Fanning Flames

Jin watched the cute tea server with a smile.

He'd caught her eye a few days ago, but she had yet to actually talk to him.

Sure, she'd gone to the tea shop a couple of times to work up the courage, but he seemed to notice her focus was on him and got shy, sending his uncle out to take her order instead. It was cute.

She'd been a bit worried at the start that the two girls who also had shifts at the tea shop were into him too… until she caught sight of both of them making out in the alley behind the tea shop. She later overheard someone refer to one of the girls as Cute Tea Boy's sister, so any worries about competition ended there.

So today, Jin came to the tea shop on a mission.

She was going to ask Cute Tea Boy out today if it killed her.

Or at the very least get his name.

She could do this.

She could totally do this.

She saw Cute Tea Boy whispering to his sister and future-in-law as she made her way over to them.

Maybe he knew what she was going to ask because he was looking all nervous and shy again (cute). His sister definitely knew her intentions from the judging look Jin was getting despite the Cheshire cat grin on her face. The sister's girlfriend just looked bored and was probably about to drag her lover out into the alley again as soon as the shop owner's back was turned.

Jin took a deep breath and made her move. "Thank you for the tea," she said as sweetly as she could as she held out money to pay for her tea. "What's your name?"

"My name's Jiang Chen-erk!" Cute Tea Boy started to say before his eyes widened in shock.

Jin didn't have much chance to pay attention to it as she suddenly found her head a lot fuller than before, along with a new comprehension of the irony of her own name.

Rubbing her head, she let out a whine, "No fair, Jiang-Xiong. Why did you get to keep your own name?"

Jiang Cheng seemed to be choking on his own spit, but his sister looked at her with wide eyes and the girlfriend suddenly looked interested.

"Nie-Xiong?" asked the sister, confirming to Jin just who she was (and she was far too shameless to be Jiang Yanli).

Jin waved to her brightly despite the lingering headache. "Long time no see, Wei-Xiong," she said.

Wei-Xiong's girlfriend, who could only be Lan Wangji, grabbed Jin by her sleeve and dragged her into the back of the shop. "We're taking our break," she called to the owner over her shoulder.

"All of you?" asked Pao the shop owner in disbelief at their audacity. "At once?"

"Sorry boss, lady problems, be right back," Wei-Xiong said in a stage whisper as she followed Jiang-Xiong after them.

Pao looked scandalized. "But-but then why is Cheng going with you?" he asked.

"We might need him to run and get something," Wei-Xiong said cheerfully as she pushed past the curtain into the back. "You know how it is. We'll be right back."

From the way Pao was sputtering behind them, he most certainly did not 'know how it is', but at least it was unlikely he was going to follow them. Thankfully the shop was mostly empty this time of day, so he wouldn't need them as much.

Jin, meanwhile, was led out to the alley she'd often seen Wei-Xiong and Wangji-Xiong making out in.

More out of habit than anything else, she complained, "I really don't know why you dragged me out here. I didn't do anything. I don't know."

"Save it," said Jiang-Xiong as the other two checked to make certain no one was in earshot and put up privacy talismans. "You're with three people who all know exactly how conniving you really are, so please save us the head-shaking act, Nie Huaisang."

Jin chuckled. "Sorry, sorry, old habits die hard," she said. She then fluttered her eyelashes at Jiang-Xiong and added, "And I'm afraid it's Jin now."

Jiang-Xiong looked like he'd just sucked a lemon. "You're kidding," he said as Wei-Xiong burst into giggles beside him.

"I'm afraid not," said Jin. "Not all of us are as lucky as you Jiang-Xiong."

"Oh, we weren't that lucky either," said Wei-Xiong as she stifled her giggles. "We just used them as pseudonyms to get into the city."

Jin blinked at that news, and both Jiang-Xiong and Wangji-Xiong looked at Wei-Xiong disapprovingly.

Wei-Xiong looked back at them and shrugged. "What?" she asked, gesturing at Jin. "It's Nie-Xiong. She was going to figure it out anyway."

The other two had to concede her point.

Jin, meanwhile, was just confused. "Why would you need to use pseudonyms to enter the city?" she asked.

The other three exchanged a glance, then with a put-upon sigh, Jiang-Xiong said quietly, "Because in this life, I'm Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

Jin stared in shock. "WHAT?!" she shrieked.

"Yep, and I'm Ty Lee and she's Mai," said Wei-Xiong, clearly enjoying this as she gestured to herself and Wngji-Xiong. "We're both Fire Nation nobility too."

Wangji-Xiong-Mai nodded in agreement.

Jin stared at them as she gathered her thoughts. She, like most of the Lower Ring, was aware of the war despite the Dai Li's censorship. You couldn't live in the section of the city that contained most of the refugees without wondering where they came from.

