Chapter 19 – I was winning until I wasn't
Katara knew that after she had given Sokka, Suki and Yue a massive scare by going MIA throughout the entire night, she was going to face an interrogation squad once she got back to the restaurant. There was no escaping this fate, so Katara saw no reason to delay this unpleasant experience, arriving at the upstairs apartment to receive a stern talking to from her brother and her best friends.
Sokka fired the opening shots, doing a bit of shouting first, then tearfully hugging Katara while expressing his relief and gratitude for her safety. He had then given her a long monologue about her responsibilities as a sister and as a friend, before finally demanding an explanation of just where she had spent the night. While Katara was ready to tell the truth of what had really happened to Suki and Yue, she didn't exactly want Sokka to know that she had slept with Azula and her gorgeous date. So, Katara had instead gone for an evasive story about going clubbing with Azula and then staying at her friend's place for the night. Sokka decided to buy it before retreating downstairs to start prepping for the upcoming services, while Suki and Yue remained behind, both of them giving Katara skeptical stares.
"I have so many questions for you," Yue was the first to speak up after Sokka had left them alone.
"Yes, that story didn't make any sense," Suki shook her head. "If you went clubbing with Azula, what happened with her date?"
"Ignore that story, I had to give Sokka a sanitized version because the truth is just so much more insane," Katara sighed.
"Insane in what way?" Yue demanded. "Come on, Katara, spill it, we're dying here!"
"Alright, I was always going to tell you the truth, even if you might hate me afterwards," Katara spoke reluctantly, before reciting the whole sordid adventure of the previous night to Suki and Yue, a story so wild that it made the eyes of her best friends go as wide as saucers.
"You… you had a threesome involving Azula?" Yue gasped, jumping up to her feet and starting to pace back and forth, appearing very animated.
"Damn it, Kat, you were supposed to just spy on her, not to sleep with her!" Suki glared at Katara. "That wasn't what we agreed upon. I barely got a wink of sleep last night, worrying where you were, and now it turns out that you've been having sex with Azula and her date."
"Yes, you really made us worried! And also, can I just say that it was really unfair that you used these circumstances for your benefit?" Yue nodded, looking very upset. Seeing Yue angry was a very rare sight, and Katara saw the reaction of her friends as an indication of how badly she had messed up. "I think we were all in favor of a friendly competition, but it just doesn't feel right that you decided to take your shot when we didn't expect you to do that."
"Yeah, you kind of blindsided us, Kat," Suki said sternly. "I thought we were better friends than this. It just feels like a very selfish thing to do."
"I'm sorry, okay? I'm really, really sorry," Katara apologized desperately. "I don't know what came over me. There's something about Azula that robs me of all common sense, and since I was also very tipsy, it just seemed like a great idea when it clearly wasn't." Katara thought for a moment. "Wait, that almost sounded like I blame Azula or the alcohol, but I don't. I could have said no at any time. I messed up, there's no two ways about it. I fully admit it."
"Well, admitting it is a good start," Yue said, looking a little less upset.
"How can I make it better?" Katara asked pleadingly. "You both being angry with me hurts so much. If there's anything I can do-"
"Well, you probably have Azula's ear now," Suki said, sounding a little bitter. "Maybe you can use that advantage to help me and Yue get with Azula as well. Then we wouldn't have any reason to stay angry with you."
"That sounds fair," Yue seemed only happy to agree. "Azula could make much more informed decisions after she has slept with all three of us."
"Uh…" Katara gulped, wincing at what she was about to say. "I'm sorry, but during the whole morning after, Azula gave me this whole big speech about how she usually never sleeps with coworkers and how this sort of thing can never happen again. So, as much as I would love to help you, girls, I… I may have ruined it for all of us."
Yue halted in her tracks, letting out a muffled cry of frustration at Katara's explanation. Suki got up from her seat and also began pacing before coming to a halt and letting out a string of expletives. "Of course, it figures that Azula would come up with that stipulation after she has slept with you," Suki glared accusingly. "That's just very convenient, isn't it?"
"It's not convenient at all," Katara replied. "She's not going to sleep with me, either."
"Yeah, but least you already got a taste, while Suki and I are left starving," Yue sighed. "This is so depressing," Yue sighed, sitting down on the sofa. Katara winced inwardly as she watched Yue's anger visibly dissipating, being replaced by a sad and heartbroken look.
"I know," Suki said, sitting down next to Yue and putting an arm around her shoulders. "With the way everything ended with Sokka, I was really hoping for some fun and sexy distractions with Azula, but I guess there's no hope of that now."
