I'm sorry this is a short chapter, but I figured the guerilla-like warfare and complications that are about to begin deserved to be the focus of their own chapter.
As this chapter implies, I can write the fairy tale cross over with Avatar, but I am not going to put it in this story. It feels way too off topic for the story.
If you want to read that story let me know and I will make the time to type it up.
The following morning, the students presented their bags one by one. David was extremely pleased that Jasselle's plan had actually worked. He checked each one, making sure they contained something different. Jasselle stood by with Rameana and Doe'shy. They had arrived with the students; curious about the story she had planned.
When David pulled out a dusty rock loaded with black grains, Jasselle gave an inward sigh of relief. David took a little too much time going through each bag. He was actually sorting the minerals until Jasselle cleared her throat, catching his attention long enough to give him a cold and meaningful glare. The scientist got the hint and hurried up. Finally, David poured sand out of the final bag and announced that the task had been completed.
"All right," Grace said, "No lessons today."
The children smiled and turned to Jasselle.
Jasselle nodded but asked David, "Excuse me, David. Are you forgetting something? Like say… manners."
"Huh?" David said, "Oh yes. Thank you so much for doing this."
"That's better. Now, you can run along and play with your new toys," she teased and the children laughed. David just shrugged. "The rest of you come along." She took them to a nearby area of the yard that had a thick carpet of grass. As everyone got comfortable, Jasselle began, "The story I will be telling has been told for many years on the home world that we dream walkers come from. It has been changed at times to suit the audience, so in that tradition I will make this story suit you and your world. This means at times I may need your help with finding the right words and even the preferred… hm, Grace what's a good word for version?"
Grace though a moment and shrugged, "I would go with type."
"What she said. Now the title in human is Ladder Locks. Since neither are Na'vi words, we'll need to fixed this. Now a ladder is something that is only used in climbing. Can someone give me a word to exchange for ladder?"
"Rope." "Vine." "Tangler." Several of them responded to this new word.
"What is Tangler?" she asked.
Rameana answered, "It is a vine that grows on cliff sides. We use them to climb up into the floating mountains."
"That sounds perfect. Next word, locks but this actually means a lock of hair, a grouping of hair." Jasselle pulled her braid over shoulder and asked, "So what is your word for this, a braid?"
"Braid," said one of the older students.
"All right then, this is the story of Tangler Braid. Now, in this family of tales they all start one way… Once upon a time, in a land far, far away lived a happy young couple…" As Jasselle told the story, Grace and the other scientists eventually recognized it as Rapunzel.
For the students even those who had not been interested in the story idea the day before were drawn in as Jasselle asked them for words and ideas throughout her story. When she finished, she waited a moment or so before asking who was going to tell the next story.
The students looked at Grace, who said, "Oh no, I'm a bad story teller." After some argument one of the young adults agreed to tell a common legend. Jasselle had her com-link on so she could record it and any others she could get the Na'vi to tell. During that story, most of the other avatar operators and humans made themselves scarce, not wanting to be asked to tell any stories later. This didn't surprise Jasselle in the slightest, but it did concern her. She had only prepared one story for today.
Later that evening in the link room, Jasselle pushed up the lid to her pod and stretched. The day had been quite satisfying. She had recorded everything, and the students enjoyed her story as well as the stories of their own people.
Grace, a moment later, pushed up her pod's lid and mildly demanded, "Where is it? Where my cigarette?" Jasselle grinned at the well-worn routine and rolled out of the pod. When Grace had her precious fix, she looked over at Jasselle and said, "Ms. Scully, a fairy tale?"
"Yes, so?" she asked stretching.
"Where did you get the idea to hand them a fairy tale of all things?"
Jasselle chuckled a little, "A little history about yours truly, during my college years, not so long ago. I did a rather large paper for a history class, which was about ancient tales and how they had evolved through changing societies. I'm glad I had the sense to kept it." She started for the door eager to download the day's recordings.
"OK… but Rapunzel, Jasselle?"
Jasselle turned and asked, "Well then, would you have preferred I had Snow White prepared because what would I have done for dwarfs except perhaps humans? And the story of Cinderella would have been impossible, no shoes and the whole one mate deal?"
Grace smiled, "You are so weird." Jasselle blinked and her smile tightened so subtly. "But it works so well here. Was it worth it?"
Jasselle was plainly surprised and looked at Grace as though she had asked a stupid question. "Grace, we got to hear their legends: about how the first flyer was tamed, about how their clan survived a drought, and about Eywa singing to a chosen few during a dark time in their history. Didn't you hear the passion in their words? See the light in their faces? These are important stories to them. Not too unlike the bible stories are to Christians or the words in the Quran to Muslims. It's a part of who they are. What they cherish and find sacred. The people they admire and wish to emulate. And we barely scratched the surface."
Grace shook her head and laughed, "To think RDA nearly didn't hire you."
"What do you mean? They came to me," she asked.
"Yes, a woman so young. Doing Anthropology as defined centuries ago by not just observing the people but living as the people she studied. This method you revived, which had fallen by the way side to most researchers, in favor for the more comfortable observation method. You were my list, recommended by your professor, my old friend. RDA was looking at the big name scientists for this job. Most didn't want to loose six to twelve years and more of their lives coming here to a distant planet. The rest…" Grace rubbed her fingertips together, "wanted a lot of money. You were hardly published; trying desperately to be respected in the field you obviously take pride in. Of course they came to you, but only after they checked everyone off their list."
"Ouch," Jasselle said. "I was on your list."
"No, Jasselle," Grace explained, "You were the list. Dr. Phillips gave you a glowing recommendation."
"He was sensible. I liked him."
"Yes, he was," she said. "And the higher ups in RDA are corporate pigs?"
"Now and forever," Jasselle turned back and headed out. "I think, I'll have a meal before getting to work now."
"Avoid the pie," warned SG. "I heard the marines talking about it… in the infirmary."
Jasselle leaned back in, "SG, you are the best. Thanks for the warning, I have a small weakness for pie."
"I heard, and your avatar being sick is one thing, you being the one sick is a whole different issue."
"Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?" Jasselle asked confused. Everyone laughed.
"A compliment, the doctors don't nag as much when humans are sick. But, man oh man, they sure put up a fuss when it's one of the avatars," SG explained.
Jasselle had to laugh at that and the good mood followed her into the mess hall.
