Jia got good fortune for childbirth. Ling laughed, taking the offending paper from her. "Well let's consider this a bad luck fortune, then, and tie it to the fence." It was customary to put unfavourable fortunes on the fence (or a tree, if no fence were available) to ward off the bad luck. Privately, Ling thought Jia didn't have to worry about that particular fortune, as long as they were seeing each other. Kids were great, for other people, but Ling didn't have the time, nor inclination, to have any.

The trek to the temple took a bit longer than Ling had anticipated, and it was getting to be late afternoon already. The clock tower, still visible even out here, displayed the time as quarter past three. She reached over and held Jia's hand. "We'll probably hit a bunch of traffic on the way to the surprise," she said. "So why don't we grab some snacks here, eat them, and start walking back?"

As was the custom, the temple grounds had a few rows of vendor stalls. There were a few kid-friendly games, like catching a fish with a net; a few souvenir shops; and Ling's favourite: food. She purchased herself some okonomiyaki and yakitori, and a delicious looking strawberry crêpe filled with a light but sweet cream cheese paste.

Munching on her food, Ling nudged Jia as a grinning man came up the temple steps. "Ugh, that guy," she said around a mouth full of okonomiyaki. "Everyone down at the 'Fan can't stand him, myself included. He's one of those guys that likes to smooze up to you just so he can mooch."

Sure enough, within moments of her utterance the man sauntered up to a fresh-faced young girl in a kimono. In seconds she was giggling and blushing, and he slipped his arm around her waist as she bought him some food. Ling tutted in disapproval.

"You know, I'm all for using your charm to get what you want, but I don't think I've ever seen that man actually pay for a meal. Or do that to another man, for that matter."

Eventually, she finished her snacks. "Shall we go?" The walk was sure to work up an appetite, and Ling wanted to give Jia a breather before another food adventure. Kwong's was not exactly big on portions, being one of those swanky, high-class restaurants with serving sizes fit for babies, so she wasn't too concerned about being full. But... still, it was a lot of food for one day, and Ling wanted to be sure that Jia didn't get tired of it.

Truth be told, she didn't really know what else to do on a date but eat, drink, and maybe dance. She never really got that far with other women before. Luckily, Kwong's also had a jazz band that played most nights so they could dance between courses.

"Yes please," Jia grumbled when Ling suggested tying her fortune to the fence. She happily jostled her way through the crowd surrounding the fence and used a provided piece of ribbon to secure her fortune. "Good riddance." Honestly, the fortune wasn't the worst thing in the world; she was not totally against the idea of having kids at some undefined point in the future. But now, where she was in her life? Adding a kid into the mix would be a disaster. She could handle kids in short bursts, but being stuck with one all the time sounded like torture. In a few years, maybe, she'd be okay with that fortune. For now, though, it definitely belonged on the fence.

Jia looked over as Ling took her hand and once again spoke of her surprise. She shrugged. "You're the one who knows where we're going," she replied. "But that sounds good to me. Those buns from this morning definitely aren't enough to fill me up."

The stalls at the temple didn't boast as many options as the marketplace, but Jia was still able to find something that interested her. After a bit of browsing, she settled on some takoyaki and taiyaki filled with red bean paste, baked into the shape of a koi fish. She busied herself with her food, only looking up when Ling nudged her. She squinted at the guy Ling pointed out, shaking her head as he instantly latched on to a young woman and got her to buy him food. "What a pig," she snorted. "Being charming is one thing, but taking advantage of people like that is wrong. And at a temple, too. Someone should really knock some sense into that guy." Had she not been on a date, wearing a tight-fitting dress and carrying a stuffed animal, Jia might have gone and done so herself. She was all for punching someone when they deserved it, as this man clearly did. Another time, maybe, if she saw the guy at the Fan. For now, though, she had to let him be.

They finished eating, and Ling suggested they get going. Jia nodded, linking their arms. "Lead the way. But are you gonna tell me where we're going, or do I just have wait to find out for myself? Not that I don't trust you to show me a good time. I do, I just wanna have some idea of how high the bar is going to be set when it's my turn to plan a surprise for you."

"You don't need to do that, you know," she managed to say despite the heat creeping up her neck. "But, I'll just say that it's a good thing you dressed to the nines today."

