Losing Game ~ Lo'ak Sully

.+Chapter Five+.

    We go back to our ikrans to go grab our things with the help of Tsireya. She lead into the village and onto the pathways that stretch across the water, all kinda of sea creatures visible below our feet. I can tell Tuk is enjoying herself as she is giggling and running back and forth across the woven path. Some sort of animal comes up from the water with a metkayina rider on its back. She sets the animal ride beside Tuk and she starts to play with it.
    "Tuk let's go," Kiri tells her to stop her from getting distracted.
    We continue on and Tsireya says, "Just up here." Tuk finds out that the pathways are bouncy and she starts to jump on them. Tsireya leads us into what they call a mauri. "This is for you." She lets us all go in ahead of her. It seems spacious... but just so unlike home.
    "Yeah, this will work," Jake responds to her. "This is great. It's nice right?" We all just stare at him and Neytiri drops the rug she was holding, showing clearly how she feels about the situation. Tsireya sets the rest of our stuff down.
    "You can come to me for anything at all that you need," she lets us know and we all thank her before she departs from our mauri.

~

    Lo'ak and I are off near the back part of the island where the very few trees they have are. I sit upon a tree branch and watch as he searches for something in the distance. I can't tell what he's looking for but before I can ask he picks something up and makes his way back over to me. He holds his hand behind his back making him look suspicious. He free hand he hold out to me.
    "Come on. Get down," he tells me offering a small smile. I take his hand reluctantly but hop down to stand in from of him. He doesn't let go of my hand and reached his other hand out from behind his back and presents a pink and orange flower to me. I gasp and it's absolutely gorgeous. "For you."
    "Aww thanks Lo," I say showing my gratitude for all the little things he does for me. He brushes my hair behind my ear before placing the flower in its place.

Flashback

    "Leyreya! Leyreya!" 6 year old Lo'ak exclaims running to me, trying to get my attention. He tries to slow down but ends up running into me and we topple over onto the ground. We both sit up. "Sorry," he apologizes.
"It's okay Lo'ak," I reassure him. "Why were you running anyway?" I rub the dirt off of my arms before looking back at him.
"I got this pretty yellow feather for you," he says holding it out to me with such an innocent little smile and I smile back at him. "You can put it in your hair!"
"Can you do it for me?" I ask him and he quickly jumps up.
"Yeah!" he says excited that I liked it. He walks behind me and places it in one of my braids before coming to stand back it front of me. "You look really pretty Leyreya." He give me a warm smile and I pull him into a hug.
"Thanks Lo," I tell him and we pull away.
"Lo?" he asks with a puzzled look on his face.
"Yeah! It's a nickname I came up with for you," I say. "Do you not like it?"
"I love it!" he exclaims and pulls me into another hug . I giggle. "Well that just means I have to give you a nickname then." We pull away and he thinks for a moment, looking at the ground. "Reya!"

~

We all arrive to go and have dinner with the Metkayina Clan. Jake an Neytiri go over to sit with the Chief and Tsahik to exchange a few more words. I walk over to the food and start to put some on my plate. Lo'ak follows and we go to sit down at a table with Neteyam, Kiri, and Tuk. Once we sit the girl, Tsireya, comes over to our table.
"Do you guys mind if I sit with you?" she asks trying to be welcoming.
"Of course you can sit with us," I say giving her a kind small as she's given me no reason not to be nice to her. The others welcome her as well and she sits down beside me.
"I'm sorry about my brother Aonung and his friend Roxto not being as welcoming to you guys." she apologizes. "They aren't big fans of change around here."
"Oh, it's not a problem," Neteyam speaks up being the gentleman that he is.
"You're very pretty," Tuk tells her with a smile as she digs into her fish, making a face at first. She takes another bite before deciding that it's okay and continues eating.
"Why thank you," she giggles at the girl. "What would you're name be?"
"Tuktirey," she responds. "But everyone calls me Tuk."
"Well it's nice to meet you Tuk," Tsireya smiles. "You are very pretty as well." Tuk lights up at her comment with a big smile plastered across her face. We all introduce ourselves and converse until the bell rings to signal that dinner has concluded for the evening. "I would be more than happy to begin teaching you guys about our ways tomorrow." I look to the others and they all nod, not all of them enthusiastic though.
"We'll be there," I respond.
"Alright. We begin at dawn," she gives us a polite smile before walking off to her brother and his friend, Aonung looking over to us with disgust. I feel my teeth grit until I feel Lo'ak place his hand on my thigh to calm me down before I do something I shouldn't. Not that I'd regret giving that bitch a piece of my mind. But his plan did work though. It clearly distracted me as I look over so much that a blush forms on my face. Lo'ak realizes what he did and removes his hand with his face becoming a dark shade of blue as well.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Neteyam asks us smirking and elbowing Kiri to get her to look up from fiddling with hands.
She notices and says, "Yeah, you guys look really red." She gives Neteyam a knowing look while Lo'ak flares at them. I just hide my face in my hands.
"Shut up," he mumbles under his breath and kicking Neteyam under the table.

~

    Once we get back to the mauri jake calls out, "Okay, Sullys, fall in." They all circle around as I stand over awkwardly to the side. "Come on. Take a knee. Let's go. You too Leyreya." I crouch down with the rest of them.
    "Kiri," Neytiri warns when she doesn't kneel.
    "What?" she asks with a huff and sits down.
    "Okay," Jake exhales. "I need you kids on your best behavior. I mean it." I look over at Lo'ak knowing that we will probably end up getting in trouble, but neither of us want to disappoint Jake.
    "Learn fast. Pull your weight," he tells us. "Don't cause trouble. You got it?" Jake looks directly at Lo'ak and I when he says that last part.
    "Yes, sir," we both say while Neteyam softly chuckles at us. He grabs the back of Lo'ak's neck smiling, but gets a hiss in return.
    "I want to go home," Tuk cries. I hold out my arms to her and she rushes into them.
    "Oh, Tuk," I comfort her, stroking her hair.
    "Tuk, this is our home now," Jake tells her softly then looks back to the rest of us.
    "Now we're gonna get through this," he says. "We're gonna get through this if we have each others backs. All right?"
    "What do your father always say?" Neytiri asks.
    "Sullys stick together," Lo'ak and Neteyam practically whisper.
    "That's right Sullys stick together," Jake repeats. "Now this time with some feeling."
    "Sullys stick together," Tuk, Neteyam, and Lo'ak say more clearly with Kiri following not long behind, rolling her eyes. I just stare down at my hands, fidgeting with the bracelet on my wrist that Lo'ak made me. I notice the solemn look that Jake give me but he doesn't comment. He dismisses us and we all depart going our own ways.