A/N: Can I just start off saying that you guys are blowing my mind? I only posted this story like a week and a half ago and now I'm at over 75 story alerts and almost at an average of 10 reviews a chapter. This is the most turn-out I've had for a story in a while, and I love reading your reviews. They really help with the writer's block I get sometimes on this story.
Okay, so this chapter is more Tahno-centric than the other three and focuses on exploring his character a bit. Korra comes back next chapter though. And some important info for this chapter: Blue roses signify Mystery, attaining the impossible, love at first sight. Okay, on with the story.
It was a sunny day when Tahno received a delivery of flowers.
Winter had by now finally broken its cold grip on Republic City, and the last of the dirty slush was melting into the gutters as people cast aside their scarves for lighter wear.
Careful not to scuff his shoes—they were new and they were going to stay that way, thank you—Tahno gently prodded a wet leaf off the porch of his building as he waited for the delivery boy to find a pen for him to sign with.
"It's got to be here somewhere," he reassured and Tahno rolled his eyes. 'Sure it is, kid.'
As he waited, Tahno stared down at the bouquet in his hands—a bunch of definitely not-cheap blue roses—and wondered who it could have come from. He could only think of a few of his fans who were able to afford such a gift off the top of his head, when he felt his arm prodded by a clipboard.
"Sign here, please!" the young boy—boy because even if he looked only a few years younger than himself, he sure as hell didn't dress like it—said, holding out the board with the now-found pen balanced on its surface.
Frowning, Tahno snatched the clipboard from him and hastily scrawled his signature on the paper. The sooner he got the guy off his porch, the sooner he could go back to bed.
Returning the clipboard, the delivery boy smiled and held out a small card, apparently a message attached the gift which Tahno plucked from the boy's hands. While he didn't normally keep too close an eye on his sycophantic admirers, it had been a while since he'd received a bouquet of blue roses and he supposed a bit of thanks was in order.
Whatever thanks he would have expressed however was lost as he opened the card and stared at a gross caricature of himself, focusing on the dark amorphous tumor on his head that he supposed was supposed to be his hair. His brows furrowed indignantly. Who drew this? A five-year-old?
Quickly he searched for the name of the sender when his eyes fell on what seemed to be the main body of the message, scrawled in the messy hand of someone he didn't recognize.
"Thanks for letting me stay over. I didn't know what to get you as thanks, but flowers seemed to be the safest bet. You like blue, right?"
Immediately, a look of recognition fell over his eyes. Korra. So she sent the flowers, he reflected with an almost fond smile, and lifted the card up to study the drawing she had done when he was interrupted by the clearing of a throat.
Snapping his gaze from the card, he met the stare of the delivery boy, his hand outstretched. "Um…sir? My tip?"
Reaching into his pocket, Tahno dropped two cents into the boy's hand and met the boy's indignant stare with a daring one of his own. "My tip for you: buy a pair of pants that fit. You look like your mother dressed you. You can keep the change."
A smug smile made its home on his face as Tahno watched the boy grumble and stalk off towards his truck, glad to be finally rid of the obnoxious boy.
He watched until the truck disappeared from view. The delivery boy would probably harp in the break room about his "unfair" customer, but Tahno tipped based on the quality of service and was usually quite fair. In his mind, that boy was lucky he got a tip at all.
'Besides, beggars can't be choosers.'
Walking back towards his doorway, Tahno paused to look at the bouquet in his hands when he suddenly burst out laughing, drawing the stares of a few passersby. They were easily ignored however; he was too busy wiping a tear from his eye. That poor girl, he could only imagine what had happened in the flower shop she got these from. She probably didn't know what they meant.
Turning towards the door, Tahno shook his head to himself and made a note to teach her flower meanings one day before pocketing the card and stepping inside.