Chapter 12 – a lesson in self-sabotage
Azula Nakamura did not like Jet Patel, and it wasn't even because he was the boyfriend of Katara Enuaraq – or at least that was what Azula had managed to successfully convince herself of.
Over the years, Azula had met plenty of guys like Jet. She recognized his type as soon as they were introduced back in September. Where Azula was a rabid workaholic who often had no idea how to be happy unless she immersed herself in various tasks and worked long hours, Jet was a lazy coaster who was never around when there was any work that needed doing. Jet Patel was a parasitic leech who benefitted from the hard work of others, while contributing very little himself. Azula felt like she would have ended up disliking Jet even if he wasn't Katara's good for nothing boyfriend.
Still, sitting in Katara's office at The Northern Lights and facing Jet on the opposite side of the desk, Azula was determined to put her personal feelings aside and do what was best for the restaurant. Jet's misappropriation of the restaurant's funds had to be stopped, however, Azula was cautious about starting her tenure at the restaurant with nasty drama, imploding relationships and perhaps the staff becoming split into two opposing camps over the inevitable fallout. It was for this reason that Azula had come up with a plan that was so cunning that she felt like sticking a tail to it and calling it a fox.
"Well, boss?" Jet smirked at her after Azula had spent a while ignoring him, hoping that it would make Jet nervous. It seemed like Jet was one unflappable bastard, however. "Katara said you had something urgent for me. This doesn't feel urgent."
"I'm sorry, I'll be with you in a moment," Azula replied, fiddling around her laptop some more before closing it and turning towards Jet with her best corporate smile. "Jet, you seem like a smart guy," Azula began with fake flattery. "I'm sure you're aware that this restaurant is facing some difficulties and in order to survive, our first step should be to reduce our expenses. You're the food manager. You must have some ideas on what we can do to cut costs."
Azula noticed that Jet puffed out his chest a little more as she was speaking, suggesting that he was very much susceptible to her flattery. "I appreciate you asking for my advice," Jet replied. He had come off a little guarded upon entering the office, but by now he appeared fully relaxed. "But food prices are what they are. I'm always on the lookout for bargains, but I can only do so much. It's possible that slightly raising our prices might be our only option."
"I would really hate to do that," Azula sighed. Of course, she wasn't going to do a price hike. She wanted to save the restaurant, not to deliver a death blow to it. "Anyway, I will be recalculating all the prices, just to be sure that Katara hasn't made any oversights, but it will take time. In the meantime, I would prefer to focus on cutting our costs."
"And I'm with you 100%, boss," Jet smiled. "I'm just telling you that it might be challenging."
"True, I don't doubt that," Azula frowned. "I haven't done a thorough analysis of our food costs yet, but at the first glance, the expenses look a little too high to me," Azula continued. This was a lie, of course. Katara was yet to give her the latest information regarding the restaurant's cash flow, but Azula expected that it would paint a similar picture to what it was back in September – Jet taking out inadequate amounts of money to supposedly buy produce. "Remind me, where do you actually buy the supplies?" Azula asked.
"The local farmer's market," Jet replied quickly. It sounded like a scripted answer to Azula. She just couldn't imagine Jet haggling with the local farmers at the market, trying to cut a deal. That just seemed like it would be far too much work for someone like Jet. "They have the best prices, as you probably know yourself. It's also why I sometimes can't produce receipts, right? Sure, it's risky, but if it helps the restaurant, I'm willing to take the risk."
Azula knew perfectly well what Jet was trying to convince her of. She was supposed to believe that Jet had suppliers that were willing to sell him produce in bulk, with cash quietly changing hands, no receipts being printed and no VAT being paid. It was a risky scheme that would certainly allow them to keep the food costs low, but it just didn't fit with the picture of huge withdrawals that Jet was making from the restaurant's till. It was clear that Jet was still pocketing the difference between the actual food costs and what Katara was giving him, and now he was trying to present himself as some kind of a hero who was trying to save the restaurant.
"Well, I'm afraid I am not very keen on taking risks, Jet," Azula said. "After all, now it would be my reputation on the stake in case you got caught while pulling off one of your schemes. This is why we're going to make some changes to how we're ordering supplies around here."
"What do you mean?" Jet asked, suddenly sounding nervous.
"Every other restaurant I've worked with other than The Northern Lights has always ordered their supplies from national food wholesalers," Azula began.
"But the quality-"
"Is perfectly adequate, let me assure you, or else all those other restaurants would have gone out of business. There's really nothing to worry about," Azula shook her head. "Starting from today, we're going to order all our food from Sysco."
"But I've heard they're the worst!" Jet protested.
"Not in my experience," Azula shrugged. "In any case, I've already made my decision that we're going with Sysco. You just need to give them a try and I'm sure you'll love Sysco once you realize how easy it is to order from them. Everything is done online and you won't have to spend more than fifteen minutes on ordering food every day." Jet looked very skeptical at that.
