[dailyblueobsession]

Avatar Masterlist (x Reader)

Masterlist Created: 21/02/26

Updated: 26/05/26

Total Works: 21

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Tsu'tey

Mirrored Skies (Tag List Now Full) : Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 (mild NSFW) Part 21

[dailyblueobsession]

Holoo this is the same person who was being nosy about your pfp choice so I heard you wanted someone to draw Ramtsyi and Teyra so uhm you can pay a skilled person but I wanted to try drawing them too.. I'm not very skilled and I can maybe draw a smaller less detailed version but could I bother you by asking a proper description of both, all the details that would help me draw them :) ty for being an amazing writer and soo interactive I adore you and your blog so so much 🥰🥰🥰

I adore you! 💕🫶 I am honestly so happy you want to draw them! Of course, I’m sure I’ll love it! BUT I also thought it would be nice to go into a bit of depth about them and my perspective of them for everyone to understand them a little better ☺️

Teyra

Teyra feels like the kind of woman people unconsciously gravitate toward. Not because she demands authority. Because she embodies it.

Physical Appearance

I imagine Teyra as taller than average for a Na’vi woman, though not imposing in the way a warrior might be. Her beauty is the kind that has softened with age rather than faded. At around 35-40 years old, she would still be strikingly beautiful, but in a way that feels effortless and grounded rather than youthful.

* Deep blue skin with slightly darker striping than Neytiri

* Strong cheekbones

* Kind eyes that seem to notice everything

* Long dark hair streaked with a few silver-white strands woven naturally through it

* Faint laugh lines around her eyes from years of smiling despite hardship

Her eyes would be one of her most distinctive features. Not because of their colour- they would still be the luminous gold typical of the Na’vi- but because of the way she looks at people.

Teyra never glances. She sees. When she looks at you, it feels like being wrapped in a blanket and gently interrogated at the same time.

Hunter Background

I absolutely love the idea that she would have once been one of the fiercest hunters of her generation. Not in the loud, aggressive way. In the terrifyingly competent way. The kind of hunter who:

* never wasted movement

* rarely missed

* could disappear into the forest for days

Older warriors still remember stories about her. Younger hunters struggle to imagine the gentle woman they know being capable of such things. Which secretly delights her.

Clothing & Adornment

Since she lost her mate, she wears very little ornamentation for herself. Most of her jewelry would be meaningful rather than decorative.

Things like:

* A single carved bead from her mate’s clan woven permanently into her hair

* A bracelet made from old hunting cord gifted by her first daughter

* Feathers gifted by children she has helped raise

Nothing extravagant. Everything treasured.

Personality Energy

The closest comparison is:

the woman everyone goes to when they are hurt.

Not because she has answers. Because she makes pain easier to carry. That is why the reader gravitates toward her so naturally. And why Teyra has quietly slipped into the role of mother long before either of them have acknowledged it.

Ramtsyi

Ramtsyi is almost the complete opposite. She is sunlight.

Physical Appearance

At ten years old, I picture her as still very obviously a child. All limbs and enthusiasm. Not yet grown into herself.

* Slightly too tall for her age

* Skinny in the way active children are

* Constantly moving

* Tail always giving away exactly what she feels

She would have brighter striping than most adults. Almost playful. Perhaps her markings form little curved shapes across her cheeks and shoulders that make her expressions seem even bigger.

Her Hair

Ramtsyi absolutely does not sit still long enough for perfect hairstyles. No matter how often Teyra tries. Her braids are usually:

* slightly crooked

* coming loose somewhere

* decorated with random things she found and liked

Tiny feathers. Colourful beads. Seeds. Things she absolutely wasn’t supposed to bring home.

Her Eyes. Huge. Expressive. Impossible to hide emotion from. When she’s happy: everyone knows. When she’s sad: everyone knows. When she’s trying to lie: everyone really knows.

Personality Energy

Ramtsyi loves with her entire soul. There is no moderation. No restraint. If she decides she loves someone: Congratulations. You have been adopted!

