The Royal Jade bustled with waiters and waitresses moving from table to table, their footsteps audible above the chatter as they echoed against the marble tiles. The glowing crystal lights along the walls, encased in translucent imperial jade cases, lit the room, highlighting the many occupied tables full of people dressed in lavish clothing, with necklaces and headpieces adorned with a host of different jewels. Zuko and Suki were in a more private area of the restaurant, far enough that they couldn't hear the quiet conversations of the other patrons, but could still see the curious glances sent their way. Their area was decorated with exquisite paintings of people from Earth Kingdom history, the most notable being Avatar Kyoshi.
Suki rested her head in her palm, an annoyed look on her face as she stared at nothing in particular. Her eyes flicked to the Fire Lord across from her who shook his head and chuckled.
"I didn't know you'd be a fussy eater."
"I am not!" she said, sitting up straight and crossing her arms. "What type of restaurant doesn't serve komodo steak?"
"An Earth Kingdom one?" he tried, smirking at her. "I'm sure the food will be good regardless. It would have to be good to be in the Upper Ring, right?" She continued to pout, getting another laugh out of him, but stayed quiet as the waiter walked over to them.
"Two bowls of noodle and vegetable soup," the server stated, placing them on their table. "Your main course is being prepared and should be out to you soon." They both gave a nod of thanks before he stepped back a respectful distance and looked out over the restaurant.
"Since when did you prefer Fire Nation food?" Zuko asked, taking small spoonfuls of his soup.
She gave a shrug, stirring hers. "Surprisingly, once it stopped burning me from the inside out, it was actually pretty nice." She grinned and glanced away from him. "Of course, its second only to Kyoshi Island. Home food is always the best." The waiter glanced back at them, raising an eyebrow before he hurried back to the kitchen.
"What should I try when we get there?"
"When the village sees that we're back, they'll probably throw a feast. You'll have more than enough to gorge yourself on." The pair shared a small laugh.
"How are you feeling about going back?" he asked, his voice showing a hint of concern, which got a frown from her. "It's just..." He quietly cleared his throat. "You seemed a bit unsure back in the house."
She looked away from him and found herself glancing at the painting of Avatar Kyoshi. "Nervous," she admitted after a few moments. "It took a lot of convincing to allow me to take so many of the Kyoshi Warriors to the Fire Nation, especially considering it was to become your bodyguards."
His eyebrows furrowed and he tilted his head before nervously biting his lip. "Oh...They're still angry about the whole attacking the village thing?"
She rolled her eyes and covered her mouth to hide her grin when Zuko's eyes lit up with mischief and a smirk slowly began to appear. "Yeah, some are still angry that you burned down our village."
"Hopefully, my second visit goes a bit better."
"You're such an idiot," she told him, struggling not to laugh from the smirk on his face. She held her composure and bit her lip. "I didn't exactly leave on good terms with some of my elders, and the Kyoshi Warriors who stayed were even worse."
"How were they worse?" he asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"Some of them believed that the Kyoshi Warriors should only serve Kyoshi Island, and to leave is to betray our teachings." She let out a sigh, and her face fell. "I suppose they're technically right. We're meant to be the protectors of the island, not the Fire Lord, or anyone else."
"And yet you still decided to come to the Fire Nation?"
She nodded slowly. "Mai asked for my help, and I wasn't just going to say no when your life was in danger. Ty Lee and I would have went to the Fire Nation even if the elders had told us no." Zuko smiled softly, bowing his head. That annoying fluttering in her chest that he seemed to cause more and more often came to her once again.
He looked up and raised an eyebrow. "So, you're just worried that it might be awkward seeing everyone again?"
"It sounds stupid when you put it that way," she said, laughing. "And what if I embarrass myself?" Zuko stared, confused. "I've been going over all the traditions we have on the island, but there are so many small little things. I'm worried I'm going to mess something up."
"And as the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors..."
"Messing up would be very bad." She let out a giggle and her head dropped, getting a strange look from him. "I'll be like when Ty Lee first lived on the island. I don't know how, but for the first couple of weeks, she always did something that upset people."
"Did she at least get the hang of it?" he asked, trying to suppress his chuckle.
"It took longer than it should have; she got out of punishments whenever it was the men who caught her," she explained with a roll of her eyes. "Half the boys in the village were falling over themselves trying to please her."
He gave a knowing smile. "I never know if she does that on purpose or not."
"I doubt she knows herself." He shrugged before glancing down at his near-empty bowl. Suki raised an eyebrow as the Fire Lord picked it up and gulped down the last bit of soup. "Classy." He smiled sheepishly as he spotted some of the disapproving looks he received from the other patrons. Suki shook her head once he turned back to her, feigning complete innocence. She couldn't believe she had actually fallen for this idiot.
She quickly looked away from him, pretending to adjust her dress. She tried to push that thought as far from her mind as possible, but it was as stubborn as Sokka—that didn't help ease any of the guilt she was feeling. This is a dinner between friends, and that's all it's going to stay. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a delicious aroma wafted past her.
