The next day, Lu Ten rose before dawn and returned to the spot in the wall. He very stealthily climbed buildings to get a good look at what part of the Fire Nation camp was closest. He needed to describe exactly where this spot was to his father. He wondered briefly if the other three had found anything. He took in the surroundings once again before climbing down and heading to the market. He wanted to pick up breakfast for himself and Cho.
When he got back to the inn with a few bags in his hand, Cho was tidying the lobby, humming to herself as she went. Her brown tresses were rolled up into a bun on the top of her head. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and she beamed. Lu Ten found that his stomach turned over when she smiled, and her eyes made his heart race.
"Ping!" she greeted and came over to him.
"Good morning, Cho," he said. He held out the bags awkwardly. "I, uh, got breakfast!"
"How sweet!" she cooed. "Let's grab a table and share it."
He allowed her to take his hand and she chose a table where they sat across from one another. They enjoyed their breakfast, and throughout the whole thing, she had not let go of his hand.
"So what were you doing up so early?" she asked as they ate.
"Couldn't sleep," he told her. "Nightmares."
Her expression softened, and she squeezed his hand a bit. "Next time that happens, feel free to come to my room," she offered. After an awkward moment, she realized what she had said and she blushed deeply. She released his hand and put it in her lap. "I'm sorry, that's inappropriate."
Lu Ten, having grown up around royalty and nobles all his life, had never met a girl so forward. He liked it though. Her comment had thrown him off, but he hated seeing her so uncomfortable, so he found her hand again and returned her earlier squeeze.
"I appreciate that very much," he told her. "Thank you, Cho. You're very sweet."
She smiled at him again, her blush fading. His guilt began to eat at him again. If he told the Fire Nation about the weak spot in the wall, then Cho would lose everything…maybe even her life. This thought stung. He pushed it away again, and smiled back at her.
"So, what would you like to do today, Ping?" she asked.
"You're the expert," he replied. "Surprise me."
She nodded. "Okay, I've got an idea."
She took him to her favorite tea shop in the lower ring, where they met with her sister, Sun, and her daughter, Jin. Lu Ten realized that Jin was somewhere between Zuko and Azula in age, so Sun was quite a few years older than Cho. Cho informed him that she and Sun were only half sisters; they had different mothers. Their father had lost both of his wives. Lu Ten felt very sorry for him. His father had lost his wife long before Lu Ten could remember, but Iroh always got sad when he talked about her. It must be a terrible loss, but to go through that twice seemed awful. Lu Ten quickly forgot this though as he met Cho's sister and niece. They were friendly, and very interested in him. The tea came and Lu Ten took a sip, which he immediately spat out.
"They call this tea?!" he cried. "This is boiled leaf juice!"
Cho raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you serious? That's what all tea is!"
Lu Ten looked at her, horror struck. "I – what – you – that's – that's a terrible thing to say!"
"But it's true," added Sun. "I mean, that's actually what tea is."
"You two are disgraceful," he muttered. "Tea is an art."
Cho looked at her sister. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Ping here was a tea snob."
"I'm not even being snobby!" he replied indignantly. "Bad tea is just bad tea!"
The girls laughed at him.
After saying goodbye to Sun and Jin, Cho and Lu Ten made their way to the market to get something for dinner. They had spent most of the afternoon at the tea shop, but it had been great fun for all of them.
"So," Cho said. "Where did you get such a refined taste for tea?"
"My father," Lu Ten answered. "He was all about some tea. He made the best tea ever. If he were to open up a tea shop, the Earth King himself would go there to have some."
"That must be some incredible stuff," she replied.
"It was," Lu Ten said. "I could never make it like him. Although, I'm getting pretty close."
"Well, I'll have to try your tea sometime," she suggested.
"You definitely will," he agreed. "Once you do, you'll never drink that nasty stuff again."
After they made dinner at the inn, they sat and talked for several more hours. It was very late into the evening when they decided to go to bed. Lu Ten walked her to her door.
"Thanks for spending the day with me," he said.
"Anytime," she returned.
He pulled her in close and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. She closed her eyes to the contact. They parted and held each other's gaze for several long moments before Cho finally spoke to break the romantic silence.
"Good night," she said.
"Good night," he returned, and then she went inside. Lu Ten went back to his room feeling like a champion. Cho was having quite an effect on him. He had only known her a few days, but he felt like he was falling for her; and he was falling hard.