OOC: Kanea used with permission.

Ren’ai was a girly girl, as well as an athlete at heart, so she had started getting ready for the party early. She complained to Yuri about needing to go to this party when she didn’t want to. Her best friend didn’t understand, and asked her why she and Yutaka didn’t just get out of it or only go for a little bit. The Firebender tried to explain that you couldn’t just do that. Besides, his parents were throwing it. Yutaka was obligated to go, and Ren’ai was not about to let him go alone. High society parties like that could be dreadfully boring. Her parents – as well as both of her older brothers as their wives – would likely be there as well, as her family was familiar with Yutaka’s.

Luckily, Ren’ai didn’t have to go to as many parties during Solstice season as her parents did. The dark-haired young woman did not envy them this time of year. Although, she knew staying in this society would mean that she would be obligated to do the same one day. Ren’ai had tried to explain to her that at parties like this, you were obligated to do certain things and stay a certain amount of time – if your parents hosted the party, then you were obligated on even a greater level. Her best friend had just shrugged her shoulders, and said “Okay”. She wasn’t going to argue with her about it, and she knew that the Earthbender would never truly understand – as much as she loved her.

Finally, after riffling through her closet, Ren’ai finally debated between two different dresses – a light blue one with black trim and a red one with gold trim. The Firebender decided on the red dress, because if she wore blue, she’d end up wearing a similar dress as her mother – not to mention her brothers and their wives would likely be wearing blue as well. Her father would either be wearing all black or red, so she decided she’d rather match with him then the rest of her family. She paired the dress with a pair of sliver shoes, and a sliver slash with jewels on it – nothing gaudy or over the top, but just enough. The earrings were dangly, and matched the sash. She had chosen silver eye shadow, and her lips were a neutral color. Her hair she had twisted and put up in a clip, leaving the left over hair that was not in the clip to hang down. It was easy enough that she could take it up or down if she wanted.

Ren’ai heard something on the intercom – a busted thing that didn’t work right, anyway. The apartment building was nice, but it certainly wasn’t high class or anything. She assumed it was Yutaka coming to get her, and she double checked herself before going over and opening up the door. When she opened up the door, her boyfriend – was that the right term? She supposed so – muttered something about never using the intercom again. “It doesn’t work right anyway, so we only hear half of what you say – if we hear anything at all,” she told him, smiling at him. “I’m ready to go if you are.” She grabbed her stuff quickly before walking back over to him. She really hated these kinds of parties, but what you could do? It wasn’t as if they could not be there – they were obligated to be there.

It wasn't until the wonderful news of the broken intercom that Yutaka fully took in Ren'ai, causing him to choke down his mints and temporarily stop breathing.
When he was able to speak Yutaka couldn't find any words of his own to express what he felt like so he used someone else's.
"She walks in beauty like the night." He wondered if after three months Ren'ai had gotten used to his off the cuff poetry quotes.

As he opened the car door for Ren'ai Yutaka considered himself one of most fortunate men in the city. He was born into money and had the most dazzling of women accompanying him. Suddenly, the party he dreaded so much sounded like fun.
"I'm very, very ready."

In relation to his devastatingly beautiful date Yutaka felt more than a little plain, worse he felt like an unattractive rich man showing off his trophy wife. Suddenly, he was very, very un-ready for this party and began straightening his tie again. He looked down to inspect it for spots and then looked at Ren'ai.
"The snow flakes are stupid, aren't they?" he said gesturing to the blue snowflakes embroidered onto his silver tie. "I should pull over and buy a new tie."

The Pros and Cons of attending this party were weighed against one another in Yutaka's mind. The cons were that he hated high society parties and would rather be listening to jazzy versions of solstice tunes and that the people around his age tended to be better looking and bound for greatness.
The Pros were that silver and blue packets of yuans were traditionally handed out and this year he had a beautiful woman on his arm.
Greed and the need to show off barely edged out his discomfort but he still wished he could hang out with his driver, the rest of the servants and Ren'ai.

