Life seemed to go back to normal after the Jet incident, more or less. Apart from the frequent nightmares, and your encounter with the Blue Spirit last week, your daily life has been rather boring. For this past while, you've been practically immobilized thanks to your sprained ankle. It tooks a couple days of resting before you were able to even walk on it again. It still hurt, and you did have a slight limp, but at least you could go out and buy food. Eventually, you even managed to set up shop again, and sell your goods on the market. You made a great profit; it felt good to have some weight in your pockets again.
When walking longer distances without excruciating pain became possible, you took a stroll to the outer ring library. You searched for books related to your recent topic of interest, but nothing seemed to be of use. But... this is to be expected. Why should you find a book about Fire Nation plays in an old Earth Kingdom library?
You found a few books regarding plays and theatre that seemed promising. You took them home, and they've been your entertainment while you're stuck in your apartment with nothing to do. The books mention classic great Earth Kingdom plays and playwrights, but nothing about 'Love amongst the Dragons'.
You spend most of your free time in your apartment, searching the books for any info about the mysterious Fire Nation play, but to no avail.
Needless to say, you've had a dull week. You're inflicted with boredom, mixed with that dreadful feeling in your gut that you can't quite shake. Perhaps it's guilt, for Jet. Or hurt pride, after managing to injure yourself this badly. Maybe it's the pain of false hope, since you finally had a lead on your personal case, but it's left you in a dead end. You're determined to find any piece of information that'll get you back on track, alas, all of this fruitless research has left you mentally exhausted.
At the moment, your sprained ankle still hurts to walk on, but at least you're able to walk limp-free. Although the tea shop below seems to be the source of your recent drama, you've been craving a hot cup of tea all week.
You spend the majority of today inside, flipping page after page in a book that describes the work of early earthbending stage hands. Although this chapter was particularly interesting (you're amazed by the practical, non-combative uses for bending), you close the old book and place it aside. That's enough reading for now. You've decided: you're going downstairs for some tea.
Each step hurts, but it's nothing compared to a week ago. Following the slim, stone staircase down, you look out at the Ba Sing Se horizon, taking in the warm hues of the setting sky. That's when it hits you. You recall what happened the last time you were at the tea shop. Lee and Jet... had that huge fight.
You almost feel bad for Lee, as he was just trying to defend himself and his Uncle. You can respect that.
You suddenly realize all the tea shop employees probably saw you walk in with Jet. Are they going to ask you about the situation? Ask why you were with Jet when it happened? It's too late to go back, though, as you're now standing outside the front doors. With a deep breath in, you manage to convince yourself to push into the shop.
You see into the teashop, or... well, part of it. A girl is standing in your way, she must've been on her way out. She's startled because you've pushed the door in towards her, rather quickly.
"Oh! Sorry about that!" She yelps and jumps back slightly to avoid getting hit by the door. Instead of moving aside, you just walk in. She makes way for you to get by. As you pass by her, you get a good look at the person you almost hit with the door. She has a layered fringe of brown hair framing her face, the rest of her hair is tied up in a fluffy ponytail. She dons a rather formal looking robe; it's green, like most Earth Kingdom garments. This girl looks very familiar, but a name isn't coming to mind.
"Let's go, Lee!" She says excitedly and she walks out of the store. A teen with his hair slicked back follows after her.
Wait, did she just say Lee?
You turn your head towards the person following the girl, and find him staring back at you. Your eyes lock for a moment. You stare wide eyed at the boy, who like the girl, is also dressed in semi-formal attire. His hair is styled out of his face so you almost don't recognize him. His eyes, however, give him away. You stare into shimmering gold eyes, one of them framed by a deep red scar.
He breaks eye contact, his eyebrows lower from surprise back to a scowl, and he exits the building with the brown haired girl.
You try to process what just happened as you slowly walk into the shop. You hear the door shutting behind you, and before you can spare a second thought, someone calls your name.
"Miss [Y/N]!" You hear, and your eyes focus on the only other person left in the shop. It's Mushi, he's sitting at a table at the far side of the shop. He motions for you to join him.
