Avatar; The Royal Firebender.

Whispers Of The Spirit.

As the last dishes are placed into the sink, Sokka picks up a small folding sign and walks out in front of the tea shop. He unfolds the small sign and sets it up beside the sundial in the center of the court yard. "Afternoon lunch break, we'll reopen at 3pm." The small sign reads, the logo for The Jasmine Dragon painted just at the base of the sign. He locks the doors after the last customer leaves before taking a seat in one of the booths. "Man, that was rough. There must've been half the upper ring in here this morning." He sighs, stretching as wide as he can before taking off his apron and reclining back in the seat slightly. "Thanks for taking over with the noodles babe, I usually over cook them." Yue smiles softly as she places his and her bowls on the table before setting down a small teapot. It doesn't take long for Aang, Jin, Katara and Toph to migrate over to the side booth and take a seat. As Jin plops herself down on the end of the short bench, she sets down a tray of dumplings and fried tofu. The wooden bowl didn't even touch the table before Sokka snatched one of the large steamed dumplings off of the board. Grinning, Sokka licks his lips before opening his mouth wide to tear into the large dumpling when he notices it.

Silence, not in the "We're tired, hungry and don't have the energy to talk." Sort of silence, this kind of silence hangs awkwardly in the air like a joke that didn't quite land right. It has weight, tension and unspoken questions hanging with it. More noticeably, Zuko isn't in attendance but they hear the Avatar/former prince upstairs walking around. They can even feel his movements, the entire building seems to shake gently with each step as tremors radiate through it. Sokka sets his meat bun down slowly before looking around the table at the others. Then he breaks the silence, with the theatrical caution of someone stepping into a sacred temple with muddy boots: "So... are we all just going to pretend that didn't happen? Or are we going to talk about the part where Lee just showed off all his bending for a random woman and two kids?"

The silence deepens for a moment. No one answers. Then Yue inhales, sharp and quiet, and finally says what they've all been thinking. "He called that tea... The Spirit's Brew." She nods toward the small white ceramic bowl still resting at the edge of the counter where it had been left. Cold mist still wafts gently from its surface, curling lazily into the air like incense. As if the tea itself hasn't forgotten what it was. As if it's still alive.

Toph stands from the small table, turning and sliding out of her side of the booth. Timidly she walks over to the temple and picks up the ceramic bowl. The cold sensation around the rim is just barely above freezing, and it almost hurts to hold it. She quickly brings it over to their table so they can investigate it further. Jin spots a sliver of movement from the corner of her eye, a small piece of paper had drifted to the ground. "Sokka, pick up that piece of paper that fell from the table."

"Why me?" He asks mid chew, though thankfully he had the courtesy to cover his mouth with his hand before replying.

"Because you're closer?" Jin asks incredulously, her lips tucked into an unamused blank expression. Sokka grumbles before standing and picking up the small folded note. "Is it just a napkin?" She asks, prompting him to unfold the small parchment.

The hand drawn face of the blue spirit looks up at him from the parchment. "What the..." He mumbles, then he notices the writing on the page. "Finish your meal, then speak to Mushi. You will not be charged." He stares at it for a moment before turning it around so the others can see it.

"If you're holding up a piece of paper, you're gonna have to tell me what's on it." Sokka stares at her for a long moment. Toph slowly tilts her head toward him, then raises her hand and waves it in front of her unblinking eyes.

"Right... Sorry." He says before reading, "It's a note. Says to talk to Mushi after the meal, and it's got this weird smiling face on it."

"Looks more like an oni," Aang mutters, accepting the parchment as Sokka passes it to him. "Why would Lee give something like this to that woman?" He pauses for a moment feeling the dense paper in his fingers. "This isn't regular parchment," He says, passing the piece of paper to Katara. "Feel this."