THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. It May Save A Life, It May Save Your Life.)

CHAPTER 6: FIRST LESSONS - BABY STEPS PART 2

CHAPTER 7 : LESSONS FROM A WARRIOR PART 1 SOON

five days have passed since meeting the na'vi mother and learning to be na'vi brought major challenges in their side mission that could take an effort with immense time and patience. the recom's knowledge on the language starts becoming sense with simple words about animals, plants, the anatomy, and greetings were sometimes confusing as hell, but the pain of all.. is forming a complete sentence.

some of the recoms struggle pronunciation with their throat or tongue including and others form a sentence well. it was an on and off lessons between spider and ingyen teaching their assigned students since two is better than one. spider's been asked about what he knows about the culture and forest he grew up in, his eyes light up brighter than any star ingyen seen. there were parts of his stories that were exaggerated for the impression he wants to give off towards the recoms but his mother let him be.

in a distance were miles and ingyen practicing more pronunciation because it was what he struggled, complaining that none of what she tries to explains makes sense. everytime he complained, she hits his forehead with her palm and repeatedly calls him a stupid man.

his ears drop back and his tail moves irritated of the treatment he received than his colleagues. his expectations of becoming close with her is drastically further and further away than he originally thought they were in.

"darling, we're not getting anywhere with this if you keep doing that and i am trying to understand- just it's a pain to even say it right, take pity on me." miles displays his exaggerated hurt expression he tried multiple times on her but it didn't budge her in the slightest.

"you are their leader so you get extra lessons that will benefit your position when you run into another na'vi. if you are trying to learn our ways you have to find whatever is holding you back. it's a struggle within you.. in your memories demon. you have much to learn and that will help you discover what's inside of you that truly wants." she guides his hand over his chest over his heart, holding hers against his as a way to hunt himself.

the hand under hers felt rough but delicate at how tenderly she placed them, looking at him with sincerity. miles takes it as a semi step in their relationship.

something he hasn't ever felt since he was born a few days ago basically. the memories consume his daily routine in reminding himself that he is colonel miles rick quaritch, someone important and valuable to the mission and not some confused man in a na'vi body. at this point he's going with what the rda put him because they know much more in the previous years than he and his soldiers. he just woke up with a burden weighing on his shoulders he'd have to endure.

ingyen takes notice of the silence in timid air they're experiencing so she pulls her hand away which made him kind of missed her touch, "well your na'vi is getting there, you are a skxawng when it comes to creating a sentence. meanwhile we make through the forest, me and seykxel will be teaching how to hunt and herbs that'll be essential in any case of situation."

with a playful scoff to shrug off her change of attitude, "oh come on sweetheart, we were havin' quite a romantic moment."

"quite the opposite what you think of. you are a demon and i am a mother teaching babies learning how to walk. you have the mind of a teenager looking for a mate which is unlikely." nonchalantly tells him every other day he attempts in his failed flirting.

a mate? he wonders when he could bring up the topic someday in their days that come they're adventuring since he's not oblivious what she meant. his curiosity goes where he can gget the chance asking her if she is mated or not so he'd see what else he can use to his advantage other than the kid. the more insite he learns about her and spider's life.. his advancements to find jake sully will be closer.

before she could stand, the demon wanted to know about something that night spider sang the same song she sung on the first night. he was curious at how they could be related.

his hand reaches to grip hers slightly to stop her and she's startled by the contact looking at him with a questionable expression.

are you touching me? her body language said and he took the warning to back off, " sorry sweetheart i wanted to ask you about something, princess? i genuinely want to know.. truly." he says putting his playfulness aside for now.

the woman nods with a calm expression at his serious nature and passes this incident only once to know what was on his mind.

in her perspective, only as few days spent with the demon she learns there's something heavy in his heart and soul that causes him switching personas.

"uh.. it's about this song." he says scratching his head looming over the thought he's had for a days now. "a song?" she tilts her head to the side, quipped curiously.

"i don't know the words but spider was singing it the day before we came to the forest. the lines were about a birth within and thanking eywa." after he explained what he catched on that night, ingyen understood his explanation.

ingyen reaches into her small pouch, grabbing her son's song cord protected in a cloth, decorated beautifully with colored beads by the hands of a loving mother. she gently extends the song cord horizontal to present it properly to the demon, "what seykxel sang that night is a song from his song cord. waytelem. it is what i sing to him every night, what na'vi sing to remember of the story of our lives and with each bead like this one" she points a vibrant green from starting point on the thread, "is what we put at the start of our birth. i put this bead for my son when the great mother guided me to my baby and view it as his birth within me, as he grows i add another that makes his life important. there are other ornaments used such as crystals, bits of bone, and plant material. children's song cords are shorter in length than adults because of their young age but we sing what is close to truth in a different version. "

miles sees the hand made cord with small and big beads showing the significance, listening what she describes a meaning in life here on pandora. it's fascinating that instead of photographing the memories of that person's birth and accomplishment what he remembers in his memories but with songs and the cords.

songs that were sacred to the mother in front of him when she drops her stone cold demeanor for a second and changes back. he smiles at her slight grin staring at spider's cord so he's curious if he reached out to touch it but fought against it, it didn't hurt to ask.

"may i, sweetheart?" his extended hand asking permission. at first she retract her hand to hold it protective of the boy's cord but if she was going to be a positive influence them on the great mother's will, she'd withstand letting him on a hint of the culture with process.

ingyen reaches putting the cord in his large hand and by the way she acted a few seconds ago, his careful touch on the thread and beads that meant so much to put her at ease of his actions.

there wasn't much decorations on it since spider is still a child and still human pushes him back than any na'vi kid.

in his hands it felt nice. he can't imagine the work and love and care out into a wonderful ritual that signifies life of someone. her threads and jewelry represent spider well and has a meaning to how he lived on pandora.

a human child with a na'vi mother.

the wonder floating in his mind on how the child survived for so long among the mother's people and life style to be included in their culture and raised as a fearless kid. his resistance against humans who treated him as a delusional, savage kid and doesn't know the betrayal all those years ago was treated less human.

the humans in bridgehead city treated him far different even if they were the same race. the child was treated a savage and delusional, living a false life of lies because his biological parents died in battle.

they didn't see what miles saw. his blurred memories with his mother. someone who raised him as her own which makes him who is today

this kid is proof of his survival even when he was with the remaining humans on pandora.. this na'vi woman, ingyen, raised him as her own son and loves him and fights an eye for an eye if harm is done against her boy.

the song cord tells his story. a kid more na'vi than the avatars and recoms together.

ingyen's observes his characteristics in the way he held the cord. every touch and glance does something to him she's never seen in anyone.

at home everyone is accustomed with the culture and traditions including the scientists were willing to learn but with this demon taking in her son's cord and gentleness about it felt.. warm. no other avatar took his time in looking over the details and held it like a delicate flower in the palm of their hands.

miles is an interesting being she came across. other than avatars and scientists and her brother jake, she's curious on how he became into this life and who he truly is by the way he shows himself in front of others and times he is conflicted about himself but turn a blind eye.

just by watching him has her decide in showing them deeper into her and her son's way of life to connect and see everything through their eyes. embrace what life lead them here.

looking at how mesmerized he is at seykxel's cord gets her thinking, "i will be making song cords for all of you." miles is bewildered at her statement, "are you sure darling? there ain't much about us we know ever since we woke up."

she flicks his forehead what seemed the billionth time much to his disliking, "does not matter demon because you were born from the skies and the skies brought you here to the forest which eywa can embrace all of her children, you just have to believe what you can do with your new body if you put your heart and soul into the way of the na'vi."

"you like my body princess?" his smirk creeps onto his face and there no hint but a show of disgust on ingyen.

"i mentioned your body because you demons are not used to navigating with that much clothing holding you back. we wear loin clothes and anything we make so it'd be easier to run, hunt, and fly."

miles chuckles shaking his head handing her spider's song cord, "you ain't forcing me into those strings you call clothes lookin' like a joke. i am fine like this."

she shrugs with a whatever face, "suit yourself demon but i do suggest in cutting this part," hers hands moves to demonstrate the length of his pants, "traveling with only your feet helps better grip and agility in your ankles."

"alright cupcake i'll keep your little secret between us." he sends a friendly wink that causes her to push her ears back and tail rapidly move.

she scoffs, "there is no secret and no us, only me and my son. i mentioned your body because it does have a great shape by your shoulders that'll help you in your hunting but your posture is what i'll help you fix. your hands have a nice grip on things that'll be an advantage for you in hand to hand combat but your lower body lacks more muscle. with proper nutrition and work in the time we are stuck with each other, make it count."

she sees how he doesn't pay mind to what she says with his body in a relaxed position leaning on one of his hands. to keep edging the demon into a corner, she thought of a way to encourage him with minor manipulation.

by questioning his abilities and compare him to who he sees competition.

"jake sully didn't see a problem in withstand learning to be na'vi. in fact, he learned quick in a few weeks.. he's inspiring for the men in my village to become good warriors and the women swoon over him even when he is mated with neytiri. oh let me tell you how he helped rescuing my son one-" as she goes to ramble on and see the look on his face but meet an annoyed, bothered demon with his fists clenched.

with her smirk hidden under a stoic one, "what's wrong?"

miles tcks while he stands on his feet staring down at her, "i can do it quicker than sully did."

"really? well he finished his iknimaya in three months, i don't know how you're going to do that in a short amount of time. you have to be serious about it."

the demon smacks his lips with an exaggerated sigh, "i can do it in two months."

she catches her giggles by covering her mouth with her hand, "oh you demons make me laugh. let's make it one and some days, i feel we are going to have a tragedy." she stands on her feet facing face to face even when she a few inches short.

both of them didn't retreat from each other showing who's more dominant in this game of cat and mouse. standing tall and confident in their own skills. ingyen learns the way this new type of demon can improve what the great mother has in store for him that can alter everything in their lives and paths.

