Winter had come quickly for the Otter Penguins. Due to the show Kiara and Zian put on, the Otter Penguins had received a little more recognition, which was fine by Rika. The group could use more eyes on them. They were still without a sponsor, and they would more than likely need one soon. Rika had hoped that the match between Kiara and Zian would cause a potential sponsor to show up, however; it didn't. They were fine for now, but eventually, they would need to do more, and Rika wasn't sure if all the resources she had saved for her team would make it through. Haki had tried playing a part in finding a sponsor, talking with as many people as he could, finding resources and using them as much as he could.
Rika sighed softly to herself, balancing two plates on one arm and another plate on the other. Kiara had invited them all over for a night, and Rika couldn't say no to her friend. She had arrived a bit earlier than the others, helping Kiara cook the meal for four people. Today was also a rather special day, and Rika had brought along three small gifts. She couldn't afford much, at least not now, but she had still wanted to be able to give her friends something. She didn't exactly know what to get them, and had gone with what she thought they might like. Haki, on the other hand, had not yet arrived. He stood outside a small shop, staring in at the contents and held a contemplative look across his face. He had yet to get a gift for anyone, and he was having a hard time figuring out what to get them.
He had purchased something small for Lotus, but Turtle-Duck and Fang were a little more difficult. He was sure that the two girls didn't have any trouble choosing gifts. He should have dragged Lotus with him. Releasing a defeated sigh, Haki entered the shop and purchased what he thought would be good gifts for the other two. He made his way towards Kiara's apartment, the three gifts tucked neatly beneath his arm. He hoped he got something they would at least enjoy.
Kiaraâs gifts were already in a small stack on her table, but she moved them to the sofa when they started laying out dishes of food. Her table was somewhat small, but it should fit four people comfortably enough, and the extra food could be left on the kitchen counter. She was putting large dishes in the center of the table when the first knock came upon the door. âItâs open!â she called, figuring that nobody who didnât want to be at her apartment would be dropping by on Midwinterâs Day. Sheâd insisted on this little gathering with her friends because it was something of a tradition at the North Poleâusually, the whole city got together for a huge festival with food and waterbending displays and lights⊠and oftentimes, weddings. Actually, if sheâd stayed there, she might have been getting married today.
The thought was very strange, and she almost shuddered to think about it. Regardless of those implications, she really missed her family sometimes, much as they had tended to bother her. She found that she couldnât stand the idea of spending Midwinter all by herself, so sheâd decided that sheâd do her best to spend it with her friends. Somehow, the four of them had become a very tightly-knit group over the months sheâd been in Republic City, and she wouldnât trade that for anything. Almost nine months since sheâd moved, and she finally felt at home here. There were still some things she was getting used to, and some things she didnât understand, but sheâd settled into her life as a professional bender and a friend to three very different, very interesting people.
Sheâd learned a lot about them, tooâjust the little things. She knew Rika had had a lot of siblings, for instance, and that her father had died. She knew Haki was an only child, and that his parents lived somewhere in Republic City, and that heâd once worked at the Republic City Bank, of all places. She still had no idea what Fang did for a living, but she did know that he was originally from the Fire Nation, and she had the feeling that his parents were important people somehow. She wondered if he could bend, but sheâd never asked, and heâd never divulged. Maybe it was a sore spotâsometimes, those born into bending families who didnât have the ability themselves were shunned. She thought it was silly, herselfâwaterbending was no doubt a big part of who she was, but it didnât make her better than someone who couldnât do it.
The door opened at her call, to admit Fang, who smoothly ducked around the incoming Rika and stood off to one side out of the way. He blinked golden eyes at the food on offer, making only one comment: âI believe this much would feed eight.â
"Oh, sorry Fang," Rika called out as she apologized for almost hitting Fang with the plates. She set them on the table, dusted her hands in satisfaction and grinned at the plates. He was probably right, they did make a lot of food. But, then again, she knew Haki could probably put away a quarter of it, so there was nothing too much to worry about. She could put away perhaps a little less than he could, and she wasn't too sure on how much Fang and Kiara could eat. These kind of things always worked themselves out in the end, anyways, so she wasn't overly concerned with it. She pursed her lips together as she took in Fang's words.
