Good news! My husband tested negative for COVID, so hopefully I'll be back to updating at the rate I was before real soon!
-x-
The trio found themselves able to leave Hometree without much fanfare, beyond the whispers behind hands and stares out of the corners of eyes they were more than accustomed to by this point. Neither Mo'at nor Eytukan were present in the common area to see them off, but they could be certain the two were well aware of their movements and would be waiting for them upon their return.
The walk to where their íkran were basking lazily in the sunlight, wholly unaffected by the stress of the night before, was a quiet one.
Once they arrived at the small rookery, they were greeted by the sight of the clan's newest group of warriors, the ones who had accompanied the trio to the main rookery a few weeks previously.
"Jake-Sully!" One of the young men, R'oyk, if Jake remembered correctly, flashed a smile their way as they approached, "good morning!"
Jake smiled at the man, pleased that no matter the gossip and judging atmosphere of the general public, the trio has endeared themselves to this group of warriors well enough to overcome it.
"Good morning," Jake waved at the group, "your English is sounding great!"
A flush passed across the young man's cheeks, but Jake was polite enough to pretend not to notice as they came to a stop in front of the men.
"We have been attending Grace's classes in our free time," the man gestured to his fellow warriors, who nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm sure Grace enjoys your presence," Jake smiled kindly, "we'd love to stay and chat, but we have to get going."
"Ah, yes," one of the other men nodded, a bit solemnly, "you must retrieve the Skyperson."
Jake tried not to cringe as he felt Neytiri bristle slightly at his side, "Yes, she is waiting for us."
The group nodded, their expressions turning sympathetic.
"Good luck," the first young man, R'oyk, offered them a smile, "let us know if you require assistance once you return. No harm will come to the Skyperson, not if we have any say."
"Thank you, R'oyk," Neytiri spoke, the tension leaving her shoulders somewhat, "now we must be going."
The group said a few more scattered 'good luck's and farewells, before the trio moved past them, mounting their íkrans without another word.
-x-
When they landed, the íkrans' talons scrapping along the rock, Trudy was already visible, standing leaned against the closed door of the building.
"Took you guys long enough," Trudy shot them a nervous grin from behind her mask as they dismounted and approached her.
"Jake wasted the morning yelling at me," Neytiri said, an anxious look marring her features, undercutting the jab.
"Yeah, well," Trudy put her hands on her hips, regarding the other woman with a firm stare, "You kind of deserved it for ditching me yesterday."
A flush burst across Neytiri's face, "yes, I apologize," her tail flicked nervously behind her, "it was wrong of me to do what I did without explaining it to you and it was wrong of me to leave. It was definitely wrong of me to make you have to have a conversation with Jake-Sully, no one should ever be made to experience such a horrible thing."
"Hey," Jake protested, a laugh threatening in his chest despite himself, "I'm great to have conversation with."
Neytiri rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue at him, as though his protest wasn't worth the effort of replying to, before turning back to Trudy, kneeling so they were closer to eye level, "I am very sorry," she reached out and hooked her fingers in the crook of Trudy's arm, imploring the other woman to relax the appendage so she could slide her hands down to press the pads of her fingers against her palm, "and I am sorry for whatever unpleasantness is about to occur once we arrive back at Hometree."
Trudy shook her head, a shy sort of smile tugging at her lips, "don't sweat it, we can talk about all of yesterday's shit later," she grimaced slightly, but ran the hand not enclosed around Neytiri's up the other woman's arm in a soothing, petting motion, "we should probably head out, get this over with, yeah?"
Tsu'tey nodded an affirmative at her before reaching behind himself and retrieving the length of braided rope they had had the foresight to bring with them, "we will use this to secure you to Neytiri so you will be in no danger of falling off," he fixed her with a somber expression, "she is a terrible flyer, a tragic thing, really."
"Hey, you're pretty funny, has anyone ever told you that?" Trudy laughed, some of the anxiety draining from her, despite the intimidating information he had just presented her with in regards to their travel plans.
Tsu'tey hummed at that, ignoring the hiss of indignation from Neytiri, "yes, my Jake also thinks I am humorous."
Trudy only laughed harder at this, clutching at her sides as though it grounded her.
"Do not encourage him," Neytiri snapped in Tsu'tey's direction, snatching the rope from his hands.
"We'll get you there safe and sound, no worries," Jake shot a smile down at the human that he hoped was reassuring.