Katara felt a powerful wave of self-loathing rising within her as she took in the disappointed and sad faces of her best friends. What had she been thinking last night? In less than six months, Azula would be gone from their lives. Perhaps they would stay in touch, perhaps Azula would visit now and then, but given how busy she was, there were no certainties. The likelihood of them having something permanent was close to non-existent. That would require Azula to come out of the closet for Katara, anger her father and most likely be disinherited. Azula was never going to make that kind of insane life choice for her, and Katara knew that she had no right to ask Azula to do it.
Everything that had to do with Azula was essentially a pipe dream, but her friendships with Yue and Suki were very real. Katara wanted the three of them to remain friends for life, and she was willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. Even if deep down Katara didn't feel great about the idea of either Yue or Suki having sex with Azula, she was still going to help her friends over the incredibly miniscule chance of having a real relationship with Azula.
"I think you two are giving up too easily," Katara spoke up in a determined voice.
"What do you mean, Kat?" Yue asked.
"I mean that Azula has already proven several times that she has serious difficulties resisting our charms, right?" Katara smiled knowingly. "Just because she says that she doesn't hook up with coworkers as a rule, it doesn't mean that we can't get her to break these rules for us. I think if you two were to turn on the flirting, Azula will cave. And if you need my help to make that happen, well, you shall have it."
"You'd do that for us?" Yue gasped. "Whoa, I'm sorry for doubting you, Kat. You're a real one."
"Yes," Suki nodded eagerly. "Forget what I said about you not being a good friend, Kat. I was upset."
"Rightfully upset," Katara smiled.
"Yeah, maybe, but you're clearly an amazing friend," Suki smiled back at her. "And sure, you messed up, but if I'm being completely honest, were I in the same situation as you were last night, I would have probably struggled to turn down sex with Azula."
"Wait, are you saying that you would have done the same as I did?" Katara laughed incredulously when Suki nodded at her.
"Hey, don't laugh, I think I would have chosen to sleep with Azula as well," Yue admitted. "Even if I would feel terribly guilty afterwards."
"Yes, that's kind of how I feel right now," Katara sighed.
"Oh, please don't," Yue shook her head insistently. "You promised to help me and Suki. You're clearly a good friend."
"Does that mean I'm forgiven?" Katara asked hopefully.
Suki and Yue exchanged stares. "Alright, you're forgiven," Suki smiled. "As long as you promise not to mess up like that again."
"I'll try my best," Katara promised. "I'm so sorry that I allowed my thirst for Azula to make me forget my loyalty to my besties. It won't happen again."
"I believe you," Yue smiled broadly as the threesome joined in a warm and welcoming group hug. "Now, there's less than an hour remaining before the service begins, so Azula should be arriving at any moment. Let's see if we can really turn on the charm, Suki."
"Indeed," Suki grinned. "And hopefully, Azula will be in an amazing mood, having boinked Katara here…"
Azula arrived at The Northern Lights in a terribly downcast mood, which was an unpleasant surprise to Azula herself, considering that the previous night had been one of the most fun nights in her life. Sex with Katara (and June) had been amazing, but then she had ruined the morning after bliss by telling Katara that she could not keep doing something like this with her coworkers.
Obviously, Azula had done the right thing by drawing a line and establishing clear boundaries at their shared workplace, but knowing that didn't exactly make Azula feel better. Denying herself like this was bound to make the rest of her stay at The Northern Lights pure torture, where every time Azula looked at Katara, she would be reminded on just what she was missing out on. With Suki and Yue also there, equally tempting and attractive, Azula knew that her resolve would be tested, but she fully intended to persevere and not give in to her thirsty urges.
And really, what choice did she have? Azula knew that she was already taking way too many risks by hooking up with gorgeous women through the dating app. It was merely a matter of time before her father found out about one of her liaisons. Her only hope was that by the time Ozai discovered the truth, she would have decisively defeated Zuko and cast him into the oblivion of discarded spares. If Azula managed to fully ingratiate herself into her father's empire and become near irreplaceable, Azula figured that she stood a decent chance of surviving Ozai's ire when her sexual deviancy was finally exposed.
The continued tensions in the restaurant's kitchen merely added to Azula's foul mood, already soured by having told Katara that they couldn't keep hooking up. Azula had felt somewhat mollified the previous day after Sokka had accepted his demotion to sous chef, but Azula wasn't sure if this solution would stick. It wasn't as if Sokka had performed great as Suki's second in command.
