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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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Pieces of a Soul - Chapter 11

Ageless & empty blogs will be blocked. No minors!

Thank you to those who have followed this story. I love being able to share my heart through writing. I'm so grateful to you.

TW: Unsure how to label this, but if you have a hard time with parental confrontation, you may cry a little bit. Sorry about that. 😬

The dream ritual came sooner than Naomi was ready for. Nothing could have prepared her, though. Mìmuk and Keveya showed up to paint her for the ceremony. She sat down in front of them as they drew the lines over her torso, arms, and face. She squirmed a bit when they ran their fingers across ticklish spots. Keveya smiled quietly to himself, enjoying this moment together.

Mìmuk drew the last lines down across Naomi’s lips and pulled back. “You are ready,” she said.

Keveya pushed a free curl behind her ear. “You will face much. Your spirit will be in turmoil. You must fight. You are strong. You will come back to us,” he nodded, sure of it.

~~~

Naomi felt the sting of the arachnoid and swallowed the glow worm and began to hallucinate. She was 15. She was back on Earth. Her mother was berating her for something. She opened her mouth to defend herself.

“Don’t talk back!” her mother screeched. “I hate when you get sassy. I have to walk on eggshells with you every single day and for what? You’re so ungrateful. If you don’t like this life, you’re welcome to leave. I feed you, I clothe you, there’s a roof over your head. You have everything you could want. You don’t need anything else.”

Naomi slowly slipped from her present state, withdrawing into her mind. Her mother’s lack of nurturing and her father’s absence physically and mentally had always been a point of contention. “That’s just the way she is,” he’d say. But what about what Naomi needed? Young Naomi curled in on herself and stayed so small. A bright light swam across her vision and she made herself known. As she passed by the hallway mirror, she gasped as she saw her Na’vi self.

She turned to her younger self and smiled kindly. Sensing the harmony of their spirits, the younger Naomi relaxed as she came behind her chair and put a hand on her shoulder protectively. She towered over her parents and stared them down. A pang of sadness shot through her. She was aware that they thought they had done best, but they never seemed to remember that she had been a child and unable to be anything but what they had raised her to be.

The small body under her hand quivered with repressed emotion. She stood firm behind her, leaning over the table to look into her parents’ eyes. She would not be afraid. Not anymore. She was strong enough now. She pointed accusingly between them and opened her mouth to speak.

“You are done. Finished. You have no power over me anymore, over her. We have grown. We are strong. We have found a family who keeps us safe. A family that does not seek to harm us. That sees past their own pain and desires to grow with us, not smother us beneath their feet. They accept us as we are, not as they might wish us to be. You will never haunt us again.”

~~~

Naomi burst forward, a shriek leaving her lips. Mo’at lunged to grab at her arms. “Child, child. It is alright. You are safe. You.. you have made it through. You are one of the people. One of us,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.

Naomi wept, pressing her head to the ground, letting out scream that resounded from her very soul. She grieved for her past self she couldn’t protect and the worth she struggled to accept now. Hands came close and covered her, interlocking with more hands. They reached for her and pulled her into their embrace, soothing her trembling spirit and body. In another lifetime, this much touching would have overwhelmed her, but these were healing hands. Loving hands. Hands of acceptance. Arms of a family.

She rose unsteadily, supported by her loved ones. Jake stepped forward and drew her in, holding her tight. Their bond as humans who had become something different, to whom no one else could relate was something so precious that she would treasure it always.

Neytiri came up next. She cupped Naomi’s cheeks in her hands and pressed their foreheads together. “My sister…” Naomi softly laughed as tears streamed down her cheeks and nodded in response.

