Author's Note: And here we have it! Another one! To you, my troll, who keeps coming back for me. XD

Grace must have meant that she would be there in spirit because she wasn't anywhere in Hometree when Jake got there.

Everything hurt, which was a stark difference from what he's been dealing with in his normal body. Even though he never really forgot the ghost of sensation but God, there is no way he's ever going to forget about this agony. Just like the weight of existing is bearing down on him. It hurts, and it has to be because Jake has spent so much time not being able to feel anything that he's feeling even more sensitive than normal. Then again, he doesn't really know anything outside of how bad it hurts.

Jake sits there in agony, gasping for air. Even expanding his lungs hurts. It takes a few minutes before Jake can breathe easy through the pain but once he can, he sits up slowly, body aching and muscles fatigued. It definitely feels like he hasn't moved this body in a month. Each movement is like dragging the limb with a hundred-pound weight attached to it.

It takes minutes, literal minutes, to cross the five-foot space between himself and Tsu'tey who was laying prone on a cot made of blankets where Jake last remembers seeing him. So, if it wasn't a dream, then it was some kind of vision because everything looks the same as where he saw it just before he woke up except that they were alone. The women were all gone. Tsu'tey is now sleeping, his chest covered in leaves sticking to some pungent smelling goop that covers his wounds. His face is pale from blood loss. Jake couldn't have been quiet in his struggle to get over to Tsu'tey but it didn't wake him. He has to be medicated big time to have slept through that.

Jake manages to cross his legs and just sits by Tsu'tey's side. Despite his slow, ragged breaths, Tsu'tey does appear to be okay. He's obviously hurt, but if it was life threatening, then Jake has to believe that he wouldn't have been left alone for any period of time. Jake is definitely not a doctor, but he has to believe that's a good thing and that Tsu'tey is going to be okay. That despite the wounds themselves, it's superficial and he'll be healed up in no time.

Jake slumps, looking down at the other young man's exhausted face. There are dark circles smudging the underside of his eyes assuring Jake that he was right. Every night for hours and hours on end, Tsu'tey waited for him to come back. In the dark forest where it wasn't safe. No doubt all by himself, just waiting for Jake to come out and speak with him. And night after night, Jake didn't. He just sat in the safety of his building behind an electrified fence without a care in the world. All the while Tsu'tey took on all the risk just to speak with him.

Jake leans forward, dropping his head into his hands, shivering at the sensation but pushing it into the back of his mind. Long black strands tickle his knees from where they came loose from his long braid. A month was enough to pretty much unravel most of the short strands that had been woven into it making it fall all around his shoulders and down his chest and back. Surprisingly most of the rest of the braid has maintained its shape. A small part of Jake wonders if they braided it again and just left the rest of his hair out intentionally. Obviously, he's been bathed to some degree seeing as he's not wearing his shirt and his pants are stiff but clean.

Despite that, he needs a shower - really bad. And even while smelling fine, he feels gross.

"Jake..."

Jake jumps, heart leaping up into his throat as he raises his gaze to Tsu'tey's and sees bleary, drowsy eyes staring back at him. Tsu'tey's hand lands onto his knee, sending a jolt of sensation up his leg, making him grit his teeth but he shoves the feeling down.

"I told you to go home..." Jake says softly, not sure what else to say. "You shouldn't have been out there waiting on me, Tsu'tey."

"Jake... Hometree," Tsu'tey says softly, a smile curving his mouth despite the grimace in pain crossing his face as he twists onto his side a bit. He brings his hand to his forehead and flicks it toward him. "Oel ngati kameie. I see you."

Jake feels his shoulder slump again. He looks down at his lap, complex emotions swirling in his gut as Tsu'tey's hand moves from his knee up to his chin, lightly touching the bottom of it so that he lifts his eyes to Tsu'tey's. The sensation washing over his face and firing down his spine.

Again, softly, he says, "Oel ngati kameie."

Jake closes his eyes, breaths, before softly saying, "I'm glad you're okay."

