oeyä tìyawn ~ neteyam sully

chapter twentythree

After breakfast, Beatrice quickly exited the pod, the tense air inside too much for her. As she stepped out, she took a deep breath, letting her feet take her wherever. When she finally looked up, she realized she had made it towards the center of the village, immediately giving soft smiles to the Metkayina around her. She continued walking, now a destination in mind, greeting people as she walked by them.

As she stood outside of the Olo'eyktans pod, she took another deep breath. She quietly stepped into the opening, her hands fidgeting with each other as she found Tonowari, Ronal, and Aonung all speaking with one another. Ronal noticed her first, giving her a graceful nod in acknowledgment as the men finally noticed her.

"I did not want to intrude, but i just wanted to thank Aonung once more for finding me last night. I am sorry for the scare, i had simply fallen asleep." Beatrice spoke confidently to Ronal and Tonowari, ducking her head in respect. She turned towards Aonung, giving him a soft smile. "Thank you again, for everything Aonung. It did not go unnoticed.." Her words were gentle, Aonung understanding the hidden meaning behind them, causing his cheeks to turn pinkish. The two nodded to each other before Beatrice turned back to Tonowari and Ronal, giving them a smile before beginning to turn.

"Would you like to come with me today to collect oysters?" Ronal spoke up, causing everyone to look at her with slight shock. She glared at her mate and son, causing the two to look around, pretending to be distracted.

"I would love that, Tsahik. Thank you.." Beatrice finally responded, a shy smile on her face. Ronal nodded her head curtly, clasping her hands together.

"I will retrieve you after midday. They are easier to see when it gets closer to eclipse." Beatrice nodded at her words, brushing her hand down her nose towards Ronal and Tonowari before smiling once more at Aonung. She quickly made her exit, unable to hide the excitement in her veins from being asked to join the Tsahik.

Beatrice made her way back to the pod, finding it empty save for Neytiri. The younger girl smiled at the mother, noticing Neytiri braiding her hair.

"Can i help?" Beatrice asked softly, Neytiri smiling back and nodding. Beatrice immediately made her way over to her, sitting behind her and helping braid her hair. "The Tsahik asked me to join her later."

Neytiri raised her eyebrows at Beatrices words, glancing behind her to Beatrice. "Really? That is very impressive, Bea. Ronal is very kind when you get to know her."

"You have been learning from her, right?" Beatrice asked, adding a few beads into the braid she was working on. Neytiri had almost completed her hair before Beatrice came back, the older Na'vi nodding.

"She has much knowledge. I feel better about being here, thanks to her."

Beatrice smiled at the mothers words, nodding her head softly. The two fell into a comfortable silence as Beatrice helped finish up the braids, their eyes moving up as Neteyam and Lo'ak passed by the pod. Lo'ak was the only one who noticed Beatrice inside with his mother, smiling at her before continuing his conversation with his older brother.

"What are your plans with Neteyam?" Neytiri asked gently, causing Beatrices fingers to freeze for a moment before finishing the final braid. She sighed as she moved in front of Neytiri, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"I do not know. It is not fair, what he has done. But it is also not fair for me to cause issues in your family like this." She murmured, resting her head on her knees as she looked down at the rug Neytiri brought from home. She sighed softly before meeting Neytiris eyes, chewing on her lip. "I think i will always love him. But i can not allow myself to get hurt by him." She whispered, Neytiri nodding her head understandably.