Author's Note: Annnnd here's another one! Enjoy!

They gave him fruit. A lot of fruit. So much more than he's ever seen in his life at one time. If he was going to start learning their ways, they needed him to regain the strength in his avatar. Which, he supposed, made sense.

They decided to start off easy for him. The language. Which is definitely not going to be easy. Jake has never been the smart twin. Tommy was the one that knew the language and spent years learning it along with all other aspects of all things Pandora. Jake just... wasn't all that good at stuff like that. He knew that he was going to have to learn it, but the physical stuff was always the easy part of things for him. It's the more mentally taxing stuff that he was no good at. Tsu'tey, Mo'at, Sylwanin and her sister, Neytiri, seemed to pick up on his anxiety on the matter and started really easily. They started with the fruits as Jake was eating. Telling him their names and having him repeat them. He felt foolish. Their language was beautiful - so long as he wasn't the one to be speaking it.

It was pretty to listen to, but horrific for him to speak.

He felt so foolish, even though Tsu'tey was being so kind about his horrendous attempt at repeating the language. His face was burning in embarrassment, and he spent most of that time mumbling the language, flinching every time it just... didn't sound right.

Jake realized, slower than he should have, that he hadn't ever had fruit before. Well, not ever before, but like, pure fruit straight off of the branch... or vine... or... bush? Anything that he had back on Earth was all heavily processed, they were more chemical than organic. Jake didn't care so much about the organic aspect of it, but there was just something so... pure about it. It felt more filling. It made him feel... better. Like he was going through some sort of cleanse or something.

He didn't tell anyone because he didn't want them to look at him like the fool he was.

The Omatikaya watched him while they ate, and it took everything in him to not throw up the fruit he was eating. They would give him strange looks whenever one of them could hear his horrendous stab at their language, which easily killed off any tiny bit of confidence he was trying to build up. Tsu'tey glared at everyone that looked their way and he was thankful for but it hated that he had to do that.

Jake particularly liked a very sour fruit which was a surprise to him as his pallet had always been very plain, except for recently since Lyle Wainfleet has been making them all sorts of very interesting meals. But he hadn't really explored anything sour just yet, and Jake really liked it.

"Like this?" Tsu'tey asks as if able to read his mind, smiling when Jake reached for another of the sour fruits.

Jake's ears press back, nervously. "I... um. I'm sorry." He pushes the fruit towards Tsu'tey, his tail curling tightly around his waist. "I just... I thought..."

Tsu'tey takes it but holds it out for him, smiling sweetly. "Here, Jake. Eat. Like this one?"

Jake hesitates, ears still tight against his skull. He nods and gently takes it from the older teen. "Yes..."

"Too many hurt," Sylwanin says, rubbing at her belly. "Need more different for stomach." Jake immediately puts it back down in the pile, which makes Sylwanin frown. She waves her hand, struggling to find the words. "No. Later. After one." She points. "Eat, please."

Jake shakes his head. "No, I'm okay."

Sylwanin deflates, her shoulders slumping. "Sorry, Jake. Not hurt feelings."

Jake shakes his head, pulling his knees up to his chest. "I'm fine." He's already had three pieces of fruit already. His stomach is going to hurt soon anyway, so he should stop. Mo'at opens her mouth, as if to comment, but then decides against it.

"Eat more..." Tsu'tey says softly, reaching for the fruit again.

Jake shakes his head again. "I'm full. Thanks."

Tsu'tey looks down at the fruit, frowning. His eyes flicker over to Jake's stomach, but Jake pulls his knees up to his chest to put a barrier between himself and the food, knots tangling in his gut.

Quietly, he asks, "Jake sure?"

Jake nods, crossing his ankles. He looks over toward the entrance to Hometree, the sun now completely up, shining high in the sky. It's shaded and cool in Hometree but if they could, Jake would like to go outside for lessons. It's too cold in here, especially without his pants or a shirt. The little loincloth is not doing it for him. He's freezing. A big part of it is probably with how skinny the avatar is too, it doesn't have a lot of body fat so maybe once it gains weight, he'll be able to retain some heat.

