The Tea House (Open) <? Earth Kingdom>

[laughingjin]

It's mid-afternoon. A long tanned boy sits on the tea house porch, his nimble fingers plucking the chords on his Pipa, lute, creating a soothing tune, something that he isn't accustomed doing. His light brown bangs create a veil over his serene face. One leg is out stretched the other is bend up at the knee, his already rumbled pants wrinkle further.
There's a copper cup by his side filled up with a few copper coins as well. A slow sigh emits from his mouth as his fingers continued to work the melody.He hadn't found work this morning and, once again, was stuck in front of the local tea house playing music for passer byes.
'There must be a way to make this more interesting,' Jin thought intently. His brow furrowed underneath the veil that was his hair as he thought. A cricket-hopper chirped at his side.
That's when the idea dawned, with the speed of a prankster he snatched u the cricket, cupping it between his two hands, the Pipa fell to his lap.
A jester's grin spread across Jin's long tanned face. He spoke to the cricket, laughter buried in his voice, "I have big plans for you little guy."
Placing the cricket-hopper inside the copper cup, Jin gathered up his things and made his way stealthily to the back of the tea house.
He knocked, three times in a sing-song pattern, on the back door, the entrance to the kitchen. An eleven-year-old girl, Jin's sister Ayumi, waited on the other side, and gingerly opened the door. Her lips twitched in a smile, her freckled nose scrunching slightly as she did so, "What mischief do you have planned?"
Jin's even white grin broadened, if possible, "C'mon, let's go make some tea."

[laughingjin]

The Cricket-Hopper chirped softly inside the rounded plane white china cup. The young lanky man was kneeling near the table in that the tea tray, which helled the cup, rested on; eye level with the cup and the cricket-hopper, who peeked it's head out of the cup. It's antennas swayed slightly and is chirped once more.
Gingerly, Jin lifted a thin calloused finger to his lips "Shhh, my little friend," he coaxed as if the cricket-hopper could understand. "I promise you, no harm will come."
Oddly enough the cricket-hopper uttered one last chirp and ceased it's song immediately. A smile touch Jin's lips as he whispered in that same soothing voice,"Good boy."
The steam from the jasmine tea, already in it's tea pot on the bamboo tray, bellowed out of the spot in the still air; along with it came the heavy scent of the flower. Both Jin and his sister took a unison breath through their identical noses, taking in the scent. Ayumi, who was crouched beside her older brother, stood. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her Yukata, and picked up the tea tray, her hands on either side. She hissed a whisper down at Jin, "We're going to get into so much trouble."
His smile blossomed into a grin, "That's what makes it so much fun."
Ayumi's lips twitched in a smile as she rolled her eyes. She padded out of the kitchen and into the service room, looking for someone to give a "complimentary" cup of jasmine tea too.
Jin crouched behind the main counter, peeking his veiled eyes over just enough to view his prank. The grin never left his lips, "This is going to be fun."

[laughingjin]

"What's taking so long" Jin breathed out in barely a whisper to himself. Ayumi had returned to her work, so as to not look suspicious; Jin, on the other hand, had stayed behind to watch his handy work. He still crouched below the counter, just barely eye level to the surface to spy on his unsuspecting victim. A heavy set, bearded, bespectacled, man who was reading what seemed to be a very long letter. The tea, and the cup that contained the Cricket-Hopper sat on his table untouched. Every time he appeared to be ready to poor the tea, something in the letter would catch his eye and he'd stop.
Jin let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He wasn't accustomed to sitting this long for an extended period of time and it was beginning to take it's tole on his nerves. Of course being a prankster required some for of patience, it never seemed to take this long for a reaction to take affect.
"Come. On!" Jin spoke a little too loudly. His mother's, Chiaki, who also worked at the tea house, hazel eyes latched onto him from the back room window, "Jin!"
Jin, surprised, jumped from his crouch, only to hit his nose on the lip of the counter and fall back to the floor, clutching his throbbing nose. "Ack!" His eyes clenched shut against the pain.
The large man with the letter stood up, as did many of the other patrons, to see what all the commotion was about. It was that precise time that the Crick-Hopper jumped from the tea cup into the heavy set man's shirt. "Auh!" He began flailing his arms and hopping from foot to foot, desperate to try and get the small creature out. One of his flailing arms hit a tea tray and hot, what smelt like green, tea flew through the air and landed all over another customer. It wasn't long before all chaos broke out in the small tea house.
In the midst of the chaos, Chiaki made her way out of the back room. There she stood, over he son, who was laying on the floor propped up on his elbows, tapping her green slippered foot and scowling. Jin winced with the threat of what to come. A nervous laugh creeped between a nervous smile on his lips.
Amids the mess, the Cricket-Hopper hopped between the two, and chipped.

