"So? What do you think of her, Aonung?" Ronal asked, discreetly eyeing her son.
Aonung looked at her as he put his knife down. "Who?"
"Your future mate, son. Who else?" She rolled her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. "You have spent time with her, have you not?"
As he sharpened his knife, a smile slipped across his lips. From the day they left to help Payakan, Katiya still hadn't finished it.
"Yeah, I've been trying. She'll come around eventually," he said playfully.
"What?" Ronal asked, looking at him in confusion. "Narini does not take a liking to you?"
"Oh, Narini? She's nice. She's just a bit shy," he shrugged.
Ronal sighed as she lowered her son's knife to grab his attention.
"Aonung, spend time with her, get to know her. There is an empty Marui I have decorated for you and Narini. It is where you will reside after your iknimaya and mating ritual."
Sighing, he pondered what his mother had said. He might be able to make a certain Omaticaya girl jealous by spending time with Narini.
Katiya's stubborn nature was apparent and he understood her skepticism toward his words. After all, it was his fault that he broke her trust in the first place.
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As Rotxo stood before the Omaticaya girl, his heart raced loudly against his eardrums.
He didn't know what to say or do, his mind was blank. Trying to relax, he touched his toes together, his gaze downward.
Slowly, he raised his gaze to meet hers. His breath quickened as he saw curiosity in her eyes.
"U-Um..." he stuttered.
A puzzled look crossed Kiri's face as she furrowed her eyebrows, waiting to hear what the Metkayina boy had to say.
Behind her, Tuk stood behind a protruding rock, trying to catch Rotxo's attention. Cupping her hands over her mouth, she muttered something inaudible to him.
Rotxo tilted his head in confusion, his eyes were suddenly wide with panic. He had no idea what she was trying to convey.
"So... I'm kind of in a hurry," Kiri said, looking at him with a sense of concern.
"Oh," Rotxo breathed, returning his focus to her. "Um, I just wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Will... Will you... Will you be... my girlfriend?" He squeaked, his face suddenly flushed.
There was an awkward silence as Kiri processed his question. Then her ears turned red and she held her breath.
"G-Girl—" She coughed, to which Rotxo's eyes suddenly widen when he spotted Katiya approaching them.
"Like a friend who is a girl! No, sorry, I meant girlfriend. But not a girlfriend, but a girl friend. Like friend girl," he said quickly, laughing nervously.
Tuk's mouth fell open at his failed confession.
Rotxo's gaze flitted anxiously back to Kiri as an awkward grin adorned his face. "Because... you're a girl. And... I can be your friend."
Tuk facepalmed and slumped over on the rock in disappointment.
Kiri's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, taken aback by his odd behavior. "Okay... I thought we were friends already, no?"
Rotxo forced out a loud laugh. "You're right. We are friends already. F-Forget what I just said. I'll see you later, Kiri!"
With that, he walked away as fast as he could. Tuk rolled her eyes and followed after him, ready to give him a piece of her mind.
All those practices went to waste.
"Kiri, are you ready?" Katiya asked, appearing behind her sister.
"Um, yeah." Kiri's voice trailed off as she watched Rotxo walk further into the distance. "Are you going to show the girls how to braid in your style today? They've been asking a lot."
Katiya nodded, following her sister's gaze briefly.
"Yeah, hopefully that'll shut them up forever," she joked. "What were you and Rotxo talking about just now?"
Kiri shrugged and kicked a stone out of her way.
"I think he was trying to ask me out," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She glanced at Katiya, her cheeks growing pink.
Katiya froze, looking at her with a shocked expression. "Really? And what did you say?"
"Nothing. I didn't get to say anything since... he backed out? I don't know, it was a weird conversation." Kiri replied, confused. "He asked me but then he said friend girl. What the heck is a friend girl?"
Katiya snickered. "You made him nervous."
The reason was, however, that Rotxo became intimidated by Katiya's assertive personality. His main fear was that Katiya's protective older-sister side would spring out if he became more than friends with Kiri.