For, um, however long he's going to live out this fantasy.

"Cold?" Mo'at asks, tilting her head.

Jake shrugs, looking back over at her. "I'm... fine..."

Tsu'tey says something to Sylwanin and Neytiri, both of which nod, before he takes the fruit that Jake liked and waves for him to follow. Jake climbs to his feet, thankful that most of the Omatikaya has cleared out to go about their day so that he doesn't have to find a way through the crowd without stepping on any limbs. So at least he's got that going for him.

Jake's skin tingles with the heat once they are outside Hometree. He lets out a sigh, feeling like a weight has been lifted off of his chest. He closes his eyes and tips his head back to just let the heat wash over his chilled skin. His avatar's body feels so weak, so starved for something as basic as sunlight. Jake wraps his arms around himself and tilts his head back to just... drink it in. For just a moment. His skin pimples from the wash of heat and he feels some of the tension leave his body. Not a lot, just a little bit.

He's not sure how long he was standing there like that before he realizes that he can feel eyes on him. He flinches, dropping is chin to look at Tsu'tey, who was in fact watching him. His expression is so gentle that it makes Jake's stomach flip. He pushes the feeling away, shrugging his shoulders.

"S-Sorry."

Tsu'tey shakes his head. "It okay." He waves his hand for Jake to follow. "We stay in light."

Jake nods, relieved that they weren't going to find shade somewhere. He just... wants to soak in the sun a little bit more. He never really noticed as a human, but with the smog of the city and Jake's more reclusive nature, he doesn't usually go outside if he doesn't have to. But the Na'vi are different, no doubt. Maybe they are more dependent on the sun than humans are.

Or... wait, don't humans also need sunlight? He doesn't know. Tommy was always the smart one. He just knew everything. Jake doesn't know a single thing.

Jake and Tsu'tey sit out on a large flat rock by the fencing keeping the pa'li safe from predators in the forest. They start going through very basic words. The respectful greeting that Jake simply couldn't wrap his mouth around, much to Tsu'tey's amusement, and easy words, starting with body parts. But even then, Jake felt so out of place. He kept mumbling, looking down, only to Tsu'tey to tip his chin back up with a single finger. Nothing more, nothing that set alarm bells off in Jake's head.

Tsu'tey had to do it seven times before Jake finally learned to keep his chin level and stop staring at the space of stone between both of their crossed legs.

"Sorry," he mumbles again after the seventh time. Tsu'tey just smiles and continues on with his lesson. Jake felt silly, like a little kid learning the very basics - which he was learning - but Tsu'tey never seemed disheartened no matter how many times Jake would sigh, or look away, or rub at his face in frustration when none of it sounded even remotely right.

At some point, though, Tsu'tey pulled out a cloth, while teaching him the word for eyes, "Nari" which Jake just could roll the 'r' right to save his life, and placed the fruit that Jake liked from earlier on it. Then with a smaller, thinner knife from the same pouch on his side that the fruit was sitting in all this time, he started cutting it up. Jake curiously watches the act while butchering his attempt to say "eye".

Tsu'tey casts him a look, through his eyelashes, smiling coyly. Jake's stomach growls, reminding him that the avatar body was starved for a month. They've been battling their way through the language for what feels like days, but the reality is that it's probably only been an hour or two. He's not cold anymore, thankfully either. The sun in the sky and the warm rock beneath them has sufficiently warmed him up.

Now that he's warm, and has plenty of time to digest, this body reminds him that it could still go for more food.

With his mouth watering, Jake leans back on his hands, turning his face up to the sky to stop from looking at the fruit being cut up. He shakes his hair out a bit to get it off of his neck and shoulders. It's long, pitch black, and in this heat? It's going to be a problem if he doesn't cut it all off, or at least does something with it. But not now. He doesn't have the energy or the will power to try to go beyond whatever Tsu'tey has planned for them.

