THE SONGCHORD BEAD — from Tsu's first bond with Malu, shone in its bioluminescent matter as the golden haired girl pressed her two fingers on it, reciting a tranquil chant of whispers.

Neteyam kept his chin down, eyes up at the shut ones of Tsu and her pacific peace that this brought her, looking down to his song chord, wondering whether he could do what she could. Probably not as graceful as hers.

Both sat with their legs crossed, facing each other on the dark silver slippery rock, glittering and peaking its head from out the isolating body of water, lit by the reefs below. A coating breeze finally accompanied them, diffusing the burning incense.

Tsu's eyes scrunched, before slowly opening, as she looked back up to the crescent celestial rock mounted in the sky. Neteyam followed where her eyes were glued upon, the bright lights of stars in the navy sky, all below it being periwinkled by the neighboring planet on the horizon.

"So --...How do you know when she's here?" Neteyam asked, almost under his breath.

"...Concentrate on the songs of the wind. You'll feel it," Tsu's big puppy eyes stared into his glistening ones, looking up to the planet-horizon, "You'll feel her." she quickly smiled, as the words recited in his mind

His head shot back to the girl as a sudden blow of wind flew past them, the hum sounding deeper. Her curls blew to the right of her, as a grin rose to her starry face.

Neteyam's eyes smiled, as he admired her grin — the two ends of her top lip seem to pop out due to her bigger fangs, along with the little dimples above the ends of her lips that deepened whenever she laughed.

Chills ruffled down his spine as he finally heard whispers from the wind — a presence of something greater, flew before them with a based hymn.

Neteyam fiddled around after losing focus — trying to peep at the princess. He thought he'd gotten away with it, but --

"It's much better to keep your eyes shut, warrior," The boy flinched, shooting his head down as she continued, "Unless you want your eyes plucked out, melted and swallowed by the spirits" she looked to him, seeing him shut his eyes tighter, still as a rock. Silent as a mouse.

And at that, she had burst out laughing as she jeered, "...I'm Just kidding...I'm pretty sure they're vegetarian"

"Sure they are" he 'whispered', still with the golden haired girl hearing his deep accented voice over the wind, her ears shifting as he spoke.

The moonlight shot onto his starry, deep blue skin, and his bright amber eyes as he smirked at the girl, both their attention being stolen by a louder hymn, sounding like wails of a whale, a tulkun.

Tsu narrowed her heterochromic orbs, biting the insides of her cheek as she whined, "Malu Malu Malu...always taking her sweet time."

TONOWARI'S WISHES HAD BEEN granted; for his goddaughter to return home safe. So have Tsu'laika's; to have spoken with her dear spirit sister, with the help of a warrior she had just met that day.

Neteyam stood in awe before the large palace of marui pods, guarded by thick branches caving them in, as the princess awkwardly stood around, waiting for him. His lips pursed, clearing his throat, as he finally drew out, "...See you tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow," she smiled, energetically nodding, "Before you go...I just want to say --" she let out a dry chuckle, "...Thank you."

"The pleasure is all mine, Tsu'laika" he lifted his hands up as his head bowed, "I should be  the one thanking you for your hospitality" he provoked in her the thought — or memory rather — of leaving home, her eyes dropping at the symbolic silence.

There was a sudden burn to tell him that he wasn't alone, that she too knows war, maybe even looked it in the eye. And that it took her home away from her. But she would rather scold the flooded sorrow approaching with the lift of her chin, and a slight change of subject.

"Speaking of..." she began, "You're sure you don't want me to walk you home? Y'know-- Incase you get lost?" she suggested, as the boy's eyebrows went from being lifted to fully dropping down where he flatly drew out --

"This is the third time you've asked and I've given you the same answer, princess--" he chuckled dryly as she explained --

"--I mean I have -- before -- its pretty easy to-- I mean-- look at that!" she pointed out toward the maize of pathways darkened by the pods, defending as he objected in between with his cute boyish snicker.

She playfully rolled her eyes as he questioned her sense of direction, the two eventually quieting down from the glimmer of the young night.

"...I'm sure I'll figure it out, -- princess." he gave her a reassuring smile, looking into her blue eye, then purple, then blue,  "...Goodnight, Tsu'laika. " he whispered, her heart warming, almost jealous of how beautiful her name sounded when it came out of his mouth.

"Goodnight, Neteyam" she accompanied her words with its signing translation. He smiled to himself of the satisfying way she pronounced his name, her uttering it under her breath was enough to title him as the most important Na'vi on Pandora.

