Sea of Stars | neteyam sully

chapter 8: bonfire

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Tsireya's pod was a mess. There were cloths, neck- and hairpieces and about a bazillion beads scattered across the floor. 'Why do we have to do this again?' Ikariya asked her, sitting on Tsireya's mat.

'Because you have to look Metkayina for tonight. It's tradition.' Tsireya responded, re-braiding Ikariya's hair. She was taking out some of her braids to make it look more like her own hair. Like a true Metkayina.

'Why is this such a big deal? It's just a bonfire.' Ikariya sighed.

Tsireya gasped. She couldn't believe her ears. she stopped braiding Ikariya's hair and looked down at her. "Just a bonfire"? Has she lost her mind. 'It's not just a bonfire. It is a great celebration. The tulkun will return in a couple of days so we celebrate their arrival.'

'What? But Aonung told me—'

'You should not believe anything that comes out of that boy's mouth.' Tsireya snickered, continuing where she left off with Ikariya's hair. She hesitated, staying silent a few seconds. 'Lo'ak is coming too, right?'

A smile crept up on Ikariya's face as she tried to play it off. 'Maybe, he's not sure yet. Why? Do you want him to come?' She asked.

'What? No. I just— yeah I do.' She gave up mid sentence knowing Ikariya would find out one way or another.

'Oh really?' She asked, getting very intrigued. She would love to mingle with Lo'ak's love life, although she probably shouldn't.

'Yes. But don't tell him though.'

'What if I do?' Ikariya asked her.

Tsireya gasped a little. 'Then— wait, are you and Lo'ak—?'

Ikariya started to laugh, quieting down a little before turning around and studying her face. 'Oh wait, you're serious?' Tsireya looked to the side a little, pursing her lips to show that she was indeed serious. 'God no, he's just the annoying brother I never had.'

'Alright.' Tsireya said, getting back to braiding her hair again. 'Good to know.'

Ikariya smirked, not keeping him the topic of the conversation. 'So, are there any hot guys here?' She asked, making Tsireya laugh at her bluntness.

'Oh, I think you'll enjoy your time here just right.'

☆彡

'It itches!'

'You look fine, Riya.'

'But—'

'No! Just get out there.'

'Fine!' Ikariya and Tsireya had been whispering back and forth for a while, making Lo'ak and Neteyam very annoyed with them. They couldn't express it though, they needed stay on Tsireya's good side. Just like their father told them to.

But after a whole lot of wining on Ikariya's part, she finally opened the beaded curtain.

Both of their mouths fell open, staring in awe at the girl in front of them. It made her giggle, giving her a huge confidence boost. Neteyam quickly stopped staring though. He didn't want her to see how much she effected him. But only in that moment, not anywhere else! She annoys him so much, he doesn't even get the time to be effected by her in such a way. She was pretty, yes, he'd already made that conclusion. But he didn't know she was this pretty. She looked like an angel, like she had simply fallen from the sky.

'Damn Riya, you look hot.' Both of the boys' head flung around as they saw Aonung gawking at her from behind them.

Neteyam rolled his eyes, turning his head back to Ikariya and Tsireya.

'Aye Tsireya, keep your fuckwad brother in line.' Ikariya told at her, making everybody except Aonung laugh.

Yes, that's right. Even Neteyam let out a soft chuckle. He'd never really laughed at her jokes, mainly because they sucked and were painfully immature. But this one he seemed to appreciate.

Aonung scoffed, rolling his eyes. 'I was just giving you a compliment.'

After laughing for a bit, Ikariya smiled at him. She felt kind of bad. 'Thank you, Aonung.'

☆彡

The sky was colored purple and blue, slight orange tints peeked through as the bonfire lit up the village. It was like the whole village was here, dancing and singing. They made music, slamming their hands on logs and shaking beads in their hands. It looked like a blast.

Neteyam didn't love it. He liked silence more than parties. That's why his face looked like that, like he doesn't want to be there. And he truly didn't.

Ikariya's eyes lit up as she saw the scene in front of her. 'Oh my.' She said, turning around to look at Lo'ak behind her. 'This is amazing!' She smiled, grabbing Lo'ak's hands and pulled him into the crowd of people. It made Lo'ak smile, shaking his head as he ran after her. She immediately started to dance, joining the villagers. Tsireya danced along next to them, moving in synch with Lo'ak. It made Ikariya smirk to herself.

She was enjoying herself so much. She closed her eyes, swaying her body to the rhythm of the music. A smile was plastered on her face. It felt like the world disappeared and it was only her and the music. She could still hear the waves crashing on the beach and the stars looked extra bright tonight.

She felt the exact same hand on the end of lower back as earlier today. She knew it was Aonung. 'Well hello, fish boy.' She said before turning around.

He smiled. 'How did you know it was me?'

'I recognized the slimy hands.' She pointed to them as Aonung chuckled. She noticed he didn't come to her empty handed. He was holding two wooden cups. They weren't empty.

'Here.' He said, handing Ikariya one.

She frowned. 'What is it?'

'What do you think?' Aonung responded, taking a sip. He squirmed because of the taste of the drink.

Ikariya's eyes moved away from Aonung and she looked into her cup, immediately downing the whole thing in one time. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, looking at a bewildered Aonung. She frowned once again, looking at speechless Aonung in front of her. 'What?'

'How the hell did you get that down that quickly?' He looked down at her, pointing one of his fingers at her cup.

Oh right, it's not a custom to be able to drink kava that fast. Na'vi would only drink it at celebrations and usually, teens wouldn't be able to get their hands on it either. And Ikariya remembered Tsireya telling her that they celebrate this once a year. She shrugged. 'Don't know.'

Aonung shook his head, grabbing her hand. 'Let's dance.'

'Alright, calm down!' She smiled, going after him.

All while Neteyam's eyes were glued to her.