Flowing Melody || NETEYAM

Bed of Flowers

"Fae'voila!"
(Fay-voy-la)

She could faintly hear Tsireya call her name in the distance. Sighing, Fae sat up from her bed of moss and fresh grass, brushing the remnants from her hair, failing, but not particularly caring due to the moss already braided around her crown.

Frowning in confusion to her sudden summons by her friend, she began the walk back to the village from the forest.
Sure, Fae had heard the horn being blown to signify an arrival, but had simply decided to continue enjoying the sun, as it was almost always a neighbouring village coming to say hi.

And Besides, it was not unusual for the young Metkayina to loose track of time due to the heavy canopy of trees above her, but usually her friend would come seeking her out, trying to catch Fae'voila off guard, tackling her to the ground in a fit of giggles.

As Fae'voila raced through the small forest back to her village, she couldnt help to notice the tension in the air, especially when she broke out of the cover and into the sun, greeted by whispering hushes of the people, in the direction of the huts. They clustered in groups, children being hugged close, with narrowed eyes from protective mothers.

Fae blinked, eyes widening as she was welcomed by the ikrans on the beach. A smile broke out at the beauty of the new creatures, only having seen the mountain banshees in drawings in ancient texts. The sea people kept a wide berth from the ikrans, but curiosity got the better of Fae as she neared one of the beasts, a small smile spreading across her features, and lighting up her face in a way reflecting the sun. She reached out a hand, letting the ikran sniff and then butt her hand gently causing the girl to laugh, a sound like the songs of old, as she ran her hand over the green ikrans nose, the beast clicking happily.

"Voila!" Ao'nung scorned seemingly appearing from nowhere, striding over and snatching her hand away, causing both her and the ikran to let out disgruntled hisses. "Come, the eclipse is near set and my father requires you to welcome our...guests."

Confusion marked her delicate features but she allowed Ao'nung to drag her away, unbeknownst to a young Omaticaya boy watching the beautifully strange girl interact with his ikran, a tilt to his head.

Ao'nung and Roxto had given her a brash explanation, shortly before Tsireya found the three -after settling the new family- and gave her a much kinder and realistic re-telling. Fae could not help but smile and nudge her best friend as she spoke giddily of the younger of the two sons, lo'ak, shyly smiling.

"Neteyam, the oldest, seemed very interested in the girl who befriended his ikran! He mentioned when he returned from retrieving supplies that he had seen a girl not shy away from his beast, but instead befriend it. I just knew that it had to have been you, too curious for your own good!"
Tsireya smiled as Fae began to prepare for her dance, Tsireya combing her hair, a mix of locs and loose hair, as well as braids.

"Ne-te-yam" Fae sounded out the boys name, absent-mindedly as she placed on her strings of pearls, passed down through generations of singers of the metkayina. "Your imagination runs wild sometimes Reya, that mind of yours will get you in trouble with your father, let alone your mother."

Tsireya hummed behind her, her hands stilling for a moment as she considered her friends words, "i suppose, but that does not stop you of course...!"

Fae'voila sighed, turning to her best friend, a look on her face that read quiet disbelief.
"They may be useless to the clan so far, but they are still powerful, and i am but a performer, sometimes i think you forget i am not the chiefs daughter like you, you forget i do not having standing."

It was harsh, but true. She did many things alone, live, eat, swim, sleep. If not for the warmness Tsireya, Ao'nung and Roxto showed her, she would have been completely alone, her parents long gone. So she became the islands singer, dancing at festivals and singing to the na'vi. She became no longer useless, she adapted.

Tsireya pouted at her, "you never know, only Eywa truly does, and i do not believe the Great Mother cares about your social standing."

"And besides Reya, i have not even seen this boy! what if i am repulsed!"
Tsireya laughed at the face Fae pulled, over exaggerating her distaste.
"What if he talks of the most boring things, or cannot swim and drowns!"

Reya began to finish up her hair, laughing loudly and fully, in a way that made the whole world want to stop and stare, and she leant down to whisper in Fae's large, pointed ear,

"trust me when i say i know you better then any other, and you will be anything but repulsed by this boy."

Fae'voila simply laughed, "i never can win with you can i?"

Tsireya kissed the top of her head gently with a knowing smile, "no, you cannot. And I expect your help in teaching the Omaticaya youths."

Rolling her eyes fondly, Fae'voila stood, stretching and humming a tune softly, picking up her silk veil fans and walking out to the crowd gathered to welcome the guests.