The foot traffic was horrendous. Downtown Republic City was on the other side of town from where Hei Bai's temple was, and with the added crowds the walk took several hours. Of course, it didn't help much that they kept stopping to ogle some of the evening sights — a fireworks stand with some impressive displays, a lantern seller, and — Ling found most interesting — a bizarre looking old man selling tubes of clear liquid that, when shaken, changed colour and glowed in the dark (she bought herself several).

It was half after seven when they finally arrived in front of Kwong's. "Well, it's about damn time," Ling said with a grin. "Sorry that took so long, but that worked out all right for me." She turned her grin to the doorman, who eyed her woolen suit momentarily before turning a critical eye to Jia in her borrowed trench coat.

"Don't worry about her!" she reassured him,. "I promise she's up to dress code."

With a grunt, the man opened the door to let them in. Ling bowed and gestured to Jia. "After you!"

The inside of the restaurant was a lot classier than Ling had remembered. The last time she had gone here was with Mei-zhen during an investigation for some rich somebody who paid all of their expenses without batting an eyelash. The maitre'd looked down his nose at her. Ling, used to such appraisals of her unremarkable face, flashed him her trademarked gap-toothed grin. "Reservation for two, under Yao."

With what could only be described has a sniffle of disdain, the maitre'd looked pointedly at Jia. "Oh, right." Ling turned to her date and held out her hand. "Let's check in your coat."

"There're a lot of things I don't have to do," Jia responded. "But I do them anyway. Can't let you make all the romantic gestures, now can I?"

Getting through the city was a battle between them and the thousands of others on the streets. Jia didn't mind, though. Without knowing where they were going or what to expect, she couldn't really be impatient. Besides, she liked having a pretty woman on her arm the whole way. The long walk gave them more time to spend together, and she was all for that.

When Jia realized where they were headed, she gaped at Ling. "Kwong's?" she asked. She let out a low whistle. "That's fancier than I was expecting. You sure I look okay? I mean, this dress is kind of nice, but I don't know if it's Kwong's nice, you know?" It was too late to worry about that now, though. Ling waved aside the doorman, who seemed to share Jia's concern, and they were in.

Jia had never been to Kwong's, or anywhere near as fancy. She was, in general, not the type of person to seek out such high-class establishments or experiences. She was a woman with simple tastes, unfamiliar with the trappings of upper-class society. That being said, she was willing to try anything once. She would have appreciated it, though, if the staff didn't look at the two of them like they were unsightly creatures who had somehow managed to creep into the restaurant. She bit her tongue as the maitre'd sniffed in her direction, settling for a quick glare as she handed over Ling's coat. Noting that they were early, the man told them he'd alert them when their table was ready, and suggested they take a seat in the small waiting area just off to the side of the entrance. Nodding, Jia did as bid, sitting on a cushioned bench. She looked around, taking in the ornate furnishing all throughout the restaurant's multiple levels. "This is really nice," she commented. "I mean really nice. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but when you said you had a surprise in mind, I wasn't expecting…" She waved an arm. "All this."

Ling stretched out on the plush waiting seats comfortably, draping an arm over Jia's shoulders. Understandably, the other woman was miffed at the maitre'd turning up his nose at her. So to speak. When she commented on the niceness of the outing, Ling just grinned.

"Don't get used to it," she laughed. "It's a special occasion, once-in-a-very-great-while kind of treat. I can't normally afford this either, but we just wrapped up a big case before the year ended and I had a little fun money to spend. What better way than on a gorgeous gal?"

A man in black trousers and blazer came by, his black tie signalling his role as part of the serving staff. Ling flagged him down, and asked for a scotch on the rocks with a lemon twist. He nodded, then turned to Jia for her drink order. Once everything was settled, he left, and Ling lost sight of him. Not that he was particularly interesting.

"The last time I was here was also for a case," she said after a while, glancing about the restaurant proper. She gestured surreptitiously to somewhere towards the back of the establishment. "Some guy way back there has a regular table. I don't know if he still comes here or not. Our client had gone into business with him, but suddenly started having some suspicions about the source of guy number two's money. At our client's urging, the guy decided to take on a secretary and Mei-zhen was just perfect for the job, you know? I tagged along as her union representative and casually found a way to pique his other interest: a game of cards."

Ling laughed, remembering. "For an egg who prided himself on business dealings he had no idea how to keep a good poker face. I wouldn't even say he had a tell so much as a big red flag: his face." She gestured over her own. "The whole thing would just go beet red from excitement if he had a good hand."