Also, Azula was suspicious of the ease with which Sokka had accepted the demotion. Something felt off after he had so stubbornly fought to be reinstated as the head chef. Was Sokka up to something, or was she simply being paranoid? It didn't help that the first thing Azula learned when she showed up for the lunch service was Aang pulling her aside to whisper the news of Sokka and Suki finally breaking up for good. While that in itself was no surprise to Azula, she couldn't help thinking that the timing of the breakup felt suspicious. Was Sokka plotting to drive Suki out of the restaurant altogether? Azula couldn't quite believe that Sokka would do something so idiotic, but she resolved to remain vigilant.
Azula was definitely not at her best as the lunch service began because her thoughts were constantly returning to Katara and the night they had spent together. Azula felt as if Katara was also keeping her distance because she rarely appeared in the kitchen and most of the time it was Yue delivering tickets, bringing back the empty plates and picking up prepared orders from the window. Azula's mind was racing, wondering if Katara was upset with her for the conversation earlier this morning, and that thought really hurt and made it hard for Azula to focus.
Still, distracted as Azula was, at some point during the service she noticed a rather annoyed looking Yue returning a mostly untouched plate to the kitchen and quickly swiping its contents into the garbage bin before walking away. Perplexed by what she had seen, Azula immediately chased after the blonde waitress, managing to catch Yue before she had reentered the dining room. "Yue," Azula called out, catching the blonde by the hand and forcing her to stop. "Did someone just send their plate back?"
"They sure did," Yue nodded, not looking too bothered.
"And you just swiped it into garbage and didn't tell anyone?" Azula asked, feeling incredulous. She thought they were past this crappy communication where the waitstaff just took for granted that some of their food was going to suck. "You're supposed to tell the kitchen staff if there's a problem! They need to know!"
"Like they didn't know there was going to be a problem," Yue sighed, looking very frustrated.
"I'm going to need you to explain that," Azula glared.
"Didn't you see me making a fuss when I picked up the order?" Yue asked, giving Azula a searching stare, making Azula blush heatedly. She had probably been daydreaming about getting lost in Katara's kisses once again. "I knew that plate was going to come back, but Sokka told me to serve it anyway," Yue said.
"He did, huh?" Azula frowned. "Well, what was wrong with it?"
"He burned the fries," Yue snorted.
"He… burned the fries?!" Azula gasped. This was a shocking level of incompetence, even for Sokka. "How do you even burn the fries?"
"Don't ask me, I certainly have never done that," Yue shrugged. "That's the second plate that came back today, by the way. In case you also missed the first one."
"I'm sorry, I was busy with the… with the… err…" Azula flailed for some kind of excuse, but the only things that came to her mind all had something to do with Katara, which certainly wasn't something she was going to say, especially not to Yue.
"Well, I'm sure it was important, whatever it was," Yue chuckled, looking amused at Azula's helplessness. "Let me help you out, then. The mashed potatoes that go with the reindeer sausage had way too much garlic. That customer had an important business meeting later in the afternoon. I think he had a good reason for not wanting to knock someone unconscious with an overpowering garlic breath."
"I would have to agree," Azula admitted. "Anyway, thank you, Yue. I'll let you get back to it," she said, stepping aside. Yue flashed her a quick smile before rushing back into the dining room.
Azula returned to the kitchen with a growing determination to keep an exceptionally close eye on Sokka. Struggling to handle a new menu or failing to execute the more challenging dishes was one thing, but Sokka was ruining sides that should have been easy to handle for a small child. Azula still didn't want to believe it, but she was starting to suspect that perhaps there was some sabotage at work here.
It didn't take Azula long to realize that Sokka's mistakes early in the service had put the entire kitchen into the weeds and Suki was struggling mightily to pull them out. However, because Suki was both cooking and running the pass, it was very difficult to catch up, which meant that it was doubly important to never fall too far behind. Also, aside from handling sides, Sokka was also expediting, which meant that he had the final call on plating and quality control, and it was his ultimate responsibility for what went out. But with mistakes, or perhaps intentional sabotage early in the service, Suki now felt forced to pitch in with expo just to make sure that Sokka was not sending out any more crap. This further slowed down Suki and Azula could see the auburn-haired girl's frustration mounting rapidly.
Even if Azula was watching Sokka like a hawk, she was having a hard time detecting any obvious wrongdoing because it was simply very hard to tell where Sokka's incompetence ended and where possibly intentional acts of sabotage began. Still, when a few minutes later a customer sent back another plate, complaining about overly salty mashed potatoes, Azula knew that she had to do something.
"Sokka! This is inedible!" Azula yelled, having tasted the mashed potatoes herself. The amount of salt in the mash was making her eyes water.