Trudy nodded slowly at that before dragging her eyes away from Neytiri to look past them, towards the íkrans waiting patiently by the ledge, "well, let's get going. Grace and Norm left a bit ago so they'll be waiting for us there. Grace tried to quiz me about a bunch of different stuff, but I wasn't really listening," She huffed out a breath, trying not to appear as nervous as she really was, "so apologies in advance if I fuck things up."
Jake waved her off, as though to shoo away the words, "it can't go worse than my first day."
Trudy grimaced at that, not at all reassured, "Yeah but at least you fit the bill," she gestured to him, indicating his Na'vi body, "I'm just... me."
"You are perfect," Neytiri said softly, reaching out and brushing her fingers across the corners of Trudy's face not covered by the mask.
"Come on, you two," Jake rolled his eyes, turning away from them and towards the íkran, brushing his hand against Tsu'tey's as he moved past him, "we're losing daylight because you want to worry and be gross."
"I have had to listen to too many disgusting conversations between you two for you to make fun of me for saying nice things," Neytiri snapped as she rose to follow after the retreating man.
"Well life isn't fair, Neytiri, I don't know what to tell you," Jake shrugged, shooting her a grin over his shoulder.
He heard her continue muttering under her breath and chuckled to himself as he mounted his íkran in a single, fluid motion.
-x-
When they finally landed back in Omaticaya territory, Jake half expected Trudy to drop to her knees and kiss the ground, her knuckles seemingly permanently whitened from the grip she'd kept on the íkran's antennae the entire ride.
They were surprised to see the group of young warriors still standing among the íkrans, obviously waiting for them.
"Hello again," R'oyk waved at them as they dismounted, Neytiri busying herself with untying the rope from around her and Trudy's waists, "we thought we would walk back with you."
"That is kind of you," Jake nodded his head at them.
"We remember Jake-Sully's first day here," one of the other men cringed slightly, but tried to hide it behind a smile, "we did not wish for Neytiri's Skyperson mate to be bothered as he was."
"Thank you for your assistance," Neytiri said, straightening now that their tether was undone, and placed a hand over Trudy's shoulder, "this is Trudy-Chacon. Trudy, this is our newest group of warriors."
"Hello," Trudy waved at the men towering above her, her movements slightly stilted and awkward, "nice to meet you."
The group, to their credit, tried not to appear as though they were staring at the human, as R'oyk offered her a friendly grin, "welcome, Trudy-Chacon!"
At that, they began the short walk back to Hometree, the group of warriors surrounding the trio as they went. It might have felt odd, unnaturally formal to the three of them who were used to being left to their own accord, had the young men not chattered away the entire time, speaking in as much English as they could, most likely for Trudy's sake.
"There has been talk all morning," R'oyk said quietly from his place near the front, as they began nearing the common area and the crowds of Na'vi grew increasingly thick, surrounding them in the hushed sounds of scandalized whispers.
"We are aware," Tsu'tey said, in a voice that sounded like a warning.
R'oyk nodded at that, his eyes darting around the crowds, watching for any sign of trouble, "they are wary of a Skyperson being allowed in our territory, and they do not approve of the bond."
"They will do well to keep their comments to themselves," Tsu'tey scowled, his shoulders forming a tense line. Jake reached out and took the other man's hand in his own, attempting to calm some of the anger he could sense was beginning to boil beneath his skin.
"You all don't seem to mind," Trudy said from her place in the dead center of the pack, her voice strained with anxiety.
One of the men walking beside her turned his head to fix her with a wide grin, "Jake-Sully is a Skyperson, despite his Dreamwalker body. He has proven to be a good warrior and a good mate for Tsu'tey," Tsu'tey bristled as though he wanted to protest the unnecessary comment on his relationship, but chose to stay silent and allow the warrior to continue, "if Eywa has also lead you here, then we are happy to welcome you."
"Oh, well, thank you," Trudy nodded, scrubbing at the back of her head, her fingers catching on the straps of her mask. The words seemed to put her, along with the rest of her companions, at some ease—if these men could be so supportive, surely the rest of the tribe would come to accept her with time.
Once they stepped into the clearing of the common area, they were greeted by the stern faces of Mo'at and Eytukan. Their path was intercepted by Grace and Norm shuffling their way inside the barrier the young men still formed around them.
"Hey, guys," Norm tried for a friendly smile, but his features seemed to glitch slightly in the attempt, coming out awkward and nervous.