Their drink orders came by and Ling took a sip. "Ahh...." That was some good scotch. Miles above anything the Fan had to offer. "Man. Not going to lie I think I might be able to get used to this sort of lifestyle if it means getting single malt scotch of this calibre."

Eventually, the maitre'd called her name and Ling stood, offering her arm to Jia as they made their way toward the table. The maitre'd sniffed at them again, but he apparently found nothing negative to say about their attire and they were (thankfully, Ling thought) spared from having to borrow the spare clothes they kept for folks who didn't meet the dress code.

The booth they were seated at was intimate, lined with luxurious, supple leather and lush padding. The white table cloth was a nice added touch, and for ambiance, a small lit candle in the middle of the table. The maitre'd handed them menus, and with one last disdainful sniff, he walked away.

"I hope whatever disease he has isn't catching," Ling muttered under her breath, low enough so only Jia could hear.

The menu was brief. Only a handful of options instead of pages and pages of dishes, with a small asterisk at the top: seasonal dishes; menu subject to change.

"You'd think a swanky restaurant like this would have more choice," she said, voice still low. "You know, I'm told that the so-called proper way to do this is to just hand the menu back and ask for the chef to take care of us. What do you say, d'you wanna do this the rich folks' way?"

Jia was slightly relieved to hear that dinner at Kwong's would not be a regular occurrence. As someone whose meals usually consisted of whatever she could eat while on a short break at the docks, she was definitely feeling out of place at such a glamorous place. This feeling was not eased by the snobbery of the maitre'd. But, if going out to fancy places with Ling meant being called gorgeous, she'd happily go wherever Ling wanted. "You're pretty eye-catching yourself," she remarked, looking her date up and down. "I like a woman who can look that good in a pantsuit."

She had to put the flirting on hold as one of the serving staff approached and asked if they wanted anything to drink. Ling ordered her drink, and then the man turned to her. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out what she was in the mood for. Finally, she asked the man for a drink called the Blue Spirit. It was a fruity beverage containing several different kinds of alcohol and that was, as the name suggested, bright blue in color. It was not really a drink worthy of Kwong's, more the type of thing one might find at a lower-class establishment. But she was sure that a fancy restaurant like Kwong's would have the ingredients necessary to make it, and so felt no shame in ordering it, even if this waiter, like both of the other staff they'd met, turned up his nose a bit at her request.

As the waiter went off to put in their drink orders, Ling spoke about a previous visit to Kwong's. Given what little she knew of Ling, it was not terribly surprising to hear that she'd resorted to cards to get the man to reveal his secrets. "Remind me not to play cards with you," Jia muttered, grinning. "I'm awful at hiding what I have in my hand. Never really been great at being subtle. And honestly, I get bored watching card games where everyone just sits there stone-faced waiting for each other to slip up. I get the draw, I suppose, but it's just not my thing."

The drinks came, and Jia eagerly took a sip of hers. She tasted it, then shrugged. "Eh, I've had better," she pronounced. "The bartender was probably just offended that I dared to ask for something so low-class. But this'll do."

Soon enough the maitre'd returned and showed them to their table. It was simple, but extremely comfortable. Jia took the menu from the maitre'd with an exaggerated, "thanks," and a wink. He didn't respond, just sniffed and walked away. Jia rolled her eyes at Ling. "Yeah, I've heard of that sickness. Stick-up-the-butt-it is, it's called." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I think it's terminal."

It didn't take her long to peruse the menu, given how few options there were. She did happen to notice that nothing on the menu had a price tag. "Guess this is one of those places where if you have to ask how much the food is, you can't afford it." Ling made an interesting suggestion that they leave their fates up to the chef. She smiled. "Let's do it. We can be just as snobby as any of these people."

So, when a waiter approached to take their order, that was what they did. For once the look they received wasn't one of mild disdain. Jia wasn't sure, but there might have been the tiniest glimmer of respect on the man's face. She might have just imagined it, though. Once the man had gone, she focused back on Ling.

"So earlier you said something about a client earlier. What exactly do you do? Don't think we've actually talked about that yet."

"Oh!" Ling took another swig of her drink, then laughed. "I'm a private investigator. Nothing too serious, usually, I uh..." She blushed, a little embarrassed. "When I was younger I got mixed up in a gang. Not one of the Triads, but a gang nonetheless. I eventually got my head on straight and cut ties, but quite honestly 'petty criminal' and 'private investigator' use a lot of the same skills."