"well if, by any chance, make it to complete that ritual before sully you owe me a date sweetheart, without backing out." he suggest of getting the upper hand in developing a mutual relationship.

ingyen already figured out his true intentions just like every man and demon she's confronted but this demon somehow differs from any of them.

but she won't let her guard down showing her wrinkled expression in disgust, "you probably won't survive to accomplish that ridiculous ideal mission."

a finger settles below her chin, raising her head to meet his line of sight, yellow eyes dilate from the intense tension none of them are going to admit and their heart rates changing rapidly, "we'll just have to see and find out princess because i never heard you mentioning a mate."

at the moment, both back down and head back to their camp. there they see the recoms learning more na'vi with spider squatting in front and waving his hands around.

the young boy notices her mom's foot steps and stops what he was teaching them, sending her one of his pure smiles and immediately bolt towards her. he calls out to her like a small child showing his mother a rock he found just for her. ingyen smiles softly to welcome him in her arms. not too far from where she was, appears miles out of the shadows catching spider's attention so to make matters difficult and mildly out of reach, he puts his arms around her neck and jumps in her arms to carry him like a syaksyuk with it's baby.

without hesitation she went along whatever he pleased and spider used his thumb to go over his throat indicates that he'll kill him if anything harms or saddens his mother.

miles rolls his eyes not feeling an inch of threat he's been receiving for the past few days. jealousy over his mother's attention is something he thought he'd never seen from spider.

"good. everyone is here now i can tell you what's next on our lessons."

one by the name of alexander spoke, "what kind of lesson are we getting?"

"lessons that will help you survive on your own in any case of emergency or danger. become fierce warriors for the na'vi after you complete your iknimaya."

zdog raised her hand, "pardon my lady but what is a iknimaya?"

ingyen shakes her head out of kindness that they have no clue about the passage. she'll teach them about the training and hunting and fighting from na'vi and jake's lessons he taught her.

"iknimaya is a rite of passage for young na'vi hunter in order to become a warrior and taronyu.. hunter. this will be a difficult task that little have passed theirs in order to select one another and successfully bond with your ikran. a mountain banshee who will choose you if it attempts to kill you, their future partner."

now it was lyle's turn to ask, "wait a damn minute! you mean the ikran chosen when it wants to kill you! how does that makes sense?"

she chuckles at their sudden reaction that their is more to what she wants to say, "when you make tsaheylu with your ikrans, they will only bond with one na'vi for life and each of you spend time training and learning each other so you'd become close in the beautiful skies above our beloved forest. to build trust."

"yeah the rites of passage are sacred and important for warriors among the tribes. ikrans come in different colors with awesome teeth and as soon they come into contact with your sight they.. attacks!" spider exaggerated on the experience with the laughter he's getting when the recoms flinch. he's witnessed his friends complete theirs and he wishes he can do it.

the mother pats her son then to see how tense they all are.

"but before we can talk further about it; i teach you how we navigate the forest with our hands, feet, bodies, ears, and eyes. they're to be important when you hunt for your own food and water. you will learn to thank the great mother for hunting." she points out and miles butts in, "alright then ladies, gather your weapons we're goin' hunting."

the recoms start grabbing their armed guns and pistols when ingyen holds her bow out to whack the demon's head, he groans holding his throbbing skull, "sweetheart i think you're enjoying this a little too much. what did I do now? you said we were going to learn and you smack me." she hums, "exactly demon but not with your demonic tools, make too much noise and useless in the forest. you'll torture the animal."

"then what the hell are we suppose to use?" she puts her bow and arrows and dagger out to show them the obvious.

"this is what na'vi use to hunt and finish. it'll be more quiet and useful than a loud machine that can scare the prey." ingyen explains bringing out a handful of bows giving them a few arrows, and hand carved daggers she kept in some bush that surprised the recoms.

they didn't know how the hell she crafted them quick within a few day and kept them hidden well but they rather not question. they noticed each dagger is designed its own color and styles that are almost similar to theirs in their pockets. these daggers have their own signature to who holds it represents.such detail and work put into these gems.

miles was the first to get his own bow and analyzing each detail from the woods to the string attached then eyes his own crafted dagger, "this is what were going with?"

she nods, "yes and if you have problem then you can not complete your iknimaya to earn your ikran. if seykxel could, he'd done it less than jake and when you wish to do yours." spider puffs his chest out at his mother's high praise she gives.

"alright darling, how do you suggest we use them since all we used is our demonic machines."

"to use tsko you got to have good posture with correct breathing and your aim requires full concentration. i will show you." she waves them to walk behind her with spider on her back.

with the speed she was going it's difficult for them to catch up as they stepped on rocks, overgrown roots, slippery grass, and plants in their way. they're all out breath which got her smirking because they were all cocky and think some demons can out smart a na'vi woman and her child who loved here all their lives.

they all arrived with tired expressions to an open area where the sun shines through the outline of the trees. around the circle were placed with targets.. small, large, wide, narrow, high above the trees and few in between plants and branches.

she slightly bends down for her son to get off. as spider stood next to his mother, she let out a bird calling out to in the area and in the distance was a long screech. their ears flicker trying to locate the sound when a flying creature flew above them searching which the mother let out another call.

it locates her sound as it dove at a high speed where they were, making them think it was going to attack. they felt vulnerable but the creature spread it's wings to have a swift landing. looking at it closely is an ikran with a rider's seat strapped on it's back and screeches with ingyen offering a piece of meat to her ikran that accepts. she soothes the creature with a smile petting it, "this is tsìlpey. if you want to live, do not look at her in the eye." the recoms were too shocked in seeing one so soon that they averted their sight somewhere else fast before it offended the creature.

ingyen pats her ikran's neck to the chest as she grabbed a bow that was attached offering it to the child, "seykxel." her son saw the bow she brought with her knowing they were going to meet again, "nga tsko ma'itan. fkew tsamsiyu kin sneyä tsamsä'o."

your bow my son. a mighty warrior needs his war weapon.

spider grabs the bow to lay it down before he hugs his mother, appreciating that she brought his gift, "irayo sa'nok." thank you mom.

her smile grew everytime she feels his touch and warmth nature he brings. miles observe their interaction what seemed like a gesture of appreciation since the bow looks rather new without use and what he can understand is the bow of a warrior. it's different from what she showed them hers. there was a probability of earning your own signature to it.

the kid goes back to hold his bow in his hands and sits a nearby rock making a few adjustments to his comfort, "with the bows i made for you, we'll practice on correct posture and aim before you can shoot your arrow that may determine i let you hunt on your own and prove your skills."

"i think we'll get the posture down in no time sweetheart. we're military." miles spoke that caught the recoms to look at him to not push it and spider's wide eyes, side eyeing him like he didn't just hear what he told his mom since they've been seeing how much ingyen punishes the colonel everytime he got something wrong.

she quirks her blue, striped eyebrow while crossing her arms over her chest, "if you are a great demon warrior then show me. you fail, you run around the circle and do it again with what good posture i show."

miles takes the bow off his body and in his hands ready to show her what he's made of. with arms ready to raise at shoulder length with his right hand gripping the string and the other holding the base and placed arrow aiming the tree in front of him. he tries to imagine it with a gun when he locks eyes where he wants to shoot and he lets go. it hurt like hell holding for a few seconds by the texture he felt at his finger tips.

a smack and a tug at his tail burned his rage turning his head a full degree towards the mother. what the hell could he have done wrong this time like his posture wasn't bad? ingyen points her finger where he supposedly shoot but was no where to be seen, "you fail demon. i want you to go run, wait for your turn once your back."

she orders him since he doesn't have a choice, "my posture was at least good. i held the bow how you na'vi do it even if my shot is by a long shot perfect."

"you did not. your arms were low. your gear is in the way checking if you were sucking your stomach in properly and the way you held your bow is on wrong side so you did not do any. now go before your punishment gets worse." with those demands the man groans and starts his one lap.

it's staring to feel like military training all over again.

his team began to snicker when he left just by seeing him give in easily, let alone be a na'vi woman demanding him like a sergeant. they found it amusing and hilarious as spider ran beside him to taunt straight in his face.

ingyen turns her head in their direction and they quit their horse play to focus in avoiding of facing her rath.

"who wants to be next and what do you prefer? i teach or test your skills blindly?"

...

hours and hours of bow training spent the recoms in cardiac arrest, with punishments they faced of any slight error ingyen notices.

you miss a shot.. run.

your posture is in incorrect. smack!

your fingers get cramped. you get cussed out by her.

you didn't raise your arms right.. just pray to the great mother the looks she gives doesn't drop you dead immediately.

it went worse for their colonel. his left hand became more cramped and gained bruises, his body aching has come intolerable for him to move a muscle, his head hurt like bitch from the whacking, and is done being cussed out by her.

the worst is the kid watched the whole thing as soon her back was turned making the situation worse by taunting him.

finally the day full of clouds were adorned by stars in the eclipse, they can rest for another learning experience of the na'vi life. nobody said it was going to be easy but they didn't expect it to be this challenging with learning the language at the same time.

miles spent his few minutes of break on composing himself as quick as can before she comes back from her hunt, "you know you can always quit dude. just tell my mom and she'll see how unteachable you are compared to the others.."

spider appears in his line of sight smiling at watching him suffer at the aftermath, groaning to even consider the thought in quiting.. not when he's close.

"give you the satisfaction? no way i'm doing that. quite frankly i am starting getting used to this and your pretty momma." he spits back to shut him up which works everytime he changes his cocky look to a displeased one.

