Heart To Heart || Neteyam Sully

5. Friend

"You've got a friend in me."

Third person POV

Eiwa followed the direction Neteyam had told her to follow and found a pond-like pool filled with water as clear as the skies of Pandora. She smiled at the serene view and felt her whole body relax as she breathed in. No one was around so she took off her clothes and slowly made her way into the water. She was worried it would be cold, but it was just right. A little warm, but not hot.

She made sure her left arm would not get wet as she wet her hair. She noticed that almost everyone around had their hair braided or in dreadlocks. As much as she would love to try those hairstyles, she did not know how to do it. The avatar Dr Kho had built for her had the exact hair Eiwa has as a human, a subtly wavy one that can sometimes be difficult to control. The only hairstyle she could do that would last and is secure enough for her thick hair was a ponytail. She liked it. She still did, but it certainly would make her noticeably different from the Na'vis. Eiwa didn't know why she was so worried about being different. She knew she was not a real Na'vi, but she wanted to fit in. And, hopefully, belong.

Once she was done with rinsing her hair, she moved on to rub off the dried blood on her skin. She decided to finish up and got up from the water. As she was about to put her clothes back on, she heard rustling from behind her. She quickly covered herself. "Who's there?"

Neteyam walked towards her while he was looking away to the other direction, "Here." He stretched an arm out to Eiwa and handed a loincloth and a chest covering. "Wear this."

Eiwa, still in shock and confused, hesitantly accepted it. "Thanks."

"No problem," he nodded, looking anywhere but at Eiwa. "I hope you still remember the place you met my mother. Meet me there once you are done. I'll take you to have dinner."

"Okay." Eiwa then quickly added, "You can go now."

Neteyam did not reply and simply walked towards the direction he came from. Eiwa inspected the attire that had just been given to her. She was glad Neteyam had brought it for her. She put on the loincloth and the chest covering, before deciding to wash her clothes.

Eiwa smiled at the reflection of herself on the water. She didn't look too bad with this new style of clothing. It would also help her fit in more. Perhaps she could make friends with one of the Na'vi and ask them to teach her how to do braids too. That way she could blend in. Eiwa never felt that she belonged in the RDA, that was why she was so excited and hopeful about this opportunity.

It was already dark when she reached the place Neteyam told her to meet him at. She was worried he wouldn't be there, but there he was; leaning on one of the trees with his arms crossed. Neteyam did not notice that Eiwa had arrived, so she purposely coughed to get his attention. He turned around almost immediately. His eyes widened at the sight of Eiwa's new appearance.

Eiwa noticed this and decided to tease him. "Like what you see?"

He scoffed, "You wish." As he said this, he also thanked Eywa that it was already dark. Or else Eiwa would've noticed the heat rising up his cheeks. His gaze settled on the clothes in Eiwa's hands, "You won't be needing that anymore."

Eiwa looked at him and raised her brows, "Why?"

"Didn't you say you want to learn?"

She nodded, though still clueless as to how wanting to learn relates to her clothes.

He went closer to her and lowered his face down to her level, before grabbing the clothes from her hand. "Then you can start by learning how to dress like a Na'vi."

Eiwa was too shocked to move or react. Though, she was quick to compose herself.

Neteyam dropped her "human" clothes on the log beside him and turned around. "Follow me." He led her through a couple turns before they entered an open space with Na'vis surrounding a bonfire and eating together. Again, Eiwa was quite fascinated by what she saw. Everything seemed to be harmonizing perfectly. Heads turned as they walked through the sitting crowd and whispers began.

Eiwa felt a bit uneasy, and hurried beside Neteyam who was ahead. "Do I need to introduce myself or something? Why are they—"

"You're new," he stopped and sat down. Eiwa followed suit. "Of course they'll stare," he completed his sentence as he handed her a Yovo fruit.

Eiwa accepted it as he passed her a portion of Teylu wrapped in a spartan leaf. "Thank you."

Neteyam nodded as he began to eat his Yovo. It was then that Eiwa looked at who was sitting beside her on the other side. Once again, the girl from the forest was already looking at her.

"Those eyes," Kiri took a closer look at Eiwa. "The ones in the forest. Were you the eyes that helped us in the forest?"

Eiwa was taken aback that she recognized me. She smiled awkwardly, "Um– I guess, I am."

The girl dropped her Teylu down and gave Eiwa a quick hug, "Thank you! I'll have to introduce you to Tuk, then. You practically saved her."

"Tuk?"

"Oh right, sorry," Kiri extended her hand out. "I'm Kiri. Kiri Sully. Tuk is my younger sister."

Eiwa's smile widened as she shook Kiri's hand, "I'm—Uh— Grace. Eiwa Grace Kho."

"Woah, you share a name with Eywa and my birth mother?" she raised her brows in amusement.

"Your birth mother?" Eiwa looked at her in confusion.

Kiri raised her hand up and showed me her five fingers. "I'm not entirely Na'vi. My birth mother was a human. I was adopted by the Sullys."

Eiwa furrowed her brows. Dr Augustine couldn't have had a child, can she?

"She was a scientist, a kind one," Kiri smiled, though sadness crossed her face for a short second.

"Is your birth mother Dr Augustine?" Eiwa asked her slowly, afraid that she'll upset her instead. She knew that Dr Augustine had died from a reported gunshot. That's why she was named after her in the first place. 

"You know her?" Kiri asked.

Eiwa shook her head, "But I was named after her."

Kiri looked at Eiwa in anticipation.

"Dr K– My mother knew her," Eiwa explained. "They were friends. I was born after the news about her death, so she named me after her to commemorate her."

Kiri nodded slowly and smiled, "Your mother sounds nice."

If only you knew, Eiwa thought. She only smiled. "Also, it's Eiwa with an I."

She grinned, "That's cool. How would you like me to call you? Eiwa or Grace?" 

"They usually call me Eiwa, but I figured it may not be polite—"

"Then, I'll call you Eiwa," Kiri interrupted before Eiwa could finish. Then her eyes shifted to Neteyam, "I hope my brother isn't giving you a difficult time?"

Eiwa chuckled and pretended to think of the answer, "It depends."

The two continued to bond throughout dinner. Kiri did not know this, but she was Eiwa's first friend.