"Anyway, I am convinced that this will really help the restaurant. I have already created an account and a password for you," Azula continued, smiling as she handed Jet a little note with the relevant information. "Also, I have spoken with some of my contacts in Sysco and I have negotiated a 10% discount applied to all orders made from this account. Now there's really no reason not to take advantage on such an amazing deal, right? All you have to do is to download their app on your phone and you'll be all set."
Jet looked devastated at the news. "But… but-" he was still trying to offer some kind of protest, but the way Azula had delivered the news had clearly left him stunned.
"I know you're overjoyed at the good news," Azula smiled. "Trust me, so am I. And just think about all the additional benefits. You will no longer have to leave the restaurant for hours in order to do all that haggling and negotiations in person. This will be very helpful because there's so much to do around the restaurant and now, you'll be around to help out more! And Jet? If at any moment you find yourself with some free time and it seems like there's nothing to do around the restaurant, please, seek me out. I'll come up with ways for you to contribute. Because I know how much you love to help," Azula added, winking and shooting finger guns at Jet.
"I… uh, that's great?" Jet managed, still failing to recover from his stunned state.
"It's really great!" Azula's smile broadened as she gestured for Jet to leave. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. You should download that Sysco app and start playing around with it. You're a clever guy, you'll figure out very quickly how to order. And remember, if you have any questions, I'm here to help."
"Sure… yeah, thanks," came the strained reply as Azula watched a very confused Jet staggering out of the office.
As Jet closed the doors behind him, Azula leaned back with a satisfied grin on her lips. Toying with Jet had been a pleasant distraction, even if she was a little irked that Jet still didn't seem to realize just how much he owed her. By disclosing the truth, Azula could have taken away both his job and his relationship with Katara. Instead, Azula had handed Jet a solid piece of rope, and now it remained to be seen whether Jet would choose to save himself with it or whether he would instead decide to hang himself.
"Well," Mai sighed boredly, taking a sip of her third cup of coffee of this job interview marathon. "So far, this has been absolutely dire."
"Meh," Zuko agreed reluctantly. Hiring the new staff of The Blue Spirit was not going as smoothly as he had hoped. They'd already spoken with eight applicants today, and not a single one had proved promising. "Is it really too much to ask if I want my future sous chef to have more experience than just flipping burgers?"
"And I want to set at least some standards for our waitresses," Mai said. "When an applicant tells you that they were fired from The Waffle House for stabbing a customer, it's not exactly the kind of glowing endorsement that I'm looking for. And the other candidates weren't much better."
"No, I'm pretty sure one of those girls was as high as a kite, and the other was just completely drunk," Zuko rolled his eyes.
"She was totally shitfaced," Mai nodded. "I couldn't understand a word she was saying from how she was slurring her speech."
"Anyway, we have more applicants to get through," Zuko looked at the stack of remaining CV's. "Maybe there will be a hidden gem, against all odds. After all, we just need two hires, how hard could it be to find a sous chef and a good waitress in a city as large as Caldera?"
"Apparently, it's next to impossible," Mai groaned. "Anyway, I think our next applicant is here," she said as someone entered the cozy premises of The Blue Spirit.
"Hello, I'm here for the job interview. I'm On Ji Takeda," the newcomer introduced herself. Zuko had been casually browsing through the CV of this new applicant, but as he looked up to regard On Ji, Zuko actually blinked from surprise. This girl was seriously cute, with large and soulful grey eyes and thick brown bangs, suggesting that she was not a native Calderan, but instead came from the outer archipelago. She was wearing a short black and white polka dot dress that showed off a pair of very nice legs, as well as modest cleavage.
"Welcome, On Ji," Mai said, offering the girl a seat. On Ji quickly sat down, thanking Mai.
"Oh, someone with actual culinary education," Zuko remarked, having browsed On Ji's CV some more. "And actual work experience that's not limited to fast food. Jeong-Jeong's Flaming Grill and Piandao's Fingerlicking Chicken Restaurant are two legit places. That's already a big plus in my book."
"Those were your two last workplaces in the Fire Fountain City," Mai said. "You quit Piandao's restaurant only three weeks ago. Why this change, quitting what seems like a good job and making a move to the capital?"
On Ji hesitated, blushing lightly. "It's rather embarrassing, really," she admitted. "And also, private, but I understand that keeping secrets or being evasive might work against me. The truth is that my ex-boyfriend is a rather… violent person. He never raised his hand against me, but he kept confronting everyone I tried to date back in the Fire Fountain City. He even beat up a couple of my prospective boyfriends and scared them off. I saw no alternatives than just packing up and moving to another city. But it's been hard to get used to Caldera and I'm starting to run out of money. That's why I really, really need this job," On Ji finished her sad tale, giving Zuko a particularly soft and pleading stare, accompanied with some batting of eyelashes.
"Well, we still have other candidates to speak with," Mai said quickly.
"True, but judging by how horrible all the others have been, I think you stand a really good chance, On Ji," Zuko said. "Actually, I'd be willing to give you a trial run. When can you start?" he asked.