"Nari, Jake," Tsu'tey murmurs. Jake glances at him to see Tsu'tey's eyes tracking down his body. He's no doubt making note of just how bad the avatar body looks. It'll take some time, but if he does still continue down this road, the avatar will get better. Especially with the way that Mo'at has kept stepping out of Hometree to watch him. Then leaving again after a few minutes. Then to appear again. Over and over again.

At some point too, the pa'li - and it has got to be the same one from the school - has since started grazing next to them, and occasionally leans over to nibble at his arm before going back to drinking from the nearby flowers.

"Nari, Tsu'tey," Jake murmurs to the sky, rolling his neck and listening to it crack.

Tsu'tey huffs. "Eat," he says, drawing Jake's eyes down to the fruit. "And nari."

"I can't roll my 'r's, Tsu'tey. I sound ridiculous." He leans forward and carefully grabs a small piece of the cut-up fruit, not wanting to seem too greedy.

"Trying many times," Tsu'tey says, smiling. "Getting better each time."

Jake nibbles on his small piece, watching as Tsu'tey shifts a bit to the side so stretch out those incredibly long legs, rolling his ankles. He cracks all the joins down his legs and up to his hips. Jake's eyes drop to Tsu'tey's thigh, thinking about the glowing freckle that he saw there the other night, but his legs were pressed together, and it was still bright daylight out and if they were the same on Tsu'tey as they were on Jake, they would be a very light blue, blending in pretty well with his skin so Jake would really have to look to see it.

But there was no way that Jake was going to inspect the inside of Tsu'tey's thigh just because he has some unexplainable fascination with it. So. Incredibly. Stupid. He drags his eyes away before shaking his head, mentally slapping himself for looking at his... friend... like that...?

"Tsu'tey?" Jake asks quietly.

"Yes, Jake?" Tsu'tey leans back on his hands, mimicking a similar resting pose that Jake was just a few minutes ago.

"Are we... friends?"

Tsu'tey tilts his head slightly, as if he doesn't understand the question. It had just slipped from Jake but now he was regretting even asking. He had wondered for a while what they were, but now he feels silly, like he should know the answer. That he would know if they stopped being acquaintances. They haven't spent enough time with one another to be more than casual acquaintances.

Before Jake can fully consider laying back and relaxing his mind to retreat back to Hell's Gate, Tsu'tey smiles at him, and, God, if it didn't make Jake's chest ache a bit. To - To know that it's directed at him. He couldn't believe such a thing would be for him. No one but Tommy ever looks at him like that. Not really. Not like they... see him...

"Yes," Tsu'tey says around that beautiful smile. "Friends. Jake and me."

Jake's ears flatten, cheeks warming as he looks down at the sour fruit in his hand. His mind is whirling, trying to figure out how Tsu'tey knew yet he didn't. If there was a way to know or if it was just something someone said and once it was acknowledged, then it was true.

Needing to do something, he eats his piece of fruit to occupy his mouth. He pulls his knees up to his chest, resting his cheek there. He carefully reaches for another piece as he chews.

Tsu'tey smirks, tipping his chin up to look down his nose at Jake through his lashes. "No like words?"

"The language?" Jake asks, quietly. Tsu'tey nods, thankfully gracious enough not to force Jake to talk about his question. "I don't know. I'm not good at it."

"Learn," he says, kindly. "Together. Jake and me."

Jake eats the piece slowly, looking away because he realized that he's just staring at Tsu'tey. "I know. I'll try."

Tsu'tey nods, tilting his chin back down. "I know. Time. Then good."

Jake chews and swallows his piece, carefully reaching for his third piece when Tsu'tey takes his first one. Jake flushes, realizing he was being greedy, but Tsu'tey looks away, tossing the piece in his mouth. Feeling a bit better, Jake carefully eats that piece and forces himself to stop for now. His stomach is already starting to get full again.

"I'll try," Jake says again. Tsu'tey smiles, pleased.

