Invisible String - Jake Sully

13

"Yes, please," Tuk nodded excitedly.

"Come then," she grabbed her hand and walked with the three of them to her marui.

When they arrived, Tawn prepared some things for them to put their shells on and then her crafting box. They sat down in a circle around when everything was laid out, the crafting kit.

"So tell us now," Tsireya nagged.

Lei'la glared at her while Tawn giggled, helping little Tuk make her first knot.

"Aonung was jealous yesterday," Lei'la said, looking at her work.

"That explains why he was so grumpy at dinner," Tsireya quipped.

"He saw me with..." she paused, looking back and forth from Tuk to Tawn, "with Neteyam."

That made the rest of them freeze. Tawn didn't see that coming. She thought Aonung was jealous because of another metkayinan warrior, and there was no indication that Lei'la and Neteyam were a thing.

"Elaborate," Tsireya hissed.

"Well, in short, Neteyam and I were friends now," Lei'la said, avoiding the topic.

"No! We need the details," Tawn pressed.

Lei'la groaned, "I've been helping Neteyam with some lessons, but after he aced everything we did, he sometimes accompanied me and helped me with my chores," she shrugged.

"Since when?" Tsireya asked.

"Since the moment you introduced me to them," Lei'la smiled sheepishly.

Tsireya's jaw dropped while Tawn and Tuk were confused. "That was their second week here!" she exclaimed, shocked that her best friend had kept something big from her.

"In my defence, we were friends. I didn't find any reason to say anything to you because I thought we were that," Lei'la explained frantically.

Tuk hummed out of nowhere, "that's why he's been going off on his own," she deduced, "he even told me I couldn't play with him if I didn't let him go alone," she said. Her thumb and forefinger pinched her chin as if she was in deep thought.

It was now Tawn's turned to be shocked, "Lei, I don't think he thought about you as that."

Lei'la now groaned at what Tuk said, "Aonung told me he didn't like me spending time with Neteyam alone, so I minimise our interaction alone. But yesterday, it was a coincidence. I met him while I took Zizi out, and then he bumped into me and offered to come with me to the clearing," she sighed, "but Aonung thought we were doing something more, which was not true because I was holding my baby brother," she rambled, going hysterical at the end.

Tawn and Tuk shared a look.

"He was so upset. I hated it, seeing him sad and distraught like that, I don't," Lei'la confessed, "that was why I promised him to meet before the eclipse so we could go and ride our ilu together."

Tawn and Tsireya shared a look before Tawn nodded at her niece, "well, you should go then. I have an extra helping hand here," she smiled, pointing at Tuk, who nodded excitedly, "go now before you're late."

"Yea, I know Aonung can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but he likes you a lot, so go," Tsireya encouraged.

Lei'la nodded, determined to make it there on time before bidding her goodbyes to the two and leaving her tent.

"Neteyam's going to be heartbroken," Tuk chimed in.

"Well, sometimes we have to make a sacrifice for someone we love," she smiled at Tuk, her eyes unfocused before she snapped out of it, "okay, girls, let's do this."