Chapter 5 – the new menu
"Now, before I do anything else to help this restaurant, I need something from the two of you," Ozai Nakamura ranted, jabbing his finger at Sokka and his sister. "I need your commitment to make these changes and stick with them. Without your commitment, I'm not taking another step."
"Of course, Chef. I'm ready to embrace whatever changes you propose," Katara was quick to answer.
Sokka sighed inwardly as all eyes now turned towards him. He wasn't surprised that Katara was more open to embracing changes, because in all likelihood, they would not affect her job as a manager, while Sokka was filled with uncertainty of whether he would be able to cope with whatever changes Ozai intended for the kitchen. Still, Ozai had been ranting at them for ten minutes straight, together with Azula trying to convince them that they were in denial about the state the restaurant was in. The back and forth arguing on top of everything else that had already happened this morning had by now completely eroded Sokka's resistance and he was willing to accept almost anything.
"I promise to be open minded about everything you propose, Chef," Sokka nodded.
"Good, I feel like we're finally getting somewhere," Ozai sighed, looking relieved. "I have a lot of changes in mind for this place, and trust me, each one of them are needed. But the first question you need to answer is regarding the identity of the restaurant. What are you trying to be? Because I sure as hell can't tell that by looking at the confusing mess that is your bloated menu!"
"I suppose it's grown a bit over the years," Sokka coughed uncomfortably. "I think our idea was to have a little bit of everything, but it's possible that we bit off more than we could chew with that."
"We definitely did, I see that now," Katara agreed with a nod. "A little bit of everything isn't an identity. I think Chef Nakamura is right to point out that new customers could become very confused when looking at our menu."
"That's all good and well, but you still haven't answered my question of what are you trying to be," Ozai said.
"Perhaps you need to approach it from the angle of who do you want to cater to," Azula suggested. She had been staying mostly silent during her father's lengthy tirade. Sokka wasn't sure what to think about her relationship with Ozai. At times she seemed almost afraid of him, and to Sokka that just felt inconceivable. "What kind of customers are you trying to attract?" Azula asked.
"Paying ones?" Sokka chuckled. Nobody else laughed at his joke, though. Instead, Sokka had to cringe under the reproachful stares from three pairs of eyes. Ozai, Azula and Katara clearly did not appreciate even the slightest attempt at levity to break up the tense and serious mood.
"Well, it depends," Katara replied, having thought for a while. "During the lunch hours, I think we should try to appeal to the people who are working in the new business district. These people have an hour or less for their lunchbreak, so the lunch menu should have items that can be prepared and sent out quickly, because these customers will not come back if they have to wait too long."
"Go on," Ozai said, urging Katara and for once not looking annoyed.
"As for dinner service, while we get our fair share of tourists, looking for things off the beaten path, most of our customers are locals. Mostly Water Tribe immigrants, but not just them," Katara continued. "But I don't think that it means they are necessarily looking for Water Tribe cuisine. I think it's fine for us to have some Water Tribe dishes, but many of our Water Tribe customers can make these very same dishes at home, and possibly more to their own liking than we could. I think our customers would be more interested in classic comfort food, hearty meals for reasonable prices. We are not supposed to be a fine dining restaurant."
"That's the smartest thing you've said since we've been here," Ozai said, nodding approvingly. Azula was also smiling and almost looking proud as she stared at Katara. Sokka thought that was a slightly odd reaction. "One of the most basic tenets of running a successful business is to identify your strengths and play to them. There is some talent in your kitchen, but not nearly enough to run a fine dining restaurant, you've got that right. For your location, classic comfort food definitely makes the most sense, especially if you can elevate it for added value."
"Thank you, Chef," Katara said, blushing from the unexpected praise. Sokka wondered if he could manage to earn a kind word from Chef Nakamura before the visit was over, but his hopes were not high. Ozai had seen through Sokka's fake confidence and realized that his training as a chef had been completely inadequate and he was flying by the seat of his pants.
"I'm glad we're in agreement," Ozai said. "Now, I have plenty to do, many calls to make to arrange all the changes I have planned." Sokka perked up at Ozai's words. This bode well for the renovation of the restaurant, something that Sokka had been looking forward to in particular. "I will leave the task of creating your new menu in Azula's capable hands," Ozai added.
"Really?" Azula looked shocked. "Th-thank you, father," she stuttered, clearly having been taken by surprise. "I won't let you and the owners down, I promise."
"I know you won't, or I wouldn't have given you this task, Azula," Ozai almost smiled as he nodded and turned to depart, leaving the still flabbergasted Azula to remain behind with Sokka and Katara.
