"This Chai Matté will make you feel one hundred times better, Mr. Song," I promised as I poured the old man a small cup of steaming tea. "It aids in digestion, soothes headaches, and clears the mind."

"Thank you, Sing," he replied, inhaling the herbal smell.

"And when you order a second cup, you get a free cookie!" I whispered, making the customer laugh.

"I'll see how I feel after this cup," he said, nodding his head. I smiled, and walked my tray back to the counter. The next order was for four cups of earl grey delivered to a table sitting outside the tea shop, A Cup of Ba Sing Se. Uncle manned the back, mixing and brewing all the teas to his taste, Zuko and I bussed tables, and our manager Mr. Soy worked the cash register, not trusting us with his money. I poured the tea into our cheap cups, and slowly walked outside. I gave the customers their tea, and moved over to another outdoor table that had two cups and dessert plates that hadn't been cleaned up yet. I looked up for a moment and saw a familiar face. "Hi Jin," I said pleasantly.

"Hello Sing. How is business today?" she asked kindly.

"Doing well now that you're back!" Jin was the youngest of our regular customers, coming at least once every day to sit in a booth by herself in the front of the store facing the kitchen. Her pretty, shoulder-length hair framed the face of a hardworking girl, determined and feminine. She made a point of talking to almost all of us each day when she came for her cup of Jasmine.

She looked a little nervous. "Sing, is Li here today?"

"Yes, of course. Was there something you needed?" I asked, sensing there was something she wasn't telling me.

"Actually," she looked around, then sat me down at the nearest table. She lowered her voice and said, "I need your help."

"Is it serious? Are you in trouble?" I asked, confused and a bit worried.

"No! It's Li." I breathed in sharply. "I…I don't know how to ask him to see me again tonight," she finished.

I exhaled and sat back in my chair, relieved. "Sorry, you scared me. So you're going to go somewhere with him tonight?"

She nodded with a lack of confidence.

I smiled widely, and clapped my hands together quietly. "Jin, that's great!"

She smiled delicately, and said, "Yeah, there's something about him that has drawn me in each time I come here."

I scoffed, "Oh, so you don't come for the tea? Or to talk to me? I'm ashamed of you." We laughed. "No, I'm just kidding. But what do you need help with?"

She blushed a bit. "How do I ask him?"

"Oh God," I exclaimed. "What do I know?!"

"You know Li. He's your brother, maybe you can tell me something about him that I can use to make him come see me tonight or something. I don't know!"

"Hmmm… Here's what I would do: order and drink you tea as usual and I'll make sure Li comes to bus your table. That's when you try to make the most of the conversation you'll be having with him," I explained, making it up as I went.

"And that's when I ask him?" she asked, engaged in my story.

"No, not yet. When you go up to pay Li will be right behind the counter. After you give your money to Mr. Soy, tell him you'd like to see him tonight."

Jin looked scared, and really nervous.

"It'll be fine," I said comfortingly. "I won't be far if you need me."

"Are you sure I can do it?" she asked.

"If I didn't I wouldn't have wasted my breath. Now come inside, I'll get your tea started," I said as I stood up and ushered her inside. I made sure Zuko wasn't in the kitchen, and hurried into the kitchen to tell Uncle Jin's plans. He was just as excited as I was, and he promised to be in front when Jin was done her tea to help Zuko along with his answer.