Mìmuk and Keveya had never left her side while others had congratulated her. Her paint was streaked down her face and over her body with sweat and tears but they couldn’t look away. She was exquisite. They held their arms out to her and she rushed forward into them where they all hugged each other. Peace. Home. This was her place now.

~~~

Neytiri, fully pregnant, sat with Naomi a few nights later.

“Neytiri, I really have no idea who to choose. Or if I even should with me still having a human body.”

Neytiri nodded, “It is a difficult choice. What do you like about each of them?”

Naomi thought carefully. “Keveya has always been gentle with me.. with the exception of the first time,” she said with a laugh. “He is strong. He is very handsome. He makes me feel heard. Like he yearns to peer into my soul and know my very being. Mìmuk is beautiful. She is bright and bold. She is protective. I can tell she is not fickle with her heart. And… I am afraid I will hurt them.”

Neytiri nodded sagely. “Choosing one’s life mate is a meaningful choice. It is not something to be taken lightly. You will know when the time comes.”

At that moment, Neytiri, bent over, crying out. Naomi gasped. “Jake! JAKE! Something is happening with Neytiri.”

Mo’at had been hovering nearby more recently, anticipating the birth. She hurried to her daughter, unable to keep the joyous smile off of her face. It was time. She brought her Neytiri nto her tent, and pulled out supplies she needed. Naomi ran to get water for her and came back quickly. Jake was sitting beside her, rubbing her shoulders. Neytiri was hissing and rattling off Na’vi quicker than Naomi could understand it. Jake’s gaze met hers with an overwhelmed grimace before his focus returned to trying to help his mate relax. Neytiri raged as she labored. She was strong and powerful, but in this where she lacked control, it was difficult for her.

Neteyam made his appearance early the next morning to everyone’s relief. He had a strong cry and powerful fists. Neytiri held him to her chest, sighing. Jake had smiled down at his little family and a tear slide down his cheek. Neytiri leaned against him. “Ma Jake, our son will be a warrior.”

He laughed through a sob and said, “Hell yeah, he will.”

~~~

It was such a joy to experience Neteyam’s introduction to the clan. He was the most beautiful baby Naomi had ever seen. She would take him when Jake and Neytiri went on date nights if Mo’at wasn’t available. When she came as her human self, she would wear him in a sling across her chest, in awe that he was as big as her torso. She would sit with him and coo and make faces and he would scrunch up his nose, giggle and usually spit up right after that.

Keveya was unsurprisingly very good at charming babies. Neteyam was entranced by his singing voice at night when he was being rocked to sleep. Naomi and Mìmuk would lean against each other and fall asleep as well before Jake came to pick up Neteyam. Many days, Naomi would wake up in Keveya’s tent, sandwiched between him and Mìmuk in her Avatar body. They would all be tangled together and she would snuggle closer, feeling safe with her chosen family.

~~~

They had been so patient with her and she knew she owed them an answer, but she just didn’t have one yet. Unrest plagued her soul as she walked along the stream where she had looked for shells with Keveya. An older woman was further down, carefully cleaning a set of pale white bones to be woven together for a top.

Naomi smiled slightly at her and was about to go past when the older woman said, “Child, unburden yourself. Your eyes are so tired.”

Naomi paused in her tracks and slowly sat down, watching the woman work. As the woman scrubbed, she said, “My name is Ateyin. I have seen you among us. You are a dream walker.”

Naomi nodded, a feeling of hesitancy creeping in.

“Oh dear, it is nothing to worry about. Our leader was one, too. Are you also wanting to become wholly yourself in this body?” She asked as she gestured to her Avatar. Naomi nodded enthusiastically.

“I love this life with the Omaticaya. I have never felt so at home. So at peace and connected to nature, but I am afraid. Once I become officially Na’vi, I may have to choose a mate.”

“Ah ah you don’t have to. You can go without. But what is so troubling about choosing? Do you not have anyone that you would choose?”

“Actually..” Naomi went on to explain her dilemma to the curious woman. She found that unburdening herself to someone who wasn’t involved was extremely helpful and provided some clarity.

“Naomi, child. Listen well. You have difficult choices before you. You may choose one or choose none and before you make up your mind, there is a story you need to hear. A third choice. Long ago in the time of the first songs, a hunter was in the same situation. He desired two people. They also desired him and each other. He decided he would have both. There was no precedent and they snuck away to the tree of voices one night, and the next morning, all three were mated together. It was the first time it had happened and has happened so very rarely since then. Maybe only twice. But it has happened. If you all choose each other, be sure. It can be tenuous with only two beings mated, let alone three.”