"Whoa, really?" On Ji blinked, looking stunned, but then recovering and breaking into a broad and beaming smile. "Thank you, thank you so much! I won't let you down! I can start as early as tomorrow! No, in fact, I can start right away! You want something cooked, just point me to the kitchen right now!"
"I love the enthusiasm," Zuko chuckled. "Don't you agree, Mai?" he asked, turning to look at his girlfriend and feeling surprised upon seeing Mai glaring at him furiously for some reason.
"I do agree," Mai eventually said, grinding her teeth. Some of her obvious anger faded as she turned to speak with On Ji, making Zuko suspect that Mai was angry with him, but he had no idea why. "There's no reason for you to cook anything today, On Ji. But be here at nine tomorrow morning, and we'll iron out the details… such as the insignificant matter of your salary," Mai said, shooting another angry stare at Zuko.
"Oh yes, I forgot to ask about that," On Ji chuckled awkwardly. "But honestly, I just need a job that lets me pay the rent and survive, and I kind of assumed that a sous chef position would allow that. Anyway, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity! I can't wait to get started tomorrow morning!" she got up and bid them farewells before leaving, giving Zuko yet another soft stare as she did so.
Zuko had to admit that On Ji really did have a beautiful smile, but the way Mai was glaring at him forced Zuko to quickly snap out of these thoughts. "I have this feeling as if you're mad at me for some reason," Zuko remarked.
"For some reason?" Mai snapped irately. "Agni, Zuko, how can you be so… so infuriating? A pretty girl makes eyes at you and you immediately hire her? With almost no questions asked? And without even asking me if I agree with your decision? Even if I'm the actual owner of the restaurant?"
"Well, your parents are the actual owners, they're just letting us play around with the restaurant," Zuko corrected Mai, which may have been the wrong thing to do, because now it looked like there was actual steam coming from Mai's nostrils, suggesting that she was as mad as a dragon.
"That was so not the point I was trying to make, you idiot!" Mai hissed. "Anyway, this girl better be good, or else I'm going to be seriously pissed off with you, Zuko."
"She'll work out great. I have a good feeling about her," Zuko said confidently.
"Right," Mai rolled her eyes. "Anyway, as much as you deserve continued chewing out, our next applicant has arrived," Mai said as the next candidate entered the premises of The Blue Spirit.
Katara thought the lunch service was progressing well. Sure, all of their bad practices were still in effect and no corrective actions had been taken just yet, so the customers were not getting the kind of experience that Katara wanted them to have and she was feeling guilty about that. And yet, at the same time, everyone seemed to be moving about with a spring in their step, a surge of confidence inspired simply by Azula's presence. Yue's smile was particularly bright as she tended to the customers. Aang moved with such speed that he actually seemed to become a blur. In the kitchen, Suki was actually singing as she cooked and Sokka was humming along with her. Everyone's spirits seemed up and so was Katara's. Azula's arrival had filled her with hope that the restaurant would be saved.
Then again, maybe not everyone was so happy. The lunch service was nearing its completion when Katara spotted Jet entering the dining room and heading straight for her, just as she had finished chatting with a group of Water Tribe tourists who had stopped by for a quick bite. "Kat, I need a minute with you," Jet wasted no time as he quickly caught up with her.
"I'm in the middle of something here," Katara replied. Even though Katara was determined to try and keep Jet happy because of how annoyed he was by their decision to hand the reins over to Azula, Katara wasn't pleased with him barging into the dining room when they had agreed that he would not do so during the service.
"Yue's got it, don't worry," Jet said, reaching out and taking her hand. "Come on, I just need a moment, please?" he asked, a little forcefully. Katara made a weak attempt to pry her hand free, but Jet wouldn't release it. Katara knew that she could easily free her hand, but she understood how bad it would look in front of all the customers. Already, some customers were looking at them with concerned stares, so Katara decided to play it cool, summoning a quick and easy smile as she allowed Jet to lead her away from the dining room.
"What was that about?" Katara hissed as soon as they were out of sight of the customers.
"It's about an emergency," Jet replied. "I told you that it was a mistake to let Azula take over, and she has already made her first horrible decision. She wants me to stop doing business with all of my contacts at the farmer's market and instead order from a faceless wholesaler."
"I see," Katara remarked. She immediately remembered Azula giving her this advice about ordering from wholesalers back in September, just as she was leaving. Still, Jet had convinced her that the inferior wholesaler quality would result in a hit to the restaurant's reputation from which it would not recover. Also, Katara couldn't deny that it was important for her to support the local farmers instead of buying from a faceless conglomerate. She wasn't swayed by Jet's arguments that he was finding great bargains with the local farmers, though. Katara wasn't completely ignorant of what the food prices were, and their costs for buying produce appeared high. Still, she trusted Jet's argument that they had to pay for quality, and she wanted to support the local farming communities, so she had continued to let Jet run things his way. But now that Azula was here, she clearly wanted to change things and it was leading them towards their first serious butting of heads.
