"They seem really nice. Would you just give them a chance?" Tsireya sighed exasperatedly as she sat crossed legged, carefully stringing creamy white pearls onto a long thread. She looked up from her work, fixing Ao'nung with a stern stare, "You haven't even spoken two words to them yet."

Ao'nung scoffed, "I've seen enough, Reya. They're freaks! You saw their hands." He looked over at Kayra, who was busy patching up a fishing net that had been ripped earlier that day, "Kay, back me up here."

Kayra shook her head, ignoring her brother's burning gaze as she threaded the small needle through the thick thread and pulled to tighten it, "I wouldn't even if I could, brother."

Ao'nung scrunched his face, sounding annoyed, "What does that even mean?"

Kayra rolled her eyes, "Well for one, I haven't met them yet, so I can't judge them, and two: why would having weird hands make them any less Na'vi than us? They grew up on Pandora as well."

Tsireya leaned slightly forwards as she looked at her twin, "Thank you, Kayra." She enunciated, then looked over at her older brother victoriously. "See? Kay is on my side which means I'm right."

"Whatever," Ao'nung sighed, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see then, won't we?" he paused for a second, watching as the girls worked, then he started to complain again, "And I don't recall having ever agreed to Kayra being the voice of reason in this little sibling dynamic."

"That's because we don't value your opinion, Ao'nung," Kayra looked up, smiling sweetly at her brother who made a face at her, then yanked at the thread she was using to sew the net together, unraveling half of her work.

Two hours later, Ao'nung had finally finished the damage he had done, Kayra having forced him to redo all the stitches that he had unraveled. Tsireya had left a couple of minutes ago, going to fetch the Sullies and show them to dinner.

"'Nung, I think we're good." Kayra grasped for the net in his hands, "If we have to sit here 'till you finish, we might end up going to bed hungry tonight."

Ao'nung grumbled something along the lines of 'I'll give you hungry' which Kayra informed him wasn't a very good comeback and only darkened his mood even more. It didn't help his mood that he had poked himself with the sharp needle multiple times during the last two hours and it now hurt every time he touched anything with that finger.

"Hey guys," Teol's smiling face appeared by the Mauri opening as he signed 'I see you' to the two siblings. However, his expression quickly turned into curious amusement as he saw Ao'nung's scowl, "What's happened here?"

Teol extended his hand down towards Kayra, which she took, allowing Teol to pull her up. "Ah, not much," Kayra smiled innocently down at her brother, "Ao'nung's just done a bit of crafting."

"But you hate crafting, Ao'nung," Teol looked at Ao'nung as he got up, mock concern clear in his voice.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Ao'nung grumbled, then disappeared out of the pod, "Let's just go to dinner."

Teol and Kayra looked at each other, then broke out into laughter before following behind Ao'nung, down towards the bonfire, teasing him as they went, asking him if he could make them some new jewelry now that he had picked up a new hobby. Ao'nung did not appreciate it in the slightest.

Kayra had just placed a hand on Teol's shoulder, almost walking sideways, eagerly ready to share the next quip that she had towards Ao'nung, when she walked into something yet again. A secure hand flew up and was placed on her arm to steady her immediately.

"We have to stop meeting like this." Neteyam's voice sounded as Kayra looked up into his flashing amber eyes. His mouth was tugged into an amused smirk, and Kayra once again had to push herself away from Toruk Makto's son.

"That would take all the intrigue out of our meetings though," she countered, desperate not to look like an idiot in front of Toruk Makto's son.

Beside her, someone coughed. Right, Teol. She had completely forgotten about him for a second. Neteyam and Kayra both forced their eyes away from each other at the same time, directing their gaze at Teol.

"Well, aren't you gonna introduce me, Kay?" Teol placed a hand on her shoulder as if chiding a small child, then signed 'I see you' to Neteyam, who repeated his action politely. "I'm Teol." He smirked, "So I take it the two of you have already met?" He looked between Neteyam and Kayra, waiting for one of them to answer.

"Yeah, earlier today," Kayra responded, shrugging indifferently. "He saved me from one of my mother's lectures, actually." She smiled up at Neteyam who mouthed 'my pleasure' to her as Teol's head turned to look at her.

"Interesting," Teol's eyes narrowed, then he looked at Neteyam with an innocent smile, "She didn't mention it to me."

Neteyam shot Kayra an amused look, obviously finding Teol entertaining, before responding, "Well it wasn't very memorable either."

