Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with shock, and then infatuation.

The shock: Na’vi had joined the Resistance.

The Resources Development Administration was a great division, as the Resistance would woefully admit; alliance risked exposure and the loss of one's peoples.

It was a truth So'lek te Elusa Kiro'itan knew all too well

So when three na’vi clans joined the Resistance effort, he was shocked to say the least. 

There were the leaders of The Aranahe; Olo'eyktan, Ka'nat, and his headstrong daughter, the Tsahìk Etuwa.

The fierce champions of the Zeswa, Minang and Nesim, two sisters who ruled alongside one another.

Then there was the sole head of the Kame'tire, Anufi.

And her little mentee. 

An odd little character they were.

That’s when the infatuation began: A curious interest really, remembered only in the most convenient of times.

They never said much of anything, a gaunt, lanky figure that shadowed Anufi in silence. 

Tsahik's shadow.

An extra body in the room as they all plotted their next line of defense against the attacks, and in turn, So'lek barely noticed them.

Until he did.

Large, jade green eyes piercing through him with a shallow gape, just below the crown of their brow bone.

They were pretty, adorned in the garment and charm of their hidden clan; bangles and canteens of medicine clanked with every step.

Small shapely lips and mountains of thick hair tamed down into a tight braid, the shorter locks cradling their face.

But those eyes.

He was almost unsettled by the way they fixed on him, assessing the very soul of his secrets. It was a wonder they'd shy away when he returned the looks, averting the stare with a slow downward turn.

And that was that.

When So'lek polished his weapons or sipped on a strong brew he'd forget about them completely, honest he would.

But when the clans would meet up to discuss their plans,

And he'd see the apprentice,

The infatuation would blossom all over again.

It became their little routine.

So'lek's eyes grew homely with the idea of resting on them; watching as they studied the scene ahead, attuned for what elaborate outfit they arranged for that day.

And they'd be staring right back at him.

Those damned eyes..

Swallowing him whole with a strict glare, drowning him in a deep abyss of whipped shamrocks and glassy emeralds.

Then they'd just turn away, curbed by a sort of shyness after they'd managed to suck the soul out of him.

They couldn't be shy, not with a stare down like that

So So'lek had many questions 

But most burningly, he longed to learn the name of the staring na'vi

That wish would soon be granted. 

A meeting had dispersed, H.Q.'s members were scattered amongst the base, tending to their own. That left a certain someone alone in the conference room: Tsahik’s shadow.

They stood solo for the first time since he'd seen them, toying with the wool felt of a blackboard eraser.

Their gaze fixated on it like a precious find, pressing a nail into its prickly material.

So'lek cleared his throat silently as he prepared to speak.

Switching to Navi almost felt mechanical given how much time a day he spent interacting with humans, but he managed:

" Oel ngati kameie,"

It rang out more confidently than he had expected.

The herbalist's ears twitched at the greeting; they looked at him, face lighting up—So'lek was relieved.

" Hello Warrior. I am Okul."

Okul touched their head charm, mirroring the gesture respectfully.

Their words were smooth and depthy, not at all as So'lek had imagined.

Okul.

He breathed.

" I am So'lek."

Okul smiled.

"I know who you are."

They tittered playfully, setting the fidget down on a nearby desk.

" You've been with the Resistance for some time now."

So'lek shifted

" I'm aware I don't have the best reputation with everyone."

So'lek knew he was at the center of some controversy in regards to his vengeance. Not all, humans and na'vi alike, agreed with his violent methods. He didn't care for their agreement, he only sought to avenge the name of his people.

And he certainly didn't care for what Okul thought.

" It's all in the perspective. Pandora needs someone to look after her as she does for us." Came Okul's response 

The warrior felt his lip twitch, a balmy warmth puddling in the pit of his stomach.

So'lek shifted again.

" And you must be Anufi's apprentice."

" Tsakarem. It's good to be in her presence again."

The herbalist took a breath, letting it go in a muted gust as they stared at the ceiling.

" You seem very fond of her, "

 He commented. The hunter had observed Okul for a number of weeks now, and if at all they rarely left her side.

 " That I am. She's out of hiding and in her element again. It's nice to see her free from Mokasa's grasp— the Kame'tire need the guidance of a sound leader."

The mentee gushed, looking back to him once they'd finished their spiel.

" Anywho, what brings you to me, So'lek?"

So'lek froze.

It didn't feel right to say he'd come over just to learn their name. The warrior surveyed the room, finding solace on the lounge chalkboard. A disarray of scribbles and shapes cluttered its left corner, small doodles that hadn't been there when the meeting ended, no doubt.

" I, uh, I see you are quite the artist."

Okul smiled knowingly. He wasn't fooling anyone, he could see it on their face, but they played along.

"Hm, I suppose so. I dabble in the craft from time to time."

They humored, tracing the panel border with a thumb before rubbing the starchy dust between their fingertips.

" Do you draw, yourself?"

" No, not anymore. I was never much good at it in my youth," he answered quickly 

The herbalist hummed, turning to face the board again.

" It's a wonderful outlet. A way to express one's emotions and creativity"

Okul picked up the chalk stick, fondling it mindfully.

" I'd say I'm feeling rather... thoughtful today."

" What about?" So'lek grew curious.

" I don't think there is enough space to scribble it here," they were mumbling now assessing what room their artistry had left them.

So'lek stared and so the mentee pressed on:" About a lot; Anufi, what that block is made of, about what can be done to recover the damage."

So'lek's ears flickered up

" The damage?"  

It was amongst the topics they briefed through at the gathering: the pollution that plagued Pandora with every plant the RDA assembled. Okul did a lot of staring, but they never contributed to any of the topics. What they thought of a solution, one could only wonder.

The hunter blinked, curious still.

" So make more,"

And he grabbed the block from it’s new home on the desktop, walking over and cleaning the board—
wiping their illustrations away with just a few quick swabs.

" Fascinating," Okul dragged in a sonorous drawl, though seemed pleased with the new found emptiness of the board. They began conjuring up a messy sketch-- a smoke cloud, rounded off with those bumpy edges.

" It occurred to me, our planet is fiercely resilient. Pandora is able to recover quickly from the poison of the sky people, but how to combat the pollution faster than the RDA can make it I wondered. The resistance is only so big, disabling site after site seems to take away focus from other attacks at large."

A hand moved dexterously over the blackboard’s surface, filling a quarter of it with a sloppy design. It was chaotic but impressive for a quick sketch.

" I looked over the, how do you say, schematics and it seems most of the facilities use the same model as observed in a so called ' tap con 1'. I had many days to look it over while I was under Siul's apprenticeship. I never knew what it all meant until now. Anyways, this is where I think nuumďioyg can help."

So'lek was fimilar with nuumďioyg. A vibrant pink plant that bloomed to great heights, jaded by a strong floral scent and thick humidity. The plant appeared on the slate in a simplified motif, paired with scraping sounds as chalk worked restless in Okul's grasp.

" The nuumďioyg is known for regulating it's surrounding temperature so it flourishes, growing in any environment. Back at Siul's study base, they crashed the cooling unit I recall. I think if enough were planted close to the sky people camp, it could crash their cooling units as well." 

So'lek staggered closer, absorbing the map out on the board in contemplative silence.

" To regulate enough ground, they'd have to border the frontier," the nav'i pondered aloud.

" This is a good plan—- but, most of these systems have a back up generator. What then?"

Okul's tail flickered behind them.

" You know, I thought of that. I don't think it'll matter, truthfully. If enough were to cover the frontier as you say, the effects would be three times that needed to impact the first cooling unit."

So'lek hummed, zealous.

" It's brilliant."

And it really was. The herbalist beamed, a meek grin glowing on their face. Yet the hunter was curious, still.

" Why..didn't you bring this up before?" He couldn't help but ask.

Okul's tail stilled at the question. They knitted their digits behind them in a modest link, eyeing the hunter.

" I don't speak the tongue of the sky so well. I'm afraid not everyone would understand me. And I must confess, I am a bit out of my element." they admitted.

So'lek hummed again, understanding this time.

" I'll bring this up with the rest of the Resistance." 

Okul seemed pleased.

" Thank you. I'm glad my drawings could be of some help." They turned to face the board, admiring their work.

" Brilliant," they murmured as So'lek had,  reminiscing to themselves.

So'lek cleared his throat, as it felt suddenly tight.

He stood there awkwardly, and they stood by the board, hands still behind their back. 

Staring yet again.

They watched him, his demeanor and strain, large eyes scanning down his body carefully. With time the gaze traveled back up as they rocked, ever so subtle back and forth. A silence hung in the air.

" Was there, anything else you wanted to ask me?" Okul questioned, their words serene, a soft smile playing on their lips.

" No."

So'lek pressed out and Okul hummed.

" I should be leaving now, to get things in order for the night."

" I understand." Their smile lingered.

" Good night. It was nice meeting you Okul."

" It was nice meeting you as well, So'lek. Good night."

At that So'lek turned to leave. The farther he got, the less tight his throat seemed to feel. 

He threw a final peak over his shoulder, just in time to see Okul fooling with that eraser again.

Staring at him with a parting glance, again.

They looked as they always did, enchanting in their cultural garb, sharp green eyes watching him go as the piece rested heedless in their hands. 

Only his chest grew with a new found ardor, putting a name to that face.

Okul.

Okul.

~

So'lek upheld his promise and later led the rest of H.Q. to look at Okul's work.

It was remotely the same aside from a few accessories they had added after he'd left.

Once So'lek explained what everyone was looking at, they too thought it was brilliant. And once they had figured out a planting system, Alma appointed some members to be on "nuumďioyg duty" and everyone immediately got to work.

" Nuumďioyg— why didn't I ever think of that? It's natural and unsuspecting, like the everyday flora of the frontier. It's genius." Alma rambled quietly with her hands on her hips.

" Sky people and Na’vi do not think alike." So'lek hissed back, a string of venom in his voice. Alma shrank, slightly hurt by the remark, but she was well aware of So'lek's stance by then. 

The nav'i in question suddenly perked up, as if remembering something.

" One more thing," all traces of bitterness had gone as he walked towards the board.

" Shoot." Alma responded, waiting patiently.

So'lek turned back to her, blackboard eraser in hand.

" What is this block made of?"

Chapter Text

So’lek didn’t see Okul for days after their initial meeting.

Regardless, the planting continued. Within a few weeks, nuumďioyg lined the outskirts of every border where so much as a static signal was picked up.

It was all worth it; numbers for pollution interference dropped down significantly; everyone could feel the difference in the air.

Except for Okul. They were no where in sight to see the fruits of their doodling.

So’lek always kept an eye out, hoping he’d see them again. But he didn’t.

At times Anufi even showed to meetings without them. The hunter wondered if they always took long breaks between their visits at H.Q. He’d hadn’t noticed before if so. He only wished to share the success their ideas had brought.

So he waited.

And Okul’s absence only continued.

Days passed, So’lek grew anxious though hid it well. It was on an off day when he finally saw Okul again. The hunter left base camp to craft his newest longbow, then he spotted them—squatting idly by a large tree, crouching in it’s shade. They honestly seemed to have manifested out of thin air.

So’lek paced himself as he walked over, longbow forgotten. He hadn’t realized how his eyes missed the sight of Okul; their unmoving glare, big enough to get lost in— their outfits filled with a bounty of exciting colors and textures. This time they wore two buns, a pair of cowry shells unlucky enough to be tasked with all that hair. An earth toned, beaded necklace graced their neck while a red hemp straw skirt lie woven carefully around their waist.

“ I see you, Okul.”

The herbalist smiled, a welcoming kind of smile that made their eyes squint as they did.

“ As do I So’lek. It is nice to see you again.”

So’lek cleared his throat. There was that tightness again.

“Your drawings were very beneficial. The drilling sites near the frontiers are mostly down, like you predicted.”

“ Yes? Most fascinating. I am happy it worked out for the better. Using the forest to help the forest, now that is very fascinating indeed.”

Okul’s smile softened as they gazed up at him.

“ How do you find yourself today?”

They tilted their head to one side, studying his face as if the answer to their question was lost deep in his features. So’lek took a large breath.

“ Fine, fine. And you? You’ve been absent.”

Okul did the same, chest swelling as they filled it with air, then collapsing once they set it free again. The mentee adjusted themselves, sitting cross legged in the grass.

“ I’ve been in the square, tending to the village needs. I must say it is quite new territory for me, though I have Zamhil for guidance most days.”

“ You are tsakarem after all.”

