[IC] Special Tea and a New Friendship [ Kimi and Snow ]

[BeautifulSnow]

Safara looked up as she heard a knock on her door, in a hurry she cleaned up the craft work she was making, and stood straight in the middle of her room. Just a second after she stood on 'her place' her door was opened and her father, Admiral Zhao, walked in. ''Today we are going to drink tea in the tea house your mother loved so much'' he said, there was no question and he would never wait for a answer, he looked around with a stiff look on his face and then looked at his daughter again. ''Did you hear me Safara?'' he asked. ''Yes Father'' she said and looked at him. ''Good, make yourself ready we are leaving in two minutes'' he said and she bowed.

After he left she got back up and in a hurry she brushed her dark brown hair and made a easy half up, half down look. Once her hair was good, she putted on her shoes and a clean dress and then looked at herself once again in the mirror. ''10 seconds left Safara'' she heard from down the hall. ''I am ready Father!'' she said and opened her door. Sixteen years old but you wouldn't tell, lost her mother five moths ago but never cried about it. That was weakness, in her fathers eyes it was. She walked down and closed the door behind her when she stepped outside. A carriage was waiting with her father already sitting inside, he was not amused. She walked in and sat down. ''You are ready?'' he asked. ''I am sorry Father'' she said. ''Yeah, you will be'' he said and knocked on the window so the coachman would go.

This would be the longest two hours time spending from this week. Safara just felt it in her toes.

[Khat]

Shui was in the kitchen of her mothers tea room. Baking, as usual. Then a messenger boy came running in through the back door to her, almost falling over his own feet. Shui blinked surprised at the young boy. "Admiral Zhao and his daughter are coming this way!" Shuis mother overhead the boy and her face lit up. The Admiral always paid well when he came into her tea room. Shui sighed, this meant she had to work even harder. She hated it when big officials came. It mean she had to be extra polite and extra diligent towards people who in essence killed her father. She had met Zhao before a few times when she served him cakes and sweets, handmade by herself, she had never met his daughter though. A lot of the time he came alone.

She gave the messenger some coin to thank him as well as a few cakes and buns she made freshly that morning. She had a soft spot for the children. They were street rats, often disowned for not being deemed 'good enough' by their parents. So she always spoilt them when they came. Which lead to them being messengers for her and her mother. Shui also went down to where they 'lived' once a week to take them bread and clean water, if any of them were sick, she would bring medicine to help them. She was a bit of an angel for the street urchins. The boy ran off happily after giving her a hug and Shui began getting out all the best ingredients they had to make extra special treats for the Admiral and his daughter. Her mother scurrying around making the place more spotless than usual and preparing Zhao's favourite tea.

[BeautifulSnow]

Safara looked around and when they entered the neighborhood where the tea house stood, she directly knew why her mother had always loved it here. It was the neighborhood where she had grown up herself. The young girl closed her eyes for a moment to fight the tears and then looked at her father. As always he seemed in a grumpy mood but she could feel that he felt the same as she did herself. The carriage stopped in front of the tea house and her father stood up, walking out. Safara waited for a moment before she walked out and looked around. Right at the moment she walked out, a little boy fell on the ground. Her father looked at him with a disgusting look but Safara felt sorry for him and walked over.

She kneeled down and helped the boy, that had stood up already, picking up the treads he was carrying. ''T-thank you Miss Zhao..'' he said. ''Oh, don't worry.. Just call me Safara please'' she said. ''Safara, get back up.. What in the firelords name are you doing?'' her father said. ''Sorry father, I was just helping this boy'' she said. ''Don't help people that are not yours'' he said. ''Mother teached me...'' she said but her father gave her a deadly look. ''Don't bring up your mother'' he said and then entered the tea house. Safara sighed and placed a golden coin in the hand on the boy. ''Just, keep it safe for if you ever need it.. And if something bad ever happens.. Come to me.. I'll help you and anyone you bring with you'' she said and then entered the tea house.

