Chapter 7: The Flower Shop

Jin's acceptance into Ba Sing Se University was accompanied by several incidents.

The next time Zuko saw her, she had a bruise on her face and a split lip. He grilled her on what had happened, but she clung to her idiotic story that she "fell down some stairs." In truth, she had returned home very late after their celebration, and unfortunately her father was awake when she came inside.

What are you doing out so late? Who was that boy walking you home? Whore. You're a disgrace. You're no daughter of mine. University? You Liar. There's no way you could have gotten in there. They're middle ring. Do you know what they'll do to you when they find out who you are? You don't want them to find out, do you? You're embarrassed of us. Trying to run away. Little bitch.

She held her head high. She was better than him. And she would be leaving soon. She would make something of herself, despite everything.

It was a familiar mantra.

She only kept Zuko from barging into her house and tearing her father apart by holding him back with all her strength and lying to him, saying that her father wasn't home. Zuko glowered at her with more rage than she had ever seen in his eyes. She held his fierce glare until he visibly softened and ran his fingers lightly over her bruised cheek.

He turned away from her and murmured, "I know what it's like." His hand unconsciously rose to his face.

Jin then made the mistake of telling her boss the good news. She was immediately fired. The claim was that if she had other priorities, then her work would suffer. She argued that she had always managed several responsibilities at once.

"Maybe that's why your work is always so shoddy." Those words had stung more than any physical attack.

She didn't know where to go, and wondered the streets in a daze for several hours.

Being fired was a betrayal. She had worked hard for years and years. Her work was immaculate. Her conduct was unparalleled. She had given up sleep and study time and un-calloused fingers. She didn't deserve this.

People she trusted were always proving their disloyalty to her, and it still hurt every time. It hurt when her father hit her, not because of the pain – she could take pain – but because it was a violation of the trust she had placed in him. She loved him and he hurt her, over and over, and she still loved him.

It hurt when she remembered her brother's broken promises. "I'll be back before the solstice. We'll set off fireworks together. I'll bring you some special ones." That was the promise that always came to mind: he said he would come back and he didn't. She couldn't bring herself to think of his promises to always protect her and to watch her grow up. He had died and left her alone with a broken father and a broken mother, and she hated him for it. And she still loved him.

It hurt when-

"I thought you worked this evening."

She blinked up at Zuko, surprised to see him and find herself at the Jasmine Dragon. How had she managed to get through the gates?

"I-I'm glad you're here though. I wasn't expecting you so I haven't made your tea yet. It'll just take a few minutes."

She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks. I would appreciate that." She dug into her sleeve to pull out her coupon and froze.

"Are you alright? You look upset."

She swallowed thickly. "I wasn't expecting to come here today. I left my coupon at home. I can't afford the tea today."

His expression was unreadable.

"Just give me a second and I'll be out of your hair."

He turned abruptly and walked away, thus breaking her heart further. She put her head down on the table and tried to collect herself.

Think positively. Laugh it off. Smile. Think of something funny.

The way Mushi styled Lee's hair for their date… where he ran away from her like he did just now. The time her friend at work sewed the sleeve of the smock she was wearing to the dress she was making for Lady Tan… That was before she was fired. The time the boy who sat next to her at school fell asleep and drooled on his map for geography, then started mumbling, "No, mother, I don't want to go to school. Teacher's an ass." He had been hit over the head with a cane… just like how Jin would be beaten this evening when she went home without a job.

Ugg. She squeezed her eyes shut and counted to calm herself.

1

2

3

4

5

6

"Jin?"

She looked up to see that Zuko had returned. He eyed her cautiously, then hesitantly held out a slip of paper.

A coupon.

She burst into sobs.

Yun and Mimi herded her into the office, brushing off Zuko with a "You made her cry, idiot" and a "She needs girl time."

Jin lay on the couch with her head in Mimi's lap. Yun murmured condolences and encouragement as Mimi ran her fingers through her hair. Jin cried until she felt sick. She cried until her eyes were puffy and Mimi's dress was be-speckled with her tears. She cried until she couldn't remember why she was crying.

When she was done, Yun pulled out an emery board and gave Jin a manicure. Mimi told her about the guy that ran the produce stand near her house and how handsome he was. Yun responded appropriately with "How handsome is he?" and "I've seen better" and "You need to meet more people." Then Yun talked about a new drink she had discovered: four kinds of alcohol with a whole bunch of cherries in it. It was tasty and gave you a real nice buzz. Plus the music was pretty good in the bar that served it. She needed to take Jin there, if not for those reasons, then to see the barmaid, who was Mimi's competition for hottest ass in Ba Sing Se. Mimi responded that she had seen that bitch and there was no comparison. "At least she doesn't have freckles," Yun sang. Mimi's hand clenched sharply in Jin's hair as she yelled about how that wasn't her fault and how there was only so much make up she could afford to cover them. Jin began to laugh, although it sounded slightly like the hiccups.

"Nephew, do you know anything about why the door to my office is locked and there are sounds of weeping coming from inside?"

"Jin lost her job. She was pretty upset." He looked at the door longingly. "They won't let me in." Zuko was worried, but it wouldn't do his fragile image any good to show it.

Mushi was not fooled. He eyed his nephew thoughtfully, stroked his beard, and soon went out. It would only be a moment. He promised. Zuko rolled his eyes. This left him and Suri to handle the busy tea shop alone. After an hour, four angry customers, one over brewed pot of white tea, and Suri spilling three cups of hot liquid on herself in her haste and anxiety, Mushi returned and - instead of lending a hand – knocked on the door to the office.

The door was opened just a crack and one of Yun's thin eyes looked out at him.

"May I come in?"

