Amidst the Sokka-inspired laughter, Zuko strays. He wanders to the opening entrance of the tea house. It wasn't until recently had he been able to experience inner peace. A mind that wasn't torn with decisions and encumbering thoughts. However it was not until a moment ago when the foundations of that inner peace shook a little. In the distance, adorned with a spectacular sunset was Aang and Katara, lips locked and in a tight embrace. Zuko stiffened, somewhat taken aback by this sudden advancement.
Thoughts were interrupted when Mai sidles up next to Zuko to peer at what had her boyfriend so fixated. Also spying the hugging duo, she laughs. "Aren't you nosy today?" as she turns her boyfriend around with an arm around his waist and draws him back into the crowd. Zuko chuckles "You're right," and allows himself to be led away. However Mai's pressing warm hand opened the Zuko's door to nostalgia. He remembers a different set of hands, hands that coolly ran over his aching chest.
"Hey! It's an accurate depiction!" Zuko snaps back to the present while the cool hands linger in his mind a moment longer until there was only the heat of Mai's hand left.
--
Aang and Katara with hands clasped tightly re-enter the room. It was one of those special moments and everyone conveniently turned to give the two their unbridled attention. The first to speak, unsurprisingly, was Sokka. "Well isn't this a development?" he grins. A joyful chatter arises as everyone conjectures what started all this. "It's that lousy fortune-teller, putting ideas into everyone's minds," Sokka laughs. Despite Toph's confused "Who?", Katara's face glows pink whilst she laughs and defends the honour of Aunt Wu. She looks around content, at all the smiling faces until she stops at one unsmiling face. It was Zuko, stiff as a Fire Nation soldier. She however disregards this as she recalls that Zuko was the epitome of stiff.
Zuko focused on placing the teapot on the tray at the angle his uncle specified, which according to him was just as important as the quality of the tea. Zuko didn't mind the distraction. He had to look away when Katara was scanning the room as he didn't want to let off that he had been thinking of her hands chastely working across his abdomen. That would be somewhat awkward.
--
"Oh yeah, dinner time!" exclaims the highly enthusiastic Sokka. Nobody else was quite as excited as they scuffled to secure a seat. Zuko caught sight of the stool next to Aang, two seats away from Katara, effectively blocking all sight of her, perfect. Before he could make a move however, the ever so stealthy Suki beat him to it. Mai waves an exasperated hand in the air and gestures to a seat next to her, and Katara. "Over here, you block," she suggests with trademark sarcasm. Trying to maintain some degree of discretion, Zuko quickly makes his way over and seats himself. With a swift flick of the Avatar's wrist, the dishes of dinner gently descended upon the table.
Vegetables were pegged skilfully between Aang's chopsticks before he dropped them into Katara's bowl. "Here, they're good for you," he suggests cheerfully. Katara's smile spreads wider before she responds "Oh, thank --". Her reply was cut short as Zuko, purposefully looking in a different direction, pushes a cup of tea with the back of his hand towards her. "Make sure you don't choke," Katara turns to glare at him only to face his dishevelled dark hair. A sharp cough pierces the air and Zuko realises he had forgotten Mai. Quickly he fills an empty cup before lifting it into the air and navigating an ember from his fingertip around the rim of the cup. He hands the cup to Mai, "Slightly scalding, just the way you like it," he pronounces with a smile. Mai, emotionless, receives the cup with haste and drinks it just as quickly. Whilst Toph comments on how Mai could really take her tea, underneath the table Mai intertwines her fingers with Zuko's. Instead of musing on how typically Mai that was, Zuko finds himself concentrating on the table's carving design, trying hard not to let Mai's soft fingers be the catalyst for another wandering of his mind.