Blood and Water | Neteyam

Incandescently Unjust ∼ 18

"What was the one thing I asked of you, the one thing?" Jake stressed as he hurried Tcelia, Neteyam and Lo'ak into their Marui pod.

Tcelia hung her head in shame. They had run into Jake as he was talking to Tonowari, speeding towards him, but stopping in their tracks at the deadly stare that Jake had given them as they approached him.

Tcelia had felt her stomach sink as she realized that Ao'nung somehow had gotten to his father first. Jake had dismissed Kiri quickly – it seemed like Ao'nung had conveniently forgotten to mention why they had been fighting in the first place.

Neteyam was wiping blood away from the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. Lo'ak's nose was bleeding and Tcelia's hand was throbbing slightly but otherwise they were okay. At least Tcelia could find a little comfort in the fact that Ao'nung and his friends had gotten away looking way worse than them.

"Stay out of trouble," the three teenagers chorused. Tcelia swallowed hard as Neteyam stepped in front of Lo'ak, "It was my fault," he insisted, spreading out his arms in an attempt at calming the situation.

"I don't think so," Jake hissed, "You gotta stop taking the heat for this knucklehead," he looked at Lo'ak accusingly, frustration tensing his entire body.

Tcelia stepped forwards as well, determined not to let Lo'ak receive all the blame, "Sir, Ao'nung was picking on Kiri, called her a freak," she explained desperately, "Lo'ak was only trying to defend her."

Jake seemed to pause at this, swallowing hard and glancing over his shoulder, wincing. Tcelia could see a battle taking place in his mind.

"Go apologize to Ao'nung," Jake decided darkly, looking at Lo'ak.

"What?" Lo'ak croaked out. Tcelia and Neteyam looked at each other in disbelief. Although Jake didn't seem happy about forcing his youngest son to apologize to someone who had called his daughter a freak, Tcelia still had a hard time siding with him on this one. Jake's decision-making skills were usually a quality Tcelia admired about Jake, but this, this wasn't the right call.

She forced herself to swallow the ill feeling that welled up inside her when she pictured the smug look Ao'nung's face would form as Lo'ak apologized to him.

"He is the chief's son, d'you understand?" Jake huffed, "I don't care how, just go make peace." When Lo'ak hesitated, Jake urged him again, "Just go."

With a last look back at Tcelia, Lo'ak trudged out of the pod, shaking his head in frustration, going to search for Ao'nung.

Tcelia and Neteyam made to follow him, but Jake stopped them in their tracks, "Hey." They turned, looking at Jake expectantly.

"So, what'd the other guys look like?" Jake asked softly.

"Worse," Tcelia answered hesitantly, unsure of the responds Jake wanted.

"That's good." Jake nodded to himself, satisfied with the answer. Tcelia almost let out a sigh of relief. She wished that Lo'ak could have been there to hear his father's satisfaction, and made a mental note to herself to tell him later on.

"A lot worse," Neteyam's mouth quirked up in a hopeful smile, pushing their luck.

"Get out of here," Jake dismissed them tersely, and the two teenagers hurried away, unable to believe their luck. Tcelia had whole heartedly believed that Jake would have grounded them for all eternity - Picking a fight with the chief's son was not ideal, no matter the circumstances.

Tcelia and Neteyam didn't stop before they had gotten completely out of ear shot from the pod. As they slowed down to look at each other, Tcelia widened her eyes, "Wow," Tcelia breathed, unable to form words for the feelings she was experiencing at that moment.