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outstandingblue · 2 years

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Promises to Keep

One - Idiots in the Forest

recom!miles quaritch x fem!na’vi oc

Man, Jiniraa just wanted to gather her leaves and go home. Not worry about these idiot boys trying to make a name for themselves.

find it on ao3 here

content warning: a lil bit of anxiety

word count: 2k

The sounds of the forest brought comfort to her ears. While she had to remain somewhat vigilant for actual dangerous creatures, most of the life around her just wanted to be left alone. She was content, even though she was by herself, something she’d been scolded for time and time again upon her return to the Omaticaya stronghold in the floating mountains.

A few more leaves, then I’ll have enough to last a couple weeks. She thought to herself, mindlessly humming a song. It wasn’t a Na’vi song, rather it was some human song that Norm introduced her years prior. While many members of the Omaticaya clan resented having certain humans living amongst their ranks, she loved living with them. She found them fascinating, much much kinder than any Na’vi she could ever hope to meet.

After she was finally satisfied with her haul for the day, she began making her way back towards the mountains. There wasn’t any sort of urgency to her step, she was savoring her time in the forest. Along the way, she passed a small herd of Fwampops. They were drinking out of a small watering hole and she stopped for a quick break. Groaning as she bent at the knees, one of the smallest walked up besides her leg, leaning in for a pet.

“Little one, you are too cute. Also too trusting,” she smiled down at the young as it scampered back to its mother with a little yelp.

Continuing along, she found herself taking a shortcut towards the old battlefield from years ago. No harm, no foul. Right? Jake probably would yell at her if he knew of the route she decided to take, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt. The area was strictly off limits and no one was supposed to be anywhere near the zone, so wasn’t she surprised to hear four familiar voices in the distance.

Making her way towards the voices, she decided to use it as a teaching moment for the Sully children and Spider. She took up the mantle as older sister or cool aunt to all of the young ones, so it was a perfect opportunity. Technically she was breaking the rules too, but that’s neither here nor there.

Stalking her way behind the children, she got close enough to demonstrate they were being too careless.

“Now what exactly are you all doing here?” She called out from the trees. All at once, four heads snapped her way. She smiled and jumped down, landing with a thud in front of Lo’ak.

“Jiniraa!” Tuk called out with a smile on her face. Kiri crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, as per usual. Lo’ak and Spider had their “oh shit, we’re in trouble” looks knowing they had been caught.

“Can’t we ask you the same question? You’re only a few years older than us” Lo’ak asked, clearly annoyed that an adult had ruined their adventure.

“No actually you cannot. A decade is more than a few years. I am more responsible than you. Why is Tuk here? I wouldn’t be as upset if it was just you two idiots trying to get yourselves killed. You need to be more responsible and thoughtful” Lo’ak’s ears lowered and he brought his gaze to the ground, he never liked being called out for his antics. At her tone, Spider and Lo’ak both muttered small apologies without making any eye contact.

Jiniraa realized her tone was probably too harsh on the children, they were just learning anyway. With a sigh, she ran a hand over her face. “Look, let’s just head back home. I won’t bring it up to your parents if and only when you promise me you will stop this careless behavior.” She crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow at the group in front of her.

A chorus of ‘yes, we promise’ came from all the children. Still feeling bad for the tone she used, she bent down, putting one hand on the shoulders of Spider and Lo’ak, “I just want you guys to all be safe. Let’s go.”

“Um, actually, Nira, we kinda found tracks,” Spider said as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Tracks?” She responded, clearly annoyed at the cryptic words of the human teen. “Care to elaborate?”

Lo’ak responded for his friend, “they were the size of Na’vi feet, but boots. Like military boots.”

Jiniraa felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. This area of the forest already gave her the creeps and the thought that they weren’t alone made it worse ten-fold. Although she felt anxiety beginning to coarse through her veins, she needed to keep her wits about her, for the sake of the children.

She wasn’t a warrior like their parents. Sure, she could hold her own thanks to Jake insisting she learn at least the basics, but if it was an opponent with any skill she was done for. Knowing she was at a disadvantage skill wise, Jiniraa would die for the children standing in front of her without a doubt. She would fight until her dying breath to make sure they were safe.