[Khat]

Shui was in the process of setting the table for the Admiral and his daughter as they walked in. She bowed politely and gave a kind smile. She hated this man with every inch of her, but he brought good custom to her mothers shop and thats what mattered. Also if she were to say anything out of line he would probably just have her killed. Like they did with her father. "Welcome, Admiral Zhao" Shui said bowing politely then turning to the young woman who accompanied him. She froze momentarily as she was bowing to her, then quickly shook her head "And welcome to you too, Lady Zhao." She said politely once again. She didnt know this girls name and even if she did, it would be wrong to call her by her first name upon their first meet. "Your favourite spot is ready for you whenever you wish to take a seat" Shui smiled and bowed, gesturing to the table by the big window that opened up the the beautiful garden that accompanied the tea room. It was adorned with many of the Admirals favourite excuisit buns and cakes and of course, his favourite tea.

Shui made her way back into the kitchen to see her mother shaking. She gave her a hug. She got like this whenever anyone important came in. If they got food poisoning or drank something they disliked they could shut her down in the blink of an eye or even just because they felt like it. This was why Shui hated the Fire Nation. It was all one sided. So long as you had money and an important name, you would be fine, anyone else? Well they have to suffer.

[BeautifulSnow]

Safara gave the girl a big smile. ''Oh.. No, I am not Lady Zhao..'' she said before the girl left and after they had been guided to their seats. ''Please.. Call me Safara.. My mother was Lady Zhao'' she said and closed her eyes for a short moment. ''I am his daughter.. but, you probably did know that already'' she said. She looked at the tea and treats. ''You have worked so hard.. I would almost expect the Firelord and his family to come'' she said and smiled again at the girl before she left.

Safara and her father sat down and drank from the tea. After one sip of the tea Safara tried not to spit it out.. She stood up and smiled at her father. Walking to the door of the kitchen she had the girl seen going trough. ''Ehm.. Can I ask something? Please, don't be shocked, I mean you both no harm or something and I am not thinking about saying anything bad about the tea house my mother loved'' she said and bowed to them. ''I even wanna thank you for the incredible tea and treads.. But.. Do you still have the rosemary-strawberry tea? That one is the one my mother loved dearly and once a month she came here for cup.. The tea my father likes.. is me a little to spicy'' she says with a smile.

[Khat]

Shui turned to look at the girl who momentarily made her brain stop working. "Er..Yes, of course my Lady" She said quickly recovering from her moment of stupidity. There was something about this girl that made her feel weird... She was very pretty, but she was fire nation. Shui quickly grabbed ingredients and made some rosemary-strawberry tea for the young woman. "We werent sure if you would just prefer what your father drunk, we shouldnt have just assumed." She said putting all the pots on a fancy tray and walking out past the other girl gracefully. "I do apologise" She added as she placed the tray down onto the table for the Admirals daughter. "I hope this tea is better suited to your tastes." She said with a bow and a smile. This time rather than scurrying away she waited for her to try it and hopefully like it, before leaving.

[BeautifulSnow]

Safara took a seat again and smiled at the girl. ''Please.. please.. Please... Call me Safara'' she said with a smile and then took a sip of the tea and smiled. ''Mother was right.. This is the best tea ever'' she said and looked with a very happy face at the girl. ''And it's okay, really.. I would have assumed the same since my father didn't tell you that we would come'' she said.

''Safara.. Quit the talking, drink your tea and be quiet'' her father said and looked at Shui with a very irritated look. ''Father.. Quit the frowns and be nice for the people here.. Mother loved this place and I am not letting you scare this people.. though it is to late for that already I guess by seeing their faces and how they act'' Safara said with now a frown on her face. ''You are not gonna tell me what I have to do and what not'' He replied and now looked at his daughter again. Safara sighed and took another sip and felt more relaxed. ''I am sorry father'' she said. ''We will talk about your misbehavior at home.. now drink your tea and enjoy the treads'' her father said. Safara nodded and gave Shui a watery smile.

