"You know you don't have to stare at them every second." Ngeha told Awa as they looked over at the ten, maybe 15, of Na'vi children playing a mix between hide-and-seek and tag. They had chosen two of the children, this time the smallest and thinnest of the group, to the chasers and their job was to chase the children they found and once they tagged all the other children they had won the game and a new round began.
Awa laughed and shook her head, almost motherly and with longing, at the children laughing as they rushed around the trees. "I know I don't have to but just look at them, they're so happy all the time and carefree. I wish I could be like that and just forget about everything."
The older Na'vi smiled at the younger one and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're one of the strongest people I know, Awa, don't lose that strength now that you need it more than ever"
"I just want to not feel this way" She sighed and turned away from the look of pity Ngeha was sending her. Awa was tired of the constant pity she got from both Atxa and Ngeha whenever she said anything they thought sounded self-hating or bad for her mental health. She was recovering, but just like everything else that takes time. "Don't look at me like that... You know I don't like it. This pity needs to stop. I'm handling it, and Tsu is being extremely supportive and understanding"
"You've been more upset lately. Ever since JakeSully started training with Neytiri, why does this bother you?" Ngeha pressed the matter with a careful smile and veiled eyes. Awa could feel how hard Ngeha's heart was beating through her hand, and if she focused hard enough she could almost hear the organ beat in her chest.
She sighed, "I don't know, Ngeha. I'm so confused all the time. I want to hate him but I can't- it's like there's this force holding me back from hating him. He's doing all the things I wanted, and had to fight so hard for, without any of the hard parts. I guess I'm jealous." Awa ran a hand down her fatigued face and then let the hand fall on her lap limply. "I don't want to talk about it. It's fine, I'm handling it."
Atxa walked up to them and sat down on the branch the pair was occupying. His hair was newly braided, by Awa just an hour or two ago, and his face was still twisted up in a mix between a frown and wince. She imagined that the braids were still pulling uncomfortably on his scalp and that he had a headache.
"Don't push too hard, Ngeha, if she says she's fine then we'll have to trust her on that" He said after draping his arm over his mate's shoulders, making Ngeha melt into his embrace. Atxa leaned down and pulled Ngeha up to meet him in a gentle, brief kiss before tucking her close to his side. "Hi" He whispered to her, smiling brightly.
"Hi" Ngeha whispered back. "How's your head doing?" She winked at him and then snickered at the wounded look he sent her in response. Atxa looked away from his mate to send Awa a glare that promised payback, before looking back down at his smirking Ngeha.
"Better"
Ngeha tsked and shook her head as if disappointed. " A shame. I'll have to ask her to do it better next time then. You've always been so tender-headed. His mother told me this, Awa, that he would never let her manage his head as a child, unruly as it was, and would cry rivers whenever she got close to him for two weeks after she finally braided it." Ngeha chuckled and hit him lightly in the side when he turned his affronted glare over to her instead.
"I was gentle" Awa protested with a relieved smile after the change of topic.
"She's lying, love. I can still feel the harsh tugs and mischievous eyes." Atxa told Ngeha and brushed his fingers through the loosened braids there, working on freeing her hair from its confinement. "She must have forgotten that I know many of her secrets and my tongue is starting to loosen with age" His eyes shone with mirth as he teased his former student.
Awa gulped and wrung her hands before she heard the two laughing at her, making a purple blush work its way up her bruised neck. She glanced over at them and then snapped her eyes away from them when she saw the intense staring they were involved in- she felt like she was intruding on their moment. An even bigger blush climbed up the longer she sat there in awkward silence, third-wheeling her former teacher and his mate.
"I can hear you thinking all the way over here Awa." Ngeha said.
"What's on your mind?" Atxa finished his mate's sentence as both of them stared over at her with matching expressions of glowing faces and slightly widened, glossy eyes.
"Nothing." Awa mused but her eyes still wouldn't meet theirs. The former dreamwalker cleared her throat awkwardly, still not comfortable with as much PDA as the couple was showing. "Just didn't want to interrupt your moment"
"We weren't having a moment, were we?" Ngeha looked up at her mate with a quirk of her eyebrow and a swing of her tail that smacked Atxa on the arm.
Atxa grinned down at her, and Awa stared at them oddly. They weren't usually this cuddly and happy, much more often calm, wise and collected- compared to the way the two now couldn't get enough of each other and had matching love-sick expressions on their faces. Something was up, Awa understood and she narrowed her eyes at them. This was too out of character for them for not being something wrong, something had to be up.
"Can't say we did. Just two mates enjoying the bond Eywa blessed them with, I'm sure you understand that" Atxa yet again finished Ngeha's sentence and Awa's suspicion only grew. Not only were the couple emotionally out of character but they were speaking weirdly, none of that usual wisdom that comes with age present but more of ageless happiness and expectations.
"We're not like tha- never mind. What's up with you two, you're acting weird"
"We're pregnant" The two burst out in unison with beaming smiles that screamed of their excitement over the news.
Awa gasped loudly and her hand flew up to her mouth. "Really?!" She squealed and threw her arms around the laughing couple, burrowing her head in the crook of Ngeha's neck. "Sawari's going to have a sibling. Oh, she's going to be so happy"
Ngeha pulled Awa away from her with a serious look on her face. "You can't tell her. There's no telling if the child will make it yet, I'm getting old and pushing the age for childbearing"
"I'm sure it will be fine, it has to be" Awa rushed out and threw her arms around Ngeha again, this time harder and firmer to reassure herself that everything would be fine. "There's no way that you're not going to have a beautiful and healthy baby that will have the pretty face of their mother and hair of their father. Just like their sister"
The news of the baby was just what Awa needed- some good news among all the bad ones and chaos of her everyday life. She could feel the RDA moving closer and tying the noose harder around their neck with each passing minute, and Jake was another stress object. But a sweet innocent baby was enough to cast some darkness out of her mind and a feeling of positivity surged through her, as if everything was going to be fine in the end.
