iii ⚜ action

[banishment]

who: zuko + open to anyone
where: the tea shop he works at in fayren
when: backdated, a few days post-auction
warnings: none at the moment | tba

Even when Zuko had been serving tea in Ba Sing Se's lowest and poorest ring, he hadn't worked this many hours in a row. Perhaps he would have had the owner of the shop allowed it, but in all likelihood, he would've pulled a mask on over his face and disappeared into the depths of the city in favor of taking what he thought was rightfully his instead of earning a living of his own. He knew better now, and was taking as many shifts as he could, working his second open to close shift this week, determined to earn back the money he'd spent at the auction.

But doing so was easier said than done, especially when some of the patrons insisted on calling him over to their table by way of using a number of royal stylings, many of them oblivious to how inaccurate, ill-fitting, and inappropriate some of them were. (Or maybe the ignorance was feigned and the insult was delivered on purpose. He couldn't tell.)

It was with a great roll of his eyes and a barely stifled groan that he tended to the customer across the room who was waggling his tea cup in the air, beckoning him over with a heavily-accented Your Highness for a fresh cup of tea. Whatever that accent was supposed to be, Zuko assumed the guy intended for him to recognize it, but it was as foreign to his ears as this world was the day he stepped foot in it. And if not for the fact that he really needed the money, he would've set that guy's tablecloth on fire instead of taking his order and retreating to the kitchens to fill it.

He was beginning to regret his outburst at the auction. Living as a secret prince had been so much easier than being a public prince 'degrading' himself to working in a tea shop.

Comments

[whiteas]

[ The last thing Zuko was probably expecting was a sneak attack at his place of work.

Well, this isn't exactly a sneak attack. It's just a sneak disguise visit by Weiss and her friends. They're coming in all at once with Weiss in the front, but she's got her hair tied up in a bun and hidden in a hat. What's more is that she's not wearing her traditional colors-- it's a disguise! And she's not the only one. All of Weiss's group are cleverly(?) disguised in different outfits than their usual ones so as to not be recognized on sight, and they're totally sitting down and trying to be inconspicuous... except weiss isn't taking her sunglasses or hat off even though they're inside now, since she knows this whole plan would fail if she did. ]

[deadly_belladonna]

[Well, the money came in handy that she arrived with, even though she really had no idea why she would ever need it. But, the opportunity sure was there with her friends needing some kind of disguise.

Following behind Weiss, dressed in something other than black. Rather colorful, knits, lace tights and boots with her hair braided up to almost look as if she had a bob cut framing her face with a knitted had to hide her cat ears. Her bow would be too much of a giveaway.

This certainly was a new sort of mission and even then, Blake really had no idea what the heck they were doing. She was just following her friend's lead in hopes of helping her.]

[monkeystowaway]

[Sun easily went along with this after Weiss explained things to him. It didn't seem like a bad idea to help her boyfriend out. And though Sun didn't know him, if Weiss liked him, he couldn't be all that bad. Like the rest of them, Sun was all dressed up. He tail was tucked underneath his buttoned up shirt and wrapped around himself in the most comfortable way that he could manage.

The glasses were fake, the lens in them just plain glass instead of prescription. Like Blake and Weiss, Sun wore a hat. Mostly because Zuko had seen him at least once and he didn't want the guy recognizing him right him now.]

[solar_flare]

[This is a terrible plan. But it's also hilarious and adorable, so of course Yang is all for it! She doubts Zuko even knows who she is, so the extent of her disguise is to put on her biking glasses. Her hair stays as wild and blonde as ever, because no one touches the hair. No one. She takes a seat next to her friends and picks up a menu.]

So what's good here?

[And is that a knight over there in the corner? Hello to YOU, good sir! Yang subtly scoots her chair closer to Blake so she can more easily enjoy the view of ye olde hottie in his shiny shiny armor.]

[the_roseblack]

[General Tepet--she still thought of herself as a general despite her extended separation from her Legion--hadn't had a really good cup of tea since her arrival. Running across the tea shop in her exploration of the five cities came as a pleasant surprise.

Running into the prince from the auction was somewhat more of a surprise.]

You...? [Have a very slight bow. More an inclination of the head than a real formal gesture. Mortal royalty are still mortals, as far as the Dragonblood is concerned.] Prince. Of the Fire Nation, was it? You... work here?