Azula stood like frozen for a while with a starry-eyed look on her face before she snapped out of her daze and gave Sokka and Katara a nervous smile. "I'm sorry, I just got a little overwhelmed," she said, blushing with pride. "It's just that designing a new menu is such a rare honor and I still can't believe that father would-… anyway, I'm rambling. We have a lot of work ahead of us."
"We?" Sokka asked, feeling a little surprised. "I've watched a few episodes of the show, and Ozai… your father, he usually just hands down a ready to use menu to the owners and they get on with it."
"Actually, in many cases, the owners abandon my father's menu as soon as he's out of the door," Azula said, looking disapproving. "And then they wonder why the restaurant keeps failing."
"Why would they do that?" Katara wondered.
"There are plenty of reasons," Azula shrugged. "Despite stating that they're onboard with the changes, they actually aren't and they are still in denial. I hope that's not the case with you two." Katara quickly shook her head, and Sokka did the same a moment later. "And sometimes the owners just for some reason don't like my father's menu," Azula said. "Or the kitchen finds it too hard to execute. I suppose there could be many different reasons for it."
"But you're not going to give us a ready to use menu the way your father does?" Katara asked.
"I have been waiting for this opportunity and I have some ideas of my own," Azula said. "But it's important for me to see this restaurant succeed, so I don't want to give you a menu that you hate or can't execute. This is why I want to work together with you both to create something that you actually like."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Katara exclaimed, looking thrilled. Sokka thought that the way his sister and Azula were constantly exchanging awkward smiles was weird and a little confusing.
"I like the idea of having a say in this new menu," Sokka nodded. "Could we get Suki in on this as well? I trust her opinion." Also, Suki was the better cook in the kitchen, Sokka wasn't blind to that naked truth. If this wasn't Sokka's restaurant, Suki would be the head chef and he would be peeling potatoes, Sokka knew that. But this was Sokka's restaurant, and as Jet had rightly pointed out during their fight, the buck stopped with him. Sokka felt that he had to be the head chef not because he was the better cook, but because that responsibility was his to bear.
"Of course, she knows what she's doing in the kitchen," Azula replied, clearly approving of the idea. Sokka briefly left the kitchen to look for Suki. He found his girlfriend and Jet lurking just outside, listening in on what was being said and looking excited as they both burst into the kitchen. Sokka was very tempted to tell Jet to clear the fuck out of the kitchen, but he had seen the way his little sister had cried during his and Jet's fight earlier and Sokka didn't want to upset Katara again.
"So, I have a probably naïve and stupid question about our current menu," Katara said as the five of them stood in a loose circle in the kitchen. Suki had her phone out, ready to take notes on the new menu. "I have heard a lot about how a big menu is terrible and a sign of mismanaged restaurant, but I don't think anyone has ever explained why that is so."
"Hmm, well, I suppose it's not obvious to everyone," Azula said. Sokka felt as if Azula was actually toning down her haughtiness for some reason, like she was actively trying to be nicer. "Menu like yours could be handled adequately by a large restaurant with eight or nine cooks in the kitchen. Two cooks in this tiny kitchen? You have no chance. Even if your kitchen equipment was working, you'd still have to rely on microwaving frozen food with so many items on the menu."
"You're definitely right about that," Suki nodded. "I think we have close to a hundred items on the menu. And I think that when Sokka's dad opened the restaurant it wasn't more like thirty? Most of the items were actually added over the past two years."
"Let me guess, when things started to slide downhill, you panicked and started to throw more and more items on the menu, hoping to find that one hit that would attract a lot of customers," Azula grinned. Sokka was forced to confess with a reluctant nod. "I've seen it happen before and it never works."
"Maybe it would have worked if we had taken some items off the menu," Sokka admitted. "I mean, there are things that aren't selling particularly well."
"That might have improved your chances," Azula said, snorting and rolling her eyes. "Anyway, there are many other reasons why large menu is the death knell for a small restaurant like this. Large menu really slows down the kitchen and drives up costs. In order to prepare hundred items on the menu you need… how many different ingredients? You should know the answer to that, Mr. Food Manager," Azula turned to face Jet. Sokka could sense a slightly mocking hostility from Azula towards Jet. It certainly made Sokka like Azula a great deal more.
"I think we have slightly over two hundred different ingredients, yes," Jet replied.
"That's where you're losing so much money," Azula groaned. "You're killing yourselves there, believe me. Scaled down menu means smaller inventory and lower costs. You need less ingredients to cook thirty menu items, right? Am I making sense?"
"Perfect sense," both Suki and Katara said in unison, while Jet looked alarmed for some reason. Sokka supposed that Azula's ideas did make sense, but he was also worried about losing all those regulars who for some reason still loved his canned lobster roll.