After all, her disdain for his best friend was evident from the beginning. The last thing he wanted was to suffer another nosebleed like Aonung.
Rotxo watched helplessly as the two sisters sat on a protruding rock with a group of girls. In front of him, Tuk nagged him relentlessly.
On the netted walkway connecting the Marui pods, Aonung and Narini walked side-by-side.
He decided to take up his mother's suggestion and spend his afternoon with her.
"I've been learning how to braid my hair with the Omaticaya beads from Kiri," she said, excitement evident in her voice. "She treats me kindly like your sister."
"I see." He nodded, smiling. "Did you enjoy it?"
"Yes, it was quite fun." Narini returned his smile, her brows slightly furrowed when she noticed him occasionally looking around as if he was searching for someone.
"Speaking of which, Kiri told me her sister will be teaching the girls how to braid in her style today. Will you mind if I drag you along with me? I've—"
"Not at all," Aonung interrupted, his ears suddenly perked in excitement.
Narini chuckled as she led them toward the shore where the girls were together in a circle on a protruding rock.
Kiri braided Sihi's hair while Meyta and Ritxabraided their own as they observed Katiya demonstrate how to braid like hers. On the front, she already had a strand completed, embellished with four different colors of beads.
"Hello," Narini greeted them excitedly.
"Hi, Narini! Come sit next to me." Ritxa patted the spot beside her.
"Welcome," Kiri smiled.
Katiya turned behind her to greet the Ta'unui girl and paused when her gaze landed on Aonung. His eyes were already on her, a hint of a smirk on his face.
Narini smiled and walked past Katiya to sit next to Ritxa, both girls facing Katiya.
"Oh, and you brought another student with you," Meyta joked.
"Hey," Aonung smiled, crouching next to Katiya, whose face was less than impressed by his sudden presence.
She scowled as she turned away, but he remained unfazed. He let out a low chuckle and watched as she resumed teaching Sihi and Ritxa.
Narini scooted closer to him, pulling Kiri's wooden box of colorful beads toward her as she turned to him with a smile.
"Can I braid your hair, Aonung?" she asked. "I want to follow Kati."
"Sure." Aonung shrugged as he undid his bun, letting his long curly hair fall.
The other girls shifted uncomfortably, exchanging glances as they nonchalantly eavesdropped on their conversation.
Their gazes were drawn to Aonung, who was wearing his hair down, as they discretely eyed him. It was a rare occurrence to see him with his hair down.
If this were to go on any longer, a crowd of young village girls would gather just to take a peek.
Katiya's eyebrow twitched in irritation and she threw them each a glare, directing their attention back to her lesson.
Narini smiled as she took a section of his hair and began to braid it. She hummed a tune as she worked, weaving the strands together following Katiya's example.
Aonung flitted his gaze over to Katiya, anticipating any reaction from her. Much to his dismay, she didn't seem affected. Instead, she continued to converse with Ritxa and Sihi.
He felt a surge of frustration as his mind reeled with thoughts of her lack of care. He wished he could just shake her and make her realize what she was doing to him.
"Aonung," Narini called, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Yeah?" He asked, turning to her.
"I asked what bead colors you wanted in your hair," she replied, laughing.
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he leaned slightly forward to peek at what colors were in Katiya's braid, which was on the other side of her face.
Katiya felt his gaze and turned her head to give him a stern look. He quickly straightened up and feigned innocence. His eyes sparkled as he tried to suppress a grin.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head in mock exasperation, turning away from him.
"Purple," he said, his lips curled into a playful smile.
Narini nodded, looking for a purple bead in the box and adding it to his braid.
"Wow! That was actually easy," Sihi exclaimed, finishing her braid with beads. "Thank you, Kati! I'll forever cherish this memory."
"Adding the beads is my favorite part," Ritxa said, gathering a handful in her hand. "By the way, there's a hangout tonight in the jungle. You guys will be there right?"
Katiya flashed the girls a small smile, letting her braid loose as they conversed about what to wear and what to bring.