It was oddly uplifting to hear Ren'ai sigh.
“So, what’s this going to be like? The usual?”
"Basically, but the inane blather will be winter and gift themed. The expensive presents they are getting their spoiled kids, where their winter home is. The nice thing is the silver and blue packets going around. It's traditional to give money as gifts at these things and as the son of the hosts I'll probably make about a month's pay."
He sighed and displayed a sideways grin while looking at Ren'ai.
"It's just work without the back pain later."

When the doors opened Yutaka had an odd sense of nostalgia. He always hated Solstice parties but loved the decorations and his parents did not skimp on the adornments. The subtle silver, white and blue color scheme made it seem a little colder than usual. Around the room people dressed in the colors of the season except for the help who remained in black.

Yutaka's fingers twitched and he gently placed his hand behind Ren'ai's and held it as he saw a man and a woman advance.
People who saw Yukio and Takako along with their son often wondered if the only thing they had in common were their names. If one squinted and colored in the touches of gray in his father Yukio's hair, Yutaka could pass for the slightly younger brother. He still had the physique of an avid kuai ball player, only aged.
His mother Takako was the slighter taller of the two and looked as if the winter solstice was the time of year she was unfrozen given her young and pale looks.
"It's nice to see the family complete," Yukio said, looking distinctly at Ren'ai before bowing.
Yutaka was sure that would not be the lone verbal prod into marriage.

The usual banalities were issued. How was work? Fine. Was he still a devotee of the arts? Yes. Did he wish to come back home?...That question but was yes and no.
"I'm happy where I am now." he grasped Ren'ai hand a little tighter as if tether himself to the real world rather than a life of luxurious apathy.
With a practiced deftness and subtlety Yukio and Takako Mifune had separated the two by a massive gulf of two feet. While Yutaka's mother Takako spoke of her worries about her son living in a poorer side of town Yukio asked Ren'ai about the specifics of Pro Bending. In essence, Takako asked if they were living together and Yukio inquired about the health and financial stability of a Pro Bender.
Yutaka likened his parents' words to sharp swords kept in beautiful sheaths.

Yutaka couldn't help but be impressed with his date's careful maneuvering of him from the grip of his parents. It was a skill he'd never seen her demonstrate before.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
“What on earth was that all about?"
Deciphering the code of his parents' words were not difficult for Yutaka.
"Mother was 'concerned'" Yutaka air-quoted the word to denote irony. "about me living in a dangerous neighborhood but it was really about me moving back in."
He knew that if his mother pressured him on the living situation his father must have asked Ren'ai about the prospect of bearing a child. The very fact that his father was not currently aflame meant that he had approached the subject with at least some tact.
"My father didn't ask anything...inappropriate, did he?"
The only child of the Mifune family knew that if anyone could ask a woman about her fertility with grace and nuance it was Yukio Mifune but that didn't alleve any fears about them embarrassing him in front of his date.

The polite thing to do was to offer to get Ren'ai a drink but Yutaka knew hated the idea of leaving her alone or being alone. He felt like they were benders at a Galgori rally.
Fortunately, a waiter carrying a tray of champagne flutes passed by giving him the opportunity to snag two of the glasses. After a moment of thought Yutaka decided that he could part with one and gave it to Ren'ai.
"Finally, a flute that I know how to play," he said referring to his failed attempts at playing a musical instrument throughout his life.
Yutaka leaned a little to his side and gently bumped his shoulder against Ren'ai's in an effort to tell her not to take his joke too seriously. There was a fine line between self-deprecating humor and self-pity and he thought a gesture was needed to make sure one was not mistaken for the other. He preferred to keep his self-pity for when he was home alone while listening to sad songs.

"How is the team doing?"
If there was one thing that could take Yutaka's mind off of this party it was seeing Ren'ai talk about bending. She positively glowed when she was on that subject for the most part. For the sake of a pleasant Solstice Yutaka prayed that her team was doing well.

