"Korra? Where are you taking us?" Mako asked as she dragged him down the street. She waved a hand back at him, trying to read the signs above the doors.
"You'll see when we get there," she told him. He sighed, defeated, and allowed himself to be tugged along. Eventually, Korra found the shop she was looking for and dove inside. "Here we are!" she announced, holding her arms wide. The store was rather small, with cloth racks placed here and there. There was a tiny section for jewelry in a back corner. The payment country was close to the door and the man behind it waved cheerily.
"Hello there," he said. "How are you two today?" he asked. Korra smiled and waved back.
"We're doin' good. How about you?" she replied as she walked in.
"Not bad. Are you looking for anything in particular?" Korra shook her head as she browsed through the clothes.
"No sir, just looking. My airbending teacher's wife told me about this place. She said it was amazing." She told him.
"Well, I'm flattered," he said. "Did you happen to say your airbending teacher?" he asked curiously. Korra blushed slightly and nodded. "Well, I never expected to have the avatar visiting my humble little shop. It's a pleasure and an honor to meet you Miss Avatar." He bowed slightly. The waterbender blushed slightly at the man's kindness.
"Please, call me Korra," she told him, smiling back. He nodded and swept an arm around the small shop.
"Take anything you like, half off," he told them. Both teenagers opened their mouths to protest, but the shop owner held up a hand. "It's my treat, please." Korra held her mouth slightly open, debating.
"Thank you for your generosity," she said, accepting his offer and began searching the racks of clothes. As she picked out things, Mako ambled over to the owner.
"Can I help you with something?" he asked the firebender quietly, sensing he didn't want his intentions heard. Mako nodded, keeping his eyes on Korra.
"I'm looking for a stone. It doesn't have to be any shape in particular, I can get my brother's help with that, but I want to make sure it's big enough," he paused as Korra looked up from the pile of clothes in her arms and grinned.
"I'm gonna go try these on! Stay put!" she instructed him. He nodded as she walked into the changing room.
"It doesn't have to be a specific color," he continued, eyeing the changing room door. The man smiled knowingly.
"I might have just the thing," he said and kneeled down under the table. At that moment, Korra walked out sporting an overly big dress.
It was definitely of Fire Nation origin, the bright red satin standing out against her tanned skin. She had let her hair down completely and wore a red sash in her hair. The blouse, a brighter red than the skirt, was about knee length with small slits down both sides and had long, flowing sleeves. It wrapped around her torso and draped over her shoulder. A wide sash held the fabric in place. The dark skirt was way too big and pooled at the floor.
"Well?" she asked, spinning clumsily, "what do you think?" Mako chuckled at his girlfriend. He ran to her and grabbed her under the arms, lifting her into the air. She giggled as he spun her around.
"You're beautiful," he told her, setting her back down and kissing her quickly. "I think you should definitely get it." The avatar giggled and pulled the fabric up, revealing her bare feet.
"It's a bit big, isn't it?" she questioned. The firebender raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
"That can be fixed, and you look amazing in it. Though, you look amazing in anything." He commented nonchalantly. She blushed furiously and slapped his arm. "It's true!" he laughed.
"I'll think about it," she grinned as she scooped the extra fabric in her arms and ran back to the changing room. Mako hurried back to the man as his eyes reappeared above the counter.
"Is she gone?" he whispered, raising his eyebrows. Mako suppressed a giggle and nodded.
"Yes sir, the coast is clear." He owner popped up and set a small tray on the counter top. "Whoa," the firebender exclaimed as he stared at the jewelry before him.
"This is the best I have. Will they do?" he asked tentatively. The boy nodded quickly and scanned the stones with his eyes.
"They're perfect. I just need to find the right one," he murmured to himself. He ran his fingers delicately over the smooth stones and made sure to take in every detail.
"Is there anything in particular?" the old man asked.
"Is everything alright out there? It sure is quiet!" Korra called from behind the changing door. Both men jumped slightly at the sound.
"Everything's fine! You just keep trying on cloths." Mako called back. Korra giggled and tried to decide what to wear next. "These are amazing. And these are you have?" He inquired, wanting to look at everything the man had to offer. He thought a moment before walking back into the small office in the back of the room. Mako went back to studying the rocks. He heard Korra walk out and quickly pulled off his scarf and covered them. He turned and beamed at Korra. This time, the fashion style was from the Earth Kingdom. The dress was a simple, dark green fabric with long sleeves, that wrapped once around her torso and landed in front of her feet. It had a lighter embroidery around the wrists, neckline, and at the bottom of the dress. Her hair was in a simple, loos ponytail. It was simple and pretty. The avatar held her arms out and twirled.
"Gorgeous," Mako told her, "simple gorgeous." She grinned and ran at him. She jumped and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He encircled her waist with his strong arms and spun her around. He laughed softly and set her down. "You are so silly, you know that?" he told her softly, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Possibly," she giggled and kissed his nose, before running back to the changing room and closing the door. The shop owner ran out from his office and pressed a cool, circular object in his hands.
"Here, I believe this is exactly what you're looking for," he said quietly. Mako looked at the rock in his hand. Sitting in his palm was a red and blue stone. It started out blue around the edges and as it moved towards the center, it faded into deep red. In the center of the stone, there was a carving. It was the Fire Nation symbol, but instead of the one swirl in the center, the three swirls from the water tribe emblem were carved into it. Fire and water. It was beautiful.
"This is perfect," he breathed, "but how did you ever find manage to find this?" The man gave a sad smile and sighed.
"I carved this for my girlfriend many, many years ago. She was a firebender and I knew that this wasn't part of her culture, but it was part of mine. I had planned on giving this to her the night that I finished it, but…" he paused, closing his eyes, "she got caught in a landslide that afternoon. She didn't make it." A few tears slid down his cheeks. "I tucked this away, never wanting to see again but, watching you two together has reminded me of what I once hand and what you two ought to have." The owner smiled at the firebender. Mako practically gaped at him. The man was giving him his old betrothal stone.
"Sir…I can't-" Mako started. The man held up his hand.
"First. Yes, you can. I want you to have this. I won't have any need for it anymore, and second. Call me Hahn," he smiled at the boy.
"Si- Hahn, are you sure?" he questioned. He nodded.
"Positive," he said gently. Mako sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Na uh," he crossed his arms. "Take it. It's on the house." The young bender's jaw practically hit the floor at the offer the man was giving him.
"Sir! I can't!" he protested. The man smiled again and reached behind him.
"Can't what!?" Korra yelled, her voice somewhat muffled. The man laughed as he pulled out a deep purple piece of fabric.
"Can't believe just how amazingly stunning you are!" Mako came up with quickly. Hahn chuckled and handed him the piece of fabric.
"Oh, hush up!" she laughed. The firebender grinned and took the thin cloth.
"For the actual neck piece," the old Water Tribe member whispered. He nodded in understanding.
"Thank you so much for everything, sir. I can't thank you enough." Mako told him. The old man smiled and put the other stones back under his desk. Mako couldn't believe that is was all happening and falling into place. He couldn't believe that he was actually doing this!