So’lek breathed, bending down until he was eye level with the na’vi. Okul shrugged, uprooting a small floret from its roots in the dirt.

“ I’m honored to hold that title, no doubt. Anufi’s priorities lie with the resistance now. Only, the Kame'tire’s priorities lie with repair, like a broken heart that needs to be fixed. And there is much to fix.”

They spoke low, twirling the stem between their fingers. So’lek honestly couldn’t tell if they were burdened by all this. He would know soon enough; they continued.

“ The Kame'tire.. need a sound head now more than ever. Without Mokasa’s apprenticeship and Anufi here, the responsibilities fall to me. Growing up in the aftermath of the Sarentu’s downfall wasn’t always easy; the aura of tragedy has lingered with my people like a third entity. But it’s home. At times all I want to do is repair it—- at others, it’s nice to get away from the somberness of it all.”

Okul sighed, a distant look in their eye as the words trailed off in a hushed murmur.

“ I see.” So’lek replied. Were they running away from the somberness now? Was that the only reason why he was seeing them again?

“ A sad little haven but The Hollows are the only home I’ve ever known.”

The warrior allowed their statement to echo in silence. He must’ve waited too long— Okul side eyed him before straightening up.

“ I’m sorry, this is not your burden to carry.”

So’lek shook his head.

“ It is ok. I remember the downfall of the Sarentu. Sky people came down and ravished the clan’s youth, leaving nothing but ash and destruction behind. I heard the news several days after it occurred; I had only ten years.”

“ Oh,” They perked up with severed interest.

“ Your clan lies clear in my memories too. It was on rare occasions, but Trr'ong used to trade with Kame'tire. I recall the perfumes, but mostly the many spices. There was this one spice I loved, if only I could remember it now; a fine red powder that has a smokiness to it, with a hint of sweet,” So’lek motioned with his hands as if he could taste the seasoning at that instant.

This earned a laugh from Okul.

“ We have many spices like that. Was it furnbud perhaps?”

“ No not that.”

The herbalist thought hard, pressing their pointer to their lips.

“ Hmm. Tapoïrlic?”

So’lek snapped.

“ Yes, that was it. I loved it most on my sturmbeest kababs. Oh, and with li-ļi root sautéed, just a sprinkle on top.”

Okul laughed again.

“ Yes, the Kame'tire have an abundance of spices. We are very resourceful with what’s around, given trading with outside clans has seized for some years— although,.. My memories don’t span so far I’m afraid. I hope one day the old ways will be restored.”

The hunter’s lips tightened and he gave a soft nod. The herbalist smiled before suddenly moving closer to So’lek.

So close, in fact, that he could see thin lines from where their face paint had cracked.

The na’vi flinched away slightly, but not quick enough to miss them tucking the wilted bud into his hair.

So’lek was taken aback. He sat, bewildered for a time before his radio saved the moment. A choppy white noise sounded, then a clicking, and then a voice:

“ Hey, So’lek are you there? We have some coordinate data from the RDA, could you come and take a look if you have a minute?”

The hunter cleared his throat.

“ I must go.”

He got right up and walked off without another word.

~

With one set of issues solved came another; Head Quarters was positively buzzing with activity. Everyone mingled following the latest raid on the RDA.

So’lek’s muscles ached from a long day, his fingers sore from an adept grip on his gun. His own asset was a very.. tactical approach to say the least, but everyone at H.Q. respected it. Five new dogtags jangled as he paraded the halls towards an exit. The na’vi craved a cool rinse by the water after such an event, a thorough dip in its crystalline waters to wash away his sins. So’lek passed the common room stopping in his tracks when he spotted something familiar.

Someone familiar.

“ Okul,”

He knocked on the door frame to get the herbalist’s attention.

It worked, their queue whipping around as they turned to him with a smile.

“ Ah, Warrior. I was just collecting these visuals for Anufi. How did the mission go? Was it alright?”

So’lek was glad to replace their routine staring contests with some insightful conversation, despite how awkward and abruptly their last had ended (and despite the fact he was gonna bring up what the new set of issues at HQ were).

“ Well, I need your thoughts on something.”

“ Certainly. What is it?”

The herbalist asked.

“ It’s about your clan, in a way.”

Okul’s expression immediately switched to one of concern.

“ Oh no, did something happen?”

Their brows furrowed anxiously, a small frown troubling their lips.

“We dealt with some ferals today.”

So’lek answered flatly.

“ Yes, the lost souls. The poor things can be quite unpredictable; one almost claimed me had it not been for the Sarentu.”

Okul seemed worried, hands fidgeting as they waited for So’lek to conclude his point. He wasted not a moment more.

“ This was the first time I’ve seen a corrupt flrrtsawl. It seems the sky people are starting a new twisted line of experimentations. I know flrrtsawl are valued amongst your clan, you must have some insight on their behavior.”

A flrrtsawl sighting was a rarity beyond the Western border; So’lek himself had seldom seen them in his lifetime. Who better to ask of the creature than the Kame'tire, whose ears fell at his report.

“ Flrrtsawl; the great ones. It is only the start of their migration period.” Their tone was laced with sorrow.

“ And where are they going?” So’lek asked.

“ The White Moss Forest, of course; those grounds are sacred to the Great ones. They gather for their harvest every decade, pollinating the surrounding sector. They help provide the food in our gardens.” Okul replied.

“ There must be a way to keep them away from the RDA plants.” So’lek pondered.

“ Why should they keep away from their home? It is those hurting them that should keep away.” There was a new agitation to their response, a flicker of pain.

“ You’re right,”

So’lek knew the feeling; it was not a new one when it came to the sky people. Why should they have any grace?

Okul dwelled on it for just a moment.

“ We Kame’tire can create disorienting smoke bombs to divert the sky people. Even without breathing it in, it’s a nuisance; the pigment isn’t so quick to come off.” They pitched, a fire in their gaze.

“ That’s a good plan. They should be set far from your clan to mislead the RDA further.” The hunter added.

And Okul agreed: they nodded though the resolve had vanished, in its place a show of grief. Their brows knitted, eyelids heavy above the feverish glow on their cheeks. It was the saddest So’lek’d seen the apprentice since knowing them, he was actually worried they might start to cry.

“ Do you think they remember? Losing their Kuru? Such a sacred thing, one might say the heart, the very pulse of who they are: conversation, soul and memories, ripped away just like that. Quick and fast, I hope. For their sake I can only hope it was quick and fast and they don’t remember any of it.” Okul shivered, rubbing an arm pitifully.

“ We will fix this Okul,” So’lek assured stilling their hand with his own.

“ I trust you are right.” They flashed a weak smile though it quickly faded, not quelled by his promise.

“ I wonder what it must be like. To be forever disconnected from the great mother with no way in. I wonder if they ever feel lost or lonely. It pains me to think about.” Okul wasn’t talking about the flrrtsawl this time and So’lek knew it.

The sky people.

Resentment built in his chest, memories of his training, honing his skills for revenge against their rampage flooded his brain. How his life had changed— one day spent with family the next a lost man roaming Pandora with no clan to call his own. He thought and thought until it finally bubbled over, surging out of his mouth in a hateful rant:

“ It would explain their thoughtless actions. It’s just ‘take and destroy’, seeking bloodshed and riches. Why can’t they understand that riches lie in the things they destroy? Then again, how could they? They’ve no heart and no mind without tshaylu to Eywa. Just cold, dead like their cold dead planet. Those who are already dead won’t feel when they’re slaughtered.”

He thought back to the raid. The mutated beasts stripped of their sanctity. The others not yet tainted by the heinous procedure, freed back into the meadows where they belonged. Opening fire on the researchers, sharp bullets ripping them apart. Slaughtering them. Then he looked back to Okul.

Their eyes were wide as if watching his thoughts like a movie. The roles were switched since last they spoke, now it was So’lek’s turn to adjust as the herbalist let his tirade echo in silence.

“ I… I shouldn’t have said that.” He apologized

Okul put up a hand.

“ There is no need to apologize. It pains you as it does me — I understand how you must be feeling.”

The warrior sighed. He felt oddly eased by their words.

“ I have much to be grateful for, that I know. Then I remember what they’ve done— and how much more I have not to be. How could they?”

He asked, an allusion of vulnerability veiled in his voice.

“ Perhaps we misunderstand each other. The na’vi hold tshaylu. The sky people, I don’t know. A different connection? I can only picture loss and loneliness, maybe I’m wrong. But the gap can’t be bridged as it is here, with the resistance. Hurt lies in that gap.”

So’lek shook his head, soured by the insight.

“ Not everyone is good, Okul.” He remarked darkly.

Okul breathed.

“ Yes. But I remind myself that not everyone is bad, either.”

~

So’lek got his wish once he’d finished speaking with Okul. He was grateful to wash, submerging his head below a liquid surface. The na’vi was still, letting the ambiance of water engulf him, depriving himself of air until he couldn’t stand it anymore. So’lek shot back up, sucking in raged breathes as he brushed strands back from his face.

After, he swayed in his hammock, wet droplets clawing down his chest. He felt unrest despite it all.

Memories of Okul streaked through his mind. That saddened look heavy on their face..

I remind myself that not everyone is bad, either.

Those same thoughts settled him, lulling him into restless sleep as they morphed into imaginations of an alternative ending.

He was up again just before the sun. The air was crisp with a twilight chill; the smell of  freshly ground coffee beans swirled in the morning dew. Pandorian coffee was amongst the few foods that weren’t toxic to humans. Alma Cortez indulged in that truth every chance she got.

So’lek found her in the lounge, working the moka pot as she did. Her curls were freshly fluffed. She was looking well rested, dressed in a clean outfit and ready to take on the day— almost ready anyways.

“ There you are. First cup is yours.”

The woman was already pouring a brew into his signature wooden cup. She’d been expecting him, of course; So’lek was the only other up at such an hour.

“ I’m not myself before coffee, I know that’s one thing the two of us share.”

Alma handed off the cup, warming both hands around her own mug. The warrior nodded, muttering his gratitude then taking a sip. Alma did the same.

“ How’s it going? I know yesterday was tedious, but the shutdown was a success, thanks to you.” She said peering up at the na’vi.

“ No need, I am a part of this Resistance, remember.” He rejected her thanks.

“ Yes I remember,” the woman assured meekly, letting steam caress her face.

So’lek continued to drink, savoring each taste. He hummed, ears forward with delight as he went in for another sip.

“ Do you like it? I tried simmering, it seems to have enhanced the flavor.” Alma perked up, noticing the change herself.

“ Excellent.”

“ Well that’s saying something.” She was pleased.

“ I am not tough to please, Dream Walker.” The warrior eyed her.

The woman huffed, charmed.

“ Say that three times fast. Do you remember during training, you made Louis fire at a target 70 times without reload like it was nothing?” She recounted, smirking in disbelief at the idea alone.

The warrior but shrugged.

“ What can I say, there is little room for error. That goes without my expectations.” He defended.

“ Or what about when you were installing that shade sail? I can’t recall, you refolded it how many times?”

Alma laughed, gaping playfully.

So’lek couldn’t defend himself, so he groaned instead.

“ It is too early for this taunting,” he dragged, though it tickled him and Alma could tell. She cleared her throat once the tickle had stewed.

“ Louis seemed to improve so much in just that day. And you’re right: there is so little room for mistakes, with trained RDA soldiers.” She admitted, tracing the rim of her cup.

“ The kids are eager to help. It’s their right, to want to protect their planet.”

“ They’re not kids anymore, Alma.”

Alma sighed.

“ I know. Only Wi’iynn will handle the weapons. The others won’t so much a pick up a rifle, and I won’t ask them to. Ever.”

“ Not everyone can handle the Sky People’s metals. They will learn the Na’vi way soon enough.” So’lek was sure of it. The woman looked up at him with a tight lipped grin.

“ It’s good for them. I’m glad they have you around. And so many like you, here at base.”

She took another swig, swallowing quickly as a thought came to her.

“ I saw you talking with someone the other day, Okul was it?”

“ Maybe.”

So’lek contemplated dully.

“ Yes Okul, they helped with the plants. Such a brilliant idea. It’s amazing what so many brilliant minds can do when they come together.”

Alma breathed, kneading the cup handle with her thumb.

“ It’s nice to have camp so busy again. Soon enough we’ll need more shade sails to accommodate all the new people,” She hid her laughter with a hand.

“ I will never rest.” So’lek moped, but he was amused.

Not everyone was good, but in spite of everything, Alma Cortez was. She had her flaws undoubtedly, but regardless, he treasured their morning catch ups over coffee. And he knew that Okul was right with what they’d said about the sky people.