"Also, with a smaller menu you will have a much easier job of optimizing the kitchen," Azula continued. "With this massive menu, I can understand why you have given up on trying to combine tickets, because the likelihood that people will order the same items is so low. But with a scaled down menu, you'll have a much easier time preparing entrees for three or more tickets at once, trust me."
"You're right," Suki said simply. "I've worked part-time jobs in kitchens where they handled multiple tickets with ease. It's going to be so much easier with a smaller menu."
"Fine, you've convinced me," Sokka finally gave in. "I'm on board, as long as we can create a menu that I'm happy with. And that the customers like." Sokka immediately found himself hugged by both Katara and Suki, who looked delighted by his decision. Jet was the only one who didn't appear happy, which was just fine by Sokka. Being hugged by Jet wasn't exactly on Sokka's bucket list.
"So, you must have ideas on this new menu already, Azula," Suki said a moment later. "Maybe you can give us the starting point from which we can work from."
"Very well," Azula said. She straightened out, assuming a more authoritative stance. "I think it would make more sense if you didn't distinguish between a dinner and lunch menu. Well, aside from smaller portions and lower prices for the lunch menu, but that's basic stuff. And if you want to add some lunch only items like sandwiches, wraps or salads, by all means, go for it. They can be prepped easily before the service and it won't slow you down."
"That sounds like a good idea," Katara smiled. "I like it."
"As for the size of the menu, I know that my proposal will sound shocking to you, but I really think it will work and I want you to try it," Azula said. "I think you should go with no more than six appetizers, eight entrees and then maybe six desserts. You don't actually have your own pastry chef, right? It's all bought in stuff, I presume?"
"Yes," Sokka nodded. "We get all of our desserts from The Jasmine Dragon bakery and tea shop."
"Really?" Azula looked very surprised for some reason. "That's a… remarkable coincidence." Sokka and the others looked on with interest, hoping for Azula to explain. "Umm, The Jasmine Dragon is owned by my uncle. If he hadn't fallen out with his brother, I'm sure The Jasmine Dragon would be a very popular chain by now, but as it is… well, there's a reason why crossing Ozai Nakamura is not a good idea. Anyway, I digress," Azula said, shaking her head. Sokka could tell that there was a lot of drama buried under that untold story, but it made sense that Azula didn't want to get into it now. "Their desserts are really good, so just go and put as many as you want on the menu."
"That sounds good, but I'm worried about such a limited menu," now it was Katara's turn to sound concerned. "There might be some potential customers who feel like nothing on the menu appeals to them."
"I understand the concern, but it is misplaced," Azula said dismissively. "We are talking about comfort food here, the chance that someone might not want one entrée out of eight options is ridiculously low. Also, you will find that it is much better to do a smaller number of dishes well, than half-assing a massive menu. And to further address your concerns, Katara, this is where the specials come in. You should always have at least a couple of appetizers and entrees on as specials, maybe even some desserts. This is a great way to introduce seasonal ingredients and also experiment and find out what works and what doesn't. If a special sells really well, then by all means, put it on your main menu and take off something that doesn't sell as well."
"It sounds so simple when you explain it," Katara explained, giving Azula an admiring stare.
"I think we should listen to everything Azula says," Suki nodded, frantically typing on her phone. "She's one of the smartest cookies around."
"Maybe we can make the menu just a little larger, though," Jet suggested.
"Don't you even start with me on that," Azula gave Jet a withering glare. "Get the basics right before you even think about expanding, how about that?"
"What Azula says just makes sense, alright?" Suki sighed, shaking her head. "Let's stop fighting her, guys! She has more experience than all of us put together, so let's stop arguing about this and instead just get down to pruning the menu!"
"Thank you, Suki," Azula said when Sokka, Katara and Jet raised no further concerns. "And yes, I suppose I would be willing to entertain the idea of allowing some of the dishes on your current menu to remain there, but not as they are now. They would have to be elevated and executed much better."
"Fair," Sokka admitted. "But the reindeer bangers and mash are not negotiable. You are not touching my sausage," he winked at Azula.
"Trust me, I want nothing to do with your sausage," Azula groaned, while Katara stared Sokka down with a fierce glare and Suki gave him a whack on the head.
"Anyway, Sokka's crudeness aside, I would love to keep at least some of the Water Tribe dishes," Katara said, looking hopeful. "And I think your father said that the reindeer sausage was actually good?"
"That's true," Azula admitted. "But again, that dish needs improvement. Remember, you need to be much better than what people can easily cook for themselves at home. Don't despair, however, for I have ideas. First of all, let's get rid of the peas as a side. Nobody likes the peas. They're traditional, which to me just sounds like a fancy way of admitting that they're gross."