"I told you about all the downsides of that, right?" Jet asked impatiently. "We can't do what Azula wants. It's going to ruin us."
"I don't know… maybe," Katara replied evasively. This was clearly something that Azula felt about very strongly, judging by how it was the first change that she wanted to implement. Katara didn't want to immediately push back against it. She didn't want their cooperation to start off with a conflict. "I mean, it seems like most other restaurants do that and they don't go out of business, right?"
"True, but we have to be better than the average in order to survive," Jet argued. "That's what Ozai Nakamura said."
"Look, I think you have a point, Jet," Katara conceded. "But Azula is doing us such a massive favor by coming here and offering to fix the restaurant at no cost. I don't want to immediately look the gift horse in the mouth and start complaining. I think what we should do is to try Azula's way and see if it works or not. And if it doesn't work, well, we're just going to change it back to the old way."
"If we haven't closed the doors by that point," Jet sighed.
"Jet, Azula isn't here to destroy the restaurant," Katara spoke patiently. "That would make no sense. She has literally zero motivation to allow for that to happen."
"Well, I don't think she should be here at all," Jet said bitterly. "Because if she continues to be here, I'm not sure I'll be able to remain."
"Really?" Katara gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She had not at all expected that this one change would immediately push Jet to the point of threatening to leave. "You would turn your back on the restaurant because of this? Turn your back on me?"
"I don't want to," Jet said, looking guilty. "But I don't know if I could stick around and watch her destroy everything we've worked towards. And also, I don't particularly like the way you seem to trust this rich bitch over the people who have stuck with you through thick and thin."
"I think you're being overly dramatic, Jet," Katara replied, forcing herself to remain calm. "It's not about who I trust. It's about Azula Nakamura being someone who has made a career of fixing broken restaurants together with her father. She has an actual track record of having fixed places worse than ours. I'm not sure how you can argue against that kind of experience?"
Jet looked like he was about to burst into angry yelling, but he somehow managed to maintain his composure. "Alright, fine," he spoke much more calmly. "I guess I won't be able to convince you with just my words. Fine, I'll order from the wholesaler, just like Azula wants. And then you'll see for yourself what a terrible decision that was."
"Well, if you end up being right, then I will apologize and together we will ask Azula to reconsider her decision," Katara promised as she watched Jet turn around and stomp off. Katara let out a heavy sigh at her boyfriend's stubbornness. Truly, Jet was more like Sokka than either of them would ever care to admit. Katara just hoped that her brother wouldn't be the next to decide that he had to stir up some kind of drama with Azula.
"Alright, one more to go," Zuko sighed despondently, watching yet another clearly unsuited applicant leaving the restaurant after they had failed to impress him and Mai. "You have to admit, Mai, after so many terrible candidates, my decision to hire that On Ji girl is starting to look good," Zuko pointed out.
"We'll see, but you probably shouldn't boast about that," Mai snorted. "Because you just reminded me that I should still be annoyed with you."
"Nonsense, you love me," Zuko boldly winked at his girlfriend. Or at least he hoped that after moving back in with Mai and having properly reconnected during the past four nights, he had earned the right to once again refer to her as his girlfriend.
"You are so delusional, Zuko," Mai rolled her eyes at him before picking up the final CV. "Anyway, I hope this Jin Huang will not be absolutely horrible. Honestly, I am still reeling from the audacity of that previous applicant. I knew I'd seen her somewhere on social media, but it still took me a while to identify her as the wiener pussy girl."
"Oh yes, she was trending a few months ago," Zuko said. The girl in question had been filmed by the security cameras of some fast-food place, showing her sticking a wiener up her pussy and then serving it in a hot dog to an unsuspecting customer. "Anyway, since this Jin Huang is our last applicant and we're still lacking a waitress, I say we hire her as long as she doesn't look totally insane."
"And the bar just goes lower and lower," Mai sighed as they watched their final applicant enter the restaurant.
Zuko immediately concluded that this Jin Huang girl was a bit of an oddball. Her long brown hair was styled in a pair of slightly sloppy twin braids, with the rest of it left looking a little wild and unkempt. Her large and expressive olive-green eyes identified her as a native of the Earth Kingdom. She was wearing a collection of clothes that seemed to be very much at odds with each other, both in color and function, creating a very chaotic impression and making Zuko wonder if this girl was possibly some kind of circus performer, even if her CV made no mention of such a career choice.
"Hi, I'm Jin!" the girl introduced herself in a bright voice, pointing at the seat left unoccupied by the previous applicant. "May I?" she asked.
"Uh… sure," Zuko replied, exchanging slightly perplexed stares with Mai. "So, Jin," Zuko began, pausing when he noticed the strangely intense stare that Jin had fixed upon him. "I see from your CV that you have plenty of job experience, including waitstaff. Which I guess is good because we're looking for a waitress," Zuko finished lamely. The way Jin was looking at him was a little distracting. Perhaps he was just imagining things, but her stare looked almost… adoring?
