Chapter Text
With no functioning gear and a heavy laden heart and throbbing head, the Colonel didn’t know where to go or what to do with himself. He assumed he should head back to headquarters, but with his comm completely waterlogged and useless and without even a compass to guide him he had only a vague idea of which way to head to get back to base to regroup. He could tell north, east and west by the setting suns, but even still, headquarters were half way around this globe and he was all alone with only his Ikran and no supplies for the journey. Not to mention he was badly injured and his body was beyond fatigued and his head was spinning. He ended up not knowing where he’d fly to, but rather just knew he needed to get away from the wreckage of this war and the rejection of his son…
He had not even a vague idea of how much time had passed since he’d been in the air, but with his body being so weak and the imminent fear he may fall from his Ikran if he rode any longer, the blue man landed his dragon-like beast on a sandy bank just as the sky was becoming orange, signaling eclipse was soon. His large feet hit the sand floor hard as he paid no mind to the picturesque paradise around him and stumbled his way into the rainforest just adjacent the shore. He’d spotted a glint of blue atop the trees while in the air and he hoped to the gods it meant fresh water. And lo, not a long ways in from where he landed he heard the bubbling of a brook and the slush of a waterfall and soon came upon the clear-water pool the sounds emanated from. Falling to his knees at the water’s edge he dipped his head and formed a cup with his hands to take a drink. The cool water tasted like pure life under these godforsaken circumstances. He felt the cold liquid make its way down his swollen and dry throat, all the way to his stomach where it sat and cooled him from the inside out. He felt his veins all through his beaten body become fuller with hydration, and he sat back on his heels, his knees in the sandy bank and his head falling back as he felt peace for the first time wash over him. He breathed in the world around him and filled his senses to the brim. He was alive… A bit battered, but still alive.
Unbeknownst to him, just out of view, he had a little blue shadow, curiously watching him.
The curious blue shadow was stealthy but not a lot could get past the Colonel's marines' senses, especially now they were heightened from being blue. The large man's ears twitched and he was broken from his tranquil trance and his attention went to where he heard the pad of a foot upon the earth. Behind a large tree-trunk a flicker of blue moved quickly out of view. And he immediately knew he had a stalker.
“That’s alright, you can come out,” his booming voice spoke out into seemingly nothing, “I won’t bite.”
A four-fingered blue hand appeared upon the tree, and thereafter two yellow eyes that just as quickly disappeared.
“That’s right, you probably don’t understand me, Ohe nìtut keye’ung peace, I come in peace!” That wasn’t really true but that was one of the few phrases he knew in Na’vi.
Again a blue face peeked out and so did a mane of dark hair. From what he could tell it was a woman Omatikaya, native Na’vi. Was she all alone out here?
Quaritch got up, tired already of haggling with this mute foe, and slowly approached the tree which the woman hid behind.
“Here kitty-kitty,” he spoke mockingly, “come out and let me see that pretty-little face of yours again sweetheart.”
Just as he reached to look around the tree the blue figure moved to be out of view, “now now, come on,” he drawled. He was becoming angry at being strung along like a fish by this stupid, little creature. He made to move again but was stopped in his tracks by words he understood.
“Please don’t!” The Na’vi women spoke in English, “I’ll come out.”
“So you do understand me,” the blue man tutted, “come on then—”
“I will!” she cut him off, her voice muffled by the tree between them, “just—can you fetch me my cover ups please…” And again her face appeared to him, but this time much closer and to his surprise. She motioned in a direction with one hand and the other covered her bare breasts, “over there—see?” The woman's eyes met with his own and he was caught off guard for a moment. Her gaze…was so steady and unafraid of him. He looked to where she was pointing and saw what she wanted. He went to fetch them and brought back the two, tiny beaded pieces of clothing. With a thank you she received them and hid herself again. And he plopped himself on a smooth stone near-by to give her privacy. Why he granted her such decency, he didn’t know. He chucked it up to his head hurting and not wanting to pick a fight at this particular moment. He wondered for a moment why she should be embarrassed of her nudeness when her people ran around practically naked anyway.
After a brief time the woman emerged dressed and Quaritch finally could get a good look at his shadow. And without his immediate knowledge his eyebrows raised ever so slightly at the sight of her.
She was a small woman with a delicate frame. Her ebony hair reached her waist in cascading waves and she wore two tropical flowers on either side of her head. The swell of her breasts were decorated with a beaded top and her feminine hips were wrapped in a tiny, tied, skirt with beaded fringe. Her face was ethereal and alien with wide set eyes and pouty pink-tinted lips. Her blue skin practically glowed in the darkening atmosphere. Her eyes caught his attention in particular; they held his gaze with an inquisitive innocence, completely unabashed or afraid. And they were such a deep shade of yellow they were almost brown…almost human…
He shook his head at his thoughts.
“Sorry I interrupted your little bath or whatever,” that is what he assumed she was doing in the pool before he arrived, “I didn’t mean to frighten you or nothing.” He meant that. He grew up with midwest manners and was no pervert.
Quaritch didn’t like the effect this woman's appearance had on him and he wasn’t about to analyze what it might mean. He also wasn’t so sure what to do with the lady now she was in front of him. He was abhorrent towards the Na’vi people and had just been at war with them. Even though he looked like one of them now didn’t mean he was willing to make peace with one, let alone accept being attracted to one. But, she could come in handy… He didn’t wanna set off any alarms killing her; he wasn’t strong enough yet to deal with the consequences of that. But she may know the forests better than he did and could chauffeur him back to his base if he played his cards right.
“You are a demon puppet,” she ignored his apologies, “you have five fingers on your hands.” She spoke English well, her Na’vi accent only accentuated the words a bit to give away that she wasn’t a native speaker.
The general chuckled at her statements, “that’s true, you’re very observant aren’t you.”
“You are also hurt,” she said, approaching him. Her voice was soft and girly, and somehow was music to the Colonel’s hurting head.
“That is also true—hey now” she’d come right up to him and made to touch his bleeding temple but he evaded her hand and caught her wrist, “well you aren’t shy at all now are you.” he said in a roguish manner.
“I can help you,” she spoke, and to his astonishment she went to touch his face again with her other hand which he promptly captured too.
“You can help me by doing me a favor and keeping your grubby little hands off me, missy,’ he said, not necessarily meanly but firmly, “what is your name anyhow.”
“My name is Mii’ko and I make medicinals, I am an alchemist.”
Maybe she would come in handy.
“Outstanding,” the blue general said with a beaming, toothy grin. Just his luck he’d come across a nice, little, native nurse when he could do with a bandage or two. “Nice to meet you Mii’ko.”