"Well, there are four of us so it'll be okay if someone wants seconds," she stated, shrugging her shoulders before retreating back to the kitchen to grab the cups for the tea she and Kiara prepared as well. She wondered, just for a moment, where Haki could be. Knowing him, he probably got sidetracked by something or someone. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It would be just like him for that to happen. Haki, however, stood outside of Kiara's apartment, glancing at the gifts one last time before sighing. Unlike most people, because Haki wasn't like most people, he opened the door to Kiara's apartment without knocking, and blinked at the scene.
"Are we expecting to feed an army today?" he stated, raising a brow as he set his gifts down on the table where the others sat. He meant it mildly since there wasn't that many options to choose from, and allowed his lips to tilt slightly upwards. He could almost hear the glare Rika sent him. "What? My dear Lotus, I am merely making an observation," he stated, shrugging his shoulders. Rika frowned and shook her head, opting to ignore him for the moment. He merely chuckled lightly before turning towards the two women. "Can I be of assistance in one way?" he stated. It seemed that they had everything under control, but if they needed help...he supposed he could render his aid.
Kiara shrugged, raising a reddish eyebrow and tilting her head slightly to the side. âYou could help us by eating. We do seem to have enough food for an army, after all.â Her mouth ticking up into a half-smile, she gestured at all of them to be seated, then ducked back into the kitchen, rummaging around in her icebox until she came away with a bottle. Returning to the main room, she got Rika to earthbend the cork out before setting it on the table. âI, uh⊠promise no more winebending, but I thought a little bit might be nice?â She smiled sheepishly. Kiara still didnât remember the winebending incident, but Haki had retold it enough times that she was certain it had happened.
Well, something to keep in mind: neither she nor Rika could hold liquor, so they shouldnât drink much. With an elegant flourish of her fingers, she bent some of the liquid into each glass in front of them, then took her seat next to Rika on the left side of the table. âDig in, everyone, and Happy Midwinter!â
Fang had to admit, the food was much better than anything he was capable of making himself, and both the tea and the wine were quite tasty as well. He had no issues eating a second helping of the food, which looked to be a Four Nations tour in cuisine. He knew Kiara to be capable of making basically anything, but he suspected at least some of the fare to be Rikaâs work as well. âThis is excellent,â he observed honestly, earning himself a grin from the waterbender.
Haki raised a brow, but thought nothing more of the statement. If she wanted him to eat, then he wasn't exactly going to say no. It looked too good to pass up, and he wasn't about to either. Instead, he situated himself on the table and held back a chuckle at Kiara's statement. Though the incident had been entertaining, a repeat of it wasn't exactly on his list of things he wanted to see happen today. Perhaps another day, but not this particular day. He was well aware of the Midwinter Day traditions, though they might have differed slightly between the Northern and Southern tribe. He wasn't exactly sure of what those differences were, but nonetheless it seemed that there really wasn't a difference.
"Happy Midwinter Day," Haki repeated as he began chewing his food. Fang was right, it was excellent. He did not know the two could produce such things, but then again, he was aware Lotus could cook certain foods. But he did not know Kiara was capable. She probably told him, but he couldn't really recall at the moment. He was enjoying his meal. Rika shared the grin Kiara sported, however; she glanced warily at her cup of wine. She laughed nervously and kept it to the side, instead partaking in her tea. She really didn't like the taste of wine, and the incident had left a rather deep impression. She didn't wish to repeat it even if she wasn't being challenged like she had been.
"Ah, I didn't know exactly what to get you or Fang, so I just...um," Rika started as they had finished their food. She hadn't exactly known what to get her friends, though she knew Fang liked tea, or seemed to enjoy it at least. Kiara was a little more difficult. She hadn't known exactly what to get the waterbender, but she hoped it would do. "I hope you like it though," she continued as she handed Fang and Kiara their gifts. Fang, she had actually made his gift. Haki had told her not too long ago that he was particularly skilled in playing the flute. She didn't know what kind of flute he played, seeing as there were different styles and different ones made out of different materials.
