Harmony and Dissonance
Chapter 2 - Gifts
Quick A/N before the story:
I don't own Avatar, nor do I make any money off of this fanfic.
Formatting notes:
"" Quotes denote dialog is in English
[] Brackets denote dialog is in Na'vi
Onto the story.
The next few days of my life passed by relatively uneventfully. I tried to find Neytiri again, but couldn't. You wouldn't think you could miss a 9-foot blue Amazonian in a throng of 6-foot humans, but the Na'vi are sneaky like that.
Winter break was fast approaching, a week away. If I couldn't find her by then, I'd have to wait a full 6 weeks before getting another chance. The actual courses I was taking didn't bother me much. I'd always been a gifted student, and I easily learn the academics. Often my mind would just wander, like it did during that history class a few days ago.
Josh was in a similar boat. He too was a gifted student, and we often spent more of our time playing games then engaging in actual school work, cards and chess mostly. The teachers were pretty lax about it, just as long as we proved we knew the curriculum. I think most of them just didn't care about the students and were there for the paycheck.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Josh asks me as we get ready to leave the school after another boring day. "I just went to the shop and picked up that new fantasy game yesterday. Wanna try it out?"
"Yeah." I reply as I snap on my exopack, "Sounds like fun. Just one thing I want to do first."
"You're going to look for her again? Dude, you got a crush on her or something?" Josh teases.
"She's the first Na'vi I've ever actually spoken to." I answer, "Just want to talk to her again."
"Whatever. You're definitely crushing on her." Josh says as he snaps his exopack in place.
"Whatever." I reply in annoyance. Leaving Josh behind, I take off through the sealed front doors of the school. However, I stop dead by the sight that awaits me. Ten third years are standing outside the doors, some relaxing against the front stairwell. I definitely recognize the four thugs from the other day. They've obviously brought their friends.
"Jeez, you need to learn how to take a… oh, shit." Josh says as he exit's the doors behind me. Normally, we would just take our lumps and be done with it. But out here in the toxic Pandoran atmosphere, things could turn deadly pretty quickly.
"Time to pay the piper." The same guy that led the group from the other day says.
"Knew this was going to happen." Josh complains.
"Yeah, yeah. Got any bright ideas?" I ask.
"Run?" Josh offers.
"Works for me." I reply as Josh and I vault over the railing to the front stairs of the school. As soon as we land we take off at a dead sprint, the ten third years hot on our trails. We soon leave the school grounds and are running through the exposed streets of Valkyria.
"They aren't stopping…" Josh huffs out. We're both getting winded.
"Need to go somewhere they won't follow." I suggest, "Out the main gates, into the forest."
"Are you insane?" Josh replies, "I don't feel like dying today."
"The turrets will recognize us as human and will kill anything hostile that gets too close. We just have to go deep enough to discourage pursuit. The chances of viperwolves or a thanator attacking us are slim to none. They generally don't come around this area anymore." I explain as I turn towards one of the gates.
"Alright, we'll play it your way." Josh finally agrees and we book it to the main gate of the town. We push through and across the small clearing into the jungle proper. Much to our chagrin, the third years show no signs of slowing up.
"What now, Einstein?" Josh asks as we make our way through the underbrush, dipping and dodging around various plants and tree branches and roots.
"Let me think." I shout and try to take a quick look around. I notice a small clearing that seems to have gathered a small army of fan lizards. "This way, and as soon as we hit the clearing make as much noise as possible!"
Josh and I enter the clearing shouting our lungs out, making as much noise and movement as possible. Hundreds of fan lizards take flight in an impressive show off aerial acrobatics and bioluminescence. Looking back on this moment, I really wish I could have taken more time to enjoy my first foray into the Pandoran jungle.
The distraction does the trick and covers our escape from the third years. Josh and I run a few dozen more yards before taking cover behind a tree and waiting to see if the thugs continue their pursuit.
"We gotta find them!" the leader shouts as the fan lizards finally settle down.
"But, we're in the middle of the jungle man. There's shit out here that would kill us in a heartbeat. I don't feel like getting impaled by an arrow today." one of the newcomers say. Most of the others agree with him and the group quickly dissipates and heads back to town. Soon the original four were all that remained.
"Shit. We'll have to get them later, let's go guys." the ringleader announces as he starts to trudge back through the jungle.
"Damn, glad that's over." Josh says as he let's out a sigh of relief.
"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice calls out from behind us, "The jungle is not safe for you, you make too much noise."