"It's a very colorful CV," Mai remarked. "You have held more than a dozen of different jobs over the past year. In… one, two, three… seven different cities across the Earth Kingdom?"
"What can I say?" Jin replied, not looking away from Zuko even as she was speaking to Mai. "I love traveling."
"We're looking for a permanent employee not some kind of journeywoman," Mai scoffed. "Why would we hire you when you might be gone in a few weeks?"
"Oh, don't you worry about that," Jin said, giving Zuko another dreamy stare. "I plan to stick around Caldera City for the next six months at least."
"Well, that sounds exactly like what we need," Zuko said happily. He was planning to be in Caldera for the next six months himself. Jin staying here for the same length of time seemed like such a wonderful coincidence.
"You have previously only traveled around the Earth Kingdom," for some reason Mai was still pressing on with the interview. "What made you decide to come to the Fire Nation? Why did you come to Caldera specifically?"
"Well, I can tell you why I didn't come here, and it definitely wasn't to obsessively stalk my celebrity crush," Jin laughed brightly. Zuko found himself laughing along with this quirky girl. She had quite the sense of humor. "What can I say?" Jin continued. "I guess I just wanted a change of scenery."
"Very good," Zuko nodded. "I think we've heard everything we needed to hear."
"Exactly," Mai nodded in agreement. "And obviously, our answer is-"
"You're hired," Zuko said happily. "When can you begin?" he asked.
"YES! Yes, yes, yesyesyes!" Jin cheered excitedly, looking deliriously happy. "Oh, I can get started right away, just point me towards whatever needs doing!"
"There's no need for that," Zuko shook his head. "Just be here at nine tomorrow morning and we'll work out the details."
"Yes… like your salary," Mai spoke in an incredulous voice. "Again."
"Oh, I'll be happy with whatever," Jin spoke, giving Zuko more dreamy stares. "Also, I'm going to sleep in one of those cardboard boxes outside the restaurant just to make sure I'm here on time tomorrow morning."
"Please don't do that, or you'll be picked up by the police," Mai sighed. "Or maybe that might actually be a good thing," she muttered quietly.
"Well, regardless, I'll be here right on time, you can count on me, I'm as reliable as they come!" Jin exclaimed. "And once again, thank you so much for giving me a chance, Mr. Nakamura."
"It's just Zuko," Zuko smiled at the girl. "We'll see you tomorrow, Jin." Jin squealed from happiness and seemed to literally float out of the restaurant, the way cartoon characters did when they were in love. "Oh wow, what a stroke of luck, right Mai?" Zuko chuckled, turning towards his girlfriend.
"Stroke of luck?" he was surprised to see Mai giving him a shocked stare. "Zuko, that girl was absolutely insane!"
"What?" Zuko laughed incredulously. "No, she wasn't. She was just… weird? Quirky? Anyway, weird and quirky is in right now, so I think she'll work out really well. Customers are all about weird and quirky these days, you'll see."
"Alright," Mai sighed. "Just know that if your weird stalker ends up stabbing me or feeding me rat poison, I'll be holding you personally responsible."
"Sure, Mai, whatever you say," Zuko laughed, shaking his head. "You know, you have a great sense of humor, despite what most people say." Mai's reaction to his words was merely an emphatic roll of the eyes.
Jet Patel was in a rotten mood. Azula Nakamura starting to flex and bark her orders at him was making Jet's worst fears about this change of leadership come true. He'd had a free rein spending the funds of the restaurant as he saw fit, and while Jet had promised that with Bee's surgery paid for, he would eventually stop stealing from Katara and Sokka, Jet wanted to make that decision on his own terms, not because he was told by Azula bloody Nakamura.
There was only one way Jet was going to respond to Azula starting to throw her weight around. Jet wasn't going to take it lying down. Azula Nakamura had to go, and for that to happen, Jet needed to convince Katara and Sokka that bringing Azula in was a terrible idea. But in order to get the owners back on his side, what Jet clearly needed was a clever scheme, and it was for this reason that Jet was currently in the process of calling his as good as little sister, Beatrice 'Smellerbee' Wong.
"Hey, Bee?" Jet spoke up as soon as his call was answered. "Can you talk?"
"Sure, my fifteen minutes just kicked off," Bee replied, referring to her regular break at Walmart. "What's up? How did it go with that Azula chick?"
"Not good," Jet said. "She wants me to order exclusively from a wholesaler, the controlling bitch."
"Maybe that's not such a bad idea, Jet," Bee tried carefully.
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Jet spoke hurriedly. He was aware that Bee was very much against his continued embezzlement, but because Bee was so overcome with gratitude for his help, she didn't quite dare to push Jet too forcefully into quitting his bad habit. "I promised to stop and I will, alright? But I don't want anyone to think that I did it because Azula Nakamura made me, okay? She doesn't get to just come in and order me around, there's no way I will stand for that."
"What are you thinking, Jet?" Bee sighed.