So, instead of buying him one, she only bought the metal so she could bend him one. She had managed to get a skilled blacksmith to carve a dragon along the side of it and placed two citrine gems for the eyes. For Kiara, she had bought the waterbender a spice rack and a few spices to put in it. Kiara liked spicy things, if she recalled correctly, and Rika hadn't known what else to get the waterbender. For Haki, she just got him a few coupons for her shop seeing as he made a big deal about Fang getting free tea when he didn't. Haki, on the other hand, had bought Fang a whetstone. He had seen Fang's swords and thought he could use them to keep the blades sharp. Sure, he probably had some of his own, but you could never have too many whetstones.
For Kiara, he had bought her a rather peculiar set of pins. One was a Yin pin, the other a Yang pin. When put together, it made the yin and yang symbol, something he thought fitting for the waterbender. For Lotus, however, he merely smiled. She'd find out as soon as she opened the present. But for now, he would wait for the others to open hers before he gave them his.
Kiara was the first to open hers, grinning broadly when she sorted through the array of spices. There were some really good ones here; sheâd have to try them out with some new dishes soon. âOh, thank you, Rika!â she said, leaning sideways to pull the other girl into a one-armed sideways hug. She hopped up from her seat on the couch immediately thereafter and went to put the spices away in her kitchen, taking a moment to alphabetize them. She kept her apartment rather neat as a rule, after all.
Fang, on the other hand, was silent for a moment, turning the flute over in his hands and examining the carvings on the side. It was⊠quite an apt gift, actually, and he was surprised by it. Adjusting his posture slightly, he raised it to just beneath his lips and decided to test the sound of the instrument. The song was on the short side for such pieces, but when he drew the instrument away at the end of it, he nodded slightly. âThank you,â he said quietly, a touch of warmth creeping into his tone as he met eyes with Rika. âIt is well-crafted.â A flicker of something passed over his face, but then his attention was drawn to Kiara reentering, a smile on her face and three parcels in hand. She distributed them to each of the others, figuring that it might as well be her turn now.
Hakiâs parcel contained a red silk scarf that sheâd made herself, embroidering it with golden thread in a dragon motif. Fangâs contained a kit for the maintenance of metal items, which sheâd intended for the swords but would clearly do just as well for the new flute, including polish and several materials for removing scratches and the like. She almost didnât like giving practical gifts, but then again, he was a practical person, so it seemed to fit. For Rika, she had something fairly interesting: a few jars of homemade mango jam. She knew the flavor to be her friendâs favorite, and so had made preserves out of it so that she could have a little of the flavor with tea and snacks whenever she wanted.
Rika smiled and returned the hug Kiara had given her. She was glad she seemed to like it, otherwise she would have been mortified and would have probably ran out to find her a different gift. She blinked, however, when Fang spoke, taking the flute to his lips and playing a song. She stood, listening to it as it fluttered through the small apartment, Haki closing his eyes to enjoy the sound. Once the song was finished, Rika clapped softly. She had never heard the flute played so well, and honestly, she quite enjoyed it. She laughed nervously at his statement, though, and felt her face flush in embarrassment. The flute wasn't anything too special, but she was glad he liked it nonetheless. Haki shook his head lightly at the gift Rika had given him, and had to refrain from laughing at it.
He, however, turned towards Kiara when she returned with her own gifts, giving them to Rika, Fang, and himself. He watched as Rika opened hers, her jade eyes shining brightly at the jam. He knew she loved mango flavored items, and he could only guess that Kiara knew that as well and made the jam for her. It wasn't a secret to begin with, actually, so perhaps it was expected. He opened his present next as Rika almost squeezed Kiara a bit hard. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she squeezed the air out of her, but Rika was excitable to that point. Instead, he allowed his fingers to glide across the silken scarf in his box, pulling it out and examining it. The stitching on it was almost superb, and it was exceptionally soft.
Her own work, no doubt, and he offered a soft smile towards Kiara. An unusual sight as he usually either grinned or smirked at her. "Thank you, Kiara," he spoke, pulling the scarf around his neck and fixing it. "I suppose it is my turn then," he spoke, passing out his gifts and sat back down. Rika stared at her gift, shaking the box as if it would reveal what it was without opening. She peeled the paper back slowly. She didn't trust Haki enough to tear open the gift, however; when she opened the lid to the box, her eyes widened slightly before readjusting. She laughed softly as she pulled out the Otter Penguin doll he had won at the festival.