However, she didn't know nearly as much as she would like, given all her information came from hushed stories told in shadowed corners of allys or the back tables of a bar. She'd long made a point to listen for any scrap of information she could gather while keeping her own mouth shut for safety. Still, everything she'd heard told her the Fire Nation was the aggressor in the war, and supposedly the Earth Kingdom's enemy.

"Wait? Then why come here?" she asked. She then frowned accusingly "You're not trying to take us over, are you?"

If they were, she'd probably join up with them. If there was one thing she learned in her last life it was not to be on the opposing side of Wei-Xiong and Wangji-Xiong when they were working together. Jiang-Xiong helping them would only speed along their already assured victory.

Thankfully, Ty Lee quickly assured her, "No, no, totally the opposite."

Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee all explained what had happened, and what their plans were going forward.

"So now we get to the part where you start helping us," said Zuko in a tone that left no room for argument.

Well, too bad for him because Jin was going to argue anyway.

"Nuh-uh, no way," she said, waving her hands in denial. "I had more than enough adventure in our last life. Let me be good-for-nothing in this life, please. Besides, what could I even do for you? I'm just a humble peasant girl this time. Hardly someone who could turn the tide of a war."

She very carefully did not say how she'd long had a habit of collecting secrets, of where to find any item or information, nor that she knew all the routes to take to avoid the Dai Li. She wasn't giving those facts up for free.

"Don't say that about yourself, Jin, you're good for plenty," said Ty Lee with a smile that said she was happy to bully her. "Not many people could hatch plans like yours while appearing so completely uninvolved. If you put that brain of yours to use saving the world, then we'll have a lot better odds of succeeding."

"Oh, I'm certain you'll succeed anyway," Jin said insistently. "I mean, the Avatar has the three of you in his corner. If anyone can get crazy impossible things done, it's you."

Ty Lee and Zuko looked like they were ready to argue some more, but Mai held up a hand to silence them, before looking Jin directly in the eye and said one name.

"Nie Mingjue."

Wow.

Way to hit a girl where it hurts.

Jin shot Mai a dirty look. "Are you really leveraging information about Da-Ge over me to get me to cooperate?" she asked, not thinking Lan Wangji would sink that low.

"No," said Mai bluntly. "Nie Mingjue reincarnated as an Earth Rumble fighter called the Boulder. I… don't think that's his real name, but it's the one he gave us as well as his address in Gaoling. His main priorities since remembering are finding both you and Xiongzhang and making sure old enemies aren't causing trouble. However, he also fully intends to join the war effort and help us defeat the Fire Lord."

Jin could see where she was going with that. "And if he does, then I need to make sure he survives, damn it Hanguang-Jun!" she said. By telling her Da-Ge would be involved in the war, she had effectively secured Jin's help as well, because there was no way Jin was letting Da-Ge die of anything but old age this time around.

"So you'll help us?" asked Zuko.

Jin huffed, but then remembered her original reason for coming here today. "I suppose I could, buuuut…" she said slowly, then batted her lashes at Zuko again. "We can always discuss the details over dinner. Would you like to go out sometime?"

Zuko's jaw dropped, Ty Lee howled, and Mai huffed what might have been a laugh.

"He'd love to!" said an unexpected voice, and they all turned to see Zuko's Uncle standing there with a bright smile. It seemed he had entered the privacy wards just in time to hear Jin ask for a date.

Ty Lee laughed harder and Mai had to keep her from falling over as Zuko looked at his uncle in utter betrayal.

But Jin had gotten a yes and wasn't letting it go. "Great, I'll meet you in front of the shop the day after tomorrow."

Zuko just continued to gape, and Ty Lee struggled to contain her laughter enough to ask, "W-Why not sooner?"

"Oh, you know, I just need to re-evaluate my entire life, start planning how to end a hundred-year war, and figure out what I'm going to write to Da-Ge (I need that address, by the way), and all that, you know, might take a bit of time," said Jin with a shrug. "See you later."

With that, Jin turned to leave, hearing Zuko's uncle say, "I've missed something, haven't I?" just as she left the wards.

As Nie Huaisang, he'd once plotted the death and downfall of his most hated enemy over the course of ten years all while pretending to be his friend. Now as Jin she needed to make plans that could save the world before the end of summer.

Yeah. No pressure.

Why can't anyone ever just let her be lazy?

A/N Full confession, yes, I totally made Jin be Nie Huaisang for the sheer irony of the name. Reborn with the same name as the person you took down in your last life, I don't know if that's a power move or meant to be a reminder of guilt, but Jin will figure it out. I also made him Jin because I like Jin, we don't see much of her, but she's fun, and not knowing much about her means I can basically do what I want.