Jake ended up eating all of that fruit aside from the one small piece that Tsu'tey took. He felt bad, but Tsu'tey didn't seem to mind at all. He wiped off the knife with the cloth, folded them together and put them back in the pouch and continued their lessons for a little while. Jake is starting to figure out how to get an ear for the language. It already sounded so pretty, but he had no idea what was being said. Now he'll at least have some idea - if they talk about any body parts, that is. Well, not any part. Just the most basic. Okay, maybe if his brain doesn't short circuit, being overwhelmed.

Actually, he doesn't know anything. He's just as lost as before.

Thankfully, Tsu'tey seems to notice that Jake's brain is shorting out, so he just stands up, stretching and squinting up at the sky. It's late afternoon now, but Jake's figuring that it's time to go back. He should probably talk to Grace and let her know about what's now happening.

"I thought you know it."

Jake blinks, glancing up at Tsu'tey. He puts a hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun, squinting to try and see Tsu'tey as best he can. "Know? Knew what?"

"Language," Tsu'tey says quietly. "I thought... but you don't say. You don't say many, Jake."

"I don't... know the language," Jake says slowly, feeling stupid for admitting something he obviously already knew, seeing as he just spent hours teaching him a few fruit names and body parts he's not confident he'll remember.

"The whole together time, I didn't know this."

"Right... the school. You spoke English there cause that's Grace's rule."

"Yes," he says, nodding. He lowers onto his hunches, bringing himself to Jake's eye level. "You didn't say. I didn't know."

Jake's quiet for a long moment, just... staring into Tsu'tey's big, golden eyes, watching them watch him before realizing he was staring and looking away. His tail wraps around him loosely, but Tsu'tey smiles faintly.

"I didn't mean to keep it from you," Jake admits. "I'm... sorry."

"No sorry," Tsu'tey says, shaking his head. "Didn't ask this. Didn't think to. Always... thought that Jake... not think it, but..."

Jake's brows furrow as he glances over at the other teen. "That I didn't think..?"

Tsu'tey shakes his head again. "Another time."

Jake nods slowly, sure whatever it is can wait. He finally pushes to his feet, stretching and hissing as his skin vibrates unhappily. He shivers, wrapping his arms around himself, hating the sensitivity of his skin. "I should go back. I have to speak with Grace."

Tsu'tey shoots to his feet, eyes wide. "Come back? Soon?"

Jake nods, feeling bad for the worry in the other teens expression. "Yeah."

"Swear this, Jake," Tsu'tey says, stepping closer, his eyes scanning Jake's face, making him nervous. Not the same nervous that Quaritch had in the beginning, or like most men do - a nervousness laced with a lot of unease - but more like... adrenaline shooting through his veins, although he's not sure why. "You come back to me."

Jake nods. "I'll come back. I need somewhere safe to leave my avatar though..."

Tsu'tey nods, shoulders slumping a bit. He waves for Jake to follow him, and they head back into Hometree. Jake stops, though, moving over to the pa'li, it meets him halfway and despite the small fencing between them, it presses the top of it's head into his chest. Jake hugs it tightly, feeling better. It presses into him and just... something soft and warm and safe wells up inside of him before he pulls away. On an impulse, he presses his hand onto its forehead and for a second, it was almost like he could see his handprint left behind, but when he blinked, it wasn't there.

"Bye..." Jake says softly. The pa'li huffs, staring at him with big yellow eyes as if commanding his return quickly. Jake turns away to catch Tsu'tey smiling at him. Thankfully, Tsu'tey doesn't comment and just leads the way into Hometree.

Jake sees no sign of Mo'at, or the male in red, but he does see Neytiri and Sylwanin, talking on one of the other levels with a few other Na'vi that Jake doesn't recognize. They don't seem to notice them as they pass the floor on the spiral, and Jake doesn't make any attempt to gain their attention. Despite it seemingly like all the Omatikaya scattered to the winds, there still seemed to be endless numbers of them still here. More and more, Jake can see, with each floor they pass. He never realized how many Omatikaya there actually was.