Ling casually left out the horrific turn of events that made her cut ties: her gang had encroached on Triad territory in their heyday, and the Triad had sworn the eradication of her gang. Luckily she wasn't a known associate with the gang — her forgettable face in her favour, for once — and was able to slip out before any real fighting started. But... that was something she and Jia could talk about, if things progressed to something more serious between the two of them.

"Usually we cover simple cases: infidelity, missing persons. Though, we've tried to stay out of the missing persons since the whole... Amon thing because that's one thing I think the RCPD needs to handle and keep tabs on. Honestly being a private eye isn't as glamorous as the penny thrillers and radio dramas make it seem. There isn't a murder case with some dangerous vixen with legs up to the North Pole every other week."

Their appetiser arrived, and Ling's eyes widened. It was a full caviar service. Trying very hard not to gawk, watched as the waiter demonstrated how the caviar was supposed to be handled, scooping out the precious eggs with a very tiny white spoon that looked to be bone or a highly polished white wood. The server informed them (in a tone that was obviously meant to impress) the variety of fish the caviar came from. Ling arranged her face into a very carefully practiced look of appreciation and nodded, though in reality she had no clue what he was talking about. She did, however, know the price of good caviar on the black market and could appreciate the fiscal implications of such an appetiser.

Off to the side was a small platter of freshly buttered toast points and a small serving of crème fraiche. The server indicated that some people preferred to top the toast with a small helping of caviar, and then on top of the caviar some of the cream, but that many liked to eat the caviar by itself. Ling nodded, feeling a little overwhelmed. Why was rich people food so damn complicated?

The waiter walked away and Ling took up the little spoon and handed the extra to Jia. "Well... here goes...!"

She took a small scoop and put the whole thing in her mouth. To her surprise, it wasn't gross at all. It was a little salty and fishy but it wasn't overwhelming. The caviar popped in her mouth like candies and the taste oozed out, and it was more like eating a little bit of buttery fish. It was nothing like the masago her mother prepared at home, which was sweet and a bit spicy — which hated.

She swallowed, then looked at Jia with the surprise evident on her face.

"That... was actually pretty good."

Jia wasn't sure what she'd expected, but Ling's answer was delightful regardless. "A private eye?" She waggled her eyebrows. "Well now. Lucky me, to be dating someone with such an exciting job."

Ling was quick, though, to set the record straight, downplaying the version of PI work popular literature had put in Jia's head. Jia scowled at that. "What, you mean you don't spend every day drinking like a fish, smoking, and punching your way through people until you get the info you want?" she asked. "You saying radio plays lie to me?" She shook her head. "I'm disappointed."

She was joking, but she had been paying attention. It had not escaped her notice that Ling mentioned having once been in a gang. That was potentially dangerous stuff, and something they'd probably have to talk about in the future should things go well between them. Jia was not entirely unfamiliar with the various gangs that coexisted uneasily in Republic City—dock workers were good assets to have in a gang, and various members of the city's criminal element could frequently be found at the ports looking to recruit. She'd been approached several times, and had consistently turned the recruiters down, not wanting to get involved in their bloody work. Knowing that Ling had once had ties to a gang was…disquieting, to say the least.

But, Jia reminded herself, everyone made bad decisions every once in a while. Ling did say that she had cut ties with the gang. If this turned out not to be entirely true, and this caused problems somewhere down the line, well they'd cross that bridge when they came to it. For now, best not to dwell on it.

The appetizer arrived, and immediately Jia was reminded how out of her element she was. She knew what caviar was on a conceptual level, but had never seen it in real life. All she knew was that it was fancy and expensive. The waiter launched into some explanation of just how fancy and expensive this particular kind of caviar was, and Jia nearly had to stifle a yawn. This was the problem with rich people food: too much time was spent talking about how special it was, and the more special it was, the less of it you got. The whole thing seemed pretty silly to her.

But, this was likely to be her only opportunity to eat such sought-after cuisine, so she knew she should try to enjoy it. So, following the waiter's instructions, she assembled a sort of open-faced sandwich of toast, cream, and caviar, and popped it into her mouth. She chewed, and was surprised at the sudden burst of saltiness on her tongue. The taste of the caviar mixed with the sour taste of the cream, creating something entirely new to her. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked it. When she looked at Ling, she was pretty sure their expressions were identical. "It was…weird," she replied. "Not sure how I feel about it yet."