"Thank you, I always thought so as well," Katara looked relieved. "When Yue or Aang take the plates back to the kitchen, the peas are always there, untouched. And it's the same for fish and chips. Why do we serve them with mushy peas if nobody eats them? Just because it's traditional?"
"That's exactly it. You're catching on now," Azula nodded. "Anyway, here are some ideas from the top of my head about how to make that dish fancier. Most importantly, you are never going to use instant mash again, or I'll find you and skin you alive. Next, mashed potatoes can be improved with a bit of chopped garlic and a handful of grated gruyere cheese. I always prefer the gravy to be strained and thickened, I don't like the onions swimming in there, being all slimy and gross. Instead, get some delicious caramelized onions and serve them on the side. Or even better, put them on top of the sausage. I'll show you what I mean later. We'll have to cook all the dishes and set a standard for presentation, anyway."
"Sounds great," Sokka said as his tummy let out a loud growl that echoed throughout the kitchen. "Also, that description reminded me of how hungry I am. All I've had this morning is a cup of coffee."
"Well, just tighten your belt for now. We have no time for food, because we have to… keep talking about food," Azula finished awkwardly to the chuckles of the others. "Anyway, I suppose you'll want to keep a version of the sea prune stew appetizer," Azula said. Katara was nodding eagerly at that, and Sokka was quick to express his own approval for the idea. "I have some ideas on how to improve it. Maybe as a sea prune chowder? Yes, I can see the appeal," Azula tapped a finger against her chin. "Also, you'll want a traditional Water Tribe dessert, because that way the customers will be able to get a full three course Water Tribe dinner. I don't think there's a better Water Tribe dessert than lightly grilled bread cheese with fresh cloudberry jam."
"Oh, you've had bread cheese?" Katara looked very surprised. "But of course, you have. You're so well-traveled."
"I like desserts that are not overly sweet," Azula explained. "It's one of my favorites for that reason. Anyway, I think we're off to a good start. Why don't we sit down in the manager's office and get on with pruning the old menu?"
"Sounds like a great idea to me," Sokka nodded, feeling encouraged about the whole process. One of his fears had been to have a strange and unfamiliar menu foisted upon him by Chef Ozai, but Azula seemed to be going for a different and more constructive approach. She appeared full of excellent ideas, and despite his earlier reluctance to changes, Sokka was starting to feel excited about this new menu they were putting together.
Jet snuck out of the restaurant manager's office feeling deeply concerned. Despite his attempts to drum up some drama during the filming process, Jet felt as if this whole endeavor – which had been his idea to begin with – was not going his way. The bloated menu of The Northern Lights had provided Jet with a fantastic cover for his embezzlement racket. There were months where he managed to set aside up to two whole grand for Bee's surgery. Azula Nakamura being so convincing and winning Sokka, Katara and Suki over to her side with this slimmed down menu was bad news for Jet. If these changes went through, the inventory would likely shrink down to one third of what it was now, and Jet would have way fewer opportunities to scam his way into some extra cash. Jet and his found family were closing in on two thirds of the funds they needed for Bee, and he had no right to stop now.
Jet conceded that perhaps he was overreacting. He had the utmost confidence in his powers of persuasion. After all, he had already managed to charm Katara into dating him, in spite of the warnings by his friends about Katara being a girl way out of his league. Jet felt confident that given enough time, he would be able to talk Katara into going back to a larger menu and then he could use that to quickly raising the remaining cash for Bee.
Still, there was more that Jet could do in order to help himself and the restaurant. The Northern Lights was Jet's golden goose. He didn't want to see it stop laying golden eggs from which all of them could benefit. If the restaurant was to really blow up following the broadcast of their episode, there would simply be more money flowing in. Perhaps when they didn't have to worry about their own day to day survival, Katara and the other bleeding hearts around the restaurant, people like Yue and Aang, could be convinced to donate to Smellerbee's gender reassignment surgery fund. But in order to make the restaurant go viral in a big way, Jet needed to generate more drama. And he was certain that Ozai Nakamura wanted the same thing, which was the reason why Jet went and sought out the legendary Fire Nation chef.
Jet found Ozai Nakamura out in the dining room, the camera crew giving the chef a wide berth while he was busy screaming at someone on the phone. "I swear, Zuko, if you weren't my son I would make steak tartare out of your useless ass," Ozai fumed. "I sent you to Ba Sing Se to sort the place out, not to make it worse! Now get back in there and don't call me again until the matter has been resolved. Do I make myself clear?" Ozai continued yelling for a little while before disconnecting the call. He still looked pissed as he turned and noticed Jet standing there. "Yes? What do you want?" Ozai barked, making Jet feel like his timing could have been slightly better.