"Really, Haki?" she stated, shaking her head lightly, but still smiling. He merely shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "Thank you," she stated, punching his shoulder lightly before wrapping her arms around the Otter Penguin and hugged it closely towards her, the smile slowly morphing into a grin. Haki shook his head. She could be such a child sometimes, but he was glad she at least enjoyed her gift, even if it wasn't much.
There was an odd little stutter in Kiaraâs chest at the expression on his face, but she covered it with a bright grin, raising a hand to the back of her head. She soon found herself with another present in-hand, however, and though she glanced over to see Fang snort softly at his new whetstones and nod his thanks at the other man, she was distracted by Rika, who seemed amused. Glancing at the gift, she could see why. If her ribs didnât hurt from that crushing hug, she might have laughed to see the stuffed otter penguin. Still adorable, and a pleasant reminder of something else theyâd all done as friends, back when the status was new.
When she opened her own gift, it was to find a beautiful pair of hairpins, worked in a mix of wood and mother-of-pearl. She wasnât sure sheâd ever owned anything so pretty before, and she made a small noise that was a bit like a squeak of surprise, lifting them reverently from the case they came in and fixing the pair of them in her hair before beaming across the room, then launching herself at Haki, too. There were a lot of hugs going around this evening, but this one was particularly warm, probably because he was a firebender. âThank you,â she said quietly, setting her forehead against his shoulder before she released him. Sheâd sort of crawled into his lap to hug him, so she extricated herself with care and then turned to Fang.
Two of his gifts were wrappedâthe ornamental earrings in hers earning him her third hug of the day. They appeared to be teardrop-shaped sapphires, wrapped in delicate silver wiring. They would dangle from her ear and about halfway down her neck. That made two pretty things she now owned, where once sheâd had none. It was a little odd reallyâsheâd never imagine spending money on such things for herself, but she really did like them. Hakiâs gift turned out to be an up-to-date copy of the official Probending Guide to Republic City, which she knew from listening to her landlord was hard to find in print. Usually, smaller pamphlets circulated with statistics and such things, but the book had information on all the teams, a history of the sport, schematics of the arena, and all kinds of information that only really dedicated fans of the sport would care about.
He produced no package for Rika, however, and Kiara glanced curiously between them for a moment, before he seemed to realize what they were waiting for. âAh,â he said, and then reached into a pocket. When he withdrew his hand again, there was a tiny baby fire ferret sleeping in it, apparently having been content to nap in his shirt the whole time. It could not have been more than a few weeks old, judging from the size, and it might well be the most adorable thing Kiara had ever seen. âI found her two weeks ago, while I was out walking. She is ready for solid food now, but I do not really have the sort of schedule that makes keeping her very practical. I thought she might do better with you, should you not mind.â Heâd spent the two weeks basically bringing her back from the edge of death, but saw no real need to tell that part of the story. He wasnât trying to guilt her into taking the ferret, after all.
Haki was mildly surprised when Kiara launched herself at him, and was thankful that he was sitting down. If the force of which she hit him with was anything, he might have toppled over with her had he been standing. "You are welcome, Turtle-Duck," he replied, returning the hug once his surprise wore off and watched her crawl out of his lap. He frowned lightly, fighting off the urge to pull her back into his lap, and instead, folded his hands across his lap. He occupied them with Fang's gift next, though, when the man produced his. He raised a brow at his gift, before his lips pulled into a light smirk. It was a probending guide, one that was in print. "These are hard to come by. Thank you, Fang." he stated, placing the guide down in a safe spot. He'd read it later.
Rika smiled at everyone's gift, and made no notion to change her facial expression when she did not receive a gift from Fang. It didn't matter, she didn't need one from everyone really, though she did have to fight off a frown from covering her lips. That, however, was soon replaced by a curious gaze when Fang reached into his pocket and produced something. For a moment, Rika blinked at the small creature in Fang's hand, trying to figure out what it was even though it was obvious. Her eyes remained the same until they began to grow, shining a bit brighter than normal. She reached hesitantly out for it, taking the small ferret from Fang's hand and cradled it closer to her. She loved Fire Ferrets. Her family had raised them, were raising them, and she had brought one along with her. San would finally have a play mate.