"Sorry about that, we were being chased. We'll be heading back to the town." I say as I turn around. My eyes immediately catch the features of Neytiri. She's definitely not wearing her school uniform. Garbed in traditional Na'vi clothing, she's gorgeous, to me at least.
Josh immediately realizes what I'm staring at, "Totally crushing on her, man." he whispers.
"Who was chasing you?" Neytiri asks.
"Same group of clowns from a few days ago." Josh replies.
"You handled them well the first time." Neytiri responds.
"They brought friends." I answer, "Two-on-one Josh and I can handle, but five-on-one is a little much.
[Neytiri, who are these Sky People?] a Na'vi male asks as he makes himself known, [And why are the skxawng stomping and hollering through the jungle?]
Neytiri's bioluminescent "freckles" start to glow, the Na'vi equivalent of a blush or a blanch. Her partner obviously doesn't know that I can speak fluent Na'vi and Josh isn't exactly a slouch at the language.
[I apologize for making a ruckus.] I reply, [We were being chased and came into the jungle to lose our pursuers. I'm Zac Landis, and this is my friend Josh Osborn.]
The male Na'vi is almost floored when I reply in Na'vi. He stammers through his response, [Oel ngati kameie, Zaclandis. Oel ngati kameie, Joshosborn. Apologies for calling you a skxawng. I am Tuk'lan.]
[Oel ngati kameie, Tuk'lan.] I return the greeting. Josh does the same.
[Tsmukan, these are the Sky People who helped a few days ago at the school.] Neytiri explains.
[Ah, so you two are the ones who helped my little sister?] Tuk'ran says in a much more jovial tone than when he first appeared, [Irayo.]
[No problem.] I reply. [I can't stand watching people bully others.]
"Not to mention your crushing on her." Josh adds. This causes Neytiri to look at me quizzically. I don't know if she knew what the word crush means in this instance.
"Damn it, shut up." I retort. Josh just laughs at me. "Why do I even hang out with you…"
"Cause I'm the only person at the school that can challenge you at chess." Josh answers.
[It's good to meet you, Zaclandis and Joshosborn. However, you both should get out of the jungle as soon as possible.] Tuk'ran says as he starts to head back into the forest.
[Yeah, we'll be heading back to town now. Kiyevame. See you at school, Neytiri.] I respond as Tuk'ran leaves and Josh and I make to return to Valkyria.
[Kiyevame, Zac.] Neytiri says as she departs the same way as her brother.
Josh and I make our way back to the town. We reenter the town through a different gat just in case.
"So, about that game…" Josh offers as he make our way towards his house.
"Yeah, I could use some mindless entertainment." I reply.
I don't see Neytiri again as winter break arrives. Josh and I spend most everyday either playing through one of his new games, sparring, or just getting into random trouble. Christmas is quickly approaching.
I mentally laugh as I think about the concept. The holiday once met something long ago. However, in the ever expanding commercialization of everything that could make money, the true meaning of Christmas had been lost. All I know was that it was supposed to be the celebration of a man named Jesus Christ, a prominent entity in the now defunct religion of Christianity. However, the holiday lives on as nothing more than a commercial tool to make money and an excuse to take some time off from work.
Christmas was still practiced amongst the human inhabitants of Pandora. Gifts given to lovers and children. The holiday is pretty nice, if a little hollow. I'm certainly not complaining about the free gifts. Especially when I figured out what I was going to be getting this year.
My mother had called me into the living room of the house. I arrived there to see my mom and dad sitting on the couch.
"Zac, we have something to tell you." Mom said as I sat down in the recliner next to the couch.
"What's up?" I asked.
"It's about your Christmas gifts, or gift as it's going to be this year." Dad said. Inwardly, I'm saddened to hear that I'll only be getting one gift. I guess I was kinda selfish like that.
"As you know, there's been great strides made in the process of making Avatars over the past two hundred years." Mom explained. Now I'm curious, what has this got to do with anything? "The process has gotten cheaper and faster. Your father and I saved up some money and about a year ago put in the request for an Avatar to be made for you. We know you've wanted to explore the jungles with us for a long time. It's going to be a little late, the shuttle with your body on it doesn't arrive until a week after Christmas."
"You're shitting me!" I shouted, "You got me an Avatar? This is the greatest gift ever! It must have cost you a fortune!"
"Yeah, it cost us a good bit of money." My dad admitted, "But, it was cheap enough for us to afford, that's why you're not getting anything else. Luckily, that textbook we wrote is used in almost every school both here and on Earth. It made us a lot of money."