"don't look at me like that kid, you were poking fun at me."

spider crosses his arms over his chest, "yeah that's funny but mentioning my mom isn't."

miles chuckles at his immaturity thinking that he'll be with her in the slightest.

i mean.. he does find her attractive. her face holds an immense grudge but once her walls are knocked down, she looks beautiful smiling and laughing whenever they mess up. when she's teaching him how to hold a bow, makes him look at her with a fierce personality and a passion for teaching her culture and lifestyle. the colonel only seen a small glimpse of her features.. like her eyes have a nice shade of vibrant yellow, her lips hold a blush of purple that suits her blue skin, her braided hair moving swiftly as she goes, the way she cares for spider in her motherly nature; even if he's human she holds him dear to her heart watching the love she gives to the boy.

the hardcore training is just the tip of the ice berg but with the their training and development on getting to know more of their culture and lifestyle.. he'll be able accomplish his goal soon.

he admits he admired her fierce personality and rude behavior because he's usually not the one receiving orders including punishment. no matter how much he got smacked, yelled, and punished he handled it professionally so he'd investigate on how she acts, the way she speaks, and how she comes off as.

miles dozed off when the snap of the kid's fingers brought him back to his senses as he is now sitting near where he laid.

spider's hesitant on asking the recom about something but in the end, "so you just woke up with the memories of the demon?"

"what?" he turns his attention back to him.

spider sighs, "did you wake up with the memories of that man? like that's all you know about yourself? no memories or anything that makes you different from him?"

the question he made is a good one. is that all he really knows? was he someone before the memories? he's thinking the last time his memories were suddenly input into his system as he suffers the consequence of questioning his identity. there's no recollection of who he was before he woke up. that is until-

those dreams he's had.

miles hasn't developed a head ache for a while now which is odd because they were down right painful.

"i guess no but there were dreams i've had about the forest." he explains as he moves his head to look up the sky.

"the forest? how? when-" spider spoke but got interrupted by him.

"i haven't born or ever been on pandora. i do not know, same thing i'm asking myself kid." miles sighs covering his face with his arm.

they stay in silence with no clue what else to say but spider did the talking again, "these dreams of the forest, what are they about?"

the recom thinks about what he dreamt about since he didn't have time and proper way of coping with such unknown thoughts he can't even mention in reports.

"i was running through the forest basically and that i barely noticed i was bare foot, let alone being in na'vi attire." this caught the boy's attention one hundred percent, "i just realized in it, i could manage a bow and was hunting."

"nah i don't believe dude! you managing a bow when you've sucked the whole day!" spider laughs at his confession loudly to embarrass miles.

miles grunts and sits up beside him, "ha ha ha. laugh it off squirt, have your little laugh off."

the boy wipes his fake tears regaining his composure after awhile, "okay i'm good now. so what else have you dreamt other than false information?"

miles glares at him for a second and places a hand under his chin, "from what i remember is a woman and a child. they were acting like if they were my family or something."

spider looks at him to see if he's lying and making stuff up to sway him into becoming close but there was no such sign.

the recom continues, "i don't know much but it seemed a happy family in my perspective. there are times i do have memories of human quaritch time to time when that dream vanishes but you can say it's a reminder about who i supposedly am. i was basically birth to do this. what do you think it means?"

the way he explained what he truly felt is a strange experience for the young boy to hear when the recom is the embodiment of his biological father. watching and hearing him be vulnerable for a moment pulls his heart string a bit. he sees what miles can't understand himself.

a confused recom born into this world with the memories who he should take revenge upon betray and disloyalty when he doesn't know the purpose of his life. born into someone that he thinks is him but not himself.

spider shrugs now acting mature in this kind of conversation, "to be honest.. i don't even know. i also had stranger dreams of a na'vi man being mated with my mother. i never seen so happy with someone. my mother may know something about these dreams because my grandmother is tsahik, they talk about these kind stuff. i can ask her."

miles nods in accepting the kid to find the information he needs for personal reason aside from finding jake sully's whereabouts. it doesn't hurt to find out what he's been wanting to find out more about himself and what his purpose is from what happened with the glowing jellyfish.

he had an idea to get closer to spider, "hey i've been meaning to ask your mom but i never got the chance since she seems she has it out for me," it earns him a genuine chuckle from the boy and shares a soft smile, "why does she call you say- saylkeyel cay? something along those words, i'm curious if that's your name?"

spider's eyes widen a bit at his question. it was so strange he manage to catch a small detail that as an enemy wouldn't take into account.

maybe- spider thinks maybe this miles quaritch is far different from the stories he's told by the omatikaya and jake.

he doesn't know where to begin, "it is my name. from what my mother told me is when guided by the great mother, an atorkirina led her where i was asleep at hell's gate and she saw me.. my mother basically didn't question her fate or hesitated in becoming a mother to a human child. she hated humans especially at the demon for causing so much pain and nightmares that she couldn't stand none of them when war was over. her hatred and resentment grew more in her heart."

miles listened carefully what can be useful for a future purpose and spider continues, "many thought eywa led her to her doom because of her hatred and spite against sky people but it was the complete opposite. she called me her syawn." the man picked up what it meant, "blessing."

the kid nods with a cute smile that ignites a sentimental sensation inside miles, "in the beginning she didn't like the idea of asking the help of humans to raise me but she decided it was the best she has knowledge on my growth and health that'll be safe for me to grow strong."

"i bet you looked really tiny in her arms." they laugh simultaneously that you see them carefully.. they were identical to a great extent.

ingyen watched afar of her son's interaction with the demon between the large leaves. her skills of hiding in silence helped her witness their alone time to an advantage if the demon was going to take action in manipulating her son.

but she saw for a second how lively seykxel shined brighter than a star when he was asked about himself. no disgust or fear in his entire life radiating off of another being.

"dude i was compared to a an animal called a kangaroo and her joey. the scientist showed me pictures because they thought it was cute on how i cling to her in a prrsmung." he shows how as a baby his mother took him everywhere.

they were like in their own little world that ingyen wished her son had someone to call a father because of her prise to choose someone who accepts her son just the way he is but it cant be him..

truly not in her years she sees the first someone genuinely interested in her son about himself would be a demon who appears as the sky demon but not entirely.

"then when she asked of my name, she disliked it because it wasn't unique and wouldn't have a strong meaning. seykxel is strength.. emotionally and spiritually as she intended on how i will be facing hard ships with the people accepting me as her son and omatikaya." he continues his explanation, "kay is from now in the future that can be combined together. seykxel kay. 'your strength from now in the future'. if your new it's complicated to understand but she chose this name to be meaningful. i guess i never saw that until i felt i would never se my momma again."

spider became vulnerable in front of someone other than his mother and kiri. ingyen never expected him to feel comfortable around the demon in sharing his feeling and thoughts in his life he kept inside long enough that to tell it to him.

miles didn't know how to react or how to respond but he does know this kid never had a father figure that he always wanted and his mother had to fill in the role so he'd be accepted. to the point he is wiping a tear away before it could fall down his face, "but now I have her here with me. she must've felt at a loss when i couldn't go back. thanks by the way for torturing my mother without me," he sarcastically says and quaritch rolls his eyes, "either way we're stuck here with you and planning to kill you at some point."

miles laughs, "you killing me kid? i bet you don't know hand to hand combat."

"hell yeah i can cuz! jake taught me what was taught to me."

"hah! sully learned that shit from me so it is my training. i have to knock in some sense into you brat. see if you are capable landing a punch on me." he nudges him with his elbow, leaning half way to his shoulders.

the young boy pushes with all his strength barely moving the recom sitting stiff. ingyen smiles at their interaction but keeps in mind that he plays mind games to gain what he needs most from them.

for now she'll let her boy be a child that need acceptance from someone who willingly heard him and sees him.

she knows the demon doesn't know the concept of 'i see you' in their culture but she can teach him into becoming someone far different than who he's suppose to be. she just wants to go home with her son away from war, in that case she will try accepting this demon into learning their lifestyle.

ingyen disappears into the woods to not alert their instincts and come back to seem she never heard their conversation.

she is rethinking her mother's words wisely before her son was taken.

"sa'nok i've been experiencing these dreams of a man. a man i do not know or familiar with because nobody here has the exact image. no long hair, small ears, five fingers that are touching me and looking at me with admiration. we act like mates in what i dream and i am frighten by what it'll mean for me and seykxel. what do i do mother? what does it mean?"

mo'at experiences in this kind of field where one dreams of another at where they could possibly meet or their destiny even when they have never met.

her mother knows something is upon her daughter and her grandson. she takes a deep breath before she spoke, "'ite, what is upon you you choose what is right and whatever the path you are lead to, helps you in what you're looking for. what seykxel desires in his life. there's someone waiting for you both."

ingyen now is frantic what got her mother to the conclusion of finding what she was looking for as someone was waiting.

she didn't need anything else other than her child. and this someone she doesn't know, are they looking for them as well?

mo'at continues, "my child. there is someone who changes your life for better or worse it's what you want and decide in accepting this person. in their downfall, mistakes, and sins. whether it be demon or not, it's what the great mother chooses. the sign she gives is what has been waiting to be searched for a long time but there is darkness upon this person. that is all i can say." she pecks her daughter's head and creases her face.

"and if it affects my son. mother i don't what i i'll do if something were to happen to him." she starts to tear up and her lips wobble at imagining her seykxel in any kind of pain.

"then choose how you act on it my daughter. there are mistakes to be made other wise how would the great mother balance the way of life." she explains playing with her hair for comfort.

her mother was right.

how she approaches these challenges and obstacles are the balance eywa measures within us.

if her son choose his own path then it's something she'll accept as a mother.

she can't shake off the idea of the demon being the possible mate she chooses because out all the bachelors to choose from.. it can be the sins of the devil.

all of them were aware of their coincidental dreams but none of them want to go specifically into detail in any case something happens or doesn't. depends on what they chose and how they react to such vivid memories.

...

after some time miles returns with spider bumping into each other like friends to see who's stronger. of course miles was by a long shot knocking him into a couple of plants on the way and left leaves in his hair as evidence at their childish play.

they see ingyen in a distance cutting the animal in focus to prepare the meal correctly. spider runs to her, ready to help in anything she will need.