"What?" Sokka looked surprised as he came over to have a quick taste himself. "What are you talking about? It's not that salty," he shrugged, walking back to his station.
"It's not fine, and I refuse to believe that you don't know it," Azula wouldn't let up. She followed Sokka to his station and scooped up some mash from the pot Sokka had just remade after he had ruined the previous batch by adding all the garlic in the world to it. "Disgusting," Azula shuddered, realizing that it had been completely ruined by an unreasonable amount of salt. She took another spoonful and forced Suki to have a taste while she was busy coating a steak in coarsely crushed peppercorns.
"That's way too much salt, Sokka," Suki said. Somehow, she managed to retain a calm tone of voice despite obviously feeling furious. "Are we seriously going down because of mashed potatoes? Like, are you seriously kidding me now?"
"I'll fix it," Sokka said with determination. "I'll add some cream to it. Or maybe some more cheese? Everyone loves extra cheese with their mash."
"You're going to fix the issue of mash being too salty by adding salty cheese to it?!" Azula shouted, feeling like she was about to lose it completely. Sokka had to be messing up intentionally, there could be no question about it. He could not possibly be this dumb, surely.
Sokka cringed at Azula's shouting. "Alright, maybe not cheese then," he tried. "But adding cream should help, right?"
"No!" Azula hissed. "No, it's not going to help, Sokka! You're breaking one of the simplest and most basic kitchen rules right now. You can always add more salt, but you can't take salt out of the dish!"
"Right," Sokka sighed. "Well, I'll start making a new batch then, I guess."
"No, you're not going to start a new batch. In fact, you're done," Azula snarled. She gave Aang a piercing stare that seemed to make him shiver. "Aang, jump in and take over from Sokka. You are coming with me, mister," she grabbed Sokka by the neck of his chef's jacket and dragged him out of the kitchen.
"Okay, can I just say that you are totally overreacting here," Sokka exclaimed, having wrestled himself free just outside the kitchen. "I got off to a bad start, but that's no reason to kick me out. This isn't one of your dad's Hell's Kitchen shows."
"I didn't kick you out because you were making mistakes!" Azula hissed at Sokka. "I kicked you out because you were sabotaging Suki!"
"What?" Sokka looked genuinely shocked at the accusation. In fact, his reaction seemed so earnest that it made Azula pause and reconsider whether she was going too far in accusing Sokka of something he genuinely hadn't tried to do.
"Come on, those mistakes were too basic even for you," Azula still decided to press on with her charges, on the off chance that she could be right about the sabotage. "You were trying to make Suki look bad!"
"I… I wasn't!" Sokka protested. Still, the brief but palpable moment of hesitation was all that Azula needed to feel validated about her accusations.
"Agni, I don't believe you!" Azula exclaimed. "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to get Suki to quit by acting like this? Is that what you really want, to see her leave the restaurant? Well, I won't let you send this restaurant down in flames, do you hear me?"
Sokka briefly looked horrified before straightening up and appearing defiant. "I was not sabotaging Suki and I definitely don't want her to leave the restaurant," Sokka insisted. "And now I'm going back in there," Sokka said, trying to head back into the kitchen, but Azula blocked his path. "Are you serious? I'm the owner! You can't keep me out of my own kitchen!"
"Watch me," Azula threatened, assuming a battle stance. "I'll fight you, and I'm not even joking. You're not going back into that kitchen."
"You're completely insane," Sokka snapped, finally also losing his temper. "Fine, you win, or whatever. I'm not going to fight you over this… not now, in the middle of service. But this isn't over and you know it," Sokka added before turning around and walking off, pushing past his sister, Katara standing behind them in the hallway with a shocked look on her face, probably from having overheard the end of their confrontation.
"What happened?" Katara gasped, walking up to Azula.
"What happened is that I'm just about done with your brother," Azula replied, still hot from the previous argument. "He was trying to throw Suki under the bus and sink our service!"
"I… are you sure?" Katara looked incredulous. "I know Sokka can be stubborn and his ego often gets in the way, but I just can't believe that he would intentionally do something that hurts our business. There must be some misunderstanding here, Azula."
"There was no misunderstanding, only sabotage," Azula snapped, her levels of annoyance only rising because Katara refused to take her word for granted. "Or are you the expert now? You weren't even in the kitchen!"
"Yes, of course," Katara said quickly, backing down. "So, what now?" she asked.
"Well, you're the general manager, aren't you?" Azula fixed Katara with a firm stare. "There's only one thing to do. You have to fire Sokka."
Katara looked horrified. "Are you crazy?" she gasped. "I can't do that!"
