Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Thirteen❃

Even though she had been working at the animal shelter for a couple of days, the smell still got to her. Every single time she stepped into the building, all the food in Asake's stomach rolled around and around. It was like Pen Feho, the owner of the pet shop, hadn't cleaned the stalls for any of the animals in many, many years. The walls and floor were caked in almost everything that could be caked there. Asake couldn't handle working here for much longer, she knew that.

Asake stood up, gagging. Soon enough, her breakfast was going to spill all over the floor she had just cleaned up. This was probably the first time any of the animals had seen the white floors from under their own waste. Every time a certain fire ferret saw Asake, it took a dump, and she had to clean it up. Because of that, she decided to try to clean the entire floors instead of picking up what was littered on top of whatever was caked on the floor. 

She found Pen Feho standing at the front desk, his eyes scanning a scroll, so she said, "Can I take my lunch break now?"

"I guess." He glanced out the window at the sky, sighing. The wrinkles around his eyes tightened when he squinted against the glare of the warm sun. "When the sun is at its peak, you can come back."

"Thanks!" 

Asake bounded out of the pet shop as quickly as she could, holding her left arm to her chest. It ached, but she couldn't do anything about it. She didn't have enough money to see a doctor or whoever was here in Ba Sing Se. Besides, she didn't really want to see a doctor for her arm. Soon enough, it would heal on its own, and she would be much better.  After that, she would be able to finally be free from all the pain in her life.

It seemed like every day in Ba Sing Se was a nice one, with blue, sunny skies. When she was on the ship, it always seemed like a dreary day, so it was nice to have a change in scenery. A fresh breeze blew through the streets; something sweet traveled toward her from the wind, making her smile to herself. For some reason, she felt peaceful here in the streets of Ba Sing Se, like no one was going to come after her for once in her life. It was refreshing. 

A small smile appeared on her face as Asake walked through the busy streets of Ba Sing Se, trying to find a place to eat. She wasn't really picky about what she ate anymore, so anything could work. Across the street was a quaint little tea shop, looking sort of deserted. That would be perfect for her because she wouldn't have to talk to anyone at all. The name above the door said Lychee. She decided to try it out. 

A bell jingled when she opened the door, making her jump slightly. There were a couple of tables set up around the little shop, with two people sitting at one together. A friendly looking man smiled at her, saying, "Welcome to Lychee! If you couldn't tell, our specialty is lychee tea, so I hope you like it!" The man laughed to himself, his ponytail swinging behind his head. Asake couldn't help but smile at him. "Oh, what am I saying? Everyone here loves lychee tea!"

"Do you have any food to go along with the tea?"

"Of course!"

"Perfect," Asake said, nodding. She allowed the man to sit her down at a table in one of the darker corners. Unfortunately, she did not have a good view of the front door, and that sort of scared her. What if someone came in here, someone she used to know? What if someone attacked her from behind? Those thoughts swirled around her head as the man stared at her, waiting for her to order. "I would like a cup of your lychee tea . . . and what kind of food do you provide?"

"Braised turtle-ducks," he said, and Asake gasped. "Do you want that?"

Her mind flashed back to the little babies she once saw in the Fire Nation. They were the cutest animals she had ever seen in her life. There was no way she was going to eat them. "No, thanks."