It was gratifying to hear Ren'ai complain and then hear she wouldn't let it get to her. He often forgets his problems rather quickly through games, art and music and wondered if Ren'ai began relaxing more. In return he thought of how he had changed. He certainly didn't feel like the same person he was three months ago. He had lost ten pounds, started drinking less (possibly except during excruciating holiday parties), and even started making friends that could tolerate his presence for more than a few minutes.
If he could become more than a pampered, shut-in Yutaka held no doubt that the Dragon Hawks could find a suitable waterbender.
"I can ask around the Water Department if you want. Maybe there's a natural there wasting their talent unclogging drains and purifying the drinking water."
After a moment of thought Yutaka came formed the idea that perhaps Ren'ai didn't want a solution, but just to vent.
"You'll find someone. Someone worthy of you."
Even to a man known for his self-deprecating humor, or perhaps because of it, that sentence sounded too easy to misinterpret.
"A waterbender, I mean."

He took his eyes off of Ren'ai for a moment and focused them on the ice sculpture on a nearby table of an elaborate snowflake.
"Maybe whoever sculpted that is looking for a more exciting career." He laughed a short laugh. "They can bend ice swans and whatnot at the opposing team."
For the first time that night Yutaka relaxed. The thought of a barrage of ice sculptures amused him immensely.

The night began to steadily improve once Yutaka received his first envelope of the night. A white one. He hoped to add more to his collection and the artist in him hoped that it was a mix of the traditional blue and white for the sake of symmetry but what was truly important were the pink slips inside. He anticipated being gifted enough to pay a few bills and take Ren'ai out for a nice dinner. Not Kwong's nice but a place at least as nice as where they had their first date.

"Maybe this won't be so bad."

Ren’ai shrugged at Yutaka’s comments. She knew was trying, and she honestly did appreciate it. “You never know,” she chose to say. “Anything’s possible.” It wasn’t that he was wrong, per say, because he wasn’t. Her date had a point, because you never knew where you were going to find one. “After all, we ran into Kamil randomly at the park. Well, not randomly… it was an idea of Tadashi’s to go and show off.” She turned to her date and smiled, taking a sip of her champagne. “It worked that time, because he happened to see us.” It got disheartening sometimes, especially considering that Kamil had only gone through that season, and quit. She was realizing how that it wasn’t necessarily her that chased him off. It may have taken her a while to realize that, though.

Perhaps Probending wasn’t Kamil’s thing, and he knew how she and Yuri would react. Or perhaps he was devastated at their loss… or it just wasn’t a right for him, their team that is. There were plenty of reasons, and her attitude wasn’t necessarily one of them. “Obviously he wasn’t the right fit for the team, though,” Ren’ai decided on saying. Self-pity was something she had indulged in for too long, and if the Firebender was honest with herself – she hated self-pity. Confidence was more her style, so she was going to brush this off and make the best of her situation. When Yutaka made a comment about finding “someone worthy”, she had to fight the urge to shake her head at the comment. She knew what he’d meant, but the way he’d put it was…. Self-deprecating to say the least. “I knew what you meant.”

Ren’ai looked over as Yutaka got his first envelope of the night. She smiled at him when he said that maybe this night wouldn’t be so bad. Almost as if on cue, a tall man came up and hugged her before she could say one word about anything. At first, the dark-haired young woman tensed up before she realized who it was. “Ryouko! I was wondering where you were hiding,” she said, smiling at her oldest brother. In truth, the only thing the two had in common was their height. He was a few inches taller than her. His skin was brown, however, typical with anyone of Water Tribe descent. His hair was brown as well, instead of black – another Water Tribe trait. It was cut short and neat. He wore a simple suit, accented with a blue tie. His wife, Amai, several inches shorter, wore a white dress, with blue accents.

“Around,” he said. “You know how these things are.”

