𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 | 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦²

42 - Finale

"Is it too much?" Laya asked the two older women, Neytiri and Ronal, while motioning to her hair. Her, usually braided hair, was cascaded into a mixture of bioluminescent flowers up in a bun, with a few strands falling out. The dark black of her hair contrasted with the brightness of the flowers and with her outfit. The two older women waved away her worries as she looked down at her outfit. 

Because the ceremony was going to be held on the beach beneath the Hallelujah mountains, a mixture of both tribes were implemented into both Laya and Neteyam's outfits. Shells and seaweed covered the top of her, but a skirt woven from the natural leaves of the forests complimented nicely. When she had first shown her outfit to Neytiri and Ronal, they both were nearly speechless. She looked to be a descendant from Eywa herself, and tears were to be quickly blinked away for both mother figures. Down her arms ran more seaweed, weaving in between her fingers and wrapping around the ringed finger on her left arm. 

Since they were both half-human, Neteyam and Laya decided to incorporate some human traditions into their ceremony, like the rings. They both chose one for the other, and were very excited to show them off. 

Neteyam's was a simple band made from the wood of his grandfathers bow, a gift that Neytiri had managed to form from the wood of her broken bow. It was a perfect way for Neteyam to show his legacy, and how he was combining it with Laya to form a new future for both tribes, bringing the old in with the new. Meanwhile, Laya had a pretty seaweed ring that had a Metkayina-special gem in the middle. Ronal had brought it for the ceremony, and Laya nearly gushed at the first sight of it. 

And now, moments before the ceremony, both young adults were ready. Laya had no idea what to think, and so she was looking for wisdom in her family. "Ronal-" She called out. The woman looked at her with such softness in her eyes that Laya thought it to be an unnatural sight- but welcome for the nervous girl. "Were you nervous before the ceremony with Tonowari?" She asked nervously, her hands clawing at the others palms. Ronal simply smiled and nodded. "Of course, and he was nervous too. It's perfectly normal." Behind Ronal, Neytiri walked up and gave Laya a hug. "You'll be just fine, dear." She whispered into the girls ear. 

The young girl nodded and released a tight breath. "Thank you- both of you. You've done so much for me. Thank you." She bowed her head for the two older women- a sign of respect and adoration for them. Both women smiled and bowed back, staying silent as Laya stood up and walked to the door. 

Just outside, the ceremony was about to start and people were being seated onto the floor of the beach. She heard the singing start, and knew it was time to walk. The door opened, and to the right of the door was none other than Tonowari, with his arm extended. The nervous girl smiled and accepted his arm, resting hers gently around his. "They told me this was custom for humans-" He whispered, giving her a comforting smile. "I think the sentiment quite nice." His eyes trailed to her outfit, and he smiled even wider. "You look beautiful, my dear." His eyes wavered to her arm, and his eyebrow ticked up. "Though we should really talk about some tattoos here- you've definitely earned them-" He said, in a half-teasing and half-serious voice. Laya rolled her eyes but nodded, knowing that she had always wanted a few, specifically on her back, but would worry about those later. 

As the singing continued, a certain note was sung and she instantly knew that that was their cue to start walking. So, taking a deep breath, she followed Tonowari's steps as they made their way down the beach. Walking in between the two crowds of seated Na'vi, the right side of the aisles being distinctively a much darker blue shade than the left, a clear way to see whose sides were who. She saw many familiar faces, like Tuk, Lo'ak, and Kiri, all smiling back at her. To her left, she saw her cousins shining their bright teeth at her. If she squinted hard enough, she was sure she almost saw a few tears in Au'nongs eyes. But that moment quickly passed when she looked further down the aisle and saw a beautiful tree, akin to the one at the Tree of Souls, and was connected deep in the water, the roots sprouting below them as they walked down.