"Well, you certainly look like official tea servers!" The owner of the tea shop beamed as he inspected the pair who had donned on their aprons. "How do you feel?"

Zuko stood awkwardly still as he looked at the apron. Never in his whole life had he worn one before. "Ridiculous."

Next to him, his uncle struggled with the length of the ties of his apron, or the lack thereof. "Uh... Does this possibly come in a larger size?" He had pulled the ends taught over the bulge of his stomach, but they barely even touched.

"I have some extra string in the back." The owner poured two cups of tea for his new employees. "Have some tea while you wait!" After handing the cups to them, he went to the backroom.

Iroh excitedly took a sip of the hot tea. Zuko was about to do the same when he heard his uncle sputter and gag. He glared at the cup like it was an abominable object. "This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!"

"Uncle, that's what all tea is..."

His almost non-existent temper suddenly rose at the retort, but he gripped the cup instead of Zuko's neck. "How can a member of my own family say something so horrible?!" He grabbed the teapot and threw the foul contents out the window. "We'll have to make some MAJOR changes around here!"

Kai luckily got a job doing deliveries in the market. He helped an elder merchant load crates into a wagon and he was hired on the spot. The kind old trader also provided them with a room in a nearby apartment.

Lily explored the market, looking for a job while Kai was out on his new work. She asked around the stalls, looking for any job at all, but with so many refugees in the city, everyone was out looking for a job to sustain their day-to-day living. Her stomach rumbled loudly and she clutched it tight. It's been a while since they had a decent meal. And if she goes on any longer without food, all of Ba Sing Se might hear her stomach.

As she rounded a corner, the air was suddenly filled with a savoury smell, making her salivate a bit. She followed the aroma that wafted around and she now stood in front of an eatery. It was bustling with so many people since it was time for lunch. She looked on at the people eating heartily. There was grilled fish, fried rice, noodles, dumplings, steamed buns...

Her stomach growled again just as a woman passed through. She immediately bowed her head and apologized.

"Are you hungry?" The woman had asked and Lily looked up at her. The woman was quite-rich looking, clad in non-faded green robes. Her hair was pulled up with an ornate jade pin, and she had rings and bracelets. She definitely was not a refugee.

She nodded slowly, biting her lip.

The woman tugged her inside the eatery and asked the servers to bring out food. They were given the best seats, the chairs plump with cushions and the tables varnished smooth. As they sat down, two servers bowed to the woman and immediately laid out the feast.

Lily's eyes widened as their table suddenly filled with food. Plates upon plates of mouth-watering delights were served to them. After they had finished their job, the servers bowed once more and went back to the chaos of serving the rest of their customers.

"I-I can't afford all this, my Lady..."

"Nonsense! You do not have to pay for anything!" The woman smiled kindly and pinched her cheek. "You really could use a proper meal, look how ghastly thin you are! Go on, my dear. Eat!"

She hesitantly reached for a steamed bun and held it in her hands, feeling its delicious warmth. She looked back at the lady who nodded, encouraging her to eat. She bit into the bun and she felt like floating away with the clouds.

The lady didn't join her; she only watched the young one eat with so much gusto. Lily ate till her stomach was satisfied and the plates were cleaned away. She stood up from her chair and bowed on the floor to the woman. "Thank you so much, my Lady! Tell me if there is anything I can do, I'll do it for you!"

She felt hands holding her arms and helping her back up on her feet. The lady had dusted off her trousers and straightened her shirt.

"How would you like a job in my eatery?"

"W-what?" Lily could not believe her ears. This woman who had generously given her a meal, had also just graciously offered her a job in the eatery that actually belonged to her.

"Well, as you can see, we are a bit... umm... understaffed, and you look like you are new to Ba Sing Se. I'm betting you are looking for a job, are you not?" She smiled once more and led her to the kitchens were the cooks were busy plating up fishes and rice. "My name is Reiko." She inspected the fish before handing off the plates to the servers. "I have owned this eatery for almost a decade now. And you are?"

She bowed to the lady. "My name is Lily."

"What a pretty name..." Reiko mused as she looked over the dumplings, sending back the burnt ones. "Fit for a young beautiful lady such as yourself."

"Thank you, Lady Reiko."

The lady had grabbed two plates of dumplings and handed them to her. "Let me test you. Go serve this to the table nearest to the entrance."