They went their separate ways, with a swaying childlikeness to the boy's walk, and a glow to the girl's freckled teal skin, both buoyant of the next day ahead.

THE FUCHSIA FIREFLIES FLUTTERED from out the ceiling of the bedroom-pod of the sea princesses, lighting it up in its beautiful feminine touch to the 'girls talk' of their highnesses.

"So...how was your day?" Tsu'laika yawned, her body rested stomach down on the woven floor, using her arm to hold her head up, patiently waiting for an answer from Tsireya. She herself had already dodged the rather complex topic of Neteyam.

"Good." Tsireya merely stated, her eyes dodging the face drop of Laika, scoffing. Reya ignored her remarks, childishly fiddling with the swinging hammocks.

"Just 'good'?" Tsu'laika snapped, before smirking as she mumbled, "No...foreign-alien-forest-boy who --"

"Wh--" Reya gasped into a bashful stutter, "How did you find out?" her words finally spat as Tsu'laika giggled at her reaction, her dimple deepening at her hopeless attempt to quit blushing

"So its true what Ao'nung told me?" Tsu lifted her stomach off the ground, crossing her legs as--

"--I thought past experiences taught you not to believe a word that comes from that boy's mouth!" she scolded as they simultaneously stood up from the ground, their bodies shimmering in the pink light

"No-- I saw the look on your face" Tsu lifted her right leg to rest on her hammock, chuckling at her sisters dramatic groans as she finally spat--

"...Fine! Yes, I...Maybe I--...He's so cute, Lai-- and so...clueless" Reya finally squeezed, sitting back on her hammock, with Tsu'laika squealing as she energetically sang--

"Lo'ak and Tsireya sittin'-in-a-tree--"

"Tsu!" Reya hollered as Tsu'laika teasingly lifted her eyebrows, giggling and squealing as--

"Tsireya! Tsu'laika! Why not wake the whole clan up with the noise you're making!" Ronal loudly whispered at the girls, leaning on their doorway, "Are we really going through this again?"

The girls couldn't do anything but whisper an apology as their big puppy eyes reflected pink as they glared at the tsahìk. It took a great effort from the sisters not to make eye contact and burst out laughing at — nothing, really.

Ronal scoffed, finally ambling from the doorway with her hand on the bump of her stomach, as Laika murmured, "Sorry, baby brother"

"Or sister" Reya chimed in. It was clear where their predictions on the gender of Ronal's unborn baby lied, "Can't have two Ao'nung's. Another Izaä? Mmm, maybe." Reya rested her head on her hammock.

She furrowed her eyebrows as Tsu'laika cracked a big smile on her face, chuckling, taking the silence from them preparing for bed as an opportunity to sing--

"Lo'ak and Tsireya sittin in a tr--"

"--Tsu'lai!" she whined, lightly pushing her sisters forehead back as she gasped laughing, shushing her silent sister as she did so.

THE SEA PRINCESS CALLED OUT to her ilu, elegantly diving into the refreshment of the seawater after seeing the familiar patchy loss of blue, on the beautiful skin of Skai'lo, that glistened in the morning sun.

"If you want to live here, you have to ride" she heard Ao'nung tell the group, in the distance, popping herself from the muffling water. While seated on the right side of Skai'lo, her piercing eyes skimmed for the particular forest boy, hard to miss, really.

After cringing at Izaä's hopeless attempt at looking tough in front of the foreigners, she finally spotted Neteyam — or his back, as he carried his littlest sister, a smile curling up on her face at that sight.

However the smile had faded faster than the speed of light as one of Ao'nung's clique members stared at her, as if he'd seen a ghost, or in this case, an angel. Ao'nung's attention had now been brought to the fashionable lateness of Tsu'laika as he announced --

"Tsu'laika! So glad you finally decided to join us!" he stretched his arms out with that devilish smirk of his, satisfied at the golden haired girl's reaction to his remarks -- a failed attempt at hiding an eye roll with a forced smile, "I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it"

"Me neither!" she forcefully chimed in, gulping down the words she could not say out loud as she dismissed the boy and his friends who childishly giggled

At that, she ducked her head in the water, tightening the grip of her right hand on Skai'lo, speeding up in the water, after hearing someone jeer--

"Quick, princess! Before it gets dark!" she scoffed, the bubbles swimming to surface as she shook her head.

At About fifteen feet away from Neteyam and Tuk, the princess gracefully emerged from the water.