Tsu'tey carefully, with a groan of pain, moves completely onto his side to look up at Jake, eyes half lidded. Jake hesitates, not sure that even now that he's here he knows how to convey that this was the end. That after he went back to his regular body, he wasn't coming back. But once again, it's hard. It's hard to sever that himself. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to say goodbye even though he knows that he has to. They will probably never see each other again, so they should make a clean cut and sever the ties that bind them -

- but he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to say goodbye even though he knows that he'll have to.

Tsu'tey says something softly in Na'vi and Jake hesitates. He has no idea what the other teen said, but he can't help himself. He's in pain. He's exhausted. And above all the emotions swirling around inside of him, he's relieved first and foremost. He has to believe that Tsu'tey is okay and that he's going to only get better from here. That is what matters. That Tsu'tey is okay.

Slowly, carefully, Jake lowers down onto his side so that they are facing each other. Jake puts his arm under his head to pillow it a bit. A small smile crosses the other teen's lips, pleased and Jake's guess was probably right. That or he was just happily surprised that Jake lowered himself down next to him, the human doesn't know.

Tsu'tey's eyes droop a bit, whatever it was that woke him up isn't enough to keep him awake anymore. Jake's body still hurts, and he can feel a cramping in his stomach. He has to wonder when the last time his avatar had anything to eat. No doubt they are feeding it however they can, but it probably hasn't had an actual meal since the last time he piloted it. That would be his guess.

Jake waits for Tsu'tey's eyes to be completely closed before scooting back just a bit to ensure that the other teen isn't touching his aggravated skin. This closeness is strange to him. The only person that has ever slept by his side was Tommy. His brother who is currently angry at him because Jake accepted his fate. Jake is accepting that this was just going to be his life now.

The only other person that ever came close was Connor. But Tsu'tey wasn't Connor. Connor was a crutch. He was put in place to fulfill a need. But even then, it was different because, well, Connor was Tommy's friend. They only knew each other peripherally. And Tsu'tey... well, Jake didn't ever have any friends so he's not completely sure how to have any of those or if Tsu'tey was even such a person, but it's not something he knows. Is this right? Is this wrong? Is he friending wrong? He has no idea.

Connor was fine, he supposed. But Jake liked Tsu'tey. He kind of thought that they were friends - or that they could be. He wasn't sure how that was going to happen, but a small, traitorous part of him wanted it to be so. But then he lost all feeling in his body and now he's never going to see Tsu'tey again after today. And it hurts. But he'll get over it, he always does. Pain is just something that happens and when it is done it's done, and he can just move on.

Jake blinks a few times, staring at Tsu'tey's sleeping face, counting his breaths. It was something that he used to do whenever he couldn't sleep at night, and he was scared. Scared of the things that lurked just beyond their little bubble. He would just count Tommy's breaths and wait until morning came or he would be so exhausted that he fell asleep. He's not sure how long he just laid there, staring at Tsu'tey's sleeping face, confident about staring without the other teen being awake. Normally, just the thought of staring so intently at someone's face like that would make his anxiety go through the roof, but this was fine.

And also probably extremely creepy. He should probably stop.

Jake closes his eyes, willing the worry still clutching at his chest. Thank God that Tsu'tey is okay.

He must have dozed, but he's not sure how seeing as he didn't go back to Grace at Hell's Gate. But he came to hearing soft voices talking around him. He opens his eyes to Tsu'tey's sleeping face, thankful that he hasn't moved closer. Tommy still is the only person who has slept this close to him before, so this is a little strange for him.

"Are you awake, JakeSuli?"

Jake blinks a few times before glancing over his shoulder to see the Tsahik sitting there, her golden eyes brightening at him. It's been only a month and it might just be Jake, but it feels like Mo'at's English has gotten even better.

"Scary you not moving and then do," Sylwanin says, dropping down next to the Tsahik. She smiles and it crests her eyes.

Jake carefully sits up, scooting back to put some space between himself and the two women, pulling his legs up to his chest. He glances between them carefully. He knew that just checking on Tsu'tey wasn't going to be enough. He knew that he was going to have to speak with the Tsahik, Mo'at. He's just nervous enough to feel his stomach hollowing out a bit.

"Sorry for being gone for so long..." Jake mumbles, looking down at his knees. "I heard... I had..." He swallows, looking over at Tsu'tey before looking away and shutting his mouth.