"You're going to have to do a lot of training before you can start coming out into the forest with us. It takes some time to get used to your Avatar body." My mom reminded me. "And, with school, you won't be having much time to do it."
"I'll take the Avatar to school." I replied. "It'll still be my mind, so I'll still be learning everything and training at the same time."
"That's a good idea, I'll see if I can clear it with the superintendent." Dad said as he rubbed at his beard stubble, "You'll have to buy a new uniform for your new body."
"Leave that to me!" I said as I hopped from the recliner and hugged both of my parents, "Thanks so much."
"You're welcome, son." Dad said, "You better have gotten us something good too."
I smiled back sheepishly. How could anything compare to getting an Avatar for Christmas? "Well, it's not as good as what you got me, but I think you'll like it…"
My mother laughed and reassured me that they would love my gift.
This was how I found myself going from clothing store to clothing store trying to find a store that could sell me a Na'vi sized school uniform. Not one of them did, and none were willing to try. It saddened me, I couldn't go to school in my Avatar if I didn't have a uniform.
Winter break came and went. My Avatar arrived and I quickly began getting used to the new body. The Psionic Link technology was remarkably similar to the neural interfaces Josh and I used to play our games. I was sad that school had arrived again, as I wouldn't be able to do much with my Avatar. I needed to find Neytiri and ask her where she had gotten her uniform.
Luckily, I actually managed to catch her one day before classes started.
"Neytiri!" I shout as I run up to the giant, blue girl.
"Zac, kaltxi." Neytiri responds as she recognizes who's shouting at her.
I can feel most of the other students staring at us as I approach. Humans and Na'vi interacting freely with each other was extremely rare. I never happened.
"I need to ask you something." I say to her as I walk alongside her in the halls. Luckily, her homeroom is on the way to mine.
"What is it?" she asks.
"Where did you get your uniform?" I respond with my question.
"I made it, why?" She answers with a tint of confusion in her voice.
"Oh," I hesitate to ask the next obvious question, but I can't drive my Avatar to school if I don't, "Do you think you can make me one?"
"But you already have a uniform." Neytiri observes.
"Oh no, not for 'me' me. You see, I have an Avatar now. I'm going to be a uniltirantokx. I'm wanting to bring my Avatar to school, but I don't have a uniform that big…"
"I'll have to see your other body. So I know exactly how big to make it."
"Okay, can you meet me after school and I'll take you to my home and let you see it?" I ask hopefully.
"Yes, I think I can spare the time." Neytiri responds.
"Thanks so much! How can I repay you?" I ask.
"I'll do it as a gift to you, Zac. In thanks for helping me that one time." She explains.
"Okay. How long do you think it would take?" I inquire.
"I should finish it by the end of the week." She replies, "We should have enough of the dyes to make another one."
"Thanks again." I say as I leave the girl behind and hurry on to my homeroom, "Later."
"See you again." She says as she opens the door into her homeroom.
The school day couldn't pass fast enough. As soon as the day is over, I leave Josh in the dust and immediately meet up with Neytiri outside the school. She follows me home. We get some very odd stares from people on the street. Na'vi were an uncommon sight in the town, and this was a Na'vi in a schoolgirl uniform, a most rare sight indeed.
Eventually, I get her back to my place and tell her to wait as I hop into the Psionic Link pod and activate the link.
Things are so much different in an Avatar body than in my real body. Colors seem more vibrant, my ears can make out a greater range of sounds, I can smell things I never though I could. It's a wonderful experience. I quickly make my way back to where Neytiri is waiting in the living room.
"I can see the resemblance." Neytiri says as she gets her first look at my new body. I look just the same, but with Na'vi-like features. Golden eyes, black hair, a flatter and broader nose, but anyone could tell it still looks like me.
Neytiri sizes me up and walks around to make sure everything is in order.
"Yes, I can have this done for you by the end of the week." She affirms.
"Great!" I say exuberantly, "This means a lot to me."
"Think nothing of it, Zac." She responds as she makes to leave. "I'll bring your completed uniform by when it's done. Goodbye."
"Kiyevame." I respond as she departs. I feel like a kid that's been let loose in a candy store. All I've ever wanted was to be able to go out and explore the forest that borders the town. Now, I'm going to get that chance.
A/N
Thanks to those of you that reviewed Chapter 1. I'm glad you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed dreaming and writing it.
Atzel: You're probably right. However, I'm going to lean on the fact that Zac's parents have much more respect for the Na'vi than the general populace and use the term First Songs in the text. The teacher is then essentially reciting what's in the book.
I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 as much as you did Chapter 1.