Taking a deep breath, Jiniraa clenched and unclenched her fists, trying to center herself. “All the more reason to get out of here.”

“But-”

“Lo’ak absolutely no buts. We are heading home. Tuk, come.” Jinirara took Tuk on her back, something she had done since Tuk was just old enough to walk. Although she was trying to keep calm for the children, especially Tuk, her anxiety wasn’t covered as well as she hoped. Once Tuk was on her back, she felt the child’s arms tighten around her neck.

Jiniraa was leading the group with Tuk on her back, keeping the pace as fast as she could. Kiri was slightly behind Jiniraa while the two boys begrudgingly followed behind.

“You’re limping again.” Kiri stated plainly. It was the first thing she said since Jiniraa had jumped out of the trees. “You know you aren’t supposed to be jumping to the ground like that. You could hurt yourself even more.”

Jiniraa sighed, knowing Kiri was right. “I know, I know. I’ve had this pain since before you were born, sweet girl. I’ll be fine. I was out collecting leaves to make wrappings for my hip. The old stuff isn’t working anymore.” There was a pause. “Just don’t tell Norm. Or Mo’at. I don’t know which one will be scarier about this.”

“Grandmother will be. Without a doubt.” The three girls laughed to themselves. Jiniraa looked over her shoulder to make a joke to Kiri about how scary Mo’at can be at times when she only saw Kiri. No boys. No idiot, idiot boys.

“Kiri, where are Spider and Lo’ak?” Jiniraa asked in a nervous tone, not even trying to hide it anymore. Kiri glanced around as well to no avail. Jiniraa tightened her hold on Tuk, “fuck. Alright let’s retrace, they just veered off. They’re fine. I’m sure they’re fine.”

Kiri and Tuk shared a glance at each other, both recognizing the signs of Nira’s anxiety, something that wasn’t a secret in the village.

The group only had to walk back about a hundred yards before they found signs of where the boys ventured off to. To Nira’s dismay, she caught sight of those tracks Lo’ak described earlier.

She paused for a second, “alright, I need both of you to stay as quiet as possible. Tuk, I’m going to put you on the ground, I can’t sneak with you on my back.” Nira quickly and quietly lowered Tuk to the ground, pulling her knife off her thigh at the same time.

The girls followed the tracks, Tuk safely tucked in the middle, holding onto Jiniraa’s tail for childish security. Within minutes, she spotted Lo’ak and Spider crouching up against a fallen log. Coming up behind the two, she grabbed an ear from both, pulling them towards her.

“Now, what the fuck do you two think you’re doing?” She asked. There wasn’t aggression in her voice. No, it was a cold anger. Coming from her, it was much scarier than her loudest of yelling.

“Mom is going to ground you,” Kiri stared at her brother, receiving an eye roll as a response, “for life,” She emphasized.

Jiniraa couldn’t care less about the childish banter happening behind her as she looked forward. Eyes widened realizing exactly where they were. In the distance, she could see one of the old links and where the Na’vi-human war came to a bloody end all those years ago. Not only that, she saw at least half a dozen Na’vi-looking beings surveying the area. Armed with large guns, dressed in camouflage, and fully decked out with gear, Jiniraa’s heart sank to the pits of her stomach.

“We’re going. Now. One of you make contact with your parents. Now.” She gathered Tuk back up on her back as Lo’ak raised a hand to his throat.

Jiniraa’s ears were ringing, so she only caught parts of the conversation.

“-I got eyes on some guys. They look like Avatars, but they have full camo and gear. There’s six of them. Over.” A pause, waiting for his father’s response. Lo’ak hesitated with his response, knowing how much trouble he was in. “Uh, we’re at the old shack. Me, Spider, Kiri… and Tuk. Nira is with us too, she found us.”

Only the older two Sully children had earpieces in, but Jiniraa could imagine exactly what Jake was saying.

“See, I told you,” Kiri whispered to her brother, but her words barely registered in Jiniraa’s mind as she felt her protective side wash over her. She was going to make sure these kids stayed safe and got home. Bouncing Tuk higher on her back, they all started sneaking through the forest.

The kid’s were arguing amongst themselves, causing Jiniraa to turn around and snap at them her nerves at an all time high. In that exact moment, a body came out from the brush and ripped Tuk off her back. Tuk screamed as she reached out for Nira, who was already lunging at the enemy in response.