Mo'at stares at him for a long moment as if waiting for him to continue. After a beat, when he doesn't, she says, "Tsu'tey will be okay. His wounds will... get better."

Jake nods mutely, refusing to look at the sleeping teen next to them.

Mo'at waits another moment, staring at him, quietly. She shifts her weight and all the adornments hanging off of her shift with her. "We have been waiting for you to return," she says. "How is Tommy?"

Jake glances at her quickly, then looks away, surprised that she even remembered that. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they first spoke and yet she remembered something as trivial as Jake worrying about his brother? Someone as important as the Omatikaya spiritual leader? That doesn't seem right.

"Tommy is okay..." Jake says, realizing that she was waiting for him to say something. He drops his eyes to her chin and takes a few deep breaths before saying, "I should go. I need to bring the avatar back to Grace."

"No," Sylwanin says, blinking rapidly. "Stay! We... need..." she struggles to find the words, saying something in Na'vi and looking helplessly over at Mo'at.

Mo'at nods at her, waving her hand a bit to settle the teen girl down. She looks over at Jake and calmly says, "You must remain, JakeSuli. Your place is here, with us."

Jake shakes his head. "I'm... unwell," he says, not really wanting to talk about himself. "I can't be in the avatar anymore," well, he doesn't know if that's actually true or not seeing as he's already here and nothing has happened to him yet but that doesn't mean anything, "and it needs to go back to the RDA or it's going to die..."

Sylwanin frowns, shaking her head a bit, perplexed. She doesn't understand what Jake is trying to say. She looks over at Mo'at.

Mo'at stares at Jake, tilting her head down a bit to catch his eyes but he lowers them more, unable to meet her gaze. She gives him a few moments to see if he will add anything else, but he doesn't. Then she looks around, considering on what she wants to say in response.

"No," Mo'at says, finally.

Jake blinks in surprise, barely able to stop himself from looking up at her. He doesn't know how to respond to that. He's not going to fight the Omatikaya on this. It's not really his problem. He asked, trying to get it back, and they said no. What else is he supposed to do? He's not going to run from them and hope that he'll be able to find his way through the treacherous forest back to Hell's Gate just to return the Avatar. He doesn't care nearly enough to even try.

"Okay..."

"You need to come back, every day, like with school," Mo'at says easily. "Come and learn. You belong here."

Now Jake looks at her, confused. "What?"

"When you came, Eywa showed a sign. You are where you are meant to be. Here, with us." She shifts closer, lowering her chin again to look him in the eye. "I have seen you JakeSuli, standing here, amongst the People, as one of us. All you have to do is start learning."

Jake shakes his head, unable to believe this. He should have just gone back after ensuring that Tsu'tey was okay. But of course, he didn't. He just wasn't ready to let go. He has no practice severing ties on his own. He wanted just a little bit more time.

Jake looks over at Tsu'tey for a long moment, his shoulders drooping as he turns to look over at Mo'at. "This was a one-time thing. Tell Tsu'tey not to come back to Hell's Gate."

"No," Sylwanin says again, her face twisting. She might not understand exactly what Jake is saying but it's obvious that she understands that he is denying what Mo'at is asking of him. She looks between Mo'at and Jake, ears pressing back. "JakeSuli, no."

Mo'at reaches out and touches Jake's arm, blinking in surprise when Jake flinches, yanking his hand back. She looks down at his arm, then back up to his face, tilting her head curiously. "It is not just in your body, is it, JakeSuli?"

Jake glances at her wearily, not understanding. "What?"

"The pain," Mo'at says evenly, her wise eyes burrowing into him as if she could see right through him. "It is not just in your body, is it?"

Jake folds himself smaller and Mo'at watches the action. There is no way he can dignify what she said with a response. He's not even sure what it is that he could say about it. It was a very vulnerable thing to admit to and Jake's not comfortable putting any of that into words. It's actually the opposite. His body actually doesn't hurt at all. Well, not his real body. That body doesn't feel a thing. But even before, the pain of the body was nothing. Eventually, it went away. And if it didn't? He could ignore all of that. This one is broken. It feels too much, that's the problem.

His stomach cramps again, reminding him that the avatar was hungry but after Jake leaves, it stops being his problem. Still, there is something sad about it. Tsu'tey liked this part of him. But then again, it was about as clean of a break as one can get. If the avatar dies, that's really the end of it.

