Okay, so as much as I've enjoyed the holidays, I'm kind of glad they're over. I was finally able to carve out a few hours of free time to get this idea written out. Please excuse any typos, it's been a long day, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. This takes place a little while after "Sundown".

Colorwheel

"You would look great in blue."

"I know it's pink, but you should try this on."

"Have you ever thought about wearing something other than black and white?"

"You are aware that there are more colors on the color wheel than the two that you wear, right?"

All of these were phrases that Tinya had heard before. Personally, she didn't see how it was anyone's business what she wore, but that never seemed to stop people from advising her to add more color to her life. It wasn't that she hated colors, she simply found black and white to be both classy and easy to match. If, one day, she was inspired to wear color, she wondered what everyone's reaction would be. She'd heard that there was a running bet on who could convince her to wear something non-black, white, or denim as it seemed jeans didn't count in the realm of "colors".

For the longest time, Luornu and Imra had been the main ones that legionnaires would bet on, but Jo Nah, who'd joined the Legion in the aftermath of the Sun-Eater's destruction, had also become a new addition to the betting pool. Since Jo Nah had recently started dating Tinya, it made a certain amount of sense, but realistically, no one thought they'd see the day she wore any color.

"I just wish everyone would stop making such a big deal about what I wear or don't wear," Tinya said as she and Brin headed to the kitchen inside the Sitting Bay. She slid into a chair by the counter while he went to grab some sugar cookies he'd made earlier along with three containers of icing. "Even Jo's gotten caught up in this crusade of 'Let's Change Tinya'," she huffed and rolled her eyes, "as if hearing it from my mother every time I see her isn't enough."

"I'm not saying they're right, but what's wrong with color?" Brin asked, placing everything on the counter neatly. "Do you have something against it?"

"No, it's not that," she said slowly. She propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands as she actually stopped to think about her answer. Truth be told, no one had ever asked her, so she'd never thought about "why" before. "I guess that I just don't really see the point. I never really had very strong opinions about what I wore until people started making such a big deal about the lack of color. If I ever decide to wear something other than black and white, I want it to be because I made the choice to and not because someone coaxed or forced me into it."

"As much as I'd love to meet the person who could force you to do anything you didn't want to..." Brin opened the three containers of icing. "I don't think you've been properly introduced to the color wheel."

She raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I already told you, I don't see the point."

"Will you just listen?" He sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "I'm trying to show you something, but you're making it very difficult."

"Okay, okay. Sorry," she said with an apologetic laugh. "Please, continue." She sat up straight in her seat and folded her hands in front of her as if she were back in school.

He shook his head again. "What am I going to do with you?" he muttered to himself. Pulling out three small spatulas for the icing containers, he iced three sugar cookies and arranged them in a triangle. Each of the cookies was iced with a different color of red, yellow, and blue. "These," he said, "are primary colors, the three colors that make up almost every other color in the rainbow."

"I learned this is first grade, you know." Tinya cocked her head to the side with a cheeky grin. "I even know my secondary colors as well."

"But do you know what they mean?" Brin raised his eyebrow inquiringly at her. There was a smirk playing about his lips that hinted he was up to something. Deciding to play along to see where he would go with this, she leaned back in her chair and waited. His self-satisfied smile almost made her stick her tongue out at him, but she refrained. Her self-control was rewarded as he resumed his explanation.

"This is the way my mother explained it to me," he said. He started by pointing to the cookie in front of him. He told her that blue was the color of distance. The color of skies and oceans carried with it the calming peace of both. He pointed to the yellow cookie and explained that the color of the sun was used to add light and clarity to the world. It was the representation of happiness, spontaneity, and intellect. Moving on to the last cookie which was right in front of her, he said, "Red was my mother's favorite color. It is the color of fire, passion, strength, courage, and determination." He stopped and looked at Tinya for a long moment. His voice became thoughtful. "She said that it was about having the desire, energy, and will to achieve what you want."

As Brin's eyes caught hers, Tinya found herself holding her breath. She had gotten caught up in the sound of his voice and the emotions on his face while he talked. When he finally looked away, she was able to breathe again. Picking up the red cookie, he held it out to her. She reached for it, ignoring the spark she thought she felt when she took it from his hand. He cleared his throat and turned to grab three small bowls, which he used to mix the icings into three more colors. After icing four more cookies, he replaced the red one and added the other three to the triangle so that it now resembled more of a circle.

"What about those colors?" she asked, munching on her cookie. "What do they mean?"

Brin placed his arm on the counter and leaned forward to point out the one with orange icing. His voice captured her attention once again as he talked about how orange combined the fiery energy of red with the happiness of yellow to represent success and adventure and to also inspire independence. Tinya learned next that green was the color of harmony, balance, and growth. Most found in nature, it was a symbol of hope and safety, or in Brin's words, "Proof that not even the harshest winter can overcome the promise of new life in spring." As he turned his attention to the circle of cookies, she saw that purple was next. Symbolic of wisdom, creativity, royalty, and magic, purple was the last color to talk about. The perfect mix of red and blue, it served as a middle-ground for stability and energy, having equal amounts of both calmness and passion.

