Only a few sips of tea were taken from Senna's cup when she hears a knock on the front door. She hops down from the counter stool and sluggishly makes her way over, wincing at burst of biting cold air that rushes into the front room as she opens the door. She looks up to see the young man she had met the day before standing in front of her. If she recalls correctly, his name is Tonraq; he is from the Northern Water Tribe, and her mother had informed him that she would be willing to help him find a place to stay and work on her day off.
"Good Morning." He greets her with a smile on his face. Senna has to squint up at him because of how bright it is outside, but she puts a small smile on her face in return.
'It's too early for this.' She thinks to herself, but opens the door wider for him to enter. She makes her way back over to the counter and plucks a cup out of the cupboard above. She doesn't care to ask him if he would like a cup or not, because if he doesn't take it, she will.
"Chai tea in the morning?" Tonraq asks this as he sits on the stool on his side of the counter. Senna nods and slides the cup over to him and watches as he takes a small sip. "Mm, this is good. Did you brew it yourself?" Senna nods again. About a minute of silence happens between them, aside from the occasional sip of their tea, before he speaks again. "I know your mother said you would help me find a place to stay, but are you really okay with that?"
The young woman looks down to the right before she says anything. "My mother talks a lot." She pauses and moves her gaze over towards him. "But of course I'll help you."
Tonraq smiles and finishes the tea. "Thank you."
He waits patiently as she finishes her tea. It's not long before she's pulling on her snow boots and opening the front door with him trailing not far behind. She explains to him that their village is old and small. It has only been recently that people from the city have come through or even staying to get away from all the buzz, so there are small expansions happening at different ends of the village. While there are still a few elders who don't take too kindly to newcomers, the majority of the people in the village are very kind and always dependable in times of need. Most everyone is humble and calm, but during special occasions and celebrations, there isn't a soul that isn't lively.
"Like the Annual Hunt," She says, looking towards him over her shoulder. "It's coming up in about three days. I'm sure someone like you would really enjoy it. Have a home-warming party with the game you hunted yourself. I bet that would be nice."
"We have a hunt up in the North, too. A few throughout the year, actually."
"Same here."
They continue on walking for a bit more before they spot a man shoveling out a corner in the middle of a small group of houses. Senna calls out to the man by his name, Anik, and greets him as she makes her way over to him.
"Ah, Senna! How are you dear? How is the expansion holding up? Still good?" He smiles and wraps an arm around her, giving her a good pat on the back before they separate.
"I'm good, thank you. Yes, the storage room has been such a big help for us. We really appreciate it."
"Oh, no problem. Anything for you and your mother. By the way, how is she?" Anik smiles and leans in closer towards Senna, listening closely for her answer.
Senna smiles and cocks her head to the side. "Well, why don't you go ask her yourself, if you're so interested."
Anik throws his head back and laughs. "You're a little sneak, aren't you, dear? You are your mothers daughter." Senna's mouth drops for a second as she thinks back to the night before, when her mother had suggested that she try and view Tonraq as a potential date. Senna wants to shake her head, it's different between her mother and Anik! They have history together. Her and this stranger, this Tonraq, have only known each other for maybe half a day by now. Senna had only been teasing. Her mother was pushy.
"So, how can I help you two? Is this your lucky man, Senna?" Anik asks as he motions the top of his shovel towards Tonraq, who was standing only a few inches away from her.
Senna blushes terribly and tries to hide it by lowering her face down into her fur scarf. "No!" She glances over towards Tonraq for a second. Sure, he's handsome and he has been kind so far, but if people are going to begin thinking and suggesting that they should be together, she will have to begin avoiding him. "He's new. He's looking for a place to stay. Are there any open lots?"
"Well, honey, you're standing on one!" Anik opens his arms wide and smiles before he puts a serious expression on his face as he seems to glare over towards Tonraq. "This is a big lot, son, for an igloo right for a family. However, it is in the middle of the group, so I know you may not find the location very appealing, plus you're new, so I'll cut you some slack on the price, alright?"
Senna has to hold back a laugh at Tonraqs face. He looks as though he's just grabbed an adult electric arctic eel and got a good shock out of it. "Um... sure?"
"Alright! Great! A thousand silver pieces." Anik leans over close to Tonraq, using the pole of his shovel to balance him, waiting eagerly to hear his answer.
"Deal."
Anik stands up straight and gasps. "Really?"
"Yeah, I have it now, if you want it up front." Tonraq nonchalantly reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pouch of coins.
Anik seems just as shocked as Tonraq had been before, but he takes the payment and explains to them that for him to build a pre-designed igloo it would cost another fee, and for him to build a custom igloo would cost an even higher free, or they could leave the building up to themselves. Tonraq informs that he's built a few temporary igloos when he was in the North, so he was pretty confident that he would be able to handle it himself. They thank each other and end the deal with a Water Tribe handshake.
Senna informs Tonraq that she helped Anik before when she was younger, so she would be able to help him if he wanted her to. The two begin with the foundation, Tonraq waterbending the snow into hard, thick ice as he begins thinking up the layout of the house. They take an arctic camel to the city for wood and other supplies. Once they're back to the lot, they begin putting up the wooden support beams, then they lay down the flooring, then Tonraq shapes each ice brick and Senna pats the snow on top and between them before he bends them together, creating one solid wall that still has a snow brick pattern.
It's about two hours past dusk when the two are finally too tired to continue working.
Tonraq slumps down into the snow next to Senna. "I found work at a butcher's shop this morning."
"That's good."
"Yeah, I went out early on my own. I didn't want to wake you."
Senna turns towards him and smiles before she looks curious and tilts her head. "Where did you get all that money?"
Tonraq blinks and looks away from her. "You could, uh, say I come from a wealthy family."
"Oh." Senna pauses and then changes the subject, noticing the sad and distant expression on his face. "So are you going to go on the Hunt?"
She smiles at the sight of him lighting up at this question. "I think I'll go try to get to know some of my new neighbors and if any of them are going, then I'll ask if I can join them."
"That sounds good." Senna looks around, noticing just how just about everyone has disappeared into their homes. "It must be getting late. I need to go home." She stands and turns towards him. "Have a good night." She waves before she takes her leave.
"Good night."