𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗦 - 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝘆𝗮𝗺

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗫𝗜 ⸺ 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺.

┊ ┊ ┊ ┊
✯ ┊ ┊ ✯
★ ┊ ★
✯ ✯
★

"AND THEN THIS one crosses over that one?"

"That's right, and then it goes back under. And don't forget to tighten it after."

Amraë squinted her eyes at the half-made braid she was holding and carefully pinched the bone-needle attached to the sea-grass thread between her thumb and index, stretching it over the thread she had just secured then pushing it under the next according to Tsireya's advice.

A week had passed since the burial, and it was like a chokingly heavy fur cloak had been removed from Amraë's shoulders. She no longer heard the cries of her suffering people, but the laughs of her sister and mother, the peace they now rested in.

Focusing on mundane tasks was becoming easy again, her mind clear from a constant fog of grief, a pain that had dulled to a shadow, one she knew she would bear, like a scar, for the rest of her life. Her sleep had improved, too: some nights passed with memories of her childhood, or no dreams at all. And as the decryption of the chip progressed, Amraë felt like the calmness of their everyday rhythm was similar to the heavy peacefulness of a grey sky before the storm hit. As if the first lightning bolt could strike at every moment.

Her top was starting to look more and more wearable; the more time they spent in water, the more their forest attires were getting drenched in water and scrunched from the sea. That morning, while the boys had gone off Ewya-knew where, Tsireya had taken Amraë, Kiri and Tuk to go treasure hunting — what they called searching for materials useful to make clothes. Amraë had kept a small shell from one of their first nights of collecting and had also found small and shiny pebbles at the bottom of the sea. The Metakyina took from the sea only what it gave them; what they needed. Collecting purely for the sake of it was against their beliefs. It had been the same back in the forest — the Tipani hunted strictly to feed the village and thanked the Great Mother for every kill.

No matter how different the forest people and reef people were, tradition remained sacred all over Pandora. And yet, Amraë reflected as she continued weaving the strands of her top, small differences in cultures could be distinguished according to the needs of each people. Whereas the forest Na'vi made their clothes lightly woven but strongly strapped so that it held in the sky but were not suffocating in the heat of the jungle, the reef people had a particular technique of braiding in tiny ranks, so that the clothes would resist the current and would not be damaged by the water.

Amraë shared her line of thoughts with the girls, owning some pensive nods — except for Tuk, who was so focused on her own cloth her tongue was sticking out of her mouth.

Tsireya smiled.

"I agree. I think it is wonderful how we all are so similar, and yet so different. It is what makes us unique. For instance, I find your earrings beautiful, Amraë. Do they have a particular meaning?"