InsaneJournal

Those girls from Ba Sing Se
Who: Basim, OTA
When: Saturday morning
Where: The Jasmine Dragon
What: Bass is serving tea

"It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, oh they look so pretty..!" Basim sang to himself as he filled the kettle with water, hooking the handle over the fire they used to steam the water. He had the lyrics right, however he always managed to mess up the melody somehow. It never bothered him, he thought the songs sounded better that way, but some people got their trunks in a twist over the little liberties he took. It was late in the morning and the day was just lovely, so far as Bass was concerned. The day was not oppressively hot, but the warm of the Capital City was just enough to keep the ache out of his old joints. "And they kiss so sweet that you've really got to meet those girls from Ba Sing Seeeee!"

"Oh yeah, they're so sweet that you ran away to Awatan Sathit and married a Fire Nation girl," a patron quipped up as he neared the counter to pay for his tea. Bass was often teased about his past, leaving those pretty girls he always painted and moving to the Captial. Bass took it all in stride with a chuckle and a warm smile. He saw no reason to be offended by any of it. He loved his home city and his mother nation, but he also adored his life here, and would not trade it or the memories of Leng for all the tea in the world.

As her memory rose in his mind, Basim turned his eyes to the portrait which hung on the back wall of the Dragon. Her smiling face, even if nothing more than brush strokes on yellowed paper, brought comfort to the old man. "That I did, her spark was just too much for this old man," he teased his customer in return, taking the payment for the tea. "Thank you, and come again!" He waved farewell as the man exited, leaving the Dragon empty for the moment. There was always a lull in business after the morning rush, Bass thought nothing of it. He instead took the time to tidy up the restaurant, ensuring that the tables were wiped down and the teacups all washed.

Once assured that everything was in order, he stepped outside to feed the monkey-birds. He chuckled deeply as the feathered creatures flocked to him with a flurry of color and squawks. A few had learned to mimic words, the most common ones bing "tea" and, of course "food." Within moments of stepping out with a small bag of raisins, Basim had monkey-birds perched on his arms, shoulders, head, and covering the ground before him. They hopped eagerly from foot to foot, chirping, talking, dancing and flirting in hopes of getting the food they so badly wanted. "How could I forget you?" The old man smiled, tossing handfuls of raisins up as he watched the creatures flurry to the little dried fruits. "No need to push, there's plenty for all!" He promised the colorful creatures, the lot of them putting on quite the show for anyone who happened to be near by.