Emrey- Survive || Avatar: The Way of Water

002 || Happiness Is Simple

Kiri, Neteyam and Lo'ak were playing with Spider. After the incident in the lab, Lo'ak had gone looking for the boy and asked him if he wanted to play with them. Spider had nodded his head so vigorously that Lo'ak was sure it was going to snap off at any moment.

The four children were play fighting, Neytiri watching over them. At the same time, Jake kept Niri'te and Tuktirey busy by showing them loreyu, spiralling shoot-like plants that quickly shrunk into themselves with the slightest touch.

When it seemed that little Tuktirey was keeping herself busy enough by running between the plants, then waiting for them to come back out before she ran through them again, repeating the process, Jakesully approached Niri'te.

"Hey neympin, why don't you go play with the others? I'm sure they wouldn't mind," Jake had noticed the lack of interaction between his older children, which suspiciously started after Lo'ak had invited Spider to play with them.

He wasn't so sure as to why this was, but he didn't want a rift opening between his children, for he knew that the only thing that brought was hurt. He and his brother hadn't spoken for three years before he died, leaving Jake with a hole burning in his heart with all the things he left unsaid.

He didn't want the same for his children.

Niri'te looked up at him, her large eyes gazing at him, wary and a little scared. "Kiri wouldn't like that," she mumbled and looked at Tuktirey, crouched low under a rather large loreyu, reaching up slowly. The plant shrunk into itself at the slightest touch of her tiny fingers.

Jake frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"'Cause last week she said—"

Niri'te cut herself off, refusing to look at her father.

"What did she say, baby girl?" his voice was a soft whisper, genuine and caring in its tone. This got Niri'te to look at him, her yellow eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"She said that Eywa has left me."

Jake could barely hear her, her words smushing together as she tried not to cry.

"She said the reason I look like this is 'cause Eywa doesn't love me; she said I was too freakish to be her sister, that my real mother didn't love me enough to keep me—"

"Hey, hey," Jake said, his voice soft but firm. Niri'te cut off her rant and looked at him, tears now freely running down her pale cheeks. He brushed a gentle hand, wiping the tears away as he brought her closer. Niri'te hid her face in the crook of his neck when he picked her up, taking her away from the listening ears of their family.

He lowered himself to the ground, back against a tree, and Niri'te sat in his lap. She was fully crying; soft whimpers and hiccups were heard as Jake felt his neck start to wet.

He rubbed circles on her back, tightening his arms around her and placed a kiss on her head. He sat there for a while, waiting for his little girl to stop crying.

Eventually, she did, after Neytiri came looking for them.

She took one look at the scene, her eyes finding her mates, a silent question in them. He shook his head and nodded back to where he could hear the other children still playing, indicating her to go back. She hesitated momentarily, eyes pained as she watched her baby cry, wanting nothing but to hold her.

Jake smiled gently at his mate, silently assuring her that he had this handled.

Neytiri looked at Niri'te once more before she turned back, a warning already leaving her lips as she yelled at the other children not to play so roughly, lest they want her to show them how to really fight.