A waiter rolled a decorative serving trolley with a bottle of wine and a dome plate towards them. Zuko and Suki's eyebrows shot up from the size of the dish when he lifted the cloche. "Roast venison, wrapped in the bacon of a hippo-cow and seasoned with a large array of spices," the server told them. The pair shared an eye roll before Zuko gave a nod of thanks when the man placed the dish in front of him. He took in a deep breath and had a bite.
"It's lovely," he told the waiter, who was more concerned with the glare of the Kyoshi Warrior.
"If I may ask," she began, arching an eyebrow, "where's my roast duck?"
"I apologise for the delay," he said with a deep bow. "However, when our chef heard that you were from Kyoshi Island, he wanted to prepare a special dish. It should only be a couple more minutes." He turned and pushed his trolley back to the kitchen while Suki pouted, watching the Fire Lord enjoy his meal. He glanced up, and seeing her lightly licking her lips, pushed his plate towards her. She gave a sheepish grin before taking a piece with her chopsticks.
"I'm a small bit offended," Zuko stated as he pulled his plate back to his side. Suki stopped mid-bite and tilted her head, getting a slight grin in return. "Even though I'm the Fire Lord, you're the one who's getting a special dinner cooked for them."
She shrugged, took a small sip of wine and winked at him. "About time someone realised I'm royalty."
He raised an eyebrow. "Royalty?"
"Of course, I am the royal bodyguard. If anything, I even rank above you, who else gets to tell off the Fire Lord when he's being an idiot?"
"Uh-huh...you're not getting that carriage now." She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to retort when a familiar scent brought the shores of Kyoshi Island to her mind.
"My name is Gan, head chef of the Royal Jade. I hope you can forgive me for cancelling your order," a man in a long black and red uniform, standing next to the waiter, said. He bowed deeply to her. "I decided to take the initiative when I heard you were from the island of Kyoshi. If you'd prefer, I can easily prepare something else."
The waiter lifted the cloche and Suki's jaw dropped. "Seared wild Kyoshi elephant koi, served with ginger-infused pea tendril and hibiscus-root salad. I hope you enjoy."
"How..." she muttered as the dish was placed in front of her.
"I had the pleasure of visiting the island a year ago while trying to experience all the tastes of the world. I was in luck. They had only recently caught a koi. Oyaji was kind enough to teach me how they cooked it. I ordered some and stored it on the off-chance I meet someone from Kyoshi Island." He wiped away the beads of sweat that had begun to roll down his forehead as Suki took a bite.
"It tastes perfect!" she said, beaming up at him. "It's like I'm back home already."
"Thank you very much! I'm glad my years of travelling didn't go to waste. Now I should get back to the kitchen before my boss scolds me." Zuko and Suki laughed quietly as the chef bowed once more and hurried away.
"Enjoy your meal," the waiter said and turned on his heel.
"An early taste of Kyoshi Island," Suki said, placing a piece of her food on Zuko's plate. He popped it into his mouth and, after swallowing, pursed his lips. "Well?"
"It's nice," he told her with a shrug. The ends of his mouth turned slightly upwards from the annoyed look she gave him. Her free hand slunk off the table and went to her waist. He raised his hands submissively and looked down, a smirk on his face, when she began to tap her closed fan on the table. "I meant to say it's lovely."
"Of course, you did." The fan was slipped back into the cloth tied around her waist. She glanced up at him, the grin still on his face, and covered her mouth to suppress the giggle that threatened to escape. She had another bite of the elephant koi and closed her eyes for a moment, savouring the taste. When Suki opened them again, she found Zuko with a confused, half-smile on his face. Her lips twitched as she cleared her throat and took a sip of wine, making the Fire Lord chuckle and shake his head before tucking back into his venison. Her eyes stayed on him for a few moments, until she glanced at her wine glass, and pulled her hand away from the stem. She focused on her food, and hoped the blush across her cheeks wasn't too noticeable.
"At first, I never was fond of Earth Kingdom food," Zuko said after a few quiet minutes. "However, near starvation makes even rice taste like the food of lords."
"Maybe it'd do you good to stick to rice for a few months again," Suki stated, her face neutral, not even looking at him.
"Are you saying I'm..." He slowly closed his mouth, his frown being replaced by a defeated smile. He let out a sigh, which turned into a quiet chuckle. "I suppose I deserved that."
She nodded, a smirk on her face. "Next time, we should head to Yu Dao. I'd like to see Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation food mixed together. I wonder how it'll change in the future?"
"Mmm...It's an interesting experiment," he said, and slowly scratched his stubble. His bodyguard raised her eyebrows.
"Do you have doubts?"
He stayed silent for a few moments. "About the food? I think it'll be fine. About the future of Yu Dao? A couple." Suki leaned forward, resting her chin on top of her hands, and gave a slight nod. He lightly tapped his index and middle fingers against his lips and glanced around before leaning in. "Yu Dao was once of the most prosperous Fire Nation colonies. The city ran fine for nearly a hundred years under Fire Nation rule." Her eyes narrowed and he raised his palm. "And, I'd imagine the same would be true if the Earth Kingdom controlled Yu Dao."