~~~

Naomi pondered the story from Ateyin and sat under the moon alone. She laid back in the grass and ran her fingers through it. The sounds of the forest surrounded her and she closed her eyes to experience it all. Her mind separated from her body, but did not go to her human self in the pod. It drifted higher and higher above the trees, rising to see far beyond the forest. She looked around, confused before she felt her spirit tugged to the tree of souls. She had seen this in footage before and stepped forward apprehensively. A wood sprite came to her hand and touched her lightly, then brought her to a nearby vine to connect to. Naomi breathed shakily. She had never done this before. She pulled her queue from over her shoulder and touched it lightly, the fibers twining together.

Pulled even further from her body, she was surrounded with a warm white light. It lit every dark corner of her soul, scattering her demons. The light banished every thought she had ever felt of worthlessness, inadequacy. Every single fear. My child, it said.

~~~

Sometime later, she woke up and made her way back to the Avatar barracks, dropping heavily on to her cot. She came to in her pod, raised the lid and stumbled out. Norm was nearby and he rushed forward to help her. He put his arms underneath hers and guided her to a chair. She sighed and her head flopped down. He reached out to gentle smooth her curls. “You were in there a while. You’ve been doing that most days. These things weren’t meant to hold up for use all day every single minute.”

Frowning, she said, “But Jake did it. Why can’t I??”

“Jake was going down a bad path. He wasn’t eating much, didn’t take care of himself and ALSO it was war time. You are not fighting any battles anytime soon. Plus, he was already bonded to his Na’vi form at this point. It’s been almost a year since you started using it. You have to be careful.”

Naomi groaned. She knew Norm wasn’t wrong, but it still annoyed her to hear. “Fine,” she grumbled. “I’ll take a break for a few days…”

~~~

The following days bored her almost to tears. Norm insisted on Naomi staying in and relaxing. She groused for a bit and then eventually gave up, exhaustion setting in. She was burrowed down under her blankets and pulled them tight around her. She was sleeping deeply when she felt herself being lifted and startled awake. Mìmuk had picked her up and sat down on the bed, pulling her into her lap and rocking her gently.

“Oh, hey.” Naomi smiled and reached a hand up to place against Mìmuk’s face.

She laughed and said, “Little one, it looks like you are being swallowed by these blankets.”

A low chuckled came from the door. Naomi’s head turned and saw Keveya come to sit next to Mìmuk’s feet and raise a hand up to smooth Naomi’s hair. He smiled softly at her and nodded at Mìmuk. “We were worried about you and wanted to come see how you were doing.”

Naomi’s bottom lip popped out and she pulled them both in for an awkward hug, sandwiched between them. “I missed you guys so much. I’m sorry for not sending a message or anything.”

“It is alright,” he said. “We know you just wanted to see our beautiful faces.”

“Ah!” Naomi gasped. “Your sarcasm is getting better.”

He nodded eagerly. “Yes, I enjoy teasing you in any language.”

A silence settled upon them for a moment. Naomi pulled her arm back in, fidgeting with her bracelet. Mìmuk noted the movement, worried. Naomi finally breathed hard. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t imagine life without either of you… The other night I ran into the storyteller, Ateyin. She was a very, um, interesting person to meet. I think Eywa made sure we would meet. She told me a story of how some mates can be together as three instead of two.. as something called a trinity.”

Keveya recoiled slightly and his gaze to Mìmuk. She looked conflicted. Her eyes raised to his and they analyzed each other in a new light as Naomi talked. They both loved her so much and wondered to themselves if it would be possible to share her with another for the rest of their lives.

Keveya reached for Naomi’s hand and gently folded it in his. “Naomi, are you asking us to both be your mates?”