"Then what good are you as a general manager? These are some of the tough decisions that a GM has to make, Katara," Azula said sharply. Katara simply stared at her in a wide-eyed disbelief. "If you can't do this, Katara, then you can't be the general manager. I'm sorry, but that's the brutal truth."
"Fine!" Katara exclaimed. She was clearly fighting back tears. "Then I won't be the GM. It's already clear to me that neither you nor anyone else here believe that I can be good in that role, so whatever, I quit!" Katara turned around and dashed upstairs, leaving Azula standing there with a stunned look on her face.
"What do you mean, 'I quit', you can't quit being an owner, Katara!" Azula shouted after her, but in response, Katara merely slammed the doors of the upstairs apartment shut.
Azula sucked air through her teeth while punching the wall in frustration at the Water Tribe siblings and their drama. Obviously, Katara wasn't really going to quit, and nor was Sokka, but Azula needed to find more fitting roles for them both, and she needed to do it quickly before ruining her relationships with both Katara and Sokka. And Azula doubted that after this incident, either of the siblings would be very receptive to her suggestions.
Azula's anger slowly began to subside, but only to give room to swiftly growing frustrations. She still felt justified in chewing out Sokka for what she was still reasonably sure was an attempted sabotage. But she had definitely been too harsh on Katara, who had showed up at the wrong time only to catch the fallout from the previous confrontation. And sure, maybe Azula had been itching for a fight all morning, but Katara was the last person she wanted to fight with.
Ever since the early morning, after she had told Katara that they couldn't keep hooking up, Azula's annoyance and anger levels had been spiking. It wasn't annoyance with Katara, but rather with Azula herself, because shooting Katara down was the opposite of what she actually wanted. Angry with herself, Azula was only too happy to lash out, but she had never meant to lash out at Katara. Now she had made everything worse, and nobody else but her could fix this.
Still, fixing her mistakes would have to wait. Abandoning her fellow cooks in the middle of service was unacceptable to Azula, so she lightly punched the wall one more time before turning around and returning to the kitchen.
At the end of a very frustrating Thursday, Sokka was in a foul mood. The dinner service was presumably proceeding smoothly downstairs, while he found himself banished from the kitchen and stubbornly refusing to help out in other ways until Azula apologized for her unfounded accusations of sabotage and allowed him to return to the kitchen.
Still, even if Sokka continued to maintain that he had not tried to sabotage Suki, he had to admit to himself that the truth was a little bit more complex than that. He had accepted this demotion from the head chef in hopes that perhaps Suki might struggle just a little bit, or at least stop being so damn near perfect. And he'd certainly known not to add as much garlic to the mashed potatoes as he had done, but then again, Sokka liked his food extra garlicky, so he was just making it the way he liked. When it came to the burned fries, that mistake was also down to Sokka cooking to his personal preferences, when he should have been thinking about the customer expectations instead, but he was willing to sign a statement written in his own blood swearing that his intent had never been to outright sabotage Suki.
The truth was that after the break caused by Sokka slicing off a chunk of his finger, he was having a tough time settling back into the kitchen. The new menu still felt overwhelming even after a week of practicing, some of the plating choices continued to confuse him, and even more concerning, Sokka felt very apprehensive while working with his chef's knife again. Every cut and slice felt hesitant, and his fears of cutting himself made him work even slower than usual. The chill attitude he had employed over the first few days back in the kitchen was just a mask and deep inside Sokka had been extremely stressed. That was the real reason why he had oversalted the mashed potatoes. Due to his nervousness, Sokka had simply lost count of how many times he had already seasoned the mash, and his palate clearly couldn't tell the difference between a pinch of salt and half a dozen pinches.
The thing that stuck out for Sokka, and in a way hurt the most, was how nobody in the kitchen had stood up for him, not even Aang, his best friend. Certainly, nobody, not even Suki had jumped in to support Azula's wild sabotage accusations, but also nobody had said anything when Azula had dragged him out of the kitchen. Sokka refused to believe that the others feared Azula too much to even speak up, so it felt like they all agreed with Azula that Sokka's place just wasn't in the kitchen.
Under any other circumstances, this overwhelming skepticism from the others would simply force him to knuckle down and work even harder to prove them wrong. However, even if he was still mad at Azula for accusing him of sabotage, she had also said something that Sokka himself had not even considered for some stupid reason. Sokka suddenly realized that in this misguided competition for the position of the head chef, he hadn't considered the very real possibility that now that they had broken up for good, Suki could just up and leave because he was making the conditions in the kitchen intolerable for her. And the end of their romantic relationship wasn't supposed to bring an end to their friendship. Sokka would never want that, and he hoped that Suki would remain a part of his circle of closest friends forever, even if lately he had been making things very hard for her.