"You're in pain," Mo'at says, quietly.

"This body is in pain," Jake mumbles, not able to meet her eyes. "It has been messed up since I first got into it."

Mo'at shifts closer still. "Say what's wrong."

Jake sighs, not wanting to talk about it. It was already proven to him that there was nothing that could be done. Besides, it's not going to matter because this was the last time that he was going to jump.

"The avatar is broken, its skin is too sensitive," Jake says, shrugging his shoulder nonchalantly. It didn't matter anymore.

"Your skin," Mo'at says. "It is your body."

Jake stares at her, confused. "No, it was a body made by the RDA. They must have messed it up when they made it." He's not sure how else to say it. He just hopes she doesn't ask for further explanation because he doesn't know what else to say.

"It's your body," Mo'at says again. Those wise eyes staring right through him. "Eywa made it for you. It's sensitive because you aren't fully connected to it. Once you fully connect to it, the pain will end." Jake's skepticism must have shown on his face because she smiles faintly. "You belong in this body, but you're fighting it, JakeSuli."

Jake stares at her in disbelief, not knowing why she was saying these crazy things. It sounds like something straight out of a fantasy novel. Or movie. Or comic. Or whatever. It just doesn't feel like something people just say. And if they do, it certainly isn't to someone like Jake. He's not sure why she's going through all this effort to convince him to stick around. They must have mistaken Jake for Tommy. Tommy is the one with all the skills and the talent and the potential to do whatever it is he sets his mind to. Their names are right, but obviously there is a disconnect.

Jake doesn't belong here. He doesn't belong anywhere that isn't by Tommy's side. And that is where he'll be until Tommy outgrows him or realizes that he doesn't need Jake around anymore.

Jake looks over at Tsu'tey wondering if leaving without saying another word was rude or not. He's not sure why Mo'at was saying these things, but they obviously don't understand each other and Jake's... exhausted in more ways than just physical. He just doesn't know what he's doing here. He was so worried about Tsu'tey that he went against his better judgement to be here, but he's not sure why he's here.

"Please tell Tsu'tey not to come back," Jake says softly. "I don't want him to get hurt again."

"He won't go out again so late," Mo'at says, carefully. "He has been sneaking out to see to you."

Jake squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, feeling shame burning in his chest. The weight of a responsibility that he didn't ask for is pressing down on his shoulders. His part in Tsu'tey's injuries a heavier burden still.

"And he got hurt because of it," Jake murmurs.

Mo'at tilts her head slightly. "Not at night, JakeSuli. It was during the day. He's tired, got careless. It isn't your fault. It was a mistake. Tsu'tey has bright future ahead. A bright future," she amends. "He will be Olo'eyktan. He does many things, so he is often moving about. He needs rest. This I say often. But he's stubborn." She huffs, shaking her head.

Jake doesn't respond, not knowing how. There was so much to unpack with what she had said about Tsu'tey. He might have only been a part of the problem, but he still felt somewhat responsible. Tsu'tey would have had one less thing to worry about had Jake not at all been involved. He never wanted to cause anyone any trouble, yet it seems to be all that he's good for. He knows that there isn't anything that he can do for other people's actions, but he still was another stress on Tsu'tey and that's not fair.

Sylwanin looks between them, tail twirling behind her, curiously. She says something to Mo'at, who says something back, her voice low and even. Whatever she said, Sylwanin's expression crumbles and she looks over at Jake. "Stay," she says. "Be with here. With us, here." Her face flashes hopeful.

Jake looks down at his knees, catching Sylwanin's face dropping against at his expression. She leans forward, reaching out to touch him but frowns when he flinches, pulling her hands back before it touches his skin. Softly, she says, "Sorry. I hurt you no, okay?"

Jake's brows furrow and he pulls his knees closer to him to make himself as small as possible. "I know," he finally says, and he surprised himself by believing it. They've been so kind - the Na'vi. And despite how much men scare him; he was okay with Tsu'tey and he can understand that they are trying to help him - at least in some measure. If nothing else, they've just been kind to him. Kinder than he deserves.

There is a beat of silence before Jake says quietly, "I should go."