Continuing the experiment, she reached for the ridiculously tiny spoon, and this time ate some of the caviar. Then, she nodded. "Yeah, I think the caviar itself is good, but the cream makes it weird." She took another sip of her drink, enjoying the familiar taste of alcohol she knew she liked. "Wonder what's next."

She didn't have to wait long to find out. Soon, the waiter was back, this time bearing two plates of something more recognizable: salad. The man gave some overly descriptive speech about the salad's ingredients, involving quite a few words Jia had not known existed, but when she looked at the salad, all she saw was a small pile of lettuce leaves—tiny really; she was pretty sure she could count them on her hands—with a couple thin slices of something that looked like radish, and maybe carrots. Some sort of dressing had been drizzled over the top, and the whole thing was arranged to be aesthetically pleasing. And maybe it was, to those who cared about that sort of thing. To Jia, it was a whole bunch of hoopla over something she could make herself at home. Still, she tried it.

Thankfully, the salad was much more to her liking than the caviar sandwich-thing had been. The dressing had a familiar taste to it—she was pretty sure it was lemon—that she very much enjoyed. Her expression brightened. "Well, rich people need to work on their portion sizes," she pronounced. "But at least they eat some tasty stuff."

She couldn't help but arch an eyebrow at the next course: the tiniest portion of salad she'd ever seen in her life. And on a normal basis, Ling hated salad. Leaves with sauce and nothing else? Really?

But this rich-people salad took the figurative cake. It was an assortment of leaves, some dark green, some light green, and some even bizarrely purple. There were spiky-looking leaves and ridged leaves and just... she sniffed the small assortment and smelled lemon. Pursing her lips, Ling picked up a fork and took a tiny bite.

Jia looked pleased, but Ling was conflicted. "I like the lemon stuff," she said slowly. "But I've never been a big fan of salads. Or as my father used to call it, 'lop-eared rabbit food'."

Thankfully, it was a very small plate and Ling managed to finish it in two additional bites. No sooner than she had done so did the server rematerialise with two additional people in tow. The main entrée, the server informed them, was an eight-ounce fillet mignon served with a bérnaise sauce and mashed golden potatoes with a cabernet and shallot gravy mixed with a little au jus. To the side were garlic roasted asparagus spears.

Ling had no idea what any of those things were, but they looked and smelled divine. The portions, once again, were tiny, but and eight ounce hunk of meat was decent.

She grabbed her knife and cut into the meat, fully prepared to saw off a piece like with any other grilled hunk of meat she'd had in her life; to her great surprise, she sliced neatly through the medallion like butter. The meat was done at a lovely medium rare and was, quite frankly the most tender thing she'd eaten in her life.

"Oh!" she breathed. The sauce atop the meat was a beautiful buttery, slightly acrid, with herbs and shallots. The potatoes were smooth and creamy, and the asparagus — a vegetable she normally detested — were soft, but not soggy, and full of flavour she had never thought they could hold.

"Now this," Ling said with satisfaction, "is amazing. Do wealthy people eat like this every day? I don't know if I could do that, the food is so rich! Delicious, but my goodness." She took another bite, savouring the flavour combinations that exploded on her tastebuds.

After a few moments in culinary bliss, Ling pointed her fork at Jia. "So what about you? The docks seem a strange place for someone like you to work. Pretty face, strong as an ox — you'd make a great employee over at that Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall."

So far, Jia was having fun with this dinner. She was getting to eat some stuff she'd never had before and might never have again. She was glad, though, that Ling had encouraged her to eat something before walking over to Kwong's. She'd heard that fancy restaurants served small portions, but she hadn't thought they'd be this small. There was something to be said for less classy joints where you could get enough food for two meals and not break the bank. But taste-wise, Kwong's did have a definite edge.

They finished the salads, and immediately were presented with the main course, which came with its own long list of ingredients, each one stated in the imperious tone that all of the staff at Kwong's seemed to use. Jia supposed she should be impressed, but for all she understood of the server's explanation, he might as well have been speaking a different language. Luckily, she could see the dish for what it was, and it was easy to figure out that it consisted of meat, potatoes, and asparagus. That she could work with.

