While Neytiri is comforting Jake, Tuk in his lap rambling, they hear a yell of help from their son Lo'ak, and the parents immediately rush over to the tent.
"Mom, dad! Help!" Lo'ak exclaims, trying to comfort the crying girl that keeps begging for her dad.
When Jake sees the scene before him, his eyes go towards his hands, still haven't cleaning them yet, for he was wanting to make sure his kids were bandaged and he could talk to Neytiri before going to the river to wash up.
"It hurts, my head and back and leg hurt! Where's dad? He always makes it better! He'll make this better! I want my dad!" Esmyrie cries out, clinging onto Lo'ak's hand like a lifeline, Neteyam holding the girls forehead in his lap protectively, trying to make sure no pressure is on her wound.
Neytiri looks at Jake, and sees the sadness radiating off of him, and it breaks her heart to know her husband feels like guilt of the girls father's death.
"Esmy, please. Be calm, be calm." Lo'ak tries to reassure, while Neteyam looks helplessly towards his parents, Kiri and Spider doing the same.
Jake carefully walks over to the crying girl, giving Neteyam a look, asking if she knows, and when Neteyam shakes his head, Jake feels his head drop.
She is already this sad, without knowing anything, he can't even begin to imagine how she is going to be once he tells her the news.
"Neytiri, can you please take the kids for dinner, I'll stay here with Esmyrie, check over her wounds again before she join us." Jake asks, and Neytiri gives her mate a nod, before urging the kids out of the room.
Lo'ak feels reluctant to let go, but when Neteyam taps his shoulder, he does, giving Esmyrie a kiss on the hand before leaving.
When the tent is empty, all besides Jake and Esmyrie there, the girls crying slows, if only just slightly. Now, the tent seems empty, too empty. It's silent, the quietness almost suffocating the girl, and the look Jake is giving her doesn't help in anyway.
"It was so scary Mr. Sully.... I just want my dad. He knows how to calm me down, to comfort me..." Esmyrie cries out, now sitting up instead of lying on the ground like she was.
Jake nods his head in understanding, before looking around the tent and finding a stool, quickly dragging it over so it sits in front of the girl, before sitting down on it.
"I'm sorry we went to the ground Mr. Sully, I know it probably had you and dad worried sick. He knows I am okay though, right? I mean, of course he knows I'm okay, you would let him know if I wasn't. Why isn't he here though? Is he at home, busy making the soup like he promised?" Esmyrie asks, staring intently at the adult in front of her, her worries starting to skyrocket when she notices Jake won't look her in the eyes.
Jake doesn't want to do this. He really doesn't want to do this. He can't begin to explain how much he hates having to do this.
"Esmyrie, what do you remember from the raid early today?" Jake asks, ignoring all her questions.
Esmyrie looks at Jake and huffs, not liking how he didn't answer her, but going along with him anyways, for he was basically her uncle, and also the leader.
"uh... I remember Lo'ak, Neteyam and I going down on the ground. They were handing out guns and supplies. We saw a chopper appear and ran, then a missile went off and Neteyam grabbed me, I think, and then waking up here... why?" Esmyrie asks, messing with her arm, scratching at it lightly, a habit she does when anxious.
Jake sighs out, but gives the girl a nod for her memory being correct. He finally looks into the girls eyes, knowing she needs to see his expression to believe what he says next to be true.
"The chopper let out a missile, that missile hit pretty close to you and Neteyam. Lo'ak too. There were still quite a few people on the ground, most being from the ground team." Jake starts, and Esmyrie's hand stops scratching at her arm, her attention now going completely to the man in front of her, as her heart begins to beat in worry.
"Mr. Sully, where is my dad?" Esmyrie asks timidly, not knowing if she wants to hear the anwser.
"Your dad was on the ground, leading the ground team as you remember. When the missile went off, he was close by.... He... he got hurt badly." Jake explains, seeing how the girls eyes widen in fear.
"But he is okay now, right? He is getting help?" The girl asks, her heart beating faster.
"Esmyrie, I'm... I'm so sorry. As your leader, I am meant to protect.... I tried so hard to protect Nilar, but.... by the time I got there, he was already dying... I'm so sorry, Esmyrie." Jake finally says the words, and his heart hurts when he see's the broken expression go across the girls face.
"No.... no no no no no! You lie! Why do you lie!?" Esmyrie asks, now standing up and glaring at Jake.
"I'm sorry. I tried to help him, I promise.... I just... He's gone Esmyrie, and I'm so sorry it isn't me gone instead of him." Jake whispers, his ears flattening at the grief that comes out of the girl.
"No! No! You liar! You liar! Where is he!? Where is he!? Mr. Sully, you bring him here right now! Right no! Stop lying! Stop lying!" Esmyrie yells out, now going towards the adult and punching at his chest.
The hits don't hurt Jake at all, so he allows Esmyrie to keep doing it, knowing she is angry and grieving.
"You liar! You liar! He trusted you! He trusted you to keep him safe! You were supposed to keep him safe! He is your brother! Your brother! and you let him die! Why would would you do that?! Why!? He's okay! Tell me he is okay!" The girls cries out, her anger getting stronger and stronger, causing her punches to get harder.
