"Are you awake Gene?" She groaned, body aching something fierce and sunlight not helping her head that felt like it'd been cracked open. Amhul stood over her, figure bathed in the light that streamed from the trees. Her many braids fell around her, the colorful beads lightly clicking together.
"I'm awake Amhul."
"Good. Tsahik said it may take a bit for you to wake up. You need to eat and drink something before you go to Eywa prematurely."
"What happened?" She gave Gene a slightly concerned look, eyes roving over her body as she slowly sat up and took stock of the amount of purple blotches that covered her. Of course that was only part of her worry considering just how much the urge to pee was.
"After beating Rotxo in hand to hand, apparently you collapsed. Tsahik said you were healing so we left you to rest. That's been a couple of days though." Amhul wouldn't go into detail. She'd been scared half to death when Ralu had rushed to get her. Gene had been sat on her knees, eyes white and head tilted back. She was whispering something, but no one could accurately make out what she'd been saying. Tsu'tey returned then with Mo'at in tow, their Tsahik quickly looking her over and saying that was healing. That the sickness in her veins was being cured further. Rotxo had been carried away for proper medical help, his body in as rough a shape as Gene's with the only main distinction being he was unconscious and Gene was lost somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness. Tsu'tey had carried her back to her hammock then, laying her down and closing her eyes so she could finally rest.
"I see." She perked up then, eyes eagerly watching Amhul. Was she proud of her? She didn't know outright why she wanted Amhul's acceptance, but she did. She wanted Amhul to be proud of her. To want her to stay around. To want her. Gene's mind stuttered to a stop as she gripped her thoughts and looked them over. She wanted Amhul to want her. She didn't know why, she could make up a whole list but none of them seemed to fit as for why she wanted that especially when compared to everything else. It wasn't just Amhul either. She wanted to prove herself just as much to Tsu'tey. Perhaps it was because they were her mentors, that was the only connection she could figure out between the two.
"You did well Gene." Amhul watched with a fond smile as her eyes widened and tail waved happily behind her.
"Really?"
"Yes. I managed to convince Tsu'tey to tell me about the fight. You did very well. Before long you'll be officially one of us."
"I can't wait, Amhul."
"Neither can I. Before that though, you need to heal again. Tsu'tey allowed me to steal you once you woke up. Today I just want you to relax so first things first, a bath is due." Gene tilted her head. She hadn't really bathed her avatar body since first coming to live with the Na'vi, the occasional rains helping wash her body off as far as she was concerned since she wasn't aware if they had soap like the humans.
Breakfast was well and truly over with, the midday meal being prepared when Amhul guided her into the cooking area. Nanti had taken over, giving instructions to the others that were there to help. Ralu was absent, no doubt out hunting seeing as he enjoyed bringing food in for the tribe as much as he enjoyed preparing it. Nanti straightened at the sight of them, her eyes roving over Gene's body with a deep frown.
"Hello Nanti. Are you well?"
"Far better than you it would seem. I heard about your fight. It was stupidly reckless of you to accept Rotxo's challenge again." Gene deflated at her words, even if they rang true. Nanti sighed, eyes looking deep into Gene's, "having said that I'm quite proud of you for standing up for yourself and winning this time. I've never taken on an apprentice, but I'm proud I took a chance with you. You've taken my teachings and properly applied them. Take pride Gene, though I must ask you to not fight so hard in a spare like that again."
"I won't Nanti. I think I made my point then, so I hope I never have to fight like that again against one of the warriors." Gene practically beamed, her whole figure lighting up almost with her tail waving, eyes open wide and grin splitting across her face. Nanti snorted at the ridiculousness of it, though she supposed she'd been like Gene with her own mentor with the only difference being just how obvious they were.
"Here eat this and relax. Amhul informed us of her plans to mentor you today. Learn well Gene." She eagerly dug into the handful of fruits and roasted insects Nanti handed her, stomach pinching uncomfortably with hunger pains.
Amhul led her a little ways from the home tree while she ate, underbrush pushed aside to reveal a small pool with several Na'vi either in it or lounging on the rocks around it. Amhul shed her shawl like shirt and beaded loin cloth, Gene following suit with her own simplistic ones before following her into the water.
The Na'vi already bathing ignored them as Amhul began to meticulously undo her braids, beads carefully placed to the side along with the beaded circlet that always rested against her temple. Aside from watching videos, the only practice Gene ever got with braiding was when she redid her braid each time it got messy, skill only getting slightly better since it was almost messy.
"I will teach you how to properly braid your hair, but only after you properly clean yourself." She procured then what appeared to be a kind of spongy bark that'd been wrapped in her shawl. It didn't smell like anything and only seemed to expand when Gene dipped it into the water. It wasn't rough like she originally though as she rubbed it over her skin, softer in texture as they cleaned themselves. A few Na'vi children laughed nearby, splashing water at each other before one fled into the deeper part of the pool and hid behind Gene with a giggle.
She smiled softly at the display, pretending she didn't see the child as the other one took to looking for his sister. Instead Gene naturally moved when the little boy came closer, the little girl who clung to her tail as a buoy remaining hidden as she kept her hidden. Small stifled giggles had the boy turning every which way, looking for his sister.
Amhul watched Gene play with the children, a warm look in her eyes at the young women's behavior. She'd changed since Amhul had first met her, going from someone lost and empty to someone with such a vibrant and playful personality. She cared for them, much more than other dream walkers had displayed, aside from Grace who took to caring for the children again once they'd allowed her back. But even Grace had retained her original culture more, looking to learn and teach instead. Looking to change them as much as she had been changing.
