Chapter 11 – Tea
Disclaimer: I own a candy bar
"Not so bad", Sokka said as they walked out of their first orientation. "I saw globs of colors but can't tell them apart."
"I saw everything, but I missed the gray", Suki said. "How did you even see it, Zuko?"
"Dunno", Zuko shrugged, hoping he was not smiling so much because the muscles around his mouth felt rather deviant. "I just saw it."
He had to admit, it was exhilarating that he could saw the gray Aura when others could not.
They had a quick lunch together and spent the rest of the days exploring the school building. The castle bore the mixture of architecture from the Four Nations, with definite flavor of Republic City original design as a frame for the Four. Zuko quickly likened that to the gold Aura being a frame for the Four Elements.
They wandered around the castle, getting lost many times, and made a pretty long stop at the library. The librarian was as interesting as the library itself. Rows and rows of shelves seemed to go on forever, all pristine under the care of a giant black owl with white face. Master Wan Shi Tong stood twice taller than a male adult and he looked rather scary. His all-black eyes fixed unblinkingly on Sokka rather sharply when Sokka was about to reach for a scroll on a shelve. Only after Sokka rubbed his hand on his robe did Master Wan Shi Tong return his gaze to a scroll that sprawled open on his desk. The stare returned when Sokka whispered to Aang, asking how the librarian could sign any library cards if he did not have hands. The kids quickly dragged Sokka out with them before they had to explain to Mr. and Mrs. Waters why their son ended up owl poop on the first day of orientation.
They ran into Headmaster Iroh in an empty classroom. The classroom was like a more fancy but smaller and cozier version of the form the Assembly Hall had taken during their orientation; tatami flooring and numerous low tables and cushions, with dais that held the teacher table, only it had windows that were open to let the bright late afternoon sun in and there was a row of potted plants on the windowsill. The whole room smelt herbal and smoky. Each table had a built-in brazier stove in the middle.
Headmaster Iroh flinched and quickly turned his back around with his hands up on his face, which looked rather funny. When he turned back to face the intruders, his lips was visibly puckered in and his hands were hidden behind his back. The Headmaster kindly invited them in, barely opening his mouth when he spoke, and busied himself brewing tea at the teacher's table. He had his back turned the whole time he worked and he was definitely munching on something. The kids, though they stifled their smile when they exchanged a knowing glance with each other, chose not to say anything.
Headmaster Iroh explained to them that this classroom was used to teach Tea Art, an advanced branch of Potions Craft that would be available as elective when they get to third year. He used to be the Tea Art Master before he was appointed Headmaster.
"Now, the thing that makes our Tea Art so magical is, firstly, the ingredients and the technique we use", he said as he waved his wand; a cup of tea flew towards each of the kids. "And the second, you will notice if you use your Sight on your tea."
The Headmaster took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh. Zuko and his friends turned to each other and they shrugged. The turned their Sight on and observed the tea. The liquid emanated gold Aura with dashes of red, only it was not just random swirl of color. The Aura had taken a distinctive shape, like knot work of some tribal pattern, repeating itself over and over, with red clinging tightly on it, like the milky pattern on a slab of marble.
"Oh, is this a Sigil, Headmaster?" Asami asked.
Headmaster Iroh laughed kindly. "It is, Asami. Essentially, when you weave gold Aura into its own magic, into a spell, you create what we call a Sigil", he explained for the other's benefit.
"It's so beautiful", Aang gushed, staring into his tea.
"All magic inherently is", Headmaster Iroh nodded. "Hmm, I will actually cover this on the fourth day of orientation, but how about a short lecture on Sigils while we enjoy this delicious tea?"
The kids agreed immediately. The sat on the dais with the Headmaster in the middle. "Sigils are the visual manifestation of applicable magic", he said, taking out a half-broken slab of what was originally an enormous chocolate bar from his sleeve and sharing it among the kids after telling them to keep it a secret (the school Healer had him on a strict no-sugar diet). "Magic in its raw form is just a force; passive and silent. A magician needs to weave it into a specific Sigil to manipulate the power. However, a Sigil is also still quite passive by itself; you need to activate it by speaking the Word. Each Sigil represents a Word. The relationship between the two is like a written word and its pronunciation."
"Sir?" Haru raised a hand as if they were in a real class session. "What is this red Aura on the sigil?"
"Ah, I'm glad you notice that, Haru", the Headmaster beamed. "As I said before, in essence, a magic spell consists of raw magic, the gold Aura that is, weaved into a Sigil that you activate by speaking its Word. However, you can add Elemental power into the magic force, into the gold Aura. This particular spell I added in this tea has a dash of Fire Element", unexpectedly, he turned to Zuko. "Zuko, what do you think of it?"
"Uh… Sir?" Zuko gaped.
"Come now, everyone", the Headmaster addressed everyone now. "Pay attention to the Sigil and see if you can tell me what the spell does."
The kids obeyed. Zuko stared at his tea and the Sigil reappeared in his Sight. He had no idea how he was supposed to find out what the magic of this Sigil was. He braved a glance around him; Aang and Sokka who sat at his sides looked just as confused. He turned back to the Sigil and inhaled, relaxing himself further. The fragrant scent of the tea filled his nose.
True, the Sigil was beautiful. The gold was warm and bright like the sunlight, and the red was crisp and, at the same time, strong and soft, very much like the pattern on a marble, and the Sigil gave it a definition. The Sigil revolved slowly like a flowing river, tranquil and oddly lulling.
"Kadusna", he breathed out before he could stop himself and he surprised himself. His Sight turned off as he came back to his senses. He looked around and noticed that all eyes were on him. "Warmth?"
"Precisely", Headmaster Iroh smiled brightly. "Kadusna, the Word for the Sigil of warmth. It explains the comfortable warmth you might be feeling in your tummies right about now, for that is the power of Tea Art; when you weaved magic into tea for the purpose of healing and promoting health."
As it was about time for dinner, they finished their tea quickly. Headmaster Iroh sent them away, awarding Zuko the rest of the chocolate. Before the Headmaster closed the classroom door, Zuko could have sworn he winked at him. And that he produced a second chocolate bar from his sleeve.