Not everyone is bad, either.

And So’lek intended to tell them so when he saw them next. The herbalist seemed upset their last few conversations, maybe it would put them in good spirits. They clearly beat him to it, however, because the next time he saw them they were bounding right up to him, a cheeky, well spirited grin on their face.

“ Okul,” the corners of his mouth twitched, looking down at the apprentice.

“ I have something for you,” they stated almost matter-of-factly, their hands behind their back.

“ I do not accept gifts.”

The words slipped out, harsh before he could soften them.

“ Is that so?” Okul was unaffected by his tone, however, leaning into one of their little head tilts. So curious they were and he, so bewitched with jade, a hazey glimmer that reflected their wonder. It rubbed off on him, So’lek just couldn’t help himself.

“ What is it?” he entertained, a raise to his brow.

Okul chuckled to themselves. Instead of answering they started combing their side pocket— their face grew more perplexed the more they dug.

“ Hmm, it’s definitely in here somewhere,”

The herbalist raided their many pouches, pulling out from loose dried medicinals to a large amethyst gemstone— it was actually getting a bit comical. They finally found what they were looking for: a bottle of red powder, wrapped carefully with a palm seal.

“ That’s-”

“ Tapoïrlic. I aged it myself for several months. I do hope it’s as you remember. But be careful removing that cork. The blow back can make you sneeze.”

Okul pretended to sneeze noiselessly into their elbow, laughing at their own antics. The amusement died as he hesitated.

“ Will you accept it? Please, take it.”

They were dead serious now.

So’lek couldn’t refuse, not with them asking so nicely, not with those pleading eyes.

So he accepted, squeezing the jar in his fist as he inspected it.

“ I appreciate this Okul, really I do. It’s like… I’m holding a little piece of my childhood. Thank you.”

The tsakarem was smiling again.

“ It was nothing, really. You can have as many spices as you want. I have so many back home it’s almost more than I can deal with.”

So’lek was raising a brow again.

“ I’m sure you do.”

“ It’s true. Even a herbalist can have too many herbs.” Okul insisted, leaning against a wooden column.

“ From threafsap to smoked pepper- athough threafsap is a staple; I could go through half a jar in a single day. Oh, and calendula! It seems someone’s always in need of a poison oak remedy— though it has so many more functions besides soothing an angry rash. It can be crushed and made into a paste that helps protect wounds from infection. And so fragrant too- I especially love using it as an ambrosial in my soups and elixirs,”

Once they started they couldn’t seem to stop. They could sure go off about their passion, but So’lek found himself clinging to every word, watching their face light up as they babbled away.

“ There’s a plant for each type of ailment; spineberry fruit leaves for when one has too much sugar, for instance— calms the hyper state. Prioestock does just the opposite of that, giving an outburst of energy, keeping one alert, their eyes open for what’s to come.”

So’lek just couldn’t help himself:

“ A spice you would never need; you have no problem keeping your eyes open,” he jested, referencing Okul’s persistent staring.

It took them a minute, but they seemed to know what he was talking about. The herbalist laughed, a scoffing kind of laugh with a hand clasped to their breast plate.

“ You’re teasing,”

Their brows were furrowed but they held the same well spirited smile from before.

So’lek held one back, watching Okul twiddle their wooden buttons. Then they got right back into it:

“ If you wish to keep them shut, lavender is good for that. Such a sore to dry, though; the sweet spot seems to be about 3 weeks, but it’s worth the trouble, helping slow the mind for sleep.”

“ And you have trouble sleeping?”

The hunter questioned.

Okul hummed amiably.

“ Slowing the mind perhaps. Sleeping, in turn, doesn’t come easy. I lie awake most nights, buried in my thoughts.”

“ Me too.” So’lek mumbled after a pause, thinking about how restive he’d been the last few night. For whatever reason, this stirred something in Okul.

“ That’s just it, Warrior! We are both creatures of the night, cloaked by dark, taunted by thoughts.” The herbalist bellowed almost histrionically.

“ A late meal would chase those thoughts right off, if you fancy it. I’d love to have you, we have more visitors in the clouded forest now so you’d be more than welcomed.”

So’lek’s heartbeat quickened, picturing himself following Okul into the luminescence, trailing behind them before they both disappeared in the shrubs of a lively forest.

“ I.. I can’t. There’s lots to do here at HQ.”

He declined, putting up hand. Okul bowed slightly.

“ Oh, forgive me, I don’t mean to overstep.”

The warrior shook his head, quick like his heartbeat .

“ No… It’s wool by the way,” he suddenly interrupted himself, a memory rushing back.

“ Hmm?” The herbalist was confused, unfollowing.

“ The block, it’s made of wool.”

The eraser Okul had marveled at all those days ago; only then had he thought to answer the mentee’s burning question. Okul caught on quickly, smiling again.

“ Aha, wool you say. Fascinating .”

~

That night So’lek returned to the safety of his hammock, spice bottle tight in his clasp.

He recalled the flavors of his youth, traditional dishes of the Trr'ong. They’d resided far, near the of Hallelujah Mountains, beneath the greenery that climbed into a protective blanket over the shelters of a community. His community.

He thought of gentle banter between old friends, his own pact of spirited youth kicking a coconut ball in the dirt.

He thought of his clan, his mother and her cooking, her warm bowls of ginger milk.

He thought and thought until fatigue grew heavy behind his eyes. He exhaled, thoughts flushing from his head before surrendering to sleep.

Chapter Text

Wild pastures of greenery held a flourescent glow under the dark’s mantle. Blades fussed in the nightly draft, but despite their hostile wind dance, they made a welcoming bed for two na’vi to watch the eclipse. Only one watched the skies; the other watched his counterpart, their figure rested perfectly in the grass as though they belonged there—high cheeks and a smile on their lips. Those lips, a gentle curve paired with brilliant eyes; a stunning mane of locs tumbling out all around them in a maze like sprawl. They really had a lot of hair, it was hard to tell just how much with it always kept in eccentric updos or plaits.

Now it was So’lek’s turn to stare.

Okul had invited him to watch the eclipse with them; the herbalist marveled at a celestial showcase while he marveled at… how different they looked in the night light.

“ A rare moment of quiet. I’d almost forgotten what it feels like,” Okul sighed, admiring the sky.

So’lek nodded in agreement. He was used to quiet, spending so much of his time alone, but this kind was different.

“ I like watching the world go quiet. It reminds me of days when it was always that way.” He remarked, watching the herbalist. He watched as the moonlight glimmered on pale blue skin, accenting their sharp profile etched into a starry canvas. He watched their smile deepen, eyes squinting into the crescent shape it always did when they smiled.

“ Back home, you have to climb some rocks to get a good view of the eclipse, everything being so sheltered and all.” The tshakerm stretched up to the stars.

“ Look there is mated ikran’s constellation!” 

They pointed out abruptly, settling into the rest of their stretch. So’lek turned to the display, mapping out a pattern all na’vi knew well, but he didn’t stay that way for long. There were far more fascinating things to look at than constellations.

“ There are many different characters to watch the stars with too, though I mostly watch them on my own.” Okul added.

So’lek hummed, and they went off:

“ Uwol will not join me. He’s a hothead; flipped a desk once because I asked for more wax. Sour and harsh with words, yes, but Uwol means well. It’s refreshing, actually, to have someone so honest with you. Not many are these days.”

They pulled their eyes away from the stars for a moment, undoubtedly remembering Mokasa lies, So’lek was sure of it.

“I feel you two would get along,” Okul said finally shaking the trance, though they weren’t done.

“ And Setral, she’s an old soul. She has an aversion to leaving the old grounds and lives alone. Really she’s just hurt and it’s hardened her heart. I check in with her from time to time, bringing hot meals or conversation. She’ll tell me to go but she likes the company. We have many great talks.”

Okul talked about pretty much every member of their clan and what they were like; within a half hour, So’lek felt he could strike up a conversation with any one of them like they were lifelong friends. And it took that full half hour before Okul’s smile faded, lost in the galaxies that reflected in their stare.

“ I’m talking too much,”  they mumbled in a voice so low it was almost to themself. They turned to So’lek.

“What about you? Do you watch the stars with anyone? A friend perhaps?”

The warrior stilled. After a moment, he spoke.

“ I’m close with no one, not since I lost my people. The battle,.. All my friends are dead.”

Okul closed their eyes.

“ I’m, so sorry,” they apologized, letting the stillness linger before turning to face him.

“ Are we friends?”

~

Before long the two went their own ways, Okul vanishing into the dark while So’lek camped in a nearby tree, cradled by it’s branches. He settled, reminiscing on the stargazing.

He thought of the herbalist, their smooth voice rambling on for hours about absolutely anything. Their admittedly pretty eyes and smile.

He didn’t know what it was, but Okul made him feel so many things.

Are we friends?

When the first sign of day broke, So’lek ventured back to base camp. There he found Alma; they shared their morning drink together before he freshened up for the day. The quietness extended to headquarters; there hadn’t been any significant agency activity in days. So’lek used those first few moments of quiet to work on new attire. He trimmed some freshly dyed fabric to his desired length with a pair of sears, then began to sew it into place.

His regular loincloth rotation was worn and frankly he needed another. It only took a couple minutes for the task to be done. After, the na’vi sat in silence with his handiwork, a hush gently broken when the forest whistled with wind. So’lek was glad. He ached for a hunt and the forest had granted him one.

The hunter let the energy in his hands fizz out before preparing, folding the stretcher he used for his solo hunts. He was on the way to grab his longbow when he was stopped by two young na’vi. 

One had chin length black hair, half hidden in a cap, dressed in a graphic tee. The latter didn’t have any human wear; he was dressed head to toe in pieces from various na’vi cultures. Both of their tails whipped furiously behind them as they bickered back and forth.

Teylan and Nor.

Nor’s face lit up upon seeing the warrior; he ushered towards him with a heated spark, clearly glad at the opportunity for a third voice.

“ So’lek, perfect. Please tell Teylan that tsaheylu is better than gadgets when it comes to connecting with a pa’li.” He barked, turning to glare at the na’vi in question.

“ I never said gadgets were better, but they are. How else should I know they prefer neck pets to head pets!?” Teylan sputtered, his hands animated in the air.

So’lek hummed.

“ You’ll know; It is better to seek the source than to be the source itself.”

 Nor huffed.                                                                “ Told you.”

Teylan’s brow was pinched dramatically with confusion.                                                                  

“ Told me what? That could literally mean anything!”

“ It means now is your time, young Sarentus. Reconnection is key here.”

From the common area approached Ri’nela, a tablet in hand. The na’vi sighed seeing the two had roped So’lek into their little spat.

“ Don’t get in the middle of this, they've been at it all night.” She warned, skimming over her stats.

“ I’ve picked my poison.” So’lek remarked.

“ Or has it picked you?” Ri’nela challenged.

“ Hmm,” the warrior hummed again.

Nor went right on asking questions, as if they weren’t literally talking about him and Teylan.

“ Reconnection, how do you do it? Not like we’ve had much practice with tsaheylu or bonding before.”

Ri’nela perked up. She was interested to hear advice from the veteran na’vi, even Teylan stopped his sulking to listen.

“ How do you know you are Sarentu? Not by history, not even by a scar but by a feeling. With time, the heart knows. Connections are sought and made; there is no connection in already knowing. To reconnect with your world you must learn, to see cannot be taught, but I assure you, the heart knows.”

~                                                                              By mid day, So’lek had escaped long enough to assemble the longbow. Though he didn’t mind the TAP kids; their antics amused him, and he lent his guidance whenever he saw fit. His hunt led him to the Upper Plains; they were a good scouting point.

It was when he started heading towards them that he spotted two figures in the distance; Anufi and Okul. The herbalist was helping Anufi, traces of a conversation echoing back. So’lek headed towards them; he was going that way anyways.

The closer he got the more he could make out: Okul struggling to unearth a large root, placing it amongst many others in a hollow basket; Anufi held it steady. Both stopped upon seeing him approaching.

“ I see you, Tsahik Anufi. Hello Okul.”

The herbalist waved bashfully, sustaining a small smile.

“ The Blue Devil, it’s been too long since I last saw your face.” Anufi gave a quiet chuckle, signing her greeting. Okul looked between the two, brows raised in mild shock.

“ You two know each other?”

“ Of course Child, we met before your time. So’lek here has been to every corner of Pandora.”

“ Well, that is an exaggeration, Anufi.” He resisted humbly.

“ Oh, hardly. All decked out I see; are you off to scare the sky people to the edge of our planet?”  The tsahik questioned, assessing his bow and sling.