"Please stay," Mo'at says softly, reaching out to touch him, but stops herself and drops her hand back down to her lap. Jake feels the tension in his body loosen a bit and her eyes seem to track it. She looks into Jake's eyes and slowly, confidently and even soothingly, she says, "You are safe here."

Jake stares at her, this strange sensation washing over him, like a harsh weight pressing down on him. A warmth near suffocating brushing over his skin and a stabbing in his eyes he doesn't understand. It hits him so hard, overwhelming him immediately. A strong emotion rips through him, burning his eyes and his nose, making his chin tremble and tears trickle down his cheeks.

Mo'at's expression softens in sympathy and Sylwanin looks like she wants to comfort him but thankfully keeps her hands to herself. Jake doesn't like this. Not one bit. He's not sure why her words triggered such a strong reaction, but he doesn't like it. He wipes roughly at his face and says, "Tell Tsu'tey not to come back. I won't either. Goodbye."

"Please stay," Mo'at says quietly, her voice taking on a slightly pleading tone. "We can help you."

Please, it - she - whispered, stay.

Jake shakes his head, both to Her, and to Mo'at. He can't wrap his mind around why they would want him to stay. Why anyone would want him to invade their space. Tommy is the only person who has ever been able to tolerate him, he just doesn't understand. Now that he's hearing Her voice more and more frequently while he's not in the place where he goes to be safe, he's sure that it's probably not too far out of the realm of possibility to believe that he's going crazy.

She used to be somewhere he had to dig deep into himself to find. Now it feels like she's digging further and further up onto the surface of his mind. What once was a figment of his imagination is starting to feel more and more like budding insanity. What, like... what was it? The thing people get when they hear voices in their heads? Schizophrenia? God, he hopes not.

He curls up onto the ground by Tsu'tey's head making himself as small as possible, not minding the tingling sensation rocketing through his body at the motion and closing his eyes, forcing himself to relax, body and mind. Sylwanin says something soft, begging and Mo'at leans in close enough to feel the heat of her body against his skin.

"Come back soon, JakeSuli," Mo'at says softly.

Another wave of emotion, strong enough to barrel him over, crashes into him, making his throat feel warm too. He hesitates, not sure what else to do. He should go back. There is nothing for him here. But a pull on him. Like something isn't ready for him to go is tugging at the corners of his mind. But he can't stay. He can't.

Yet why does he want to?

Despite his better judgement, he opens his eyes to Tsu'tey, warring with himself. Tsu'tey is still asleep, face relaxed and it's then that Jake sees the section of his ear is missing. Something he's never noticed before. Nothing too big. Just a small piece of it is torn away. Jake never really looked at Tsu'tey super close up, so he never even noticed. Such a small, minor thing, yet it endears Jake in a weird way. Adds a dimension to him that Jake never saw before. He's only seen the other teen at peace looking out for him outside Hell's Gate, or inquisitive and playful at school. But the reality is that Tsu'tey is a much more complex individual. He's around the same age as Jake yet he's got a big destiny before him.

He's going to be clan chief one day.

Jake remembers. He remembers that Mo'at is the spiritual leader, the Tsahik, and her husband is the clan chief, the Olo'eyktan. Jake knows nothing about clan politics, but he knows that's got to be a big deal.

He hadn't fully grasped how big of a deal Tsu'tey was. It's intimidating.

And yet... Tsu'tey was reaching out for him. Both while they were at the school and now that they've left it. Now that they are out here, in the real world. And while the attack on Tsu'tey hadn't been completely Jake's fault, he was a factor in it. And yet still... he was calling out for Jake. And that has to mean something, doesn't it? Jake just... doesn't know what it is.

Mo'at stares at him, looking from Jake to Tsu'tey, blinking slowly, as if putting something together. But Jake doesn't wait. He has to go back. Everything hurts and it's just too much for him. Both of the body, and in his chest. It's too much. He can't do this. Yet despite how much he knows he can't stay, he... he doesn't feel like they've gotten their closure yet. He needs to say his final goodbye to Tsu'tey and just let that be that.

Then it can be over.

"Three days," he says softly to Tsu'tey. Mo'at and Sylwanin glance over at him, a flicker of hope crossing the latter's face. But Jake can't focus on that.