Yun thought for a moment about saying no, but remembered that although Mushi was a kind soul, he was still her boss. She slid the door open and stood aside to let him enter. Jin sat up and hastily rubbed at the dried tears on her cheeks.

"I have a good friend, Hyun Su," Mushi began without preamble. "He is an earth bending master and uses his prestigious skills to create the prefect soil for the most beautiful and exotic orchids. Do you like orchids?"

Jin nodded, not really knowing where Mushi was headed with this.

"His niece used to keep his books for him," Mushi chuckled. "He has no idea how to do them himself. She was a beautiful girl, and very clever, and she got married two months ago and stopped keeping his books. He has been in quite a state since then. I glimpsed his office the other day." He shook his head. "It was very untidy. I believe that he is in desperate need of assistance, and given your recent graduation and your kind and dedicated spirit – I really hope you don't mind, but I discussed with him the possibility of hiring you. He seemed quite delighted and would very much like to meet you."

This news was absolutely unbelievable. After a moment of staring at the old man, she sprung up and threw her arms around him.

He grinned and said, "I do hope I haven't offended you."

"Never."

"Well, I'm afraid that he has a slightly different schedule from what you're used to. His shop is only open during normal business hours and it's in the upper ring, so you will have to get documentation instead of sneaking up here."

She pulled back and gaped at him. This couldn't be true. It was too good. It was too easy. "If this is a joke, I swear –"

"I would prefer it if a lovely young lady such as yourself refrained from vulgarity."

"Oh, Mushi!" She threw her arms around him again. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"My dear, I would climb mountains for the chance to see you smile." Jin blushed and Mimi and Yun unceremoniously shoved Mushi from the room.

"We have to get her pretty again. Give us two minutes."

Jin and Yun switched dresses. Somehow, Jin's simple smock that she had worn to work that day hung with a kind of understated elegance on Yun, which Jin would never have been able to pull off. Mimi threw her hair into something high and painful that Jin couldn't see due to the room's lack of reflective surfaces. "You look great. Trust me." Yun emptied the sleeves of her dress (which was now on Jin) and revealed a large collection of beauty products. She painted Jin's face with a critical eye and declared that she looked alright.

Zuko eyed them all as his uncle escorted a transformed Jin out into the street and Yun and Mimi got back to work. Finally.

Hyun Su was a very old man, with a curve to his back, a long, white beard and mustache, and a balding head. His eyes were bright with something that Jin could only label as impish. His flower shop was like a small, contained rainforest – floor to ceiling of green flowering plants, humid air, and the smell of freshly cut grass and the air before a storm and something distinctly sweet.

It was true that he was happy to see her, and after a five minute chat, he proclaimed that she was a delight and hired her. It was also true that his office was a disaster. The desk was completely obscured by scrolls and papers and receipts and quite a bit of dirt, as was the desk chair, the bookshelf, a pai sho board, and the window sill. Leaf cuttings were scattered about the floor, mixed in with the papers.

She glanced sideways at the old man, who grinned merrily at her, unconcerned with the clutter in the office. He then went back into the main room to prune his flowers and sing a drinking song. She found herself laughing as she picked up the first pile of papers and began to organize them.

Hyun Su would often call to Jin with an air of excited delight, then point out something interesting that he had come across: the blossoming of the slipper orchid, a letter from his brother, the way he had braided his beard. He spent a great deal of time chatting with Jin as she sat on the floor and organized stack after stack of yellowing paper. They discussed books (which gave Jin tremendous pleasure), they talked about his travels and adventures in his younger years, and he taught her to play pai sho properly (although she was still not very good at it.)

"It is very important for an up-and-coming young lady to understand the subtlety of pai sho. You will find that the game can open doors for someone like yourself." It was a mysterious statement and she felt the need to put more effort into her games.

Hyun Su reminded her of a scatterbrained version of Mushi. One that rarely if ever became serious. One whose eyes held no grief or regret.

The shop did not get a great deal of business, but that suited Hyun Su just fine as orchids were so expensive that it didn't take many customers to keep the shop afloat and he would grow orchids whether he was paid or not. He much preferred raising and growing the flowers, delighting in the beauty and magic that he had created with his own hands. Selling the plants was simply a by-product and was generally delegated to Jin.

This way she met a great many rich and powerful people. Half were enchanted and attracted to her (offering multiple dating opportunities disguised as invitations to fancy parties or charity galas). The other half were intrigued by her – capable and intelligent and sociable as she was – and offered guidance and inside information and critiques.

"Have you met Chancellor Shang? He's formed a committee to investigate that very thing…"

"I was just talking about that with Professor Lin. He used to teach at the University, you know. I'll be having dinner with him again next week, if you'd care to join me…."

"Well, have you read Chan Lu's work on social order? Different perspective, very interesting…"

One young man kept coming into the shop and buying extravagant things as an excuse to flirt with her. He first came in to get a bouquet for his mother. This immediately endeared him to Jin, because - honestly - what's sweeter than that? Then he bought a bear orchid. Then he bought a vase for the bear orchid. Then he bought a scroll on how to properly care for the bear orchid. Either he was going to ask her out or he was going to run out of money. She wondered which would happen first.

He was attractive, and well spoken, and well dressed, and well mannered. He was just a little shy and there was something about him that seemed lacking, although she couldn't pin point what it was.

Mimi nodded knowingly, "Anger issues."

"What?"

"That's what you're looking for, and this guy doesn't have it."

"That's not what I'm looking for."

Mimi was about to push the subject when Zuko interrupted. "He sounds shady. Don't trust him. The bastard can't be up to anything decent or respectable."

Mimi smiled as though she had won the argument.