“ Only to the edge of the Upper Plains. Perfect conditions for a hunt.”

Anufi agreed, aweing her approval.

“ Yes, the herd moves with the wind. Seems you know my Okul, our tsakarem,” she added, gesturing to the labored herbalist.

“ Yes we’ve met,” So’lek assured, not taking his eyes away from them.

“ We are collecting the wiu root that grows so bountifully here. They seem to be having trouble growing near the forest, yavä be damned.” Okul piped in.

So’lek hummed in understanding, still eyeing Okul. They did the same, up and down with a mystified grin. Anufi balanced her gaze between the two.

“ I’ll go look elsewhere for more roots, can you manage the ground, Child?” Okul nodded and she gave them an endearing touch to the shoulder before moving on, leaving hunter and herbalist alone, together.

So’lek walked ahead and Okul followed.

“ You know Anufi!” They exclaimed, face lit with curiosity.

“ Yes, not well, but in passing. She’s changed a lot.” So’lek answered and Okul cooed in wonder. Surely they’d seen them cross paths during meetings, it must’ve been the one on one that surprised them.

“ You do get around, Warrior.”

They grabbed their basket, stopping again after picking another spot to disturb the dirt further. So’lek stopped too, watching.

“ The wiu blends well into the ground,” he noted, watching them spawn more out of literally nowhere.

“Yes, I have an eye for it now,” said Okul, voice weighted with exertion.

So So’lek watched them rip up more roots. And he watched Anufi hobble to another patch, her years shone through her movements.

 “ Would you ever take over, if need be?” He asked suddenly.

Okul bit their lips in contemplation, giving them a burst of rosy pigment.

“Hmm, I’ve never really thought of myself as ruler before, it’s a lot of responsibility and I'd imagine stressful. Anufi herself cracked, falling apart under the pressure. And I must say I value my freedom, selfish as that may be.”

“ It would be odd not to,” assured So’lek.

A pause..

“ But yes, if need be I would.” The herbalist smiled before prioritizing the roots again, large eyes engulfing the work in front of them. 

“ And what about you? Would you ever, crack?” The hunter asked.

“ Maybe, maybe not; one never knows. I can see things going both ways.” Said Okul.

“ So what made you accept such a position? You didn’t have to, you know,”

 Okul stopped, gazing ahead.                                    “ I wanted to. I’ve always wanted to right the wrongs that exist in my clan. That’s bound to come with some challenges,”

And they went back to it.

Solek breathed. A similarity between them, the need to mend (except they didn’t seek the vengeance that he did).

“ That was very brave of you, Okul.”

Okul blushed lightly, though So’lek didn’t know if they were flattered or flushed with effort; that root was wedged in pretty good.

“ Here, let me,”

He wrapped his hands around theirs, twisting firm, giving enough force for the root to come loose. It did with just a few pulls, a tall growth half their height.

“ Huh, are you a gatherer too?” Okul looked impressed.

 “ As much as you are,” So’lek shot back. The other na’vi was still flushed, and from what he still didn’t know.

“ I’m just tsakarem. And an herbalist .”

“ And an expert on resource shutdown, apparently.” He liked this new flush to them, whatever it was from.

“ Nuumďioyg actually; an herbalist, as I say. And I wouldn’t be able to do it without you; I don’t know the in-betweens of the sky people’s lingo.” They retorted, placing the reaping in their basket.

“ I can teach you. It’s easy to pick up,” So’lek suggested quickly. He had heard Priya say Na’vis were highly intelligent and able to learn quickly, something about the number of neurons in their brain being triple that of a sky person’s, or something. 

Okul didn’t respond at first, and it made So’lek nervous. He wondered if he was bothering them, they did seem very busy. The herbalist steadied their basket, discovering a new root bundle to disturb before responding with a playful, “Is that so?” Their smile was lighthearted, their skin glistening beneath a layer of sweat.

Cold shivers washed over So’lek; their response did little to ease his nerves, and he tried not to look too closely at their muscles, bracing under glossy skin.

“ That is so.” He confirmed, stoic.

The herbalist laughed.

“ How lucky I am. I’ve always been interested in the tongue of the sky people. Though a challenge, it’s one I would take on with gusto,”

Their humor faded when the roots started giving trouble.

“-speaking of which,” they grunted, pulling hard.

“ May I?” So’lek didn’t waste time jumping in to help again. A couple tugs and twist did the job— they almost fell back but Okul had the wiu in hand, victorious.

“ Root.” So’lek said careful, touching the wiu as he sounded out the word.

Okul caught on fast; they repeated: 

“ Root.”

So’lek nodded. He looked around, reaching over and touching their hamper next.

“ Basket.”

“ Basket.” 

Then he gestured to them.

“ Herbalist.”

Okul’s eyes glimmered. “ That’s me,” they breathed.

So’lek chuckled.

“ It is.”

And so they said:

“ Herbalist,”  with near perfection, only dragging out the last syllable.

“ Good.”  So’lek commended. He placed a hand on the ground.

“ Dirt,” he tried next.

Okul did the same with a lamented smile.

“ Dirt; where the wiu blends well.” They cited.

So’lek hummed.                                                          “ And to think I’d never know they were here. The ground looks at rest.”

“ Once you know what to look for, that's all you see. I can teach you how to spot them if you’d like, some time.” The herbalist suggested, wavering.

“ Some other time. Let me be the teacher for today.”

Okul cocked a brow.                                                  “ You’re not teasing me again are you?”

So’lek just blinked.                                                     “ No, not now.”

They went on like that for a while, So’lek would pick things up and name them so Okul could repeat after him.

They did well for a first time learner, but seemed to get stumped on a certain collection of words, particularly *forest

“ Try it again; forest.”

Okul butchered it yet again covering their mouth, giggling behind their fingertips.

“ You’ve got this," Solek encouraged. At least they were having fun. The herbalist flapped their lips after another attempt, this time bursting into full blown laughter.

“ That middle sound, like a stubborn ikran,” they cursed.

“ Exactly as that, tame it with your tongue; forest.”

“ For-eest.”

“ Forest.”

“ Forest.”

Finally it sounded right. So’lek couldn’t help but smile, a rarity it seemed even to Okul.

“ What?”

“ It’s just.. you are picking this up very quickly.”

 He amused himself with how it tangled their tongue, tumbling out of their mouth, but he didn’t have the heart to tell them. Anyhow it was true— they were learning fast.

“ Maybe I have a good teacher,” Okul said, touching So’lek’s hand.

And he froze, face hot, chest tight all at once.

“ Maybe,” the hunter choked out somehow. A draft picked up, reminding him he should be on his way.

“ Anyhow, good luck with those, I must go.” So’lek said, rising to his feet. Okul scoffed.

“ And good luck with your hunt, though I’m sure you won’t need it.”

So’lek couldn’t deal with the compliments, so he hurried along, hearing Okul chuckle behind him.

Did they notice his hurry?

It took a few miles of walking for him to finally forget about Okul. The Upper Plains were indeed a good scouting point; he spotted a moving herd of hexapede off in the nearby plateau.

The na’vi moved noiselessly, concealing himself in some low brush. It took mere seconds before he isolated a grown male. He crouched low, angling his bow and firing off.

It was a clean shot through the heart.

The animal did not scream, just a thud as it fell to the ground lifeless. The rest of the herd took off, startled.

Perfect.

Except not quite; the opposite end of his bow was a bit tarnished, he only noticed then with it up to his eye level. From his garb to his bow, everything seemed to need repair. But he wouldn’t bask in it now.

So’lek approached his catch, a few strays running around him.

“ Thank you for these gifts. Your body stays with me, your soul goes back to be with Eywa.”

He had to work quickly. The hunter sliced accordingly, putting the pieces on his stretcher for easier transfer. And just like that he made his way back to camp.

Within an hour, fresh yerik was roasting over an angry open fire, dark meat with a healthy, black char. It was seasoned with spices, taporillic too. So’lek had ensured to avoid the blow back when opening the bottle, as he’d been advised.

And it was just as he remembered. The hunter replenished himself with a helping of meat and roasted plantain, struggling through his bites since he didn’t let it cool down first. Only the sound of approaching voices stopped him.

“ Something smells incredible,” He knew the voice. It was Wi’iynn, the most skilled hunter of what remained of the sarentu. Surely the others weren’t far behind.

“ I smell fire,” it was Teylan of course, his voice following timid.

“ Me too. It’s nice.”                                             Ri’nela.

They turned a corner, So’lek saw the four of them standing together. Nor’s face lit up.

“ So’lek you’re back! I’ll take it you had no trouble on your hunt.”

His eyes fell on the roast. In fact, they all seemed to be eyeing it with hungry looks. So’lek was going to smoke and dry the rest but there was plenty left over.

“ Come. There is enough to share.”                        He motioned them to sit and they did, settling into a circle as they all tried his catch.

“ Holy shit- I mean, wow. This is incredible!” Wi’iynn commended through chews.

“ The meat is so tender, thank you.” Ri’nela added.

“Don’t thank me, thank the yerik.” So’lek said plainly.

Teylan didn’t seem as enthused as the others. He couldn’t hide the displeasure, his expression twisting with each new texture; So’lek could tell he especially didn’t like the plantain.

Rinella also noticed his discomfort.

“ It’s ok you don’t have to,” she soothed quietly, giving him a comforting glance.

 Nor, opposingly, seemed to love the difference. So much, in fact, he helped himself to Teylan’s leftovers, taking the plate right out of his hands.

“ Nothing goes to waste; that is the Na’vi way.” He declared, stuffing more bites of meat into his mouth.

“ That? It goes beyond that.” So’lek said.

It seemed all the Sarentu stilled

“ How so?” Nor finally asked as he ate. This time, So’lek had picked his poison.

“ Connection is at the heart of it. Our unity as people, To ourselves and to the land, that is the Na’vi Way.” 

He turned to Nor.

“ Nor, you have determination, fire. That's good, use it. You should spar with me, hands on. The Na’vi way strengthens us in many ways, sparring would be a good place to start with you, put all that fire to good use.”

The younger na’vi gave a cunning grin.

“ Did you just challenge me to wrestle?”                Thrill lined his voice.

So’lek furrowed his brows.                                         “ I did not say that.” But Nor was not letting it go anytime soon.

“ Don’t back out now. You’re on, Old Man!”

~

A few days later So’lek found himself deep in the woods. It’d been a while since he needed it but he was sure he was going the right way.

“ Hello down there.”

He knew that voice, again. The warrior looked up in the direction of it. Sure enough, there was the herbalist, perched in the high branches of a nearby pine tree. They really seemed to pop up everywhere lately.

“ Are you off on an adventure?”  They asked swinging their feet.

“ I hope not,” So’lek called back. The truth was he had more of a run around than he’d hoped for. Okul was the plant expert, and so he asked,

“ Do you know where I can find sponge moss? The stars are usually my guide. Come to think of it, I've never needed it at this time of day, or any time of day in years.”

Okul tilted their head, their shrewd smile almost mocking as they maneuvered their body with agility. They suddenly hung upside down, a gentle sway in their arms.

“ Just west of here. I can point out where if you climb up.” they promised in a sing-song kind of way. 

And so he did, scaling the bark until he reached the herbalist; they flipped upright to greet him better.

“ The stars you say. The elders used to tell stories of the stars, our tales of origin. Legend says we were once all of the stars, one, unified before a great evil chased us down to Pandora. Here we found Eywa. She wept for her children, her sorrows lighting our way through the glowing greenery of the night, illuminated as we were before in the sky, forging our connection to the land. A balance intended from the start, they’d say,”

So’lek absorbed the tale in silence. He felt hot.

Luckily Okul spoke up, sparing him.

“ Kauänot? I wrapped them this morning.”

Okul offered their pouch, which was filled with the snack. Kauänot, a treat of wild berries and ground, aged coconut meat wrapped in steamed palm leaves. He had had them before with fresh coconut, but never fermented. The tang caught him off guard, initially sharp but he adjusted to the taste, liked it in fact.

“ I think my banshee is near,” the hunter murmured as he popped another wrap into his mouth.

“ I sense him too. Oh, I’d love to meet him.” Okul gushed, turning to So’lek with one of their smiles. 

The warrior smiled back, a small one.

“ Maybe he’ll grace us with a visit, stubborn as he is,”

Okul took another bite of their kauänot.

“ I think it’s a wonderful thing that he’s stubborn. He has his own mind, his own desires and wills. Yes, a strong-willed, stubborn ikran, as stubborn as sky words themselves.”

