A/N: Thank you so much for the review, Lilybud, especially for the wonderful writing advice! I see exactly what you mean, so I'll try to keep that in mind as I continue to write. I agree that I may have a tendency to use more words than necessary at times, so that's actually partly why I've been focusing on shorter stories and drabble series lately, especially in regard to my 100-theme challenge on Muffy – when you're limited to only exactly one hundred words per drabble, you're forced to make each of those words more precise and meaningful, nothing too superfluous. So thank again, and I hope you all enjoy this next little chapter!

-CCM

003. Winter Harmony

On the doorstep of the exotic mansion, Rio proudly presented a small boxed gift to Sanjay, the faintest trace of a blush on her cheeks. "I made you something, Sanjay. Winter Harmony Day is today, and you know the tradition…" She trailed off vaguely.

"Tradition?" Sanjay asked, his dark eyes sparkling with interest.

Rio nodded, her gaze now questioning. "Haven't you ever celebrated Harmony Day before?"

Sanjay shook his head, somewhat apologetically. "I'm sorry, but no, I'm afraid I haven't. I've never heard of it before."

The farmer cleared her throat, still clutching the gift in her hands. "Well… the tradition is for the girls in town to bake cookies for the guys they like. Or anything with chocolate, really… Candies, sweets. And then on Spring Harmony Day, those same guys return the favor." She laughed. "I brought Amir a dessert, too. He seemed to enjoy it."

"Oh… is that so?" Did Rio simply imagine the almost crestfallen look that came over the butler's face? It was gone as soon as it had appeared, so perhaps it hadn't actually been there to begin with, though in all honestly, she had a lingering suspicion that that wasn't the case.

She nodded again. "I gave him a little box of chocolates earlier, when he passed me on the road on my way here. But for you, I made something special."

"Oh!" Suddenly remembering the gift she had come to bring him, Sanjay graciously took the box from the girl's hands and tenderly lifted the lid to peer inside.

"You... baked me a cake? An entire chocolate cake, all for me?" He laughed blissfully; never had anyone baked an entire dessert just for him, and he almost couldn't believe that the farmer had meant it for him alone. The cake itself was such a beautiful thing, made of rich, lusciously scented chocolate and evenly frosted with a delicate hand.

Rio smiled shyly, which was unusual for her. "I hope you like it… Think of it as my gift to you in return for the tea."

"Oh, no…" Sanjay shook his head. "Rio, that wouldn't be necessary." He liked sharing his tea with the girl, after all.

"Well, it's part of the Harmony Day tradition, so you have to eat it." Rio frowned slightly. "Don't you like chocolate cake?" Perhaps he really wasn't a big fan of chocolate…

"Oh, I love it, I really do!" Sanjay assured her with sincerity. "It looks absolutely wonderful; did you bake this yourself?"

Rio nodded again, and he gave her a wide smile. "Well, you did a fantastic job." Beckoning her inside, he added, "In fact, why don't we share it? I could never eat an entire cake all on my own! …And food tastes better with friends, does it not?"

The farmer laughed in response and cheerfully followed him in. "I suppose… I never could say no to a chocolate cake!"