Ren’ai nodded. She did indeed. Turning to Amai, she hugged her sister-in-law, and told her how beautiful she looked. The older woman returned the compliment, telling her she looked amazing. The Firebender just smiled. “Thank you.” It was then that she remembered Yutaka, and turned to him, her mind totally blanking on if he’d met her oldest brother and his wife or not. “Have you two met Yutaka? Ryouko, Amai, this is Yutaka. Yutaka, this is my oldest brother, Ryouko, and his wife, Amai.” She couldn’t remember, but the two smiled politely enough, and held out their hands to shake his, commenting on how wonderful the party was. Of course they would know that it was his parents hosting it. Shortly after, they made their excuses, saying that they needed to keep making the rounds, but her brother made a joke about leaving early – they had a two-year-old, they could do that – but told her to save a dance for him anyway. “No promises,” was all she said in response.

If Yutaka Mifune were born with a second head, and that of a talking lemur, he could not feel more out of place when Ryouko and Amai made their appearance. Those of old money tended to talk of "good stock" as if people were cattle but seeing these good looking people together made Yutaka thing if there was a genetic lottery these people had won it.

Near the beginning of the glossary of Yutaka Mifune's memory were Ryouko and Amai. Yutaka had met the tan, older brother and his wife at the same party he had made his horrible first impression on Ren'ai. He hadn't said much and hoped that in the months since that first meeting Ren'ai had smoothed over any bumps Yutaka may have created. Amai he had briefly chatted with before over something inconsequential but he found her to be pleasant and unintimidating.

He shook one hand the bowed and gently kissed another and prayed that he didn't get the two confused.
When they left without incident Yutaka assumed that he had either done right or that Ren'ai's family were exceptionally even-tempered. Given what he knew about the firebender beside him he doubted the latter.
"I suppose I should ask now before your dance card is completely filled," Yutaka said with a grin and an out-stretched hand.
"Shall we dance?"

Of all the gaps in Yutaka's self-esteem, ballroom dancing was not among them. He did not consider himself proficient by any means but he was no slouch. In a tasteful setting he could trod the boards in slow and mid-tempo settings and even given enough liquid encouragement engage in the faster style of contemporary dance halls. Besides, he was with the most beautiful woman in the city and he wanted to rub that fact into certain faces.

On the edge of the dance floor Yutaka stood listening to the music and waiting.
"Doesn't exactly swing, does it? I bet at least one of the band is aching to play some ragtime or jazz." He smiled widely at the thought. "Can you imagine the reaction? There would be a fortune lost in broken monocles."

The right note was finally struck and Yutaka, in his overly excited manner, joined in the dancing almost forgetting Ren'ai was with him. Ren'ai had seen him at dance clubs before dancing alone but she'd never seen him ballroom dance.
"Trust me. I'm actually kinda good." On Yutaka's third date with Ren'ai he decided that he would one day dance with her at a lavish party and swore he would not embarrass himself. For once his parents did not take a request for a tutor with any derision. Ballroom dancing seemed like a fine skill for Yutaka to sharpen.

It was weird seeing Ren'ai unsure. He was almost feeling territorial about her usurping his role as the one who wasn't one hundred percent sure about something.
"Timidity doesn't suit you," Yataka said while he swept his foot in a half circle and turned them.

For all of his public and social bashfulness dancing held a certain amount of comfort to Yutaka, despite it being a very social and very public activity. It was structured in way that if one did things correctly one did not humiliate themselves and free form enough to allow one to add one's own flair. While he had no strong desire to practice enough to be that good it was still something he enjoyed and something he got to do with Ren'ai all too infrequently.
"We should dance more. Um, think of it as...footwork exercise." Any other ways he could connect dancing and pro bending eluded him. Timing, maybe? Or keeping a rhythm?
"Also..." he said as he dipped his date while avoiding any head injuries. "It can teach you to deal with sudden changes...or something."

It wasn't a floor-clearing, clap-inducing dance but it was competent and most of all it was fun. It wasn't often that he was in one of his elements along with Ren'ai and even more rare that it was an element they could both experience.
The fact that Yutaka's breathing became a little more labored told him that he should run more...which was to say run at all. He knew in his head it was a good idea but running without a destination seemed pointless and tiring.
"I think it will be a while before I'm ready for one of those dancing marathons. I'd probably collapse and they'd have to put me out of misery like an ostrich horse with a broken leg."