Something dropped in Kayra's stomach. Why did that affect her so much? It hadn't been very memorable at all, so why did Neteyam saying it out loud make her feel slightly disappointed? Maybe she was just hungry and that was why she was feeling strange; she had forgotten to eat lunch today.

"Teol, Kayra, stop chatting and come over here!" Someone called from the bonfire. It was Atilina (or Tili), Tsireya's best friend. Kayra craned her neck, looking for her sister in the sea of their friends but she wasn't in her usual spot beside Tili.

Teol's eyes flashed, and without hesitation, he casually draped his arm over Kayra's shoulder. "Shall we?" he asked, as he motioned for them to join the others near the bonfire. Neteyam observed the unfolding scene with an amused expression on his face.

Kayra rolled her eyes, well acquainted with Teol's protective nature. As best friends, they had always looked out for each other, and she understood that his behavior was an attempt to test Neteyam. So when Kayra shook her head and expressed her intention to sit with Neteyam, Teol squeezed her shoulder gently, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Suit yourself," he teased, before playfully slapping Neteyam's upper arm in a friendly, if not slightly condescending manner. With that, Teol turned and walked toward the lively chatter of their friends.

"I like that guy," Neteyam said when Teol was out of earshot, though Kayra suspected that she heard a little sarcasm in his tone. "You can go sit with your friends if you want." He continued, looking in the direction of where Teol had joined their friends by the bonfire.

"Nah, it's fine. I sit with them every day anyway." Kayra waved a hand in the air absentmindedly, "Besides, I have to meet the rest of your family if I'm ever going to help teach them our ways, right?"

"Right," Neteyam smiled down at her, his hand reaching out to take hers, which Kayra thought was slightly crossing her personal boundaries considering they had just met. He gently guided her to his side, releasing her hand before leaning down closer to her so they could converse more easily. Kayra couldn't help but notice the subtle gesture as he pointed to the other side of the bonfire, drawing her attention to three unfamiliar kids sitting with Tsireya. Ah, there was her sister!

"You see the smallest girl over there?" Neteyam nodded towards a young girl nestled against another girl, likely her older sister. The little girl had short, unruly braided hair and large, captivating eyes that dominated her face. Kayra couldn't deny finding her absolutely adorable. "That's Tuktirey – or Tuk. She's the youngest. Then there's Kiri." Kayra glanced back at Neteyam, who seemed completely captivated by his family, his eyes filled with evident love. She returned her gaze to the girl he had indicated, Kiri, who appeared to be around Kayra's age. Kiri seemed to exude a sense of wanting to be anywhere but by the bonfire. However, it also seemed as if Kayra had caught her at a bad moment, because just then, the boy sitting beside Kiri accidentally elbowed her in the side whilst reaching for food near the fire. This prompted Kiri to jerk away from her brother, clearly exasperated. Kayra stifled a laugh as she redirected her attention back to Neteyam, finding him already looking at her with a small smile playing on his lips.

"What's your brother's name?" Kayra asked, a slight flush coloring her cheeks as she became aware of their close proximity.

"That's Lo'ak," Neteyam replied, his voice warm with affection. "Remember I mentioned having a brother who could rival your mother-button pressing?" When Kayra nodded, Neteyam glanced back at Lo'ak, "Well, that's the guy."

Kayra shifted her gaze back to Lo'ak as well, assessing her potential opponent. A mischievous smirk curled at the corners of her lips as she looked back up at Neteyam. "We'll see about that," she teased playfully. Determined to size up her competition, she made her way over to where Neteyam's siblings were seated, signing 'I see you' to them as their heads turned, curiosity evident in their eyes.

"Hey guys, I'm Kayra," she greeted them warmly, flashing a smile as she settled herself beside Tsireya. Three voices responded with hellos, and Kayra couldn't help but be charmed by the toothy smile from the youngest sibling, Tuk. As if on cue, Neteyam took his place beside Tuk, reaching over to grab a small fruit near the fire and handing it to his little sister. Tuk accepted the offering with delight, happily munching on the sweet fruit.

Kayra's eyes briefly darted down to Neteyam and Tuk's hands, remembering Ao'nung's earlier remarks, but she found nothing out of the ordinary. Her attention then shifted to Kiri and Lo'ak, and she had to mentally catch herself from staring. They had an extra finger! It was certainly unusual, but Kayra quickly dismissed it as a minor difference, unable to comprehend the unreasonable prejudice Ao'nung seemed to harbor toward them.

