A Second Chance | Quaritch x Reader

Chapter 11

A few hours had passed in the lab as eclipse soon approached, stars dotting the violet sky. Everyone else had gone home by now, it was just you and the two men catching up on everything that had happened.

It was a lot to take in.

Quaritch had destroyed the hometree of the Omaticaya. This alone would've been enough for you to regret even talking to the man, but you later found out more about the Pandoran War; how many innocent Na'vi he killed, how many of your friends had suffered. And of course.. you were eventually told about Grace.

Before you could really grieve in any way, Jake quickly announced that Grace's avatar had given birth to her daughter that he and Neytiri adopted as their own, along with their three other kids you'd briefly met.

You processed everything, slowly. It would take some time for you to wrap your head around it, for sure.

The conversation quickly perked up again, though. The men reminiscing about their first encounter with eachother and then you. It was a funny story.

Jake told you that you clashed a lot when he first arrived at the lab, joking that it was because you were jealous he got an avatar before you. Though, he was probably right.

The two spoke about all the outings you went on together, how you used to wander off into the forest. Obviously, you weren't allowed in close proximity to the hometree since your avatar wasn't fully formed, but you liked to watch the locals from afar.

Your conversation was interrupted by the open swing of the airtight door, Jake's children filing into the room. He grinned and picked up his youngest, who ran up to him in laughter.

You stood from your seat with a nervous smile. "Kaltxì, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm Y/N, your parent's old friends."

You finally got a proper look at them all as they smiled. You noticed they were smaller than the other Na'vi kids, presumably because of the human genes.

They looked excited, for the most part, to see you. They didn't meet new people often, let alone someone their father held in such high regard.

"Hello.. I'm Kiri." The girl spoke with an awkward laugh. You could immediately tell she was Grace's.

"Nice to meet you! I used to work with your mother. You look just like her.." You muttered, the memory of Grace still stung.

She smiled a little bit, eyes sparkling at the compliment as she looked at the floor bashfully.

"I'm Lo'ak." The boy stepped forward with a large grin, hand extended to you. His mannerisms were very similar to Jake's, and he looked like him too. He wore his hair in braids, dotted with little orange beads.

You took his hand before he shook it vigorously. "How do you know my dad, by the way?" He asked before you could reply to his greeting. He kept shaking your hand as you tried to think of a response.

He cut you off once more, "how come you were with those soldiers?"

"Alright, that's enough." Jake chuckled, separating the two of you briefly. You were glad, sure your hand was going to fall off if the boy had continued.

"What did you come here for, anyway?" Jake asked, frowning at the boy.

"Mama wants you to come to dinner." Tuk answered from behind the man, sat on the stool he previously occupied.

He cocked his head to you, looking at your clothes. They were in tatters, caught amongst the harsh leaves of the forest and caked in mud. "We'll eat once you're settled in."

"So you mean auntie Y/N is staying for dinner?" Tuk beamed before jumping off of the stool and joining her siblings, ready to sprint out of the door.

You looked down at yourself. You'd given yourself a few nicks along your legs and arms when you were running away. "Thank you, Jake."

He grinned and put his arm around your shoulder with a holler. "Don't mention it!"

_________________________________________

You twirled around in your new outfit. You loved it.

Neytiri had graciously donated an old top of hers and managed to whip up a loincloth with some spare materials. The top was made of pearly clay beads that were woven together. It tied at the top and at the low of your back, with thin strings of fabric. The loincloth wasn't anything special, but you added beads and feathers to the sides to give yourself some more modesty.

You loved it. You looked just like the other Na'vi, finally.

"Here." Neytiri spoke, holding out a hairpin to you. It had a large green crystal in the middle, and little white feathers came out the side.

You gasped as you stared at its sparkling surface. "It's beautiful. Are you sure?"

She gave a slow nod, eyes boring through your own. "It was my sister's, and now it is yours.. She would have wanted you to have it."

You hesitantly picked it up and placed it in your hair. Jake mentioned that you were friends with Sylwanin, despite you being different species.

"Oeru txoa livu.. I was too harsh earlier." She continued.

You turned on your heel and faced her with a smile. "It's okay. I understand you were just worried for the village."

She smiled and ran her hand through your hair. "It suits you."

"Irayo." Was all you could say.

She looked down at you for a moment before stepping back. "Our meal will be ready now. We should join the others." She spoke as she openened the curtains, inviting you out.

You grinned and skipped to catch up with her, soon joining the others. The smell of the spread practically made you drool.

You all sat on the floor of the large tent, portions of fruit and veg from all over the forest were presented on large waxy leaves. You couldn't even describe what you were looking at, half the plants there weren't documented on the RDA's database.

You sat on the end of the rug, between Jake and his eldest son. Once you were seated comfortably, the Olo'eyktan rose his cup with a smirk. "To Y/N!"

"To Y/N!" The others cheered, wasting no time before tucking in.

The food was completely different to earth food, and thankfully, the slop they'd served you at Bridgehead.

The family spent the evening celebrating your return, laughing loudly throughout the night. You got to know them all over again. They were probably the nicest group of people you'd ever met.

After a long night of partying, you crashed in a small tent a little while away from the crowd. It was made from scraps of the material used for the main tent, but was used for storage.

You made yourself comfortable on the hard floor, the only thing separating you from the stone being a thin cloth. Though, surprisingly it wasn't uncomfortable.

As you were trying to sleep, your thoughts wandered. After such a long day it was difficult to wind down, despite how exhausted you were. The only thing that filled your mind was a gnawing feeling of guilt.

You wanted to see the Colonel so badly, yet you knew it was wrong.

_________________________________________