Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

34

❃ King's Invitation ❃

A young brunette walked through the city. Her blue clothing, including its strange patterns and waletooth accessories, contrasted against the city's green theme. Her brown hair was plaited neatly, save for two seperate locks of hair that looped all the way to the back of her hairdo. Her tan skin and bright blue eyes added to her foreign looks, clearly indicating her status as a visitor in the capital. After all, those who had a citizen status within Ba Sing Se were highly encouraged to live and dress according to the Earth Kingdoms traditions and customs.

The fourteen year old looked around the richly decorated public square with wide eyes as she passed through it. The lemur on her shoulder squawked and pointed at a passing fruit merchant. The girl laughed and shook her head at the creature's antics when she suddenly spotted a beautiful tea shop nearby.

"What do you say, Momo? A cup of tea before we head back to the king?" She asked the animal, who chittered back enthusiastically in return. The girl walked into the establishment and looked around as she waited to be greeted by one of the staff members.

In the meantime, her bright blue eyes quickly landed on a large slogan hung up above the front entrance. 'Rather three days without food than one day without tea'. The words made the Water Tribe girl giggle softly. These guys knew their stuff!

Keya smiled gently at the giggling guest and walked over to welcome her. "Good afternoon." She bowed respectfully. "What can I do for you today?"

"Table for two, please." The Water Tribe girl said. She noticed Keya's exotic appearance, somewhat similar to her own. Since Aang, Toph, and her brother were all out of the city at the moment, she felt the need to connect with someone else. There was something about her waitress's looks that intrigued the young woman. The beautifully carved necklace that peeked from behind the server's dress surprised the girl with its familiarity. Water Tribe! Questions started brewing in her mind as she observed Keya's tan skin and grey eyes. Yes, she was sure of it!

"Of course, follow me." Keya guided the girl to an empty table.

Once seated, the girl spoke up. "I'm Katara and this is Momo," she introduced herself hesitantly, "I'm from the Southern Water Tribe..."

Keya gave her a blank, but nonetheless polite stare. Was it Water Tribe custom to share personal information at a tea house?

"Nice to meet you, miss Katara and mister Momo. My name is Jun and I'm from the Earth Kingdom. Feel free to let me know what you want to drink, we also have a menu in case you want to try any of our pastries."

She was about to walk away and tend to her other tables, when Katara interrupted her. "Wait!" Keya halted and turned around with a polite smile as her guest spoke again. "That necklace... where did you get it? Do you have any ancestry in the Southern or Northern tribes?"

Confused (and slightly worried to reveal too much about herself), Keya hummed. "Yes, I have some roots in the Northern Water Tribe, but I grew up in the Earth Kingdom. This necklace was given to me by a friend... I think he bought it here."

"Oh... I also have one like that." Katara's tan fingers reached up to touch her own necklace. "This one used to be my mother's."

Keya nodded, not knowing what to say. Did this necklace have any special meaning in Water Tribe culture? She had never looked too deep into that part of her heritage. The wound of her father's passing was old, yet painful nonetheless. He would have been the one to teach her these things, so she never looked into it herself.

"You know," Katara continued, "I've been to the Northern Water Tribe before. I actually mastered waterbending there. Are you a bender by chance?"

Keya gripped her tray tightly, heart beating loudly in her chest. Her face felt hot and her mind swam as she processed the sudden question. "I-I..." She coughed and gathered herself. "No. I'm not a waterbender."