"oel ngati kameie sa'nok." he motions the greeting and she does it back with her kind smile. i see you mom.

"fyape aynga lu ma'ite? nga tìsop nìltsan?" she questions on his weird, euphoric behavior. how you been my son? your adventure went well?

"säro'a. miles kar oe tsyokx wä' tsukfäru!" he shows a pretend move against nothing in front of him to show off his skills. it was great. miles taught me hand to hand combat skills.

she giggles watching him be a child again with everything going on. nothing can defeat the flame within him.

she tells him she needs a few things in the forest for the meal. he happily obliged to help her in anything possible.

as he made his venture out alone, miles watch him disappear in the depths of the forest, "you think it's fine he goes alone in the forest?"

she scoffs at his worrisome, "he is a mighty warrior. he is my son. i am his mother. this is his home and it's where he belongs. he knows his way around and if he was in any kind of danger i can get there. i found him and you in a day."

miles squats to her level on the ground and reaches a hand out under her chin since she keeps avoiding eye contact, "seems to me you are an overprotective mamas but you give whatever the kid wants, darling."

she hisses a warning, shrugging off his touch, "of course i am. i am his mother."

he sighs knowing he won't get nowhere with how she acts and does his thing again. grabbing her chin gently to move her attention towards him as he gets close to her, face to face.

he knows he's not repulsive when it comes to appearance and is physically fit making him think how can she resists. he has charm to the authority he radiates within him. there's gotta be a way to sway her heart.

"yeah you did found me and him. what else did you find?" his low sultry voice made her heart a bit tingly but disguised it with a blatant look.

"a son of a bitch." ingyen spits back showing off her fangs in a threatening manner.

miles smirks, "bet those little fangs of yours can give me a heck of a bite like your dirty mouth. right, cupcake?"

she slaps it away clearly showing disgust. before she responds her son comes back with the tools his mom needed with a huge smile.

talk about right timing. miles thought looking smuggling towards her.

her eyes tell him that when they're alone.. he's dead meat like the animal she's skinning.

thinking how this woman is the one in his dreams has him question some stuff that are unanswered. just as spider said about a na'vi man mated with his mother.

he wonders in asking her at the right time because she still seems hostile and closed off to goof off a bit but it makes her unique to him.

what do you think your doing boy? use the kid against her?!

huh? who is it? is it the same voice?

seems you forgotten your place as colonel, soldier?

miles is getting the severe head aches once again. his vision starts getting blurry seeing a blurry image of a man. a human.

the human stood there in military attire staring in his direction.

you haven't got soft have you? is this pathetic savage and boy getting you butterflies and rainbows? no!

why are you holding back?!

holding back.. you mean ingyen and spider? i don't know what you mean? who are you?

you are me and i am you. do what you born to do!

it irritated him how much he keeps hearing that voice constantly. like a virus fighting its way to spread through his body. poison him into it's bidding every time he speaks.

are you tormented by memories my child? a soft and influential voice spoke. miles felt torn between everything. the woman and spider. human quaritch's voice and memories torturing his mind.. manipulating. now another figure or something.

ingyen observes how quickly he changed the way he act a second ago. she feels this intense vibe or curse weighing on this demon battling his inner self.

spider felt his mother's aura full of overwhelmed emotions as she carefully watches over the recom, gripping his head with heavy breath, ears pressed back, and tail swaying in anguish.

spider goes to stand in front of him and place his small hand on his arm for comfort. in response, miles looks at him with eyes full of hesitancy, misery, enragement and doubtful expression he can't manage to tell.

ingyen drops her resilience to join her son to condolence the demon. both of their touch slowly decelerates his heart beat and regains his senses but there is still doubt and immense fear in his eyes. it kind of hurts the mother, she goes as far as bringing him into her arms, pulling her son in as well.

she doesn't know why she's doing it for his sake but there's a curse among him that haunts his day to day life. she's noticed his change when he enters into this state.

the three stayed in silent.

miles close his eyes, taking deep breaths to regain his conscious, and does what he can on making the figure of human quaritch disappear for a while.

ingyen somehow thought of petting his head slowly and started to hum of a lullaby her mother sung to her child self.

little one, do not fear

for i am here, just let go

let your worries disappear

you are everything to me

here i stay

release your fears and nightmares

as i cradle you in my arms

close your eyes and take a breath

feel the love and joy i see

i am here to see that precious smile

brighter than the stars

i see you little one

for i am to protect you

daughter of mine

the mother repeats the melody in hopes of calming the demon which in the end actually worked since her son hums along. miles goes to grab onto each hand and rubs their knuckles.

as soon as he recovered he looks at ingyen, thanking her with his eyes. communicating with one look says it all.

spider watches the moment closely how they give each other the look of sincerity displayed. it's different than how they usually show their own character.

his mama never gave someone a gentle, concern expression.. much less a man who's tried flirting with her and teased her on many occasions.

miles was a different story. the young boy witnessed different scenarios when miles acted different than who he met on the first day. one moment he's a colonel doing what he thinks is right and ordered to do. an intelligent bio weapon the humans rely onto completing what they should've in the beginning. a lost na'vi with the memories of the demon haunting him to influence his choices. someone with a resemblance of his biological father who was never there in the beginning, is acting like they were buddies since the beginning.

he's conflicted with the variety of miles in his eyes that he believes there's only one that can determine the truth of miles identity.

just as the emotional moment slowly died in a pregnant silence, ingyen moves her body away from the demon with her son following.

"you seem to have calm down." she says trying to avoid eye contact again, "i have to prepare our food for the night. i will see you with your friends."

ingyen excused herself and walks where her prey was to take back to camp where the other recoms are. miles and spider stay in their silent bubble trying to grasp what has happened.

"are you feeling alright?" spider asks with eccentricity.

miles nods, "yes it's something that stuck ever since so i'm figuring out what's causing this when it's reoccurring for me. i have to report it back at bridgehead city of my condition. bummer delivering the bad news, both of you have to come with us."

the boy whistled a long one rocking side to side, "my momma is not gonna like this one."

the man chuckles, "yeah. you are right in something."

"you gonna tell her now?"

the recom sighs readies himself before he interacts with the na'vi woman, "have to."

eclipse has started to set in the night sky as everyone prepared their bedding on the trees.

ingyen is set to lay down with her boy when the colonel appears behind her, along his presence known.

he fake coughs to catch her attention which she took her time to look back at him, "yes?"

"i need a word with you, sweetheart." he turns where he'll lead her to a secluded area to talk privately. she tilts her to side at his awkwardness but pushed it behind her as she pecks her son's forehead and a whisper prayer.

she smiles fixing his hair and leaves him to rest to talk with the demon. the recoms all watch this happen until they can not be seen and zdog decided to release the tension.

"so how much we betting that one of them falls for the other? i'm putting two hundred colonel does first."

the recoms choked on their last bit of food and with a croaking voice mansk rebuttals, "what the hell are you on about z? we're on a mission and you seem to forget she and the kid are sully's allies."

"yeah but doesn't hurt a little complicated romance waiting to build. the classical forbidden romance. have you seen how the colonel looks at her!"

brown shrugs, "i'm betting four if ingyen turns smitten for him. she may look as if she can't tolerate and wants him dead but there's care in her heart. she told me my balance was off by tilted my arm this way and it worked! she says i am getting there to earn my ikran."

"i'm putting eight hundred if both of them fall at the same time!" lyle states loudly eating his last bit of meat which shocked the recoms at his theory.

"that's certainly impossible wainfleet. it looks like a one sided if we're speaking on facts." mansk rebuttals.

zdog scoffs, "as if you know women. i know my girl better than anybody."

meanwhile the recoms are discussing among themselves on their bets, miles and ingyen reached where it was far from the group.

"look cupcake, i know you're not fond of us or the humans but we're gonna have to take you with us. i have to be checked on and we can't just let you go." miles explains seeing how she didn't take it lightly.

"me and seykxel are not going to that place." she plainly says to get her point across.

miles sighs knowing it's not going to be an easy task in convincing her, "well sweetheart agree to disagree whether you want to or not, you're comin'."

she hisses at him displeased at his response.

"i get who you're trying to protect but it's risky enough spider has a mask with a tracker on it and if you take him, it'll lead us right where your home is," he holds her arms to think straight of what he's saying, "i promise with me around, nobody won't touch you or the kid."

her ears perk up at his offer to keep them out of reach from harm.

"i can not forgive what they done to my boy.. he is a child. why use innocent children to gain what you need?" she gasps in between breaths, rage filling her body to even think they'd use a kid to manipulate the situation.

"i'm asking myself the same thing but i guarantee that you'll be close to where i'm at. just follow what i tell you and everything is fine."

she hesitates, "if they hurt seykxel i will kill all of them. i swear to end you for not holding what you are promising-" miles interrupts her declaration of slaughter on those she calls demons in her eyes, "they won't touch him and you. not a single fingertip doll."

he seemed true to his words by the way he looks at her and in his voice with determination. she doesn't know why in her heart she's going to believe the vivid memories of the very demon who took everything from her and her people.

there's a battle between the now and past. both have a role in her life changing how she acts and how she lives with her life. by seeing this demon telling how her what could be empty promises.. has her thinking differently about him.

her eyes keeping searching for an answer in his manipulation tactics to trust him and give into his sins.

through his eyes... there was only promising.

they only known each other for a couple of days but somewhere along being stuck.. both of them have the impression they'll get along some day that is destined by these dreams.

they for sure want avoiding in and hesitate when the time comes of war because in the end... no one wins.

it'll be their doom if it counts a face off and they have a choice of choosing in their belief and motivation, ingyen saving and defending her home from the sky people's return for her son. as for miles, all he knows is jake sully betrayed the man who's memories engraved in his system and nothing else. he can't acknowledge himself because of the sole purpose of being created as back up in case the humans didn't accomplish what they were sent here for.

they met at a wrong time.

for sure there's nothing they could do about it but live how life is goin right now and prepare for the worst.