So’lek nodded, peering at the herbalist as they suddenly stood, balancing on a branch before grabbing three treats from their bag.

“ Perhaps your banshee is a coconut fan too?” Their tail swayed behind them, steadying their footing with it’s gentle flow.

“ He likes chuib nuts, I’m sure he’ll like those.” So’lek answered back.

Okul nodded, tucking the treats under a leaf where the creature would surely find them.

“ They remind me of honor Ceremonies; we’d usually have these after them, amongst other tasty foods, a feast with drink and dance.” Okul fastened the latch on their bag.

“ And after that, The Starlit Dance.”

A kameterie tradition for sure, So’lek’d never heard of such a thing. His blank expression made Okul laugh.

“ Like this, watch.”

The na’vi started with a series of gestures, a small showcase of this starlit dance. So’lek watched silently as they moved with an awkwardness that was somehow very graceful.

“ Two turns, then, well I’ll show you— it’s better with a partner,”

Okul offered their hand to demonstrate. Now So’lek ran cold.

“ Don’t be afraid,” they laughed. He took it hesitantly.

“ See, it’s all about the hand.”

Two hands side by side, one guiding the other down, fingers slowly entangling. And just like that, the dance was over— but Okul still had So’lek’s hand.

“How do you say, hand?”

“ Um,” the warrior hesitated, unable to bring himself to words for some reason.

“ What, is my sky tongue better than yours?” Okul japed, a sly raise over their brow bone. So’lek gave in:

“ Hand.”

“ Hand,” they repeated.

“ Yes, very good.” The pronunciation really was perfect. They examined his hand, gliding their own over all his callouses.

“Your’s is rough. It tells stories,” they observed stroking softly.

“ Stories,” So’lek echoed.

“ Of strength and resilience, pain and sacrifice.”

“ You see too much, Okul.” He turned away.

The tsakarem grinned, inspecting further.

“ This mark?”

And so he told them:

“ Push back. My hand slipped against my bow; I was young.”

“A bow. I can tell from the dept. And this one?”

“ A certain ikran wasn’t as up to an evening flight as I first thought. It will fade,” the hunter informed. 

“ Stubborn.” Okul whispered.

“ Yes.”

“ They’re beautiful.” 

“ And your’s are soft.” So’lek inhaled, feeling the pillowy sweeps of them running along his finger prints.

“ Over a decade of shifting out moldy leaves and working a pestle for powders have kept them so. At times I feel I need something to roughen them up.” Okul replied, pressing into the pads of their palms.

“ If kiu roots were season round, that would do it.” So’lek joked and Okul laughed.

“ I suppose I’ll have to find something else.”

They looked up at him; their stare was so much worse when it was direct. A sound, the squawk of his banshee, turned the herbalist away. Thank Eywa.

“ Now I see him; shades of teal and midnight.” Okul breathed peeping through the trees.

“ His name is Krayt.” So’lek watched his companion flex his wings.

" Krayt. So'lek, what's it like, connecting with an ikran? We Kame’tire don’t share such a bond.” The herbalist asked curiously.

So'lek sighed.                                                            " It's... complicated. My first, Tawk, was lost in the Battle of Ayram Alusìng."

"I'm sorry. Losing a bond is like losing a part of yourself." They pressed a hand to their chest.

So'lek nodded. " It took me years to open my heart again."

“ But now, you have Krayt. How did you find each other?" The tsahkarem spoke gently.

So'lek smiled. "Krayt found me, really. I was hesitant, but... he chose me."

Now Okul was intrigued. "What made you trust him?"

So'lek paused, thinking. " He reminded me of Tawk's spirit. Fearless, loyal... and forgiving."

Okuls eyes locked on So'lek's. "You've been through so much. I'm honored you shared this with me."

“ I’m honored you listened." He retorted softly. A comfortable silence followed; it ended when Okul pointed into the distance. 

“ By the goblin thistle is where you’ll find the moss.” They said.

He’d completely forgotten about moss.

“ I see it, thank you Okul.

He hastily climbed down, looking back in time to see Okul hanging upside down again.

He waved before making his way towards the thistle to polish his tarnished bow. At least this time it wouldn’t slip and cost him another scar.

Repairing his bow had So’lek in a repairing kind of mood. He lent a helping hand wherever he could around headquarters that day, watching his hands work, thinking about how fascinated Okul had been in them earlier. Either that or they were taking their ‘sky people tongue’ lessons very seriously.

So’lek sat by the campfire when he had no more tasks to adopt; the sky had darkened by then.

Just then he heard the crackle of a snapping branch. Low and behold, he turned to see Okul approaching; appearing out of nowhere, right on brand for them. So’lek blinked, shocked to see the na’vi again, and mere hours after the last run in. They must’ve hung close by all day. But he was happy to see them

“ Campfire,” was the first thing he said to them, pointing to the blaze.

“ Ah, right. Campfire.” Okul indulged, watching the flames, trying out the word. So’lek cracked a smile and their focus shifted to him, mirroring curiously.

“ Was that right?” They asked, eyeing the hunter as they took a seat.

“ It could use a little work.” He admitted.

“ Good thing I have all night.” The herbalist rubbed their hands together for more friction. 

“ Not busied in the hollows?” So’lek asked.

“ Not tonight; this is how I will spend my valued freedom.” They replied hinting at a talk from days before.

“ Campfire.” So’lek said again flatly, and Okul laughed, echoing, “ Campfire.” But they nailed it that time.

“ Very good.” The hunter praised. Okul nodded, pleased with themselves as they warmed their hands. So’lek leaned forward, mouth hanging open. Then he found his words.

“ Those stories of the stars, you never finished. Tell me more about the ceremony; what happens before the Starlit Dance?.”

Okul smiled eagerly.

“ Ah yes: before comes The White Blade ceremony. Once a Kame’tire completes their rites of passage, the people gather on sacred ground and the night settles. Virid powder is rubbed into the palms, forehead and navel of the honored na’vi, it is the same that makes this color.” They gestured to their painted face.

“ The celebrated na’vi is then gifted a hawklite blade, crafted by those closest. With it they prepare the first medicinal as a Kameterie herbalist, a ceremonial blend. The stone blade is all that remains of this tradition.”

“ I’ve never heard of a hawklite blade before.”                                             So’lek confessed, interest flickering behind his eyes.

“ It is more so used to slice herbs than flesh.” Okul’s expression was slick and proud.

“ Ah, my own is crafted of tourmaline gemstones from the north rivers. Instead of at night, you were crowned a warrior by sunset.”

The herbalist watched him, their own eyes shimmering with that familiar curiosity.

“ Well, I’ve never seen a tourmaline blade before.”

With that, both wordlessly exchanged blades, admiring how different they really were. Okul’s was small, a pure dagger with a wooden handle, a face etched in the carving. 

“ This design, who carved it?”                          So’lek questioned.

“ I did. Woodwork is a valued craft amongst my people, though the art is another dying one. I’m not the best shaper around, but I find it to be a way of reconnecting with the ways of old.”

They analyzed his blade too, he wondered what they thought of it. 

“ Quite the artist,”

The na’vi said right on cue. They reached over taking his hand in one, his blade still resting in the other. 

“ A perfect fit,”

Okul decided after looking between the two, sizing up the leather seal against his palm. They kept caressing his hand with a thumb, just as they were earlier. 

“ You’re interested in my hands,” the hunter adjusted to their touch.

“ Perhaps.” Okul placed the knife in So’lek’s hand to see how the two fit, as if assembling a puzzle.

“ Yours must hold stories too,” he instigated.

“ They must.” Okul sang in a trying tone. They didn’t fall for it. Instead, they moved closer; So’lek took the opportunity to study their deep green face paint while they took the opportunity to brush back his flyaways, guiding them behind his ear. It reminded him of when they had abruptly put that flower in his hair, and his nerves were just the same.

“ And you’re.. interested in my hair.”

“ Maybe so.”

The instigating wasn’t deterring them at all and So’lek was getting more and more nervous. At that point, he wished they’d kept fooling with his hands.

 “ Does my interest frighten you?” They seemed to sense it. 

“ No.. I don’t know.” The na’vi stammered. Okul smiled, affectionately stroking his hair.

“ Even warriors get frightened sometimes,”

“ Not me.” Ironically, he couldn’t look into their eyes— so he stared at their lips instead.

“ You seem restless,” the gentle peaks they formed as they spoke their words.

“ Maybe lavender could help me. And the other one, prioestock, that would do you some good.”

“ You stare too, you know.” Okul’s eyes flickered down and met his, harmony in the orange flames against their stare’s intensity.

Caught.

“ I have no choice. You’re so close.” he protested.

“ Too close?” Their finger pads worked against his scalp.

“ I don’t know.” He couldn’t even think straight. Okul tilted their head.

“ You don’t know much tonight.”

“ I’m sorry.”

“ What for?”

“ Staring.”

“ It’s ok. I rather like it.”                                       They said brushing his strands back, safe from the flames. So’lek felt like he was coming undone. He closed his eyes— maybe that would keep him together. 

“ Do you like when I touch your hair like this?” Okul asked, their voice low.

“ I don’t know.”

“ Of course not. Should I stop?”

“ No.” It came out more firmly than he had hoped, but Okul seemed charmed.

“ That’s more like it,”                                      So’lek shivered at their tone, closing his eyes again as he let their hand sweep through his hair. A few more pets before they suddenly stopped.

“ So, crowned by sunset you say— fascinating. Tell me more.”

The shift took him for a loop; So’lek stared bewildered.

Okul just giggled.

~

“ So’lek! Ready to spar?”

Nor called when he spotted the warrior. Truthfully, So’lek’s body ached a bit from all the projects he’d taken on. And he hadn’t gotten as much sleep as he was used to; he’d instead spent the night with a certain someone, yapping away by a campfire.

“ There is no rest for the warrior,” he groaned.

Nor was not backing down.                                        “ Come on Old Man, you promised!”

So’lek smiled at that nickname, Old Man.                 “ Thank Eywa for your beauty rest, or you would be as old as me.”

Nor scoffed.                                                               “ No more excuses.”

“ Maybe older.”                                                             So’lek added, winning a playful shove from the Sarentu. Nor’s eyes glinted, hoping the touch had provoked him enough. The warrior chuckled.

“ So you are ready. Alright then.” He readied himself into a starting position, Nor followed.

“ Your starting position is all wrong, you leave yourself open. Steady your feet, protect your core.”

Nor glanced down at his posture, correcting as best he could.

“ That’s more like it.” So’lek acclaimed.

Wi’iynn watched quietly from a nearby rock as the two began to spar.

Nor was good, but he was no match for the warrior. So’lek blocked every advance easily, batting him off. So’lek delivered an open hand strike to his abs when he saw an opportunity, Nor stumbled back in surprise.

“ Ow!” The na’vi exclaimed gripping his ribs.

“ Your eyes tell me everything I need to know,” was So’lek’s only consolation.

Nor breath raged. The touch had clearly provoked him. There was that fire.

But So’lek was always a step ahead of him. The na’vi hit strong, none of which landed. It wasn’t long before he completely exhausted himself.

“ Wait wait,” Nor gasped, trying to catch his breath. He was worn out.

“ No rest for the warrior,” So’lek smirked, getting into position.

And so Nor threw another hit.

It missed and he pulled his fist back, the same way Okul did as they explained how to spot wiu camouflaged in the dirt later that same day. They showed So’lek the subtleties, the lighter veins on the ground before pulling more roots out. Their pulling technique was so much better now, So’lek couldn’t help but notice.

“ Just a few more to harvest then we’ll be finished here,” they announced.

“ How are things at the Hollows? Escaping the somberness of it all or getting in some, valued freedom?” So’lek teased.

“ Neither: besides harvest, I'm weaving. I’m almost done, actually a bit eager to get back to it.”

So’lek watched them quizzically.

“ a capelet” they added. They were an artist after all.

“ I see. I had a capelet once, part of my old garb. It’s not practical now but I couldn’t retire it, too sentimental. Now it hangs in my room.” Said So’lek. Okul beamed.

“ How special! I love a good capelet,”

“ Come over sometime, I’ll show you.” The hunter proposed aberrantly.

“ Ok.”                                                                  There was nearly no hesitation on Okul’s part.

“ Ok.”

Okul did take So’lek up on the offer. Later that night they came by and he showed them into his private quarters. The herbalist circled his room quietly, observing their surroundings. Not many made it this far into his room. He watched them take it all in, calm and curious.

“ What a nice room. And a peculiar bed too.” They gawked.