[Khat]

Shui smiled and bowed politely to both Safara and Admiral Zhao as they argued. Leaving them alone to do it in private. She always found it awkward when customers fought amongst each other. Especial if it was parent and child. Shui went back to the kitchen to continue her baking as her mother was organising Shui's next trip for her. Making a list of all the herbs and spices she wanted her to get. Shui got excited as she saw her mother packing for her.

She was to leave in a week for her next journey. She hated being away from her mother for almost a month at a time but she loved the freedom to practice her bending outside the Fire Nation walls. Shui generally spent a month at home then a month away gathering secret ingredients. Her mother didnt send her for one big collection because the herbs had a shelf life and she didnt like just throwing them away after so long. They always tasted better freshly picked anyway. By the time she would get back to her mothers shop they would have dried out nicely for her mother to then turn them into tea. Shui admired her mothers tea making skills. What she did with the herbs real really like an art form.

Shui got back to baking. She was making a few things for the homeless children. Before she left for her trips she liked to make sure they had enough food to last them a while as she wouldnt be there to give them anything for a month. Her mother would go but Shui refuses to allow her to go, she is very busy with running the shop while Shui is there, never mind when shes gone. When Shui gets home after her trips, her mother is always very tired. The tea shop is very popular and always busy. Sometimes she even stays open late if people wish to stay longer. So she wasnt going to have her running around after small children as well. Shui was quite happy just to make some extra food for them.

[BeautifulSnow]

After they had finished their tea and the cakes, Zhao and Safara left the tea house, paying royal. ''I'll see you next month again Miss'' the admiral said and Safara went to the carriage and sat down already. Her father joined her shortly after and they went home. The journey home was quiet and Safara simply knew she was in trouble by the look on her fathers face. She knew she could even be in danger, the last time she spoke her mind, it almost got to a akni-kai but it was her mother that stopped her father by telling him she was only a kid. She had been eight years old that time... Now she was sixteen and she knew that he didn't see her as a kid anymore. He had wanted her to join the soldiers training two years ago and on her first day, in her first try-out fight, he had placed her against one of the strongest students that had been there already for two years. He had won easily and Safara was told every night to train until midnight and if she took a break, a hour extra was added to that.

Her mother had not been able to stop her father from his way of raising his daughter. But when she died five months ago, her father had said that if she would let one tear fall after the funeral, he would send her to a boarding school at the other side of the nation. Life had changed a lot, she wasn't allowed to go out with her classmates and three weeks after the funeral she was told that she didn't need school anymore. She would now constantly be at the academy for soldiers. Safara saw their house but when the carriage went left instead of just following the road she knew what was going to happen. ''Father?'' she asked. ''No Safara, you made me look like a fool.. You are going to pay with that'' he simply said. She closed her eyes and bowed her head. ''Yes Father'' she said.

Fifteen minutes later she said in the changing room of the arena where people fighted their akni-kai's or had their training. Safara knew she didn't had a training, she would fight her father. Well.. If he wanted that.. If he wanted to do the same as what Firelord Ozin had done with Prince Zuko, then she would fight back. Because their was a differance between her and prince Zuko which her father didn't want to understand: Prince Zuko was still having respect for his father and loved him. She didn't love or respect her father anymore, not anymore since her twelfth.

She went to the arena and fought with her father. But it wasn't long before she got knocked down and her father looked at her. ''You're a weakling and weakling's aren't worth living in the Fire nation'' he said. ''That isn't your call! It is the fire lord that can banish people from the firenation.. And you will never become anything else than a simple puppet in his game!'' Safara said and that was something she shouldn't have done. Admiral Zhao made a fire fist and slammed it against her left leg, making a huge burn and with that also making her leg and foot useless for her. Safara screamed it out and felt tears rolling over her cheeks. '' I do banish you from my household and my family'' her father said.

Safara got carried away by two boys that where students and was brought to the nurses who then did everything to keep her leg useful but it didn't work, nothing worked. Safara's left leg would be lame for the rest of her life.