“I- Well.. When she mentioned it, it felt right. Like my soul could be at peace in a world where I could have both of you. But, I know that it may be selfish and I understand if neither of you want to do it. I will always care for you and want you both to see that your happiness is so important to me and I will do what I can to take care of your hearts, whatever form that takes for us.”

~~~

Mìmuk and Keveya walked silently back to the camp. She felt antsy, like she was about to crawl out of her skin. Her hands shook and she put them together, wringing them. A gentle hand came to rest on top of hers.

“If you are not ready to go back to your family tent, will you walk with me? I could use the company.”

She nodded and they went to the woods so they might walk beside the stream. They found a quiet place to sit together and he nudged her with his shoulder once they sat. He allowed her a moment of peace before speaking quietly. “Naomi has presented us with a choice. I had heard whispers of a trinity, but it has not occurred for a long, long time. In my mind, I picture it as having separate tents and sending her off to be with you every other night. I have to say I am not partial to this. We have grown up together, always been paired together or pitted against each other. I would not wish to see our rivalry destroy such a precious thing: what lies between us and Naomi.”

She scoffed and nodded. “What you say is true and I feel the same. But I cannot imagine life without her light. Since she came, everything feels so right. I cannot imagine making the bond with someone aside from her."

***

Taglist:

@ikranwings @sweetirilly

#navi oc #avatar james cameron #james cameron avatar #Jake sully #neytiri #avatar fanfiction

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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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Damn, I always feel so badly for Warren 😅 Excited to write for Prager, tho <3

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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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Thank you so much, lovely. I meant for today but it’ll have to be this weekend. I don’t have the emotional brain power to proofread part 11 tonight 🥲 🩵🩵🩵

Seriously you’re the sweetest

Pieces of a Soul - Chapter 10

Please read before interacting.

I love this chapter so much. It is time for Naomi's iknimaya and the bond between Naomi and the other characters is only getting stronger and dbksdbfdksj Thanks to you guys who have been reading the story of my OCs. 🥹💜

The morning of her bonding with an ikran came too soon. She went with another group of young hunters to the mountains, slipped once and saw her life flash before her eyes. She gripped the vine tighter and pulled herself to the top, meeting the rest of the group. She went last, Jake overseeing the group. He looked at her, placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a stern look.

“I know you’re probably scared shitless. And you should be. Means you’re taking it seriously. The ikran meant for you will try to attack you, too. You have to be ready. You can’t hesitate. As soon as the bond is made, you must fly. Hold on. For the love of God, please hold on. Neytiri will kill me if you don’t make it back.”

Naomi burst into surprised laughter. She turned, steeling her shoulders and walked to the ikran. A few hissed before flapping away. She twisted around quickly, eyes darting. One stepped closer and she growled. It squawked and flew off the cliff. She huffed. It was not going to happen. A giant body suddenly landed in front of her. It was bright yellow, pink accents on its body. The ikran screamed in her face, making her knees tremble.

A power filled her veins. Determination to prove herself overcame her senses and she threw the bola up and over the ikran’s mouth, yanking it down hard. It jerked her up and around. She skidded on the ground, howling in anger. She hissed and kicked it right in the face, stunning it.

Holding the bola with one hand and pulling her queue forward, she linked their bond. It stopped struggling and she gasped, feeling a new presence in her mind. Aside from the direhorses she’d ridden occasionally, she had never experienced anything like this. She loosened the bola and they stood there, cocking their heads like a mirror image of each other.

“Naomi get on the fucking banshee and fly!” Jake screamed behind her.

Her body jolted and she gripped its neck, swinging herself around and wrapped her arms around its queues.

Fly.

It hopped off the side of the cliff and she closed her eyes in fear. It felt her apprehension and wobbled in the air, unsteady. With a deep breath to gather herself, she opened her eyes and directed her ikran down. It swooped and twisted hard as she held on for dear life. She heard whooping and calls from above. The other young hunters flew their ikran near her and Jake came down in the front, leading them through the mountains.

~~~

Keveya and Mìmuk sat close together at the base of the mountains. Keveya impatiently tapped his foot, then began to pace back and forth. “How long has it been? Too long, probably. Something has happened to her. Yes, I’m sure of it. We must find her.”

Mìmuk rolled her eyes with a smile, “Steady, Veya. We taught her well. She knows what to do. Jake won’t let anything happen to her. Neytiri would kill him.”

Keveya smirked at the image of a raging, pregnant Neytiri running after their leader. “This is true. I just worry for her. Also, you haven’t called me that in many years.. Mukmuk.”

She gaped at him, wide-eyed. He laughed. “You better shut your mouth before an ikran flies in.”They laughed together, some of the nerves easing off.

A flap of wings could be heard overhead. They both looked up seeing all of the ikran descending and counting, breathing with relief when the number matched how many had gone up. They stood with the a small group of the clan waiting to congratulate the hunters. They peeked through the ikran, unsure which she would have bonded with. At the back of the group, Naomi and her ikran bumped their cheeks against each other and she smiled at it, scratching under its chin. They were wholly focused on each other.

