The Girl and the Fire Lord

5 Chiasa's Suggestion - Kaori POV

Breakfast would start in just a few minutes and I was struggling finishing my makeup in time. Since running into the Fire Lord, I'd made sure to wear makeup every day, but I wasn't especially quick or talented at doing it. Hana wore very simple makeup and looked sweetly beautiful every day, and Hiromi typically wore sharp liner and interesting hair styles to stand out from the other maids. I liked pastels and wearing light lipstick colors, but to be safe, I wanted to wear bolder makeup for a little while. A few times a day I wondered if I was being paranoid, but when I remembered the job I loved more than anything could be on the line if I was found out as the night dress garden girl, I slapped on some more makeup just to be sure. 

I finished the black line on my eyelid and decided it was good enough, gathering my things and heading out the door. The long hallways were pretty, and at this time of day they were already lit by the firebending guards. I didn't used to wake up after the halls were lit. 

When I reached the doors of the grand hall, they were already open and Chiasa was greeting and checking in the staff as they went to eat breakfast. She was a very sweet old woman who worked as a host for as long as anyone remembered. Her lovely dresses, sweet smile, and friendly morning greetings were much appreciated in the early mornings at the palace.

"Good morning Chiasa! Kaori - one ticket please." I said, and she smiled at me as she handed me my shiny, red ticket.

"It is a good morning! You look beautiful today, dear. Are you seeing someone special?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and smirking at me.

"No, only Hiromi and Hana! I don't have much time to talk to the guards." I said, and we both laughed.

"I know dear. The flowers look absolutely stunning, but so do you, so maybe you'll at least say hello to one of them today?" She checked me in on the list and then looked back to me, flashing me the same smirk. 

"Okay Chiasa, I'll say hello to one of the cute guards for you."

"Or waiters!" She said as I walked into the grand hall. 

"Of course Chiasa! See you tomorrow!" I waved to her and walked to find my seat with the girls. They were talking a mile a minute as I walked over to the table. When I sat down, they both stopped talking.

"Good morning! What were you both talking about?" I asked, setting my ticket at the edge of the table to be taken.

"We were talking about how pretty your makeup looks today!" Hiromi answered. "Your liner looks absolutely stunning."

When I was walking over they weren't even looking at me, which felt weird, but I didn't want to push. 

"Thank you! You're both so kind." I said, and Hiromi looked at her menu. Hana seemed to be really engrossed in her menu, and she wasn't smiling like usual. After a moment of strange tension, our server walked over with our napkins.

"Hello again, ladies! It's a pleasure to be serving you again today. My name's Taiyo." He said. Hana was now looking up at him with her big, bright eyes and her menu was lying flat on the table. He seemed to be returning the same type of look. It wasn't very customary for the servers to introduce themselves unless they had been permanently placed with a table. The servers didn't usually get permanent placements unless one of the higher up staff members requested it. If he was introducing himself, he was definitely doing it to make a statement.

"What would you like to begin with today?" He asked. We ordered our drinks, and when he walked away, Hana turned back to her menu, deeply studying it. 

"His name's Taiyo." Hiromi finally said. "You think he's been placed with us?" 

Hana said the menu down almost instantly. "Oh! Do you think so? I didn't really pay attention to what he was saying, but that certainly sounds like he's been placed here!" Her smile grew and she looked even happier than usual. "We should sit at this table every day from now on! What number is this one? Eighty-three... remember that, ladies!" She said, and we all laughed. Taiyo really was cute.