Skai'lo swam off, as Tsu'laika approached her little brother and older sister, making being soaking wet as she was, the most elegantly beautiful act.

The water darkened her hair as it weighed it down, being slapped against her freckled shoulders, before her curls coiled back together as she waved some back.

She finally met eyes with Neteyam, as he effortlessly lifted his hand up, bopping his head down as he smiled. She smiled, meekly waving at him.

She finally caught the attention of his little sister hidden behind him, her pale curls bouncing as she eagerly gestured towards Tuk to come join her while Reya began lessons. Tsu chuckled at Tuktirey's eyes that lit up, watching her adorable swim to her.

"Make the bond gently" Tsireya calmly instructed Lo'ak, seated on the ilu, shuddering as it roared. The water gently slapped around her thighs as she swayed around, arms crossed, amused at the effort Reya made at not making eye contact with her in front of Lo'ak.

She shifted her head to her left, examining as Ao'nung instructed Neteyam. Tuk had insisted on waiting for Lo'ak to ride first, to postpone the excited tangled in anxiety of it all. At that, Lo'ak had finally swam off with the ilu, after a few readying breaths.

Tsu ducked her head in the water along with everyone else to watch as Lo'ak -- being helplessly blown by the current speed like an air dancer, his legs dangling uncontrollably, before he surrendered to an endless spin underwater after finally losing his grip.

Tsu'laika stood up from the water, covering her mouth, looking down as Ao'nung and his friends laughed hard at the poor boy. She chuckled at Reya's attempt at hiding her amusement, while Tuk's lips remained pursed, cracking strained giggles.

She cleared her empty throat, hiding her chuckle at Izaä running his little hands through his dark brown curls, with a face as straight as the horizon, turning around to a silent tearful laugh, making eye contact with his sister who faked coughs.

"Everything alright, forest boy?" one of the boy's asked, Tsu giving into a crack of small laughter, before composing herself as the boy's head popped out of the water, deeply sighing before his swim of shame.

Reya called on Tuktirey, who now hid behind Tsu'laika, to being next in the ilu riding. Her puppy amber eyes looked up to Tsu, who gave her reassuring encouragement, whispering, "Show 'em how its done". She finally took a brief breath out, swimming towards Tsireya.

She shot her head to her left, to where Neteyam scratched his head to hide his snicker— his lifting shoulders gave it away. She chuckled to herself, mindlessly walking towards him as she hollered, "Something funny, forest boy?"

To which he cleared away the laughter with a cough. His head titled as he dismissively replied, "Good morning to you too, Tsu'laika"

Tsu'laika shot her head down as she let out a small laugh, shooting her head back up to him, now seeing him climb on an ilu that lingered behind him. Her face went limb as she tried not to make the staring at his abs too obvious, as Neteyam pulled his tsaheylu braid from behind.

He readjusted his position, his braids flapping as he tightened his grip on the ilu, knitting down as he met her eyes. The effort she made to look up to him made him fluster inside, lost in her daring eyes, before she cleared her throat, exclaiming--

"--Well, You're gonna flunk this or not? Go!" she jeered, amused at his reaction to her remarks, dashing forward with the ilu. Her head ducked down once again, chuckling at his reaction to the current blowing right at him. And at that, he emerged from the water, still intact with the ilu, whooping at the jump, before making a U-turn back towards everyone.

Of course he made it.

She thought, Shaking her head as a smile grew on her. He stopped right in front of her, hopping off the ilu with a disconnected bond, panting — hard. Her eyebrows furrowed at this, as she patiently waited for him to catch his breath.

None of them dared to break the eye contact as the water beaded from the tips of his braids, sliding onto his torso. It was hard to keep focused on his amber eyes considering what lay right below —of course it was.

She chuckled at every non-verbal expression he made as he stood before her ; the frown as his arms rested on his hips, to the deep exhales, to the lift of a finger as he finally drew out, "Breath--...Breathing lessons...please" his pitch heightened from the fatigue, even a warrior has his limits. Tsu'laika's eyes widened in realization, before stifling out a laugh as she nodded, already looking for a spot to host these lessons.

authors note

it's official, tsu and i are in the same boat of sprained something's ( mine is my ankle which is more unfortunate ) lol

i love tsu and reya <3

just to clear it up, Skai'lo ( Tsu'laika's ilu ) has vitiligo !!

if you have any questions about this book please feel free to ask <3

ghost readers i'm in your closet fr

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