THREE |THE VILLAGE IN THE TUNDRA. ( the boy in the iceberg, part three )
❝ take another look before it goes,
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days are only footprints in the snow. ❞
THE SMELL OF squash filled Crystal's tent. Standing over a pot above a barricaded fire, Crystal dipped the ladle in and out, watching her butternut soup fill up and fall back to the pot below. She took a whiff of her food, and frowned. Something was off. Usually she would taste it, but it probably wasn't the best idea considering it was suspended directly over licking flames.
Her hand probed the spice counter to her left. Ginger, cinnamon. . . nutmeg! She snagged the bottle of ground powder and tapped it over the pot. Her socks were riding down in her thick boots, but she tried not to dwell on the discomfort.
The tapestry of the tent ruffled. "Ooh, is that butternutsoup I smell?" A cheeky voice came from behind her.
Crystal bit her cheek to hide a smile. "It's not for you," She said as Sokka sidled next to her, dark hair falling in front of his face. "It's for Amka."
It was early, and the village was just starting to wake up. Sokka wasn't the earliest of risers, and from what Crystal could tell from his wayward grin, he'd just tumbled out of bed. He cocked a brow, sleepy eyes peeking through tendrils of hair. "Really?"
Amka was Crystal's caretaker in the village. After Momma passed all those years ago, a young woman with chestnut hair and a warm smile let Crystal stay in her tent. Amka was something of an older sister to her—feeding and clothing Crystal until she was comfortable to do it herself. Amka had taught Crystal how to sew, how to cook, how to write. . . just like she did with lots of other kids in the village. (She also taught Crystal how to defend herself with clubs, but that one was a secret.) Amka was the closest thing to a teacher this village had, and Crystal spent most of her days helping her or giving people haircuts. And when she wasn't doing those, she was goofing off with Sokka.
"Yes, really. She had a rough day yesterday with me gone, so she had to stitch Milo new boots all by herself because I was out catching frozen little boys with you," Crystal said matter-of-factly, putting the nutmeg down and trying her hardest not to focus on Sokka's breath hitting her cheek.
"But you gave Katara her braid!" Sokka protested. When Crystal didn't relent, he wrapped his arms around her torso and squeezed her tight. "Pleeeease?" He whined. "I deserve it!"
She glanced at him, and her heart pattered. She hated him when he hugged her looking like this. She hated him in general.