TAGLIST

@skinmittensgoblin @eternallyvenus @winxschester @perseny @cleverzonkwombatsludge @reallysparklychaos @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @liyahsocorro @violet-19999 @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @ratchetprime211 @analuw @alexandra-001

I See You - Chapter 3

Miles Quaritch x Fem! Na'vi OC

Summary: Vira Te Wou Auhew’ite, an albino Na'vi and future Tsahìk of the Tayrangi Clan, The Ikran Riders of the Eastern Sea, keeps needing to save the demon Miles Quaritch at Ewyas command. When she's given a sign to try to teach him The People's way, both she and Miles struggle with their growing feelings for each other.

Authors note: Sorry this took so long guys, I don't love this chapter and it has been rewritten like 3 times and I just couldn't do it anymore. I also just got back from vacation to 99+ notifications and I'm floored but also too overwhelmed to go through them so I will be updating the tag list if there are any AFTER CHAPTER 4, which is going up tomorrow as an apology for taking forever. I do enjoy the next chapter so hope you guys do too!

PS I tried moving the taglist to the comments, please let me know if it doesn't work! This is my first time ever using tumblr, still learning!

Rating: T (last T chapter just FYI)

Warnings: Canon typical violence, strong language/swearing, mild mentions of mating/sex, depiction of animal birth

Words: 5820-ish, give or take a few.

--

Chapter 3

Miles stayed up into the night, the albino Na’vi passed out beside him snoring softly on his shoulder, the hammock she worked on tirelessly draped over her small form and partially over his legs. Anyone else and he probably would have shoved them off him but he let her and the mess of white-blonde hair stay put as he watched the fire smolder down to ashes. 

Why did he touch her hand like that? He’d been interested in watching her experiment with his had, she wasn’t scared of his pinky, she found it fascinating, found him fascinating. Miles saw no fear in her like the other natives had for him, except that time he’d pushed her up against the tree.  She even liked hearing the stories about humans l, Bridgehead city and earth, curious little thing she was. Her orange eyes lit up sometimes like he was talking about magic. 

But he had no explanation even to himself why when she'd put their palms together he’d folded his large hand over her small pink one. Reflex? It had felt right when she lined up her little hand, it was something maybe his grand pappy had done once when he’d gone to visit as a kid. It was something he felt boarded on affection. Couldn’t be having that. He told himself he was just trying to make her happy so she wouldn’t run home. Swore to himself he’d be damned if he ended up like Jake Sully, abandoning his people for some local tail.

The thought did cross his mind briefly that he was even less human than Sully had been when he’d taken a Na’vi mate, he’d merely been an avatar driver. Quaritch was a damn na’vi, grown in some lab with human memories and his own human DNA spliced together to create who he was now. 

Miles felt sleep getting the better of him, yellow eyes growing heavy as he started into the embers . He moved Vira’s little pink body as gently as he could off his shoulder and the tree so she was laying on the mat, facing away from him. She didn’t even wake up as he easily cradled her in one arm to move her, her sweet scent filled his nose. If he left her sitting up she cursed the whole morning under her breath about her back hurting and he didn't want to wake up to her whining again. Miles didn’t know what to do with her hammock and he threw it over her like a blanket and laid down beside her, back to her. He did put his tail over her small pink waist, so he’d feel if she moved, couldn’t have his na’vi teacher falling off the tree. 

Quaritch fell asleep knowing well enough that there was room to sleep 4 more full-grown na’vi on the branch and none of them would have fallen. 

What was he doing? 

He just cared because they were in close contact, she was the only person to talk to for a thousand clicks. Even soldiers who didn’t like each other got close living together in barracks. 

That’s all it was. 

—

Vira rose with the sun, deciding instead of hunting again today, she would use the day to try and teach Miles to better move through the higher limbs in the jungle. They had gone hunting the past few days on the ground with little success, it was time to take their hunt to higher ground. She’d gotten them a Syaksyuk to eat from the ground that would last a few days yesterday but Miles needed to master hunting with the bow. She blamed Miles' noisy clothes for scaring away the animals on the forest floor. From above though, their sounds would be less suspicious to the wildlife and it would be advantageous if they could move quickly and quietly through the trees with bows. Their prey would never know they were even there.

The Na’vi swiftly could move from layer to layer of the jungle, swinging on vines, using their bodies to propel them, and jumping from high places. Miles needed to learn to move like them in addition to living and hunting like them, it was part of their way of life. 

Vira sat up from the sleeping mat, Miles still snored softly beside her and she removed his tail from being draped over the nivi and her midsection. She’d worked on the nivi every moment she didn’t have anything else to work on, she looked forward to a good nights sleep in a hammock. Many times she had fallen asleep against the tree’s trunk but Miles lately had been moving her to her side and covering her with it. She woke up nearly every morning with his tail somewhere on her too,  Every spare moment she dedicated to it, when she’s seen the elders work on it in other villages it was something special to add a new one, something not to be rushed and could take several short cycles to finish but in this home tree they selected they had no other place but the branch to sleep on. She wanted them to have comfort for their stay and be well rested. Her back and limbs were sore most mornings, the grass had been more comfortable but it was dangerous for only two na’vi to stay on the ground. 

Back at the Eastern sea her people slept in small huts in a large cave. They slept on soft beds of glowing moss and soft spun linens of all colors spun by their own elders. Families shared a hut until they were mated. Her sister, her three younger male cousins who her mother had taken in after her sister, Ìveye passings. She had lost her aunt, closest confidant at that young age but gained 3 brothers, even the youngest who had lived for eighteen full sky cycles had mated and left their hut. Only Vira and mother were left in their hut, she wondered what her mother would do once she left. In truth she could take another mate if she desired and even have more children, she was not too old. Na’vi could live over 160 full sky cycles, mother was not even halfway through her lifetime, at 56 full cycles. 

But Vira did not foresee her mother doing this, she was rigid, she was Tsahìk. She would likely stay alone or move to the hut that housed the elder females who were widowed, the village Aunties. 

Vira stretched and popped her limbs, not wishing to think of her mother or home anymore. She gathered her nivi back up into her pink hands and continued weaving.. She got lost watching her pink hands in the repetitive motion, looking at them made her mind wonder back to several nights past. Thinking back to her hand being dwarfed by Miles own with his fingers folded over hers. They had not spoken much after, eating the Yovos in silence until Miles fell asleep. She’d stayed up weaving until her eyes could no longer stay open and her fingers were numb but when she’d awoken that was the first time he’d moved her to sleep on the sleeping mat. The act made her already tender heart soften to him, a kind act even amongst all his sharp edges. 

The pink Na’vi was intuitive, she sensed much conflict in his heart. Miles heart was torn between embracing the Na’vi teachings and being one of the sky people. She saw it in his actions, in the way he spoke. In this short time together she felt his growing connection to the forest, to the Na’vi ways, how he had used the spear so perfectly was proof enough to her. But he could not shed himself yet of the alien clothing nor fully of their weapons, he still held the gun on his hip and the wicked metal knife behind him.

Vira did not take offense to his lack of change, change was hard, even for the Na’vi. She knew the change that waited for her when she returned home would be hard, she would become a mated pair with Huärì and leave the safety of her mothers hut. She would no longer travel, would no longer teach the younglings of the other clans and customs. Tsahìk training would be how she spent her days, a task she was unsure if her heart truly desired but it was what it was meant to do. The only change she looked forward to was having her own brood of Na’vi babies. Na’vi women had anywhere from one to ten children in all stages of their life. Her own mother had only bore she and Ikeyni. Vira secretly prayed to Ewya she would have more children than that but any child would be a gift. Her sister already had three of her own, surely she would have as many. 

Her thoughts and hands stopped when Miles finally opened his sleepy yellow eyes. 

“Mornin’” voice deep and grumbly with tiredness as he sat up. 

“Big day today,” 

“We huntin’ with the bows again?” 

She shook her head of white, wild curls. “You need to learn the upper forest, how to move quick and quiet, it will make you better hunter.”

“I’d say I’m pretty damn good with a spear” he gestured behind him with his thumb to her etching of him with the Yerik. 

She smiled, he was a prideful one. “How many kills have you made with bow?”

Miles made a thoughtful sound and the corners of his mouth turned down in reluctant acceptance of her plans. They’d gone out on the ground with their bows and had seen lots of wildlife but they had not gotten a kill. Vira blamed Miles loud pants for scaring off the animals but he didn't seem to agree. Either way, a kill from above would be better for them, helping hide any noise or scents.

They’d been eating fresh Teylul they gathered over the past few days as well as fruits. She’d gotten a syaksyuk one night and roasted it over the fire spit they’d made but she wanted Miles to be the hunter, he needed to learn, not her. 

“Once you master hunting from the tree, the next step will be from Ikran.”

“Now I like the sound of that Princess .” He grabbed his bow. 

With bows in hand, they scaled down to the mid branches of their home tree. A fall from this height would not kill Miles but it would not be pleasant if he fell. To the Na’vi sometimes pain was a necessary tool for teaching, not corporal pain inflicted on purpose but the pain from an experience, to learn from it. Vira said a small silent prayer to the great mother that Miles would be sure of foot and not do harm himself. 

She held her bow in one hand while Miles kept his slung over his shoulder so he could easily use two of his hands. Vira ran along the branch they stood on and jumped to the next tree over, the gap was small and Miles followed her with no problem. 

Vira took off then through the jungle, a grueling pace but she judged Miles a quick study in all things physical. Hunting, weapons, and now even racing through the tangles of branches. The injuries he sustained no longer seemed to affect him, Ewya had healed him quicker than expected was her only explanation. The great mother must have wanted him to learn quickly, Vira would obey her command. 