Within a few seconds, about a dozen blue bodies emerged from their hiding places, all with guns raised at the children. Nira did her best to push everyone behind her. In accordance with Jake’s lessons, they all lowered their weapons, knowing resisting and showing aggression was a surefire way to get killed.

Everyone was grabbed and forced into submission. The male who grabbed Jiniraa kicked out at her bad leg, forcing her to grit her teeth together. She wanted to scream out in pain as the fire spread within, but she wouldn’t give the aggressors that satisfaction.

Tuk was screaming out for Kiri. The sound made Jiniraa’s heart rate pick up exponentially, both in fear and anger. The adrenaline began pumping through her veins. She did a once over of everyone, making eye contact to give some reassurance that everything would be okay. It partially was a lie, for she did not know if everything certainly was going to be okay. Lying was bad, but she saw how it momentarily calms everyone down.

She wasn’t a warrior. Hell, she wasn’t even a fighter. She was easily the shortest fully-grown woman in the clan and she walked with a persistent limp. She had no chance against these people, muscles and hardware on display, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying her damndest.

“What have we here?”

Next Part - Two: Eyes Cannot Lie

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i hope you enjoyed :)))

cross-posting on ao3 at beanswolo!

#colonel miles quaritch #colonel quaritch #recom quaritch #recom quaritch x oc #colonel quaritch x oc #miles quaritch #miles quaritch x oc #miles quaritch imagine #avatar x oc #avatar imagine #avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar oc #na'vi oc #na'vi quaritch #recoms #promises to keep

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outstandingblue · 2 years

Text

Promises to Keep

Two - Eyes Cannot Lie

recom!miles quaritch x fem!navi oc

The first promise is made.

find it on ao3 here

content warning: manhandling, threats of force, slightly ptsd of war

word count: 2k

Jiniraa surveyed the forest around them, mind buzzing with solutions to the situation they found themselves in. She couldn’t concentrate. She couldn’t tell if the noises she heard were blood rushing to her head to just her thoughts screaming, desperate to complete one coherent thought.

Jiniraa fought to suppress her wide and panicked eyes for two reasons: not give her captours the satisfaction of her terror and try to tell the children everything would be alright. Her ears folded flat hearing Tuk’s voice crack as she called out for her sister, eyes began to water as Kiri’s voice responded.

In a way, Jiniraa was thankful she wasn’t able to see Tuk directly, feeling her throat grow raw and tighten, sobs wanted to work their way out. She wouldn’t let them, Kiri understood the magnitude of the situation as well- being rational and calm was the only way they could make it out of this. Jiniraa made eye contact with Kiri from across the circle, slightly nodding her head as if to say yes, I need you to stay with me.

To Jiniraa’s right, Lo’ak remained calm and non-combative as a gun was held to his head. She knew it was the military training Jake had been instilling in his children for the past year. Jiniraa didn’t agree with Jake’s methods and the blurred lines between father and drill instructor, but in this moment, she couldn’t have been more grateful, having one less kid to worry about.

Lo’ak was probably more prepared for this situation than she could ever be, a thought that shattered her heart. Jiniraa was a young child when Hometree was destroyed and the great war took place. For years, they were able to live in peace. The children grew up with love and security, not the pain and suffering she had been brought up in.

When Jake and Neytiri began growing their family, there was a brief period that Jiniraa was angry at the children, simply because they got to have happy childhoods. It was something that was ripped away from her. From the beginning, she didn’t have a family - she was found in the forest as a mere child, seemingly abandoned by her parents. She was injured and unconscious. Dried blood coagulated around her left hip. There was no sign of anyone around. Warriors rode out to neighboring villages, asking if someone had recently lost their children to no avail. She was taken in by the Omaticaya people. The only thing was, she was a four-fingered child. Something only seen in the Sky People, but they weren’t known to have any children. She had no memories of how she ended up bloodied and alone in the forest. She had no memories at all.

