Morning was breaking, and it was just about time for Azula to head off to work. She was sitting by the table, her lips pursed thoughtfully. Her eyes rested on the sleeping form of Ty Lee. She had enjoyed her time at the Lucky Bear – unexpectedly so, really, considering that she had been with peasants, and doing some...well, some things that she would once have considered vulgar and far beneath her. Azula chewed her lip absently. I am a peasant now. Maybe I should just start trying to get used to that. The alcohol and the sweetleaf had been interesting. They had relaxed her, and made her feel better than she had in some time. She wanted to try them again, if only to see if they would have the same effect on her a second time. And she was...interested...by Tami and her friends. They were very different from any of the people she'd associated with in her life. She wanted to learn more about them. After all, if I'm going to spend this year in the Lower Ring, I might as well learn about the peasantry. I have to figure out how to blend in. With a slow nod, Azula rose and slipped over to where the little acrobat lay.

Ty Lee stirred and murmured as Azula stroked her face. Her gray eyes opened a crack, and she smiled a bit as she recognized her lover. The former princess kissed her forehead. "You can go back to sleep, Ty. I just wanted to tell you that I might go to the Lucky Bear again tonight," she whispered. "But I promise to come home sooner this time, okay?"

The sleepy girl frowned faintly. "You're going with Tami again?"

Azula paused at this. "Tami and her friends, yes. I had a pretty good time yesterday. They taught me a new game." It would probably be best, she reflected, not to mention the whiskey and the sweetleaf. She had a feeling that Ty Lee wouldn't like that very much.

"Game?" Ty Lee looked perplexed. "You're playing games?"

"Well, yes." Azula shifted uncomfortably. "It's a...card game. Anyway, I thought I'd warn you so you won't worry if I'm a bit late."

Quietly, the little acrobat laid her hand against the side of Azula's face. She didn't look entirely happy, but she nodded and kissed the former firebender's mouth softly. "Okay," she murmured. "Just be careful, 'Zula, all right? You know what would happen if you let people get you into trouble or something."

Azula forgot to correct Ty Lee's use of her real name. She frowned. "I'm not a fool," she said. "I wouldn't do anything illegal."

"It doesn't have to be illegal to be dangerous." Ty Lee sighed and let her gaze fall under Azula's stern glare. "I know, I know. Yes, I trust you."

"Good." The former princess felt a faint twinge of guilt. She bent to kiss Ty Lee again to soothe her own conscience. "I'll see you tonight, Ty. And I'll bring home some real food this time. I promise." The gymnast nodded quietly. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby." The little acrobat's eyes closed again as Azula got up. The black-haired girl slipped out into the dimly-lit streets.

Although she was early getting to the teahouse that morning, she found Tami already behind the bakery counter, busily wiping things down. The smell of baking pastries was in the air. The olive-skinned girl looked up and grinned as she caught sight of Azula. "Morning, stranger. Hey, you're on time. The Bear wasn't too much for you yesterday, then?"

"No." Azula shrugged awkwardly. "It was...enjoyable, I suppose."

"Heh." Tami chuckled and shook her head. "You're so uptight! It's adorable." She turned back to wiping the counter as Azula's brows raised. "Are you coming again today? The boys liked you, and Kat's itching for a rematch. Or did your girlfriend lower the boom on you?"

"My girlfriend was fine." For some reason, Azula really didn't want to discuss Ty Lee with her coworker. "I'll come." She moved past the counter. "Excuse me. I have to get the water heating."

The next couple of hours passed without incident. Mr. Chow came in and did a cursory inspection of the front of the shop. Then, finding all to his liking, he vanished into his office. Azula served the customers carefully. She even managed to charm a decent tip out of a couple of them. When the time came for her morning break, she slipped over to the bakery counter to split them with Tami. "Damn, girl. You're getting pretty good at this." The Earth Kingdom girl grinned at her. "Are you sure you never waited tables before working here?"

"Positive," Azula said stiffly, pocketing her half of the money. "I wouldn't even have considered it before coming to Ba Sing Se."

"What did you do before you came here, anyway?" Tami's green eyes gleamed with curiosity. "It's obvious that you used to rank pretty high. What happened that got you exiled?"

Azula frowned and looked away. "My father wasn't very popular with the new Fire Lord. He's in prison somewhere, and I was banished because I'm his daughter." Her lips tightened. "If you don't mind, I'd really rather not discuss this."

"Sure. Sorry. I forgot that might be a sore point for you." The olive-skinned girl shrugged and smiled apologetically. "But I don't think any less of you, y'know."

"Thank you, I suppose." Azula turned away. "I'll be in the back." Tami nodded.

Azula rather enjoyed her breaks. They gave her a chance to breathe and relax, and sometimes drink a cup of tea or two. She poured herself a steaming cup and sat down on the back step of the shop, leaning back against the wall with a sigh of relief. It was still cold, and the streets of Ba Sing Se were streaked and spotted with brown slush, but there were some early signs of spring. The clouds had broken a week before, and there was sunshine much more often. Azula glanced hopefully at a scraggly little tree that was growing nearby, but there weren't any budding leaves yet. With a shrug, she sipped her tea and watched the passers-by with idle curiosity.

