I ran into some writers block with this one, but I think it came out decent. Sorry if the musical number is a little lackluster but theres only so much I can do with writing a dance number. All that aside, enjoy this chapter :)

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Chapter 9: Be Our Guest

It was an hour or so after the dinner incident when Katara decided it was safe to venture out into the castle.

"Where are you going?" Toph asked hearing Katara as she unfroze the door.

"I'm just gonna go look around. Maybe see if I can get a snack from the kitchen or something..."

"Oh now you're hungry? That didn't last long."

"Oh hush." Katara said as she peeked outside the door.

"Well if you want, I can call for Iroh and have him bring up a tray-"

"That won't be necessary." Katara said putting on her shoes. "I'll just go get it myself."

"Are you crazy?" Toph said moving toward her. "What if the master sees you?"

"I'll be fine Toph. Just please don't say anything." Katara pleaded. Toph looked skeptically at her but reluctantly nodded.

Satisfied, Katara once again checked outside and seeing that the coast was clear, went out into the hall and closed the door behind her.

As she walked toward the end of the hall, she failed to notice the commotion going on the behind one of the large curtains.

"Oh no..." said a female voice.

"Oh yes..." said a male voice.

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes, yes, yes!" Sokka shouted as he chased Ty lee out from behind the curtains.

"I said no, no, no!" Ty lee said ducking under his arms, looking coyly back at him. "Don't think I'm letting you off the hook. I haven't forgotten all those things you said about me back there!"

"Aw come on Ty lee." Sokka said hopping towards her. "You know I was just kidding. No one can light my fire like you." He said kissing her cheek.

"Not even Suki?" Ty lee asked.

"Suki?" Sokka asked looking confused. "Why would she light my fire?"

"Oh come on, I seen the way she looks at you and how you interact together. You may as well be married for all I know." Ty Lee said pouting.

"Come on, Suki doesn't like me. She and I are just friends...well, annoying companions at most. Not like you and I." he said wrapping his arms around her.

"I don't know." Ty lee said looking seductively back at him. "I have been burnt by you before."

Sokka grinned as he spun her around and dipped her. They were about to kiss, when Sokka noticed movement at the end of the hallway and spotted Katara as she was about to leave.

"Oh shoot!" Sokka said dropping Ty Lee on the floor. "I was supposed to watch the door! Suki's gonna kill me!" he said hopping hastily after Katara.

Getting off the floor, Ty lee glared after Sokka and shouted. "See I told you! It's always another girl!"

--

Down in the kitchen, Iroh was leading a very tired looking Aang to the cupboard.

"Come now Aang, it's time for bed." Iroh said opening the door.

"Aw Iroh, I'm too old for bedtimes..." Aang said yawning.

"Now Aang, we both know how cranky you get when you're tired." Iroh said.

"No I don't!" Aang said irritably. "Besides I'm not that sleepy..."

"Yes you are." Iroh said helping Aang into the cupboard.

"No I'm not. I'm just-" Aang then dozed off before finishing his sentence. Iroh then closed the door, looking satisfied.

"Ugh! Stupid pans!" Iroh turned around as he saw Haru who was trying to scrap grease off a pan with spatuala, with no success. "Can't believe this..."

"Is everything alright Haru?" Iroh asked.

"It's not fair! I work and I slave all day long trying to make the best meal possible for the master and that new girl, and what happens? It get's called off! All my culinary masterpieces and cooking supplies go to waste and I'm stuck with the brunt work."

"Come now, you're not the only one who's faced their share of disappointment today." Iroh said.

"You can say that again." Suki said as she entered into the kitchen while wiping a fork. "I still can't believe she said all those things to the master. Such insolence..."

"I like this girl." Iroh smiled. "I like her a lot. Especially her spunk and attitude."

"Well if you ask me, she was just being stubborn." Suki said putting away the fork and rag. "After all he did say please."

"The master actually said the 'P' word?" Haru asked looking up from the pan. "Really?"

"He sure did." Iroh nodded. "In fact, that may be the first time I ever heard him use that word."

"Wow Iroh your right." Suki said looking surprised. "Actually, I believe that is the first time he's ever asked politely for anything."

"You see? She's already having a good effect on him." Iroh said happily. "Now if only he'd control his temper, we'll have a real shot at breaking the sp-"

"Iroh shush!" Suki said as the kitchen door began to open. Katara then stuck her head in and looked curiously around.

"Well hello there Katara." Iroh smiled. "Please come in. It's nice to see you up and about."

"Oh hi Iroh." Katara said coming in and kneeling down. "It's nice to see a friendly face."

"Well what a surprise seeing you here." Suki said walking forward. "Pleasure to meet you Miss Katara. I am Suki, head of this household."

"A pleasure to meet you too." Katara said gently shaking her hand.

"And this is Haru, the castle chef." Iroh said gesturing to the large stove.

"Nice to meet you miss-Oh darn it!" Haru shouted as he dropped the spatula he had been using to scrub the pan.