With a small pout, Mìmuk said, “I think she has forgotten all about us.”

That next moment, her eyes found theirs in the crowd and she waved them over. They approached, grinning and Keveya said, “Beautiful. What will you name them?”

“Her name is Sunny. The sun is what brings light to the Earth and I have a good feeling she will do the same for me.” She leaned against her ikran’s neck and Sunny rested her head in Naomi’s arms, huffing contentedly.

~~~

Later that night, Neytiri was cheering excitedly as Naomi recounted her story of the day. “…and then Jake said you would kill him if I didn’t come home.”

Neytiri flashed a sharp grin. “He is right, I absolutely would. You are like my sister.” She paused, realizing what she’d said. Her mate looked at her fondly, putting a hand on her back. She started to withdraw, unsure, but Naomi reached to clasp her hand.

“And you are like mine, Neytiri. I See You.”

~~~

The next day, Naomi walked alone through the forest. Her Avatar body was beginning to feel like the only one. The same thing happened to Jake, according to Norm. He was sad that she wasn’t around as much, but he felt her heart was with the Omaticaya. Norm knew more of her story. She had parents, but had gone no contact with them a long time even before she went to Pandora. This job had been partially because of her hard work with Pandoran studies, and although she hated to admit it, also due to her parents. It seemed like a last ditch effort for them to earn her love which they had lost long ago. She was deep in thought when she sensed another presence behind her. She whirled, pulling her knife, but it was only Keveya and Mìmuk.

He held his hands up to ease her. “Be at peace. It is only us.”

Little did he know, that was what she was afraid of. Sooner or later, she would have to come to a decision. Deciding. One choice that was guaranteed to hurt feelings. A thing she tried to avoid whenever possible.

He sensed the turmoil in her head and reached for her hand to bring her down beside him, Mìmuk across from them. He played with her hands, fixating on her extra finger. “We are in no rush, little one, but I hope that you are sincere about your intent to inform us of your feelings. It doesn’t have to be in the immediate future, but it would be courteous to let us know. I don’t… I don’t think you would do something like that to hurt us.. toying with our feelings, I mean. It is a fear, though. You are very dear to us.”

Mìmuk nodded and couldn’t make eye contact with her. “If you do not think you will choose one of us, please tell us now. It will be easier to make a clean break so we could stay friendly instead of with hurt between us.”

Naomi, saddened by the insecurities she had caused for them, held their hands tightly, all three connected. “I care for both of you. You have taught me so much and I enjoy my time with each of you. Regardless of what happens between us, I want to become Omaticaya. I hope that Eywa will accept me in this body. I feel more myself than I ever have before. On Earth I was lost. They hold on to many old religions, righteous people telling us the way to live, but they are full of hypocrites. I felt like something was missing. I did not feel seen or heard. Just lost. Here with Eywa, I connect to the Great Mother’s creatures. I connect to Her. She surrounds me and I see the evidence that she is real. I feel so spiritually whole that I cannot imagine staying in my human form and being so lost again.

"My parents named me Naomi. Supposedly the name means ‘pleasant’. I was anything but that to my parents. I was not the perfect child they desired. I did not meet their expectations.” She trembled as she continued to speak. “Anything I did was never enough.. but I was a child. I was still learning. I have begun again as a child, learning from you two and neither of you have ever made me feel like I was not fully capable. Like I did not hold power of my own to control my destiny. You have believed in me and made me strong. I am stronger with you two.”

***

Taglist:

@ikranwings

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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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#avatar polls #avatar way of water #avatar fanfiction

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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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Thanks again for the tag! I love her so much 🥹 also love seeing Prager be the lil wingman 😂🩵 these flowers are for youuuu 🌹🌷🌺🌸

Wasting Angels: Z-dog

Avatar Masterlist

word count: 900

description: you and your girlfriend Z-dog get into a fight over something so small but also important.

A/N: @navibluebees gave Z-dog the surname of Alicia in her fics and I’m totally using it now <3

“Hey, can you give this to Alicia to me?” You asked Prager handing them the gift that you had made for her.

“Sure but why can’t you do it? Aren’t you two together?” He asked confused but taking the gift.