Tsireya interjected, introducing Kayra to the others, "This is the girl I was telling you about. My twin. She's going to help teach you guys tomorrow."

The rest of the evening went by pretty quickly. Kayra and Tsireya spent the entire evening with the Sully children, listening to stories of the forest and sharing their own stories from the beach.

Throughout the evening, Kayra noticed Ao'nung's frequent glares towards their group, and she wasn't the only one who took notice. To her delight, Lo'ak responded by glaring right back at her brother, instantly earning Kayra's favor.

"So, I take it you've met my brother?" Kayra had asked him whilst Tsireya had been busy showing off a necklace she had been working on to the other three Sullies. Collective oohs and aahs had sounded for the necklace as Lo'ak had leaned over Tsireya to respond to Kayra.

"Yeah. He's a real piece of work," Lo'ak had grumbled as he had looked in Ao'nung's direction, then he had seemed to remember that Kayra was his sister and quickly turned his head to look at Kayra, "Sorry, didn't mean it like that." He had added somewhat reluctantly.

Kayra had grinned in response, "Yeah, you did," She'd retorted playfully. "And you're right. He's a total dick." In that moment, she had happened to catch Ao'nung's gaze and responded by sweetly smiling at him, accompanied by a small wave.

Kayra had watched her brother's eyes flicker from her to Lo'ak and then back to her, followed by a scoff as he had turned away to rejoin his friends. Both Kayra and Lo'ak had burst into laughter, breaking the tension, and from that moment on, Lo'ak and Kayra had warmed up to each other.

Kayra and Tsireya had followed the Sullies home after dinner, much to Ao'nung's dismay it seemed. When they came back to the small pod that Kayra, Ao'nung and Tsireya shared that joined into their parents Marui, he iced them out, pretending as if they weren't there. Kayra and Tsireya had rolled their eyes at him and gotten ready to sleep.

As they settled onto their bedrolls, Ao'nung's voice sounded from across the small Marui, breaking the silence. "I can't believe you ditched us just so you could sit with those freaks," he muttered with annoyance.

Kayra sighed, casting a glance in Ao'nung's direction. "Don't call them that, brother," she said firmly, her tone indicating her disapproval. Beside her, Tsireya hummed in agreement, emphasizing her support for Kayra's comment. "Besides," Kayra added, "They were nice people. Why would an extra finger change that?" She raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner, silently challenging Ao'nung's narrow-mindedness.

Ao'nung huffed, clearly irritated. "Whatever," he muttered dismissively. "Just don't get sucked into their web. That oldest son already seems territorial over you." As he spoke, he shifted uncomfortably on his bedroll, trying to find a more comfortable position.

Kayra glanced at Ao'nung with a mix of frustration and disbelief. "No, he doesn't, skxawng," she retorted, her voice tinged with exasperation. "We literally just met and have only talked a total of two times." She looked over at Tsireya, exasperation clear in her eyes, "Where's he getting these things from?" she asked her twin, who grinned back at Kayra, rolling her eyes to show that she thought Ao'nung was being an idiot too. Man, she loved her sister.

"You clearly didn't see the thunderous expression he wore when you and that other son laughed together," Ao'nung retorted, causing something to flip in Kayra's stomach.

Had Neteyam really noticed Lo'ak and her laughing together? But why would that bother him? They barely knew each other, and why would it affect him that she was making friends with his younger brother? No, the only explanation to Ao'nung's remark was that Ao'nung had imagined the look on Neteyam's face. Kayra didn't know what to respond to Ao'nung's comment, so she chose to remain quiet. When Ao'nung was in a mood, these was no changing his mind – something he'd inherited from their mother.

There was a small pause where Kayra thought that Ao'nung was finished talking, then he spoke again, "Just be careful, alright? They come from war, and destruction tends so follow that family like a shadow."

The words hung heavy in the air, sinking into the silence that enveloped the small pod. Outside, the sounds of the village slowly quieted down, as the adults made their way back to their Maruis after a long day. The soft yapping of ilu and other creatures could be heard, intermittently breaking the calm surface of the water. The wind rustled through the woven walls of the pod, causing it to creak slightly.

It was Tsireya who at last broke the silence, "We all have our own stories. It's important to give them a chance. Maybe it'll be different this time."