Italicize - someone's thoughts or a story from the past
Bold - sign language
"So, what do you think?" Lo'ak asked, and Ja'lia looked back and forth between him and the tulkun with a missing fin.
"I don't know. I mean, I thought the tulkun hadn't returned yet," The girl shrugged, and Lo'ak nodded in understanding.
He didn't understand why the tulkun was by Three Brothers Rocks, nor did he understand why the animal was alone, but he didn't want to pry any information out of the animal. One because he felt he didn't have the right to ask, and two because the boy was scared that he might miss translate what the tulkun was saying to him.
Lo'ak had asked Tsireya to give him private lessons in the Tulkuns language, and she happily obliged his request, thinking that he was continuing to grow his interest in her home. The boy was pulled away from his thoughts when his friend started to talk.
"Wait, did you say that he saved your life?" Ja'lia questioned, wanting to confirm one of his previous statements. "Yeah, when Ao'nung left me beyond the reef, I was attacked by an Akula, and he saved me," Lo'ak motioned toward his newfound friend.
"And you've been coming here to hang out with him everyday?" Ja'lia once again asked a question because she was trying to make sure she had her facts straight before she completely lost her shit on him for not telling her sooner.
"Yeah," Lo'ak said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Why didn't you introduce him to me sooner?"
"Because I thought you would be mad when you found out that I almost died a couple of weeks ago, especially when I took the blame for what Ao'nung did," He explained.
Ja'lia blankly stared at the boy as she tried to process his words. Lo'ak had almost died, and he still took the blame for Ao'nung. How could he be so stupid? Why, after the hell, Ao'nung put him through, would he take the blame and get himself into trouble?
Of course, the issue had been resolved, at a later time, but that was only because Ja'lia knew he was lying and told his parents the truth.
If Ja'lia hadn't spoken up, he would still be in serious trouble with his parents.
But he wasn't, and that was because of his best friend.
Then when Ja'lia fully processed his words, it was like time was at a standstill. He could've died if it hadn't been for the tulkun she was currently in front of. She could have lost one of the last people she truly cared about had he not come when he did.
So, Ja'lia swam closer to the animal and tried to embrace him as best as she could because he was like one hundred times bigger than her. "Thank you," Ja'lia signed, and the tulkun blew air out of his blow hole.
"His name's Payakan," Lo'ak informed, and Ja'lia looked at him with furrowed brows.
"How do you know his name?" She questioned.
"Tsireya has been giving me lessons on how the tulkun communicate with them," He said, and Ja'lia hummed in response as she used the animal's good fin to push herself up out of the water. Lo'ak soon followed after her, and the two sat in silence as they heard small waves crash against Payakan.
Both of them wanted to talk about something, anything, but their usually hyperactive minds had gone completely radio silent when they sat beside each other, and for the first time in their entire lives, the silence felt awkward.
Why it was suddenly awkward between the two was unknown to them. The only thing they were positive of was that they desperately wanted to end it, so Ja'lia said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Do you like Tsireya?" She asked, and Lo'ak whipped his head in her direction. "What do you mean?" He asked nervously.
"Like, do you like her?" Ja'lia said, emphasizing her words.
"No," Lo'ak denied, and relief washed over the girl's body. Ja'lia was well aware of the fact that Tsireya knew of her feelings for Lo'ak, but Ja'lia also knew that Tsireya had found Lo'ak cute when they first arrived in the Metkayina clan.
If Lo'ak did like Tsireya, then Ja'lia would do her best to help bring the two of them together because while it would break her heart, it would make Lo'ak's heart full. He had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and when he loved, he loved hard. Everything that he ever did, he made sure to put every ounce of effort into it; past and future crushes would be no different.
The girl remembered the first time he had told her about one of his crushes. Her name was Nana'ite, and she was a total nightmare. And no, Ja'lia wasn't saying that because she had feelings for Lo'ak because she didn't feel that way for Lo'ak when they were younger. No, she was saying that because Nana'ite was a major bully to all the other Na'vi children.
She relentlessly picked on Kiri and Lo'ak for having some characteristics that weregiven to them by their father, and yet, somehow, Lo'ak developed a huge crush on her. He told Ja'lia it was because his Dad told him that girls pick on boys they like. However, Ja'lia was positive that Lo'ak didn't tell his father the full story of just how much of a holy terror that little devil could be.
But it didn't matter how mean Nana'ite was to Lo'ak because he would still give her flowers every day, and he would do anything she asked of him until he didn't.
One day when Lo'ak was coming to give Nana'ite the flower he gave her every day, he overheard how the girl was speaking to Ja'lia, and after that, it was like the rose-colored glasses had been lifted.
He no longer waited on her hand and foot, and when she was mean to him, he snapped back. It was like he had done a full 180 degrees as his personality changed at the drop of the hat.
And when Ja'lia asked him why he wasn't hanging out with Nana'ite anymore, Lo'ak said that he realized she would never feel the same way he did, and the boy didn't want to waste any more time on her.