"I'm thinking that it's time to pull another amazing scheme," Jet said proudly. Bee let out a heavy sigh in response. "Listen, just hear me out, it's brilliant. I just made an order of some vegetables from Sysco, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions. What I want to do is to show Katara and Sokka that these vegetables are of terrible quality."
"And how are you going to do that?" Bee asked. "I hear Sysco are pretty solid."
"Well, this is where you come in, girl," Jet grinned. "I want you to look around your warehouse over there and find me the worst possible looking bell peppers, tomatoes and onions. It's Walmart, so there's bound to be plenty of gross and rotten stuff lying around. Feel free to roll them around in the mud and stomp on them for good measure. Then you can bring the veggies over to me and I'll slip them into the Sysco crates before showing them to Katara and Sokka."
"Devious," Bee replied. "And you're sure you really want to go through with this?"
"It's an amazing scheme, I'm telling you, Bee," Jet said, brimming with confidence. "I mean, what could possibly go wrong? At the end of the day, Azula Nakamura will be out of here and booking her flight back home."
A day filled with nothing but job interviews had put Mai Syun in a very sour mood. She was generally not a fan of human interactions, aside the bare minimum that was necessary to function within a society, and having to suffer through more than a dozen of painful interviews had inflicted huge mental fatigue on Mai. And on top of all that, Zuko had successfully managed to annoy her by making some utterly ridiculous decisions regarding their new hires.
Mai was not at all impressed about getting saddled with two girls who had been so clearly making eyes at her boyfriend throughout their interviews. Even worse, one of them looked like an unhinged stalker with history of following Zuko around the Earth Kingdom. But most infuriatingly was that all of this had completely escaped Zuko's notice and he seemed both blissfully ignorant and happy with the hires. Also, he was totally unaware of just how much his ignorance had managed to piss off Mai.
"This is starting to look better and better," Zuko said excitedly, pacing back and forth the restaurant's dining room. "I think I have the menu nailed down by now, and tomorrow I can start training On Ji on how to execute it. And you can start training Jin. Although, really, it should be Ty Lee's job if she's going to be the head waitress. When is she arriving, anyway?"
"In a couple of days," Mai shrugged.
"Good, that's good," Zuko nodded. "Anyway, did you find out more about that Sea World incident?" Zuko asked.
Mai was about to answer, but she was interrupted by someone entering the restaurant and reminding her that she had forgotten to lock the front door after the departure of the final applicant. Mai turned to regard the newcomer, coming face to face with a rather handsome young man with shoulder length hair and rather puppy like expression in his dark eyes. For some reason, the guy seemed familiar to Mai, but she couldn't immediately place him.
"I'm sorry, am I late?" the newcomer spoke up hopefully. "I really hope I'm not late."
"The job interviews are all done," Zuko spoke curtly, frowning at the new arrival. "We already have everyone we needed to hire. Also, I don't believe we ever received an application from you?"
"Well, I just figured that I wouldn't need to officially apply, seeing as how tight Mai and I were back in the college," the young man replied with a blinding smile that gave Mai's memory a slight jog.
"Oh… right," she spoke slowly, memories starting to come back to her, those of a cute but slightly obnoxious guy who had shared some classes with her and had unsuccessfully tried to ask her out on multiple occasions. "Yes, I remember you… you were… that guy! From that… class we shared?"
"Exactly! You remember perfectly!" the young man grinned. "The name is Ruon-Jian, by the way," he added quietly.
"Right, Ruon-Jian, and you were looking for a job?" Mai asked. "Were you thinking about the sous-chef or waiter position?"
"Neither, really," Ruon-Jian answered with an irrepressible grin. "I kind of hate both of those jobs. But I was thinking that maybe you could find something else for me. I'm a real hard worker," he added, giving Mai a wink that seemed to infuriate Zuko.
"Well, we have nothing to offer, so just clear the fuck out, bucko," Zuko glared at Ruon-Jian.
Mai only needed a moment to come to a decision as soon as she saw Zuko's jealous reaction. Zuko wanted her to suffer through him having a couple of fangirls? Well, Mai could put Zuko through the same. "Wait, don't be so hasty, Zuko," Mai said. "We might actually have something for Ruon-Jian. Once the restaurant really takes off, I will probably need help running things. I think I could do with an assistant manager. And Ruon-Jian has a college degree-"
"Yes, I totally do," Ruon-Jian said. "That Ruon-Jian who got thrown out of college for doing blow off the tits of the dean's wife was a totally different Ruon-Jian. Not me."
"See?" Mai said. "The perfect assistant manager. Ruon-Jian, you're hired. Please report to the restaurant at nine tomorrow morning."
"Awesome! I won't let you down," Ruon-Jian exclaimed, giving Mai another blinding grin that made Zuko look like he was one step away from throwing hands. "Can't wait to work together with you, Mai," he said, then looking at the fuming Zuko. "And I guess you as well, angry dude. I'll see you both tomorrow!" And with that, Ruon-Jian tap-danced his way out of the restaurant, leaving Mai grinning at the steaming Zuko.