As they take the spiral further up, Tsu'tey stops on a level and leads deeper in. They stop at what appear to be hammocks suspended over open air held up by the floor and whatever it was that attaches it to Hometree's interior. Jake bulks at the thought of first off just climbing into it, but secondly, sleeping there all night, but Tsu'tey gestures with a sigh.

"Here. Sleep."

"Is it safe..?" Jake asks slowly, casting a long look up to see for the next... well, as far as he can tell, more of these hammocks line the levels above. They were actually on one of the lowest levels. And if he looked down over the side, they were at the very least forty to fifty feet up.

"Scared?" Jake leans back to look at Tsu'tey, who was grinning at him, amusement flaring in his slightly glowing golden eyes. The freckles along his skin are dim too, but very distracting. Jake has to look away from them.

Jake wraps his arms around himself, staring pensively at the hammock. "I don't know..."

Taking pity on him, Tsu'tey gestures to it again, saying, quietly, "Safe. I swear this."

Not sure he has a choice otherwise, Jake tentatively steps onto the hammock, just about falling off as it twists under his feet, but he manages to stay upright in it, finding the fibers to be extremely hardy, not even bending under his weight, surprisingly. Tsu'tey's face is twisted in panic at Jake almost falling and it almost amused Jake enough to smile, but his face remains slack despite the tension in his chest. It loosens and he lowers to lay down.

"Come back," Tsu'tey says, tail twirling anxiously as he lowers onto his hunches. "To me, okay?"

Jake nods. "Okay."

Jake shifts onto his side, trying to get comfortable to make the trip back when Tsu'tey calls out to him again. Jake looks up at him, perplexed as Tsu'tey rubs at the back of his neck before asking, softly, "Do you have to go?"

Jake nods, something stirring in his gut, moving up into his chest and gripping tightly at his pounding heart. "Yes..."

Tsu'tey looks away, frowning, but his shoulders loosen, and he nods. "Okay. Be at Hometree soon. Come, okay?" He looks back over at Jake with eyes shining with something that Jake didn't know the word for, so he just nods again, mutely. He pushes down this feeling threatening to overwhelm him and lays back down, closing his eyes. Just as he's about to transfer back across the link, Tsu'tey whispers something softly. Something that sounded like, "I don't want you to go."

Back in his real body, Jake's heart is racing, his ears filled with white noise. He couldn't believe it. It doesn't seem real.

"I don't want you to go." That's what he said. It.. it has to be. It was so clear. Unless maybe... maybe he didn't hear it right. But... but it sounded like that. Could he be wrong? Sure. But... but what if he's not? Tsu'tey... wants him. Wants him to be around him. That... that can't be, right? Surely... surely, he misheard. No, he had to. He definitely misheard...

Right?

The buzzing in his ears fades as the link bed powers down. Jake pushes the lid up and the piece off of his chest before looking over to see Tommy sitting beside his link bed, hands laced together between his knees as he stares at him with somber blue eyes.

"I thought that you weren't going back," he says, voice stiff as Jake slowly sits up.

Jake sits up slowly, glancing over at the time on one of the monitors to see that it was just about the time that he figured it would be. So he was still coming back quicker. He hadn't thought about how long it took him to get to his avatar this morning, but it's definitely something that he's probably supposed to pay attention to.

"I needed to talk to Mo'at and Tsu'tey."

Tommy stares at him for a long moment, studying his features before nodding, "Okay. And?"

"And?"

"How do you feel? I thought that this was going to be dangerous for you."

Jake opens his mouth but Max steps up next to them. "He's right, Jake. You should have waited for Grace. We were all in a panic when we saw that you were already in there this morning. How do you feel? Your vitals were in range, but your brain waves were a bit off."

"Is that bad?" Jake asks.

"Considering you had a seizure the last time you did this, yes," Tommy snaps, eyes flaring in anger. Max doesn't disagree, but he does send Tommy a reproachful look. "What were you thinking?"

Jake tilts his head, staring at his younger twin. "Grace knew I was doing this. And it was the second time, I'm fine. Both times."