The last few times you saw Mushi, you were either spying on him or standing beside him as his nephew was attacked by your friend. You suddenly feel immense dread, but as you see the man brightly smiling from across the shop, a weight is lifted from your shoulders.
You walk through the empty shop and approach the table, greeting him with a respectful bow. You can thank your old friend Gopan for teaching you how to respect your elders.
"Well, we haven't seen you around for a while! Notice anything new in the shop?" Mushi is standing near an obviously new addition to the corner of the shop. One table looks much different from the others, at it is perfectly round and a grid pattern is stretched across the top. You've seen this kind of table before….
"I see you guys got a Pai Sho table!"
"Ever played before? Come join me for a game!" he gestures to the empty chair across from him, and you approach to take a seat.
He smiles at you as if he is greeting an old friend. "There's been hardly any customers, so I've had a chance to practice." He tells you.
You examine the set-up on the surface in front of you. This table is specifically made only for playing Pai Sho. The top is a perfect round circle and the classic Pai Sho style grid lines are etched across the surface. You watch Mushi begin to reset the pieces, placing them each in their respectful starting position.
"Know all the rules?" He asks with a smirk. That's another thing you learned from your mentor Gopan, the rules of the ancient game of Pai Sho.
"I've played once or twice, actually." You return a smug smile and begin to set up the playing pieces on your side of the table.
"I'll get us some tea to drink while we play," The man says excitedly, and heads to the kitchen.
("Jasmine, probably." You think to yourself with a smile.)
You finish setting up the pieces, and wait for his return. So far so good, he hasn't asked you any questions about... the incident, and he's practically treating you like an honored guest! True, you were on fairly good terms with him before the big fight in the shop, but shouldn't he hold some resentment towards you? Or at least ask for an explanation! He definitely saw you in the shop the night of the fight.
You look around the empty shop, and search for signs of the fight. It appears they did a speedy clean up, and probably got replacement tables for the ones damaged during the battle. One thing about the area, however, is not how it used to be. Aside from yourself, there isn't a single customer in the shop. And since mere moments ago, you saw Lee leave with some girl, that probably meant you and Mushi are the only ones here.
Where was Lee headed anyways? With a girl no less? He looked so different too, he wasn't wearing his old tea apron and his usually messy hair wasn't covering half his face. It gave you a clear, unobstructed view of his scar, which you are still dying to know the story behind.
Uncle Mushi returns, carrying a tray of tea with him. It smells delicious, and you eagerly take a cup.
"I hope jasmine tea is okay, it's my favorite." he claims, (confirming your hypothesis). You burn your tongue just a little with the first delicious sip, but you immediately feel more relaxed as the cup warms your hands.
"Shall we?" Asks Mushi, gesturing to the game pieces on the tabletop. You set aside your tea cup, crack your knuckles, and make your first move. After placing a lily tile in a gate, you study Mushi's reaction. He says nothing and maintains a serious facial expression. You know you've found a formidable opponent.
The two of you make some small talk as you methodically move piece after piece, trying to create your harmonies.
"I'm glad you decided to visit, we haven't seen you for some time now. I was beginning to worry." Mushi comments, as he slides one of his tile to an adjacent spot.
"Oh don't worry about me! I've just been— busy lately… You know how it is." You give a weak laugh and pick up your teacup to take a sip. You can only open up to Mushi so much, what would he think if he found out you're the city's most infamous thief?
"Actually, lately I've been the opposite of busy." He says with a chuckle. "Business has been slow these past few days, we haven't had many customers since the fight."
There it is. You knew it was going to come up sooner or later. Mushi however, doesn't seem angry or phased in any way. The only emotion you can read is his intense focus on the game pieces in front of him. You've noticed he has a very strategy-based playing style. He moves a tile, then looks up. You, however, are currently staring into your teacup. He's noticed you're mind has gone elsewhere.
"I'm sorry about your friend." He speaks up. This grabs your attention and you look up from your drink. There's genuine sympathy in his gentle eyes. "I'm sure they will release him soon, he is just a teenager after all."