Appearing on the dance floor, having a beautiful woman accompany him did no harm either, brought out more people brandishing envelopes which Yutaka thanked them for while mentally spending the money they gave.
"Would you mind if we stepped onto the balcony so I can smoke?"

Once the cold air hit him Yutaka wondered if having a smoke and a few moments alone with Ren'ai was worth the discomfort but that only lasted until he looked to his right and saw who was accompanying him.
Yutaka reached into his black jacket and pulled out a slim case where his gray-colored cigarettes were usually kept. When he opened it he faked a whining moan.
"I can't smoke that. Here. You can have it."
Rather than cylinders of tobacco wrapped paper was instead a lattice necklace embedded with small red gems.
The idea of giving a gift in a public setting seemed too much like showing off for Yutaka's taste. Besides, showing jewelry at a party such as the one they attended invited questions of price and quality, neither of which he wished to answer.
"Happy Solstice." He tried his best to look at Ren'ai but found it difficult.
"I know I'm not good with words...words I make up myself but...you...you're the best thing that has happened to me."

In preparation of their second date Yutaka made it a point to learn a thing or two about firebending. The tales of the dragons entranced him the most but he often found himself wondering about the breath of fire. What was it like to have that kind of warmth and power inside? Every time he kissed Ren'ai he felt like he was breathing fire. There was always a feeling leftover afterwards like the outline of a flame after it had gone out.

Sharing the same ecstatic smile with Ren'ai for that moment was the highlight of Yutaka's night and when he thought things through declared it instead the highlight of his year.
He still had trouble meeting her gaze and that difficulty increased exponentially when she referred to the necklace as both "beautiful" and "perfect".
"No, it's just very nice. I've seen beautiful and perfect."

The fact that he did not expect Ren'ai to want to wear it immediately made Yutaka feel like a huge fool.
"Uh...just...you know..." He twirled his right index finger to indicate he needed Ren'ai to turn around. Once in her blind spot Yutaka winced and lightly tapped his fist against his forehead.

The gems were real and meant spending nearly four weeks subsisting on instant ramen and baked good on their way to be thrown out but given their opulent surroundings it seemed like a paltry gift. Once the necklace was around his girlfriend's neck and hung there beautifully, Yutaka decided he didn't care. Ren'ai knew to expect back-handed compliments and veiled comments about the price of the necklace...at least he hoped she expected it. Yutaka noticed that while they grew up in wealthy circles his contained more snide put-downs disguised as compliments. Like being punched by someone wearing a velvet glove.

When he saw Ren'ai from the front Yutaka momentarily lost his breath.
"Amazing. You're just..." He raised his hands as if to try to grab the right word from the air. "Radiant. You're like...you're like the sun and I'm just so happy to stand in your light."

"Come on," Yutaka said with a smile that made a little hard to talk as he held out his arm for the incandescent beauty to take.
"Let's show these people what a happy couple looks like."

Meeting Jin and his wife had gone better than meeting Ryouko and his wife. Most of his awkward nervousness had dissipated while still in the glow of making his girlfriend speechless for a few moments. Even meeting Ren'ai second perfect looking brother and his perfect looking wife couldn't bring him down. Shaking Ryouko's hand, though, made Yutaka self-conscious about how calloused his hands had gotten over the last three months due to work. His recent promotion meant less work in the sun but didn't mean less heavy lifting. As the new guy training under others in building foundation repair it was his job to carry the bulk of the extra soil and other equipment.
Meeting Ryouko make Yutaka feel like an effete, pampered rich boy while Jin made him feel like an unworthy cur who should be grateful that he could spend a short time in the presence of his goddess sister.
Nearly a tenth of a second of contemplation was needed for Yutaka to realize he was just insecure. He was used to the arrogant and insincere so it was difficult not to see that quality everywhere.
By the time the handshakes ended so did Yutaka's crisis of doubt. They were just nice people. Ren'ai came from a nice family.
"Pleased to meet you. Both of you."

