MΛ'ƬIЯI | ΛVΛƬΛЯ

our problems

At nightfall, the kids had to ask around a bit if anyone had seen their mother before Kuna't had the courage to check Te'rani's marui.

"Fully clothed right?" Aa'pau whispered as Kuna't closed the curtains she peaked through and climbed down from the entrance. Neytiri was awake but Te'rani wasn't.

Her eyes widened and she shushed him immediately, fearing someone else heard that. "Skawng! Of course they are"

Neytiri opened the curtain to let herself pass and cautiously chose not to jump down, knowing that the bottom was bouncy. She silently greeted Aa'pau and Kuna't.

Neteyam was further behind them, relieved to see his mother.

"Mom" he said as she got closer. "Is she okay?" He asked, looking back at Te'rani's marui for a second as they began walking away.

Neytiri nodded and hummed in response. As the were taking the short walk back to their marui, both noticed the number of weird stares they got.

Neteyam honestly thought that they had gotten past that. But some mothers were turning their children away from even looking at them. Adults were turning away, some even glaring.

Even after spending hours of the evening with Te'rani, Neytiri wished that she was here right now. She knew why everyone was acting this way.

The fight. The demon ship had killed many warriors. And these people blamed her and her family for it. It was unfair, but so was death. So was what happened.

Neytiri realized that if she was among them, she would have been angry as well.

Maybe she and her family were to blame.

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Te'rani yawned in her mat. Her left hand moved to feel beside her since her eyes were still closed, and she made a disappointed sigh when nothing but the cold ground was beside her, instead of Neytiri.

Her eyes slowly opened and was greeted with the purple light of her marui shining on the floor. The sun had risen already.

Te'rani didn't understand why she woke up relatively late as compared to normal. Maybe it was because sleeping next to Neyiri put her at ease. Too much ease.

"Ugh" Te'rani groaned quietly. Her head felt heavy. The cut above her eyebrow ached. She had definitely slept in the position of a dead man considering that half her face had the floor's print pressed onto it.

She sat up, the slight ringing in her head subsiding. Just then, the curtains of her Marui spread open.

The familiar figure of Tsireya walked in.

"Hello. Are you okay? We didn't see you yesterday" She whispered while siting down next to her aunt.

Te'rani nodded, using her hand to cover half her face inconspicuously, pretending to scratch her head.

"Have you eaten? You need to eat. Come, Mother and I can cook for you today" Tsireya knelt up and waited for Te'rani to stand up as well.

While her aunt stretched, Tsireya bent down and began rolling up her mat.

"Is Ronal in a good mood or...?" Te'rani asked.

"No....we lost many warriors to the demon ship. There was a funeral last night. And there is going to be for the next few days"

"Father has to go out today again to make sure all the bodies are....accounted for" Tsireya stood up, mat in hand and turned to her aunt slightly.

Te'rani looked down, a grim expression on her face.