Awa gripped Tsu'tey's hand tighter in hers when the two got closer to the friend they were supposed to meet for the planning of his mating ceremony to one of the chefs in the clan. The friend in question was named Rayfo and was one of the lower ranked hunters of the clan and was of a relatively low social standing- even Awa was higher up than him and she had recently joined the clan and she was a dreamwalker- and therefore had to fight harder than him. She loved rubbing that in his face whenever he got too comfortable and started running his mouth like he was always so inclined to do. Rayfo was the friend who had the nerve to wish her death in the beginning of her training and neither party had forgotten that yet.
"Rayfo. It's been a long time, hunt brother" Tsu'tey released Awa's hand and walked forward to give his old friend a hug before thumping him lightly on the back. "How have you been since we last spoke?"
"Sketsu is eager to do the ceremony and to meet your mate" His disgust for her was thinly veiled but veiled nonetheless and Awa had in her long time fighting and growing learnt to care less about what people felt about her and instead just be her best self regardless of others. Rayfo was one of those others.
Tsu'tey backed away a bit from his childhood friend and bit back an agitated hiss at the disrespect he was showing his mate, the woman he had chosen as his one. It had been a long journey but he had learnt and that he would value for the rest of his life- Sketsu had learnt nothing and hadn't realised that no one was on the same page as him about Awa anymore, and hadn't been so in a long time. "I'm sure she does, and they will. Shall we?"
"I can't wait to meet her" Awa butted in and smiled, but her eyes were narrowed and bitter. "She sounds lovely, which is the complete opposite to you"
"Behave" Tsu'tey whispered tight-lipped at her before gesturing at the logs he had placed on the ground that they could have the meeting on. His english had been improving but still held the rough edge and off-sounding sounds.
"If he behaves I will as well" She promised him and leant up to peck him on his cheek. Awa meant her words: if he behaved then she wouldn't retaliate but if he didn't then all the bets were off the table and she would respond to it properly. She had never gotten closure with him over his past behaviour and every time she saw him it was like a wound being ripped open again and again, her mate's friendship with him was salt.
Tsu'tey nodded and sat down cross legged on one of the bigger branches before leading Awa down to sit next to him on the driest part. Rayfo glared at her and sat down on the branch opposite of them.
"So what do you want for your ceremony?" Awa asked him, her being the official event planner in the clan and entrusted for that task by the Olo'eyktan himself. She hadn't planned a lot of mating ceremonies herself and this would be her first one without the help of the Tsahìk.
The soon-to-be mated Na'vi scoffed at her before turning his eyes to his lifelong friend. "Why do you trust a demon with our traditions. It is not right."
"I trust her with my life. Stop this, Rayfo, now. " Tsu'tey shot back with a hiss lingering in the back of his throat and tail flinging around angrily behind him as he responded to the words.
Tsu'tey's friend groaned and threw his head back before sulkily bringing it back up front with his eyes staring into Awa's. It was a dangerous stare, one that Awa had seen in many people before- Quaritch being one of them, and she could see him blaming her and the anger he felt at her being there. "I want clothes specially made for my Sketsu, and myself. Can your tawtute brain understand that?"
She growled at that and swiped away Tsu'tey's hand when he tried to place it on her knee to comfort and ground her. "Yes, my brain can understand your simple demands. Anything else, monkey brain?" Awa inhaled deeply as to not blow up on him, she was bigger than that.
The english insult was lost on him, she could tell by the smug smirk he gave her as if he had won their battle but if anything she had the upper hand- and was in fact winning. "Good. Tsu'tey has trained you well, like a pet nantang. Only you he sleeps and shares a bed with."
Awa pinched the bridge of her nose, willing herself to just bear it out until she could leave and not having to see the male until his actual ceremony. Rayfo was reaching for anything and neither of the mated pair was having any of it. "Do you have any other wishes for it or..?"
"No"
"And you're aware of how the mating ceremony will be?" Awa asked him with a sarcastic smile, knowing that the question would trigger him to defend himself. "Or do I, a mere demon, have to explain that?"
Rayfo snarled and shot to his feet, his ears flat against his head and muscles tense and ready to spring. "Don't you dare disrespect me like that! Of course I know the rituals and traditions of my people! I won't sit there while a human whore tells me what to do" He spat out and took a few threatening steps forward but turned tail as soon as Tsu'tey stood up as well, ready to defend his mate from any attacks from his former friend.
Tsu'tey sighed when Rayfo walked out of sight, feeling the pang of loss hit him when he realised he had lost another friend- only this one was not to honorable causes like battle or a hunt gone wrong. He could take a lot of things coming from his friends about Awa, he would bear it because he loves her, but Rayfo had took it too far and Tsu'tey wasn't going to put anymore of that pressure onto his mate. It was enough that she had to withstand that during her training and for some time after before the people started seeing her as one of their own for real.
"I'm sorry" He told her and turned around to face her. "I let it go on too long because he was my friend. It was dishonorable of me to do that to you"
"Oh Tsu'tey" Awa whispered and pulled him into a hug. "Don't be sorry for throwing toxic people out of your life. If they can't be happy for us then maybe it's best for them to not be around us anymore. It's not your fault."
He shook his head and pressed his face into her hair, the familiar scent calming him down. "No, it's not okay. You have been through so much and this is your sanctuary- your home. This is not a place where the people, your people, are pressing you down when they should only lift you up"
"When did you get so wise?" She laughed and tightened her hold on him, feeling his body shake with laughter.
"When I met you" Tsu'tey responded and leaned down to press his lips to hers.