"I wanted to discuss something with you, Chef," Jet spoke quickly, aware that Ozai Nakamura would only become angrier if he felt that his time was being wasted. "I really want the episode featuring The Northern Lights to attract a lot of viewers, and I know you want the same thing. And I think you'll agree that there hasn't been enough drama to make the episode go viral. I want to help you with that."
"You have my attention, Jeb," Ozai said, looking interested. "Do you have something in mind?"
"Jet, and yes, I have a few ideas that I think you'll find interesting," Jet nodded. "For some reason, creating drama comes very naturally to me. At times I feel like drama follows me around like a lost puppy."
"Fascinating," Ozai remarked. Still, Jet could tell that he had the chef's attention. "Why don't we step a little aside? Then you can tell me more about these ideas of yours, Jeb."
"Jet," Jet futilely corrected Ozai. "But yes, let me tell you more about what I have in mind…"
"I really want to thank you again and again for the new menu, Azula," Katara said. The two of them were sitting down in the dining room with less than half an hour left before the lunch service. "I feel like it's going to work out very well."
"Well, if you're happy with the menu, then that makes me happy too," Azula replied, taking a small sip of her still mineral water.
"That's so gay," Azula jumped at Toph's voice, the blind girl walking past Azula and Katara on her way towards the microwave den in the basement. Azula's father hadn't shut down the operation just yet, but she knew that it was only a matter of time before the microwaves went the way of the dodo.
"Anyway," Azula quickly cleared her throat, trying to stop herself from blushing at Toph's crude comment. It didn't help that Katara was giving her a deeply searching stare. "There's something I actually wanted to talk to you about," Azula recovered quickly. "They shouldn't need you at the front of the house during the lunch service, right? It would help if we could sit down in your office."
"Of course, I'd be happy to indulge you," Katara said with a light blush in her cheeks as she led the way back to the manager's office. Azula was aware that there was a lot of blushing going on whenever she and Katara interacted, and she wasn't in complete denial about the reason for it, at least not on her part. It was confusing because Katara, but also Suki and Yue, often acted like they… were into her? Which was silly and impossible because Katara and Suki had boyfriends and Yue had a kid from her past relationship with Sokka. Of course, none of this confusion really mattered because Azula would be out of here in less than a week. Sure, she had the phone numbers of all three girls, so she could stay in touch if she really wanted to, but-
"Azula?" she snapped out of her confusing thoughts at the sound of Katara's voice. "That's the janitor's closet. My office is this way," Katara added, looking very amused.
"Oh… I knew that," Azula hurried into the office, red in the face. She was quick to sit down and assume the most professional expression she could muster. Heat continued to burn her cheeks, however, when she realized that by now Katara probably thought her some kind of a weirdo because of the way she was acting.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Katara asked softly once she had sat down in her manager's chair behind the slightly ancient looking work computer.
"I know that if you have watched the show then you might think that it's enough for my father to just introduce a new menu and play the role of a TV therapist to bring together dysfunctional families and reunite them behind a shared goal. Any restaurant that's dysfunctional to the level you sometimes see on the show can't be fixed by a couple of minutes of inspirational pep talk," Azula explained. "And sure, The Northern Lights will be a lot better with this new menu and without microwaving most of your food. But I'm not sure that bloated menu and microwaves was the whole extent of your issues. I think my father would be happy to leave things at that, but it's in my nature to ask questions and keep digging."
"I think that's a good attitude to have," Katara smiled. "And what you said about your father not being able to fix all the restaurant's problems makes sense." Katara then hesitated for a moment. "I don't follow why you brought that up after saying you wanted to talk to me, though."
"Right, right," Azula said worriedly. She wanted to get to the bottom of the restaurant's issues, but she also didn't want to say something that would upset and anger Katara. "You're a student of medicine who's been thrust into a managerial role, though. How much do you really know about running a restaurant?"
"Only what my dad showed me before leaving. You know, managing the books and the payroll, all that boring stuff," Katara replied. A shadow crossed her face, suddenly making her look anxious. "Are you saying that it's my fault that the restaurant is failing?" she asked, sounding defensive.
"Whoa, I did not say that, Katara," Azula gasped, raising her hands in mock surrender. "As my dad always tells the owners, I'm here to help and that's the truth."
"Yes… yes, of course," Katara sighed, lowering her eyes. "Look, I'm aware that I sometimes don't know what I'm doing," she admitted, looking ashamed. "I just… really don't want you to think that I'm some brainless bimbo."