She’d been right to go fast and strenuous, Miles was keeping good pace with her, running and jumping with ease. He only paused when there was a small gap between two branches but a low hanging one overhead could be reached. Without hesitation, Vira jumped to grab the branch and rolled her body, using her body weight with one hand to propel her pink body forward. 

The Na’vi woman turned back when she did not hear the large blue Na’vi behind her, he was standing on the edge of the branch, staring at her with his jaw wide. Vira beamed a smile at him.

Miles let out a low whistle. “Didn’t imagine you could move like that, Princess,” he complimented from across the branches. His yellow eyes looked back and forth from where Vira stood. 

“You can do it!" she encouraged "Move back, spring up with your body, and swing yourself over. “ she instructed, doing her best to illustrate the movement again from where she stood.

“I got this one Tiny, don't worry 'bout me. " Miles backed up a few paces, easily jumping up with his large body, he grabbed the branch Vira had swung from with two hands and swung himself over with ease. 

“Have you done this before? You are quick. Fast learner.”

“Someone taught me a little bit, never gone so fast before.”

“The sky boy?” She remembered him from the beach, from when the Ilu was shot. From when the huts were burned. The boy had dressed and spoken Na’vi as though he was a true-born son of Ewya.  She remembered he had painted himself with blue stripes in an attempt to appear more like one of The People.

Miles nodded. “Spider, he likes to go by Spider.” He looked down at her, she couldn’t quite read the tall Na’vi’s expression but his yellow eyes were sad. They reflected the sadness and conflict she knew resided in his strong heart.

“He’s my son.”

Vira couldn’t hide the surprise on her face, her orange eyes opened wider and wider as she thought of question after question.  Was she keeping him from returning to his mate, to his child by teaching him to be Na’vi out here in the forest? Miles had already told her when they shared stories around the fire in the evenings, about how he was once a sky person, a human, but was now was in a Na’vi body. He didn’t dream walk like others who had came before. The details entranced her, all the science the Sky People possessed seemed like magic to her. She had not thought that he had a family from when he was human. She sometimes forgot he was anything more than Na’vi. 

Guilt and something else twisted deep in the pink na’vis stomach. Vira had never considered he was spoken for and she didn’t enjoy the thought, even though she had a betrothed of her own waiting for her at the Easter Sea. 

“Am I keeping you from him?” Her mouth felt dry, like no amount of water could quench her thirst. A lump formed in her throat. “From your mate?” The question came out meeker than she intended.

“No, nothing like that Tiny. His mom is died a long time ago. Spiders off somewhere with the reef people, pretty sure anyway,” there was a bitterness and maybe a hint of jealousy in his words. 

Something he left unsaid.

Vira swallowed hard, feelings she couldn’t place swirling in her head and her stomach. Did she really feel relief to hear someone had passed on from this life? Why did she feel relief at all? What kind of monster was she to feel this way? Miles did not seem particularly sad at the mention of Spiders mothers death. Na’vi could not have children without being mated for life, surely the sky woman had been his mate. If a Na’vi’s mate passed on in an untimely way, they were able to choose another to mate with, any other circumstance it was not possible to mate with another. 

The pink told herself it was because she had grown fond of Miles, she did not want to see him be alone. Part of being Na’vi was mating for life once you came of age and completed your trails. He would not need complete Iknimaya as he had already claim an Ikran, with her assistance, but he would need to have a Uniltaron to be full considered a member of any Na’vi tribe. Once he completed that, maybe another Na’vi woman would learn to accept and be fascinated with his five fingered hands as she had. 

The thought of another na’vi woman mating with him made her stomach turn sour, as if she’d eaten something gone to rot. 

“We could go look for him, take the Ikrans and go,” Vira suggested, pulling herself out of her own thoughts. She gently placed her pink hand comfortingly on his large, toned bicep. 

“Naw, he chose not to come with me.” 

She removed her hand from his arm, there was a silence between them. Questions and unspoken words hung in the air. Vira felt shifted uncomfortably on the balls of her feet, both equally avoiding not looking directly at each other. The pink Na’vi wanted to ask more questions but his words had felt final, putting a hard stop to the conversation.

Miles flicked his tail against her leg. “C’mon, let’s move out Princess.”

They pressed on further away from their Hometree. The farther they ran the more obstacles they encountered and Miles seemed to be fit to conquer them all, even if his mind was far away with the boy. His boy. Vira still tried to wrap her mind around it. 

Partially to distract herself and partially to distract Miles, Vira would slow her pace sometimes to let her own tail playful smack against Miles or wiggle it just out of his grasp, in turn Miles would try to playfully grab it. Vira played often with the children of her village and those of the other clans she visited, this was a common one played across the clans, it helped teach balance and coordination in the trees. Miles even succeeded once in successfully snatching her pink tail, eliciting a playful yelp from her as she snatched it back from his large blue paws. It made the large na’vi give her a fanged, triumphant smile. She rewarded him by sticking out her tongue. 

Vira was truly impressed by how well Miles did with managing to not fall from the trees and keep his eyes fixed on her tail. It all seemed natural to him, moving swift and graceful as he always seemed to. She always found herself comparing him to the great predator palulukan, graceful, strong, and deadly. Perhaps she could convince the Anurai clan to teach him how to ride one, it is what their rite of passage was instead of claiming in Ikran.  She had a good relationship with them, it was not unfathomable that she could persuade them. In her mind's eye she could practically see the large Na’vi male astride the equally large carnivore in full na’vi dress with a spear in hand. 

As they ran, they came across a large gap in their path that made Vira skid skillfully to a stop, Miles so close he nearly bumped into her. She could feel the heat of his closeness behind her, his body barely brushing against her. The feel of pants brushing gently against her bare legs, if she leaned her head back surely it would undoubtedly rest upon his chest. 

She felt him take a step back but not before she was nearly positive he took a deep inhale. Was he scenting the air, for her? The pink Na’vi pushed the thought away, he was just filling his lungs, they had been moving quickly for some time, attempting to catch his breath.

Her orange eyes measured the great divide between the branches of the great trees, obvious that it was far too large to jump but there were many vines in between they could swing from to get across, not an easy task to master. She looked down and saw the large leaves below that would catch them if they fell and bring them safely to the forest floor. 

Without warning, Vira quickly flew across the divide, swinging skillfully from vine to vine, ending up on the other side in a pink blur. He had not cared for her instruction the last time so she decided to let Miles figure it out for himself. 

She watched Miles from the branch across the split. She watched him take a deep breath and run and jump into the vines, he held strong and true amongst them but his movements were too slow and unsure from vine to vine. Each one swayed precariously, his arms while large and strong lost more and more strength. One needed to be quick and sure on the vines. 

Vira watched him slowly skid down a vine, the horror on his face as he tried to use his legs to stop from falling as gravity worked against him, she heard him let out a yell as he fell and smacked face first into a leaf. 

The future Tsahìk of the Tayrangi Clan let out a loud laugh. For the first time, she thought Miles did something that was not graceful.

Vira jumped down from the branch she stood on and let the large leaves of the jungle gently guide her down as she softened her limbs, bringing her to him in the rainforest lower level. He was laying on his back staring up towards the branches he’d just been in, breathing heavy. 

“Are you hurt?” 

From that fall he might have been swore but she was sure he would have no serious injury. 

“No darlin’, I could hear you howling like a damn prolemuris up in the damn trees so just my pride. ” grunting as he stood, he turned to show his backside to her “and my pants.” 

His whole backside was soiled with mud and sap all the way from kuru to his bottom. A large hole was exposed from his tail down, showing his under clothes. He’d either gotten stuck on something or it was simply a mix of overwear and then the friction on the vines. Vira changed twengs frequently to help prevent overworking of the cloth. 

Vira couldn’t help herself, she covered her mouth to try and hide it but seeing the large blue Na’vi such a mess, she let out small squeaks trying to coverup. Normally he was so sure and dexterous in all he did, seeing him so out of his element made tears prick at the corner of her eyes. 

Miles looked down at her, she felt the scrutiny in his eyes. She could see the flecks of gold in his yellow eyes at first she thought him mad but he just let out a small sigh of defeat. “It's alright let it out, Tiny. Laugh it up.” 

He gave into a little laugh too, even though his pride was bruised. 

“I don’t think I can fix” gesturing to his pants between small snickers. 

“Guess it's time for you to make me some skivvies.” 

—

Quaritch hated to admit, he really did but Vira had been right about his clothing being noisy. He felt ridiculous having his ass out in the jungle but on the other hand he felt like deadly silence as he moved swiftly through the trees, raining death from above with his bow to unsuspecting Hexapede, his prey of choice. He even managed to say the prayers over the bodies when he made a kill that Vira taught him without his voice dripping in sarcasm or rolling his eyes. Vira had yet to proclaim any of his conquests yet to be what she deem a clean kill, she said she still didn't feel he meant the words and would repeat the prayer after him so earnestly it tugged at something deep in his chest. 

While he did not believe in the tree god, no matter how often she tried to demonstrate the miracles or give him proof. The pink Na’vis faith was palpable, something pure, something to be admired. A devotion he’d never seen before and couldn’t fully comprehend.  Miles did admit there was something strange in the woods, something about it all. He did feel believe in what Grace Augisitbe had said about life being connected, he'd believe that since they'd drank the nectar in the woods but a diety? He could not stand all the circle of life. tree hugging crap. It was too much, a step too far for him.

Miles had been wearing the traditional Na’vi clothing for well over a week, he still marked the days but he’d have to count the marks to have any idea how long he’s been there. Maybe 20 or 25 days if he had to throw a number off the top of his head. Vira had added a new etching of him shooting the bow from a branch. The days in the jungle seemed to blur together and he found he didn’t hate it. Just like he didn’t hate the loincloth, or Tweng as Vira called them. She’d used his shirt and pants as the base materials of the ones he wore, each mostly the soft green of his shirt with a single thick strip threaded through the hide ties down the center of camo. It was a nice touch.

