AN: Sorry for the delay on this one. And that it wasn't a request listed on the comments. Those will be returned to next chapter. For now though, please accept my humblest apologies and this latest chapter.

The door slammed in, shaking on its frame.

The entire teashop went still. A gray-haired tea server stood rigidly, a tray still clutched in his quavering grasp. Customers ceased their hushed chatter and turned in their seats to stare at the three men in red.

Two armed guards flanked the scrawny man in front of them as he led the way, stepping purposely towards the second table on the left. They held their spears unusually close to the top, the fingers lax, as though they weren't expecting any trouble. True enough, no one in the shop seemed ready to give them any. Cold, yellow eyes settled on the man standing.

The server went ashen-faced and lost his grip on the tea tray. Not-so-fine china cracked when it hit the ground, spilling tea across floorboards.

"Excuse me." A smaller man stepped out from the back of the store, taking the situation in with a forced smile. It twitched as he spread his arms in a welcoming gesture. "I'm the proprietor here. Is there anything I can get you gentlemen? A cup of ginseng, perhaps? It's the finest in the house, I assure-"

"We're not here for you," the wiry man barked. Lifting a pale finger, he pointed to the trembling man who was now leaning against table two. "You there, state your previous trade."

Nodding tremulously, the man opened his mouth. "W-well, Sir. You see, I w-w-was a seller of ca-cabbage-cabbages. F-finest ones in all of Ba Sing-"

"I thought so." The stranger stroked his long, whispy beard with a thoughtful look. "There's been rumors around this city that you've seen a boy with an arrow on his head. More than once?"

Something flickered behind green eyes, and though still scared witless, the server frowned tightly. "I remember the vandal. He was bad b-business. Always wrecking-"

"That's all I wanted to know." A simple wave was given over the man's shoulder as he turned away and stepped between his cohorts. "Take him."

"Wait! I-I haven't done anything, I swear!" The server flailed wildly as he was dragged out of the dingy tea shop, one guard holding each arm. "You want the vandal? I'm just a harmless victim! I never-"

"Silence," the guard on the right ordered, swatting the man on the back of the head. "You're needed for…information."


"You're a what?" The ex-cabbage merchant stared at the man across the table from him in disbelief. That disbelief was quickly morphing into anger. "A playwright? You're a playwright?"

The withered man looked at him pleasantly and steeple his fingers on the table. Both ignored the savory aroma of the tray of food that had been set on the smooth surface. "That's what I said." He smirked proudly. "And a darn good one at that. Did you see how well my associates pulled off two soldiers? All thanks to me and my inspiring scripts of course. They live and breathe their parts."

Slam!

Gritting his teeth, the man leered at his "captor." His fist clenched on the tabletop. "Acting? You almost gave me a heart attack! Why on earth would you impersonate soldiers to find me? I don't have anything worth hiding! I'm just another one of hundreds trying to keep my head on my shoulders in the occupation."

The playwright, a Mr. Sha Yi, smiled in a patronizing way as he pushed the tray of refreshments to the side. "Ah, but I got you alone, didn't I? Without Hoshi and Ling's brilliant performance-" The fake guards beamed at the praise, standing behind their employer. "I would have had to outright ask you about information on the Avatar. And spirits know how many paupers might've come to me with false details. This way, they were too scared to."

"Why would anyone want to give you that, and why would I give you any information now? What reason can you give me to hand over details about the delinquent now that you've lost me my day and probably my job?"

"The real Fire Nation soldiers won't be happy at all to find out you've mistreated a Fire Nation citizen, and a well-respected one at that." His fingers drummed on the table. "Would they, now?"

The merchant paled but scowled at the man. "The real Fire Nation soldiers won't be happy to hear that actors have been going around impersonating them. What's keeping me from telling them? Nothing. Nothing at a-"

A large, cloth sack was dropped onto the table, contents jingling noisily. Too distracted to complain about being interrupted yet again, the merchant reached forward. The drawstrings on the pouch were slowly undone and fell away to reveal a sack full of gold coins.