Once Ren'ai mentioned meeting her parents Yutaka pulled a blue handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. He wasn't sure if he was sweating for real but he felt like he was.
"Does this floor feel uneven to you? It feels uneven. I'll call and see if I can get someone here to look at the foundation. I think I left my oven on and I think I'm pregnant. I can't possibly meet your parents. Very sorry."

As the people who helped facilitate his relationship with Ren'ai via a pressured first date Yutaka held a dual view of Ren'ai' parents. He was deeply grateful to them for getting the opportunity to date their wonderful daughter but at the same time he didn't know if he was anything to them other than a source of income in the same way his parents saw him as the source of a grandchild.
"They're nice people...right? I only met them briefly the night we met. They seemed nice but that was before. I'm sure that they see me differently now than they did a few months ago."
Yutaka took hold of Ren'ai's hand for support. "They have the second most important opinion of me in the world right now."
He paused and squeezed her hand gently while smiling. "Obviously, the first is that of my foreman, but since he'd not here yours will have to do. Um, you know I'm kidding, right?"

Even holding Ren'ai's hand couldn't calm Yutaka completely. He wanted to be anywhere else, envelopes full of yuans be damned. That party-bereft future took hold in Yutaka's mind.
"What would you like to do afterward? We could be the nicest dressed couple in the bending practice fields." For some reason the idea of practicing bending in the cold weather dressed for a fancy party amused Yutaka.

“I don’t think they will see you any differently, though, not really.”
Yutaka let out dismissive grunt.
"That was before. They could have...um, buyer's remorse. I mean, something may look nice in the store but when you get home and it's dating your daughter you might not like it."

Pro bending was not Yutaka's sport but getting hit by a few fireballs was nothing compared to the torture that was a fancy party filled with people he didn't like...and Ren'ai's family. Besides, he almost confident enough to bend in public against Ren'ai. His girlfriend had a built-in feature to preserve his manliness if someone mocked him...people who laughed would not fare much better. Death by fire and potential mockery aside, watching Ren'ai bend when she was feeling competitive was a sight to behold. She looked beautiful in everything but fire and victory suited her most of all.

When Ren'ai's parents entered his field of vision Yutaka stole a glance at Ren'ai to remind himself that everything that happened that night, no matter what, would be worth it because he would leave with her.
There was no silent judging from what Yutaka would see and Kyouko seemed legitimately impressed with the necklace he had gifted his girlfriend previously that night and even complimented his taste.
"Thank you. Red is definitely Ren'ai's color and I had to do quite a bit of looking to find one with the right shade of amber to bring out her eyes. Where do you get your jewelry?"
Before a conversation about jewelry hunting could begin Ren'ai gracefully opened the exit door leading away from the conversation. Yutaka made slight bow to both once he was out of handshake or kiss range.

"That wasn't so bad. Your dad didn't punch me and your mother even said I have good taste. Hey, maybe we can go jewelry shopping with your mother some time." Yutaka wished he could take back that last idea. He had enough hobbies that were considered unmanly without adding the fact that he enjoyed shopping for jewelry.

After a pause Yutaka broke down. "Somebody has to say it. You have a really attractive family. So good-looking and pleasant. Part of me is intimidated and the other part wants to eat one of you and absorb your powers of beauty and kindness."
He let out a couple of short chuckles at the thought of himself looking like one of Ren'ai's brothers or her father. It seemed odd when he thought about how Ren'ai would be kissing someone that looks like they could be related. That odd thought was creepy enough to make Yutaka appreciate his own looks...as less than idol-worthy as they were.
"It's a family I wouldn't mind being part of. Wanna trade? My father can teach you kuai ball and mother can teach to mix insults into your compliments." Yutaka coughed and tried to imitate his mother's slightly high pitched voice with the right tone of smug condescension. "'What a lovely dress! I could never wear something like that. I'm afraid I would look like a whore.'"

"Would you like to go find your brothers so you can finally start throwing fireballs at me? I think I have a chance of blocking one or two. I've been...kinda, sorta training. Nothing serious. Friend throws fire at me I throw rocks at her. It's more fun than I thought when you have a friend around."