She got work on the food, and was immediately surprised by how easy the meat was to cut. The doneness wasn't really to her liking—she preferred her meat fully cook, thank you very much—but wasn't going to knock it before she tried it. So, gathering some meat and a bit of potato on her fork, she put it all in her mouth.

"Wow." It took her a moment to form actually coherent thoughts. "This…might be the best thing I've ever eaten." She gaped at her plate, unwilling to believe that a dish that looked so simple could contain such incredible flavor. "I need to get rich somehow so I can do this more often."

She continued eating, trying to pace herself and make the delicious dish last as long as possible. She refocused on Ling as a fork jabbed its way into her field of view. She shook her head at her date's suggestion. "Fashion Mall? Nah, don't think I could cut it there." She spoke around a mouthful of mashed potatoes and asparagus. "I'd have to know…fashion things, and I barely know enough to get myself dressed in the morning." She tapped the side of her head with a finger. "A lot of empty space up here, know what I'm saying? Working on the docks is easy, doesn't require much brain power. Just gotta lift things and put them where I'm told. That I can do all day, no problem."

Ling laughed, taking another bite of food. It was really the most delectable thing she'd eaten in her life, and quite frankly she didn't know if she could return to the cuts of steak mother bought at the butcher's anymore. The cheeseburger from the afternoon had long been forgotten.

"I think they employ people to stock stuff at the Mall," she said. "But yeah, the fashion thing may be a hindrance, though you could have fooled me entirely." She raised an eyebrow and let her gaze roam casually down the length of Jia's figure and then back up to her face and grinned. "Fooled entirely," she repeated.

She took a few more bites, trying to savour each mouthful, before resuming the conversation. "So you met my family," she started, a little awkwardly. "Mei-zhen is the older of the two of us, and I think I told you a waterbender healer who works down at the public clinic in the 'Flats. Mother isn't a bender, but my father was, and that's actually a very romantic story — the gist of it is that her parents, who were really stuffy old-fashioned Galgori, were horrified she fell in love with a waterbender, so the two ran away together to start a new life." She sighed a little. "The way mother tells it, my grandparents are actually on the wealthy side but of course, they wrote her out of the will entirely. But mother's happy the way things are, and she said being with father made her the luckiest woman in the world."

Ling reached for her whiskey and took a long drink. She missed her father greatly; they all did. Even though it had been years, sometimes, late at night, Ling heard her mother crying by the altar when she thought everyone was asleep, murmuring her husband's name sadly. You wouldn't think healers would get sick and be unable to do a thing about it.

"But what about you?" Ling asked curiously. "I mean, if it's an awkward subject we can just slide right past it and pretend I asked you what your favourite probending team is."

Jia laughed as Ling eyed her, resisting the temptation to flex a bit, just barely. "I can clean up when I want to," she allowed. "But you should see my closet. A lot of white sleeveless shirts and brown pants, let me tell you. But hey, good to know this look is working for you. I'll keep it in mind for future dates." She winked.

As Ling resumed speaking, Jia kept eating.  The food really was incredible. She'd had the standard steak and potatoes plenty of times before, but not like this--nowhere near like this. How was she supposed to go back to her life of instant noodles and sandwiches after this?

"Wow, that's a great story," Jia said when Ling finished. "Sucks that your grandparents couldn't see past their hatred for benders. But I'm glad your mother's happy."

She chuckled as Ling asked about her family, then offered her an out. "No need to worry," she replied. "No awkwardness here. My parents are pretty happy, far as I know. My mom's an artist--she makes pottery. My dad brings her pottery here to the city to sell. I used to come with him, help him load everything up on his cart. It's how I got these." Then she did flex her arms, showing off her muscles. "I'd invite you over to meet them, but they live a few day's ride away by ostrich horse, and there's no train station near them."

She took a moment to breathe, sipping her drink. "I have a younger brother too, Kai. He's..." She scratched her head. "Not sure what he's up to these days. Think he left home a bit after I did, but I don't know what he's doing with his life...and for the record, I'm a fan of the Buzzard Wasps."