That has to be enough time for Tsu'tey to be able to talk back - and somehow do most of the talking. Yeah, Jake is just going to have to figure this out. It's not right that he tries to get Tsu'tey to be the one to break this off when he knows that it has to be him. Tsu'tey is interested in Jake, probably because he literally only has one other human his age to speak to, and because he's just a very nice guy. And despite the trouble Jake has caused, for some reason Tsu'tey still wants anything to do with him. Jake doesn't understand.

Jake closes his eyes and clears his mind, imagining the return a moment before it happened. Her voice is soft, like it's muffled underneath the surface of the water, quietly calling him back. Like what Mo'at had said was true and that there was where he belonged. But that couldn't be right. He... he had to of been imagining it. He has no idea exactly where he belongs but certainly it couldn't be at Hometree.

Could it?

Jake opens his eyes to Grace leaning over him, a pensive look on her face as she studies his expression. She helps him sit up and then he just sits there in the pod for a second, feeling dazed and confused. He feels like he didn't completely come back. Just like that feeling that has been hounding him for a long time now. It doesn't hurt him - in fact nothing does. His body is back to being completely numb. But when he reaches up to touch his face, there are tears sliding down his cheek. And he can only tell because he can see the wetness when he pulls his hands back from his face.

He blinks rapidly, covering his face with his hands until the wetness stops coming. He keeps pulling his hands back to check, and when he sees it's still wet, he wipes it off on his pants and puts them back over his face. Once the tears have stopped, he looks over at Grace, somehow able to keep his breathing somewhat even, to see her staring at him with her arms crossed over her chest, but without a word.

Instead of asking about his tears like Jake really didn't want her to, she asks, "How did it go?"

Thankful that she didn't ask, he shrugs. "I'm not sure. I got to speak with Mo'at but she's not interested in giving the avatar back, sorry."

Grace tilts her head at that, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips but not pulling into a full smile just yet. "I figured. Mo'at is stubborn on the best of days. She said no and there is no wiggle room when she takes on that tone." Grace grabs a rolling chair and brings it over so that she's sitting in front of Jake. She looks at him, as if waiting for him to speak, but he just stares at his hands, trying to center his spinning mind. A lot of the feelings from being in the avatar has spilled back into himself and he's definitely overwhelmed.

"What happened?" Grace finally asks. "What made you come in here in a blind panic in the middle of the night?"

Jake shrugs, hoping that she would just let him get up and leave without further questions but no such luck. The look she sends him compels him to respond, no matter how reluctantly. "I had a bad dream that Tsu'tey was hurt. I needed to be sure that he was okay."

Grace waits for a long moment to see if he'll continue. When he doesn't, she probes, "And? Did you get to speak with him?"

"Briefly."

Grace waits a beat, then lets out a little sigh. "Jake."

Jake's shoulders slump as he stares down at his hands still. "He's okay, I think. The medicine must have made him sleepy, he was only awake for a minute."

Grace stares at him, face twisting in confusion. When he doesn't elaborate, she asks, "So... he was hurt? You were right?"

Jake nods. "An animal must have scratched him. He had leaves all over his chest."

Grace is still staring at him, shaking her head slowly. She looks around the room, trying to organize her thoughts and Jake is relieved to have her attention on anything other than him. It takes him a minute or so, but he finally builds up the courage to stand so that he can leave but Grace snaps her fingers and points to where he just was, letting out a sharp, "Sit" before continuing to look around, chasing whatever line of thought was leading her.

Jake obeys, suddenly exhausted. He just wants to go lie down. Today has been a day and while his body is okay - probably? - emotionally and mentally, he's beyond drained. He's ready to try and get some more sleep. Or at least lay in the comfort of his room and stare at hi ceiling until sunrise, or his body gives out, whichever comes first.

"You know what Mo'at told me," Grace finally says after what feels like an eternity of silence, "about why she won't turn over the avatar?"

"No."

Grace leans forward, lacing her fingers together between her knees. "How much do you know about Eywa?"

"Nothing really."

