Chapter Text
The ring before her was perfection — not a scratch or a dent to be seen, and the jewels that adorned them ( precious ones imported from the Earth Kingdom! ) sat pristinely against the golden frame. It was made to the groom-to-be’s orders, yet, Eri had no desire to hand it over. Though she fashioned it from her own fire, she was unhappy, noticing imperfections wherever she looked ( although, they really didn’t exist ).
Gentle hands wrapped the wedding ring into a pouch of leather, stowing it away in her bag for safe keeping. The customer would be around in the morning to pick it up and Eri would keep it hidden until then. With the ending of her project just in time for the end of the afternoon, a dreaded feeling came over her. Her mother and father had asked to have a meeting with the family ( though, she had a bad feeling it was about her in particular ) and she so badly didn't want to go. She no longer had an excuse, though. Rules were set in place that she wasn't allowed to work past a certain time and that time was quickly approaching.
As slow as she possibly could manage, she pulled off her gloves, tugging the strings out one by one until they fell to the floor ( where she inevitably left them until the next piece she’d have to start on ) and grabbed her bag. The crafter took one last look around her work room before heading out, latching the door tightly shut behind her and heading towards the main area of the vast home. She truly wished her parents didn’t purchase such a big home…
though, before she could even reach her destination, she was stopped by a messenger hawk resting on a window sill. It cooed at her a few times before she gave in, retrieving the message before letting it hop onto her shoulder. Eri was certain the message was for her father — a rather well known merchant within the nations’ capital — and wouldn’t dare open it up in his stead.
“It seems our family meetings keep getting interrupted, hm?” The girl mused aloud, reaching up to scratch the head of the hawk. She was certainly thankful for the short interruption.
“Father?” She called out, pushing past the cloth doorway that led into a sitting room filled with decorations of red in color, and adorned with the nations symbol. Proudly displayed amongst paintings of the family was a beautiful painting of a certain Fire Lord. Eri bowed in respect to the picture before taking a seat at the low table that sat in the middle of the room.
Eri’s father — Zhean — sat gruffly across the rounded table, his wife — Li Ha — next to him, sipping from a steaming teacup; Eri would assume a peppermint tea of some kind. The grumpy looking old man huffed at her arrival, eyes falling to the bird on her shoulder.“I would say you’re late if On Ji and Lee - “ her older brothers “ - hadn’t decided to forget about our little meeting. What is that?” He gestured to the scroll in his daughters hand, prompting her to slide it across the table. She was hoping for an opportunity to get out of this meeting — she had no idea how much she might regret that.
Judging by her fathers’ reaction, Eri figured her wish had been granted. Without a word, Zhean left the table only to come back with a brush set and an empty parchment scroll. After a few quick strokes of the brush, he rolled the parchment back up and gestured for Eri, whom promptly stood and made her way over. “It’s been requested you take that ring over to the officials’ home once done-“
“I just finished it!” She was quick to cut him off, excited to receive the news, but, taken off guard. Eri almost never handed over her work personally, and a customer requesting her to come around made her a bit nervous, but, her joy over this interruption covered it. Zhean handed over the scroll, sighing irritably. It was obvious this meeting would never happen.
“Send the hawk ahead of you. I expect you back before dinner. We will be having this talk whether you like it or not.” Was his strict orders, looking her straight in the eye before dismissing her and turning to Li Ha, whom had an amused smirk on her face. That elicited a grunt from the father.
Eri silently slipped out of the room, pausing at an open window. “You’re certainly a life saver, aren’t you?” she slid the scroll into the hawks pouch before pausing to pet it gently. “Off to your owner with you.” It took off from there. With her bag still slung over her shoulder, she left to the entrance of the home and slid her sandals on, finally feeling the nerves of meeting the customer. She usually didn’t meet them… nor deliver them herself, but, the husband to be asked to meet the artist… and at his own home. Maybe he wants her to meet a potential customer?
Anything that flew through her mind at the moment could’ve been a possibility.