Deep Water | Neteyam

25.

Khalo

Time  had passed. Neytiri's and Jake's visit to the spirit tree was in the  past. Once again, Khalo was offered to go with them, but he again  refused.

He had  followed his duties as if nothing had happened. He spent time with his  sister, when she wasn't with Lo'ak. Which was most of the time.

The  Sully's were still thinking about whether they should move on or stay  with the Metkayina. If Khalo was honest, he didn't really care.

He  spent some time with Tuk too, even though these times were a little  sad. Tuk was not the same as before, and neither was Khalo. None of the  young ones were. But Tuk tried to make it look that way. She tried to  show herself as the happy little girl she was before.

And deep down, she sure was, but the grieve she felt was still too strong.

But  Khalo went along with the act. They built sand sculptures, made bracelets and went swimming with their Ilu's occasionally.

Tuk hadn't visited the spirit tree either. She didn't want to go alone, but Lo'ak wasn't going, Khalo wasn't, and Kiri couldn't.

Which was the reason why Khalo didn't. At least that was what he told himself. Deep down, he knew he was just scarred.

Khalo didn't know why Lo'ak didn't go.

He hadn't talked to Lo'ak in quite some time. Since the funeral.

It  didn't take Khalo long to realize that Lo'ak was avoiding him, and not  even looking at him. And Khalo didn't feel like he had to be the one to  talk to Lo'ak first. Even if he eventually would.

Tsireya  noticed that the two of them didn't talk anymore, and even if it hurt  her, she knew why Lo'ak was avoiding him, and she knew how her brother  was picking it up.

Lo'ak  gave himself the blame for Neteyam's death and feared that Khalo would  blame him too. Khalo didn't blame him, but Khalo was always the one to  rather just stop a friendship than ask what was wrong. Khalo told  himself that he didn't care all that much until it destroyed him, and he  asked what was wrong anyway. At that point, it was soon too late; Khalo  had detached himself, and just wanted to know for his inner peace.

Tsireya dearly hoped they would make it up in time.

But  she didn't want to interfere. Both her boyfriend and her brother grieved  a heavy death, not to mention that she grieved herself. All that  changed the way they acted right now.

So  rather than try to solve it, and ruin her own relationship with Khalo  and Lo'ak, she just tried to spend as much time as possible with both of  them.

Khalo had started to spend the time he wasn't spending on his duty's, Tuk or sleeping and eating, with his grandmother, Ma've.

She knew how he felt, and she knew what he needed right now.

But she knew he had to spend some time with Na'vi sooner or later,

"How is Kiri?" She asked, handing her grandson some fruits.

"Great." Khalo responded, taking the fruits and beginning to cut them into pieces.

Ma've sighed at her grandson. She knew how it was to grieve a lover's death.
She  herself preferred it to be alone in her grieving time and did so until this  time, but she knew for herself that it did her no good.

"When did you last talk to her?" She pushed further.

"I don't know." Khalo's grabbed the knife tighter.