It had been a lie, of course, and Ja'lia knew that it was because the boy had always said that when he found the one for him, he would latch on and never let go.
Like Ja'lia, Lo'ak believed in the ability to find his one true love, although he never knew how it would happen or if it would happen. He always thought that when he developed feelings for someone or fell in love with them. It would be instant.
But, maybe his idea of soulmates had been skewed by all of the fairytales his father had told him as bedtime stories.
When the Sully children had been little, Jake told them multiple stories and fairytales that were often told to human children to help them fall asleep. Although, now that Lo'ak was older, the girl and guy instantly falling for each other did seem highly unlikely.
After all, how could someone be so sure that they had found the love of their life, the one they were meant to be with, only after thirty seconds? Logically, it didn't make sense. To his teenage mind, it didn't make sense, but to the innocent and hopeful boy he had once been, it was like a dream come true.
To have that one person who would love all of him, no matter what the circumstances were, seemed amazingly perfect. Someone who would love his perfections and imperfections equally was all he wanted in life.
"Do you like someone though? Like, has a girl caught your attention?" Ja'lia questioned, and Lo'ak blinked at her words.
Why was Ja'lia suddenly so curious about whether or not he liked someone? She had never asked him about his crushes before, it was essentially a mutual agreement between the two. Lo'ak wouldn't voluntarily reveal who he had a crush on if Ja'lia didn't voluntarily reveal who she had a crush on.
However, to the best of Lo'ak's knowledge, Ja'lia had never had a crush or romantic feelings for someone before, and if she did, she didn't tell him.
"It's complicated," Lo'ak sighed as he gave her a short answer.
It's complicated?' Why does he have to be so vague? Ja'lia thought to herself.
"Okay," She replied.
Ja'lia wanted to know more information about this 'complicated' situation, and she was going to get the facts but to do so, she had to be very sneaky and careful. The girl had to be able to pry the information out of Lo'ak without him even realizing it, and it was going to be a difficult task.
If there was one thing that Lo'ak was good at, it was keeping secrets, especially if they were his own and especially if he didn't want his best friend to know what it was. Despite the fact that the two rarely kept secrets from each other, ironically, both of them had quite a big secret that they were keeping from each other. Although Ja'lia was one hundred percent sure about her feelings, Lo'ak was still trying to figure his out.
"We should probably head back, and you should probably tell Tsireya about Payakan," Ja'lia said softly, and Lo'ak nodded.
Both teens called two ilu to come to them, and then they were off to go find Tsireya. Neither of them had intended for the ride back to land to be a race, however, when it turned into one, they weren't going to back down from the challenge.
The two ilus were neck and neck as they came closer and closer to the shore. Once the beach was in Ja'lia's sight, she quickly disconnected her queue and dove into the water while swimming as quickly as she could to the beach. Lo'ak followed closely behind her, but his efforts had been in vain because Ja'lia had officially beaten him.
"Ha!" Ja'lia laughed and pointed at Lo'ak while he scowled down at her.
"You cheated!" He exclaimed, causing Ja'lia to gasp.
"I did not!" She defended.
"Yes, you did!" Lo'ak retorted.
"How did I cheat?" Ja'lia crossed her arms over her chest.
"You didn't tell me that you were going to dive into the water," He threw his arms up into the air, "You should have at least counted down to warn me," The boy glared at the girl standing in front of him, "It wasn't fair,"
Ja'lia took a few steps until she was directly in front of him and stood on her tiptoes, "All's fair in love and war, Lo'ak," She learned up closer to his face, "And besides, life isn't fair," Ja'lia whispered and Lo'ak visibly gulped at the closeness of Ja'lia's face in front of his.
"Lia!" A voice yelled, and Ja'lia swiftly stepped away from Lo'ak as she saw Tsireya, Ao'nung, and Rotxo walking toward them. Ja'lia glared at Ao'nung, who looked down at his feet when he saw the look on the girl's face.
"I see you and Lo'ak made up," She smiled, and Ja'lia slapped Lo'ak's shoulder, causing him to wince at the sudden contact.
"Yeah, he told me how he stayed alive after your brother took him beyond the reef," Ja'lia smiled, and Tsireya let out a soft sigh at Ja'lia's comment.
Whenever Ao'nung was around, Ja'lia would make snide remarks about him, and Tsireya could understand her reasoning, but Ao'nung had apologized multiple times. He was also paying the price with his parents because he was still in trouble for 'allowing' Lo'ak to go beyond the reef, but most importantly, for leaving him there and not telling someone right away.
But Tsireya knew that she couldn't tell Ja'lia how to feel, so she was doing her best to remain the peacekeeper between the two even though Ao'nung had informed her that he wouldn't do anything to retaliate against Ja'lia's behavior.
"That's wonderful, maybe Lo'ak could tell us?" Tsireya offered, and Lo'ak shrugged his shoulders. "Sure," He agreed.
"We should go get Neteyam, Kiri, and Tuk. I'm sure they'll want to hear about it too," Ja'lia said.