She was just finishing her drink when the door beside her opened. "Aza?" It was Tami. Her eyes were wide with excitement. "We've got someone important in the shop. She just came in...she went to Chow and asked to be served by you!"

"What?" Azula turned to look up at Tami, frowning. "Who is she?"

Tami's voice dropped low with awe. "You'll never believe it, Aza. It's the Avatar's earthbending master – it's Lady Toph Bei Fong herself. And...and she asked for you by name. I heard it myself!"

Toph. It figured. Azula could feel her good mood evaporating. What on earth did the blind earthbender want with her now? She didn't exactly dislike Toph, but she couldn't imagine how this could possibly make her day go any smoother. Resignedly, the former princess rose to her feet. "Well, if the lady asked for me by name, I suppose I'd better go and serve her some tea," she said calmly. Tami stared at her in bewilderment. Damn. I suppose I should have acted surprised or flattered, or something. Well, too late now. She pushed past her coworker and went back into the shop.

The blind earthbender was sitting at one of the tables by the window, leaning casually back in her chair. The tables around her were conspicuously empty. As Azula approached, the younger girl's shaggy head turned in her direction. "Hey, Aza. I hear you pour a mean cup of tea," she said casually. "Why don't you give me one, and we'll see if it's true?" Without comment, Azula did as she was told. Then she paused, waiting to see if Toph would volunteer anything. "Have a seat, Fruitcake. Let's talk." Toph grinned as Azula hesitated. "Oh, don't worry about your boss over there. He's so excited I'm here that he won't care what you do. Sit."

Azula sat down carefully and set her teapot on the table. "Why are you here, Lady Toph?"

"I like tea. What can I say?" The earthbender's grin grew wider. She leaned back in her chair until it creaked and took a large sip from the cup Azula had just poured her. "Hey, not bad."

"If you wanted tea and conversation, I'm sure you would have gone to my uncle's tea shop in the Upper Ring," the former princess said quietly. "What do you want?"

"Just wanted to see how you were doing." Toph's expression sobered a bit. "You came through a bit of hell in the last little while. I was in the city, so I figured I'd come see how you were. So how's life treating you now?"

For a moment, Azula looked around the shop. She couldn't see anyone who was obviously listening, but she knew the Dai Li were watching her, and someone was probably going to hear whatever she said. She chose her words carefully. "It's not as bad as I expected, I suppose, Lady Bei Fong. And it's better than prison." She glanced at the earthbender. "But I've been better."

"No doubt." Toph took another sip of tea. "And how's the...eh...fruitcake factor?"

The former princess scowled. "I haven't had any episodes, if that's what you're asking, Lady Bei Fong," she said coldly. "Thank you for your concern."

"Retract the claws, lady. Geez." Toph gave her another crooked smile. "You just can't handle that I might actually kind of like you and want to know how you're doing." Azula's scowl didn't waver. "All right, fair enough. You don't trust me. Whatever. Guess I don't really blame you." The earthbender shrugged nonchalantly. "How's the circus freak holding up?"

"Ty Lee's fine," Azula said shortly. "She's got a job as a tumbler, so she's getting paid to do what she loves doing. That's all it takes to make her happy." She looked away, suddenly realizing how bitter that had sounded, and sighed. "It's still a prison."

"Kind of. I get that." There was a pause. "I'm hearing pretty good things from Kuei. Your boss seems pretty happy with you overall. That's good, right?"

"I suppose so." The former firebender rubbed her eyes. "It's...fine. I just..."

"It's just hard to go from commanding armies to pouring cups of tea." Toph's blind eyes smiled when Azula looked at her. "Hey, just because I've got no pride doesn't mean I don't get the fact that you do, Fruitcake. I think you got a raw deal here. Good for you that you're doing well anyway."

"Thank you." Azula's voice was quiet. Part of her didn't want to accept praise for doing something so ridiculously simple as pouring tea, but she knew Toph was probably referring to more than that.

The earthbender nodded, drained her cup, and set it down with a decisive clink. "Listen, I've got to go. I just dropped in on my way out of the city. But I'll come see you again when I'm back in town, all right? Hang in there, Aza. Things will look up."

"It's good that you think so." Azula rose to her feet and took up her teapot. Then, noticing that Tami was watching them from across the shop, she bowed from the waist. "I'm so glad you enjoyed your tea, Lady Bei Fong," she said, loudly enough that her coworker could hear it. "I hope you'll come again. The Good Fortune Teahouse is honored by your presence here."

"Yeah, yeah." Toph tossed her something, and Azula caught it reflexively. "Split that with the baker girl, Fruitcake. Tell your boss I'm impressed and all that, yeah?" The Fire Nation girl nodded stiffly. "Later. Keep up the good work." Shooting her one final grin, the blind earthbender thrust her hands into her pockets and left the shop.

Azula stared after her for a moment or two. Then she looked down, opening her fist. There was the glint of gold on her palm; her eyes widened. This coin was easily worth twice what she would normally make in a day's work! Reluctantly, she smiled a bit. Okay, Toph. I still don't trust you. But thank you, anyway. With that, she headed for the counter to show the coin to the curious and delighted Tami.