Project tiftanglen || Neteyam

8

I listened to Shut me up by MSI while writing this btw.

Tarian was letting out hushed gasps of pain, his entire being being pulled out of his body and tortured by eywa herself as Mo'at holds her hands above his chest, performing some sort of ritual.

It was his first night here, why now, why make himself look weak now, why fucking now.

She was chanting various phrases in hushed navi that he couldn't quite understand, however the pain slowly evaporated, becoming a dull throb in his skull which felt akin to when adrenaline takes over.

He sighed, more like sobbed in relief, the difference between this and his state 10 minutes ago, when he was still laying wriggling on the mat in Mo'at's hut was huge.

"Than- thank you" he said, finally catching his breath the pain subsiding

"Dont thank me yet child" as she said that she reached for a bowl in which a few minutes prior she was grinding something, she moved the bowl towards him

"Drink." she says, Tarian cautiously grabbed the bowl, praying that he wasn't gonna get poisoned for showing this amount of weakness. He cupped it in between slightly shaking hands bringing up to his chapped lips, and drank, it was a soothing liquid which brought relief to his whole being, he started gulping it down

"Kehe! Slow." Mo'at lightly slapped his arm.

Tarian looked at her, bringing the bowl down, then back up to his lips he slowly drank the light blue viscous liquid. it had a pleasant scent.

Wait a damn minute- this was the plant he was supposed to find! He could bring it back to base, he surely wouldnt be punished that bad- no, No. 'you wont' he old himself over and over as he finally brought the bowl down from his lips. For a second he pondered on wether to ask Mo'at where she got it or not, but he decided not to. The soothing liquid had gotten rid of the pain in his arm, his palm had been wrapped by Mo'at.

"Thank you, Mo'at" He stood up and walked to Kiri, who was awkwardly standing near the opening of the tent

"We should go back-"

"Yeah."

She went to take his arm to sling it around her neck for support, stretching it, but he stopped her

"No, thanks, i'm good"

The short walk to the hut was awkward and felt like an eternity, but standing near the entrance Tarian grabbed Kiri's hand

"Hey uhm, please dont tell anyone"
"But-"

"No. i don't want them to look at me like im some- some fragile doll-" He hated being a doll, a tool for the higher ups, he never wanted to be associated with one, not until the day he dies
"But you're not! There's something genuinely wrong and bad happening to you body and they need to know it! i-"

"No. please, you don't- please, Kiri, i haven't known you for long, nor have i know them for long, i will tell them some day- just- just not today." Kiri looked at him solemnly a battle being fought deep in her head.

She sighed "Alright"

...

And no pain of such calibre appeared for a while. Tarian settled in nicely, a month with the navi hadn't changed him much, maybe it had cracked open his shell, helped his deep rooted mental problems and pains courtesy of Mo'ats magical potions. Tarian had met a boy named Spider, he was.. Well Tarian didn't exactly understand what he was.