"I don't think that at all," Azula said quickly. "It would be absolutely remarkable if someone with no experience in running a restaurant got everything right on their first try. And you have some good leadership instincts. Last night, you identified the potential issue of Yue and Aang getting overwhelmed at the front of the house, and you stepped in. That was a smart decision and it stopped the dinner service from collapsing."
"Thanks," Katara said, her cheeks coloring intensely.
"I'm just stating the objective truth," Azula shrugged. "Anyway, it would make sense if you had also made plenty of terrible decisions as a manager." Katara suddenly looked upset again. "But maybe you haven't," Azula backpedaled hastily, cursing her inability to say the right things to Katara. "I just want to know about the things you have tried as a manager to help the restaurant succeed."
"Oh," Katara's anxiety faded almost instantly, her brow furrowing deep in thought. "I've done some events combining them with my activist campaigns. You know, using the restaurant as a gathering point for rallies and then handing out free samples and drinks, hoping that people will like the food and decide to come back and possibly become regulars. Sometimes it gave a nice little boost for a week or so after the event, but that was it."
"That's actually a very good idea," Azula said. "However, you need the actual food from the kitchen to be a quality product in order to convince these potential new customers to stick around. With your new menu, this is definitely an approach worth trying. Anything else you tried?"
"I've tried a lot of campaigns involving discount coupons," Katara admitted.
"Oh no," Azula groaned. "You didn't…"
"I'm afraid so," Katara sighed. "Nobody told me it was a terrible idea, and it took me way too long to realize just how much money we were losing with those coupons. That was really stupid of me."
"It's not just that you're losing money, you're also appearing desperate and taking a hit to your reputation," Azula said, shaking her head. "Discount coupons are a terrible idea for a restaurant. Please don't ever try that again."
"I won't, trust me, that's a lesson learned," Katara said quickly.
"Okay," Azula nodded. "I also want to ask if you know what your break-even point is."
"Yes, I know. Dad showed me how to calculate it," Katara said. "Although, I had to ask Sokka for help. I sometimes struggle with the numbers. But to answer your question, we're roughly a grand away from the break-even point for the week on average."
"That's four thousand per month. Not the worst we've dealt with, but obviously concerning and unsustainable in long term," Azula remarked, trying not to freak out about Katara's admission of struggling with numbers. For someone doing the books and payroll, that seemed like a massive red flag. "It's still a little worse than I thought you would be, because this really doesn't feel like one of those truly unsalvageable restaurants," Azula hummed thoughtfully. "I would like to look a little more deeply into the restaurant's finances… with your approval, of course."
Katara looked uncertain. "I don't know," she said, hesitating. "That seems like something I should discuss with Sokka first."
"Remember," Azula said, trying to project as much confidence as she could muster. "I'm here to help you, Katara."
"Well…" their eyes met, lingering for a while before Katara turned away, blushing. "I suppose that's true, and it's not like we have anything to hide. I had an empty flash drive somewhere around here…" Katara said, starting to dig through the drawers of her desk.
"I just want to be sure that we're not missing something important. I hope you understand," Azula said, waiting for Katara to hand her the flash drive, only for a knock on the doors to interrupt their conversation. The would-be intruder did not wait for Katara's invitation to enter before opening the doors. It was Yue, looking as gorgeous as ever in her server's uniform, her smile happy and radiant.
"Hi Kat, hello Azula," Yue beamed at them. "I thought I would find you here. I just wanted to quickly thank Azula before we start the service."
"What for?" both Azula and Katara asked in unison.
"I thought we were just talking about your half-sister maybe being interested in doing some babysitting for me," Yue said. "I certainly did not expect to get a text from her early this morning! You don't waste any time, do you?" she grinned at Azula.
"Oh," Azula blushed again. She was doing that way too much around these girls. "It's just that you seemed so unhappy with your current babysitter. I thought that the matter was urgent."
"Well… it is kind of urgent," Yue admitted confusingly. "I just didn't expect that you'd really come to my aid like that. I mean, we only met yesterday and you're already helping me with my babysitting woes."
"I agree, it's very sweet of you to go this extra mile to help out, Azula," Katara smiled. "I like people who are nice to my friends."
"Ugh, you two are completely ridiculous and making this little thing into something way bigger than it is," Azula sighed, quickly snatching the flash drive from Katara's hand. "Can we just move on, please?" Katara and Yue exchanged stares and burst into giggles much to Azula's added frustration. "Anyway, was Kiyi interested?" Azula eventually had to ask when her curiosity proved impossible to contain.