"But…he attacked you. No— he attacked your nephew. How can you let that go so easily?"
"There is strength in apology, but even greater strength in forgiveness." He says wisely. "I'm sure the boy was just confused, and there was no real harm done in the end."
You stare in disbelief at the old man, impressed by his wisdom and surprised at his ability to forgive. His nephew could have been seriously hurt, but he's dismissing the fight entirely! Now that you think about it, both teens could have been severely injured… possibly killed if the fight continued any longer. They each had their own strengths, and proved to be talented fighters. It was only a matter of time before one got the upper hand and delivered a potentially lethal blow.
"...When I watched the fight, I noticed that Lee's a very talented sword fighter..." You finally speak, as you make your next move in the game.
"Yes…he- knows how to defend himself when the situation arises."
"Where did he learn to fight like that?" You blurt out, unable to keep your questions to yourself due to your ever-present curiosity.
Mushi pauses for a moment, and seems to debate whether or not he should answer. He takes a long sip of his tea, makes a particularly clever move on the game board, and lets out a deep breath.
"He's been trained to fight from a young age. A family tradition, one could say." Mushi explains hesitantly.
"If you don't mind me asking…" You place your tile, ending your turn, "...How did he get his scar, that marking on his face?"
Mushi nods, but doesn't reply yet. He pours himself some more tea. You've been wondering about the wound ever since you met him, but you're worried if asking so blatantly came off as rude.
You're about to apologize for asking such an intrusive questions, but Mushi speaks up. "A personal question indeed… but I will trust you with this explanation. My nephew's scar… was inflicted by his own father, my brother." Mushi eyes you carefully, as if he expects some sort of reaction. You simply stare back with shock, sympathy, and intrigue. Mushi continues solemnly.
"My brother is a cruel man. He was ashamed of his own son. He left that permanent reminder on his face, and then banished him from... the family." You see sorrow on his usually jolly face as he speaks. "I'd rather not go into deep detail, this is something we've left in the past. My nephew and I are in Ba Sing Se for a new life."
Great, now you feel terrible for asking. But at least this answered something. Unfortunately, the answer you got only leads you to have even more questions! What inflicts a wound like that, and so permanently? Where is their family originally from? Are they wealthy? Why was Lee's father ashamed of his own son? Are they firebenders?
You begin to feel sorry for Lee, his rough childhood explains his rough personality. You had once thought that the worst fate to befall a child is to grow up without parents. After this story, you reconsider.
You realize Mushi has finished his turn and is waiting on you. You try your best to strategize, but your mind is racing with questions and theories. Instead of asking more about the scar or their complicated family situation, you play it safe and change the subject.
"So," You start as you slide a rose tile into the line between the red and white garden, "What's Lee up to? Who was that girl he was with earlier?"
Mushi smiles widely, "Yes, that would be his date for tonight. Her name is Jin."
You try your hardest not to spit out your tea mid-sip. "Lee has a date?!" You exclaim, sounding a little more surprised than you had intended.
Mushi laughs in a jokingly disapproving manner, "I know that my nephew can be a little rough around the edges, but he has a good heart."
Wait- wait- wait-, with Lee's completely undesirable personality, how did he manage to get a date? Who is this Jin girl? That's when it hits you: you've seen this Jan girl before. She's that same girl who frequents the teashop. The one who is always bothering Lee while he works. Her hair is usually in twin braids, which is why you didn't recognize her right away with her new hairstyle.
Your thoughts are interrupted by the old man moving a tile across the board, creating a harmony around the center. He had won the game of Pai Sho.
"Good game, sir." You complement, fascinated by his approach to the game.
"Many underestimate the importance of the white lotus tile." He replies, referring to the piece that sealed his victory. "No one piece is of lesser importance than the rest. One must use them all to complete a winning harmony." Your respect for the man only grows as she shares his wisdom with you.
A quick glance at the window tells you that you've spent more time in here than you had originally intended. Mushi offers to play another round, but you kindly decline, deciding that you should take your leave for the day. You thank the tea maker for the delicious beverage and the entertaining round of Pai Sho, and leave the shop.