The Tale of Quinta

She had been travelling for quite some time now. It's been five years to be precise since she left the Fire Nation to explore the world in search of new flavors and new passions. And though she had crossed the waters, far and wide, she always kept in touch with her sisters back in the Salinja Troupe.

Finally the monorail slowed to a halt and she stepped out, her handmaidens carrying her luggage after her. She had been to the Earth Kingdom capital before. It was still the same fortress as it had been before. After all, the war has not breached its walls yet. Ba Sing Se, the Impenetrable City, was the last stronghold of the Earth Kingdom.

"Lady Quinta!" An Earth Kingdom eunuch bowed at the waist as he greeted the ceremonial tea mistress. "I am so honored to be at your service! My name is Duk!"

She smiled and gave a slight nod of her head. The Earth King himself had requested the presence of the travelling entertainer, going so far as to send agents of the Dai Li in search for her.

"The carriage is this way, my Lady!" Duk scurried forward, taking some of the luggage and loading it into the wagon. He opened the door of the carriage and the lady stepped in, followed by her handmaidens. Once everything was ready, they set off to the upper ring.

Quinta looked out the window as they traveled through the lower ring. There were so many refugees displaced by the war. All of them, uprooted by the Fire Nation's raids on their towns and villages. Here they are in Ba Sing Se, seeking sanctuary inside the stronghold, trying to live, trying to survive.

A crowd caught her eye as they clamored to get inside a tea shop. She knew this particular shop, for she once was a guest there. Pao's tea was horrible to say the least. "Then why is there an excited crowd outside its doors?"

"Stop the carriage." She ordered the eunuch and he complied. They halted in front of the shop and Duk jumped down from the front of the carriage to open the door for Lady Quinta.

A man from the crowd noticed the beautiful woman who had come down from the carriage and he stopped clamoring to get in. Soon, everyone else has followed suit, staring in awe as she strode towards the tea shop. She was decked out in an emerald green kimono, lined with silver threads at the hem and sleeves, embroidered with small, silver butterflies. Her long, gray hair had been braided and put up in a halo around her head, nestled between the braids are small floral ornaments made from jade.

She may have been older than most women, but her beauty was compared to wine as she had aged gracefully throughout the years.

The crowd parted as she approached, craning their necks to get a better look at the entertainer. Her handmaiden opened the door for her and she stepped into the threshold.

There were gasps of shock and awe as she sauntered to the counter. Pao's eyes widened as the famous ceremonial tea mistress had decided once again to grace his humble tea shop. "L-lady Quinta!" He stumbled forward and bowed. "W-what brings you here to my humble tea shop?"

"Pao." She smiled, making every men inside the shop swoon. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" She looked around and was surprised to see that not a seat was vacant compared to the last time she'd been there. "It looks like business is going well!"

"W-why yes! I had the luck of finding a new, talented brewmaster—"

"And who is this brewmaster you talk highly of?"

"Hold on just a second... Mushi!"

"Mushi? What kind of name is that?!" She laughed internally, waiting for 'Mushi' to come out.

Her hazel-colored eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as a familiar face entered her vision, carrying a pot of tea and a stack of cups. "Quinta!" Her old friend greeted her, his arms extended wide to welcome her.

"YOU?!"

Iroh laughed heartily as he set down the pot and cups to greet the entertainer. "My name is Mushi, Lady Quinta!" He emphasized, knowing she would catch on to the facade.

"You know each other?" Pao looked between the tea mistress and the brewmaster with a confused expression.

"Yes!" Iroh exclaimed as he smiled at her. "She is an old friend!"

"I am not old!" She snapped at the underlying remark that Iroh used to taunt her with all the time.

He only chuckled in reply as he went back to work, serving the waiting customers. Quinta watched as he poured the tea into the cups, noting the color and the aroma of the warm ambrosia. Even if she was a few steps away from him, she could see that he still clings to the old ways, the very ones she taught him. "You still use whole leaves instead of the crushed ones."

"I learned from the best teacher there is. Good old experience."

Quinta had smiled as she thought that he was referring to her, but the smile was short-lived as once again, Iroh was engaging her in friendly banter. "You certainly have a lot of experience, considering how old you are as well."

