Chapter Text
Water droplets spattered around with one pulling movement from Ao’nung. His Ilu stopping dramatically, a huge splash spraying down Rotxo who was waiting for him by the beach. Watching his friend irritatedly shrugging the water off his face, Ao’nung got off his ride with an unbothered grin. His drenched face glimmered under the daylight, his hair messy after a long trip of duty. He affectionately patted the creature before it swam away, back to the sea.
Rotxo just let out a slight sigh, he’s used to it. Ao’nung’s constant cheeky— playful attitude no longer bothers him as it would for a normal Na’vi. Instead he reached out his hands, asking for the basket in Ao’nung’s hold.
“You got them?”
“As asked”, Ao’nung drummed his fingers on the cover of the basket, handing it to his friend. “Junonia shells, all intact, no damages at all”
Rotxo smiled as he peeked inside the basket, Ao’nung is always reliable when it comes to fulfilling his duty. It balances out the negative bits of his personality, he supposes.
“Thanks, Ao’nung”, Rotxo gave him a satisfied smile, with this he’s done for the day. “I’ll return the favor somehow, somewhen, not now though”
“Of course you would”, teasingly rolling his eye, Ao’nung scoffed. “You just have to hand those over, right?”
“Yea! Then we can do whatev— Oh? hey, the Sullys are here!”
A few miles away, the Sully siblings were gathered by the waters. Practicing their fishing methods. They’ve been doing better at training, there’s really no need for an extra session. So it was probably just the Sully in them acting up.
With a whistle, he gathered the attention from the whole pack. Rotxo lifted a hand up in the air, excitedly waving towards them. Kiri waved back first, not as excited as him, but he’ll take it. The rest soon followed, Tuk stomping happily as she waved both her hands back at him. Lo’ak didn’t give as much energy, he’s doing better than the eldest though. Neteyam only nodded towards their direction, before diving back into the ocean.
“Sheesh, they’re hard workers or what?”, Rotxo chuckled at his own remark, “At this point they’re going to pass us”
“Pass you ”, Ao’nung corrected, “Just because they’re a little good, doesn’t mean they’ll be as good”
He’s not wrong. Their species, unlike the Omaticayans, are made for the water. No amount of training, will ever close the gap of their physical advantages alone.
“Maybe, not for Neteyam though”, Rotxo began to whistle, mesmerized by the clean kill Neteyam just performed faraway from them. “Look at that, whoop, and you’re telling me he’s a total newbie”
“Neteyam, huh?”
Ao’nung stopped his tracks along with Rotxo. Both having their eyes glued on the eldest of the Sullys, lifting up the creature he just hunted, handing it to his siblings. He waddled his way back to the ocean, and within seconds, his blade was swung once again. Rotxo whistled once again, celebrating the second clean kill from Neteyam.
He didn’t want to admit it, but Rotxo’s words weren’t all wrong. At least, the part about Neteyam. Amongst the four, Neteyam is probably the most gifted one in terms of strength and physicals. A natural born star athlete, as his own mother once told him. Competitiveness struck him as soon as Neteyam’s blade swung yet another time.
“You think he has someone?”, Rotxo blurted suddenly. Ao’nung’s jaw dropped, taken aback by the unexpected, totally uncalled question, his expression incomprehensible.
“Are you joking with me?”, with a chuckle Ao’nung slightly grimaced, as anyone else would, probably.
“No! I mean, aren’t you curious?”, he lifted his chin towards the figure implied in his talk, “He’s beautiful, strong, really kind too. He came from a well family as well. I overheard the girls talking about him once…”
“ Beautiful”, Ao’nung sneered at the word. Beautiful and Neteyam in the same sentence doesn’t sound right at all. “And?”
“He’s a total heartbreaker, that Neteyam”, Rotxo scoffed, shrugging as he picked up his pace again. Finally taking his eyes away from the Sullys, and back to his own task. “All of our beautiful girls that had their eyes on him, they were all rejected, apparently”
“So what you’re saying is?”
“Isn’t it weird? most guys don’t just reject beautiful girls that easily”, he continued, “I mean, he didn’t even give them any chance. That guy is ruthless… He’s probably one of those duty obsessed heirs. I just can’t see him being in love, at all!”
Ao’nung just hummed, next to the laughing Rotxo as they both left the beach. He never exactly cared that much about the Sullys. With their rough beginnings, they’re just friends at most. Let alone knowing this much about Neteyam’s romantic life, he never knew any of them personally. Especially Neteyam, there’s an invisible wall between them. Not to mention the sense of rivalry Ao’nung secretly bore for him. But somehow, Rotxo’s remark piqued his interest.
Although it isn’t as weird as Rotxo made it to be, it sounds awfully challenging . To think that there’s something that Neteyam is unable to do riles him up.
That is, if Neteyam truly is incapable of having romantic attractions.
But there’s nothing wrong with ego driven-dreams. One can hope for a chance to bring themselves up. He can’t beat Neteyam in archery and athletics. But this? this is something he could win over.
“What do you say if I turn that heartless boy around?”
Rotxo only snorted, he didn’t even bother to turn around and look at Ao’nung.. “Yeah? Like how? Play match-maker for him?”
“No”, Ao’nung’s answer was shortly strong, “I’ll make him fall in love with me. It’ll be hilarious, don’t you think?”
His words were spoken before he could ever think it over. But flashes of Neteyam’s yellow eyes showed up inside his head. To have that same prideful eyes, looking at him from below with respect and bitterness of loss. Put an early triumphant smile over his face. He can’t stop thinking about the desperation Neteyam will have written over his face.
And that confidence of his breaking apart with Ao’nung’s rejection. But he can’t tell Rotxo about this part of the plan.
Rotxo turned around this time. Almost dropping his basket the way he did with his jaw. He quickly gained back the balance in his arms and held his basket close, “You? No way man”
His tone was as mocking as it could ever be. He had his reasons though. Ao’nung has never been a romance type of guy either, there’s no real evidence behind that confidence wrapped answer. But Rotxo’s laugh immediately turned into an eerie smile with one look of Ao’nung’s gaze. If eyes could burn, Rotxo would be ashes by now.
“Oh Eywa, no way”, he put one hand on his forehead, shaking his head left and right, “No way. Nuh-huh, you can’t. It’s Neteyam . Whatever crazy thoughts you’re thinking, it’s not going to work”
“I haven’t even tried anything”, Ao’nung shrugged, his eyes still filled with dedication, “I’m pretty sure he’s just playing hard to get. It’ll be like breathing in water”
“Woah— Don’t even. He isn’t that kind of guy, we all know it. It’s not happening”, he replied with a little snort of uncertainty at the end of his sentence. “If you can make it happen, I’ll give you anything you ask for”
They both finally set their feet onto the village the moment Ao’nung let out a long laugh. Earning a few glances from the villagers around. Holding onto his stomach, as if he just heard the funniest joke in the whole Pandora.
“Alright!”, he sprung up back to his feet, fixing his posture as he held out a hand, “Why don’t we make it a bet?”
Rotxo blinked twice, looking at Ao’nung’s hand in front of him.
“What do I get in return?”
“Whatever, anything . Let’s have the same requirements as the bet”
He scoffed, taking a few seconds to consider. His eyes met Ao’nung’s. Funnily enough, that leaking confidence only lit something up within him. So he took his hand, with one steady shake, their bet was done.