Tommy bulks at that, creases forming between his eyes. "Second time? Since you linked with your avatar? What? When did you do that? Why didn't you tell me?"

Jake shrugs, scooting his numb legs over the side of the bed but remains seated. "I linked up a few days ago. I was worried about Tsu'tey. I didn't tell you because I didn't think that it mattered. This was supposed to be the last time."

Tommy stands, hands curling in fists. "I thought last time was supposed to be the last time! What the hell, Jake? Do you know what could have happened to you? You could have had another seizure and died! Or fell into a coma, or something! What are you doing?"

Jake looks away, immediately feeling bad. A part of him realized this was a possibility but hearing Tommy say it, while looking angry enough to hide his fear, makes it feel more real. He understands why Tommy is worried. Tommy is a good brother. He's angry because he's worried about Jake and the older of the two of them is so lucky to have him.

"I'm sorry," Jake says. "I had to. I owed it to him. To them."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asks. He frowns, having catch Jake's slip up. "Owe who? Tsu'tey?" Jake opens his mouth, not sure what he would say to that, but his expression must have said the truth because Tommy runs his hands through his hair. "What? What are you saying? You don't owe him anything, Jake. You hardly know him."

As true as that is, Jake can't help but think about what Tsu'tey said before Jake came back here. About how Tsu'tey didn't want him to leave. How for a month, even against Jake's protest, he came to see him every night to try to convince him to come to Hometree. At the time, Jake had assumed that it had been at Mo'at's behest, and maybe it had been, but another part of him can't help but wonder if perhaps Tsu'tey did it also because he wanted to. Because, as he said, he didn't want Jake to leave. That they were friends. Maybe it's not about the number of things that they knew about one another. Maybe it was about something else. If that's the case, why would Tsu'tey say that if he didn't mean it?

So that means... he would have to mean it, right?

"Jake!"

Jake jumps, his body tightening as he looks at Tommy, looming over him in anger and something in him stirs but before he can figure out what it is, Max shifts slightly and says, "Grace!"

Jake, hesitantly, looks to see Grace making her way over to them, the rest of the scientists in the room having their heads ducked as if to avoid her wrath. It was either that, or to avoid eye contact with Quaritch who was a half-step behind her. Jake blinks when Quaritch stops, looking at him closely, then to Tommy, his eyes narrowing dangerously before an ice-cold smile spread across his lips and Jake remembers that this man is dangerous.

How could he have forgotten?

"Settle it down, son," Quaritch says to Tommy.

Tommy stares at him, perplexed but Grace says to Jake, "Are you okay? How was it?"

Apprehensive, Jake wraps his arms around himself and shrugs. "Fine."

Grace waits a beat, then another, then one more, before rubbing at her forehead and sighs. "Jake." Before he could ask her what more she wanted from him, she waves her hand. "Everyone, come with me." Without waiting for their agreement, she turns and walks off, heading for the entrance of the room, glaring at Wainfleet who was posted up there.

Tommy looks at Jake, mouth opening before Quaritch steps over, placing a hand on both of their shoulders. "Let go, boys." With a hand moving to the back of Tommy's neck, he urges him forward. Tommy looks back at him, worried and offended at the treatment, but says nothing. Jake, not wanting to be handled similarly, scrambles to his feet and follows, chin tucked close to his chest.

"You're alright now, son," Quaritch says to him. He hears Quaritch pat him on the back, feeling it alter his balance a bit, and when he dared a glance at him, the man's expression is back to how he remembers it. How it's been since he started working in the man's office for the last month. Stoic, for sure, but not unkind. Not ice cold like he had a moment ago.

Jake's shoulders loosen ever so slightly. He wants to believe that Quaritch isn't a bad man, despite how scary he might be. He wants to believe that the time that they've spent together actually meant something. Jake has rarely ever changed his mind about anyone once he's decided to fear them. But somehow, slowly but surely, Quaritch is winning him over.

Is that bad? He doesn't know anymore.

