Avatar; The Royal Firebender.

The Spirit's Brew

The first lights of the morning sun pierce through the rice paper windows casting a warm glow across the room. Mist seeps in through the small cap between the shutters, the night still clinging to the city as the sun chases it away. A faint breeze carries the scent of cherry blossoms and old stone with it. Jin stirs first, reaching up and stretching her arms out like a cat as she takes in a long deep breath. Her piercing emerald and jade eyes flutter open, her face still slightly stained by her smeared lipstick. The sensation of gentle warmth radiates along her back, the familiar feeling of his stubble brushing against her shoulder lightly tickles her. His arms are tangled and snaked around her form, one underneath her head, the other resting across her torso firmly grasping her breast. The warm calloused hand from years of firebending and months of rigorous training through the other elements leaves his hands firm, slightly scratchy but still soft to the touch. He sleeps on his side, his scar facing outwards catching the first rays of light.

She feels the familiar sensation of heat radiating through his body, she knows that the sun has reignited his inner flame and consciousness is quickly following. His breath, low and stable, now draws in long as his body contracts. Opposite to her, his arms pull taught pressing her tighter against his form. His muscles flex and stretch as he shifts, she drinks in his familiar smell of burnt cherry wood and jasmine. She smirks when she feels that something else has woken up before him, and she slowly rolls over to face him. His amber gold eyes seem to glow slightly as he slowly opens them, and then they immediately close again as he yawns. "I thought you were going to sleep in today." She says, her voice like honey, silk, and a soprano songbird. He smirks, lifting a hand to her cheek and brushing his thumb across her flawless skin. Zuko presses a kiss to her forehead. "I wanted to. But we're opening the shop today."

"I don't want to. Let's just tell your dad we're sick." She whimpers and he chuckles softly. "He'd believe it." Another beat of silence passes before Zuko attempts to sit up. She doesn't let him. Instead she slithers into his lap, straddling him with her hands on his stomach. "Can we pick up where we left off? I wasn't quite finished enjoying my ride." She purrs, like a tempress, maybe even a succubus but still his all the same.

"Tempting but... We can't be late. It's the start of the week, and we're going to be busy today. Dad has to go pick up a delivery so we're in charge of the shop till he gets back." He says as he sits up, wrapping his arms around her hips and pressing his forehead against hers. "We might get the chance to sneak away on our lunch break."

"Alright... but at least let me tend to the part of you that didn't get enough of me." She purrs once more, Zuko opens his mouth to object. She silences him with a kiss. He doesn't try again.

It's almost an hour past sunrise and a half hour past opening when the pair finally leave the villa. The streets of Ba Sing Se are still shaking off the grip of night. Fog clings low to the cobbled roads, trailing around ankles and wagon wheels like lazy spirits reluctant to vanish with the sun. Vendors yawn as they roll up their stalls, hanging out strings of dried chilies and polished clay pots. Children sweep steps. Laundry flaps between rooftops. The city lives again quietly, slowly. Zuko and Jin walk side by side, close enough that the legs of their pants brush with each step. One hand rests in the crook of his arm, and even though neither of them says much, there's a rhythm to their silence that speaks more than words. He wears his usual dark robe, the collar still slightly crooked from when she adjusted it for him. Jin wears her working clothes, hair twisted into a lazy braid, her free hand toying absently with the hair tie as they walk.

"Smells good today," she notes, tilting her head toward the alleyway to their right. A familiar sizzle echoes through the morning air, followed by the unmistakable scent of grilled squid over hot coals. Zuko yawns. His stomach growls, earning him a smirk from Jin. "Maybe I should go easier on you," Jin murmurs slyly, lips curling into a grin. "It seems all it takes to defeat the Avatar is a vigorous night."