Max made his way up a few attachable stairs to another airlock door that led into the vehicle, pausing at the top. He was now just as tall as Tcelia. He leaned against the railing as he spoke, "How long did it take for the Tsahik to wake Kiri?"
"She did it in a few minutes actually." Tcelia squinted due to the sunlight hitting her face and reached up to cover her eyes with a hand.
Max blew out a breath, whistling in wonder, "Incredible."
"So, are you guys planning to stay a while?" She asked looking from Norm to Max.
"Yeah, when Jake called us to inform us about Kiri," Norm began as he walked over to a metal chest that had been placed by the stairs, opening it, and pulled out a large folded up sleeping cot, fit for an avatar body, "We figured it'd be smarter to stay and keep an eye on her," he bent down as he spoke, unfolding the cot and placed it against the helicopter, "Just for a little while, to make sure it won't happen again." He let out a groan as the cot collapsed in on itself.
Tcelia chuckled lightly, "Here, let me do it," She walked over to the fallen cot and unfolded it again, clasping the locks shut that Norm had forgotten earlier.
Norm clapped her on her back, "You might as well help me build a shelter now, since you're so young and strong and clearly know what you're doing."
Max laughed, "You walked straight into that one, Tcelia." He shook his head in amusement before placing his hand on the door handle to the airlock. "I'll be inside, resting from the long trip,"
Norm grumbled something about only having mentioned once that he was tired as they had flown, then put Tcelia to work.
After two hours of cutting down branches and braiding long strands of leaves together, Norm had finally allowed Tcelia to go back to the village.
It was not that Tcelia minded helping Norm, she had actually been enjoying it quite a lot. Max had come out half an hour after he had claimed to be tired, carrying a foldable chair and joined them as Tcelia braided leaves together, creating the roof of the shelter. Norm had been using a rock to drive sticks into the ground around the cot. They had chatted as they worked, catching Tcelia up on what was happening back in the forest. Tcelia had been relieved to hear that Quaritch had left their clan alone after he had found out that Jake had fled.
It had been quite nice to sit and chat peacefully and it reminded Tcelia of being back in the forest, but her mind couldn't help drifting back to Kiri. She was anxious to see how the girl was doing. When Tcelia had finished with the roof, Norm had allowed her to excuse herself, and she had wasted no second and hurried back towards the village.
The sun was beating down on her as she walked along the beach. Out in the water she could see the Metkayina going on with their everyday life, fishing and swimming around.
She heard a familiar laughter from far away and she squinted, spotting Lo'ak and Tsireya chatting to each other on ilus, further out in the ocean. Tcelia kept walking, smiling to herself. Maybe Lo'ak would finally realize how much Tsireya liked him. Then she smiled even broader as she realized that if Lo'ak was out there having fun with Tsireya, that would mean that Kiri was alright, because Tcelia knew that Lo'ak wouldn't leave his sister's side if something was wrong.
She broke into a run, suddenly overcome with a need to see Kiri. She dodged and weaved through the milling Metkayina, finally making it to their pod. She heard Kiri's voice and practically threw herself through the opening. Kiri turned around, exclaiming her name and Tcelia dropped to her knees, embracing her tightly.
"Oh, Kiri I was so worried!" Tcelia breathed into the girl's hair. Kiri laughed as Tcelia detached herself from her and sat back on her heels. Tcelia hadn't noticed at first, but Tuk and Neteyam were also there, keeping their sister company.
"Where have you been?" Kiri chuckled, brushing a stray braid away from Tcelia's face, "And why do you have strands of leaves in your hair?"
Tcelia smiled brightly as Tuk stood up and began picking out the leaves from her hair, "I have been helping Norm and Max build a shelter for Norm's avatar. They are going to stay for a while." She grabbed Kiri's hand with both of hers, holding it tightly.
"They are?" Tuk leaned over to look into Tcelia's face, "Why?" she asked, confused.
"No doubt to keep an eye on you, sister." Neteyam spoke, rubbing Kiri's upper arm.
Tuk placed herself down beside Kiri again, "But you will be alright now, right?" she asked, eyes big with concern.
Kiri rolled her eyes, putting an arm around Tuk, "Of course I will, Tuk, you do not have to worry." She shook her head irritated, "They should not need to stay for me."
"It is just to be safe," Neteyam said as he reached over to pick a leaf out of Tcelia's hair that Tuk hadn't noticed, "There is no harm in that."
They chatted for a while before Neytiri appeared in the opening, claiming that Kiri needed to rest and practically chased Tcelia, Neteyam and Tuk out of the pod, leaving an arguing Kiri behind.
They stopped outside of the pod, looking at each other in silence for a few seconds.
"So," Tcelia shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "What now?"
Tuk grinned up at them impishly, then smacked Neteyam's arm, "Tag, you are it," Tuk squealed before taking off down towards the beach.
Neteyam and Tcelia's eyes met for a second. Tcelia shrugged, a mischievous smile breaking across her face, then pushed Neteyam away from her, sprinting after Tuk.
"That is cheating," Neteyam yelled after her, but Tcelia could hear the smile on his face as he said it. Tcelia glanced back, seeing that Neteyam had followed her, and to her horror, was gaining on her. She made her way onto the beach, her heart thundering in her chest, sand flying everywhere as she launched herself towards the water where Tuk was.
Tcelia squealed as two strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, lifting her off the ground. He lowered his lips to her ear, "Got you." She could hear the smirk on his face as he said it.
"Run, save yourself, Tuk!" she exclaimed through her laughter. She could feel the rumble in Neteyam's chest vibrating through her as he laughed. He spun her around, setting her down gently. She missed the warmth of his arms instantly.
"You are it," he smirked as he backed up, making his way towards Tuk.
Tcelia rolled her eyes, giving him a three second head start, then broke into a run towards them. She halted when the water was at her shins, then winced audibly, "Ouch!" as she lifted her foot and grimaced.
Neteyam who had been running away, turned immediately, hurrying back towards her, "What happened?" he asked concerned, "Are you okay?"
"I think I twisted my ankle," Tcelia grimaced again, hobbling towards Neteyam, almost losing her balance. Neteyam jumped to steady her, placing a hand on her waist, the other on her arm.
She smiled up at him, "Thank you, Neteyam," They were standing quite close. If Tcelia got up on her toes, and Neteyam craned his neck, they could have kissed. Neteyam seemed to have noticed this too, because his breath hitched, and his eyes flickered down to her lips. "No really, it was very nice of you," she blinked up at him innocently, then allowed a mischievous smile to break across her lips, "I hate being It," she pushed him away, squealing as she ran towards Tuk, who was grinning from ear to ear.
"You are going to regret that!" Neteyam laughed, chasing the squealing girls down the beach as the sunset bathed the reef in hues of orange, red and pinks.
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Blood and Water | Neteyam
FanfictionThe Na'vi girl, Tcelia, lost her parents at a very young age. Jake and Neytiri takes her under their wings and she forms a deep bond with the whole family. When Quaritch comes back, Jake decides to move his family to the ocean and Tcelia is invited...
Waking Up to Old Friends ∼ 23
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