Though San was already two years old, and this one barely a few weeks, she was sure the two would get along. Instead, she stared at Fang, her eyes watering slightly as a smile covered her face. Haki had to resist the urge to not laugh at her, but she ignored him. Instead, she bowed lowly, her hair falling over as she tried not to cry. She had the best friends, she really did. "Thank you, Fang," she stated softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Jiao, I'll name her Jiao," for the creature was delicate. The name suited.
Rika sighed softly to herself, balancing two plates on one arm and another plate on the other. Kiara had invited them all over for a night, and Rika couldn't say no to her friend. She had arrived a bit earlier than the others, helping Kiara cook the meal for four people. Today was also a rather special day, and Rika had brought along three small gifts. She couldn't afford much, at least not now, but she had still wanted to be able to give her friends something. She didn't exactly know what to get them, and had gone with what she thought they might like. Haki, on the other hand, had not yet arrived. He stood outside a small shop, staring in at the contents and held a contemplative look across his face. He had yet to get a gift for anyone, and he was having a hard time figuring out what to get them.
He had purchased something small for Lotus, but Turtle-Duck and Fang were a little more difficult. He was sure that the two girls didn't have any trouble choosing gifts. He should have dragged Lotus with him. Releasing a defeated sigh, Haki entered the shop and purchased what he thought would be good gifts for the other two. He made his way towards Kiara's apartment, the three gifts tucked neatly beneath his arm. He hoped he got something they would at least enjoy.
Kiaraâs gifts were already in a small stack on her table, but she moved them to the sofa when they started laying out dishes of food. Her table was somewhat small, but it should fit four people comfortably enough, and the extra food could be left on the kitchen counter. She was putting large dishes in the center of the table when the first knock came upon the door. âItâs open!â she called, figuring that nobody who didnât want to be at her apartment would be dropping by on Midwinterâs Day. Sheâd insisted on this little gathering with her friends because it was something of a tradition at the North Poleâusually, the whole city got together for a huge festival with food and waterbending displays and lights⊠and oftentimes, weddings. Actually, if sheâd stayed there, she might have been getting married today.
The thought was very strange, and she almost shuddered to think about it. Regardless of those implications, she really missed her family sometimes, much as they had tended to bother her. She found that she couldnât stand the idea of spending Midwinter all by herself, so sheâd decided that sheâd do her best to spend it with her friends. Somehow, the four of them had become a very tightly-knit group over the months sheâd been in Republic City, and she wouldnât trade that for anything. Almost nine months since sheâd moved, and she finally felt at home here. There were still some things she was getting used to, and some things she didnât understand, but sheâd settled into her life as a professional bender and a friend to three very different, very interesting people.
Sheâd learned a lot about them, tooâjust the little things. She knew Rika had had a lot of siblings, for instance, and that her father had died. She knew Haki was an only child, and that his parents lived somewhere in Republic City, and that heâd once worked at the Republic City Bank, of all places. She still had no idea what Fang did for a living, but she did know that he was originally from the Fire Nation, and she had the feeling that his parents were important people somehow. She wondered if he could bend, but sheâd never asked, and heâd never divulged. Maybe it was a sore spotâsometimes, those born into bending families who didnât have the ability themselves were shunned. She thought it was silly, herselfâwaterbending was no doubt a big part of who she was, but it didnât make her better than someone who couldnât do it.
The door opened at her call, to admit Fang, who smoothly ducked around the incoming Rika and stood off to one side out of the way. He blinked golden eyes at the food on offer, making only one comment: âI believe this much would feed eight.â
"Oh, sorry Fang," Rika called out as she apologized for almost hitting Fang with the plates. She set them on the table, dusted her hands in satisfaction and grinned at the plates. He was probably right, they did make a lot of food. But, then again, she knew Haki could probably put away a quarter of it, so there was nothing too much to worry about. She could put away perhaps a little less than he could, and she wasn't too sure on how much Fang and Kiara could eat. These kind of things always worked themselves out in the end, anyways, so she wasn't overly concerned with it. She pursed her lips together as she took in Fang's words.
"Well, there are four of us so it'll be okay if someone wants seconds," she stated, shrugging her shoulders before retreating back to the kitchen to grab the cups for the tea she and Kiara prepared as well. She wondered, just for a moment, where Haki could be. Knowing him, he probably got sidetracked by something or someone. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. It would be just like him for that to happen. Haki, however, stood outside of Kiara's apartment, glancing at the gifts one last time before sighing. Unlike most people, because Haki wasn't like most people, he opened the door to Kiara's apartment without knocking, and blinked at the scene.