They walk into some kind of conference room. A large rectangular table with a computer projector in the middle and a panel on the four sides for four different people to be able to gain access to it. But it can probably seat about twelve people around it. It feels way too big with the six of them. Jake took a seat next to Tommy, catching the look that he sent him. Quaritch frowns at them but says nothing.

"Okay, let's try this again in a less public setting, Jake," she turns to the older Sully twin. "How did it go?"

Jake blinks at her. "Fine." Her stare prompts him to add, "I talked to Mo'at and Tsu'tey. I told them that I couldn't stay. That my avatar was broken and stuff."

A beat of silence as Lyle walks to the far end of the room and sits on the side furthest from the door and where the rest of them gathered. He plops down in one of the chairs, placing his crossed ankles up onto the table while leaning back in the chair. Max sends him a withering look but says nothing to that, more interested in what Jake was going to say.

"And what did she say to that?" Grace asks.

"She asked me to stay there and learn from them," Jake says, looking down at his lap, pulling at a thread from the chair he's sitting in. He can feel Tommy simmering in anger next to him but can't bear to look at him. Jake was never good at Tommy being mad at him. He usually just avoided his twin for a time and then apologized when the coast was clear.

Grace and Max both look surprised at that. "She did?" Grace asks, carefully. "Like, learn the ways of the Omatikaya? From her?"

Jake shrugs. "Not from her, I think, but Tsu'tey, I guess. Or at least, he was who I spent the day with."

Grace's eyes are bright as she leans closer, the corner of the table the only thing separating the two of them. Even Max eyes him with curiosity from over her shoulder. "And what did he teach you?"

"Doctor, does this really matter?" Quaritch cuts in from where he's pacing on the side of the room behind Jake and Tommy.

"Pipe down, Ranger Rick," Grace snaps, annoyed.

Jake frowns but doesn't respond to that, instead he just says, "He taught me body parts and a few fruit names. Don't ask me what any are as I've already forgotten them." Wainfleet snorts, amused, while Tommy rolls his eyes in Jake's peripheral.

Grace is undaunted as she simply says, "The basics are very important."

"I told them that I would stay. That I would learn, but I can't abandon my job," Jake says carefully. "I promised to help the Colonel in his office, but also to learn from the Omatikaya." Quaritch smiles at him, blatantly pleased.

"Obviously the colonel doesn't need any help," Grace says easily. She waves her hand around. "He has plenty of dog yipping at his heels as it is." It's Wainfleet's turn to roll his eyes, knowing a jab at him when he hears it.

"That's not nice," Jake murmurs and Grace blinks in surprise. "And not Wainfleet's responsibility. I was the one who promised. I'm not worth much, but I should at least be worth my word."

Wainfleet frowns at that while Grace and Max look downright sad, but Quaritch's heavy hands on his shoulders shake him hard enough to glance up at him. "You're worth more than you know, son," Quaritch says, smiling. "You're a good man, Jacob. I wish I had ten more just like you."

"Or at least one more," Wainfleet comments wistfully. Max sends him a droll look before turning his attention to Jake.

"Don't say it like that, Jake." He laces his fingers together on the desk in front of him. "If you want to honor your deal with the colonel, that's fine. We can find a way to do both. Still help out here at Hell's Gate while learning the ways of the Omatikaya."

Jake's shoulders droop in relief, nodding. "Okay."

"The Omatikaya will want your full attention, Jake," Grace argues. "Clan life is busy and long, their day starts very early and can go well into the night. It's going to be hard work. You really should just focus on it."

Jake looks down at his lap again, feeling like he's disappointing her. "I know but..."

"Leave him be, Augustine," Quaritch says easily, but the edge of ice tipped each word. "If the Omatikaya want him for anything, it's only going to be what he allows. If he wants to do both, then let him. And he decides to quit, that's his choice. Drop it."

Grace stiffens in Jake's peripheral. She looks between the two of them, chewing on her lower lip. Jake looks at his shoulder a bit to see Quaritch's hands still resting there, like a protector. Like a guardian or even a fatherly figure.

Or maybe even a cage.