Neteyam

Paparazzi

"Ugh, I hate salt water, there's this residue that just sits ok your skin." Viryn groaned and rubbed her arms. Kiri was leading them to a spring where they could rinse off. "You'll be able to get it off over here." The younger girl said over her shoulder. "How have the Metkayina been treating you? You seem so good at everything." Merq'ena asked as she ducked under some of the fronds.

The foliage was vastly different from the jungle. Due to the climate and the sand the plants were much less dense but tall providing them with shade. "Some of them are actually quite nice." Kiri pushed away from frond in their way and held them back to give the older girls a path to go through. "Like Tsireya, she's really sweet." The older girls nodded. "But Aonung, seems. Not sweet." Viryn stated as they made a turn.

Kiri grew quiet and bit the inside of her cheek. One of her ears even twitched. "What's up?" Merq'ena asked as they began to hear a small waterfall ahead. "It's fine. He just." Kiri shrugged as they continued walking. "Kiri." Merq'ena whispered and grabbed ahold of her hand. "You can tell us." Kiri looked up at Merq'ena with a slight jut of her lower lip, like a small pout. Merq'ena rubbed a thumb over Kiri's hand to urge the girl to speak. "When we first came. The Tsahik called us not true Na'vi." Kiri bit her lip and looked down at Merq'ena's hand around her's. "Saying that we had, demon blood." Viryn scowled at the phrase and her ears were lowered. "Are you serious?" Merq'ena also soon grew angry at the turn of events.

"Demon blooded? For what?" Merq'ena's eyes were narrowed and her teeth began to be bared. "Our hands, and I think our eyebrows." Kiri shrugged. "I don't know." She moved to pull away but Merq'ena squeezed Kiri's hand to catch her attention. "And Aonung, he repeats these slights?" Kiri nodded. "He calls me, a freak."

Viryn and Merq'ena looked at each other, their eyes telling exactly what the other was thinking. "Kiri, you aren't a freak." Merq'ena whispered to the girl who's head was lowered. Kiri was shorter than the two of them by a little but she had tried to shrink herself down smaller. Like she was trying to hide from their eyes. "And you never have been demon blooded." Viryn stated with her arms crossed.

"The Tsahik seems to have forgotten the most basic rule for an interpreter of Eywa's will." Viryn muttered. "And what's that?" Kiri asked. "To respect every single one of the great mother's creations." Viryn spoke clearly with her ears were lifted towards Kiri. "If he speaks to you like that again, call for us. We'll sort them out."

Kiri nodded and squeezed Merq'ena's hand back. "Come on, you wanted to rinse off." They all went under the small waterfall a good ways ahead. The freshwater a welcome feeling to Viryn as she ran it through her hair. "Thank you, I think I'll have to come here after every swim." Viryn sighed and rubbed her skin to get the strange sheen the salt water left. "You're going to have to swim a lot if you want to live here. You might want to get used to the feeling." Kiri laughed as Viryn fervently brushed her hair.

"We do things in our own time." Viryn brushed off the comment. "The ilu, when do we get for ride them?" Merq'ena asked as she rinsed her hair. It was beginning to stiffen as it dried and made a crunching noise when she touched it. "Soon, we got to ride them during the first few days we arrived." "I'm guessing they're nothing like direhorses?" Kiri shook her head as she splashed some water on her face.

They heard laughing in the distance as well as some rustling. Merq'ena looked in the direction but remained by the water fall. "It's so beautiful, once you go down it's like you're in a whole new world." Kiri said dreamily. "It's great, once you get the hang of it you-." "Look at them and their baby tails." All three girls turned and saw as Aonung and two other Metkayina boys made their way towards them. "At least these ones are true Na'vi." The shorter one next to Aonung laughed at them.

"I think I'm done rinsing off." Viryn said and reached Kiri's side. She turned her back on the boys knowing Merq'ena was keeping a close eye on them. "Let's get back, I'm starving." "Look, I think she's ignoring us." Aonoung's other friend sneered. Viryn tugged Merq'ena's arm too to get them to leave. "Don't be scared little Tsahik, I don't bite." Aonung finally spoke. Viryn rolled her eyes and made sure that the three saw her action.