Burn for Me

Chapter 4: Touch

3rd pov:

After the conversation with his family a couple weeks ago Neteyam could fell their eyes on him everywhere, wherever he went, whether it was his siblings or parents they were watching him intently, like they were waiting for him to suddenly proclaim is love for the chief's daughter.

The two of them had begun to spend an increasing amount of time with each other, an it had gotten to the point where Tsamera was now expecting of Neteyam to follow her after lessons and help out with any of her duties.

Neteyam still had to initiate the conversation most of the time, but she was speaking comfortably to him, the diplomat act having been dropped after their little encounter in the Marui tent.

Right now the pair was sat in a small rowing boat in the sea, hunting fish for tonight's dinner.

Tsamera was teaching him how to throw the net properly because it seemed he always got some part of himself tangled in there with it, like his fingers or braids.

The boy grunted over and over again, growling in frustration at the net, "Why can we not just do this with bows and arrows, I am good at that."'

Tsamera suppressed a laugh and tried to keep her mood under control, "Because forest boy, this is open water, the fish are harder to shoot, and it would take too long, with a net you can get multiple at once. We are feeding the whole tribe remember?"

Neteyam pursed his lips in response, trying to throw the net again, but his finger got stuck in the loop as he tossed it overhead and instead it landed right back down on him. "For fucks sake!" Neteyam shouted, desperately trying to untangle himself in the small space the boat left hi, the tall and broad boy was feeling very confined and it all just annoyed him more and more.

His movement grinded to halt when the most absurd sound came from in front of him.

Tsamera was laughing, really and properly laughing, she even wheezed a couple of times, her head thrown back in glee as a beautiful smile graced her face.

Neteyam's mood brightened immediately just watching her.

She eventually calmed down, leaning over him, "Here, let me help you." She giggled slightly, a small smile still on her lips as she tried to undo the mess Neteyam made of himself.

The boy was as still as a boulder in the ocean, his heart racing a thousand miles per hour, she was so close to him he could feel her breath on his neck, her hands sliding over his skin with ghostly touches as she peeled the netting off of him, it was an embarrassing state to be in, but Neteyam thanked Eywa for his clumsiness in that moment.

The girl reached up to help take the net off his head, taking his braids out of the gaps they got stuck in.

Her fingers ran through the string of beads and feather tucked behind his ear.

The little wooden pieces knocked peacefully together as she touched them, admiring the cream feather woven into his hair as well.

"Pretty." She muttered, finally removing the net, but not moving away from Neteyam, she was still transfixed on the hair decoration. The Metakayina never wore much in their hair, only Tsireya had a bead, she thought Neteyam's hair piece was beautiful.

Her eyes admired the warm red and brown colours of the beads, looking closely at the patterns in the wood from the tree of which they were carved.

"You like it?" Neteyam whispered, not wanting to deafen the girl that was so close to his face.

"Yes, where did you get it from?"

"I made it, it is important tradition in the Omaticaya that we make our own clothes and hair pieces."