Trying to keep her composure together, she pondered if she should stay or get up and walk away.
With Aonung beside her and his betrothed braiding his hair happily on the other side, Katiya found it nearly unbearable.
She felt like she needed to hold her breath, afraid she would inhale poison.
She could feel the weight of his gaze and the intensity of his emotions. Uncertain of what to do, she just forced a smile and tried to survive the moment.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she silently prayed for it to be over.
"Blue, purple, and blue."
She heard him murmur these words to Narini and froze when she realized what he was doing. Those were the same colors of beads in her completed strand.
Suddenly irritated, Katiya glared at Aonung. He was already looking at her and when she met his gaze, he simply smirked, provoking her further.
She held her tongue, determined not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her react to whatever trick he was trying to pull.
Meanwhile, Kiri gave her sister and the Metkayina boy a subtle glance, suspecting something was brewing between them.
After all, one only wears matching beads to show others they are promised mates.
The moment Katiya couldn't take it anymore, she walked away where Aonung and Narini were out of sight and out of mind.
She felt her frustration growing the longer she stayed, so she needed to get away and clear her head.
With each passing hour, eclipse approached and the sky darkened as a galaxy of stars appeared on the horizon.
"What if Dad calls a family meeting?" Neteyam asked fretfully as his younger brother and sisters ventured through the jungle toward their destination, the bioluminescent grass lighting up with every step they took.
"Bro, don't ruin the vibe." Loak rolled his eyes.
Neteyam pursed his lips and shook his head. "I'm just saying Kati and I will probably take the brunt of Dad's wrath if he finds out about this."
In a playful gesture, Katiya nudged Neteyam's ribs as he feigned pain. "Who said Dad's gonna find out?"
"Yeah, as long as we all agree not to say anything." Kiri was eager to try something new.
They didn't have such hangouts back at High Camp. With Sky People lurking around, it was too dangerous, and there was no room, time, or space for it.
But here, it was different.
There was only minimal music this time, but chatter and laughter as the young Na'vi engaged with one another, drinking and eating as they did so.
They gathered in a secluded area of the jungle, lit only by their body marks and the biolumiscence of Pandora's flora.
It had been some time now as Katiya finished her fourth cup of alcohol despite Neteyam's persistent pleas for her to stop.
Her goal was to have fun and forget about Aonung. He had been on her mind since the day she nearly killed him for abandoning her and her siblings, jumbling her thoughts and confusing her feelings.
Yet, there he was, a few feet away, looking solely at her.
It annoyed her from the moment she stepped in here with her siblings to see him by Narini's side. Surely, it wasn't jealousy, was it?
Now, he was alone as shadows of darkness embraced him from behind.
She felt a strange mix of emotions, undoubtedly telling herself none of them was jealousy. After all, why would she be jealous when she held no romantic feelings for the Olo'eyktan's son?
Right?
She wanted to turn around and leave, but something inside her made her stay and look at him. Perhaps it was the alcohol.
Or was it infatuation?
She found herself becoming frustrated again, suddenly wishing to give him a taste of his own medicine. Tease him, make him feel what he made her feel for the past few days.
Katiya quickly shook her head, her thoughts too far away from where she wanted them to be.
She took a deep breath and tried to ignore the feeling, but it was too late.
A playful smile crept across her face, her mind already concocting a plan as she made her way over to him. Aonung's body tensed up, his heart in his throat when he realized she was approaching him.
Featuring a one-shoulder netted top and a loincloth made of strings, she was entrancing.
He couldn't look away, as if he was under a spell.
Since the moment she walked in, he had his eyes on her. She was beautiful, confident, like nothing could scare her.
And he was mesmerized.
She stood before him, her eyes twinkling with wonder.
He felt his throat go dry as he gazed back at her, his heart pounding louder and louder with each step she took to close the gap between them.
The darkness behind him now pulled her flush against his body, embracing both of them, shielding them from the eyes of the others.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her breath smelled of alcohol and tickled his skin. And when he caught the slightest hint of a smile on her lips, he knew he was in trouble.