"What was that?" Zuko barked angrily. "You just hired that ponce without consulting me, even though we were not looking for an assistant manager!"
"Well, considering that you hired On Ji and Jin without asking for my opinion, I figured that you deserved to enjoy a taste of your own medicine, Zuko," Mai pointed out calmly.
"What? That wasn't what happened! I totally… I-" and with that, in typical Zuko fashion, his anger deflated just as quickly as it had risen. "Ugh, I guess I did jump the gun with those two hires," Zuko eventually admitted. "I just got carried away after seeing so many awful applicants. Lesson learned."
"I should hope so," Mai snorted. "Perhaps by some miracle the hires will actually work out. And if not, we can always fire them on the spot. Maybe this Ruon-Jian guy will have some hidden talents, who knows?"
"I sincerely doubt it," Zuko frowned. "Anyway, I hope Ty Lee will arrive soon, because we will definitely need her help corralling all these weirdos. And also, you were about to tell me more details about that Sea World incident."
"Oh, right," Mai said. "Yes, apparently there was a fire during the sealion show and three people died. The Sea World decided to just fire everyone associated with the sealion show, even before any investigation was completed. So, Ty Lee ended up with her ass on the street and just enough money in her pocket for a plane ticket back to Caldera."
"Wait, wait," Zuko for some reason looked very confused. "There was a fire? At the Sea World?"
"Yes, that's what I said," Mai nodded. "Keep up, Zuko."
"A fire?" Zuko repeated incredulously. "At the sealion show? With the-"
"Yes, with the whales and everything," Mai nodded again. "Is something the matter, Zuko?"
"I mean… a fire?!" Zuko blinked. "Aren't those shows usually held out in the open? With lots of water everywhere?"
"Well, yes, I would imagine that a whale would need a lot of water, Zuko," Mai sighed. "In fact, I don't think you can have whales in a place where there isn't a huge amount of water."
"It's just… such a weird place to go on fire!" Zuko exclaimed. Mai merely shrugged at him. She wasn't sure why Zuko was becoming so invested in this pointless story. "It's the weirdest thing I've ever heard, Mai! I suppose if maybe they had those cheap plastic seats…"
"No, I've been to the Sea World, it's all stone steps," Mai shook her head.
"Then what went on fire?!" Zuko yelled in frustration.
"Calm down, Zuko," Mai berated her boyfriend. "You're making it sound like Ty Lee is lying about what happened. That just makes no sense. If she was going to lie, why would she use something so unlikely?" Mai asked. Zuko shrugged helplessly. "Anyway, just forget about it. Next you're going to accuse her of being some kind of arsonist who's going to burn down the restaurant."
Zuko blinked, looking mildly horrified. "Ha-ha, Mai, that would be completely ridiculous," he said in a deeply strained force. "But what a good idea for me to forget all about this insane story. That is exactly what I will do."
Azula was not at all surprised when later that day, she was interrupted in Katara's office by Katara and Jet together hauling in a heavy crate of vegetables. When Azula had handed Jet that string of rope earlier, she was already willing to bet good money that he would choose to strangle himself with it, and true to Azula's expectations, here was Jet Patel, ready to do just that.
"Azula, we have a problem," Katara opened the conversation, speaking in a grave voice. Jet was nodding along, looking deadly serious. Azula had to admit that he was at least a passable actor.
"I agree that we have a problem," Azula nodded in agreement. "It's just not what you think it is."
"What?" Katara blinked, giving Azula a questioning stare. Katara then shook her head, pointing at the crate of miserable looking vegetables. "Anyway, check this out," she said, sounding very concerned. "Jet has always warned me about ordering from wholesalers. I thought that he was just being paranoid, but look at this. We can't work with produce like this," Katara said, pointing at the crate.
"It's a sad sight, for sure," Azula agreed, having glanced at the miserable looking peppers, tomatoes and onions. "Now, I want you to take a look at something else," Azula said, turning her laptop to face Jet and Katara, showing a high-resolution photo she had taken less than an hour ago. It showed Jet together with a short haired younger girl, likely one of his friends, clearly messing around with one of the crates with Sysco labeling, removing nice looking vegetables and replacing them with rotten and squished looking ones.
"That's… no, that can't be," Katara looked absolutely stunned, facing Jet in search of answers. "Please tell me this is not what it looks like…"
"You've been spying on me?" Jet hissed, glaring at Azula.
"Obviously," Azula didn't even bother to deny it. "You have a history of stealing from the restaurant. I knew I couldn't trust you, and so I spied on you. I can't believe it never occurred to you that one of the windows upstairs offers the perfect view at the back alley where you carried out your little scheme of deception."
"Wait… wait…" Katara spoke in a trembling voice. She looked absolutely sick from what she was hearing, grasping her chest and hyperventilating. "What… what did you mean by history of stealing? Azula, what did you mean?" she implored weakly.