I must apologize for the rather... crude means of contact I attempted earlier. It was impulsive.

[banishment]

[ a very slight bow was more welcome than the sarcastic deep ones he was getting from a pair of customers a few moments ago. ]

...you were trying to contact me by making that bid? [ stranger things have happened. ]

[the_roseblack]

I hadn't intended to bid on anyone, but when you announced your identity for all to hear... It's rather embarassing in retrospect, but it seemed like the quickest way to get to a conversation with you. A girl calling herself a princess of the Fire Nation was one of the first to greet me upon my arrival. [better not to mention how that went, though Zuko can probably make a reasonably close guess, knowing Azula as he does] I thought a possible relation of hers would be worth talking to [and hoped he wouldn't turn out to be as foolishly overbearing as his sister. If he was willing to work in a tea shop, then indeed he probably wouldn't be.]

And I would actually like some tea. Silver Needle if you have it. [A perfectly plain, matter-of-fact order, in stark contrast to many of the other customers. Even if there'd actually been any novelty value for her in ordering a prince around--which, as a Dragonblooded member of the Scarlet Dynasty and one of the two realistic candidates for a successor to the Empress, there wasn't--she was far from the type to engage in the kind of cruel games that seemed to so amuse some of the current patrons.]

[banishment]

[ oh. ]

Princess Azula. She's my sister. [ he pulled a face, one that was tired and very much unsure, because his little sister wasn't known to make the best of impressions at times, but he still left to retrieve her tea. when he returned with it, he dared to sit down in the chair across from her, folding his arms together on the table. ] I take it her greeting wasn't necessarily pleasant.

[crash_mage]

[It was late when Gildarts wandered in, a sack flung over his shoulder. He took a seat and then glanced at the menu. ...It quickly became clear he had taken a wrong turn. This was no bar. Still, it was late and it'd be kind of rude to just walk in, sit down, and then walk out. So, he thought he'd try something. Thankfully, it was also late enough that there were very few people left, allowing the mage to flag Zuko down.]

So, uh... I'm gonna be perfectly honest here and say I know nothing about tea. What do you recommend?

[banishment]

[ that late into the evening, zuko was hitting the point where anyone who dared to summon him by exaggerated royal decree wasn't going to get anywhere with him and he was going to purposely (and passive-aggressively) spend an excessive amount of time in the kitchens hovering over tea leaves that didn't need to watched. but this guy didn't do so, thus zuko was willing to give him the time of day. ]

Ginseng and jasmine are our most popular teas, but it really depends on the kind of flavors you prefer. Bitter, sweet, spicy...?

[crash_mage]

[He grins, his good arm moving to scratch the back of his head awkwardly.]

I'll be honest, I'm more of a booze guy, but I figure I could do with broadening my horizons. I'll take whatever you think is best.

[banishment]

One of the weekend servers has a recipe for something they called spiked cranberry tea. It's a tea with cranberry juice and rum. I could make that for you.

[ though somewhere, his uncle iroh was screaming about him daring to suggest he defile the tea with alcohol. iroh wouldn't have allowed such a thing, but while zuko had a lot of respect for the art of tea making, he didn't take it nearly as seriously as his uncle did. ]

[lookprofessor]

[Every proper gentleman needs to have tea, and Luke has been searching for a nice tea shop for ages now. He's actually planning on asking if he might have the assistance of the tea shop in Fayren to open one in Genessia City proper, since it's a bit of a trek.

He's sitting at a table alone, feet quite a bit from the floor, and smiles pleasantly at Zuko when it's time to order. Luke knows nothing of the 'prince' statement and rightly wouldn't care. He'd just like some tea.]

Hello, sir. Would it be all right if I ordered a cup of tea from you?

[banishment]

[ those who know nothing of his declaration of titles and lineage at the auction are his favorite customers today. ]

Of course. [ he doesn't have a pad or pen to write anything down on. ba sing se did well to teach him how to remember tea orders without having to do so. ] What can I get for you?

[lookprofessor]

Hmm. I'm not sure. What is your favorite?

[Luke peers at the menu.]

Oasis berry is my favorite but I don't think you have it.

[banishment]

Let me look. We might. We have all sorts of things that aren't usually around here.