"Are you okay, Trudy?" Grace asked, her eyes trained forward, never leaving the sight of the two figures they were steadily approaching.
"I'm about as okay as could be expected," Trudy shrugged.
All chatter within the group stopped as they took the final steps to arrive in front of the Omaticaya leaders, the air growing heavy around them.
"Thank you for your assistance," Neytiri spoke in a fiercely even voice, nodding at the men still surrounding them, "You may continue on with your day, you need not concern yourselves with us further."
The men seemed to hesitate a moment, R'oyk turning to look at her over his shoulder, "are you certain?" His voice broke slightly on the last syllable, betraying the anxiety he felt in that moment.
Neytiri reached out and rested her hand briefly on the young man's shoulder, "You all have done enough, there is no reason to risk your safety any longer."
After another second of hesitation, R'oyk nodded at her before waving his arm, instructing the other men to break their formation. The warriors brushed comforting touches over the shoulders of those closest to them, still reluctant to leave despite their dismissal, before offering polite bows in the direction of Mo'at and Eytukan as they walked away.
There was a moment where no one moved, not even a bird's song breaking the stillness, until Neytiri stepped forward, bringing Trudy with her, a strong hand placed protectively on her shoulders.
"Father, mother," she said in a voice that betrayed none of the nervousness she felt, "this is Trudy-Chacon."
Eytukan inhaled deeply through his nose, his mouth set in a scowl, before replying in a hard voice, "come, daughter, bring your bondmate so we may speak in private. Your companions may join us, if they must."
At that, he turned from them, leading the party up the spirals of Hometree without so much as a glance back, obviously expecting them to follow without argument.
They arrived at the same alcove Jake had been brought to for his talk weeks ago, its size obviously not meant for the eight bodies now occupying it.
The silence that had enveloped them like a thick veil continued to settle in the air around them as Mo'at and Eytukan took their place against the far wall. Neytiri and Trudy sat on their knees in the center of the room while Jake and Tsu'tey remained standing, not quite beside them, but not against the wall either. Meanwhile, Grace and Norm, visibly surprised they'd been allowed to attend, stood, bracketing the doorway, their shoulders brushing against the vines that hung there.
"Trudy-Chacon," Mo'at's voice filled the small room, almost deafening after the prolonged silence, "I assume you do not speak our language."
Trudy started slightly, presumably surprised at being addressed directly so early, before collecting herself and bowing her head so deep the ends of her hair brushed against the wood grain beneath her, "no, ma'am, I have only been learning the language for a few weeks, I haven't quite got it yet." Jake cringed at that, apparently even with Neytiri's help, she was still struggling with the complicated syntax of the language, which Jake could sympathize with.
Mo'at made a sniffing noise at the admission, "our clan's children have been able to get your language fairly well within the same time frame."
Jake could have groaned, and a quick side eyed glance to Tsu'tey told him the other man felt just the same. No matter how much Mo'at may have accepted that Neytiri's choice to bond was guided by Eywa, that apparently was not enough to stop her from giving Trudy a hard time.
"Mother" Neytiri hissed, never having been one to respect her parents' authority.
However, Mo'at continued, as though she had not heard the interjection, "what has brought you here, Trudy-Chacon? You do not share the tì'i'avay krrä yawntu bond that lead Jake-Sully to come here. So why are you?"
Jake sincerely wished they would stop comparing his relationship and circumstances to Trudy and Neytiri, as though their scenario was the best possible option for a Na'vi's bondmate to be a Skyperson.
"I was a soldier on my planet, same as Jake," Trudy was trying her best to keep the edge out of her voice, but there was a reason Neytiri had taken a shine to her, "I came to your planet because I was told to do so, because it was my job."
"She is far too small to be a warrior," Eytukan bit out, his tone clear enough that Trudy seemed to surmise the gist of what had been said, but she powered on as though she was unbothered.
"When I met Grace, her love for your planet and your people made me shift my loyalty to her cause over the intentions of the people who had brought me to this planet. When Grace asked me to leave our base and come out here, I did not hesitate to do so—I did not realize at the time that what we were protecting was Jake, but when I learned about his connection to this place and your people, it was a cause I was happy to be a part of."
Mo'at hummed, the sound coming from somewhere deep within her chest, her features never shifting from their stern expression as she nodded, "I can accept this answer. We are grateful to all companions of Jake-Sully. This does not, however, explain how you came to bond with our daughter."
