maybe one day ~neteyam sully

seventeen

High camp was abuzz with excitement for the ceremony that night, men taking off to finish decorating the Tree of Souls while the women stayed and chatted about the match over the meals they were preparing.

The two stayed silent as the elders fingers worked through the young womans hair, beginning the process of braiding the Tsahik braids into Akinas hair.

Five days had come and gone just as quickly as the first seven, and Akina woke severely depressed as she realized today was the day she was to wed a complete stranger. The hope that festered in her chest had diminished completely, betrayal and heartbreak blooming instead. Even as she sat before Mo'at, patiently waiting for her hair to be finished, tears silently dripped down her face.

"Tsahik, i am scared." The young woman whispered, her eyes zoned out as she dissociated.

"Why are you scared, my dear?" Mo'at whispered back, her fingers pausing mid braid.

"I am scared i will resent being Tsahik because of today." Akina admitted, ashamed of herself. Mo'at sighed at the young womans words, unable to blame her for it.

"I was scared, too."

At Mo'ats words, Akina spun around, her face filled with shock. "You did not love Eytukan?"

"Not at first. We grew to fall in love. It could be the same for you and Arutey." Mo'at stated gently, Akinas eyes falling in disappointment. "Now turn back around, i have to restart now."

The young woman was silent as she sat rigidly, the gentle fingers of Mo'at rarely pulling her hair as she braided. Akina could feel Mo'at move on from the Tsahik braids to begin styling the womans hair for the ceremony, her eyes shutting in response as she allowed herself to dissociate.

Small braids decorated with beads and feathers hid in Akinas long hair, two small braids pulled from the front of her face and connecting in the back to act as a sort of crown. A new bead hung down the middle of her forehead, the string holding it woven into her hair. Small pieces of her unbraided hair remained framing her face, Mo'at nodding content with her work. Akinas Tsahik braids were large thanks to the thickness of her hair, the two braids starting from the base of her neck and joining around her queue against her back.

The young woman kept staring at the wall as Mo'at complimented her, the words falling onto deaf ears. A hand gently grabbed the young womans arm, Akina allowing whoever it was to pull her away.

It ended up being her mother, her snapped her fingers in her daughters face until Akina had come back to reality. The young woman simply stared at her mother for a moment before swallowing, her hands reaching out for the outfit her mother held before setting off behind the changing screen.

Akina silently changed, her skirt being replaced with a rather intricate design. The loincloth was white, and along the waistband flowed the white fabric to form another skirt around her legs. It flowed easily, and actually made the young woman feel pretty. She eyed the matching chest piece to the skirt, swallowing before beginning to slip it on. It was like a large band around her chest, the fabric a matching white that flowed over her biceps and connected in the back. The plain fabric was decorated with beautiful beads and gems that had been painfully woven into it, Akina having no idea how long it took for the top to be completed. Her hands found the woven band that would rest just above her loincloth, strings of matching beads and gems flowing down to fall into the white fabric protecting her legs. Feathered anklets and armbands adorned her ankles and arms, the woman liking the outfit yet finding it too much at the same time.

The young woman stepped out from behind the changing screen, her ears falling as her mother gasped. Akina nervously fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist, some of her loose hair falling forward over her shoulder as she looked down.