Lily took both plates and she walked back to the eatery. Imitating the servers she had seen earlier, she bowed first and then served the plates.

"Excuse me!" A man called, gesturing to their table which was yet to be cleaned.

Lily moved toward their table, stacking the plates and bowls in her hands. Lady Reiko had come out of the kitchen and handed her a rag for the table. "I'll come back later and we can talk terms, alright? Have fun! Amon and Aron will help you." She nodded to the twins who were alternating between serving and cleaning tables. With a final wave of her hand, she left the eatery.

She carried the plates and bowls back into the kitchen. The cooks asked her to wash all the dishes, pots and pans, and she gladly did so. She smiled to herself.

'Things might actually start looking up from here.'

Night time fell upon them after a long day of serving tea. According to the owner of the tea house, his customers had doubled, tripled even, since 'Mushi' and 'Lee' had come to work for him.

Zuko laid himself to rest on the bed while Iroh busied himself with a pot. "Would you like a pot of tea?"

"We've been working at a tea shop all day! I'm SICK of tea!"

"Sick of tea?!" Iroh resisted the urge to throw the kettle at his nephew. "That's like being sick of breathing!" With a huff, he opened the cabinets and drawers. "Have you seen our spark rocks to heat up the water?" Zuko merely shrugged and turned to his side, hoping to catch some shuteye. He heard his uncle open the door and come back after a minute. "I borrowed our neighbor's. Such kind people..." Iroh smiled to himself as he heated up the water for his night time tea.

Days passed and they all settled into their jobs nicely. More and more people came to the tea shop every day. Even the folks from the middle ring had heard the rumors and travell=ed far just to get a cup of tea from the new brewmaster of the house.

A young man entered the shop, carrying two crates of tea leaves. He set them down at the counter and wiped his forehead with an exhale of relief. "Wow, Mr. Mushi! This is my third delivery to the tea shop for the day, and it's not even afternoon yet!"

Iroh laughed and searched his pockets for the payment. "I'm sorry to be troubling you, Kai, but the customers keep coming back for seconds, and thirds!"

Kai waved his hands to reassure the old man. "Oh, it's not trouble at all, sir! I like coming here."

He received the payment as well as a tip which he pocketed quickly. "Have some tea before you go!"

"Can I save it for another time, Mr. Mushi? I have another delivery to attend to, and Mrs. Chu doesn't want to be kept waiting!" He walked back towards the entrance. "I'll bring my friend!"

"If it's a lady friend, I'll give you a coupon!" He laughed and waved the young boy off before a customer called for another round of tea.

Lily balanced four plates filled with rice, curry, fish, and dumplings as she zigzagged her way to the table. She set the down the two plates she held, then the other two that were balanced on her arms. She stepped back and bowed to the family who clapped at the talented waitress.

"Lily, can we have another serving of steamed buns?"

"Coming right up!" She called back with a smile at the customer who swooned happily.

"Lily, I want two more grilled fish!"

"I'll be there in a few minutes, Mr. Gou!"

She adapted quite well in the eatery, thanks to the help of Lady Reiko, Amon and Aron, and the cooks. If anything, the place looked livelier, and the customers, happier with the new addition. She gave the new orders to the kitchens and she ran back to the dining area to clean up tables.

"Looks like someone's too busy to even notice me." Kai leaned against the post of the entrance. He had just dropped off the ingredients to the kitchens and he stayed a while to watch her work.

She grinned as she finished wiping the table clean in time for the next group to sit down. "Kai!"

"Lily, two more servings of dumplings, please!"

He shooed her away back to work and she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, I'll catch up with you later, okay?"

"About that," Kai started, scratching the back of his head, looking down on the floor. "I was wondering if you'd like to have some tea at this shop I've been delivering to. The tea is great there! And the brewmaster is my friend, and—"

"I'd love to!" She cut off his rambling with a smile before running back to the kitchens.

"This is the best tea in the city!" A guard remarked as Iroh poured him the second cup of the evening.

"The secret ingredient is love." He said so with a flourish of his arms, making Zuko cringe as he cleared a table.

The shop owner looked at the fully booked tea house with a smile. Thanks to Lee and Mushi, there was never a vacant seat in his shop. "I think you're due for a raise!"

Suddenly, the doors were slammed open and a young man entered with a determined look in his eyes. "I'm tired of waiting! These two men are firebenders!" He pointed to Iroh and Zuko who looked at each other. Jet drew his hook swords, causing the shocked customers to back up against the wall. "I know they're firebenders! I saw the old man heating his tea!"