Jake continues to allow the girl to punch and push at him all she wants, taking the heat, letting the girl yell, and cry and do whatever she needs to do.
The cries and yells of the girl don't go unnoticed by the rest of the Sully's. They can hear her cries from their own tent, and when they reach Lo'ak's ears, his flatten out in pain, hating how his best friend is struggling.
"Mother, should we-" Neteyam starts, also feeling worried for the girl, her cries being heard.
"No.... you father has got this handled." Neytiri says, holding Tuk to her chest and trying to cover her ears from hearing the girls screams.
Kiri looks at her mom, then her brothers, her head going back to her bowl of food in sadness when she hears her friends sobs but ordered not to do anything.
Lo'ak and Neteyam share a glance, the younger brother moving closer to Neteyam as his worries for the girl get the better of him. Neteyam has always been Lo'ak's protector, Lo'ak sometimes feels safest with him, and Neteyam knows that, so he gladly accepts Lo'ak's closeness, even putting a supportive hand on his baby brothers shoulder.
After what felt like hours of the girl yelling at the leader, her voice goes quiet, and her punches seize, leaving her standing in front of the man with tears streaming down her face and whimpers leaving her mouth.
Jake takes this as his opportunity to go and hug the girl, trying to give her some form of comfort, but Esmyrie pushes at the adult, and Jake stops in his tracks.
"Did he suffer?" Esmyrie finally asks, mumbling the words, causing Jake to not quite hear what she asked.
"What?" Jake asks, crouching down to be at her level.
"Did. He. Suffer?" Esmyrie grits out, her eyes starting at the man like daggers.
Esmyrie knows it was probably a useless question. Whether or not his father actually did suffer, Jake Sully wouldn't say. Even if Nilar was suffering, she highly doubts Jake would admit it, he was too kind sometimes, and knows if he answers honestly, that it will hurt.
"Esmyrie..." Jake starts, not knowing how to approach this question.
"So he did." Esmyrie says, taking Jake Sully's hesitance as a yes.
Jake looks down at the ground, nodding his head in shame, knowing the girl deserved the truth, it was only right.
"Have you taken him to be with Ewya?" Esmyrie asks, wondering if she had been out long enough for the ceremony to already be over.
"No."
"Can I see his body then, before we do that?" Esmyrie requests, and when Jake doesn't look in her eyes, her anger builds again.
"Esmyrie, his body isn't here.... it-"
"You mean to tell me, you left Nilar's body back there!? You left my fathers body, back at the train wreckage, away from his daughter!? How are we suppose to do the ceremony and bring him peace if his body isn't here to be returned to Ewya!?" Esmyrie shouts out, her blood boiling.
"I'm sorry." Is all Jake can seem to say, as if nothing he says would make the situation better, which is true, it wouldn't.
Esmyrie gives him a harsh glare, before purposefully running into his as she passes, running off and calling her Ikran, needing to get away from this, from all of it.
Jake goes to call her name, but she is already gone, her vanishing in the distance on her Ikran.
Jake sighs looking at his bloody hands, before standing up, no longer needing to crouch down as the girl is gone. He runs a hand through his hair in anger, his dagger feeling heavy on him, like an added weight for not helping Nilar more.
He is about to leave the tent and head back home when he hears shuffling and footsteps, before his youngest son is standing before him.
"Sir?" Lo'ak asks, his eyes not meeting Jake's in fear that his father is still mad at him.
"What is it Lo'ak?" Jake asks.
"I'm sorry about Nilar. It's all my fault. If I just stayed in the air I would of stopped the chopper an-" Lo'ak begins, but gets interrupted when his father gives him a harsh glare.
"Lo'ak stop please." Jake sighs out, his temper running thin, his energy almost not there anymore.
"I just... you were right... about it all. I'm sorry." Lo'ak apologies, his own tears building in his eyes.
"Did you come here to apologies or?" Jake mumbles out, trying to ignore the fact Lo'ak is in need of comfort right now, because he just doesn't have the energy to give any.
"I know you said no flying for a month but.... Esmyrie is out there, I saw her fly away. I was wondering if I could go and find her. I may be able to help." Lo'ak suggest, walking towards his father, his eyes still cast downwards in shame.
"Yeah, whatever. Just don't be out to late." Jake mumbles walking away, but Lo'ak stops him.
"I'll will make you proud dad, and I hope one day you can forgive me, sir." Lo'ak finishes, walking out of the tent, giving his dad a sad look, before calling his Ikran to go and find the girl.
Lo'ak has to find Esmyrie, because he knows her better than anyone, and when she is alone, she happens to be her own worst enemy. He may be to blame for Nilar's death, but he will not lose his bestfriend, not now, not ever.
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Fully Lo'ak and Esmyrie content next chapter before we go back to the storyline of the movie.
FYI Lo'ak will feel guilt for Nilar's death for awhile, and this death is going to affect Esmyrie and Jake for awhile.
New chapter should be out sometime tomorrow.
Please, vote and comment. I want to hear your thoughts on Esmyrie and her relationships with everyone.