Shells | Lo'ak Sully

Part 4 - Surprising

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She had around 12 shells now, maybe 13. Ni'teya had been roaming the beaches, looking down at what the sand had to offer. Sometimes, they'd be so small that you wouldn't have spotted them without their immaculate shine caused by the reflection of the sun. Other times, she'd stump her feet on big ones, too heavy to kick or lift, disguised in with the sand making them a silent killer.
Her favourite one however, was the perfect balance. It had a weight to it, but it was small enough to hold in the palm of her hand. It had a gleam, giving off a soft yellow colour, mixed with spots of blue here and there.

It had been some time since Ni'teya left the scene earlier, so much so that the sun began to set into the ocean beside her. She didn't notice, too preoccupied with her newfound hobby that was growing into quite a collection. She thought perhaps she'd make the shells into a neckpiece, with her favourite one being the main focus. Or, maybe a crown to wear on her head, or she'd use them to decorate her armour that she'd wear whilst flying Me'kari.

The peace was nice, her thoughts only revolved around her surroundings, but was soon interrupted by quiet whispers which grew louder with every step.

She turned her head to find Roxto and Aonung huddled together, deep in conversation about something, whispering and hitting eachother sometimes, obviously not seeing eye to eye. She could almost make out what they were arguing about, hearing variations of her name being whispered back and forth.

Eventually, Roxto was the one to come forward first, leaving Aonung to stand where he was with a rather anxious stance.

"Um, you're name is Ni'taya, right?" he asks politely, to be fair, though he had gotten it wrong.
"Close. It's Ni'teya." She replies, looking at him plainly, not too concerned or interested in the interaction.

"Sorry. Ni'teya, hi. I'd like to apologize for my actions, so would my friend, Aon-" He started,
"your friend can apologize for himself, I'm sure." She cut across him, making him turn towards his friend and give him a sort of 'I told you so' look, accompanied by a 'come here' hand gesture. These people seemed to communicate through some sort of hand-language, which intrigued Ni'teya slightly. "But thank you for apologizing. I'm sorry too. You know, for hitting you." Ni'teya added, jokingly, lightening the situation.

Next up, Aonung. He slowly moved towards the two of them, cautiously watching his step as well as Ni'teya who he thought would attack him again if she didn't like something he did.

"Ni'teya. I'm sorry for punching you. And kicking you. And-" Aonung attempted, clearly not used to owning up to his actions. His friend nudged his side, making him cut his apology short due to it's lack of actual remorse. Ni'teya examined him and his words for a short while, before nodding and saying, "Thank you, I'm sorry too." making both Roxto and Aonung sigh in relief.

Ni'teya was surprised to see this side of the both of them, as it showed her that they weren't total assholes.

"Um, Ni'teya?" Aonung piped up, stopping Ni'teya from escaping as she was just about to do.

"Hm?" she sounded, bending down to retrieve another shell she'd just spotted on the floor.

"Why do you have so many shells?" he questions, his tone seeming genuinely confused but curious.

"I think they're pretty. I've been collecting some to use later." She answered reluctantly, her tone quite monotone as she still had no real interest in continuing a conversation with either of them.

"They'd look pretty on you, I think." Aonung admitted, causing him to be met with two speechless eyes, speaking for themselves. "Oh! No, I just mean I agree with you! Yeah, those shells are pretty." his breath hitched. His friend snickered, hindering a harder nudge than the one he had received prior. Ni'teya was taken aback by his bold comment, which lasted for about three seconds, before she returned to her shell-hunt.