"He works in a tea shop." The unfazed guards frowned at the intrusion.

Jet gripped his swords tighter. "He's a firebender! I'm telling you!"

The guards who had been off duty and resting for the evening were suddenly on guard, "Drop your swords, boy. Nice and easy..." They stood up, trying to intimidate Jet.

He paid no heed to the guards and advanced towards Iroh with raised swords. "You'll have to defend yourself, then everyone will know! Go ahead," He smirked knowingly. "Show them what you can do!"

"You want a show?" Zuko pulled the guards' swords and stood in front of his uncle. "I'll give you a show!" He pulled the vacated table and kicked it towards Jet who sliced through it with his swords. He took his chance and charged towards Zuko who jumped on top of another table to gain higher ground.

Jet sliced through that table as well and Zuko lunged forward with the broadswords.

Lily just got off work and Kai was waiting for her by the corner. He looked up and saw her making her way towards him with a skip in her step. "Let's get that tea!"

It was a quiet evening and they wound through the alleyways and tall establishments until they found the street they were looking for.

The door to the tea shop was suddenly broken off as two young men carrying swords swung them at each other. Lily gripped his arm as Kai was about to go to them and break off the fight. "Don't! You might get hurt!"

"You must be getting tired of using those swords." One of the men drawled as he pressed his swords down against the other's block. "Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?"

"Please, son, you're confused!" An old man shouted from the entrance of the shop. "You don't know what you are doing!"

The other man was silent as he parried off the man's attacks. They were a distance away, but Lily could see his scar, stark against his pale skin, covering the left side of his face around his eye and cheek.

"Bet you wish he helped you out with a little fire blast right now!" He taunted the scarred man as he swiped his swords at his feet, hoping to out-balance him.

Zuko stepped out of the way, pinning one of Jet's hook swords to the ground and using the sword in his left hand to swing it at his head. "You're the one who needs help!" Jet narrowly avoided the strike by leaning back, watching the sword pass in front of his eyes.

He leapt back and stood on top of the well, "You see that?" He shouted to the crowd that had formed. "The Fire Nation is trying to silence me!" He looked back at Zuko with pure rage. "It will never happen!" He lunged towards Zuko with a kick.

"Fire Nation?" Lily whispered, wondering why the pale man with the scar looked so familiar to her.

Kai tugged at her arm. "You should get back to the apartment, Lily. I'll help Mr. Mushi out here and I'll be right back."

"Wait..." She looked back at the men fighting in the streets. "I think... I know that guy..."

The fight escalated as the two men headed for their direction. Kai pulled Lily out of the way and shielded her with his body.

"Drop your weapons!" A couple of agents of the Dai Li had heard the commotion and stepped in. The fight broke off and Jet pointed at Zuko and Iroh. "Arrest them! They're firebenders!"

"This poor boy is confused!" Iroh defended his nephew. "We're just simple refugees!"

The shop owner pointed a shaky finger at Jet. "This young man wrecked my tea shop and assaulted my employees!"

"It's true, sir." The guards from the tea shop backed them up. "We saw the whole thing. This crazy kid attacked the finest tea maker in the city!"

Iroh had blushed at the unexpected compliment. "Oh, that's very sweet!"

"Come with us, son." The Dai Li approached Jet, but the latter swung his swords at them. An agents stopped the sword with a hand coated with earthen gloves. He twisted it until Jet lost his grip of the swords. They pulled his arms back and secured them by earthbending cuffs on his wrists.

They pulled him away from the street. "You don't understand! They're Fire Nation!" He cried out as they dragged him away. "You have to believe me!"

The crowd dissipated as Jet was taken away.

Kai turned back to Lily who was craning her neck to look over his shoulder. "Let's go home, Lily. We'll have tea some other time."

"But—"

"No buts." He feared for her safety. The lower ring was not only filled with refugees, but thugs as well like that kid who got taken away.

She pouted, but followed him home, her thoughts filled with questions about why the scarred boy looked so familiar to her.

Author's Notes

There'll be an upspree on Jan. 31 for my birthday! A gift to the readers of this story!

Thank you so much for keeping up with TCA!

Up next, the Tales of Ba Sing Se!

-TheGreatestConWoman-

is still torn between being generous or being cruel.