The little boy finally found his sister, squeals of laughter spreading between all three as he splashed both Gene and his sister. The young women rushed to flee, the children grabbing her tail and laughing as she pulled them through the water. Their mother watched on, unperturbed by Gene's antics as she sun bathed.
Tsu'ety along with a few of his apprentices arrived then, slipping into the water as they talked about the upcoming ceremony. They'd need to find a Kali'weya soon, within the next lunar cycle if they were going to partake in Uniltaron. Tsu'tey immediately spotted Gene playing with the children, softly splashing around with them and pulling them around when they grabbed her tail. His eyes slid to Amhul then, catching her eyes as she grinned at him before he joined his apprentices without Gene even noticing.
When she finally finished bathing, the children returning to their mother so she could re-braid their hair, Amhul took her to the side to simply lay and soak up the sun's light. At first she was restless, wiggling and watching everything that so much as moved before finally settling down into a doze, body stretched out fully for her fingers to skim the top of the pond. Her tail curled slowly, softly moving over the rock to brush against Amhul's leg every so often.
"Is this a relaxing day Amhul?" She finally murmured, rolling onto her side to face the older women once she was mostly dry.
"This is supposed to be yes, but also a learning day for common knowledge that children will have been learning without actual teaching involved." Gene nodded, body curling into a ball before she stretched fully out and sat up.
"Since your hair is mostly dry I'll instruct you on some styles of braids you can wear. While your attempts have done the trick in regards to protecting your tswin, they still look terrible." Gene laughed at that knowing her work was messy, but videos could only do so much as compared to actual hands on learning which she could only do if inhabiting the body. Never both at the same time unfortunately.
So instead she sat and watched Amhul expertly weave rows of tightly bound hair into several cornrows that then curled around her central braid that housed her tswin, beads threaded onto the ones that remained loose so they'd click together.
"I'll complete one for you, but you'll have to finish the rest." It took several tries before she managed to complete one satisfactory enough to Amhul's taste and from there each one was made better till she could make without a mistake one as tightly bound as Amhul's own.
"Good. You being able to learn quickly has been a blessing." What had once been one large messy braid quickly became a curtain of smaller ones that covered the one she'd woven around her queue. "Perfect. You're only missing one thing."
Amhul grabbed the circlet she'd forgone putting back on before placing it on Gene's head, the simple black beads curving across her temple just as they had Amhul's. "Now you're complete." She reached up, feeling the beads before looking at Amhul in shock. Her smile widened even more, cheeks almost hurting as she embraced the older woman in thanks.
"Now that that's finished, there's someone I'd like you to meet." Amhul pulled pack slightly, watching Gene's confliction of feeling with a soft smile. Finally she nodded, carefully slipping her loincloth back on but forgoing her top, choosing instead to carry it in hand.
Instead of heading back towards hometree, Amhul led them further away. They followed the small stream that led into the pond, the bank widening the further along they went before Gene spotted the na'vi who were fishing in the deeper parts of the river. They didn't use fishing rods, making use of nets that were tied around the waist of two na'vi as they waded through the water. A few baskets sat snugly between rocks on the back, water flowing through the weavings do the fish inside would remain fresh until they brought it back to be smoked.
"Txopu." An older male looked up from where he was intently watching the water, looking for something with a spear in hand. Instead of the usual greeting, he instead gently rested his forehead against Amhul's before his eyes turned to look at Gene, eyes lingering on the beads now on her head instead of Amhul's with an emotion she couldn't quite make out.
"Gene, this is my mate Txopu." She stepped forward performing the usual greeting movements, "I see you Txopu."
"I see you Gene. You are different from what I thought you'd be." He didn't elaborate when she tilted her head at him, not realizing she had already failed his expectations and unsure of the feeling that settled deep in her chest. Instead he looked at Amhul, a question seeming to pass between them before he sighed as she smiled.
"My mate has spoken of you as of late. She says you are a quick learner."
"I enjoy learning new things."
"Then I will teach you how to catch srakat. We do not have them often, but since their mating season will be upon us we have been watching for them." He handed her his spear, taking up a position behind her as they watched the waters. Amhul watched nearby, a memory overlapping with the scene before her.
Finally after he described the fish she was looking for and showed her how to hold and thrust the spear, she finally pierced the water and from it drew the struggling fish. Txopu was quick to pull the spear away from the water, saving their catch as it broke itself off the tip and landed on the ground. Gene drew the dagger Amhul had gifted her, whispering her prayer before sliding the knife into the fishes stomach and up.
"Good. I'll show you how to prepare it before you deliver it to the cooks." Slowly she carved away at the skin, carefully pulling the pearls embedded in it's back under the skin out of the flesh. She nicked one, a piece of the currently soft pearl falling off as she hissed. She glared at the now imperfect pearl, working more carefully to remove what remained before she finally finished and placed body in a basket waiting to the side, the skin still held in hand.
"Mistakes happen. It does no one any good to be perfect all the time. You are not a master, allow yourself to make a mistake a few times. Learn from them and improve."
"Yes Txopu."
"Good. Lay the skin to the side and catch another." She did as instructed, managing to catch three more before he allowed his mate to take her back, the fish skins under Amhul's arms along with the pearls Gene had managed to pull from the flesh that laid in the basket waiting. She smiled softly at him, tail curling around his own softly before she was once more leading Gene. He watched until they were gone, thoughts turning over themselves and heart conflicted. There was understanding though so he let it be, returning to his task with a huff.