Sha Yi smiled at him again, lifting his eyebrows. "Nothing, eh? That could go a long way. Especially in times like these. All I'm asking is for you to describe that 'vandal' and his friends to me. Everything you know. For art's sake, of course. Help me show them in their proper light."

Food was getting harder to come by. And with the attention he'd brought the teashop, the merchant doubted he held a job. And if all of this was reward for details on the hooligans that had wrecked his cart…

He swallowed, and then looked up. A small grin twitched his mouth. "What do you want to know?"

"That's what I thought."


It was less than a year later that he found himself again sitting across a table from a Fire Nation man. This time, however, the table was an official desk, and the man was a scrupulous noble who couldn't stop fiddling with the garish pendant around his neck.

"So you've come to the capitol to set up shop in-let's see…." Producing a scroll from a pile of requests, he unfurled it with a flick of the wrist. His brow furrowed. "A trade shop. Is that correct?" Peering over the scroll at the man, he narrowed his eyes.

The merchant sitting across from him looked accomplished enough. His clothes were made of fine fabric-rich reds and golds tailored into a functional outfit. Gray hair had been grown out enough for a decent topknot, and the piece it was held in was crafted expertly. Still, the man's green eyes were reason alone to be wary of him.

Earth Kingdom. Peh. So what if the new Fire Lord was promoting peaceful coexistence between the nations? He would be a poor man if he loaned money to every newcomer just to promote the "peace" of nations. He would be a poor man if loaned money like this to any incompetent. The applicant's slight fidget did not go unnoticed.

"It is," came the curt response.

"Alright then." He glanced back to the scroll, eyes settling on the first line. "…Caibo, is it? You claim to have extensive sales experience, but you must realize." The scroll was dropped back to the desk. "The amount you're asking I loan you-out of my personal pocket, by the way-is significant. Convince me. Why should I risk my own finances on your venture? Why, a man qualified to successfully run a shop like this would have to capture every customer's attention and convince him of the rarity of every last item."

A dry laugh escaped him. "He'd have to be able charm the most savvy customers into buying rocks or cabbages!"

Caibo stiffened in his seat, leaning forward. "And what's wrong with cabbages? What?" He thrust a finger at the other man. "I'll have you know that each cabbage is a piece of art in itself! Do you realize the care it takes to nurture a single head of cabbage from a seed? Keeping the cabbage slugs away, fertilizing, tending them until they've reached perfection? You have no idea of the worth of a single, perfect cabbage. Priceless, I tell you!"

The noble blinked.

Then gave a hearty laugh. He stood, moving around the desk to clap the merchant on the shoulder. "You had me going for a while. I almost believed you were serious. And about cabbages-cabbages of all things! Ha, it's been a while since I've seen such passion in a salesman." He shook his head. "All right, you've convinced me."

Caibo's angry retort died in his throat. His finger drooped. "I-I have?"

"You have." Bending over his writing desk, the noble plucked a brush and dipped it into the inkwell. The scroll was signed in a flourish. "Welcome to the capitol. And remember, don't let your investor down." He winked. "I've got high hopes for you. Haha..." Enjoying the first good laugh he'd had in ages, he shook his head. "Cabbages indeed."


"Good morning, Mr. Caibo."

Strolling into his establishment, Caibo nodded to the girl. "Good morning, Jian. No customers yet this morning, I take it?"

The girl rose from her half-bow, giggling. "Actually…" She wiggled her eyebrows. "Two sales already. Even without your persuasions."

"This early? Fantastic." He really had come a long way from being that poor farmer's son. The capitol city was just waking, and already there had been sales. Even better, he was maybe two weeks away from making the final payment on the nobleman's loan. Then his business would really take off! "And you remembered store policy, yes?"

"Of course, Mr. Caibo," she chirped, patting the show pedestal beside her. "They weren't allowed to touch the merchandise until they'd purchased it. No risk of damage."

He'd come a far way from being a frustrated merchant always getting his precious wares mutilated by the ragtag group of "heroes." Heroes indeed. As long as they stayed far away from him…

Which was part of the reason he was here. Other than farming cabbages, peddling things was all he had known how to do. And where, after the war had ended, would be the best place for a new sales venture? Some place busy and rich enough to provide a steady flow of income of course.