Vira has apologized to him for the size of the loincloth, the tweng, she’d said it was a bit smaller than she would have liked to make but he was rather large, even for a Blue. She’d explained in a more eloquent manner that her people, the Tayrangi, tended to cover their asses a little more than the clan Sully had joined but he found himself not minding and feeling more adjusted to the clothing. Each clan had different clothing customs, some wore intricate beadwork, others made clear armors, some made entire outfits just of leaves and flowers. While Quaritch had never been one to care about clothing as a human, always choosing functionality over any kind of fashion, learning the social customs around them for the different clans was at least mildly interesting. 

When he first started wearing the tweng he had continued to wear his belt and gun holster but felt it left him unbalanced when he made his way through the trees, which is exactly what Vira had told him the first time he’d put it on. He’d worn it a few more days just to spite her but but ultimately Miles had since abandoned the RDA standard issue holster and weapons days ago, leaving them somewhere back at their tree camp. 

He’d come to value Vira’s opinion, it was hard for him not to get annoyed and be gruff towards her at times with how often she proved him wrong but he reminded himself this forest moon was her home. She’d had a lifetime of living this way. He’d only been living this way for a few weeks. Qauritch was used to being the one barking orders and teaching new recruits, he scarcely remembered being a Boot himself it was so long ago. 

The recombinant Na'vi had come to appreciate her as a teacher, overall she was patient even when he got frustrated. She’d get a little pissy if he messed up too many times on his Na’vi, saying he knew better. Most of the time she was right,  he did know better and was just screwing up to push her buttons. More days than not she spoke to him in Na'vi now, he could understand her but did not always come up with a reply in the alien language and reverted to English. Her English was more than sufficient to understand what he said and parroted most of his phrases back to him in Na'vi. There were things he knew he'd never stop saying in English, they got lost in translation like the Recom Na'vi's pet names for his pink na'vi teacher, swears, and phrases. He couldn’t help himself.

To his surprise, Vira actually enjoyed some of his more colorful language in English and adopted saying them in his native tongue rather than her own.

They were hunting hexapede today and explored the jungle through the upper branches. Miles felt as though he was starting to know this part of the jungle just as well as Hellsgate or Bridgehead city, maybe even better. In the short time they’d been staying here, he and Vira had found common hunting grounds that he knew like the back of his hand. His movement through the branches was better every day. Miles felt himself getting stronger and moving with more ease, all of it becoming second nature and natural. He still needed to master swinging on the vines but he’d improved a hell of a lot since he fell and ripped his pants. 

From behind he watched as Vira’s little lithe body moved instinctively through the branches as though she was part Prolemeris. It never failed to impress him really how easily she moved from running to jumping to swinging on the vines in fluid movements. Miles closed the distance behind the small pink form he’d playfully tug on her tail. It’d become a game they often played when he walked behind her.

Vira turned to playfully hiss at him and slapped his hands away from her tail, shushing him playfully before speeding up to avoid him being able to tug at it again, as they hit all their normally hunting spots.  When they saw no Hexapede from the branches they took to the ground to look for tracks. 

Miles was surprised when Vira ushered him ahead of her letting him take the lead, choosing to follow behind him like a silent pink shadow. Even if he couldn't see her, he could smell her scent with his sensitive Na’vi nose, that syrupy scent that was just her. Even though they bathed before a hunt he could still always smell her natural odor underneath those slightly perfumy, lavender-like herbs. With each passing day Qauritch felt he became more and more aware of the cloying odor. Sometimes Miles found himself sniffing the air, seeking the scent. He wondered how between her overwhelming smell and the pink coloring she didn't get gobbled up by something. 

Miles remembers thinking before he could track her by scent anywhere within 100 clicks with his new and improved sense of Na'vi smell but he was starting to be damn near sure he’d be able to find her anywhere on Pandora.  That smell was forever ingrained into his senses.

Sometimes he swore he sought out her scent.

They padded quietly on the lush jungle floor, he knelt to observe the freshness of the tracks when a savage yowl filled the silence of the jungle. Miles turned around to face Vira, his ears swiveled, straining to discern where the sound came from and what it was. 

“Nantang”  Vira whispered, her orange eyes lighting up as a second strangled howl echoed through the forest. Why she was so excited to see a Viperwolf he couldn't fathom. He reflexively touched the side of his face which was now absent scars he’d gotten from one of his very first day on pandora.

“Za’u”  Come. She beckoned quietly, now laying on her stomach and started doing an army-style crawl on knees and elbows, keeping her small body low to the ground through the brush and towards the animal's pained cries.

Miles shrugged and slung his bow over his shoulder and joined her in crawling through the underbelly of the jungle, the back of his mind told him this was foolish and dangerous. This was not Kansas, this was Pandora.

“Are you sure you want to go in that direction?" He couldn't help but question her judgment. "Of that thing? They're meaner than a two-headed snake.”

She whipped her pink face around, cheeks slightly puffed out in annoyance white curls flailing as she held a finger to her lips to silence him. She moved her head in a gesture that he took for him to move closer. Miles dragged himself forward so their shoulders touched as they both laid belly down in the grass. 

Vira extended a petite pink finger towards an opening in the brush. Quaritch narrowed his yellows and saw that she was pointing towards a pair of Viperwolves, a larger male standing protectively over the smaller female that lay on the ground, letting out mournful, agonizing howls.

Miles understood immediately why Vira’s orange eyes lit up like fireworks to go get a closer look at the creature. The bitch was whelping, that's what those long, mournful cries had been for. He glanced between the Viperwolf pair and Vira, he saw the large male lean down over her every so often to give his bitch supportive licks on her muzzle as she let out her howls pierce through the jungle with quickening succession. Of course Vira had wanted to see the puppies, some things didn’t change even across species Miles mused to himself. She laid beside him clasping her hands together, whispering as gently as the rustle of the wind a little prayer in Na’vi repetitively. 

“Oh great mother, please let our sisters' labor come quick and safe. Let her and her mate have many healthy pups.”

They came quickly just like she prayed for alright, before he knew it Miles had lost count of how many pups there were but he figured at least five or six. They were a lot less threatening than their parents with their bright pink ears, yet to darken as they grew and matured. 

Vira and Miles sat in silence as they watched mom and dad lick each one clean of afterbirth and a few of the pups playfully nipped at each other's long ears. Quairtch couldn’t deny they were pretty cute. His yellow eyes looked over to Vira, she rested her pink cheek against her hand, a wistful look on her face as she stared at the infant Viperwolves. 

“Gotta admit, they’re pretty cute” he half whispered half drawled but he wasn’t looking at the pups anymore, he was looking at Vira. “For being little shits.” 

He ever so slightly stuck his tongue at her. 

That pulled her from her dreamy gazing and she lightly batted at his shoulder, not wanting to attract the attention of the proud parents.

 “You're the shit.” she whispered back to him with a big smile on her face. 

Miles let out a quiet laugh at his foul language rubbing off on the pink Na’vi. He clutched his chest over his heart in mock pain.

“You wound me, princess, here I thought we were sweet on me.” 

Her face flushed and she gave him a playful shove but didn't say anything, starting to creep backward from the pair of Viperwolves and their little brood back towards the game trail. 

Miles sat there for a moment, was he really flirting with the little pink Na’vi? 

He then gave a small sniff to the air out of instinct as she backed slowly away from him.

Not for the first time Miles thought to himself, what the hell was he doing? 

--

Last Chapter - Next Chapter

Master List

Mob! Bucky x Virgin! Best friend Reader?

Ooh this is new

Okay but imagine having Bucky as your best friend since childhood; your families were close and hence you two as well

And when his father passes, the title gets passed down to him. And he's not just your best friend anymore, he's Bucky Barnes the mob boss.

Of course, that never affected your friendship and you two remain close friends

And you tell each other everything.

Literally everything.

Which is the reason why you found yourself in this situation today; where you and Bucky were having a movie night

Sat on your couch in your pjs, just like when you were kids. And since the movie was boring, halfway through it, you decided to bring up something you've been wanting to do for a while now.

You were in your early 20s and still a virgin, not that there was anything wrong with it, but you simply wanted to change that.

But instead of just doing that with someone you don't know well, you decided to turn to the only man you could trust - Bucky.

And he was surprised. "You want me to what?"

You sigh and hit him with a nearby pillow. "Literally all I'm asking is for you to fuck me, is that too hard?"

"No it's not. I didn't even know that you were a v-" he stopped and took a deep breath. "Look, there's nothing wrong with that. You can wait for when you find someone you truly trust and-"

You cut him.

"That's why I'm asking you, Buck. I don't wanna do it with a stranger. I trust you." you tell him and for some reasons, the very thought of some other man touching you made him uncomfortable and almost angry.

"Are you sure?" he asks you again.

And you nod immediately. "A hundred percent."

He looks at you for a few seconds, then stares at your lips before he leans in and presses his lips to yours and pulls you onto his lap.

Okay but can you imagine? The big, bad mob boss being all gentle and careful with you?

Because he's had feelings for you this whole time but he was always scared of losing your friendship

So now that he finally gets to show you, he wants to make sure you're completely fine with it.

Imagine him asking you if you're okay at all times?

"Can I touch you?"

"Tell me if you want me to stop?"

"Are you okay with this?"

"Can I get rid of your shirt?"

"Can I touch you here?"

"Tell me if you're not comfortable, okay?"

To a point where you'd have to shut him up with a kiss each time he'd open his mouth to ask a question

Okay but imagine him taking it slow, being all gentle when he goes down on you;

Holding you like you were made of delicate glass

Kissing every inch of your body as he makes his way in between your hips

Being the first one to touch you like this gave him quite the rush, and he wanted to be the best you ever have

And when his mouth latches onto your sensitive clit, you can't help but moan at the pleasurable yet foreign feeling

I bet mob!bucky would want to make you cum as many times as he possibly can;

On his tongue

All over his fingers

Maybe on his tongue one more time before he asks you if you are okay again

And when you say you are, he pushes his erected cock in you

He's slow and gentle again; watching your face intently, looking for any signs of discomfort or pain

But you assure him you're okay and you want this.