"Yes, and we agreed to meet on Sunday to talk everything out," Yue said. "She had way more questions than the average babysitter I've dealt with. But I have a pretty good idea why she's so detail-oriented," Yue added with another insufferably cute giggle. "Anyway, I better get ready for the lunch service. I can already spot some customers who need to be seated," Yue said before rushing out of the office.
"Ugh, that girl is way too much," Azula complained.
"You have to love her," Katara winked. "You know, we used to date in high school. It actually got really serious," she added in a more somber note, speaking words that made Azula's breath hitch and her eyes bulge a little from the stunning surprise.
"R-really? You're not joking?" Azula gasped. Katara grinned as she nodded. "Why'd you ever let a girl like that get away?" Azula asked.
"That's a good question," Katara sighed. "I had a really tough time letting go, and sometimes I still end up thinking that it was a mistake to break up. But it's also true that we work really well as friends. It's one of those things where I'll probably wonder what might have been for the rest of my life. But also, I don't want to dwell on it. We've both moved on."
"I'll say," Azula rolled her eyes. "Have you dated everyone in this restaurant?"
"No, I haven't dated Suki and Toph," Katara laughed.
"Wait, you've dated your own brother?" Azula asked.
"What?" Katara looked positively scandalized. "No, of course not! Spirits, thank you for that scarring mental image! I simply didn't think that needed mentioning. Maybe there's something about Fire Nation customs I am yet to learn…"
"I assure you, just because there have been certain well-publicized scandals throughout the history of the Fire Nation, my people don't have some kind of proclivity towards incestuous relationships," Azula huffed.
"Are you sure?" Katara asked teasingly. "Because I've seen some Kitchen Nightmares episodes with your brother, and he's pretty cute."
"What? You're ridiculous, Zuko is not cute, he's an ugly little troll!" Azula snapped in annoyance. "Anyway, I'm much cuter than Zuko," she huffed.
Katara gave her a very long stare before speaking up again. "I actually agree with that," she smiled softly. "You are cuter than your brother."
"Umm… thank you," Azula managed, feeling completely taken aback by the compliment. Still, she had done so much blushing throughout this conversation already that it was making Azula feel like she was making a fool of herself. She suddenly felt a desperate need to run, hide and regroup. "Anyway, uh, I think we're done here, so… I should go," she said, quickly running out of Katara's office, leaving the other girl sitting there with a puzzled look on her face.
"That was a nice lunch service," Aang said. He was sitting on one of the sofas in the upstairs apartment space together with Toph and Yue. Chef Ozai had dragged Katara and Sokka off to shoot some extra footage, while Suki and Azula were talking shop about the new menu and Jet had snuck off to do some nebulous Jet things. "Katara said we even turned profit."
"See, nothing is broken with the way the restaurant is being run now," Toph nodded. "There's no need for the bad man to get rid of my lovely microwaves."
"I suspect that we only had such a good lunch service because people showed up to gaze at Chef Ozai and Azula," Yue sighed. She still had to make the drive to get Kya from the kindergarten and take her home, before returning to the restaurant for the dinner service. Yue had a couple of hours to do that, however, so she didn't feel particularly rushed. "I think the customers were more interested in the spectacle than they were interested in the food. That would explain why we had almost zero complaints."
"I guess you're right," Aang conceded. "We haven't actually implemented any of the changes yet, so I guess it was too optimistic to think that we had turned the page."
"I wish we could just stay the way we are and somehow find a way to make money," Toph sighed. "Can't we just coast on the reputation of having been on the Kitchen Nightmares?"
"Don't worry so much about your job, seriously," Yue said gently. She could tell that Toph was very stressed about her future at the restaurant. "Katara said that she'll figure something out, and Katara never lies, right?"
"That's very true," Aang agreed happily. "Anyway, maybe Chef Ozai has forgotten about the microwaves. Maybe he won't make us throw away all of them. Maybe-"
"Maybe you shouldn't count on that," Aang was interrupted by Azula's voice as she arrived upstairs together with Suki. "My father definitely intends to deal with the microwaves. I think he wants to make some kind of a grand spectacle about getting rid of them."
"I knew it," Toph groaned. "My poor babies are doomed."
"There, there, Toph," Suki walked over to the younger girl and gave her an affectionate pat on the shoulder. She then looked over at Azula. "Anyway, welcome to my and Sokka's lair. What do you think?"
"It's-…" Azula began to speak while looking around the place, but she then froze as if her brain had short-circuited.
"Come on, surely it's not that bad," Suki sighed. "You should have seen what it was like when I moved in here. Now that was bad."
"I'm sorry, it's just so far from what I'm used to," Azula apologized, blushing lightly. "It feels more like a social club where people hang out, not like someone's living space."
"Well, for us it serves both purposes," Suki chuckled.
