Chapter Two | The Real Reason Kiyeri is Coming
'Be tolerant of the human race. Your spouse's family belongs to it.' – Anonymous.
The new Tsahik of the Omaticaya clan was sitting with her mother, upstairs in Hometree in the royal's lounge. Mo'at was brushing Neytiri's hair and tying it in braids, which was her usual hair style. Neytiri was staying put, but it was getting annoying. "Ouch!" Neytiri exclaimed as Mo'at pulled her hair too hard. Mo'at quickly let go of her hair. Neytiri rubbed her scalp gently and rolled her eyes. "How much longer is this going to take?"
Mo'at smiled and gently ran the brush through her hair. "Sorry," she apologised. "But you and Kiyeri haven't seen each other in years."
Neytiri paused for a moment. "So I have to look beautiful to meet a girl?" She asked with a laugh.
Mo'at appeared disgusted and shocked for a moment, before hitting her daughter on the head gently. Neytiri laughed and shook off her mother before heading downstairs from the lounge with her. And as they did so, they almost bumped into Jake and a young female Na'vi who was with him. Neytiri arched an eyebrow ridge and was about to ask who this girl was, until she recognised the bright topaz eyes and heart shaped face. "Kiyeri!" She smiled. She touched her hand to her forehead and then to the young girl in front of her. "Oel ngati kameie."
Kiyeri smiled and did the same, before enfolding Neytiri in a hug. Neytiri laughed and hugged her younger cousin back. Jake and Mo'at smiled at them before Jake cleared his throat, "Well, you two can go get reacquainted and Neytiri can show you around. How does that sound?"
Neytiri smiled at her mate. "That sounds fine. I will see you in a bit," she said to her mother and her mate. She placed a swift kiss on Jake's cheek before going with Kiyeri back upstairs. Kiyeri sat down on the chair where Mo'at had been and Neytiri stayed on her feet for a change. Kiyeri smiled at Neytiri. "Your mate seems wonderful."
Neytiri smiled. "I certainly think so," she replied. "Okay, well Kiyeri, we have many positions in the Omaticaya clan. We are in need of healers, but you would need a whole lot of experience for that. And we have warriors – "
"Look, I don't care about the clan!" Kiyeri exclaimed, interrupting her cousin. "I'm pregnant! And I know you can't have children, so you gotta help me out!"
Neytiri blinked spastically. "We need hunters...?"
"She is pregnant?" Mo'at asked her daughter. "Please say this is one of your jokes that I do not understand."
Neytiri had her head in her hands. She shook it gently. "No... This is not a joke, mother. She told me she is pregnant." Mo'at shook her head in disappointment. Kiyeri was such a good girl. She had never done anything wrong in the past; she was her father's pride with a perfectly clean record. What had changed? What had gone wrong? And she was so young. She was only sixteen! How could she be pregnant? If she was pregnant, she would have had to have sex. And to have sex out of wedlock was horrifically shameful in Mo'at's generation. It was becoming more of an 'in thing' though.
Jake answered Mo'at's question. "She's sixteen, it's not unheard of," Jake said to his mother-in-law.
"Maybe in your race," Mo'at snapped at him. Jake raised an eyebrow and was about to retort when Neytiri stepped in.
"Look, it does not matter. She just made a bad decision. And... she also said that her parents banished her from the clan," Neytiri said, to which Mo'at shook her head sadly. "Until she has the baby and he is adopted by a suitable family," she quickly added.
"Poor Kiyeri," Jake sighed. He looked at the two women. "Surely we can let her stay here?"
"Our clan is just as bad with pregnancy out of matehood. She would be disgraced," Neytiri said, coming to sit by him.
"She will be even more disgraced when the baby arrives," Jake pointed out. Parading a little bastard up and down the street wasn't going to help her name. "And how is she going to manage this without a mate?"
Neytiri exchanged glances with Mo'at. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at Jake, batting her eyelashes. Jake looked at her oddly. "She is not going to keep the baby," Neytiri began, "And she is looking for some parents for him..." Neytiri looked deep into Jake's eyes, trying to get her point across.
Jake knew that look. Neytiri used it when she wanted something. And Jake figured out what she wanted. His eyes widened and then he frowned. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No way in hell!"
Neytiri looked at him pleadingly. "Why not?" She asked sadly, her ears dropping. "We'd be great parents! And this child needs a loving family; who better than us?"
Jake sighed. "Mo'at, can you give us the room please?" He asked. Mo'at looked at Jake weirdly, completely puzzled. "Can we be alone?" He repeated.
"Oh! Right," Mo'at nodded, ducking out of the room. Once they were alone, Jake looked at Neytiri. She still had the puppy-dog-eyes-pleading look. Jake continued to shake his head.
Neytiri frowned. "Why are you being so unreasonable?" She asked. "We can't have children, and the clan needs an heir!"
"Because, I know how they'll react. You and me, the leaders of the Omaticaya clan, adopting a child? That would seem like we've given up. Especially after all that drama with you marrying me instead of Tsu'tey... The Sully name is being dragged through the mud here!" Jake reminded her.
Neytiri stood up. "Why is adopting a child so horrible?" She asked.
Jake sighed. He didn't know how to form his thoughts into words. "At the end of the day, it won't be our own. And that won't count as an heir."
Neytiri thought, pacing across the room a little. Slowly, a smile came across her face and gripped Jake's wrist. "It can be ours..."
Jake looked at her as if she had gone insane, which she very possibly had. "Okay, what? And honey, cutting off my circulation here." Neytiri let go of Jake's wrist and beamed at him.
"We can pretend it is ours! We can... put fabric up my dress to make it look like I am with child!" She exclaimed. Jake continued to look at her as if she was born in a mental institution. Finally, he closed his eyes and shook his head. "Jake..."
"No. Neytiri, no." He stroked her cheek; she flinched away from him angrily, and Jake looked at her in shock. She'd done that once before, just before the war. Worry came into Jake's heart.
She frowned deeply and backed away from him. "You promised to do whatever it takes to make me happy... So far, you are not keeping it."
Jake felt like he had been slapped in the face. "Are you trying to blackmail me?" He asked his mate, his topaz eyes widening.
Neytiri hesitated and then she nodded. "Whatever that is, I am."
Jake's brow furrowed. He sighed and shook his head. And people asked him how he married a Na'vi. Some days, he didn't know how to answer them. He looked at Neytiri and smiled just a little. "Well, it worked."
Neytiri looked at Jake in shock. "So... we can adopt her baby?" She asked, a large grin coming upon her face.
Jake nodded slowly. "I'm going to hate myself tomorrow..." He said quietly before Neytiri jumped on him and covered him with kisses.
"I love you, Jake. But... we need to start talking about your argument skills. You give in too easily," Neytiri smiled, gently patting his hand and then leaving him. Jake just shook his head in exasperation.