As a child, she took a liking to Tsu’tey and Sylwanin, following them around everywhere the pair went. After Sylwanin’s death, Tsu’tey and Jiniraa grew even closer as they mourned the loss together. After Tsu’tey’s death, Jiniraa had lost her brother. Lo’ak is only a few years older than Jiniraa when she lost Tsu’tey, Hometree, and hundreds of others. It made Jiniraa sick to her stomach seeing how comfortable Lo’ak was in this situation. This is a feeling a child should never have to endure. She thought to herself, pulling herself out of painful memories.

The tallest of the military navi surveyed the group, taking a long look towards the human covered in blue paint. He cocked his eyebrow to the side as his mouth remained slightly opened in disgust. Declaring the hostages weren’t a threat, he slug his weapon over his shoulder, freeing up both hands.

“Colonel, check it out. Four fingers. We got ourselves a half-breed,” a bald-headed male grabbed Kiri’s wrist, forcing it up. Against her own wishes, Jiniraa struggled against her captors' hold. In response, the tattooed woman tugged on her queue harder, forcing Jiniraa to release sound somewhere between a gasp and a groan.

“Shit,” Spider muttered under his breath, realizing they were in deep, deep shit. These guys weren’t idiots. They knew exactly what they were looking for.

Turning his attention away from Kiri, the tall, who they called Colonel one focused on Lo’ak.

“Show me your fingers,” he asked, shifting his weight from one foot to another. Lo’ak took a moment and Jiniraa saw the mistich gleam in his eye. Shit, she thought to herself, he’s going to do something stupid. At if on que, Lo’ak slowly raised both hands up, flipping off the Colonel, as if to say I’ll comply, but fuck you.

“You’re his, aren’t you?” He asked, a wicked smile on his face. His eyes slightly turned down as his blood began to pump quicker, adrenaline pushing through his veins. The teenager hissed in response, “you’re his alright.”

Jiniraa’s ears twitched at the strange accent coming from the male’s mouth. She knew English perfectly, a result of how much time she spent with the human allies. This accent was only something she heard in music, never in real life. Her morbid curiosity got the better of her as she wanted to hear more of the foreign sound.

The smile dropped from the Colonel’s face instantaneously, ears pulling back all the way as he reached forward and gripped Lo’ak by his neck, forcing him to stand completely. His tail swished angrily behind him, as if the rage upon his face already wasn’t an indicator of his current emotional state.

Spider could be heard resisting in the background. Jiniraa tried to her best to make eye contact with the human, attempting to tell him to shut the fuck up before someone gets hurt, but he was too worked up to even spare her a glance.

“Where is he.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. There was no room for debate in his words. Jiniraa’s heart rate began to pick back up again. The blood rushed up to her head once again. She knew if she didn’t get it under control, she was going to black out. She’d be useless to the kids in that state. Hell, she’ll probably be killed.

Lo’ak stretched his luck. Responding in navi, “I don’t speak English,” he paused, contemplating his next words, “...with buttholes.”

The Colonel was on his last nerve with Lo’ak, forcefully tugging his queue downwards as his neck began to strain. To everyone’s surprise, he responded in navi. His pronunciation was shaky and the accent did not help, but his message was clear enough.

“Where is your father.” Once again, it wasn’t a question. Statement. Demand. No room for debate. As Lo’ak refused to answer the man in front of him, the Colonel’s eyes widened, bearing his teeth in a clear threat. Eyes give away so much about an individual, they cannot lie. Jiniraa saw nothing but hate in his eyes as she looked up towards the Colonel.

Lo’ak tried his best to maintain his image, hissing at the man who held the teengaer’s life in his hands. The hiss came out so weak it showed the fear Lo’ak was trying to cover up. At this point, Jiniraa began to thrash against the woman holding her, doing anything she could to pull the attention away from Lo’ak. Sweet, sweet Lo’ak who shouldn’t be in this situation.

“Really? You wanna play it this way?” The Colonel asked as he pulled out his knife from its holster. The military-issued knife was a straight blade, not something the navi used. The noise the metal created made Jiniraa’s skin crawl.

The Colonel switched his attention from Lo’ak back to Kiri as she called out for her brother. Lo’ak was thrown harshly to the ground, only to be grabbed once again. Jiniraa tried to reach out to the boy, only to feel a knife held against her throat as well. She froze.