Ba Sing Se might've been his first choice, but the Earth Kingdom in general had only brought him bad luck. Countless carts replaced, every one harder to replace than the last. And those brats. They were everywhere-no matter where he went!

In the strict Fire Nation, especially the capitol, children were reigned in. Disciplined. And now that their leader was encouraging relations with the rest of the world, many rich Fire Nation citizens found themselves intrigued by the curiosities and prizes to be had from them. In fact, most cities in this country were more open to buying from foreigners than the foreigners were to buying from them.

Sure, there was the occasional racist or two who said things. But their remarks never amounted to anything. There were many guards in this city, keeping the peace and watching for rebels.

Caibo smiled ironically. Who would've thought that he'd finally find a restful, peaceful existence in the Fire Nation?

Rowdy children still made him flinch. And he was known throughout the capitol as the most finicky tradesman to grace the city, but it was worth it. He never had been able to get the memory of those horrible children out of his mind. Why, if his current wares were destroyed so carelessly, he wasn't sure what he'd do. But it wouldn't happen. He was so particular with his customers. No one ever damaged his items. No one.

A plump lady decorated in many, frivolous baubles entered the store, looking down her nose at him. She declined offers of help and stated she was merely curious as to the wares. She could look around by herself, thank you kindly.

Heavy perfume wafted through the air. Jian sneezed and earned a disapproving look from the woman.

Caibo watched her. Despite the woman's prideful indifference, she failed at keeping it for long. Her dull, brown eyes sparked as they fell on exotic marvels. Ceremonial Water Tribe hoods and spears, clay vases marked and then baked in earthen ovens, jewelry of all sorts, glinting at her from their cases-all begging to be bought.

He smiled, steering her to the pride of his shop. It was a large bin of crystal orbs imported straight from the Earth Kingdom. Each had been formed by earthbenders with the rare skill of bending crystal. Different hues of all sorts dotted the display, and golden details etched into the glassy surfaces only added to their allure. Useless perhaps, but beautiful. And expensive.

Jian had asked him why he'd bought so many of the green ones once, but he'd merely smiled. The truth was that the green spheres, so precisely arranged in their majestic container, reminded him of his past love.

"Now, Madame," he began, picking up one of the balls and holding it to the light. "As you can see, this ornament is simply the finest in all of-"

The woman's strangled shriek cut him off, just as a stream of fire rushed through the door and devoured his collection of Water Tribe masks. Jian screamed and dove behind the counter. The rich woman fainted.

Caibo watched open-mouthed as a man flew into his shop, sprawling on the floor and knocking over a fragile display of statuettes. The broken remains joined ashes and scraps of fur on the floor.

The scoundrel flipped up and rolled to the side just in time to avoid another shot. Blood smeared across the floor, dripping from a shallow cut across his forehead. The red soaked into the bandages an entire side of the man's face.

A second man, this one sporting guard's armor, leaped in after the rogue. Fire roared from his open palm. As the first man was distracted by swatting the blast away-right into a shelf of handcrafted toys- a knife was flicked out. It glinted in its holders grasp.

The bandaged man's good eye narrowed as his assailant advanced. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he growled. Armor ignored him and lunged, his blade flashing hungrily.

Bandages sidestepped again, easily this time, and grabbed the man's wrist. Yanking him off balance, he kneed him in the back and sent him falling to the ground with a sickening thud. Armor's forehead struck Caibo's prized stand so hard, that the entire structure tipped to the side.

"No!" he yelled, reaching for it. "My ornaments!"

Too late. It toppled, raining the trinkets down to the floor and shattering every last one until a collage of broken glass was all that remained. He dropped to his knees just as two more guards and another young man darted through the entrance. Surprisingly, however, it was not the bandaged man they went after. While the two guards took over holding the feebly struggling man down, their companion-an Advisor, Caibo realized distantly-helped the victor off his opponent.

Everything…

He looked around at his ruined shop dazedly.

Everything he'd worked for…all gone. Just like that. …Again.