“ I don’t like to sleep here much, it can start to feel caged in,” So’lek responded quickly.

“ I see what you mean.” The herbalist admitted as their big eyes scan the squared walls; not one nook or cranny was left unseen by the tsahkerm. They seemed particularly interested in his bed.

It was only a matter of time before they spotted the capelet plastered on So’lek’s wall. They turned to him, So’lek could tell they were mentally placing it back over his shoulders. Then their eyes moved, stopping with intensity on his waist. 

“ Is that a new loincloth?” They said. The capelet was already a thing of the past it seemed.

“ It is, what gave it away?”

“ Mostly the deeper color. It suits you.” They answered.

“ Hmm, better than the capelet?”

“ Yeah.”

Okul sat on the bed, probably to see what it was like. They bounced slightly, humming to themselves. 

“ That’s called a mattress, most sky people rest on one.”

Okul mumbled it under their breath, pressing into the foam.

“ Root, basket, herbalist, dirt, forest, hand, campfire, and now mattress. Has a fascinating ring to it; mattress.”

They looked up to the warrior, still a slight hop to them against the bed.

“ How was your hunt the other day? Did it go ok?” They asked, interrupting themselves. 

“ It went well. I caught a yerik and shared with the sarentu.” So’lek responded.

“ Oh good! I’m sure they were blown away with all those flavors.” Okul smiled, engrossed.

“ Actually, not all of them liked it.”

The herbalist was surprised.                                      “ Oh? I’ve never met a na’vi who didn’t like yerik.”

“ They aren’t used to the feel, the taste. Growing up with sky people, they ate differently than other na’vi.” So’lek thought of Teylan’s face as he struggled with the meal.

“ Well, there are so many other foods to try. I’m sure they’ll find something they enjoy.” Okul guaranteed. “ Did Krayt help you with your endeavors?” They added.

“ My banshee? No, he insists on rest. He’s enjoying his down time in the trees.” So’lek answered.

“ Stubborn.” 

They’d remembered every word from his teachings, even his ikran’s name.

“ You recall a lot; a sharp memory,” So’lek praised. Okul only smiled.

“ The elders say that too. I'm pretty sure I remember being born into this world, and a little before that.”

Na’vi memories started earlier than most humans at around age two, but before that was not common. 

“ Really? That’s incredible.”

“ Either that or it was my first bath,” Okul laughed.

“ With how many words you’ve retained that does not surprise me.” So’lek remarked with a low lidded grin.

The tsakarem smiled back at him, collapsing into the bed. And he couldn’t deny, Okul looked beautiful laying back on his bed. Smiling, their lips a gentle, soft curve that made a gentle, soft smile. They had found a fidget, the dye he used to taint his new cloth, and were twiddling it between their fingers.

“ There, you know all that of me. Are you just a warrior teacher, and an artist?”

So’lek couldn’t help his widening grin.

“ Artist; that’s rich. You are the artist, Okul.”        
Okul put up a hand; the dye remained in the other.

“ No need for chalk or paint to be an artist. Longbow, capelet, be it whatever your creative outlet.”

“I wouldn’t dare play with paint.” His voice was low, like his grin.

“ Why not, does it frighten you? But you don’t get frightened, I remember,” Okul’s hands were colored with dye. So’lek had missed them opening it; deep indigo tainted fingernails, blotching palms. Maybe they’d meant to, he didn’t know. Either way, So’lek reached over and grabbed the jar for that remark.

“ Hey!” Okul sat up to recover it. Their reflexes were fast— gripping his hand and squeezing, hard to keep it steady. A devious look crept over their face when he grew tense.

“ Flustered maybe, but never frightened.” So’lek was quick to specify.

“ That's just it. I’m an artist, you’re an artist.”

“ If you insist.”

Satisfied, Okul plucked the jar out of So’lek’s grasp.

“ Two artists; a balance intended from the start. Have you ever seen a more perfect friendship?”

That look was replaced with another: regret, like they regretted the words as soon as they were out, coupled with what looked to be a growing disappointment.

“ I’m sorry, I talk entirely too much sometimes.”

The herbalist seemed convinced of that, but So’lek wasn’t.

“ No. Not at all.”

They laughed, it sounded like a laugh of relief. Then So’lek reached over and gripped their jaw.

His eyes narrowed pampering their chin with his thumb, caressing back and forth in tender sweeps

So’lek watched Okul’s lips, faintly parted as their breaths shallowed. 

They looked so soft.

And it happened so fast—before he knew it their lips met.

Their lips: just as soft and velvety as they looked.

Sparks were flying inside his chest, all kindling down the more he tasted the sweetness of the na’vi’s exhale, relishing in the startled hum that leaked out of them when he bit down gently.

Okul’s skin was silky, each touch melted him more and more as their mouths weaved together in a frantic harmony, bathing the other in their own wetness. 

The kiss grew more messy. Once they started they couldn’t seem to stop; seeping little side breaths when they could, reviling in the hypnotic plushness of their counter’s lips, tasting their aura with every touch. So’lek didn’t know how, but he finally managed to pull apart, his whole body humming with what just happened. Every sensation lingered, still feeling the feathery brushes of them all over him

They touched their own lips, undoubtedly feeling the absence that he did. His head was a flurry with the sudden need to be alone. Like, immediately. 

“ I…,I’ve got a long day ahead of me you should go.”

Okul was silent for a long time but didn’t fight it.

“I understand,” Their voice was so faint as they got up to leave.

“ Goodbye, So’lek.”

Chapter Text

So’lek felt nothing but dread after the kiss he and Okul shared.

It was contrary to what one might expect to feel after a kiss, giddy and light, churning with adrenaline and desire.

But he felt dread, he couldn’t help it.

The dread was brought on by his realization: Okul, at worst, was a distraction, and he definitely couldn’t get swept up in any distractions. Not with the weight of his clan’s memory in his hand, not by Okul.

Sure he’d sought them out at times. And the kiss itself was..

Well it was more than bliss, more than he had felt in a very long time. How could one come back, unscathed from a kiss like that? A kiss with Okul that woke feelings So’lek thought were long buried within him, lying dormant. Okul, with their radiant smile and captivating laughter. It was as if his mind and heart were at war whenever he thought of it, it wasn’t at all like him. He was completely out of his element: distracted, but he couldn’t be.

Whether intentional or not, So’lek found himself avoiding the path to the Upper Plains where Okul had been lately, harvesting those roots.

The thought of seeing them again didn’t frighten him, per say. He just didn’t know how he’d react, especially now. Maybe he’d get swept up, and he absolutely could not afford that, not now, not again.

So he kept his head down, pitching in when needed, avoiding the plains. Avoiding them. 

Activity was low so there wasn’t too much to keep busy with; the occasional repair or small meeting for a supply discussion here and there, but nothing to really focus on. The hunter needed something to focus on. He needed air. He needed the forest.

The forest had been So’lek’s escape for so long, that much hadn’t changed. That day he spent time in the trees, carving arrowheads, picking the occasionally ripe mango and tossing the skins to Krayt, who absolutely adored them. They took to the skies and scout out the grounds for any suspicious activity.. it all looked well and quiet. But the forest wasn't exactly safe anymore and it wasn’t just the RDA’s fault. Okul all but blended into these woods; He was playing a dangerous game.

And one day he finally lost.

“ Off on an adventure?”

So’leks pulse immediately quickened. The warrior whipped around, hating how hard his heart was working in his chest.

There was Okul, watching him with that stupid, slight grin on their face. A satchel was slung over their shoulder, their hands still stained with his indigo dye.

“ Okul what are you doing here?” He nearly growled.

“ Alma said you might be here. I’m out collecting bank mushrooms; seems I’ve become a gatherer after all.” They laughed. So’lek was not having it.

“ Aren’t they on the western bank?”

“ They are, but I was actually hoping I’d run into you.” Their eyes sparkled against the sun’s glow. So hopeful and curious, and So’lek hated it.

“ I was just leaving.” He turned to exit the bush.

“ Where are you going?” Okul called, their footsteps lagging behind. 

“ All over. I’m very busy today.”

He was always busy, as they’d probably observed. Okul observed everything; it was a terrible excuse, really.

“ Hm,” They hummed quaintly.

He could tell they could tell.                                       “ What is it?” So’lek turned back to face them, agitation lining his voice, his heart still palpitating. Okul was acting like nothing had changed between them. Okul, the most observant yet most oblivious na’vi So’lek ’d ever met. Calm and quaint, meanwhile every inch of him struggled to keep composure.

“ Are you too busy to teach me mushroom in the sky language?”

So’lek gawked.                                                          “ That’s all?”

“ Hm,”

He sighed, then he complied, running over the word just once.

“ Mushroom. fascinating.”                                  Uttered so perfectly, one would think they'd known the word prior. Either way, Okul seemed satisfied.

“ I won’t keep you, you are very busy after all.” They restated, standing there, grinning at him.

That stupid, slight grin. So’lek turned to leave, but found irony in the form of that same chest pang; the ache deepened the further away he got. Then he heard them say it:

“ I had a good time with you last night.” 

The warrior paused, a braising heat climbing up his face. He shook it off swiftly before walking away.

The whole way back to Head Quarters So’lek asked himself why Okul was looking for him, grinning at him like that. He knew why, or at least thought that much. What he knew for sure was that he wanted to wipe that grin right off their face. Another kiss would do it; just a quick press to the lips to keep them still, unsmiling. Its bliss would dawdle his nerves, then they could kiss for longer, minutes at a time. He’d feel the mellow hum of their side breaths against him again, soft but flavored heavy with all their intent— no, what was he thinking? So’lek’s thoughts were starting to worry him; the na’vi couldn’t even trust his own head anymore. So when the pace even slightly picked back up at base camp, So’lek dived head first into whatever task he could. This wasn’t about Okul, this was about him and his focus. His distractions.

But Okul.

It’d be easier to just forget them. The na’vi got clumsy with his coffee when he thought he saw them the other day, causing Priya to ask if he was ok. It was getting harder and harder to keep himself together, but he had to. So’lek just needed air, even more time to think and clear his head. Despite the risk, So’lek found himself in the woods again and again, trying to convince himself it had nothing to do with them, but it had everything to do with them.

Those messy, stained hands, and why had their lips been so soft?

The weight of it had him dragging his feet all over, through the green, back and forth to base camp. He didn’t even realize how much he was doing it until Nesim called him out.

“ Ey, what is this? Have you gotten fatter and lazier since I saw you last?” The Olo'eyktan was outside the building, hunched over a piece of paper. So’lek smiled; he was glad to see her. Their banter felt safe, familiar.

“ You’d just love it if I said yes.”

“ I don’t need your yes, you are looking at the fiercest warrior on Pandora.” She replied.

“ Where?”

The na’vi scoffed.

“ Don’t tire yourself, because it’s certainly not you; You’re only good for hiding, it seems. What are you always hiding from in those woods anyway? You're afraid I will whoop your butt at targets again?”

So’lek shook his head.

“ Yet I tire myself? Flattery is not your strong suit, Nesim.” 

That only amused her further.  

                                                                                                      “ Nesim, I am stuck in your mouth like a frozen winzaw. Learn to speak for yourself, So’lek.”

“ What need do I have for that? A great warrior speaks through his skill.”

The na’vi scoffed again. 
                                                                                                                “ The skill of dragging your feet? That'll only leave holes in the dirt. Come, I’ll give you some real use.”

The Olo'eyktan motioned him over to look at the paper. He knew what she wanted.

“ Can’t you read this?” The warrior sighed. This only got him a firm hit on the shoulder.

“ Lazy. Read!”

Nesim already knew the spoken sky language, but not the written. So’lek felt like everyone’s teacher as he read the page for her. Not that he really minded in this case though, they had their fun. 

He read on, some kind of dialogue about a chain of incidents that caused fatalities and evacuation, or something; Nesim just kept laughing at a handful of his pronunciations.

“ Why do you say it like that?” She asked between her laughter.

“ Because that is how it’s said.” So’lek had to admit: he did sound a little funny as he read off words he wouldn’t normally say.

Nesim smiled.” Spoken like a true sky person.”

“ Don’t insult me.”

“ Aww,”she pouted with fake sympathy.
                                                                                          “ Then stop doing things worthy of being insulted.”

“ I am doing what you asked!” So’lek exclaimed, his hands outstretched.

Nesim laughed again. “ Exactly as you should.”

The page itself was a damage report from the inside. The reports helped better plan future attacks, and Resistance tech allowed for it. He just didn’t know how Nesim had gotten a hold of the sheet.