[ zuko doesn't ask how the tea shop owner manages to acquire teas that seem to be specific to a person's homeworld. with the way things work in this place, the man may not know himself. ]

[frostheartedrose]

It was a bit of a tossup to Bridget which was worse, getting hit on by drunks or hearing idiots drive a bad joke into the ground. But it seemed that she had walked in on just such an occasion. Within minutes Bridget had heard 'your mightiness', 'your worship', 'your highness', and what seemed to be some very strange and unnatural accent.

As she glanced over the room from the far corner booth she'd chosen, pale cat-slit eyes considered the main offenders rather than the menu in front of her. It didn't take more than a few seconds to note the stiff posture of their target and take a guess that it had been a long day.

[banishment]

A very, very long day, and Zuko was half tempted to burn this place to the ground — but he needed the money. He hated that he needed the money. Determined as he was to earn an honest living, he couldn't help but wish for the simpler days when he was just the firstborn son of a feared and respected monarch, who could demand things and expect to get them, who could dip into ever-present royal funds to finance the things that could not be given or taken.

He met the girl's gaze and raised his eyebrow as if to ask, 'Did you need something?' wordlessly from across the room.

[frostheartedrose]

Bridget smiled ever so slightly - which usually meant she wasn't completely frowning or neutral - and nodded. Yes, she did need some assistance though not exactly in the way the young human might think. At least she looked like a very curvy twenty-something human to those who weren't close enough to note otherwise.

She did wait until he drew closer before closing her menu and leaning back against the wood bench comfortably. "So, is it worth giving me a discount tonight if I clear the air of overly done bad jokes? I can guarantee no damaged property, no retribution, and a polite patron."

[queenofnight]

Usagi never lies (At least not when it didn't concern her grades). Rather, she always kept her promise. She promised Zuko some fondant and since she would usually go to Fai's shoppe and work whenever she ate, she got good quality fondant for Zuko.

So there she was, waiting for her friend with a large box of fondant. Fayren was so far away and it was too tempting to eat all the fondant - but a promise is a promise. She was also here to discuss the terms of the auction. Since he was one of the person who was bid on, he got a share of the money as well.

So there she was, waiting for an order of iced tea and to talk to Zuko.

[banishment]

He was relieved to see a familiar face when he emerged from the back, though it wasn't until he had placed the order he brought out onto the appropriate table that he brought her the iced tea (his uncle would have so many things to say about cold tea) and took a seat across from her. A few of the customers that remained in the shop who hadn't yet filed out due to the late hour shot him looks for doing so, but he glared at a few and ignored the others. He'd been on his feet all day. A break was welcomed.

[queenofnight]

Usagi just waved her hand at all the other customers wearily. Hopefully they won't get angry if she took a little of Zuko's time from them. He seems to be working too hard and he needs a break. He's a friend. Almost like one of the girls. So she felt like she had to watch out for him.

"I bought some fondant for you! I would have also bought some ice cream, but it would have melted, since it's a bit warm here in Fayren", she said with her brows furrowing. Truth be told, she brought some ice cream cups. But halfway through her travel, it had melted completely. So she had to do the honorable thing, and eat it herself. She'll make it up to him. "Sorry bout that..."

[luckymonster]

When Zuko comes back from the kitchen, he'll notice his sister sitting on top of the tea shoppe's counter, just a few inches beside the register. Both arms folded and her eyes visibly looking at the horizon. For a brief moment before she notices Zuko's return, he'd notice that there was just something off about her. She was tense. Perhaps it was the on-going election? She never had to deal with such a farce after all. Who needs to be voted when you're clearly the best anyway? She believed people were born into their positions. It was a divine right.

When Zuko gets close enough, her eyes easily dart at him with a confident smile on her face. "You know, people are talking about you", she said cockily.

[banishment]

Something was bothering her. Other people might not be able to spot it in here, but Zuko could see it plain as day. Azula was tense, and she wasn't normally a tense person.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Zuko leaned back against the counter, deliberately ignoring the summons from a table in the back that beckoned him for a refill. "Did you still need a deputy guardian?"

[luckymonster]

"Oh yes. You're the most successful male bid that day", she said with a slightly raised brow. Not only that, but he got everyone's attention when he announced his royal title. To think it took him this long to admit to it, she's impressed.

"Maybe", she said with a low tone. Not that she wouldn't choose Zuko for the position. But, there was still a matter of actually winning the elections. So there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. If only she had more control of everyone, the elections would then move smoothly to her favor. "Have you changed your mind about it?"