Late Night P2 | Rough Draft | Fin

Growing Pains

"Dad?"

The room is rather dark, with only a small lamp on in the back - hovering over a desk as it's attached to the wall.
It's a wonder it offers any purpose at all beside reading a few pages, it's hardly bright enough to have room for a notebook, too.

"Mmm?" A sudden humming sound grows as he comes more into the picture.

"Dad."

And he finally turns, switching on a brighter light to cover the whole bedroom as his daughter steps in.

And she wears a frown on her face as she walks up, and leans down a bit to place an arm around her father.
Norm.

Enjoying his night off from raids, and catching up on helping proof read Graces old notes before he submits them to Kleiner.

"What is it, Lia? Why the face?" He asks, his smaller hand coming up to her as he offers a side hug.

Being next to her while standing in his human form was one thing, but sitting down next to her — he was barely even half her height then.

"Is it true? That spiders coming home?"
She has some hope.. maybe a spark of something within that shed finally get one of her friends back after so long.

His emotions weigh heavy as he doesn't have favorable news to share.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Norm finally stands and places his hand in hers to show a bit of comfort. "They've made a decision, and for now at least — Spiders staying with the Sully's."

He hates seeing her so down.
It's been too long since she saw them, and then again with the funeral being the last time. And that was so long ago.

"I hate not having them here." She tells him, having to take a seat in his bed while she bends her knees and wraps her arms around her lower legs.

"I know, Lia. If it were safe, I'd take you and we'd join them. But you know it isn't, sweetie."

He walks over to her, more eye to eye now.

"Why can't I go? If spider is allowed, shouldn't I be?"

"Lia." He says again. "We're given the upper hand hiding in plain sight here, if we leave — we lose our connection. The protection the mountains offer.
——We are omatikaya, you especially."

Her pout tugs at his heart strings.

"You know your parents would never forgive me if I let you leave your home."

"We'll they're not here, are they?" And it's then that she finally cries.

Norm gives her a moment, rubbing his hands against her shoulders and down her arms.
"Why don't you want to be with your friends here?"
Offering a small change to the subject at hand may help, perhaps.

"They don't understand like our closer family does." And he continues to stare into her eyes with a worried expression as she speaks.
"I have you, my human father. Adopted or not, there are family dynamics the others won't ever understand."
She says, rather frustrated.
"That's why I liked the Sully's so much. They're my cousins, my siblings, my family." She insists.
"I didn't have to explain anything or worry about them bullying me, they just got it from the beginning."

"Is that what's going on?" He cautiously asks with a sadness in his eyes.
"Are they bullying you for being different?"

Despite being full blooded Na'vi, there were still slight cultural differences she dealt with for sure.

It's like she's afraid to tell him.
"I'm due for my dream hunt soon, you know that."

His sweet girl, closing in on seventeen much too soon. Becoming a woman before his own eyes.
When did he get this old?