Smellerbee didn't know how it happened, but somehow she developed a strange sort of friendship with Etsuko.

Of course Etsuko still bothered the hell out of her most of the times, and it really seemed that Etsuko didn't really understand her at all. But…Etsuko, Smellerbee discovered, was genuinely nice.

It took a long time for Smellerbee to see this. She held her grudge for as long as she could. It wasn't like she wanted to be friends with someone who had kissed her Longshot.

But then…one day, she realized that kiss meant very little.

It was another busy, hectic day for the shop. Rainy days were always the worst; people came pouring in like the rain to get dry and warm up with a cup of tea, and Etsuko was running around like crazy. Eventually, Iroh was able to pull himself away from whatever work he was caught up in and helped Etsuko with serving the tea and bussing the tables. As soon as Etsuko saw what he was doing, she skirted over to Iroh, gushed out a thank you, and kissed his cheek.

Smellerbee froze when she saw that. Something suddenly clicked. Iroh and Longshot weren't the only people she'd seen Etsuko give kisses on the cheek to. If a customer tipped her well, she gave them a kiss on the cheek. If they complimented her, they received a kiss on the cheek. It seemed that…if anyone did an act of kindness toward the waitress, she'd reward them with a kiss on the cheek.

…Smellerbee had to test this out, had to see if her theory behind those kisses was correct, mostly so she could find out if it was a dangerous idea to leave Longshot alone in the shop with Etsuko. Longshot was a catch; Smellerbee was certain of this. He was absolutely perfect; strong and tall and serious and stubborn, and so kind to her in his own quiet way.

He'd never stray, just like she never would. But, that didn't mean lecherous floozies wouldn't try to latch themselves onto him at any given chance, and Smellerbee had to be certain that Etsuko was not one of them.

Etsuko was waiting on her, as she studied in the tea shop, and for the most part, she simply let Smellerbee be. But, Etsuko, as Smellerbee learned, liked to talk, and she talked to her more and more often as the days passed. It seemed that by tripping her, Smellerbee had broken the ice in a strange way, and now it was hard to get Etsuko to leave her alone once she realized that she could talk to Smellerbee. Sometimes all it took was a pointed stare or her simply turning her attention back to her scrolls to get Etsuko to leave, but other times Smellerbee had to flat out yell at her to go away.

Today was one of the good days, where Etsuko was being kept rather busy with other customers, and today, Smellerbee was going to test her theory out. Longshot was almost going to be done his shift soon, and Smellerbee was ready and waiting for him; scrolls and Iroh's most recent assignment packed away into her rucksack. All she had to do was pay the waitress.

Most days, Iroh insisted it was not necessary. Smellerbee did not understand how he stayed in business this way. He was constantly giving her free tea and cakes, as well as free lessons. For being Fire Nation, the old man was pretty damn all right- something Smellerbee never thought she'd ever think.

But, today she was paying, and she was going to tip Etsuko. And not just a standard tip; a nice fat tip. It wasn't like Smellerbee could afford to, really; she and Longshot were just scraping by as is, but if this worked out the way she thought it would, it would give her peace of mind, and that was worth more than any amount of gold.

She just needed Etsuko to get over to her before Longshot did. She didn't need him to see this.

The timing ended up being almost perfect. Almost.

Etsuko, as she expected, popped over once she saw Smellerbee stand up, the table cleared of scrolls and quills and ink. "Are you leaving already?" she asked, picking up the remaining dishes on the table. "Gosh, the time just flies! I hardly got to talk to- oh!" Etsuko noticed the small stack of coins on the table. "You nearly forgot your money!"

This girl was dumber than dirt, Smellerbee decided. But, it kind of suited her. Etsuko picked up the coins, and held them out. "Iroh never has you pay, Bee," she said with a kind smile.

Smellerbee did not take the money. "I'm not paying," she said. It wasn't like she'd left enough to cover the tea and tea cake, anyway. "It's a tip."

Etsuko's dark eyes widened. "A tip? But, you don't have-"

"I want to," Smellerbee said, cutting her off, rolling her eyes. "Just take the tip."

Two things happened at once. The first was that Etsuko stared at her in shock, before grinning broadly and flinging an arm around her in a tight hug, the other just barely holding up the tray she always carried. And then, she squealed out, "Thank you!" just before giving Smellerbee an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

The second was that, just before Etsuko hugged her, Longshot came out of the back, and proceeded to just stand in the doorway and stare at the rather public display of affection between the two girls.

Or rather, just from the one. Smellerbee just stood there, rather stiffly, staring right back at Longshot. She couldn't quite tell, but she was sure that he looked amused.

"You're so kind, Bee!" Etsuko said, finally letting go of her. She had a large smile on her face. "It's truly a blessing that I got to know you!"

Smellerbee could only sigh; somehow, she was slowly getting used to Etsuko's extremely over dramatic way of handling things. She just wasn't sure how to get around this, and leave. She'd found out exactly what she'd needed, though; Etsuko was just affectionate when treated with kindness, and she knew better than to kiss Longshot again.

Longshot was safe.


Sorry about the long wait. Life has kind of exploded right now.

Please leave constructive criticisms.