"I bet your first grade teacher didn't teach you all that," Brin said after he finished talking about his color wheel.

"No, she most certainly didn't," Tinya replied, reaching for another cookie. She gave Brin a questioning look as he caught her wrist in mid-air.

"Let me," he said with a smile. Pulling her hand back, she watched in curiosity as he studied the circle of cookies for a moment. After picking the red, purple, and yellow cookies, he scooted the three of them over to her one by one. "Yellow, you help clear things up when things get confusing and channel your intellect into your sarcasm. Purple, you use both your calm stability and energy to help those around you, plus you're a princess," he said, smirking when she made a face. "And red, you have strength, courage, and determination that you don't always see for yourself. You have the desire, energy, and will of this cookie."

Laughing at the last part, she snatched the red cookie from Brin. "I would hope that I've got a little more of those qualities than the cookie does," she said with a roll of her eyes.

…

After their afternoon in the kitchen with the cookies, Tinya started noticing a difference in how she viewed the world. She realized that Brin had made colors real to her in a way that no one else ever had before. They were more than varying rays of light in a spectrum; they were a part of life and had a deeper meaning behind each one. Though she hadn't yet found one herself, the idea of preferring one color to another gave her new insight to the people around her, and, for the first time, she understood why people had favorite colors. It was an extension of who they were, a visual expression of their personality.

"Tinya, we have to go soon or we'll be late!" Jo called from outside her door.

"Coming!" She turned to check the mirror one last time. Since Jo Nah was taking her somewhere nice for her birthday, she had taken time to dress up a bit. Wearing a sleeveless black dress that stopped above her knees and matched her black heels, she had pulled her dark hair back into a high ponytail and allowed two strands to frame her face. The make-up around her eyes made them look more silver than grey and added an extra bit of flair to her normal appearance. Letting out a breath, she decided that she was ready.

When she entered the hallway, Jo held out an arm. "Ready to go?"

"I think so," she said as took it.

Once they were in the elevator, Jo turned to her. "You look great, by the way. Very… dark." When he saw her arched eyebrow, he quickly added, "In a good way."

"Right," was her only answer. She watched the changing numbers as they got closer to the ground floor. She ignored Jo's slight fidgeting, allowing him to wonder what might be going through her mind at the moment. She didn't doubt the sincerity of his compliment, but she was sure that he'd been hoping she would have worn the bright green scarf he got "to match her bright personality". The truth was, even though she'd considered wearing it to make him happy, she couldn't bring herself to do it because something still didn't feel right. There was something off about the shade of green that didn't seem to match the balanced color of Brin's color wheel. It made her think more of envy than harmony, so she'd left the scarf behind.

When the doors finally opened, they left the elevator and made their way to the foyer where they ran into Brin. Golden eyes widened slightly as they took in Tinya's appearance. She felt a slight blush creeping across her face, but Jo didn't seem to notice as he said, "Oh, hi. It's 'Timber Wolf,' right?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Brin shook his head as if trying to clear it. He turned his attention to Jo. "Yes, it's 'Timber Wolf,' and you're Jo Nah."

"You know, I've been here a few months, but I don't believe I caught your name yet."

Tinya jumped in when she saw Brin's shoulders tense. There were only a few people in the Legion who actually knew his real name and each of them were ones that he trusted completely. As a newcomer, Jo wasn't anywhere near earning a show of trust like that. "Jo, I thought you said we were going to be late if we didn't leave soon."

"You're right. I'm sorry, but we have to go," he said to Brin. "It was nice seeing you."

Tinya hesitated a moment as Jo started to leave. She could tell that there was something Brin wanted to say, but she heard Jo call her name from the door. "I'll meet you out front in a minute," she called. After seeing Jo's nod of acknowledgement, she looked back at Brin.

"I didn't have a chance to tell you happy birthday yet," he said. "I got you a gift." He seemed nervous about how she'd react.

"You really didn't have to do that."

"But I wanted to." He went over to a side table and picked up a black box with white ribbon that she hadn't noticed until now. Handing it to her, he stepped back as she unwrapped the gift. She let out a quiet gasp when she saw a red jacket folded neatly in the bottom of the box. Dropping the box, she held the jacket up and admired it. Bold and beautiful, the jacket was styled in such a way that it could go either semi-formal or casual. She looked up when Brin started talking. "I've noticed that red's starting to grow on you here and there. You don't have to wear it, but I thought you'd like it. I swear I'm not trying to change you. I just—"

Tinya abruptly cut him off by giving him a hug. After a slight hesitation, he returned it. Still hugging him, she said, "It's perfect. Thank you, Brin."

When she pulled away, she saw that he was pleased that he'd given her a good gift. He wished her happy birthday once again before she left the Tower to meet Jo. Getting in the car, she turned to Jo and caught his startled look at the red jacket she was wearing. "Where did you get that?"

She didn't bother hiding the smile that formed as she answered, "From the same person who taught me the color wheel."