“Oh, I’m so sorry! I don’t really have any blisters. See?” Jemmu allowed Kyouna to get a good enough look at his hands that would satisfy just about anyone. True to what Jemmu had said, his hands were entirely bereft of blisters. Instead, his hands were heavily callused. Surprising for any other boy of his age, but definitely not so for Jemmu, especially when considering the training regimen that he often subjected himself to. Or, more accurately, the level of training that his father had often arranged for him. His hands were yet another reminder that he wouldn’t be able to do any Firebending training for some time. In fact, his body was feeling a bit flabby lately… could Kyouna tell by just looking at him? That must be why she was acting so nice to him! He had evidently turned into a weakling that demanded pity at every turn. After all, he had to admit that the tea pot he had been lugging around was feeling just a bit heavier than usual… Jemmu was now feeling completely dejected and was only a good push away from falling down a spiral of self-pity. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before he managed to compose himself - the breathing control he learned from Firebending was exceedingly useful in this sort of situation. Still, he had to wipe a few tears away from his brief moment of devastation.

Jemmu was taken aback once he heard Kyouna’s response to his final question. He wasn’t entirely sure if it was possible to be too nice of a person, but if it was, then Kyouna would definitely be guilty of it. He could easily spend far too much time speculating why Kyouna was being so kind to him, and he was fairly certain that he’d get absolutely nowhere by doing so. It would be simpler to accept the gesture for what it was and leave it at that. Still, it was rather shocking that something that he had suggested mostly in jest had been received so warmly. He’d be sure to take advantage of the opportunity that had been presented before him, but he wouldn’t do so immediately. It would be rather foolish of him to head out even under these optimal circumstances. It was true enough that he had Kyouna’s silence, yet that failed to completely reassure him. If he decided to go anywhere of note, there was no question that he’d be seen, and that information would find its way back to his parents. He hadn’t exactly ingratiated himself to the city at large with his latest stunt. Better to let things cool off for awhile longer - at least until the severity of his past deeds had begun to leave everyone’s collective consciousness. That meant he’d be serving tea for a few more weeks, at the very least.

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d actually say yes! Things are getting kinda busy, so I’ll stay the rest of today - though I just might take you up on your offer later. I hope you’re ready to see what a Firebender can really do!” Jemmu tried to flex his right bicep to add greater effect, but he was wearing long sleeves, so his intent was largely lost. Jemmu’s face turned red with embarrassment, only dissipating when Kyouna began to make her way out of the back room. As Kyouna was leaving, Jemmu meekly told her that he’d join her later after taking a short break. With his employer finally gone, Jemmu took the opportunity to journey over to one of the counters that lined the wall and poured himself a glass of water. It was just enough to put him back into fighting shape, so to speak. After all, he had only just begun a day that was sure to be longer than he would have liked.

Being all by himself allowed Jemmu to fully appreciate his surroundings. The various dried herbs, spices, and plants vigorously assaulted his sense of smell in all the best kinds of ways. Despite never being much of a fan of tea, he was never against having to work at this tea shop as a punishment; it had been his mother’s idea. His father had been rather set on making him spend the rest of the summer at the local Air Nomad Monastery. Fortunately, his mother had come in at the last moment to suggest that Jemmu could serve tea instead. His father reluctantly agreed, though it was made fairly clear that if Jemmu caused any trouble at all, it would be a summer spent with the monks. Jemmu was quite motivated to avoid that at all costs. After all, Jemmu really had no clue what the Air Nomads did all day anyway. Meditate upon the secrets hidden within the universe and breathe a lot? He was already bored from serving tea, but a summer at the Monastery would be a death sentence. He just couldn’t risk it, at least not yet. Continuing to serve tea at Tea & La was the only way in which he’d be able to come up with a clever way to salvage his summer.

Jemmu was quickly approaching the end of his self-imposed break. Eager to not gain a reputation for laziness with Kyouna, it was probably best to get back to work as quickly as he could. From the folds of his clothing, he pulled out a Waterbending scroll. He had acquired it some time ago from Old Man Lu’s wares, though it was obviously something he wouldn’t have normally been interested in. Lu had lacked any Firebending scroll that was advanced enough to be of use to Jemmu, and the money that he had been saving up was burning a hole in his pocket. Lu had suggested that there was a possibility that Jemmu could incorporate some Waterbending styles in his Firebending. That sounded sensible enough to Jemmu; after all, why would his friend ever steer him wrong? As expected, he had almost no luck with the scroll at all, which soon found itself collecting dust in the mess that he called a bedroom. It only returned to the forefront of his mind once he learned that he would be working at Tea & La where the owner was a Waterbender from the North Pole. He didn’t really know what the difference was when it came to those from the North and South Poles. All he knew was that Kyouna would actually get some use out of the scroll that he never could. He placed the scroll in an area where Kyouna could easily find it, with a short note attached:

[i]Big Sis Kyouna,

Thank you for giving me a chance.
Please take care of me!

