The Unaccepted | Kiri x Human Fanfiction

Chapter 21 - Discussions

"(I understand. I appreciate your support, even though the circumstances may not be in both of our favors.)" The tension in the Marui Pod gradually dissipated as Ayoe's father seemed to accept the situation as a few others already had done, albeit with a watchful eye. Just as the moment approached a semblance of calm, Ayoe's father spoke again, redirecting his attention toward Talueal.

"(I trust that you have handled this appropriately so far. We should still try and get a better deal out of our dear leader however.)" Talueal nodded in agreement, and with that, Ayoe's parents exited the Marui Pod. I looked at Ayoe, who did the same. I gave her a quick nod with the head to signal that we should follow her parents. She only gave me a similar nod to her things as a response, to which I shook my head. She groaned, but we did make our way outside, only seconds after her parents had left the home. The warmer outside air, heated by the sun, which was definitely in its path downward, greeted us as we stepped into the village once more. I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, that the first part was over, that I survived meeting the parents, like some human teenagers might say when meeting with their partners parents, but the underlying dread of being sent back by arguing was looming around in my head and spinning my stomach around like I had a very bad hangover. Ayoe, too, seemed to carry a burden, her shoulders slightly tense, why that was I could not explain, that was beyond me. Ayoe's father gestured for us to follow, as he saw us approaching out of the corner of his eye, leading the way toward the center of the village. He spoke fast hushed words with his wife, who argued back in the same manner, gesturing around wildly for anyone who wasn't aware of the discussions content. The Na'vi villagers we passed cast fleeting glances at us, their curiosity as evident as the ocean flowing below our ever-springy steps. As we approached the main Marui in which the two mates leading this village did their ruling from, Ayoe's father's pace slowed down significantly, and we fell into step behind him. It felt like he wanted to buy himself more time, even though he had as much of that as he wanted. As a change he spoke to us, instead of Talueal.

"(Ayoe, Firin, stay close. We have much to discuss with Tonowari and Ronal.)" Ayoe nodded, and I followed suit. He stopped walking and the four of us formed a kind of circle sports teams would form before starting the game, play or similar. Jake had told us of the sport-culture back on earth a few times. A pretty obscene concept in my eyes, but maybe it is better than it sounds. Ayoe's father, who I still didn't know the name of, spoke up again, one final statement before I saw the leaders again. "(Just so you know, I want to be the one arguing, I have known Tonowari the longest.)" He turned to me, which his two female family members followed suit. "(Firin, speak only when you are spoken to, we both want what's best and you do not know the situation enough.)" I nodded again, biting on my tongue inside my mouth, trying not to snap back with some sort of comment. That was exactly what the warrior before me wanted to avoid with his wish, but I still felt undermined in my ability to express myself and my understanding of Na'vi culture and such. Memories flashed through my mind, often already did someone just assume my incompetence, without knowing me, but I just had to push down every mental command my brain threw at me, screaming to complain and argue. Not now, maybe later. To break the silence that had laid itself upon us, Ayoe's mother spoke up.

"(I think this should be everything then, let's go.)" With this we started the short last bit to the Marui Pod of Tonowari and Ronal. I stared ahead, feeling Ayoe's glance, which rested on me. We didn't get far, as mere seconds later we heard a yell for attention from behind us, which was different from the light murmur of voices that had filled the air before.

"(Firin!)" I turned around swiftly, not expecting to be called by someone outside of Ayoe's family. What I also didn't expect was to see my father and sister walking toward us. Their faces held as much confusion as I felt in that moment. Why were they here? It was Kiri who called to me, as the younger Na'vi girl ran toward me, stopping only a few inches before me, giving me and the other family, I came with another bewildered look. I finally came over my confusion and addressed the two people who just came here.