“ Where did you steal this from anyway? I’m sure someone here is missing it.”

Nesim shot him a look.
“ I do not steal. The demon gave it to me, that dull fool. A tasteless way to make amends.”

The demon being Alma of course.

“ You can read this, huh, as if I don’t know what I’m doing! I go where Eywa takes me.”

So’lek sat still with the sheet in his hands.

“ So should I stop?”

This earned him another hit. So the warrior read of an escape, the transcript of their enemies during the latest Resistance raid, survivors scrambling desperately to the only exit untouched. It echoed orders to “ Evacuate through the north wing!” 

Nesim squinted.

“ Evacuate? That will not happen again. I’ll know where to strike.”

So’lek’s ear twitched in her direction. He should have guessed.“ This was you? Good work.”

Nesim returned his look.

” I know. But sky people don’t just disappear. They are hiding, somewhere. Activity is not low and they must die.” She declared, a determined look on her face. Skeptical as Nesim was, she was still taking notes.                                                                        

“ A great warrior thinks ahead.” The Olo'eyktan put her hand to her temple with a smirk. 

“ So they do. You are learning from the best.” Said So’lek. On that note he took the paper from her, teasing her theory. The na’vi was swiftly flipped around, pinned against the woman with her spear as she spun with him. It happened in a second, and by the end of that second he was on the floor, the paper in her hand without being ripped somehow.

“ I am the best.” She pointed her spear right at him.

So’lek laid on the ground, winded and stunned.

“ Your spear, very sharp,” was all he could get out with the blade inches from his face, he could see his reflection in it. Nesim had no problem keeping her’s polished, unlike himself lately.

“ What’s wrong, think I’ll nick you?”

“Alright alright,” So’lek retorted nervously. He was honestly a little afraid she would.

“ Go on, say it.”

He was startled but wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of saying she was the best. Turned out she wouldn’t need it. Nesim nicked off some hair, he heard it snip against his ear.

“ Nesim!”

“ That flyaway was miserable. There, much better. If you can’t admit I’m the best you should at least be thanking me for that.”

“ You are hopeless.” So’lek sighed as he got up. Nesim shrugged.

“ Well, if you are looking for more use, go help that Sarentu, Ri'nela. The Aranahe are torturing the poor girl.”

Tempting.

“ Or don’t be so restless? Take the time for yourself; sleep, eat, not that you need it!” The Olo'eyktan quipped.

So’lek could only laugh and Nesim did the same, leaning against the wall.

“So what, do you have a lover in those woods?” She asked, folding the report.

“ Lay off.”                                                                                                                                Surely it was just a lucky guess. Either way, Nesim could tell she hit a nerve.

“ Ah, that’s it, you have been different. So who is it?”

So’lek felt so silly that it was just the herbalist. Just an herbalist as they described themself. Tsahik’s shadow, as he’d once thought of them.

~

His curiosity did eventually get the better of him, and So’lek went to investigate what this torture was all about.

He found Ri'nela on the upper level of the building, working through knots of what looked to be a drying net, known amongst the Aranahe for their various crafts. Her face was focused, and there was no other clan member in sight.

“ Ah, catching up on your ties, I see.” The hunter piped in.

Ri’nela looked up, the strain leaving her face.

“ Hey So’lek. Yes, if you could call it that. Is it bad that I’m already over this? My hands get tangled everytime I loop. By the time my mentor comes back, I’ll have tied myself in a knot.”

Solek smiled.

“ Everytime, eh? The Aranahe are working you hard. You’ve taken fondly to them.”

She raised her brows.

“ Or they to me? I’m glad, but surprised to be honest. For one, I can’t even tie this net right.” Ri’nela gestured down to the handiwork on her lap, her gaze full of thought.

“ Something else troubles you.” So’lek urged. Rinela cracked, like a broken dam spilling how she really felt.

“ Solek, I can’t talk to them. It’s like we sit to chat and my mind goes blank. I don’t know what to say and I get so nervous. Everything I have to offer is so strange to them. So..human.”

Clearly that had been on her mind a while. So’lek shook his head.

“ Talking and sky people. I’m the worst for this.”

Ri’nela scoffed.

“ Are you kidding? You have the best of both worlds! Probably so much to say, so many stories to tell. Me, I'm just awkward.”

The hunter was surprised.

“ Awkward: hardly. You're thoughtful, like when you saved me from Teylan and Nor’s spat.”

“ You walked right into that one, did you really need saving?” She smiled, but it quickly paled.

“ Maybe I should just lock myself up in the central room and save everyone the trouble. I’ve always felt more useful there anyways.”

Ri'nela did conduct her best work from H.Q., often giving directions to others while they were out on missions— but So’lek knew she was so much more than that.

“ Don’t be so radical. You are just shy.”

“ Shy?” The girl cocked her head.

“ And that’s okay. The truth is I am also a bit shy.”

Ri'nela nearly laughed. “ You? No way!”

So’lek only shrugged. The girl went on.

“ That can’t be true. I see you talk to other na’vi all the time.”

“ Give it time and you will too.” He assured, touching Ri'nela’s shoulder.

“ And it’s like this by the way.” Watching her tie wrong was low-key driving him crazy. He reached down and grabbed the net from her lap.

“ This is how Aranahe do it,” So’lek weaved correctly in a countering direction, undoing one section and showing the Sarentu how his fingers looped through the material.

“ Ohh.” Ri’nela watched intently. Just then the two heard footsteps approaching. He rounded the corner and So’lek saw that it was an Aranahe, the one he could only assume was Ri’nela’s so-called ‘mentor’.

“ Ok, I’ve got the extra silk so we can work alongside each other.” He paused slightly, giving So’lek an odd up and down when he saw him. The warrior just stared back, letting his hand fall at his side while Ri’nela softly pried the net from his grasp.  The na’vi walked up to them.

“ I can show you Rinela. Excuse me, Big Guy,” he said, pushing past So’lek.

Eetu, a skilled but cocky hunter who used whatever opportunity he could to show off himself. It annoyed So’lek, to be brushed against like that, but he let it go for now. They were no match.

Ri'nela mouthed a ‘thank you’ to So’lek as he headed for the stairs. He needed to recoup after that interaction. But upon getting outside, he saw Nor and Teylan and knew that would not be happening, not right away, anyways. Nor immediately pointed him out.

“ I want a rematch, Old Man. Where have you been?”

“ All over. And counting.” So’lek left out that he was heading to the forest.

Nor sighed. “Come on, you have no bad guys to fight, just me. And Teylan.” He added quickly, gesturing to the boy.

The younger Sarentu jumped at his name. “ What? No!” He quickly detested.

“ You’ve nothing better to do, none of us do. Rinela’s making ribbons for Eywas’s sake!” Said Nor, crossing his arms.

“ Um, it's called weaving. It’s a lot like braiding or sailor knots, at least I think it is. I better go help. I’ve been watching her so I think I’ve got it.” Teylan tried running away but Nor knew just how to stop him.

“ Oh yeah? Well the Aranahe don’t. They like Ri'nela.” She was the only one asked to help out with the drying nets after all.

Teylan stopped in his tracks. He turned back to Nor.

“ Everyone likes Ri’nela!” He exclaimed. Nor smiled happy with himself.

“ So don’t be a waste.”

Now Teylan was crossing his arms.

“ Tech is more my speed.”

“ How do you know if you never try anything else?” Nor asked. Teylan pursed his lips.

“ You’re not just trying to blow off steam from the whole pa’li thing right?” He was skeptical. Nor was too eager for another spare partner.

Nor groaned.

“ Cmon, where’s your fire Teylan? I’ve got mine, The one thing So’lek agrees on for once,”

Even So’lek could hear the temper in his voice.

“ Oh you definitely are just trying to blow off steam.” Teylan said quickly. 

So’lek rolled his eyes, defeated.

“ Once you’re both done playing with each other, we can get started.”

~

In time So’lek finally found his way back to the forest. There was a river nearby and he decided to head in that direction. Maybe he’d catch two fish for Krayt for putting up with him these past few weeks. 

“ Long time no see, Warrior.” 

So’lek actually jumped.                                              ” Eywa! Okul, I didn’t see you.” His voice betrayed a small hint of surprise, but he regained his composure. Okul's gaze sharpened with a quiet amusement, tail dancing behind them. This time they were carrying a web of containers over their shoulders.

“ Hope I didn’t frighten you too badly. Walk with me, please?”

He did, matching their pace.

“ Are you very busy today?” They asked, toying with  So’lek’s excuse from days ago. The na’vi cringed.

“ No.” he racked his brain for excuses to abandon this walk, but there was nothing left— so he continued. So’lek felt relief in his stride from the inner turmoil; ironically, the same person that  occupied his thoughts was saving him from them. It was… confusing.

Okul, on the other hand, wore a smile, small curls at the corners of their lips as though they'd won some quiet victory.

“ Good; I’m glad I ran into you. I enjoy your company.”

“ Is that why you make sure to pop up wherever I am? For my company?” So’lek shot back. The mentee only laughed.

“ Now there’s a question of coincidence.” They dodged the question and So’lek’s confusion deepened.

The walk ended as Okul neared their destination; a river. Of course.

“ Here we are. With so little rain, water is scarce in the Hollows. We’re resourceful as you know, but why not branch out to collect some more? The hiding is over, and there is so much water to go around.”                                                               Okul was confusing, but at least they were shaping up to be a good leader. They brought change and new ideas, So’lek was impressed, abandoning his question.

“ Good use of your time. And your head.”

“ You think so?” They perked up at the compliment, and kept on when he didn’t reply:

“ I could use my rain stick too. Eywa sometimes answers it if she sees fit. Yet again, here I am.”

So’lek watched the herbalist fill their jars, holding the spouts against the water’s current, humming to themselves until they were all brimming.

“ I’ll have to make a couple trips to refill, I'm afraid. You’re not afraid though; never that.”

A jest at So’lek; his lips twitched.The tease was just that, but it still stung- especially when they were so,.. unbothered by him. A challenge.

"Why do you mock me?" So'lek jeered, his voice suddenly low and defensive, though it carried a flustered edge.

Okul stared, genuine curiosity was the only sentiment he could be sure of on that face.                                                             “ Me, mock you? How could I?”

“ Then why do you?”

Okul tilted their head, their expression laced in humor.

"Why do I what?" 

So’lek’s frustration mounted. He let out a bundled breath, feeling his patience thin. But in an instant it all vanished, their little back and forth had made his head hurt.

“ Eywa, Okul.” he cursed, feeling defeated.

Okul laughed, shaking theirs.                                    “ You can be quite confusing, Warrior.”

“ That makes two of us.” So’lek countered, clinging to what semblance of control he could.

Okul only offered their water jar for his troubles.       “ Seems you could use a drink, Warrior.”

He mumbled, taking and guzzling it all down with a few thirsty gulps.

The herbalist watched the scene in amazement.      “ Better?”

So’lek ignored them.                                                       “ Your capelet, did you finished it yet?” 

Get back to it, he thought. They’d filled their jars, what were they still waiting around for?

“ Oh no, I haven’t had time lately.”

Okul seemed cheery, eager even, to tell him.

“ What of you and your taporillic? Have you used it? Was it just as you remember?”

“ For my hunt, actually. Yes it was.” Solek replied.

“ I’m glad.” The mentee gleamed, a subtle draft batting their buds around. They were not going anywhere anytime soon, unfortunately for So’lek and his nerves.

“ Enough. what do you want with me?” Might as well ask, who knew how long they’d be there?

“ Hm?”

He wouldn’t ask again. They heard him. Okul eventually answered:

“ Your company, last I checked,”

What did they want with his company? They enjoyed it, which part? Their talks? His demeanor, nerves maybe? Could they tell he was nervous? Okul had a gift for knowing things, so he was sure they could. That gift wouldn’t be of any use now; it was clear his thoughts were displayed on his face.

“ Relax, you look like you’ve seen an omen.” The herbalist coaxed, touching his hand lightly. That was another thing Okul was always doing, 

touching him.

“ Don’t do that.” So’lek warned, hostile. A simple hand in hand had his mind running, his heart beating harder than it needed to. 

“ Oh, I’m sorry.”

Okul drew away, and ironically So’lek immediately missed their feel.

“-If you don’t mind.” He trailed

He hoped they didn’t mind. He didn’t, but he did. Both had his body reeling, but the assurance of their hand in his was more comforting than not. He hoped they might do it again… Okul only raised a brow.

“ Do you?”

“ I ..don’t know.” That was the truth.

All Okul could do was laugh, shoulders bobbing with each chuckle.