“Kiri! No! Stop! Hey! Don’t touch her!” Spider yelled out, trying to draw the attention away from Kiri towards himself. The Colonel slowly turned towards the only human in the forest, almost impressed by the fight the kid had.

“What’s your name kid?” He asked, lowering the knife slightly.

“Spider,” he replied, out of breath from thrashing, “Socorro.”

It didn’t take a body-language expert to see how the name affected the Colonel. His eyes lowered, mouth agape, and fingers slightly relaxed as his brain comprehended the name. Jiniraa was excellent at reading people’s body language, a skill she picked up on as a child. In this moment, she saw a man stupefied by two little words.

He waved his squad member away, kneeling down in front of Spider. His back was towards Jiniraa, but navi tales are clear indicators of emotion as well.

“Miles?” It was almost like the air stopped around everyone.

“Nobody calls me that.” Spider grit out, his birth name made him sick to his stomach, especially because it was his direct connection to his father.

“I’ll be damned. I just figured they would’ve sent you back to earth.” The Colonel spoke slowly, his previous anger had faded away. Jiniraa felt uneasy at his quick turnaround of emotions.

“You can’t put babies in cryo, dipshit.” Spider bit back, his face emotionless. Jiniraa could hear the hurt in his voice, the reopening of a wound which never healed in the first place. Jiniraa could see the Colonel tilt his head as his ears flicked downward. Repressing those complex emotions, the Colonel stood up.

“What’re we doing with ‘em, boss?” The male holding Spider asked. He didn’t respond, only bringing his hand up to his throat. Jiniraa noted the four fingers.

“Iron Sky, Blue-One actual.” A pause, waiting for a response. “We are standing ready for evac. Over. Be advised, we’re bringing in high-value prisoners.”

Jiniraa trashed and fought more than she had to this point. The woman’s knife nicked her neck, but she didn’t let it stop her fighting.

“Shut up,” she sneered in Jiniraa’s ear, kicking her knees out from under her again. “I won’t just knick you next time.”

That didn’t stop Jiniraa from fighting, drawing the attention of the Colonel and his bald-headed accomplice as they walked away.

“Woah, woah, easy there. Can’t be bringing in dead bodies as prisoners, now can I?” He mocked her, chin high as he looked down at her. He bent down towards here, making them almost eye level. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Take me and leave them,” she responded back, ignoring his initial question. “Just please, don’t hurt them.”

Until now, she was successful keeping her tears at bay, but one managed to slip down her cheek. The Colonel watched as the tear slid down, wiping it into her chin and he grabbed her.

“Finally a blue one that speaks English. Now, you give me one good reason why I should let them run on home.”

“They’re kids.” Her teeth snapped towards his face. “Kids who have no place in war.”

“What are they yours? That little beast could be yours.” He smirked at the implication. She growed at the mention of Tuk and the threat that lay beneath his words.

“Don’t you dare touch any of them.” She threatened, she could feel her body shaking with anger.

“Or what? What’re you gonna do, sweetheart?” He took her from the tattooed woman, pulling her queue rougher than either of the children. An involuntary gasp escaped Jiniraa’s throat at the sudden pain. She didn’t do well in pain, often saying uncle before the fight had even begun, but this was different. “It’s not nice to keep someone waiting when they ask you a question, Angeleyes.”

She growled, as menacing as she could be given the state she was in. “ will slice your chest open, allowing you to bleed out. Not too fast. Not too slow. Just quick enough where you begin to panic, feeling the life leave your body. I will laugh as you draw your last breath. Slow and painful, drowning in your own suffering.”

The Colonel forced a laugh out at her threat, keeping up appearances. It wasn’t the best threat he ever heard, especially directed towards him, but her eyes. They were dead serious with a tinge of craze behind them, showing her determination to make him suffer if any harm came to those kids. Jiniraa smirked at the way his eyes widened just slightly and his tail flicked around.

She made a promise which she intended to keep.

He knew that as well. This is gonna be fun, he thought with a smirk.

Next Part - Three: Like a Game of Tag

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cross-posted on ao3

#colonel miles quaritch #colonel quaritch #miles quaritch #miles quaritch x oc #avatar x oc #avatar imagine #avatar the way of water #avatar oc #eventual smut #eventual relationship #promises to keep

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