all things between || Avatar Universe

16 - Midnight Rain

The first thing Sabrina did after waking up was to open her laptop. Possessing the bank of power Max Patel left behind, her small bungalow had advantages the others of the island didn't — technology was one of them. 

Her laptop was right next to Jake Sully's stuff (Sabrina wasn't the only one enjoying the comforts of humanity), but she didn't dare touch those things. They had many codes and maps open, probably to track down Quaritch and the RDA. Sabrina was afraid it all would disconnect if she clicked the wrong thing.

"Happy birthday, Lil' Brina!" Her father first said it when she logged in through the Ometicaya Lab System or OLS for short. They hadn't talked in a while, so Norm Spellman looked overly anxious through the screen.

"Thank you, dad," she smiled. 

"Should I keep calling you Lil' Brina? You're not so little anymore," Norm pointed out, joking.

Sabrina rolled her eyes but kept her smile on.

"Who are you trying to persuade? You're not going to stop," she said, "you didn't when I asked."

"You were thirteen then. Now, you're nineteen," Norm let out a heavy sigh, mainly for the dramatics. Father and daughter had tenuous similarities; one was the love for theatrical. "Oh, man, I shall start looking out for the vultures."

"Vultures?"

"The boys eager to steal you from me."

Sabrina laughed at that, not believing her father was saying those things. There was no boy eager to have her, and never would be. She was the odd one; they wouldn't want her.

But it was nice to see her father believe otherwise.

"Dad!" she cried.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" he asked, raising one eyebrow. "Regarding boys?"

"I'm not dating, dad, don't be crazy," Sabrina said, shaking her head slightly.

"Hey," Norm got closer to the camera. "You're of age; it would be ok if you were. Except if it was..."

"If it was?"

Norm swallowed hard, giving his daughter kind eyes.

"Brina, I... You do know you have limited options in the end, right?" Norm articulated in a severe tone. "You can like boys and girls; that's not my issue. But try sticking to your species, yeah?"

There it was. Sabrina sighed, thinking to herself, what an excellent birthday present. Of course, she could be gay or bisexual, but she couldn't like the Na'vi. That's dangerous.

"Noted, dad," Sabrina nodded to the camera. "So," she decided to switch topics, "how's Max's research? Is there anything I can do to help him here, by the coast?"

Norm noticed his daughter's evasion but decided to play along, thinking he had done his part. He had warned her, and no one could deny that. Whatever path Sabrina chose to follow would be her own. And, frankly, he'd support her still.

"I'll ask him about it. The research clogged; he hasn't got anything interesting outside those acids you know about already," Norm told her, looking outside his screen. Sabrina supposed he was staring at the lab to see if something was worth pointing out. "I assume he'll like your aid; after all, you can get sea samples easier than we could. You are already there. Ask Kiri for help."

Sabrina opened her mouth about to protest but ended up sighing heavily and pursing her lips.

"Are you still in the wrongs with Kiri?" her father asked, remembering a conversation they had not long ago.