Sokka had no idea what any of this meant going forward. All he knew was that he was still desperate to help the restaurant succeed, so he wasn't going to let Azula push him out entirely. If everyone believed that the business functioned better without him in the kitchen… well, maybe it was time for him to face some hard truths. But if he couldn't be in the kitchen, then where did he see himself? Perhaps he could ask Azula, but what if she had already decided that he was worthless and needed to go?
And even if the tensions in the kitchen had been mostly of his own making, at the end of the day, the feeling of being ostracized hurt. Not that he could blame the others for the way they had acted. Reflecting on his own behavior, Sokka had to admit that lately he probably hadn't been very fun to be around. Perhaps he had been staring at some of the perceived issues at the restaurant for too long. Perhaps he had developed a tunnel vision, looking at things too narrowly and seeing himself only in the kitchen. Perhaps it was time to do something radical, like… like taking the rest of the week off? It would be something he hadn't done in… how many years, three, maybe four? He'd taken a few days off four years ago after getting his wisdom tooth extracted, something he still felt guilty for – and how sick was that?
An idea was starting to form in Sokka's mind and he was liking it more and more, convincing him that it was time to do something he hadn't done in years, such as hitting a bar on a Thursday night, enjoying a few drinks and if he was lucky, maybe meeting a cute girl looking to hook up. Katara wasn't the only one who was allowed to go clubbing on a workday evening. It was time for Sokka to go out and enjoy himself on a night full of wild entertainment, and hopefully, come the morning, instead of a hangover, it would provide him with a fresh perspective on the issues at the restaurant.
"Well, another day, another dollar earned, right?" Ty Lee said, propping her legs up on the desk in Mai's office. At the end of the dinner service, she was still dressed in her cute waitress outfit, with the two top buttons strategically unbuttoned and a push-up bra for added effect. Not that Ty Lee really needed a push-up bra, but she liked to go all out to create a lasting impression.
"Another successful day, as much as it surprises me," Mai admitted. She was wearing a suit of synthetic black leather. The overall vibe of her outfit made it easy to believe that hunting down customers who dared to leave a bad review was something she routinely engaged in after work hours. "Despite his many failings as a restaurant owner, I have to admit that Zuko is a damn good cook. It's helpful having this positive word of mouth spreading across the city."
"Is there any positive word of mouth about the service?" Ty Lee asked curiously. It hadn't taken much effort to get Jin onboard with the slightly more risqué dress code and Ty Lee loved her fellow waitress for it. Even if Jin had probably agreed only because she was hoping to catch Zuko's eye.
"Oh, everyone loves our waitresses," Mai nodded. "Even if one of them appears ready to engage in violence as soon as someone criticizes the chef's food. Ten bucks if you can guess who they're talking about." They both shared a laugh at that.
"So, everyone loves us, hmm," Ty Lee mused. "I wonder if it's too soon to ask for a raise?" she winked at her bestie.
"Just a little too soon," Mai rolled her eyes. "Let's keep the doors open for one full month before we talk about any bonuses, shall we?"
"Fair," Ty Lee laughed. "I guess you need to get used to the weird realization that this hasn't been a total disaster."
"That I fully expected it to be, yes," Mai snorted. "And why wouldn't I expect it? Zuko is a brilliant chef, but he's completely oblivious and has zero social skills or any kind of manners. Our two waitresses are constantly straddling the line of sexual misconduct towards the customers. My personal assistant is a randy college dropout who thinks of little else than getting into my pants. The sous chef seems competent, but she's thirsting after my boyfriend while being on the run from her violent ex. The janitor-"
"The plumbalist," Ty Lee corrected quickly.
"The plumbalist is the dodgiest character I've ever met and I would have never retained him on the payroll if not for his unprecedent ability to spontaneously produce high-quality marijuana," Mai sighed. "Honestly, we have no right to be successful with this roster, but somehow, it's actually working."
"Speaking of Jet and On Ji," Ty Lee said, giving her friend a conspiring wink. "Did you see those two sneaking out together earlier?"
"No?" Mai looked surprised. "I'm relieved to hear it, though. Maybe On Ji will stop making eyes at Zuko now."
"Maybe," Ty Lee shrugged. "She's not the only one making eyes at Zuko, though."
"Well, yeah, everyone knows about Jin, she's not exactly subtle," Mai snorted.
"I wasn't talking about Jin, actually," Ty Lee smirked. Mai gave her a tense stare. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed how much time Jet spends around Zuko in the kitchen?"
