Winter Scarves [Mako]

06

"𝐎𝐇, 𝐑𝐀𝐘𝐀!" 𝐍𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 out, making me jump. My hands jerked away from the robe I was trying to patch up, nearly pulling out the string I was working on. Looking up, I saw Nora standing in front of my desk, a grin on her face. "You never told me why you were gone a couple of days ago."

Rolling my eyes, I slid my glasses off of my face, setting them to the side. I had to keep this pair safe because it was my last pair. When I first came home with glasses, I had three pairs. I lost the first one on my way to work one morning, and Tahno broke the second pair. I didn't want to buy any more. 

"Tahno scared me and I fell," I said, pushing away from the desk. Standing up, I threw my arms over my head, stretching my back. Ignoring the pain in my head, I shrugged. "I did hit my head on the floor, which is why I stayed home for a couple of days. Tahno didn't think it was safe for me to go to work, and honestly, neither did I."

"That boy," she said, clucking her tongue. "I swear, he will be the death of you." She shook her head, sending her greying hair flying all around. "You know, you can come live with me. You don't need Tahno." His eyes grew gleeful, and she reached out toward me, grabbing my hands in hers. "I don't need Hale either. I could kick him out of the house and we could have a sleepover!"

"I don't think so." I shook my head, letting out a giggle. "Tahno and I are booked this weekend, Nora." Her face fell and she dropped my hands, turning away from me. "I'm sorry, but we have a busy weekend."

"You're making that up. You and Tahno never do anything interesting."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. I watched as she refolded a pair of kimonos, her nimble hands quickly going through the motions. "We're fixing up our house," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "You know how we bought a broken-down house."

She spun around, her face lit up again. A hesitant smile appeared on my face. "Then Hale and I can come over and help you guys!"

"That would be amazing." Nora nodded, so I said, "I'm glad you aren't mad anymore."

"I was never really mad, silly." She hits me on the elbow, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I know how to make you break, little girl." And with that, she went back to her job, humming a soft tune. I stood there for a second, a little confused. Was I that easy to break? Was that how Tahno always got me to do things without much persuasion? I wasn't sure, but it was a good thing to think about while I work. 

The rest of the day went by pretty slowly. Since it was so snowy outside, people didn't want to venture out. I didn't know why. I loved the snow and everything about the cold; there was just something about it that made me feel happy. Maybe it was my roots back in the Northern Water Tribe, or maybe it was because I had good memories in the winter. The reason didn't matter, though, because it was my favorite thing in the world. Tahno had asked me in the past why I didn't move to the Northern Water Tribe, and I didn't have an answer for him. I wasn't sure why I didn't move there. There was something in my bones that stopped me from going, from committing to something as big as that. Even though I loved the winter and the snow and the cold, I knew there was something better out there for me. I just had to wait for it.