𝗂𝗇𝗏𝗂𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗀, 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙮𝙖𝙢 𝙎𝙪𝙡𝙡𝙮

𝗑𝗂𝗏.

𝘍𝘖𝘜𝘙𝘛𝘌𝘌𝘕

        SEYLU WASN'T THE BEST AT comforting people. She left that task for Tsireya. If she cared for the person enough, she would do her best, and it usually ended up okay. Seylu would rather tell the person to suck it up and move on—depending on the situation of course—than spend the time to make them feel better.

But she cared for Neteyam. Really cared for him. They were close, and his sister was hurt. Jake's friends that he called had flown in on an aircraft, the Metkayina blocking the sand from their faces while the craft landed. Seylu had walked back home with Tsireya afterwards.

Tsireya took a tray full of Tsahik materials at Ronal's directions, exiting behind the older woman from their tent. Seylu followed, holding a basket full of the wrapped fish she had cleaned and cooked for the Sully family, with some fresh fruit tossed in.

The villagers lingering near the Sully's mauri parted as their Tsahik, Tsakarem and future Olo'eykte passed, immediately scurrying away and leaving the area at Seylu's warning glares. Neteyam and Lo'ak sat outside, out of the way from the technology inside. Tsireya smiled at the boys, following her mother into the pod. Seylu stopped outside, Neteyam offering her his hand to lead her downwards.

She didn't see Neteyam's aggressive nod to Lo'ak, silently telling him to leave, but she felt a blast of desperation in her. Lo'ak rolled his eyes, standing and walking to the edge of the nets. Neteyam turned to Seylu as she settled on the net outside his home, hair tied in a bun at the base of her neck. He noticed a pearl in the place of her shell.

"My mother has come to wake Kiri. I am not of any help to them in there." Seylu said, her basket of fish at her right.

"You're helping me. You're distracting me from all this." Neteyam said, the both of them hearing his mother order her husband and the scientists out of her mauri.

Seylu smiled to herself. "I caught some extra fish for your family earlier, cleaned it and cooked it so you have something to eat tonight." she took her basket and handed it to Neteyam. She had placed an array of fresh fruit inside it at the last minute.

Neteyam smiled, taking the basket. "That's amazing, Seylu. Thank you so much." he placed the weaved basket inside his home, seeing Tuk and Tsireya help Ronal. Seylu looked away from him, a soft blush arriving on her cheeks. Neteyam narrowed his eyes at her as he felt a feeling he was sure what not of his body.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help last night. I just couldn't see anything." Seylu apologized, hands folded in her lap.

Neteyam reached over, taking her left hand and holding it in his own, lacing their cyan and blue fingers together. He held their hands to his chest. "Don't be sorry. You took care of Tuk last night, got her to sleep so easy. My mom really appreciated that, and I did too." he said. Neteyam had been feeling a certain way about Seylu for a while now, but he wasn't naive. He knew Seylu was far too important to be with a kid like him.

Seylu chuckled quietly, leaving his hand in his gentle grip, knocking against his sternum every so often. "It was no problem. I love Tuk." truth be told, Tuk reminded Seylu of Nori, a bundle of energy and sunshine.

"What is it with you? What's your story?" Neteyam asked out of the blue, releasing Seylu's hand and laying back against the material of his mauri pod.

Seylu narrowed her eyes, turning her head towards him. "What do you mean by that?" she questioned.

Neteyam shrugged. "You're kind of a closed book. I don't know that much about you besides your status in the clan. Have you mated?" he said, one leg bent at the knee, the other stretched out in front of him. He wanted to be distracted by Seylu, and just looking at her distracted him in the best way.

"Okay, then. I mean, I have not mated, and I am learning to be Olo'eykte. I do have to choose a mate soon, but so far I have no one in mind." Seylu said, cloudy eyes trained on Neteyam's blury figure.

Neteyam smiled because he knew Seylu could not see it. "What are you looking for in a mate?" he asked, staring at the gorgeous lavender pearl Seylu wore.

Seylu chuckled, strangely feeling a nervous tinge. "I guess, someone who wants to help me lead the clan, not lead the clan for me. Every Olo'eyktan or Olo'eykte in our clan has a legacy. They carve a stone dug from the rainforest and place it in the center of the village, under the water. I want to be remembered with my mate, not be overshadowed by them. I want to live long after I am gone, and I want my mate and I to be able to help and love each other equally." she spoke, fiddling with her songcord.

Neteyam nodded, taking in her words. It made sense, and he respected her for knowing what she wanted and refusing to settle for less. "That's oddly specific, but it sounds just in your character." the boy said.

He was about to ask Seylu about what she saw at the Spirit Tree, but he had noticed the way her ears picked up, her head turning towards the entrance of the mauri. He looked into his home, finding Tuk and Neytiri holding Kiri's hands, her crying out.

Seylu rushed into the mauri first, arriving to her mother who sat exhausted on the floor. "Are you alright, Mother?" Seylu asked, smiling as Tuk's excited words to her awoken sister.

Ronal nodded, using Seylu's support to pull herself to her feet, Tsireya gathering her materials as Jake and Lo'ak entered the tent. The three Metkayina girls quietly exited the tent, allowing the family to have a private moment to themselves.

Seylu tied the Sully mauri's entrance flap closed before she continued walking through the village, Ronal gripping onto her arm for stability. Life went on as normal that evening. Seylu and Tonowari went on the evening hunt, collecting a large quantity of fish.

Ao'nung and Tsireya helped their mother prepare fruits and vegetables to place in the center of the village where the clan gathered for dinner in the evening. The hunting party quickly cleaned their kills, cooking them over the three firepits set in the center of the area.

Seylu ate with Tsireya, the two of them conversing quietly, each thinking of a different Sully brother. Tsireya of Lo'ak, smiling at the mere thought of him, and Seylu of Neteyam, confused and exhilarated at the conversation they had. She shrugged it away, deciding to deal with it another day.

꧁꧂༺༻꧁꧂