"We definitely enjoy hanging out here," Aang nodded. "It's a great place where to chill after another rough service, you know?"
"It's definitely nice to have a space like this," Yue agreed, looking over at Azula. "Is your dad still torturing Sokka and Katara? I hope they get a little break before the dinner service."
"I think they are doing the sibling reconciliation scenes," Azula explained. "I suspect that father is making them work together by cooking something from the new menu. Then it will go on tonight's menu as a special and a proof that my father's new direction for the restaurant is working."
"Sibling reconciliation scenes?" Yue asked. "But Katara and Sokka aren't really fighting, right?"
"Of course, they aren't, don't be silly," Azula shook her head. "That's just the narrative for the show that my father has decided to go with." She suddenly looked a little disappointed. "I'll admit, I was hoping for something more creative. I feel like people are getting a bit tired of the whole dysfunctional family narrative and they want something different. But father knows best, I suppose."
"It doesn't feel right to present Katara and Sokka as having a toxic relationship," Aang said, looking disapproving. "They have a great sibling relationship, actually."
"Well, how nice for them," Azula said with an unusual amount of bitterness that took Yue by surprise. "Anyway, I don't feel like anyone here really has the grounds for complaining about misrepresentation. Remember that my father is putting a lot of resources into the restaurant, mostly through the renovation and also some new kitchen equipment. All you have to do in return is to endure the occasional yelling now and then. As well as ham up a little bit of drama, but it seems like a reasonable price to pay."
"It's hard to disagree with that," Suki shrugged. "Anyway, I guess tomorrow will be the day for the renovations?"
"Yes, what is the plan going forward?" Yue asked curiously. "I appreciate what you and your father are doing for the restaurant, but Chef Ozai has not been very communicative about the schedule."
"That's just the way my father operates," Azula shrugged. "Everything is on the need-to-know basis, and most of the time it's just him who needs to know. As for your question, Suki, the idea that renovations are done overnight is just a fabrication for the viewers. In reality, it can take anywhere between two to five days to get everything done. I think my father plans to spend the next two days making changes to the dining room and exterior, and the third day will be used to overhaul the kitchen."
"So, we won't be running service for the next three days?" Yue gasped. "I guess we'll have to ask Sokka and Katara if they even need us here."
"Well, we're going to train the cooks on the new menu while the dining room is being renovated. Two days will be more than enough for that," Azula explained. "I think everyone working the front of the house should be present for it. You also need to familiarize yourself with the new menu. You'll be the ones selling it."
"That makes a lot of sense," Aang agreed, with Yue also nodding at that.
"I guess you can take the day off when we're overhauling the kitchen," Azula said. "There won't be much to do then."
"I must be the only one around here who's not excited about this whole overhaul," Toph said, taking a big swig from her bottle of beer. Yue was not a fan of this midday drinking even if it didn't involve more than a couple of beers, but she also didn't want to say anything about it and add to Toph's sour mood. "It's not like I'll be able to see this new décor, anyway," Toph added.
"You really need to drop this attitude, Toph. If the restaurant improves because of these changes, we will all benefit. Your friends will not abandon you, so you really need to stop wishing for us to stick with something that is doomed to fail," Suki said, far more directly than Yue would ever dare. Suki had this amazing ability to cut through the bullshit that Yue had admired from the first day of their friendship.
Yue still remembered that day as if it was yesterday. It had been during her first month as a college freshman and she had been returning a damaged book to the collage library. Even though the book had been ruined by a pair of bullies who had decided to torment Yue because she had spurned the advances of their friend, the librarian was not interested in her side of the story and proceeded to give Yue a verbal thrashing. It was then that Suki had jumped in on behalf of a complete stranger and she had made the librarian feel very small and apologetic. Suki and Yue had been inseparable since that day.
"I've been trying to tell her the same thing," Aang sighed. "Anyway, I love all the changes so far," he said with his usual air of optimism. "And I think that they will lead The Northern Lights to great success."
"I certainly hope so," Yue nodded with a smile, turning towards Azula. "How do you rate our chances to turn this around?"
Azula looked thoughtful for a moment, as if she was doing some mental calculations in her head. "I think you have about 70% chance of crawling out of this hole," Azula said.
"That's pretty good," Suki looked pleased. "And what about our chances if we don't stick with the changes?"
"You'll have 0% chances of success," Azula replied calmly. "Because if you don't stick with the changes, I will come back and I will murder you all in your sleep."
Yue burst into laughter at Azula's reply. "Oh, Azula… you're so funny," she giggled, then freezing when she noticed that Azula was giving her a strangely intense stare, almost as if she hadn't been joking. Which was ridiculous, of course… or… was it?