LOVE & CONQUEST-Colonel Quaritch-

S E V E N

The next day was mostly spent with Kirey'a in the background, the morning flight to the beach much less exhilarating than before. She simply observed as Spider taught culture while only barely scraping the surface. Her time alone back within the walls of the sanctuary were uneventful as she laid about in the grass, sunbathing. Until night fell and Miles had found her.

    He had noticed her quiet demeanor from the start, with hardly even looking at him throughout the day and her lack of words during the lesson. Not to mention the events of late last night, it wasn't hard to figure out what was indefinitely on her mind.
    Miles stood from overtop of Kirey'a, his hands rested in his front, hooking to the belt wrapped around his slim waist. Staring down at her with a questionable look. One washed in doubt, yet smeared with discontent. 

  Her eyes were closed, body outstretched as she glowed within the moonlight. "Kirey'a." He uttered, unmoving.

"You're not saying it right."

   Miles' ears twitches at the sound of her voice, head tilting ever so slightly as he peered down at the girl. Only to see her eyes still closed. "I'm not?" Puzzled, he asks.

    As she opens her eyes, they quickly find his as she props herself up. "It is Kirey'a. Not KiRey'a." She scoffs, mocking his accent as she sticks out her hand.

      He frowns at her as he takes her hand in his, pulling her to her feet. The two collide into one another with Kirey'a pressing her hand against his chest to brace herself. The pressure ruffled his shirt, drawing it upward and exposing the start of a defined V below. Which of course, did not go unnoticed by Kirey'a.
    She gasps, looking up from his blue skin to his eyes which stared empty. Miles snaked his arms around her body, carefully resting his hands against her waist in a gentle hold as if she were made of percaline. The pads of his fingers, sticking to her skin like thorns on a rose. For him, it felt like the perfect piece to his puzzle, despite it being a jumbled mess. Her body was a comforting warmth, yet it made his face grow uneasily hot with the corrosive thoughts filling his mind.

    "M-might I.... Might I sound it out for you?" Stumbling with the question, she pulls herself out from his arms, worried she might not be so willing if they stayed that way any longer.

     Miles stays quiet, gesturing for her to continue as he too steps away from her and returns to his original stance.

     As she does so, she watches as Miles' ears twitched and his eyes glanced around. Making it quite clear he had not gotten it even that time.
In a quick instance, her calm became a sprouting annoyance. With her ears laid flat, and her fangs plainly in view, "Kie-ay-uh" she huffs.

   To which Miles immediately throws his hands up in defense, "Listen darlin'-" he starts, backing away once more. "I'll get it right eventually; my accent isn't helping me any."

     Miles knew that her ill-temper toward him would affect their progress moving forward. Promising that he would work on it well, that was the only thing he could think to potentially satisfy her need to hear her name correctly. However, he would not admit to himself that he too wanted to say her name correctly, something so small-but with a deeper meaning would only get in his way. This, he knew.

     She narrows her eyes before quietly uttering, "Skxawng " as she turns away from him and migrates toward the fire pit.

"Did you just call me a moron?""

     His voice carried across the small field rather quickly. The saddened tone surprising not only himself, but Kirey'a's as well. She slows to a stop, her ears perked, her eyes widened at the genuine shock at his ability to understand such a simple Na'vi phrase.