"Okay...so what is it you have a problem with?"
"Something Aang had said has been in the back of my mind; the balance of the four nations. Even though the nations may have been internally split, the different factions were still a part of their nation. For as long as our histories go back, there has always been four nations." He brushed his hand through his hair and took a moment. "Yu Dao, and the other old colonies, are no longer a part of any nation."
"So, you're worried that these new cities could become their own sort of state?"
"Exactly. Although, that's if they make it for another couple of years."
"Think there may be violence?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise before giving a nod. Her lips formed a straight line. "I've had the same thoughts. Though, the people seemed happy with the election results."
"Yeah, the election results...I'll wait until one side outnumbers the other, and when they don't have a coalition government. At least it's better than them trying to tear each other to shreds."
"Thankfully, Aang acted when he did." Suki wasn't happy with the sombre mood that had descended on their date. Friendly dinner, she corrected. A small smirk appeared on her face and Zuko raised an eyebrow. "I suppose you're lucky he acted when he did, too; the Earth Kingdom seemed to have the beating of you and your army."
The serious expression vanished from his face, replaced by a playful grin as he leaned in a bit closer. "Maybe if Toph, Sokka, and a certain Kyoshi Warrior hadn't disabled all of my tanks, the fight would have been a bit more even."
"For the record, I was against that plan," she told him, sitting back in her chair and rolling her eyes."I tried to explain to those two that taking out your tanks would just give General How a reason to attack. Of course, once Sokka and Toph get an idea, nobody can talk them out of it."
"So, what did you want to do?" he asked, a slight tilt to his head.
"Well, Toph and Sokka wanted Aang to...fulfill his promise," she mumbled while scratching the back of her neck.
"Good thing they weren't the Avatar then. And you?" She stayed quiet until he gave a weak smile.
"I wanted to try to talk to you," she explained, turning her head away from him. "I thought I could get you to calm down—maybe get Earth King Kuei and you to sit down and talk."
"That's what I thought was going to happen, too. Aang told me that Kuei wanted a show of power; to prove he wasn't a weak leader. If those spies hadn't informed me of the attack, Yu Dao would probably still be a part of the Earth Kingdom."
"I still can't believe you were spying on the Earth Kingdom."
Zuko smiled sheepishly and dropped his head. "That was General Mak's idea."
"You still agreed to it." She gave him a gentle push.
He let out a chuckle and shrugged in agreement. He played with a loose thread on his sleeve for a few moments before locking eyes with his bodyguard. "Thanks, by the way." Suki made a small gesture for him to continue. "For being one of the few who still trusted me, even when I didn't deserve it."
"We all trusted you, Zuko," she said reassuringly, which was met with a slow shake of his head.
"As you said, Sokka and Toph wanted Aang to do what he had promised. Katara had to calm Aang down twice before he could follow through with it. She trusted him to make the right decision in the end. Mai..." He took a sip of wine, waving away the last name. "It seemed you never even considered that option."
She folded her arms and glanced away from him. "It's not that I didn't consider it..." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "I just knew you weren't past that point, and you never would be." She met his gaze again. "I thought you seemed...lonely back then. You didn't have anyone to talk to—and I don't mean just discussing things with your advisors, but actually talk to. Ever since you found Ursa, Noren, and especially Kiyi, you've been...happier."
The Fire Lord stayed silent, as if expecting her to say more. He leaned forward and steepled his fingers, bringing them up to his face. "Why do you always forget to mention yourself in these lists of yours?" He dipped his head slightly lower, hoping to hide the fact his cheeks had begun to heat up.
Suki's felt her own face getting warmer, and it only turned more red when she saw the corners of his smile behind his fist. She couldn't find her voice, even with a hundred different responses flooding her mind. Zuko sat up a bit straighter, chuckled softly and gave a warm smile. With a shake of his head, he went back to his food. She watched him for another few moments, a smile on her face, before brushing a few strands of hair over her shoulder, and tucking back into her own meal.
Hello everyone! I'm delighted to be able to upload this chapter. I'm so sorry about the delay; I underestimated the size of these chapters, let alone some of the difficulty I ended up having writing them. I was making updates on my profile, so I hope those that were looking for the new chapter spotted those. Now, I would have had this up last weekend, but a storm knocked out my internet for a couple of days. At least I got snow. ^^
Anyway, the chapter! Just Zuko and Suki chatting over dinner, what else could you want in a romantic story! This and the next one are both 3000 words, and I'll be posting the next chapter as soon as it is ready, as it is still being beta'd. I do hope I was able to deliver, due to the wait. I'm personally really happy with how it turned out in the end. Thank you all for being patient and continuing to support the story!
The next chapter will deal with the conclusion and aftermath of the date, and then we'll have the final chapter.
Guest reviewers - Check profile for responses.
I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter, and as always would love to hear your opinion on it so far, or any little comments you may have. Don't be afraid to PM me either if you'd like to ask a question, or discuss things about my story. I always love hearing feedback. Consider following if you'd like to keep up with the story. Thanks for reading!