"Okay, you guys go get everyone else, and meet up with us at the spot where we did most of your training," Tsireya said, and both Ja'lia and Lo'ak walked off to go gather the rest of the Sully children.
~~~~
After Ja'lia and Lo'ak had found Kiri, Neteyam, and Tuk, they all met up with the Metkayina teens so that Lo'ak could tell them about the story of how he survived that day.
"I wish I'd been there," Kiri said with a wide smile, "The ocean blessed you with a gift, brother." Payakan truly was a gift, and Ja'lia was glad that Eywa had gifted him a new friend. However, the question played in her mind, if Eywa gifted Lo'ak Payakan, who was she going to take away? The sea gives, and the sea takes.
Eywa maintains the balance, and with Lo'ak finding Payakan, that meant that, the scale had been tilted.
However, Ja'lia didn't want to think of such things at the moment, so she turned her attention back to Lo'ak and the rest of the group.
"The tulkun have not yet returned-" Ao'nung claimed, causing Ja'lia to roll her eyes at the sound of his voice. She smiled when she saw the Neteyam and Lo'ak had almost the exact same reaction as her. "-and anyways no tulkun is ever alone," He finished.
"Well, this one was," Lo'ak informed them, "-and he had a uh- a missing fin," He motioned to his left arm. Everyone looked at Ja'lia to confirm his words because almost everyone present thought that the teen boy had gone crazy. "I saw it too," She shrugged.
"Poor tulkun," Tuk cooed, and Ja'lia smiled at the innocence of the young Sully child.
Then it was like everything fell into place as the realization flashed across Tsireya's face, "Payakan," She said, looking between Ao'nung and Rotxo.
"It's Payakan," Tsireya claimed.
"Who's Payakan?" Kiri asked.
"A young bull who went rogue-" Rotxo explained, and Ja'lia furrowed her brows in confusion, "He's outcast - alone, and he had a missing fin,"
Tsireya glanced between Ja'lia and Lo'ak with worry, "They say he is a killer,"
Both Omatikaya teens shook their heads in refusal. Payakan wasn't a killer to them, he was the one who saved Lo'ak's life, and they would forever be grateful to him for it.
"No," Lo'ak said, refusing to believe what Tsireya was telling him.
"He killed Na'vi," Ao'nung said, leaning towards the group as he lifted his back off the tree, "-and other tulkun. Not here, but far to the south," Ja'lia pursed her lips to stop the insult begging to roll past them.
"No," Lo'ak shook his head, "He's no killer."
Tsireya reached over and grabbed Lo'ak's hand, "Lo'ak, you are lucky to be alive," She said before looking at Ja'lia, "So are you,"
"I'm telling you guys," Lo'ak said, frustration laced through his voice, "He saved my life." The boy glanced over at Ja'lia for help, "He's my friend,"
"Payakan seemed completely harmless to me. Besides, if he was truly a killer, why are Lo'ak and I still alive?" She asked, raising the question in all of their minds. Why were they still alive? Lo'ak had gone to visit Payakan every day, and he was still alive and kicking. So, did that mean that what the Metkayina teens' parents had told them wasn't true?
Had they lied to their children? And if they did, what was their reason for doing so? It didn't make any sense.
However, they were pulled away from their thoughts as Neteyam approached his younger brother, "My baby bro," Neteyam grabbed Lo'ak's shoulders on either side, "The mighty warrior who faced the killer tulkun and lived to tell about it," Lo'ak shrugged off Neteyam's hands as he stood up.
"You guys aren't listening," Lo'ak said, taking a couple of steps back before he turned on his heel to walk away.
"Lo'ak, I'm listening!" Tuk yelled, hoping to stop her brother from leaving.
"Lo'ak, come back!" Kiri shouted before she turned to look at the oldest Sully child, "You skxawng," She sighed.
Ja'lia walked up to Neteyam, and slapped his chest, "Must you tease him?" She asked, and Neteyam sheepishly smiled at her as he watched her walk in the same direction as Lo'ak.
The girl ran after Lo'ak who was storming away from the rest of the group in frustration. "Lo'ak! Wait up!" She shouted, and Lo'ak quickly slowed his pace at the sound of Ja'lia's voice.
Once she approached him, she placed a hand on his shoulder to draw his attention toward her. "Do you want to go do something fun?" She gave him a devilish smile.
He furrowed his eyebrows before a small smile made its' way up to his lips, "What do you have in mind?" Lo'ak asked.
"Come on. I'll show you," Ja'lia grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her as she had the biggest smile on her face, and from that moment on, Lo'ak knew that he was screwed.
Lo'ak knew that he would do anything that he could do to maintain that gorgeous smile on Ja'lia's face because every time he saw it, it made his face flush and his heart beat a little faster.
I'm so screwed. Lo'ak thought to himself as he followed Ja'lia in a daze.
Unedited. 06/30/23
Word count: 2,947
Quick note-
This chapter is kinda cute, tbh. Although, I hate the beginning of it with a passion.
I want to thank all of you in advance as Shooting Stars | Lo'ak is so close to getting 800 reads! I love y'all so much!