Ling shrugged at the mention of her grandparents. She'd never met them, of course. Mother said that she had written home about the births of both of their children, and the only response was a bare-minimum obligatory red envelope. Mei-zhen had received a blossom-decorated envelope signifying good blessings, while Ling had received an envelope decorated with oranges and coins — luck and riches. When Ling had asked why Mei-zhen had received a different envelope from her, Shi'ren became strangely quiet. Ling wondered, not for the last time in her life, whether or not the rumours of the Monks being able to sense the bending in a person were true. Still, she puzzled over whether or not, if the legends were true, the Monks could determine it for a child they had never met.

When Jia told her about her parents, Ling's face lit up. "That's so cute! Partners twice over." She laughed a little when Jia mentioned the trip to meet her parents would be too far. "Oh uh, that's all right," she laughed nervously. "An overnight sort of trip is probably ah... something down the line. If... ah... well..." She trailed off, and was quite relieved when Jia resumed speaking about her family.

"A brother!" Ling leaned forward interestedly. "What's that like? When I was little I always dreamed of having a brother. Mei-zhen didn't like to rough-and-tumble a lot, and father spent a lot of time with her teaching her waterbending."

She filed away the Buzzard Wasps for future reference. Perhaps tickets were in order — a date that didn't involve (much) food, and significantly less dancing and walking.

Jia couldn't help smiling whenever she thought of her parents. She loved them more than words could adequately express. They'd always given her and Kai unconditional love. Like most people, she hadn't appreciated them enough when she was younger, and had tried to make up for that in recent years. She knew she didn't visit as much as she should, but she called home at least a few times a month, and set a little money aside from every paycheck to send to them. Her mother's birthday was coming up soon as well, and she was already trying to figure out how she'd secure time off to go home.

Jia noticed the way Ling's voice faltered as she talked about going to visit Jia's parents. It was understandable. She liked Ling—a lot—but wasn't sure if she would be quite ready to spend nights on the road with her just yet. But they could cross that bridge if they came to it. For now, she moved on.

She laughed as Ling's interest in her little brother. "Next time I talk to Kai, I'll let him know how excited you were to hear about him," she chuckled. "He'll be happy. What's it like?" She rested her chin on her hand as she thought. "It's pretty fun. Kai's great, and we get along pretty well. We used to wrestle all the time when we were younger. At first, I won all the time—he was a scrawny kid. Then the little demon hit puberty, and all of a sudden he was looking down at me and bulking up." She grinned, fire in her eyes. "We haven't tussled in a while now. I have more experience fighting other people now—bet I could beat him again."

As she finished talking, the server came back to clear their finished entrée plates. On his heels was another server carrying two small plates, which he set in front of them. This, he explained, was a green tea crème brulee topped with seasonal fruit. Again Jia had never heard of it. It looked to be some sort of custard thing with a hard shell on top. Skeptical, she raised her spoon and gently tapped the thing. She was surprised as the top cracked, revealing the green-tinged custard beneath. "Huh," she muttered. "Well that's neat." Dipping her spoon into the custard, she put a bit in her mouth. "Oh. Oh, that's good." It took her a moment to form words; her mouth was too busy enjoying the flavor explosion. The custard was smooth and sweet, with just a hint of bitterness from the green tea. It was magical.

"I know people say bending is a blessing from the Spirits, but I'd happily give up my Earthbending for the ability to make anything half as good as this."

Having a brother sounded like fun. Ling loved Mei-zhen dearly but there were times that she was just too... sisterly. She was glad Jia had a good family life; far too many people had lost loved ones during the battle for Republic City, or even just due to poverty.

To her dismay, the steak — fillet mignon, pardon — was not a never-ending cornucopia. She cleared her plate far too soon for her liking, and a server came by quickly to clear both her plate and Jia's. The final course was a green tea crème brulee with seasonal fruit. Ah, now the last two words she knew. A custard of some sort with the top torched to caramelise the sugars for a thin crust. Ling kept her face carefully blank as the servers lay the dishes before them. Brulee was far, far too sweet for her liking.

Bracing herself, she picked up a spoon and took a careful first bite. Much to her surprise, the sweetness of the sugars were vastly cut not just by the bitterness of the green tea flavour, but the tartness of the winter fruit, which was a combination of asian pear and ugli.

Ling laughed when Jia said she'd give up her bending for the ability to make something like crème brulee. "I wouldn't know about blessings," she said with a grin. "But this is a lot better than I had expected. I know I drank taho this morning but I'm not really one for sweets. The fruit and the green tea really undercut this, though."

