Winter Scarves [Mako]

07

𝐈 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 𝐈 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐃 Mako that I would work on his scarf, but after the way he acted the other night made me upset, so I didn't work on it yet. I didn't understand why he was suddenly so closed off and annoyed. Was it because I mentioned Tahno? Were they some sort of enemies because of pro-bending? I wasn't sure, but it made me mad. He judged me for knowing Tahno, which wasn't fair. Tahno may not be a good guy, but he is to me and that's all that matters right now. I knew he was mean to his opponents in the pro-bending match, but he never hurt anyone intentionally.

The soft snow crunched underneath my boots as I trudged toward a store. Dark clouds dotted the sky, matching my mood. I was in a bad mood that didn't seem like it was going away any time soon. Fortunately for Tahno, he knew to get out of my way when I was like this, so he didn't get yelled at this morning. 

There was hardly anyone out this morning, probably because of the bizarre weather. It seldom snows in Republic City, so people were most likely wary about traveling in the snow. Either that or they just didn't like the snow as I did. I've always enjoyed the snow ever since I was a little girl, and Tahno liked to make fun of me for it. I never took his teasing to heart because I knew he liked it as well. 

A wave of dizziness hit me suddenly, and I had to stop walking so that I wouldn't fall over. My hand reached out and I felt a wall next to me, so I leaned against it. There was an ache behind my eyes as the dizziness slowly went away. The coldness from the wall seeped into my hand and through my arm, making my eyes flash open. Thankfully for me, there was no one around me. I didn't want a random person asking me if I was alright, though I wasn't sure what was wrong with me. The ache that was behind my eyes had dulled, which was a good sign. Shaking it off, I continued walking forward. 

My brows furrowed as I thought back on what just happened to me. I had never been dizzy like that before, so what was going on? It felt like the world would crash around me, but that was just me nearly falling over. I was glad that the wall was there, or else I would have fallen over and embarrassed myself. And where had that pain behind my eyes come from? Maybe it was because I didn't eat breakfast earlier. Hopefully, it was nothing to worry about. 

The store that I needed to visit appeared in my vision, making me speed up slightly. The air seemed like it was getting chillier and I was not in the right mood to be cold. All I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep, but I couldn't do that. I needed to get back to Nora and the shop with the cloth bolts that she had ordered. I knew the owner of the shop pretty well, and she was a chatty woman, so I put on my brave face and pushed the door open.

I was immediately enveloped in warmth. I knew that Jaiki liked to bake when there was no one in her shop, and I hoped that she had made her famous bread. On holidays, Jaiki gave Nora and me a couple of loaves to share. Nora made sure I would get more since Tahno loved them and so did I. 

"Jaiki!" I said, stepping up to her desk. I placed my arms on the top of the desk and leaned against it, looking in the back room. The middle-aged lady stumbled through the door and her face lit up with a smile when she saw me. "Good morning!"

"Good morning, Raya!" Jaiki said, her amber eyes dancing with mischief. "Did Miss Nora send you here yet again?" I nodded, making her burst out laughing. "Oh my, that girl is a lazy one. She always sends you to gather things, doesn't she?"

"Yeah," I said, shrugging, "but I don't mind. I like visiting you."

Jaiki pursed her lips, brushing her long black hair out of his eyes. "You only like getting my bread, Raya. You and Tahno are crazy!"

"I'm here to pick up some bolts, not bread." Taking a deep breath, I smiled sheepishly. "Though, Tahno and I would love a loaf of bread if you have any made."

She smiled, the corner of her eyes crinkling. She just shook her head and walked back into the room behind the shop. I softly laughed, my eyes sliding over the shop around me. There were many stands with a variety of strings on them. There were also tables filled with bolts of many colors. My first time here, I asked Jaiki why I couldn't pick up any random bolt of cloth. She told me that Nora was very picky about her bolts and that I couldn't bring back any random bolts. I trusted her on that. 

My eyes landed on a certain color of the string. It was a red-orange color, and it reminded me of something. I wasn't sure what it reminded me of, though. 

A thud behind me made me whirl around, and my head spun for a second afterward. Jaiki had placed the bolts of cloth on the desk and she had a loaf of bread wrapped up in paper. One of the bolts was the red-orange color of the string I had seen. Jaiki must have seen me staring at it because she said, "You can buy yourself some of that string if you want."

"Oh, no," I said, shaking my head. "No, I don't need any strings." Even when I said that my eyes drifted back to the string. A pair of eyes flashed in my head and I knew why the color of that string was familiar. It was the color of Mako's eyes, and that made me a little mad. "I will buy that string." I reached over and grabbed the little bottle of string. I grabbed a couple of bills and handed them to her, saying, "You can keep the change."

"Thank you," she says with a soft smile. I picked up the rest of the bolts and the bread, heading toward the door. Before I could head back into the cold, Jaiki said, "You know, a good friend gave me that recipe for the bread. She lives in Republic City and owns a restaurant if you want to stop by."

"Ooh? What's her name?"

"Sarrin." 

Jaiki told me where I could find her and then I went on my way. The coldness seeped into my bones as I stepped out into the cold air. I hurried back to Nora and the shop, stuffing the string into my bag. I don't know why I let myself buy that. I had a feeling I'd need it soon, but why? Why would I need it? I wasn't sure, but I brushed it off. I already bought it and I could put it to use.