Koh'to gave the location a dubious look as the two of them materialized before it. Rinh'a, glancing back at him, tried to offer a reassuring smile. "It's a holiday celebration," he explained. "There's food and music and dancing... At least, that's what I've heard. That's what there was last year, anyway." When Koh'to didn't respond, Rinh'a added, "If it's too much, we can always leave."
At that, Koh'to seemed to bristle a little--- no, it was more subtle, though Rinh'a felt that maybe Koh'to had glared at him a little. It was harder to tell now that his hair had grown out a little more, obscuring his eyes from view. Rinh'a had been worried that it was making things harder for him in battle, but Koh'to seemed to be doing just fine, so after a while, Rinh'a decided that Koh'to was probably alright after all.
In retrospect, he supposed that if it had become an issue, Koh'to would have cut it himself. Koh'to didn't let anything get in the way of his ability to fight.
Inside the tavern, it was even louder than Rinh'a had anticipated, to the point where he found himself the one being overwhelmed. Koh'to, by contrast, was bearing it all with his usual stoicism. When Rinh'a caught up with him, Koh'to wordlessly pointed out an available table for them to sit at.
"Thanks," Rinh'a said, taking a seat and sighing in relief. "Let's see about ordering something..." But despite his intentions, anyone who looked like staff seemed to be occupied at the moment. Changing tacks, he brought out a small package instead, laughing a little when he saw Koh'to's gaze immediately drawn towards it. "It's for you," he said, setting it on the table and nudging it in Koh'to's direction. "Go on, open it."
Koh'to glanced between the package and Rinh'a for a moment, then picked it up and undid the ribbon holding everything together. His features were still blank, but the restless movement of his tail gave away his excitement.
And then he lifted the lid, and saw what was inside, and his ears immediately flattened. He shot an accusing look at Rinh'a.
"W-Well... We just thought it would be good to keep in touch!" Rinh'a said. "Come on, I'll put it on for you." He half expected Koh'to to swat his hand away, but Koh'to merely sighed with an air of long suffering, and let Rinh'a pin the linkpearl to his ear.
Stepping back to admire it, Rinh'a grinned at Koh'to. "Welcome to the team, little cousin!"