habits | avatar

03

The next few weeks went the same. 

Aponi would wake up, eat with Valentine, link in her Avatar, and study. Sometimes Grace would be there to teach her, and other times she would be tasked with talking to the Na'vi students. She learned a lot about Neytiri and Sylwanin in the short amount of time she'd been on Pandora, but still had to get Tsu'tey to warm up to her. The boy was endearing- he reminded her of her older brother, Awena. Her heart clenched every time she spoke to him, letting his simple insults roll off of her back like water. Aponi knew he was just scared. She couldn't say that she blamed him for that reaction. 

She was sitting outside, running her fingers over the words in the book that she was beginning to make for translation purposes. The end of her pencil sat in between her sharp teeth, rolling it from side to side with her tongue as she thought long and hard about the words of the Na'vi language. With a harsh sigh she closed it, jumping as she looked up to see Neytiri in front of her, a playful expression on her face. "Come," The princess said, grasping Aponi's hand in her own. 

Aponi ignored the way her heart raced, standing up with a confused expression. She let Neytiri lead her away from the school, tail whipping behind her in curiosity. The other woman giggled as she lead the smaller through the forest, and before long they were in front of a small river. Neytiri tugged her towards the water, and Aponi let out a noise in disapproval, ears flattening against her head. "I can't, I'm wearing clothes!" She said in response to Neytiri's yip, planting her feet solidly into the ground. 

The other woman rolled her eyes, motioning for Aponi to strip to her underwear and undershirt. "If you need clothing, I have some back at my home." Neytiri said before jumping into the water with a splash, coming up with a giggle. Aponi sighed playfully, deciding to let loose and obey Neytiri's instructions. She soon jumped into the water with a hoot, relishing in the cool feeling against her skin. She sat underwater for a moment before coming back up, smiling giddily at the woman watching her. 

They played around in the water for a little before calming down and relaxing, Aponi's eyes closed in contentment. She let her ears take in the sounds of nature around her before turning to look at Neytiri, a large smile on her face. From the way the two were floating in the water, their fingertips brushed against each other, and Aponi hesitated for a moment before putting her hand over the other's slowly. She watched Neytiri blink slowly at her before interlocking their hands, a soft look in her eyes.  They stayed in the water, looking at each other with their hands linked for a long time. 

That day was when Aponi realized she felt something for the other woman. 

Something she would have to lock away, never to see the light of day. 

Something that made her not feel as sad about being away from Earth, away from her human family.

 Away from everything she had ever known. 

Her stomach twisted again, and she let it sit there for a moment longer. The nausea was welcomed because it made everything feel more real. It made Neytiri and the water around her feel more real. 

Back at the school, Grace and Valentine looked everywhere for the other Avatar. It wasn't until an hour later that her and Neytiri bounded back to the school, both clad in traditional Na'vi clothing. Valentine whistled playfully, smacking the expanse of Aponi's naked stomach with a laugh. Aponi growled at him before pushing his head, looking at Grace with a large smile. "How did you manage to lose your clothes? I'd say I'm baffled, but it is you I'm talking to." Grace sighed, shaking her head with a fond expression on her face. Aponi simply shrugged, looking back at Neytiri knowingly as the other woman dragged her over to a chair. Neytiri called for Sylwanin to come over, grabbing her by the arm and whispering to her quietly. 

Aponi tried her best to listen to what the two sisters were saying before jumping as she felt the hair tie  Valentine used when he braided her hair come undone. Soon she relaxed, feeling the two women's hands on her head as they intricately braided her hair. When they finished Aponi admired the handiwork, turning around to hug the two women and thank them. She bounded off once Tsu'tey walked over to the three women, calling out for Valentine to show the man her hair. 

Neytiri watched the smaller woman run off with an unreadable expression, ears twitching as she felt the gaze of her sister against the side of her face. "What is it, tsumuke?" She asked, turning to look at the other. Sylwanin simply smiled, shaking her head with a knowing glint in her eyes.

"You look like Tsu'tey when you stare at her like that." Her sister teased, ruffling the girl's braids. Neytiri growled at her, tensing slightly at Sylwanin's words. "Try to not make it as obvious when we take her to Sa'nok and Sempul." She said lightheartedly, but both women knew the seriousness to her words. Neytiri simply walked away, tail lashing at the air around it to match her aggravation. 

Aponi was allowed to sleep at the school that night, claiming that she needed more time to study the Na'vi language, always wanting to be better at speaking it than the moment before. Grace and Valentine left after sternly telling her to not step foot outside, the latter giving her a tight hug before hopping onto the helicopter. The group of Na'vi students had left long before the human had, which meant that Aponi was left to her own devices. After studying for a few hours, she sat down on the porch of the school, her camera in her hands. 

Looking through the photos from before she came to Pandora made her feel something worse than homesick. She felt lonely. It was a feeling that never really left, even when she was with Neytiri. A drop of water hit the digital screen, and she wiped it away before feeling more water hitting her hand. She realized that she was crying, and once the tears started she couldn't stop them from falling. Aponi sat the camera to the side and laid her head in her hands, sniffling harshly. Her eyes began to feel raw with how much she wiped at them, trying to rid the evidence of her crying as her breathing started to get more and more labored. 

Neytiri found her early the next day curled up in a ball on the porch, tear marks dried to the skin on her cheeks. She gasped softly as she noticed the atokirina' that laid on her skin, Sylwanin stepping next to her as they watched the seeds drift off into the trees. They looked at each other before rushing back to their pa'li, urging the animals to make their way back to the home tree to discuss what they had seen with their parents. 

This sight began and ended Aponi's story, and there was only more to come.