Grace smiles a bit at his bland answers. "She is essentially their goddess. She is both the spiritual thing that they believe in, and the planet around them. She is the Great Mother. They believe that all things in some ways are connected to her will, not so unlike Christianity and in their belief of God's Plan. But I won't debate that. They believe that Eywa shows signs to her people in many ways. Some are literal signs. Some are feelings and images. Some things are so blatant that they find it impossible to interpret in any other way than what they believe as truth."

Jake sends her a blank look, so she continues, "Tsahik, the spiritual leaders of the clans, interpret whatever they believe these signs are and however they receive them. That day at Hometree, you were visited in a place full of believers and strangers, you were the one visited by Eywa. They believe that Eywa chose you as someone special in that moment. That you were meant to be one of them. That if anyone could learn their ways, it would be you. A bridge on our side to them. They came to our schools, learned out languages but I'm the only one that learned right from them. Mo'at was my teacher and I taught all those that came after."

Guess that explains what she meant by Jake needing to be there. It was the bulbus things. The atokirina.

"But how do they know that? Those atokirina are everywhere," Jake hears himself say.

Instead of angry or annoyed, Grace smiles lightly at him. "They aren't, Jake. Just because there was a lot there at Hometree doesn't mean that they are everywhere. I mean, I've seen quite a bit in my time but never that close. Or that many all at once."

Jake gives her a look, confused, but decides it doesn't matter and looks away. "Okay."

Grace, catching his look, leans forward. "Unless, that wasn't the first day you've seen them..." Jake shrugs, looking down at his dangling legs, not sure why that mattered. Apparently, Grace has seen them too. She tilts her head, patience still evident all over her face. "Have you seen them before, Jake?"

He shrugs, feeling like she won't stop pressing until he answers. "Sometimes. Mostly this last month. They've been trying to lead me out to Tsu'tey."

Her eyes dance with this information. She opens her mouth, considers, closes her mouth, opens it again, hesitates, warring with herself like she has so many questions that she's not sure how to ask or which to do first. Finally, carefully, she asks, "You said mostly. Was there any other times aside from this last month?"

Jake sighs, carefully looking at her, intrigue written all over her face. "Yeah, I usually see them when I ran drills just off in the distance but there was one time when I stared into one and fell unconscious."

At first her expression is fascinated, then it seems like she registered his words and worry morphs her features. "You blacked out?"

"Yeah, but that was a while ago. I'm okay." Well, obviously. And she didn't ask if he was okay. That was unnecessary.

"Jake..." Grace says softly, scooting her chair closer but thankfully doesn't touch him. But she gets too close for his liking, making him nervous enough to tense up. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Jake stares at her for a long moment, wondering why she would ask that. Wasn't it obvious? "I didn't think it mattered."

This look that Jake can't explain crosses over Grace's face. It looks like sadness, but more. Something akin to heartbreak or maybe it's just pity, he's not sure. But Jake looks away, scanning the empty room. He's curious as to what Grace was doing here so late and all alone, but he wasn't going to ask. It wasn't his business.

"You didn't think it mattered or you didn't think anyone would care?" Grace asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jake doesn't answer, not sure he knows how. Which one was the right one to say out loud? He had said the former and it only seem to upset Grace, but the latter seemed worse, yet not any less untrue. But could he say that and not upset her for some reason? He didn't know. But before he could find a way to answer that, Grace's expression morphs again, as if his silence was enough.

She looks away, rubbing at her face. Her shoulders slump and she just looks... sad. She leans back in her rolling chair and stares around the room, hand pressed against the lower half of her face as she does, blinking slow.

After a silence long enough for Jake to be too uncomfortable to remain, he pushes to his feet and mumbles, "I told Mo'at I would come back one more time in three days. It's on the weekend, my day off, so it doesn't interfere with work. I'll be back then..." he says slowly, watching her.

She seems lost to her thoughts. He wondered if she heard him, even opening his mouth to repeat himself before she nods, eyes focusing in on him. "Okay," she says softly, eyes scanning his face, searching for something, he's not sure what. "Okay, I will see you in a few days, Jake. I'll be ready for you. I'll send the staff home early."

She didn't have to do that, but if he didn't have to deal with an audience, that was good enough for him. He wasn't going to fight her on that. He simply nods again and heads for the door, ready to get back to his room and hopefully get some shut eye. Today was too long of a day for him.