Chapter Twelve | Tradition

'You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.' – Franklin P. Jones

A few days later, Jake and Neytiri were having dinner with Nikti and Reran. Neytiri had suggested they have their friends over for a private dinner since Nikti and Reran hadn't truly met Tom. She also said that they needed to have a special bond with Tom, since they were his 'aunt and uncle'.

"So," Nikti began as they sat in the royal's lounge before dinner. "How does Kiyeri like Tom?" Neytiri stiffened at the mention of her cousin's name. Did Nikti know? "Well... she was here when he was born," Nikti added after Neytiri didn't reply.

Neytiri exchanged a quick glance with her mate. "Oh, she just adores him," Neytiri smiled.

"Loves him to pieces," Jake added with a smile, looking at Neytiri. He quickly looked back to Nikti and Reran, trying to keep a straight face. And here he was, thinking that finally all the deceit was over.

Neytiri nodded. "Well, I am going to go and check on the food."

"How long more do you think before dinner, mummy?" Jake asked.

Nikti exchanged an odd glance with her mate. "I will ask," Reran said to Nikti before turning to his leader. "'Mummy'?"

Jake gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Oh, I've gotten into the habit of calling Neytiri 'mummy' when we're around Tom. And I just realised that we are not..."

Neytiri came back then to add, "Yes. Well, we are doing that since I want Tom's first word to be 'mummy'," Neytiri smiled, coming back to sit beside Jake.

"Then maybe we should start calling me 'daddy' as well," Jake said.

Nikti smirked at that and turned to Jake, teasing him. "I would like that, 'daddy'," she said in a sort of teasing tone.

Jake blinked. "Uh... I just meant that for Neytiri," he told Nikti, feeling awkward.

Nikti smirked a little more and decided to try and push it further. "Ooh, is daddy getting angry? Is daddy going to spank me?" Reran and Neytiri refused to look at one another, knowing that if they did, they would explode in peals of laughter.

Jake hesitated for a moment, and then smirked himself; he decided to try and play along. "Well, that depends," he purred as he stood up to look at Nikti properly. "Have you been a bad gir – No, you know what? I can't do that."

A few minutes later, the four friends were sitting down to dinner and talking about their other friends and their children. "Do you remember Seuti?" Nikti asked.

"Yes! Whatever happened to her?" Neytiri asked.

"Who's Seuti?" Jake asked, looking at Nikti.

"Seuti and Aren'tey with their daughter Tarya, a family who was in the Omaticaya before you came," Nikti said. "They left to join another clan."

"A pretty secretive clan as well," Neytiri added. "Hard to find."

Jake looked at them. "So, they are cut off from the rest?"

Nikti nodded. "Basically. We do not even know if they exist – could easily be a legend."

Neytiri sighed. "I miss them," she said. "And I remember that Seuti was pregnant when she left. Wonder if she has given birth to her boy... Oh, that reminds me." Neytiri looked at her mate. "We are invited to the circumcision of Uruali's baby boy tomorrow."

Jake nodded and didn't look at his mate. "Make an excuse for me," he told her.

"I thought you liked Urali?"

"I do," Jake told her. "I just don't feel like watching her and her husband ritually mutilate their child."

I liked the starting of this, and then it sort of petered out... This was one of the possible options for the 'Family Bed' chapter, and it also gives a clue as to what will happen in Heartbeat, and mentions a character in Accidentally on Purpose, but no, decided not to.