Mai looked rather taken aback. "I thought it was just some neolithic male bonding ritual," she said thoughtfully. "Are you saying there might be more to it?"
"I mean… I'm pretty sure there is," Ty Lee nodded confidently. "I think Jet isn't as dumb as he looks. He's pretty perceptive, actually. Maybe he has picked up on something about Zuko. You know, that thing we both know about, but Zuko himself probably refuses to acknowledge."
"I still don't understand how he could possibly refuse to acknowledge the truth when we walked in on him vigorously jerking off to gay porn with two guys sucking each other off," Mai rolled her eyes.
"Well, Zuko is great at self-deception and making stupid excuses," Ty Lee laughed. "What did he say that time? 'Well, you know, I jerk off to the weirdest things.'"
"It's not even a lie, though," Mai laughed. "Remember that time when we walked in on him jerking off to the lava bug from Starship Troopers?"
"Yeah, that was gross, thanks for the reminder," Ty Lee shuddered.
"Anyway, it would be really annoying if Zuko at some point down the line came out as gay," Mai sighed. "I think it would justify violence. Wouldn't you say so?"
"Oh, definitely," Ty Lee nodded. "He better be at least bisexual. I think he is. I mean, I think what you have is real."
"I hope so," Mai said, suddenly looking a little uncertain. "Sometimes I feel like he takes me for granted. Sometimes I think I should just let him explore and figure out what exactly it is that he wants. But then I become gripped with fear that he won't come back to me, so… I don't know what would be the best."
"Aww," Ty Lee sighed. "I still think Zuko cares a crazy amount for you, and I think he'll eventually prove it." Mai gave Ty Lee a stare that was full of gratitude, despite being a tad skeptical. "Anyway, are you going to stick around for much longer?" Ty Lee asked. "If you are, then I'm going to make a cup of coffee for Jin."
"I'm just waiting for Zuko to be done in the kitchen. I have no idea what's taking him so long," Mai shrugged. "But sure, go ahead and make coffee for our crazy stalker as she waits in her car to stalk us again."
"Stalker is such an ugly word," Ty Lee frowned. "I prefer to use guardian angel instead. And I totally wish I had one myself. Of course, if they were as cute as Jin, I would invite them in and have steamy sex with them."
"And have your throat violently slit in the aftermath," Mai rolled her eyes.
"Nah, that sort of thing only happens on crime news," Ty Lee shrugged.
"Ty Lee, would it scar you for life to know that crime news actually reports on real life events?" Mai sighed, looking exasperated.
"Maybe," Ty Lee chuckled. "But whatever, okay, I can pass on the stalker. I'll settle for a love interest with a seriously sexy ex, or multiple exes, all of whom make me feel insecure and intimidated, but also kind of flattered that my love interest has chosen to be with me instead."
"That sounds a lot healthier, at least in comparison to the stalker," Mai said.
"Anyway, we were talking about Jin, so can we at least agree that she is harmless?" Ty Lee asked.
"I would have agreed with that statement if not for the Tuesday incident," Mai snorted. Tuesday evening, Jin had tried climbing the tall willow tree in front of Mai and Zuko's apartment complex, but a branch had snapped under her weight and she had fallen from the height of several yards, landing on the roof of her car and making a large dent. Ty Lee still couldn't believe Jin hadn't seriously hurt herself. "She might not be a danger to me and Zuko, but she's certainly a danger to herself."
"True, but she means well," Ty Lee smiled. "I totally believe her when she said that she only climbed the tree because she thought she saw a strange shadow lurking around your balcony."
"It was probably our neighbor's crazy cat," Mai said. "I don't know why, but that cat really has it in for Zuko. Whenever Zuko leaves some of his stuff out on the balcony, that menace of a cat will be there to spray all over it."
"Wildlife still hates Zuko," Ty Lee chuckled. "I guess some things will never change."
"It's probably because Zuko is such an animal himself," Mai laughed. She looked up to see movement just outside her office. "Anyway, it looks like Zuko is finally ready to leave. Jin will just have to do without her coffee, I guess."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Ty Lee smiled as Zuko entered the office with a large Tupperware under his left arm.
"Can we go already?" Zuko asked, sounding impatient as he looked at Mai. "It's getting late."
"I was ready to leave an hour ago," Mai growled, reaching out to power down her desktop. "Stop making it sound like you've been waiting for me all this time."
"What were you up to in that kitchen all this time, Zuko?" Ty Lee asked quickly before another lover's quarrel could break out.
"Well, I thought of a new pasta dish and I decided to make it for us to have back at home," Zuko replied, nodding at the Tupperware under his arm.