"I got it." Katara said picking up the spatula. "Actually let me scrub that out for you. Looks like too tough a job for a spatula."

"Oh thank you!" Haru said gratefully. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes thank you miss." said the spatula said in relief as it jumped out of her hand. "My head was starting to hirt from all that scrubbing." It then bowed polietly before hopping off to the cupboard. Smiling, Katara took the pan and began rinsing it out in the sink before wiping it with a scrubby.

"You were right about her Iroh." Haru whispered to the teapot. "I like her a lot too."

"SUKI! IROH!" Sokka then burst through the door hopping as fast as he could. "The girl! She is gone! I swear my eyes never left that door- Hey when did we get a new dish lady?" Sokka said looking up at Katara as she finished washing the pan.

Katara turned around and was surprised to see the candleabra staring at her, but polietly smiled and bowed. "Oh hello there."

"Well hellooo to you too..." Sokka said smiling suvaly up at her till Suki pulled him back.

"Please excuse him Miss." Suki said bowing to Katara while throwing dirty looks at Sokka. "He's just our head waiter, who clearly never had a lesson on manners-"

"Please Suki. Leave the introduction to the master." Sokka said spitting on his hand before slicking his wax back, as he put on his most charming smile. "Allow me to introduce myself pretty lady." he said extending his candle to her. "I am Sokka, head waiter and that guy most girls see in their fantasies."

"Nice to meet you Sokka." Katara chuckled amusedly as she offered Sokka her hand, which he proceeded to cover in kisses. "Forgive me if this sounds strange but you remind me a lot of someone I knew back home..."

"Oh I remind girls of a lot of things." Sokka said arrogantly as he kept kissing Katara's hand, working his way up her wrist.

"Vomiting for one thing." Suki scowled as she hastily pried Sokka off of Katara's hand. "Knock it off you dog."

"Hey don't hate me cause I'm beautiful Suki." Sokka smirked.

"Sorry about that." Suki apologized as she whacked Sokka upside the head. "If there's anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable, anything at all- Ouch!" Suki yelled as Sokka burned her backside with his candlestick.

"Actually, I am a little hungry." Katara admitted.

"You are?" Iroh asked excitedly. "Hear that everyone? She's hungry!" He called out to the pantry. "Quick, start up the fire! Break out the silver and the good china! " Suddenly a whole bunch of dish plates, silverware and cooking utensils emerged from the cabinets and drawers and began moving at fast pace, chopping up vegetables, boiling water and mixing batter for bread.

"Iroh does that mean-" Haru began to ask.

"Go ahead Haru." Iroh nodded.

"YES!" Haru shouted turning his stoves flames on full blast. "BAM!

"Wait hold on!" Suki called out. "Remember what the master said!"

"Oh rubbish." Iroh scoffed. "I don't care what he said, I'm not about to let the poor child go hungry."

"Oh alright, fine." Suki sighed. "A glass of water, crust of bread and-"

"Suki! I'm surprised at you!" Sokka said. "She's not a prisoner, she's our guest. It's our job to make her feel welcome here remember?"

Suki seemed torn between obeying the master and fulfilling her duty but let out a reluctant sigh. "Oh okay! She can have dinner...but keep it quiet!" She said pointing at Sokka. "If the master finds out about this, he'll have our necks!"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Sokka said brushing her off. "But then again, what is dinner without a little...music?"

"MUSIC!" Suki shouted. "Sokka, don't you dare!" But Sokka had already grabbed Katara by the hand and lead her into the dining room, letting the door slam in Suki's face.

--

In the dining room, Katara sat down on a cushy chair in front of a very long table. Standing in the middle of it, holding a gold cap and matchstick, was Sokka.

"Good evening ladies and- well, lady." Sokka grinning as he walked toward Katara. "It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents...your dinner!" he then gestured to a tray driven by Iroh containing a large array of scrumptious dishes and foods of all kind.

Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test
Tie your napkin 'round your neck, my dear
And we'll provide the rest
Soup du jour
Hot hors d'oeuvres
Why, we only live to serve
Try the grey stuff

"It's delicious!"Iroh said as Katara sampled some.

"Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!"Sokka said gesturing to all the dazzling plates that came out of the cabinets. "They can sing, they can dance. They can even leap and prance! And a dinner here is never second best."
Go on, unfold your menu,
Take a glance and then
You'll be our guest
Yes our guest
Be our guest!

Just then all the plates of food began walking in front of Katara who was took a bite from each plate, savoring all the delicious flavors.

Beef ragout
Cheese soufflé
Pie and pudding "en flambé"
We'll prepare and serve with flair
A culinary cabaret!

You're alone
And you're scared
But the banquet's all prepared
No one's gloomy or complaining
While the flatware's entertaining
We tell jokes! I do tricks
With my fellow candlesticks

"And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet!"chimed the mugs as Sokka danced between them.