“ Confusing indeed.” They remarked.

“ Then what do you want with me, Okul?” -if he was such a puzzle.

“ I just told you. Have you forgotten so soon?”

The draft returned; they smelled good, like rustic pine and creamy incense. Did they always smell so good?

“ No, you just make everything so.. you keep--“           The hunter sighed, ending his stuttering abruptly.     “ How do you do this to me?”

“ How do I do what to you?”                                   Here they go.

“ You know what. I don’t want to play these games.”

Okul tilted their head.                                                “ Games?”

He was reaching another boiling point. They were playing with him. Okul just went right on answering the same burning question:

“ Your company is all I want. I enjoy it.”

So’lek hated how his skin bristled, mouth watered over the way their words poured out at the end of the sentence. 

“ You’re mocking me, again.”

Was that a smile? They were mocking him, and smiling about it. Without thinking, So’lek reached over and gripped Okul’s chin, hard pressed into their sharp jawline. Not too hard at all, just enough for them to really look at him— and they did. The mentee’s eyes went wide; now they knew what it felt like to always be touched. A dangerous position to be in: last time he gripped them like this it led to, well it didn’t matter—he clung to the control he’d finally managed to get. 

“ I don’t want to play, I said.”

Okul laughed. He could feel it, keen vibrations against the backs of his fingers. Okul watched him watch them, then suddenly grabbed the hand around their jaw while he was distracted. So’lek jumped, again. Just like that, all his control was gone.

“ Ok then, my turn; what do you think I want?” They managed to match his tonality when he’d asked the same question, yet dodge it. If he didn’t know any better..

” Stop that,”

His emotions were a simmering crisis. It seemed Okul could feel the heat of them, but they simply leaned in just a touch closer, as if savoring the effect they had on him.

“ Stop what?”

“Mocking me.” He stood as firm as he could. 

“ A question, really. It doesn’t frighten you, does it?”

He couldn’t take it. “ Enough, Okul.”

Okul laughed more, a true, hardy laugh, right in his face. So’lek was mesmerized, with how it sounded, how it felt, those vibrations again..— but absolutely mortified. He let it ring out before trying to get his hand back; Okul wouldn’t let him. They grabbed it again, running it over their cheek as some strange apology.

They looked intense: bright, pooling eyes of false green sorrows. He felt them, finally. Thermal skin in his palm, an innocence to them, but he did know better.

“ And for Eywa sake, enough of that too —-, with the eyes,”

“ What eyes?” Their voice sunk into a sultry murmur, dripping in allure, his hand pressed to their cheek.

Solek couldn’t resist, not for a moment longer. He would stop it all, the mocking, the teasing, the smile, and those damned eyes; his lips collided with theirs.

That smell, dreamy pine and fluffy floral incense, drowned his senses, flooding his brain like a sort of drug. Was it possible to miss them? The first kiss was only days ago. Tender lips, and breath so spry, he couldn’t get enough. Despite it all, Okul seemed surprised. After a time they tensed against him; So’lek immediately drew away.

The hunter scanned them for answers; The herbalist was a hazy mess, lips reddened from their kiss.

“ You.. you really can be quite confusing, Warrior.” They nearly whispered, confirming the worst: He read this wrong. Maybe it really wasn’t teasing and they were just being friendly.

Either way, now they were both confused.

And either way He wasn’t going to stick around and find out which it was. He should have left when they wouldn’t. 

So’lek turned and walked right on out of there, not looking back once. He didn’t stop until he reached the edge of the forest.

~

So’lek filled his days with more time in the trees. He got those fish he promised Krayt and in return the banshee helped him scale the clouds, Nesim words in the back of the hunter's mind, though he found nothing.

It was a while until then, but when So’lek saw Okul again, they did not seem at all upset. Maybe if they were, hated him even, it’d make this all easier. They’d be angry, never want to see him again and that would be that, but no.

“ I’d say you’re avoiding me.” Were Okul’s first words after an initial (and awkward) greeting. They caught his glance from the side of theirs, a questioning tension between the two. It made So’lek’s chest tighten in that way he still couldn’t understand; he stayed quiet.

“ Perhaps I did something to upset you,” the herbalist mumbled on without meeting his eyes again.

They didn’t, he kissed them.

Okul was just being friendly, So’lek decided then and there. And why wouldn’t they be? Okul was always friendly, even when they were teasing, even when he was confusing.The tsakerm didn’t so much as react to such confusion. In fact, now they were blaming themself and he simply could not stand for it.

“ No Okul it’s not that.” He took a breath.                  “ You must know, that kiss, it meant nothing.”

The apprentice cocked their head.                             “ Which one?”

So’lek’s body went rigid with embarrassment.          “ Okul, please.”

They didn’t seem to be teasing this time though. A genuine question, deepening his friendly theory.

It all overwhelmed him; with guilt and admiration, mostly guilt. It was too much to bear.

“ I can’t do this. Whatever we have, whatever this is I won’t.”

“ Ok.” Okuls lips lie flat, ears deployed forward, firm against a sculpted head piece. So’lek couldn’t read them, but their immediate acceptance filled him with a looming dread despite it all. He went on.

“ I have no time for new relations, let alone friendships. My focus is here, with the Resistance. That and avenging my clan’s integrity are my only desire.” So’lek watched for their reaction as he spoke. Okul was listening attentively, no pushback at all as they stared at him with a look he couldn’t read.

“ Ok.” they said again.

Friendship; the word stung coming out, but it didn’t seem to phase the apprentice. In fact, he could make out a glimmer of something behind their unreadable exterior. It was calm.

“ No I understand.”  they always understand, yet he doubled down:

“ You do?” With hesitation, far out of character.

“ Of course I do. A warrior's honor is sacred.”

“ Yes, it is.”

His panic settled whilst Okul grew ever calmer, closing their eyes with a gentle bow.

“ And so I understand: your focus, your vigor to stay focused. I’m certain your people would be very proud of it; of you.”

So’lek was shocked, selfishly he knew. They were taking this well.

“ I’d like to think so, but what makes you so certain?”

Okul gave him a quick up and down.                                “ You really want me to answer that?”

Something, at last. He clung to it.

“ Now I’m not so sure.”

“ Now you know how I feel”.

A glimpse of some emotion, though he still couldn’t pinpoint what kind. 

“ I’m not sure that I do.”                                       Okul didn’t give him time to think on it too hard.

“ For what it’s worth, I admire your focus on the resistance.” they said.

“ It doesn’t all, upset you?” So’lek probed.

“ A warrior's honor? Never that.”

So’lek looked at the ground.

“ That’s not what I meant.” He felt shame for asking, but had to know.

“ The Resistance?”

The warrior stayed quiet.

“ Or do you mean the kiss?”                               They said it in a hushed murmur, uttered like the little secret it was. One So’lek was even trying to keep from himself.

He looked at them again, nodding. Okul only smiled.

“ It meant nothing.” His own words.

“ You do understand. I’m glad.” Said the warrior, though his chest ached again. It hurt; was that how Okul felt when he said the same?

“ Glad is good. And different from your usual ‘I don’t know’, at worst.”

So’lek couldn't tell if it was, but he couldn’t bear anymore teasing; he felt too fragile now.

“ Okul, please.” The hunter pleaded anyway. He couldn’t tell much of anything anymore.

Okul put up their hands opposingly, wearing a smile; So’lek knew he was selfish for wanting more than that.

“ You’re really ok with this?” It meant nothing bounced around in his head. So’lek felt pathetic as he asked. He could hear the desperation in his own voice and wondered if they could too.

“ When I say I understand, you have my word. Your desires are mine.” Okul was eyeing him so hard, he couldn’t look at them. So’lek turned his head and let them stare him down. He deserved it.

“ Unless you don’t want me to.”

He blinked.                                                                “ What?” 

 “ Be ok with it?”

“ I couldn’t make you be anything, even if I wanted.” It felt like the first truth from him of this entire conversation. It was, even if his desires were theirs as they claimed.

“ Don’t you want to try?”

“ Okul,”

“ Yes?”

He’d wanted nothing more this whole time. Did they know and were mocking him? He couldn’t tell. He couldn’t tell much of anything anymore.

Okul was always confusing him with their millions of questions, carving him out of character— he just wanted to shut them up. He was going to lose them and it was all his fault, the rest was torture. Selfishly he didn’t want to, he only wanted them to shut up. He only wanted to kiss them all over again. And so without thought he did, deep and passionate.

They struggled to mesh for just a second, yielding and unsure before dissolving into each other, melodiously synced. There was that familiar taste, addicting if he dared. Rich and salty sweet mixing with his own tang. So’lek savored it like it was the last time, until Okul smiled against his lips— that made him snap back into himself. Like last time the warrior pulled away, not knowing how he managed. He looked to the herbalist, his eyes darting for a reaction; their eyes sparkled, smiling all over. But he felt like his body was on fire; blazing hot, attached, a deep burning vibrating through his veins. So’lek could only grunt in frustration that he did it again, he couldn't believe he kissed them again. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he control himself? 

He fled. He would not play their game. Not their game but this one. His own.

The kiss and run.

He didn’t know what was between him and the mentee. But he knew couldn’t stay there.

What he could do was avoid them some more. So he did. 

~

It took all that humiliation for So’lek to stay away from the forest. It had been weeks since he returned. Instead, he stayed at base camp, which had as many perks as it did downsides. 

The main downside being he was constantly being bothered.

“ So’lek hey!”

The na’vi couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Priya.

The woman was slightly out of breath as she caught up to him.

“ Ugh, I’m so glad I ran into you! Man, I’m out of breath, are you out of breath? Well, probably not, you’re so in shape! Can you imagine an out of shape na’vi, because I sure can’t!” 

So’lek groaned heavily.“ What is it, Priya?”

“ Right, sorry!” Well after weeks of silence, we’ve finally got some activity in the west wing, mind if I show you?” She perked up, tablet in hand.

So’lek’s ears twitched as he gestured for her to do so. Priya quickly pulled up a catalog on the screen.

“ Here is a pod for the sailfin goliath experiments and what not, and it looks like someone tried to activate it. Right there!”

Sure enough the heat sensor was lit up in that area. Nesim was right, but he knew that.

“It’s definitely someone from the RDA. Operation Nuumdìoyg seems to be holding up; it didn’t activate, but I think it’s worth investigating, don't you?”

Solek was silent. Operation Nuumďioyg. The system that only existed because of Okul. Thoughts of the herbalist came flooding back in. Priya went on.

“ Maybe we should hold a meeting, get a team together to check it out!”

Okul was all the hunter could think about. Then and there he decided he couldn’t avoid them anymore.

“ I’ll go. Alone.” Solek said suddenly.

Priya looked up at him, surprised.“ Oh, ok.”

With that, the hunter turned and walked towards the exit.

“ Oh, right now! Ok yeah!”

He couldn't make out the rest of Priya’s words as he headed through the door.

So’lek spent the next hour scanning the woodland for the one who loved them the most. He knew they were there. It seemed the one time he was actively seeking Okul he could find them nowhere. The sky had notably darkened when he finally spotted a figure in the midst. His pulse steadied as he neared them.

“ Okul.”

The herbalist didn’t turn at the sound of their name.

“ Warrior.” They said simply.

“ I want to have a word with you.” So’lek said, stepping closer.

“You’re not going to kiss me and run away again, are you?” They spoke playfully but a string of importance swayed their words.

“ No.” He meant it. “ I lied to you.”

Okul side eyed him.” Hm. That wasn’t very nice.”

So’lek closed his eyes tight.” I know. Just, let me say this, please.” 

They didn’t speak another word, allowing him the floor. So’lek sighed.

“ I lied and I haven’t been open. The truth is, I feel so lost when you’re around me. Direction is unclear; I forget my words, myself. You leave me without my senses, stranded, so I thought you deserved the same.”

The apprentice smiled reassuringly.

“ It’s okay.”

So’lek shook his head.                                              “ No it’s not, don’t say that. It’s not okay and it’s not true. I do want to be around you. I probably shouldn’t. I know I have duties to uphold and have to be focused. I owe it to Trr'ong, those who have fallen. I’m distracted, I shouldn’t want to get near but I do.”

The mentee stared, their ears lurched forward again.

“ I’ve been selfish, childish even. You have every right not to see me again. I wouldn't blame you if you did.”

He took a breath. “ But our conversations make light of something inside of me. Whatever this is, I would be lying to myself again if I said I wanted it to end.”

Okul was silent as So’lek spoke.

“ I may not have all the right words but I want you to know that.”