"You read a lot," said Kise, squinting across the room. "You visit the archives like, every week."
"The archives of Kiyoshi Village are very extensive," said Kuroko. "After the hundred years war, the scattered Kiyoshi Warriors returned home and documented their travels and their adventures. Councilman Sokka's extensive library, amassed over many years, is also partially stored here." He made a note in one of his plain blue-bound notebooks. It had arrived with him from the north pole and he had a whole stack of them, carefully wrapped in wax paper and leather. "And it's what I'm here to do, after all."
"Do you want to write a book, Kurokochi?" said Kise.
"Something like that," said Kuroko. "It is very fascinating. There's a lot of information here only referenced in other texts that I've seen."
Kise wasn't interested in other texts, or the Northern Water Tribe, which he mostly remembered as being cold, crowded, and bad for his skin. He lay on his back and enjoyed Kuroko's quiet presence, which seemed quite soothing. It was warm outside, but cool inside, and Kise hummed lightly to himself without thinking too hard about it.
He was three bars into the song before he realised he had an accompaniment.
Kuroko, still making notes, had started singing the words to the song just above his breath. Kise didn't know the words to the song, but they matched each other- somewhat off-tune, but good enough- as the music wound on, until the door opened and interrupted them.
It was Momoi, who had come to fetch them after her day as a Kiyoshi Warrior ended. Kise let the tune run out, and Kuroko sang the last verse and heaved a deep sigh.
"That's a nice song," said Momoi, smiling at them. "Where do you know it from?"
"I'm not sure," said Kise. Kurokochi was looking down at his papers, packing them up. "I guess I'll remember."
"It's quite an old song," said Kuroko, his voice a bit dry from all that reading. "I haven't heard it since I was very young."
"Let's sing it again later," Kise said. "You can teach me the whole thing."
Kuroko smiled at him, one of his rare actual facial expressions. "Yes," he said. "That would be nice."