Though he could not see her face, Jake was sure her cheeks flushed at the words, her shoulders stiffening just enough for him to notice, and he was grateful when Neytiri spoke for her.
"I learned of Trudy from Tsu'tey telling me about his visions of Jake-Sully," Jake didn't miss Eytukan's eyes flitting over to the two of them with a look bordering on a glare, sending a shiver up both men's spines, "I accompanied Tsu'tey when he visited Jake-Sully in his human body," Jake was going to hit her if she didn't stop bringing him up in all of this, "with the intention of meeting Trudy, because I felt drawn to her. After this, I continued to visit her whenever time allowed."
"And you two did not try and stop her?" Mo'at fixed Jake and Tsu'tey with an unreadable look, if Jake didn't know any better, he'd almost think the woman was fucking with them, but he wasn't going to take the risk of making such an assumption.
"It was not our place to pass judgement on her actions," Tsu'tey said evenly, bowing his head just slightly as he spoke, an attempt to garner as much favor as possible.
"Indeed," Mo'at nodded solemnly, "though I am certain there is nothing you could have done to change the mind of my stubborn daughter."
Neytiri's eyes shot to the side, fixing the men with a withering look that promised all manner of bodily harm should either of them voice agreement to Mo'at's completely true statement.
"Trudy-Chacon, I fear you do not understand the importance of your matured bond with Neytiri," Mo'at's mouth pulled downward at the edges as she spoke.
In that moment, Jake felt himself breathe just a little easier. He took in Mo'at's words and the slightly pained, pinched expressions on the two leaders' faces, and realized that the majority of their concern lied on worry for their child, not so much in anger or disapproval of her choice.
"I know that it means forever, and I know what she is destined to be and that she is important and that I am not nearly important enough to deserve her," Trudy took in a breath that shook slightly on the inhale, "but she chose me, and I will do everything in my power to prove myself worthy of that choice."
"How can you do that?" Eytukan spoke, his English too thick and his voice barbed, "You can't breathe our air. We can't even see your face through that device you must wear."
Trudy, who has gone the entire painful interaction with her head bowed and her hands braced against the wood, lifted her face to stare into the hard eyes of Eytukan.
"I don't know," she spoke in a voice leadened with earnestness, "but I will, because," And, before any of them could move to stop her, Trudy reached behind her head and pulled the mask from her face, the faint hissing of oxygen as the seal was broken somehow sounding over the broken protests falling from the mouths of her companions. She held the mask cradled in her hands, ignoring the five voices imploring her to stop, and raised her face to the figures before her, meeting their widened eyes with her own, "I love your daughter, and I will sacrifice anything I have to for her sake, I promise."
As the last syllable passed her lips, whatever panic or respect for the gesture had kept them frozen in place broke, and five pairs of hands descended upon her. Neytiri, being the closest, was the first to rip the mask from the woman's hands and press it desperately against her face. Trudy waved off the bodies hovering at her shoulders and the hands of Grace and Norm trying with a desperate sort of insistence to turn her to face them so they could check her vitals.
"I'm fine," she said pointedly at her friends who were fumbling over their words, some mix of concern and reprimand filling the air around them, batting away their hands as she pressed the mask firmly against her face, pushing Neytiri's hand away gently as she did, and secured the straps around the back of her head.
Mo'at and Eytukan sat in their place against the wall, staring oddly at the woman before them. They looked at each other, a brief, wordless conversation seeming to pass between them, before turning back to face Trudy, who was ignoring the concern around her to continue to stare obstinately up at them.
"Very well, Trudy-Chacon," Mo'at spoke in a calm voice, cutting through the chatter around her, silencing them in an instant, "if what you say is true and if Neytiri truly felt drawn to you, then we will accept your bond as the will of Eywa."
"Thank you," Trudy said, keeping a sigh of relief from escaping her lips by a force of self-control she had not previously known herself capable of, as she bowed her head at the words, though not as deeply as before.
"Thank you, mother, father," Neytiri mirrored Trudy's bowed head, her voice dripping with relief.
"You are all free to go," Mo'at nodded, "I am sure Trudy-Chacon would like to be shown around our home. I would like, however, to see you two again soon. I would like to observe how you were able to achieve a tsaheylu; perhaps a study of this will assist in finding a more... permanent solution to Trudy-Chacon's physical limitations."
The party tried to keep the confusion from their faces at her words as they offered polite bows before making their way through the vines and into the daylight, sighing with relief as they walked away from the alcove and back down to the forest floor below.