"What I'm going to tell you now will probably be a little upsetting for you to hear, Katara," Azula said. She wasn't experiencing any joy as she said those words, however. Somehow, in her mind, she had built up herself as some kind of a hero liberating Katara from a relationship built on deceit, but now that she saw how destroyed Katara looked from her words, Azula was gripped by fear and concern for her friend. Still, she was in too deep and now there was nothing else to do but to reveal the whole truth. "Jet has been taking large sums of money from you for many months now, pretending to buy high quality ingredients, but instead buying stuff cheap and pocketing the difference."
"Is this true, Jet?" Katara asked in a trembling voice, facing her boyfriend.
"No! Of course not!" Jet tried to protest his innocence. "I don't know what she has against me, but it's clear that Azula will say anything to force me out of the restaurant!"
"Katara, I can prove every word of what I'm saying," Azula spoke insistently. "And these pictures that I took less than an hour ago prove that Jet is willing to lie and manipulate you to get his way. Katara, you must have suspected that your food costs were out of control. I know that you're not that blind or ignorant."
"I… it's true, I did have… concerns, but Jet…" Katara gave Jet a look full of hurt and betrayal. "He always managed to convince me that there was nothing to it, and so I chose not to dig any deeper. Maybe because something inside of me warned me of what I might find. Spirits… how could I have been so blind?"
"Kat, please, don't tell me that you're going to trust this stranger over me?" Jet was not going to give up easily, however, as he stepped closer to Katara and took her hand. "Just think of everything we've been through together! Don't let her poison and ruin what we have!"
"I don't know, Jet," Katara shook her head, trying to remove her hand, but Jet didn't look willing to let go of it. "I don't think it's Azula who is poisoning and ruining this. I have a feeling that it might be you."
"I wish it wasn't so, but it's true, Katara," Azula spoke firmly as she glared at Jet. "And you should let go of her hand, now."
"You're such a snake in the grass, aren't you?" Jet hissed, releasing Katara's hand and taking a few steps towards Azula, his expression menacing. "If you weren't a girl, I would-"
"Oh, please," Azula laughed. "Don't let the sexism stop you, my friend." Jet paused, struggling with indecision. Azula could see that he desperately wanted to punch her, and yet the antiquated ideas of chivalry were all that was holding him back. "What's the matter?" Azula taunted him. "I remember you once fought a couple of tough guys in the back alley to protect the restaurant. Oh no, wait, those were your friends in a pretend fight and you lack the balls to throw a real punch."
The taunt proved effective and Jet finally came at her, at which point Azula's expensive lessons in self-defense instantly kicked in. She dodged Jet's swing and retaliated, grabbing Jet's crotch and twisting her hand sharply. There was a sound of more than just cloth being torn and Jet's eyes became wide and unfocused as he went down in a heap with a howl of pain, grabbing his crotch and rocking back and forth, whimpering.
Azula's attention was on Katara who appeared to have frozen with shock, when the others rushed into the office attracted by Jet's cries of pain. They were led by Sokka, with Suki, Yue and Aang all trailing him. "What's going on?" Sokka demanded, staring at Jet, still writhing on the floor. "Also, if we're beating the crap out of Jet, how dare you start without me?"
"I have just exposed Jet for stealing from the restaurant over the course of many months," Azula coolly informed the others, earning shocked gasps from Suki and Yue. "He is no longer an employee at The Northern Lights and should be removed from the premises."
"With pleasure," Sokka smirked, grabbing Jet by the collar, hauling him up and then dragging the whimpering former employee away to unceremoniously throw him out of the restaurant.
"I'll call the ambulance," a rather disturbed Aang muttered, quickly running off.
"It's probably a good idea, yes," Azula admitted. She didn't exactly fear that Jet could sue her in case she had seriously hurt him, because she could easily expose his theft of the restaurant's funds, but she also had no desire for Jet to suffer needlessly. She just wanted him out of the restaurant and out of Katara's life. And speaking of Katara, Azula turned towards her friend, discovering that she had finally recovered from her shock. "Listen, Katara, I know you're probably a little upset, but-"
Azula didn't get to finish, however, as Katara unexpectedly grabbed her and with surprising force, literally threw Azula out of the office before pushing Suki and Yue out as well. Katara then slammed and locked the doors right in front of Azula's face.
"Katara? Katara, I didn't want to do this, but I had no choice!" Azula tried, rattling the doorhandle in desperation.
"Come on," Suki spoke, taking Azula's hand and dragging her away from the doors. "Don't force it now," Suki said, leading a very reluctant Azula away.
"Yes, listen to Suki," Yue said, slipping a comforting arm around Azula's waist. "Katara needs time and space right now, okay? It must be a lot for her to take in."
Azula didn't want to agree with Suki and Yue, even if she accepted that they were probably right and Katara simply needed space to process the news. As Azula allowed the pair to lead her away, the loud sobbing coming from Katara's office made it very hard for her to accept what had just happened as some kind of victory.