"Pink + White" Neteyam x Oc

Chapter seventeen; Netty huh?

"I wish I'd been there. The ocean has blessed you with a gift brother" Kiri smiled nodding her head excitedly. The other Sully kids were nodding along with Kiri but the Metkayina teenagers felt something was not right. "The tulkun have not come back yet or am I literally blind?" Roxto thought not daring to say anything in case he was wrong.

"The tulkun have not returned yet and anyway no tulkun is ever alone." Ao'nung joined the conversation leaning against a rock.

"This one was." Lo'ak spoke the truth. Siri'tri could see that he was not lying. After all it had taken him over a week to even speak out about what had happened that day. But she couldn't see how it could have been a tulkun.

"He had uhh a missing fin, like a stump on the left side." Lo'ak explained describing it with his hands. Tsireya's ears shot up as she realized. Ao'nung and Roxto shared a look while Siri'tri cursed under her breath. "Oh, you have to be kidding me." Neteyam who was beside her heard Iri and looked at her with a questioning look. Siri'tri ignored him and listened to the conversation

"Payakan, it's Payakan." Tsireya sighed taking Lo'ak's hand. Neteyam and Siri'tri shared a glance noticing how they were almost holding hands too. Siri'tri quickly slapped his hand away but Neteyam only chuckled. Kiri noticed their interaction but shook it off when she asked the group.

"Who is Payakan?"

"A young bull who went rogue." Roxto chimed in.
"He is an outcast, alone, and has a missing fin."

Siri'tri noticed Lo'ak's face drop and tried to ease the tension "We don't actually have any real proof though-"

"They say he is a killer." Tsireya cut her off.

"Whatever, it's your boyfriend. You deal with him after this. Feel free, besides I got the better brother- I don't have him of course. He is not my property or any- oh my mother's sake stop thinking."

"No." Lo'ak tried to deny it.

"He killed Na'vi and other tulkun, not here but far to the south." Ao'nung spit out the story. Siri'tri tried to nudge him to stop but he raised his arms in defense. "What?" He whispered. "Stop it."

"Uhh, maybe we should change the topic? I uhh caught fish yesterday!"

"Shut up!" Everyone except Neteyam groaned. All Siri'tri talked about these days were goddamn fish. In her defense, it was all she could talk about without exposing anything she did with Neteyam. She sighed and backed out, Neteyam squeezed her shoulder.
"I'll handle this, just wait." Iri raised her hands in defeat. "Sure, show me your ways."

"No, he's no killer-" Lo'ak tried to insist. "Lo'ak you are lucky to be alive." Lo'al felt unheard when even his favorite person wouldn't listen. He was starting to get frustrated. "I'm telling you guys, he saved my life! He's my friend." With that, he earned an awkward silence. Siri'tri was giving him a sympathetic look but it didn't help.

Neteyam scratched his head. "Oh, this never means good." Siri'tri braced herself to cringe as Neteyam got up from crouching and went behind Lo'ak. He grabbed his brother's shoulders. "My baby bro, the mighty warrior."

"Neteyam-"

"Who faced a killer tulkun and lived to tell about it." Neteyam laughed but Lo'ak pushed him away. "You guys aren't listening!" He started storming away. Tsireya started to feel tears in her eyes. She wanted to believe Lo'ak but how was she supposed to? All her life, Payakan had been a way to make kids stay inside the reef.

"Lo'ak I'm listening!" Tuk tried to get him back. Siri'tri went over to Tuk and lifted the girl on her shoulders. "Lo'ak come back! You skxawng." Kiri looked at Neteyam who stood there dumbfounded.