“We had a pretty bad fight and kinda aren’t talking right now.” You said quietly.

Keep reading

#recom zdog #recom zdinarsk #alicia zdinarsk #avatar zdog

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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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Update~

*This will be a little bit of mushy personal life things.

I should be posting the next bit of Pieces of a Soul later today. It's the dream sequence portion of the iknimaya and it was really emotional to write. It was really hard to get through because Naomi is truly a self-insert character. Like her, I had both parents growing up, but everyone knows that doesn't always mean things are great.

It is tough to get to this stage of life and realize that although your parents did the best they could, sometimes we just needed more from them than they were ready to give. It's hard to reconcile that, be accepting of it as an adult and give your inner child space to grieve what might have been.

It's really hard to gentle-parent your inner child, especially when they want to lash out and react the way they saw in their life. It's hard to be kind to the teenager in your mind and give them that acceptance and forgiveness they so desperately crave. We were young. We may not have made the best choices, but we did the best with the tools we had.

If you read my OC's story, you have a special place in my heart. That's why I started writing again. The recoms just wormed their way in, too. Thanks for all your time and support toward my blog. I love you guys. 🩵

#personal

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navibluebees · 2 years ago

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I’m 19!

Im super curious about what is softie recom!reader was captured by the sullys when spider was taken.

Like on the way back to the village readers hands are tied and she sees how young the kids are like ‘are you kids hungery? I have snack!’

Or even ‘are you tired I can carry you!’

Thanks for letting me know <3 Oooh, I love the appreciation softie recom is getting! Since I've written Softie as GN until this point, I'll probably write this ask as GN as well.

Softie Recom - Hostage

All ageless & empty blogs will be blocked. No minors!

okay so I'm picturing it as the recoms snatched Spider and Jake ends up seeing you in the brush, you surrender pretty easily not being incredibly skilled in hand to hand combat yet. The Sully's take you with them back to High Camp.

100% Jake's got a grip around your bicep as Neytiri herds the kids along. TBH he's probably extremely confused as to why you gave up so easily, but he figures he'll figure it out soon enough.

Neytiri took Tuk and Kiri on her ikran, Neteyam took Lo'ak, and you were stuck with Jake. He tied a long flexible leaf over your eyes as a blindfold and after you climbed up, he pulled the cuffs from your belt and put them on you.

In the air, you swung your legs around a bit, feeling the breeze and Jake's all "What the hell are you doin'?" "Just happy to be flying. I never thought I could."

That leads to a discussion where you give him basic info about the recom program and how you weren't even a soldier before and this has given you a second chance in a healthier body. Your history resonates with him and he feels a bit of sympathy for you.

When you get to high camp, he pulls the blindfold off and you gape over the edge of where the ikrans land. Jake pulls you back before Neteyam's can slam into your face. He pulls you to a nearby rock and tells you to sit before he goes to talk with his inner circle about what to do next.

Tuk comes over and pokes at your vest, opening all the pouches to look inside. You hear her stomach gurgle and get a bit excited because FINALLY there's something you can do. "Do you want a snack? I know kids aren't supposed to take things from strangers, but well-" *raises cuffed hands*

Tuk digs around in your bag and pulls out the wrapped snacks, eyeing them warily. She's especially confused at the animal crackers and so you begin to explain about Earth animals

Kiri hovers nearby, watching the exchange, still hurt about Spider. She senses your kindness, though, and steps away only to return quickly with supplies to fix your cuts.

"Oh! You know first aid?" She laughs a bit at you and says, "A bit more than the basics."

Lo'ak and Neteyam are glaring from off to the side and start in on you, angrily. You hold your hands up, interrupting Kiri's work and say, "I don't even have a gun on me. I've never fought someone before. Not even today."

Eventually, all the kids are surrounding you, pawing through your pack and pulling out all the interesting things. Tuk is making a giraffe fly around.

Kiri is sniffing warily at a protein bar.

The boys are picking through each piece of tech they've recovered, including your damaged communication device.

After playing for a bit, I'm absolutely convinced that Tuk curls up and falls asleep on your feet.

***

Taglist:

@ikranwings@sweetirilly

#softie recom #avatar recoms #recom fluff #avatar way of water #avatar the way of water

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