"Are we expecting to feed an army today?" he stated, raising a brow as he set his gifts down on the table where the others sat. He meant it mildly since there wasn't that many options to choose from, and allowed his lips to tilt slightly upwards. He could almost hear the glare Rika sent him. "What? My dear Lotus, I am merely making an observation," he stated, shrugging his shoulders. Rika frowned and shook her head, opting to ignore him for the moment. He merely chuckled lightly before turning towards the two women. "Can I be of assistance in one way?" he stated. It seemed that they had everything under control, but if they needed help...he supposed he could render his aid.
Kiara shrugged, raising a reddish eyebrow and tilting her head slightly to the side. âYou could help us by eating. We do seem to have enough food for an army, after all.â Her mouth ticking up into a half-smile, she gestured at all of them to be seated, then ducked back into the kitchen, rummaging around in her icebox until she came away with a bottle. Returning to the main room, she got Rika to earthbend the cork out before setting it on the table. âI, uh⊠promise no more winebending, but I thought a little bit might be nice?â She smiled sheepishly. Kiara still didnât remember the winebending incident, but Haki had retold it enough times that she was certain it had happened.
Well, something to keep in mind: neither she nor Rika could hold liquor, so they shouldnât drink much. With an elegant flourish of her fingers, she bent some of the liquid into each glass in front of them, then took her seat next to Rika on the left side of the table. âDig in, everyone, and Happy Midwinter!â
Fang had to admit, the food was much better than anything he was capable of making himself, and both the tea and the wine were quite tasty as well. He had no issues eating a second helping of the food, which looked to be a Four Nations tour in cuisine. He knew Kiara to be capable of making basically anything, but he suspected at least some of the fare to be Rikaâs work as well. âThis is excellent,â he observed honestly, earning himself a grin from the waterbender.
Haki raised a brow, but thought nothing more of the statement. If she wanted him to eat, then he wasn't exactly going to say no. It looked too good to pass up, and he wasn't about to either. Instead, he situated himself on the table and held back a chuckle at Kiara's statement. Though the incident had been entertaining, a repeat of it wasn't exactly on his list of things he wanted to see happen today. Perhaps another day, but not this particular day. He was well aware of the Midwinter Day traditions, though they might have differed slightly between the Northern and Southern tribe. He wasn't exactly sure of what those differences were, but nonetheless it seemed that there really wasn't a difference.
"Happy Midwinter Day," Haki repeated as he began chewing his food. Fang was right, it was excellent. He did not know the two could produce such things, but then again, he was aware Lotus could cook certain foods. But he did not know Kiara was capable. She probably told him, but he couldn't really recall at the moment. He was enjoying his meal. Rika shared the grin Kiara sported, however; she glanced warily at her cup of wine. She laughed nervously and kept it to the side, instead partaking in her tea. She really didn't like the taste of wine, and the incident had left a rather deep impression. She didn't wish to repeat it even if she wasn't being challenged like she had been.
"Ah, I didn't know exactly what to get you or Fang, so I just...um," Rika started as they had finished their food. She hadn't exactly known what to get her friends, though she knew Fang liked tea, or seemed to enjoy it at least. Kiara was a little more difficult. She hadn't known exactly what to get the waterbender, but she hoped it would do. "I hope you like it though," she continued as she handed Fang and Kiara their gifts. Fang, she had actually made his gift. Haki had told her not too long ago that he was particularly skilled in playing the flute. She didn't know what kind of flute he played, seeing as there were different styles and different ones made out of different materials.
So, instead of buying him one, she only bought the metal so she could bend him one. She had managed to get a skilled blacksmith to carve a dragon along the side of it and placed two citrine gems for the eyes. For Kiara, she had bought the waterbender a spice rack and a few spices to put in it. Kiara liked spicy things, if she recalled correctly, and Rika hadn't known what else to get the waterbender. For Haki, she just got him a few coupons for her shop seeing as he made a big deal about Fang getting free tea when he didn't. Haki, on the other hand, had bought Fang a whetstone. He had seen Fang's swords and thought he could use them to keep the blades sharp. Sure, he probably had some of his own, but you could never have too many whetstones.
