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"We can jump him," Lo'ak said, far too cheerfully. He leaned back against his ikran's neck, arms folding with dramatic confidence. "Jey'lan. Jey'ram. Whatever his name is."
His ikran reacted by snapping its head to the side and shoving him with a sharp nudge, wings twitching in irritation. Scales scraped stone. Dust puffed up.
Lo'ak stumbled, feet skidding. "Aye!" He grabbed the harness just in time, teeth clicking together. "Watch it. Play nice."
The ikran huffed, nostrils flaring, clearly unimpressed with a rider who preferred gossip over vigilance.
"You win one fight," Kiri strolled past with a casual sway, a bundle of meat balanced in her hands, "and suddenly you forget how to behave."
Lo'ak scowled at her, reaching down to toss his ikran another chunk of meat. "Okay, saint. Tell me this then." He straightened, shoulders squared, voice growing loud with conviction. "What else are you supposed to do in this situation?"
Kiri stopped beside her ikran, raised one brow. "Use your brain?"
Lo'ak ignored that. "If the guy had nothing going on for him, I wouldn't care. Zero threat." He made a dismissive chopping motion. "But no. He's tall. He's got the looks."
Kiri fed her ikran, brushing her hand along its crest before turning back. "You forgot the most important part. He's a skilled warrior."
"That didn't stop me from wiping the ground with Aonung and his friends."
"I remember you getting tail-slapped into the sand," Kiri grinned lightly. "Though memory can be tricky."
Lo'ak shrugged. "Brother of the year perks, I guess."
Kiri shook her head, her voice softened. She hesitated, then continued, more thoughtful. "I ran into him this morning. Literally ran into him. He apologized. Introduced himself. Very politely."
"So what? You think he deserves a kiss on the cheek for that too?"
"What I'm saying," Kiri growled, pressing the point, "is Saïyah said it was for of his coming-of-age, a simple congratulatory kiss on the cheeks."
Under her serious gaze, he waited for her to continue.
"She's a beautiful girl," Kiri continued. "That small gesture was bound to grow teeth in people's mouths."
"She's easy on the eyes," Getting passionate made Lo'ak rush through his sentences. "Think about it, they're childhood friends. He's not gonna get over her overnight."
While his siblings were engrossed in his love life, Neteyam was deep in thoughts. Wind tugged at his face, he barely noticed. His mind lingered elsewhere, on a quiet request spoken by his parents only moments ago.