"My lord, are you alright?" the Advisor asked as he looked over the ragged man. "Your head-"

"I'm fine, thanks." The taller man rubbed the back of his neck, taking time to survey the damage he'd helped cause. "More than I can say for this store. But at least we caught the assassin, right?" He chuckled and reached up to touch his bloodied wrappings. They pealed away to reveal an angry scar that ravaged the left side of his face.

The Advisor huffed, flustered. "Caught him? He attacked you while you were trying to find him! We're lucky he wasn't as skilled as he could have been. My lord, the second he recognized you out there-"

Zuko frowned, dropping the bandages. "These didn't work as well as I'd hoped."

Sighing impatiently, the Advisor swept an arm at the man being dragged away. "You think? Not many intelligent assassins in your own city would overlook a 'battle wound' so obvious. Of all the things you could have done, going out yourself to find him was not wise!" He flinched, remembering his place. "With all due respect, my lord."

"You make it sound like those are common."

"For all we know, they are! You have to be more careful!"

Their words bounced off of Caibo as he stared at them, numb with shock.

"We caught him though," Zuko said with a smirk, brushing the charred remains of a mask off his sleeve. Before a retort could be sputtered, he looked around the shop again. His expression darkened. Yeesh. For such a short conflict, this place had taken serious damage.

Spotting the owner, the Fire Lord smiled apologetically and knelt in front of the man. "Don't worry." He placed a hand on the man's shoulder, feeling a pang of guilt as the merchant looked at it in bewilderment. Traumatized. "Ah…I'm sorry. For the damage to your shop."

Caibo stared at him blankly.

"I'll pay for everything, you have my word. Damages and merchandise. Just tell me what you want and-"

"My store!"

Zuko was completely unprepared for the rage. Before he could even think about what was happening, the storeowner's hands were latching onto his neck, squeezing. The man had gone insane!

Caibo wasn't aware of what had gone on or of who he was choking. Wasn't aware of anything other than the blinding emotion stealing his sense. Everything-ruined!

"Release him, now!"

Clutching one of Caibo's wrists, Zuko stayed still while the Advisor lunged forward and knocked his would-be captor on the back of the head. The dagger hilt struck true. The man slumped forward onto the Fire Lord, losing the rest of his senses.


"…deserves more than a cool-off period in the cell. He attacked the Fire Lord, for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, but Fire Lord Zuko insisted it was his fault. Seemed real sorry for this one. Even had him checked out by a healer."

"It's foolhardy, if y'ask me." A soft spat came from the direction of the voice.

"Stop that. It's not dignified"

"Neither is this whole mess! The Fire Lord's just asking for more attempts on his life if he treats this guy so lightly."

"Don't be so uptight, Reng. The poor guy went through a shock, apparently. And that helper girl of his was so nice. She vouched for him too."

"Peh. Any girl says anything and you buy into it. Well, I'll tell you what…"

Caibo groaned weakly, fighting a skull-splitting headache. Blurred eyes blinked open to the dim, flickering light of a cell. Even that seemed too bright. Shifting weakly, he licked his lips and tilted his head towards the two guards outside his cell. What…What about his…

"After all this, he'd be lucky if he was allowed to peddle cabbages-let alone those fancy knick knacks."

Cabbages….

Cabbages? …Cabba…

Reng and his partner started at the strange noise, whirling to look at the man rocking back and forth on the floor.

Caibo's mouth was parted in a twitching grin, letting out a faint laugh. "Cabbages…Cabbages…" he chanted, rolling back onto the cold floor. "My cabbages…"

Thrip rubbed the back of his head. "I know we were supposed to contact the Fire Lord when this guy woke up, but…I think he could do with some more cooling off first."

Reng's scratchy laugh echoed in the chamber. "You don't say. Heh, this one's off his rocker for sure."

"I'll say. People like that…" A regretful shake of the head was all Thrip offered. "Kind of makes you wonder how loonies like that hold any kind of position that long. Look at him. Respected shop owner yesterday, and now…"

"Now he's babbling on about cabbages."

Reng scoffed. "Cabbages indeed."

Caibo is a combination of the symbols used to form "cabbage." Sha Yi literally means "Fool Art." Ah, poor Cabbage Merchant. You can't be a true member of the gang until you've ruined his wares.