"Aww, you cooked dinner for Mai?" Ty Lee swooned. "That's so sweet!"
"Well, it's for Mai and me," Zuko corrected her. "I don't plan to go starving tonight."
"Sure, but why would you correct me on this?" Ty Lee sighed, shaking her head. Zuko was absolutely hopeless at romantic gestures, regardless of how many times Ty Lee had tried to help him over the years. "Cooking dinner for Mai is a positive thing! Take credit for it! You should have said that yes, you totally cooked a romantic dinner for Mai."
"Oh," Zuko managed. Ty Lee could literally hear gears whirring and creaking in his head. "Uh, what she said," he told Mai awkwardly, while pointing at Ty Lee.
"What she said? How romantic," Mai snorted as she rose to join Zuko. The kiss she gave her boyfriend was tender and lingering, however, and Ty Lee was happy to note that Mai appeared touched by Zuko's thoughtful gesture. "And what about you, Ty?" Mai turned towards her before leaving the office. "Any plans for tonight?"
"Yeah, I was thinking about how unbearable this dry spell of couple of weeks is becoming," Ty Lee chuckled. "So, I'm going to hit a nightclub or a bar and see if I can hook up with someone sweet and sexy."
"Well, good luck with that," Zuko snorted.
"I don't think Ty Lee really needs luck to hook up with whoever she wants to," Mai gave Zuko a light bop on the head before steering him out of the office and leaving Ty Lee to lock up before she left as well.
When Ty Lee finally left the restaurant, she did so in high spirits. Azula had texted her earlier in the morning, thanking her for the borrowed romper that had apparently gotten her epically laid. Ty Lee thought that it was a good omen, feeling excited and hopeful about scoring big herself when she went out later tonight.
"Can I just ask something one more time, because I'm not sure I understand?" On Ji asked, looking up at Jet. They were back at Jet's apartment, getting very cozy in his bedroom. On Ji was already down to her bra and panties, while Jet still had his pants on. "How is sleeping with you going to help me get with Zuko?"
"I thought I already explained," Jet sighed. "I know what Zuko prefers, we're like besties. I'm a good judge of whether you stand a chance of getting with Zuko, and I can give you important tips on what you need to improve on. I just get Zuko, you know? We're like two peas in a pod."
"Alright… makes sense," On Ji smiled nervously, starting to kiss him again. Jet used the opportunity to unhook her bra, but then she pulled away again, much to his frustration. "Although… didn't he cuss you out earlier this morning? I thought I heard him calling you the worst employee of all time."
"He was just trying to get a rise out of me," Jet laughed. "You know, we have something of a rivalmance going on. That's just how tight Zuko and I are. Now, let's get back to what we were doing, shall we?" Jet said impatiently, pulling On Ji close to resume the kissing while at the same time unhooking his belt and gently but firmly pushing On Ji's hand further down to help remove his pants.
Over the weekend, Jet had finally gotten in touch with a vet recommended to him by a trusted friend on 4chan. Apparently the procedure to finally fix his balls for good was very similar to repairing a cow's udder, which was apparently a very common injury because cows liked to jump fences, a fact not known by many. In any case, the procedure had been fairly cheap, but effective, and it had allowed Jet to move on to the next stage of his master plan, which was to get On Ji and Jin to fall for him, thus removing them as rivals for Zuko's attention.
"I'm sorry," On Ji asked again a while later, when she was down to her panties and Jet was already on top of her, with things about to become very interesting. "But what on earth is a rivalmance?"
"Look, it… it wasn't a great comparison, because Zuko and I aren't technically neither rivals nor in a romance," Jet sighed, wondering if they would ever get to have sex at this rate. "I was just trying to come up with a word to describe a really tight relationship between two guys who argue all the time and seemingly can't stand each other, but are actually closer than anyone else suspects."
Jet leaned in to hopefully cut off any other questions with a passionate kiss, but On Ji spoke up yet again. "So, kind of a bromance, only more contentious?" she smiled.
"Yes… yes, exactly that," Jet sighed in frustration. "By the way, you know what Zuko really hates?" he asked. On Ji shook her head. "A girl who talks too much when she should be focusing on her partner instead."
"Oh, my bad," On Ji blushed at Jet's words. "I'll shut up now."
"And you won't regret it," Jet winked at her. As On Ji's panties were finally pushed down to her ankles, Jet sincerely hoped that the vet would prove worth the two hundred dollars he had spent on having his equipment made fully functional again. It had been several painful weeks without any fun, and Jet fully intended to make up for the lost time.