Bucky cups your face in his large hands once he's entirely buried in you, and you ask him to give you a moment

He cups your face and kisses you deeply; and something in him flips like switch.

He doesn't want anyone else touching you like this ever again

"You're mine." he mumbled against your lips as he slowly moves against you; his cock slipping in and out of you

You whine and whimpered at the unfamiliar feeling; it's just a little painful given he was big but his gentle touch made up for it

He held you lovingly as he stared into your eyes while he fucked you slowly.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, panting as he had to hold back his need and desire to just fuck you like an animal

You nodded and slid your hands into his hair while he sped up just a little; moaning at how tight and warm you felt

He picks up his pace slowly, speeding into you only after he's certain that you're okay with it

Maybe he leans down to kiss you while he pounds into you

You tug on his hair and he moans through the kiss

You soon feel an unfamiliar feeling wash over you, a pressure in between your hips; sweet, agonizing and overwhelming

You moaned out loud and held on to his shoulders for dear life as he makes you cum

Your walls clench around him, and you throw your head back and cry out as you cum around him; your walls milking him until he came as well, right after you

He kisses your forehead as you come down from your high

You're both panting after you're done and Bucky simply just lays there, partially on top of you

And he gently caresses your face, affectionately

And you feel it too, the peace and comfort by being with him; but you're scared of losing him as a friend

"Are you okay?" he asks again, breaking the silence

You nod and tell him you're okay. You're more than okay actually.

"Would now be a good time to tell you that I've had feelings for you since forever?" he sounds so vulnerable

You smile and lean in closer to him, tucking your head under his chin, kissing his skin gently.

"Yup. Because then I'd tell you that I've had feelings for you for the longest time ever as well." you finally confess and he chuckles and pulls you into his arms

"You're mine." he whispers again and kisses the top of your head.

And you're fine with that; being his.

a/n: i want

Unlike a Knight

Sellsword Din Djarin x F!reader

PART 2 WC: 1,771 Inspired by my Knight!Din art Part 1 Tags: eventual smut 18+, explicit language (swearing but in a fancy olde english kinda way), descriptions of violence Join the taglist Masterlist

You had never liked the city. It was a habitat that demanded fast paces and flexibility which weren’t beyond your capability but mixed with the sheer number of people and the looming City Watch- you found it a place you were grateful to live far from.

However, since the city was a fair way away, it meant that if you needed to go there it would be no quick errand. And it was the very situation that you were in that warranted such a trip. Kuiil’s fever had worsened in only a few days to the point that you were now forcing him to stay in bed, and insisted on clearing out the inn for the day so that you could go to the wretched city and find the stubborn man some medicine.

You would have gone to see the local village healer for medicine but as luck would have you cursed, the healer had been arrested by the City Watch only the other week for reasons no one seemed to know- “malpractice” you were told and nothing more. You remained suspicious. So the city was both your last resort and your only choice.

So you set out at dawn with your woven market bag tucked into your belt and a headscarf on to keep your hair back. You crossed the short distance from the backstep of the inn to the stables, forcing the will for what you were about to face to fill you with each step.

Kuiil had never seen much use in keeping a horse in the stables for himself but he did have a mule named Blurg. It was rather a fitting creature for a man like him you supposed; slow but strong and reliable, grey, quiet but certainly stubborn. You liked Blurg but resented the fact that your journey into the city would only be made longer on his back.

Nevertheless, you hitched him up quickly and mounted him, kicking off from his stall with a gait just shy of a trot in the direction of the high road. The fresh air of the early early morning was undeniably pleasant and through your resentment for the circumstances that had you on this journey you were grateful for the clarity the air gave you- you hoped it might relieve you of the feverish thoughts you had been having concerning a certain sellsword.

Two days had passed since that rough-tongued sellsword had left the inn and your company but he was yet to leave your mind. No matter what you did you couldn’t stop your thoughts from shifting to him- scrubbing the blood he had left on the floor the next day, serving patrons, changing bed linens and taking others out to wash and dry- and what might’ve happened if he had grabbed you instead of that tankard of mead.

Nothing about the way he moved or spoke suggested that he would take you with any sort of delicacy- a display of self-entitlement and obnoxity that would have sent your hand across his face had it actually happened- but that only spurred on your thoughts, excited by the tension that had been apparent between you and him.

You thought about the finer details of him, filling in parts of him that you would likely never know with your purely indulgent fantasies:

His hair had been scruffy, curling over his forehead and sticking out in messy directions at the back of his neck, it looked like it could be feather-soft, a dream to run your fingers through. The hair at his ears came down to frame around the shape of his jaw, wiry hairs tracing over the top of lips that hid a rough tongue from view- a tongue that would be put to far better use if it were buried deep inside your own mouth or inside your cunt.

Those scruffy hairs on his chin would burn across your skin, tracks marked into you with his hungry mouth latched to your body as he proved that he preferred to drink from you over any mead...

The kind of man that was disguised by layers of amour and beskar could be anything you wished and only in those fantasy wishes would you submit to him; you knew that if he dared to come back into your life you’d be no more receptive to him and his obtrusive and harsh manner.

…

By the time the city came into near view, it was midday, the sun high in the sky. You didn’t dare take Blurg through the city so you found the stables outside the city walls, promising him you wouldn’t take long and sweetening your bond with the mule with a sack of oats you brought off the stable boy.

Once inside the city walls, past the invasive stares of the guardsmen posted at the gates, you took the main road to the heart of the capital. Even though you were moving on foot now, you made good time as your momentum was subconsciously encouraged to keep up with the flow of people around you. You knew there was probably a quicker way to get to the Masters’ Hall but you certainly weren’t going to chance any shortcuts down slim alleyways or streets you were unfamiliar with; at least from the heart of the city you could pick out the dome top of the Hall above the rest of the buildings and then go from there.

…

“You say this balm is for your father?”

The Master was old- younger than Kuiil, you were sure, but not so young-looking and he spoke like his throat was full of ash- so you didn’t bother to correct him in that Kuiil was your employer. “Yes, that’s right.” You said. You tried not to reveal how impatient you were growing at the slow pace with which the Master wrote down each ingredient with delayed strokes.

“You’ll need to apply this liberally to the back of his neck, forehead and chest twice a day- the powdered nerf hoof makes it smell something horrible but that’s an important part of it and shouldn’t be missed, see, its always the young girls like yourself that don’t use the hoofs because it offends their delicate noses but it is a very important part of the recipe so if you find it too bothersome-”

At this rate you would be there all day and night. “Thank you.” You said hastily, “When will he get better?”

The old Master huffed, clearly disappointed that you would not let him continue his leisurely ramblings about the sensitivity of a woman’s nose. He scratched down the last ingredient with his quill, the ink dropping across the rest of the page. “A week. If the nerf hoof bothers you so much perhaps your husband could mix-”

“Is all this enough for a balm that lasts a week?” you gestured at the amounts he had written on the list, aggressively avoiding the husband comment. Dangerous, dangerous territory. “I don’t want to come back to the city…” He looked up at you then, a look of patronizing agreement on his face that you tried to snuff out quickly by adding, “and leave him home by himself again.”

He dropped his quill to the table, ink left in the tip blotting against the edge of the paper which he then gave to you. “With the right rationing It is enough.”

“Thank you very much.” You started to back up to reach the door before he could steal more of your time.

“Of course, girl. Will you be needing anything else?”

You left with a “no” and another “thankyou” but he didn’t leave your heels until you had fully left the Masters’ Hall, the heavy door shut behind you.

You took a full five seconds to breathe in the outside air- not just to expel the stuffy air you had taken in inside the Hall but also to will the conversation to leave you.

There wasn’t much that made you anxious but the husband subject could clear you from a room faster than smoke rose from a fire. It wasn’t like you had never had offers of marriage or caught the eye of a handsome man but the concept- the expectations and the duties that came with becoming someone’s wife- was just too much for you to seriously consider without getting nervous. Marriages weren’t just about the man you were marrying after all, there were children that you were expected to carry and birth and then raise; a lifetime given over to the role of motherhood which would likely never end.

You had the utmost respect for women that wanted to and were proud to be mothers but when it came to you being a mother- you seriously doubted your capacity to do so well enough, it was simply easier to not entertain the option.

Once you had regained your outward composure, you checked over the list.

Some of the more common ingredients like bantha tallow or baywood leaves were things you would find easily back in your own village- for a cheaper price too- so you mentally struck those from the list for now. You weren’t about to waste time looking for deals. You started for the city market hoping to find the strange ingredients quickly, side tracked only by the luring smells of a bakery to which your empty stomach bent to.

The air was kicked out of you when the first thing your eyes fell on in the market was a figure in mismatched armor. The sellsword. He was scanning a blacksmith’s stall, arms crossed over his chest and looking to converse with the smith intermittently. Even from the back of him you could tell it was the same man who left you in such a flustered mess that night. The sight of him alone stirred something inside you, a low burning feeling that threatened to catch in your throat with equal parts of passion and anger.

You doubted he’d see you amidst the rest of the population of market goers- and if he did he surely wouldn’t recognize you- so you didn’t care to try and avoid him, moving right past him to the stall that promised noxious herbs and smelly nerf produce.

However, once you raised your voice to ask the vendor for the powder, the sellsword’s head snapped in your direction. He had noticed you. You kept your head forward, trying to sell the fact that you were ignorant to his presence-- and you would have done a good job of that display had he not started to approach you.

—

Sorry it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger- I feel like I've been working on this update forever (even tho there's several parts of it I'm not happy with) and its just a mess honestly so rip, here it is!.

Taglist: @gingersnappe-9 @literallydontlook @lady-djarin

I found this somewhere and I love it