For Kiara, he had bought her a rather peculiar set of pins. One was a Yin pin, the other a Yang pin. When put together, it made the yin and yang symbol, something he thought fitting for the waterbender. For Lotus, however, he merely smiled. She'd find out as soon as she opened the present. But for now, he would wait for the others to open hers before he gave them his.
Kiara was the first to open hers, grinning broadly when she sorted through the array of spices. There were some really good ones here; sheâd have to try them out with some new dishes soon. âOh, thank you, Rika!â she said, leaning sideways to pull the other girl into a one-armed sideways hug. She hopped up from her seat on the couch immediately thereafter and went to put the spices away in her kitchen, taking a moment to alphabetize them. She kept her apartment rather neat as a rule, after all.
Fang, on the other hand, was silent for a moment, turning the flute over in his hands and examining the carvings on the side. It was⊠quite an apt gift, actually, and he was surprised by it. Adjusting his posture slightly, he raised it to just beneath his lips and decided to test the sound of the instrument. The song was on the short side for such pieces, but when he drew the instrument away at the end of it, he nodded slightly. âThank you,â he said quietly, a touch of warmth creeping into his tone as he met eyes with Rika. âIt is well-crafted.â A flicker of something passed over his face, but then his attention was drawn to Kiara reentering, a smile on her face and three parcels in hand. She distributed them to each of the others, figuring that it might as well be her turn now.
Hakiâs parcel contained a red silk scarf that sheâd made herself, embroidering it with golden thread in a dragon motif. Fangâs contained a kit for the maintenance of metal items, which sheâd intended for the swords but would clearly do just as well for the new flute, including polish and several materials for removing scratches and the like. She almost didnât like giving practical gifts, but then again, he was a practical person, so it seemed to fit. For Rika, she had something fairly interesting: a few jars of homemade mango jam. She knew the flavor to be her friendâs favorite, and so had made preserves out of it so that she could have a little of the flavor with tea and snacks whenever she wanted.
Rika smiled and returned the hug Kiara had given her. She was glad she seemed to like it, otherwise she would have been mortified and would have probably ran out to find her a different gift. She blinked, however, when Fang spoke, taking the flute to his lips and playing a song. She stood, listening to it as it fluttered through the small apartment, Haki closing his eyes to enjoy the sound. Once the song was finished, Rika clapped softly. She had never heard the flute played so well, and honestly, she quite enjoyed it. She laughed nervously at his statement, though, and felt her face flush in embarrassment. The flute wasn't anything too special, but she was glad he liked it nonetheless. Haki shook his head lightly at the gift Rika had given him, and had to refrain from laughing at it.
He, however, turned towards Kiara when she returned with her own gifts, giving them to Rika, Fang, and himself. He watched as Rika opened hers, her jade eyes shining brightly at the jam. He knew she loved mango flavored items, and he could only guess that Kiara knew that as well and made the jam for her. It wasn't a secret to begin with, actually, so perhaps it was expected. He opened his present next as Rika almost squeezed Kiara a bit hard. If he didn't know any better, he would have said she squeezed the air out of her, but Rika was excitable to that point. Instead, he allowed his fingers to glide across the silken scarf in his box, pulling it out and examining it. The stitching on it was almost superb, and it was exceptionally soft.
Her own work, no doubt, and he offered a soft smile towards Kiara. An unusual sight as he usually either grinned or smirked at her. "Thank you, Kiara," he spoke, pulling the scarf around his neck and fixing it. "I suppose it is my turn then," he spoke, passing out his gifts and sat back down. Rika stared at her gift, shaking the box as if it would reveal what it was without opening. She peeled the paper back slowly. She didn't trust Haki enough to tear open the gift, however; when she opened the lid to the box, her eyes widened slightly before readjusting. She laughed softly as she pulled out the Otter Penguin doll he had won at the festival.
"Really, Haki?" she stated, shaking her head lightly, but still smiling. He merely shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "Thank you," she stated, punching his shoulder lightly before wrapping her arms around the Otter Penguin and hugged it closely towards her, the smile slowly morphing into a grin. Haki shook his head. She could be such a child sometimes, but he was glad she at least enjoyed her gift, even if it wasn't much.