[laughingjin]

The loudest sound in the world, when you're in trouble that is, is silence. The silence seemed like a deep fog, drifting around the entire, now cleared out, but still messy, tea house, and settling in the back room. There Jin and Ayumi sat on wooden stools, heads turned down to face the floor. Their mother, Chiaki, stood in front of them tapping her slippered shoe, her arms crossed and her face scowling down at he both of them.
Jin desperately tried to keep from laughing. He knew he shouldn't, knew that it would only make matters worse for him, but he couldn't help it. He bit his bottom lip and suppressed a grin to a ere smile. His lip started to throb from the pressure of his teeth, and he didn't know how long he could stop the laughter from coming. His body was tense with the attempt, and he clutched the side of the stool as if it were for dear life.
"I'm very ashamed of you two!" His mother scolded, her voice trying to sound harsh but still retaining her usual peaceful state, hidden under the anger. "Ayumi, you should know better!" She continued, her light brown hair a bit frazzled from the fiasco. She shook her finger, and had her hand on her hip. Jin was tearing in his attempt to suppress his laughter, which was failing miserably.
Ayumi hunger her head meekly next to him, or so it appeared. Jin knew there was a silent smile under the veil created by the hair matching his own.
"And you, Jin!" Jin kept hi eyes on the floor. "You're eighteen, when are you going to grow up?! Friends of yours are out, already, starting a life of their own."
This truly took a stab at Jin, and at once his smile vanished. He thought of some of childhood friends, and though none of them were close they were still his friends. Some were off in the war, others were in different towns finding their own fortune. Here Jin was, defending his house home and others, working for his family and living at home. The glum settled over the silence, and he knew everyone could feel the mood shift. His body became less tense, and his breathing ease. Silence was truly recognized when the absence of Jin's snickers and chuckles hit the air.
"Well..." his mother continued, not knowing what to say in the sudden change. "You two are to both clean up the mess out there. And you cannot leave until it is spotless."
Jin stood meekly without a word, his eyes plastered to the ground, and made his way out to the Tea Room.

[laughingjin]

The sun had already began to set, tinting the sky the colors of the fire nation, passionate reds and deep oranges. His long fingers enclosed around the neck of his Pipa all but dragging it out of the tea house. Jin's body ached from the hours of cleaning, more so his mind ached from what his mother had said. 'When are you going to grow up?!' The words echoed through his head like a bad melody.
A sigh slipped throw his lips, putting down his copper cup as he did before. Jin's long form leaned up against the tea house, before sliding down to the fall, the back of his shirt bunching up a bit as he did so. He sat, one long leg out stretched the other bent upward. His gloom inspired sluggish state made the set up of his fingers seem all the more painful. Gently he began to strum a mindless tune, playing his heavy heart on the strings. The melody was carried through the air, casting a sense of tranquil sorrow on the slow town. The words that echoed through Jin's head, played out on the chords. He closed his eyes, and let the music take him.

[laughingjin]

The scorching sun's setting rays continues to dance and twinkle, bringing the dark night where it's hands couldn't touch. The bare, already tanned, skin of Jin soaked up the warmth as he watched the world from his cracked eyelids; his fingers continuing the graze across the the pipa, creating a mellow symphony, not at all like the one he had been playing earlier this morning.
A sigh escaped his thin lips, his dark brown bangs fluttering in the manufactured breeze. "Maybe she's right," he let out a barely audible whisper. "Maybe I do need grow up." He sighed once more, choosing a tune familiar to him. His fingers began to work as the lyrics slipped out from under his breath, in a calm even tone, "Winter. Spring. Summer and Fall."
'I should grow up.'
"Winter. Spring. Summer and Fall."
The world continue to move around him, he all be acknowledge the small struggle going on across the street.
"Four seasons. Fo-ur loves."
The struggle ended and both participants, the small boy and the stranger deserted the area, going their separate ways.
"Four seasons. Foo-our loves."
A small copper coin clicked as it dropped inside his cup. Jin turned his dancing grin eyes turned up to whoever had dropped the coin. There, he met the smiling freckled face of his sister. A smile across her face and her voice filled with warmth, "Come on, lover boy. You're not staying out here during dinner."
A small smile twitched at the corners of his lips. He gathered his cup and pipa, and followed his sister back to their small house. The long arms of the sun shrinking as it continued to set. 'Maybe, I should grow up... but not today.'