As they ate dessert, the lights of the restaurant dimmed. Music began to play, and a few people got up from their seats to dance. Ling had forgotten all about the dancing, and quite honestly her feet hurt too much from walking all day. Still, one had to treat their date right, no?

"Say, I don't suppose you want to dance, Jia?" Part of her hoped Jia said no. The other part was eager for an excuse to hold Jia close.    

Ling wore a poker face as the server presented her with the crème brulee. Jia wiggled her eyebrows at her date as the server disappeared. "Not a fan of…I forgot what the name of this things was already. Something weird-sounding. It's tasty though."

Ling looked skeptical as she tried the crème brulee, but ultimately proclaimed that it was to her liking. Jia laughed at Ling's even-handed praise of the dessert. "This meal has definitely been an adventure," she replied. "A good one, though." Her eyes narrowed. "I hope you weren't gonna try to pay for all of this, though, just because you sprung it on me as a surprise. I will fight you." She was only half joking.

Jia glanced up as the lights suddenly dimmed. "Did it just get darker in here, or…?" An explanation came swiftly in the form of music, and Jia understood. She had forgotten that Kwong's played music fit for dancing to. Truth be told, she'd just assumed it was too stuck-up of a place to allow for such frivolity. It was good to know that she was wrong.

The music was less lively than when they danced at the Golden Fan, but not so slow as to be boring. Jia took a moment to think as Ling asked if she wanted to dance. On the one hand, spending most of the day snacking had left her feeling rather full by now. On the other hand, it was hard to say no to dancing with a pretty woman. She compromised. "Sure. Maybe just one or two songs, though; don't think I have enough energy for more than that."

Standing, Jia offered Ling her hand and led the way to the dance floor. Given that she was the bigger of the two of them, she took the lead, placing her hands on Ling's waist. They swayed back and forth in time with the music. Jia tried to keep her eyes on Ling, but kept glancing down, afraid of accidentally treading on Ling's feet. "One day I'm going to be able to dance without making a fool of myself," she grumbled. "Today is not that day."

Jia took the lead, glancing down frequently to avoid stepping on her toes. Ling laughed lightly. "It's fine," she said reassuringly. "Nevermind where my feet are, actually, just concentrate on the steps."

She began murmuring instructions for the box step. "Okay, right foot to the right, feet together. Right foot back, feet together. Left foot to the left, feet together. Right foot forward, feet together. Now quarter turn. Repeat." The box step was the simplest of classic dance movements, and not very dependent on knowing where your partner's feet were; instead, it simply required keeping time and knowing which direction to step.

The first song ended and Ling clapped politely; within a few moments, the band struck up another song that was a lot more... intimate. Couples all around them shuffled a little closer together and simply swayed back and forth as they turned slowly on the spot. Well, when in Ba Sing Se...!

Ling slipped her arms around Jia's waist and pulled her closer. "This is a lot kinder on my poor feet," she said, looking into Jia's brilliant green eyes with a grin.

Ling reassured her that she need not worry about crushing her date's feet, but Jia wasn't convinced. "Listen, I'm clumsier than I look when it comes to people," she protested. "Give me a big box and I've got no problem, but this?" She shook her head. "I'm hopeless. I appreciate the vote of confidence, though."

Besides reassurance, Ling also offered instructions, muttering them into her ear. Jia did her best to do as Ling said. The steps were simple enough, and didn't require any fancy sips or spins, which she was sure she'd mess up if she tried. She mixed up her steps a couple times as she first began to try out the box step, but then caught on. By the end of the song, she'd gotten it down.

Jia laughed as the first song ended, clapping along with the rest. She grinned at Ling. "Well look at that. Who'd have thought I'd ever be able to dance? Going out with you has quite a few perks, I guess." The band struck up a second song, and Jia was prepared to continue with her newly acquired moves. Ling caught her off guard by pulling her closer. Jia let out a small "oh!" of surprise, but soon matched Ling's grin. "Oh good," she replied somewhat distracted by the captivating sight of Ling's grey-blue eyes. "I was…really concerned about your…feet…" she trailed off, her mind going blank the longer she stared at Ling. Between the eyes and the freckles dotting her face, it was hard to form coherent thought. Finally, Jia gave in to temptation and leaned in to kiss Ling. She could taste lingering sweetness from the crème brulee on Ling's lips. Her whole face was glowing as they parted.

"You sure know how to show a girl a good time."