-Jemmu[/i]

Jemmu frowned as he reread his own note. He really needed to work on his calligraphy. His face slightly reddened again, once the prospect that his writing could be mistaken for something a child would transcribe. The irony was completely lost upon Jemmu. He slapped both of his cheeks a few times, helping him to get his head back into the game. The writing only mattered insofar as it was legible. He could only hope that Kyouna would like the scroll. It was odd; he had no idea why he cared so much about Kyouna’s opinion of him. He supposed it was best to just chalk it up to his nature. Why make enemies when you could make friends instead?

Before Jemmu returned to the main area of the tea shop, he made sure to refill the teapot that he was using with the tea that was that morning’s special. It would do just fine for most of the people that frequented the tea shop, but some people had their own favorites and wanted something more specific. That was usually where a good part of the running back and forth came from. Once Jemmu had left the back room, he became entirely stunned by what he saw. Based on when he was actively serving tea only ten minutes before, practically twice as many were waiting to be served tea as before. Jemmu glanced over to Kyouna, who was frantically trying to keep pace with all the new customers. How was it possible that she was managing this shop all by herself? Maybe it made more sense for Jemmu to train under Kyouna whenever the next opportunity presented itself…

“Looks like I wasn’t lying when I said things were getting busy.” Jemmu was giving Kyouna a wide grin, though it wasn’t exactly easy for him to find his way over to the tea shop’s owner so that he could get a word. The throngs of people that he had to pass through had already emptied most of the contents of his teapot. “If you ever want a break, I could make the next batch of tea, you know? I’m sure there won’t be many people left after that.”

Jemmu thought it was quite a clever joke, and he very much would have liked to get a genuine reaction to it from Kyouna, but he wasn’t afforded the opportunity. He was pulled away almost immediately; Jemmu severely underestimated how ravenous for tea that the patrons of Tea & La actually were. It would be some time before Jemmu had a chance to meet back up with Kyouna. Whenever he had finished serving a group of customers, Kyouna was always busy with something; whether it was serving, brewing, baking, or the plethora of other tasks necessary to keep the shop running smoothly. It was quite incredible how Kyouna seemed to multitask so successfully. On the other hand, Jemmu was clearly struggling with just serving tea and pastries, and it wasn’t for a lack of effort either. The reality of the situation was that Jemmu was exhausted. Not physically - his body was well-conditioned to such a point that pouring tea had little chance of ever wearing him out. It was all the different interactions with the people whom he was serving that was exhausting, and he had always considered himself a people person! Very few took umbrage with sharing a variety of different stories with him; their hopes, desires, dreams, and fears. Much of it was overwhelming, but he truly did not mind. The social aspect of tea seemed to be as important as the drinking of it.

“This is a lot harder work than I thought it would be and I’m having fun, too! We must be coming close to the end of the day, right?” Before Jemmu could receive a proper response, a man with the bushiest mustache that Jemmu had ever seen tugged at his sleeve. Jemmu got the cue, and he refilled the man’s cup.

“Thank you, young man. If I recall correctly, you’ve only been open for about an hour today. Are you planning on closing early today?” The man proceeded to loudly slurp his tea. For a moment, Jemmu had to brace himself with the table. He had never stopped to consider just how much work went into the running of Tea & La, especially just in the short amount of time that he had been there. Jemmu managed to recover quickly.

“Wow, that’s awesome! Big sis, you’re so amazing!” Jemmu humbly gave Kyouna a short bow. As he returned fully upright, his eyes were bright with newly found enthusiasm. “I had no idea that you’ve been managing to do so much everyday all by yourself. I am deeply honored to work beside you.”

It was no sooner than Jemmu had showered Kyouna with accolades than a horrible noise could be heard on the other side of the shop. A window had been completely taken out, along with a good portion of a wall as well. Whatever had crashed through had to have been launched with considerable force. Chaos was only beginning to ensue as the various customers who were all enjoying their tea only moments before were beginning to clear out of the tea shop. Jemmu set aside his teapot as he started to move towards the destruction. Whatever had come through the window had already taken out multiple tables. As he got nearer to the damage, he managed to more closely inspect what had happened - wait, was that a person!?

Upon this realization, Jemmu threw away all reason and rushed to the side of the injured man. He quickly checked for any wounds or broken bones, utilizing much of the medical training that his father had taught him over the years. Nothing seemed to be life-threatening, but he only managed a cursory look before the man’s two assailants had already entered the shop. His entire body tensed; he knew trouble when he saw it. Honestly, he really couldn’t afford to get involved in whatever dispute was happening here, but he couldn’t just walk away from someone who needed his help either. He would just have to beg his parents for forgiveness later.

Jemmu returned to his feet, standing between the two men and their victim in such a way that any further attacks would have to pass through Jemmu before they would be able to hit the man crumpled on the ground. He didn’t assume any threatening stance, he really didn’t want to escalate the situation if he could help it.

“I really hope the two of you are planning to pay for all this damage.”