Come on and lift your glass
You've won your own free pass
To be out guest

"If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest."Sokka nodded. "Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!"

As all the dishes and cookware began dancing around, Suki ran into the room and nearly panicked upon seeing all the commotion. Jumping onto the table, she ran around to all the dancing servant, trying desperately to quiet them down but to no avail. As she tried pulling some of them them off the table, Sokka grabbed her from behind and pulled her aside where he began to lament dramatically about his life under the light of his candles.

Life is so unnerving
For a servant who's not serving
He's not whole without a soul to wait upon
Ah, those good old days when we were useful...
Suddenly those good old days are gone

Ten years we've been rusting
Needing so much more than dusting
Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!
Most days we just lay around the castle
Flabby, fat and lazy
You walked in and oops-a-daisy!

Getting annoyed, Suki tried prying herself out of Sokka's grip and ended up falling head first onto a plate of gelatin where she quickly got stuck. While she tried freeing herself, Iroh jumped onto the table along with his tea making porcelain companions as they started preparing another pot of delicious tea.

It's a guest! It's a guest!
Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!
Breads aplenty and thank Agni
I've had the napkins freshly pressed
With dessert, she'll want tea
And my dear that's fine with me

While the cups do their soft-shoeing'
I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing
I'll get warm, piping hot
Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?
Clean it up! We want the company impressed
We've got a lot to do!

"Is it one lump or two?"Iroh asked giving Katara a cup of tea. "For you, our guest! She's our guest!"
She's our guest!
She's our guest!

Suddenly the entire staff appeared and began dancing in a kick-line together. Finally freeing herself, Suki tried stopping them but got run over in the process.

Be our guest! Be our guest!
Our command is your request
It's been years since we've had anybody here
And we're obsessed

With your meal, with your ease
Yes, indeed, we aim to please
While the candlelight's still glowing
Let us help you, We'll keep going

They split into groups, revealing Sokka wearing his gold cap as he started doing his own version of the box step.
"Course by course, one by one. Till you shout, 'Enough! I'm done!' Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest!"
Gesturing upwards, Katara's eyes lit up in excitement as the giant chandelier descended downward. All the servant objects jumped onto it and began dancing as light from the chandelier crystals shimmered and lit up the room. Picking Suki off the ground, Sokka leaped into the top of the chandelier and began dancing with her. At first she hesitated but soon the music got to her and she was dancing like everyone else.

Tonight you'll prop your feet up
But for now, let's eat up
Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Be our guest!
Please, be our guest!

With a final epic maneuver, all the servants jumped off the chandelier and onto bottles of champagne which burst open and sprayed foam up into the air. Sokka and Suki then jumped down towards Katara, with Sokka landed on top of Suki in a flashy dramatic pose. Thoroughly impressed, Katara gave all of them a standing ovation and whistled cheerfully as the servants took their bows. With that done, they brought out Katara's actual meal and quietly left the dining room as she began to chow down.

--

After enjoying her delicious meal, Katara happily dabbed her mouth with her napkin.

"Enjoy your dinner?" Sokka asked grinning.

"Oh yes, that was wonderful!" Katara nodded. "The food, the entertainment, everything was perfect!"

"Why thank you" Suki bowed. "Anything for a guest. But now look at the time!" Suki said pointing to her face. "Bedtime I believe. So I'll just escort you back to your room-"

"Oh I couldn't possibly sleep now!" Katara said excitedly. "After all, it is my first time in an enchanted castle."

"Enchanted?" Suki asked in surprised tone. "Please...whoever said this castle was enchanted?" She then turned to Sokka and angrily muttered "It was you wasn't it?"

"Hey I didn't say anything!" Sokka muttered back. "You're the one with the mouth-"

"Actually guys," Katara interrupted as she stood up. "I kind of figured it out for myself. But that doesn't matter. What I'd really like to do now is look around. If that's alright."

"Oh course it is." Iroh said as he jumped up onto the table. "You do live here now after all. Sokka, why don't you give her a tour?"

"I'm on it!" Sokka said happily. He was about to jump off the table when Suki grabbed him.

"Actually, I don't think that's such a good idea." Suki said nervously before muttering into Sokka's ear "We can't have her poking around in certain places with you-know-who lurking around, if you know what I mean-"

"Why don't you take her then Suki?" Iroh suggested. "So she doesn't get lost or anything."

"Besides," Katara added slyly. "I'm sure with being head of the household, you know everything there is to know about the castle."

Thinking it over, Suki grinned pompously and chuckled. "Well actually, yes I do. Oh what the hey, come! We'll begin our tour in the ballroom!" Suki said jumping off the table.

"Wow, you're good." Sokka said admiringly.

"Well I did have help." She said winking back at Iroh as she and Sokka followed Suki out of the room.

--
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Next chapter should be up alot sooner. Maybe by this weekend but no promises.

Also in case anyone was wondering, yes I did use the song from the movie instead of from the show. Sorry, but I got lazy.