There was an odd little stutter in Kiaraâs chest at the expression on his face, but she covered it with a bright grin, raising a hand to the back of her head. She soon found herself with another present in-hand, however, and though she glanced over to see Fang snort softly at his new whetstones and nod his thanks at the other man, she was distracted by Rika, who seemed amused. Glancing at the gift, she could see why. If her ribs didnât hurt from that crushing hug, she might have laughed to see the stuffed otter penguin. Still adorable, and a pleasant reminder of something else theyâd all done as friends, back when the status was new.
When she opened her own gift, it was to find a beautiful pair of hairpins, worked in a mix of wood and mother-of-pearl. She wasnât sure sheâd ever owned anything so pretty before, and she made a small noise that was a bit like a squeak of surprise, lifting them reverently from the case they came in and fixing the pair of them in her hair before beaming across the room, then launching herself at Haki, too. There were a lot of hugs going around this evening, but this one was particularly warm, probably because he was a firebender. âThank you,â she said quietly, setting her forehead against his shoulder before she released him. Sheâd sort of crawled into his lap to hug him, so she extricated herself with care and then turned to Fang.
Two of his gifts were wrappedâthe ornamental earrings in hers earning him her third hug of the day. They appeared to be teardrop-shaped sapphires, wrapped in delicate silver wiring. They would dangle from her ear and about halfway down her neck. That made two pretty things she now owned, where once sheâd had none. It was a little odd reallyâsheâd never imagine spending money on such things for herself, but she really did like them. Hakiâs gift turned out to be an up-to-date copy of the official Probending Guide to Republic City, which she knew from listening to her landlord was hard to find in print. Usually, smaller pamphlets circulated with statistics and such things, but the book had information on all the teams, a history of the sport, schematics of the arena, and all kinds of information that only really dedicated fans of the sport would care about.
He produced no package for Rika, however, and Kiara glanced curiously between them for a moment, before he seemed to realize what they were waiting for. âAh,â he said, and then reached into a pocket. When he withdrew his hand again, there was a tiny baby fire ferret sleeping in it, apparently having been content to nap in his shirt the whole time. It could not have been more than a few weeks old, judging from the size, and it might well be the most adorable thing Kiara had ever seen. âI found her two weeks ago, while I was out walking. She is ready for solid food now, but I do not really have the sort of schedule that makes keeping her very practical. I thought she might do better with you, should you not mind.â Heâd spent the two weeks basically bringing her back from the edge of death, but saw no real need to tell that part of the story. He wasnât trying to guilt her into taking the ferret, after all.
Haki was mildly surprised when Kiara launched herself at him, and was thankful that he was sitting down. If the force of which she hit him with was anything, he might have toppled over with her had he been standing. "You are welcome, Turtle-Duck," he replied, returning the hug once his surprise wore off and watched her crawl out of his lap. He frowned lightly, fighting off the urge to pull her back into his lap, and instead, folded his hands across his lap. He occupied them with Fang's gift next, though, when the man produced his. He raised a brow at his gift, before his lips pulled into a light smirk. It was a probending guide, one that was in print. "These are hard to come by. Thank you, Fang." he stated, placing the guide down in a safe spot. He'd read it later.
Rika smiled at everyone's gift, and made no notion to change her facial expression when she did not receive a gift from Fang. It didn't matter, she didn't need one from everyone really, though she did have to fight off a frown from covering her lips. That, however, was soon replaced by a curious gaze when Fang reached into his pocket and produced something. For a moment, Rika blinked at the small creature in Fang's hand, trying to figure out what it was even though it was obvious. Her eyes remained the same until they began to grow, shining a bit brighter than normal. She reached hesitantly out for it, taking the small ferret from Fang's hand and cradled it closer to her. She loved Fire Ferrets. Her family had raised them, were raising them, and she had brought one along with her. San would finally have a play mate.
Though San was already two years old, and this one barely a few weeks, she was sure the two would get along. Instead, she stared at Fang, her eyes watering slightly as a smile covered her face. Haki had to resist the urge to not laugh at her, but she ignored him. Instead, she bowed lowly, her hair falling over as she tried not to cry. She had the best friends, she really did. "Thank you, Fang," she stated softly, trying to keep her voice from cracking. "Jiao, I'll name her Jiao," for the creature was delicate. The name suited.