The onlookers watched as the two exchanged quips, each more entertaining than the last. The crowd was divided, torn between cheering for the haughty brewmaster and the beautiful, witty, entertainer.

Pao was sweating buckets as the tension between them rose and he decided to step in. "Wait a minute, wait a minute! I have a suggestion to determine who the best tea maker is between you both!"

They all looked at the owner with squinted eyes. "We're listening."

"A blind taste test!" Pao stood on a chair, so everyone could see him, even those that were out on the streets. "My excellent brewmaster Mushi shall battle the elegant tea mistress Lady Quinta by brewing their best tea and everyone will get to taste them! However, they will not know which tea belongs to whom. Everyone can cast their votes for only two copper coins!" 'If they are going to fight in my shop, might as well make a profit out of it!' He grinned at his scheme. "The one with the most votes at the end of the day wins!"

Iroh smiled and bowed at Lady Quinta. "Are you ready to lose, my Lady?"

"The one who will ultimately defeat me hasn't been born yet, Mushi." She retorted with a smirk and a curtsy.

They set off to work in the back room. Everyone outside was patiently waiting, digging two copper coins out of their pockets and clenching them tight in their palms.

"What are you doing here, General Iroh?!" Quinta whispered as soon as they were alone in the back room.

"Perhaps you know the story of my nephew's banishment from the Fire Nation, do you not?"

"Yes, I do. Everyone does."

Iroh heated the water in a tin pot under coal while Quinta chose the porcelain pot and used aromatic firewood. "Well, long story short, we became fugitives. And we took cover as refugees to go to the last stronghold, here in Ba Sing Se."

Quinta nodded and looked around crates and shelves for tea leaves. "So much has changed, hasn't it? Ever since this war started many years ago..." She mused, running her fingers along the jars.

"So much indeed."

She remembered the refugees in Full Moon Bay, all of them hungry, all of them scared. This war has brought so much suffering to the people. But then again, she was just an entertainer, what could she do except dance, sing and pour tea?

Once the water was hot enough they added their choice of leaves and spices, letting it steep. "I feel so sorrowful for Suiren..." She sighed as she stared at the swirling leaves in her pot. "She is beyond distraught after little Chiyo's disappearance... But even my sisters in the troupe had accepted that she's..." She voice broke and she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

Iroh stood next to her and offered a comforting hand on her shoulder. "To the Lady Suiren, losing Chiyo was comparable to losing a child, her own flesh and blood. Trust me... I know the pain that she feels, and it can send even the strongest of souls into spiraling."

Quinta held Iroh's hand on her shoulder. "Even as time passes and we grow old, the pain is still fresh, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

They had strained the leaves in silence and poured the tea in cups. Pao came in to retrieve the tea and take it out to the awaiting judges.

"I wish we could go back to the old days, things were so much simpler then..." Quinta sighed.

"And you were younger and more beautiful back then, too!" He quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

She slapped his arm with her free hand. "Listen, old man, once I win this, you owe me a favor. And darling, you know I collect principal and interest."

"And if I do win?" Iroh taunted as he poured the second batch of tea into the cups.

"Then I shall concede my title as the best ceremonial tea mistress across the nations." She raised her chin confidently.

"Throw in a foot spa for me and it's a deal!"

All the votes were in and Pao asked them to return to the tea shop. "So, is everybody excited to see who won this battle?" He hyped the crowd into cheering, some of them, pounding their cups on the tables like drunk men.

He retrieved the coins from the jars and stacked them in multiples of tens. Everyone watched carefully as Pao counted the coins from each jar. There were also side bets hanging in the balance between the onlookers. Entertainment rarely came by in the lower ring, and this was the most fun they had in ages.

"The winner, with only four copper coins over the loser..." Everyone held their breaths, tension thick in the air. "Is Lady Quinta!"

Half the room cheered, while the other groaned in defeat. The one smiling the widest was Pao as he collected the coins in small chest.

Amidst the celebration, Duk rushed forward, bowing to Lady Quinta. "My lady, I believe we should head to the palace now. The Earth King is waiting..."

She paused for a moment, then smiled, cupping the eunuch's face with slender fingers adorned with jade rings. "Tell the king that there's been a delay... I wish to stay in the lower ring for another day." She turned to Iroh with a smirk. "I have a lot of catching up to do with an old friend of mine."