.

Katara smiled at the truth behind the statement but still shoved her brother's arm and made him stumble on his feet. It certainly wasn't what she was expecting to do during her visit here seeing as how she had only meant to meet up with Toph and didn't plan on all of her friends being here. But the rest of the team seemed to have put in their little personal spin on the business with what little time they had available to them, and it was a nice sight to see. She certainly wouldn't have thought such a thing was possible if she didn't see it for herself. But now she was eager to offer as much help as she could.

"I'm not going to go that crazy. Besides, I doubt anyone would want to pay for a seven-course meal," Katara pointed out.

"Maybe they would," Sokka shrugged. "It's worth putting on the menu as a pilot test."

"Okay," Toph announced. "How many "innovations" are you going to come up with? I need to figure out how to stop your ideas from breeding."

Aang sighed and shook his head. "I don't think you can stop it. They've been coming in full throttle all week."

Zuko started rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Someone please shut him up."

Suki held up her hands defensively. "Don't look at me. I'm officially off duty. I'm not dealing with him."

"No, no, guys! This could work!" Sokka explained excitedly, waving his arms about. "Just think about it like this…"