This is exactly why her relationship with the reader works so well. The reader likely spent ages questioning:

* whether she belonged

* whether people accepted her

* whether she had earned her place

Meanwhile Ramtsyi was simply:

“You are my sister now.”

And that was the end of the discussion.

Why She Cries During the Ceremony

The reason that scene works for me isn’t because Ramtsyi is emotional. It’s because, in her mind, the ceremony wasn’t only about the reader becoming Omatikaya. It was proof that everyone else finally saw what she already knew.

To Ramtsyi: The reader became her sister a long time ago. Everyone else was just catching up.

The thing I love most about them as a pair is that they mirror two different kinds of family. Teyra is the family you slowly grow into. The one built through trust, patience, and years of quiet love. Ramtsyi is the family that chooses you immediately and refuses to let go.

Together, they give the reader something she didn’t realise she was searching for all along: A home that existed independently of Tsu’tey, Jake, or anyone else.

Which is exactly why their love for her feels so powerful. It isn’t romantic. It isn’t conditional. It simply is. And in a story where so much is uncertain, that makes it one of the strongest bonds she has.

[dailyblueobsession]

https://www.tumblr.com/dailyblueobsession/815711387682766848/omg-i-know-the-ceremony-for-the-character-is

that’s so amazing you bought the extended scenes, I bet the movie looks really cool with all of them!

I’m so happy you’re keeping it in the bank. I was thinking it would help with details of scenery and the feelings. Like if reader goes through the dream hunt, it would help with scenery details I thought. And also like towards the end of that video of the dream hunt; I think you can tell that Jake noticed that that there was a connection and pull to all the people through eywa. Like the glowing light of everyone’s body. I think that would really help the readers story with her being taught by mo’at and her feeling with eywa and getting visions.

I cant wait to see what comes next!!! thank you for writing and sharing your work so much. I really love your story and it’s inspired me a lot.

Hey pookie! Soo don’t think I’ve forgotten to respond to you 💕 I just waited because I loved your idea so much that I decided to use it in the latest chapter and wanted it to be a lil surprise! 🫶

It’s a shame you sent me the inbox anonymously so I can’t tag you for the inspo! But dw absolutely no pressure to inbox me with your username visible 🫶

I hope you enjoy! ☺️💕

[dailyblueobsession]

Mirrored Skies Chapter 21

Pairing: Tsu'tey x AvatarFemReader

Trope: Enemies to Allies to Lovers

Summary: You are a part of Grace's avatar programme. You make the mistake of following Jake on the expedition and narrowly escape death. You would kill him but the dumbass somehow got you both to the hearts of the Ometikaya.

Word Count: 9.5k

Warnings: N/A

A/N: The long awaited part 2 of the ceremony! Enjoy my lovelies!

However! I have to let you know that because I was able to get this chapter out early, i moved some pockets of time around and I will have to postpone the next one to around the 6th June and I won’t be able to negotiate on that 😭 so once again: thank you for your patience 🫶

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For a moment after the kiss, neither of you moved. The air itself felt altered. Too warm. Too thin. Your pulse had not settled; if anything, it only deepened, each breath uneven beneath the weight of what had just happened. You could still feel him- his hand at the side of your face, the restraint that had finally broken, the brief devastating moment where he had stopped holding himself apart from you. And the worst part- you wanted him to do it again. The thought struck hard enough to shame you for it. Because this was not simple. It could never be simple.

Tsu’tey had already pulled back, though not far enough to truly feel distant. His shoulders were tense beneath the firelight, jaw tight, gaze fixed somewhere just past you as though refusing to look directly at what he had done. Or what you had allowed.

Silence stretched painfully between you. You swallowed once, trying to steady yourself. “You said that shouldn’t have happened.”

“It should not have.” His voice was rougher now. Less controlled. But still firm. The answer hurt more than it should have. Because part of you had hoped- No. You pushed the thought away before it could fully form.

Tsu’tey exhaled slowly and reached for the pigment again, though the movement lacked its earlier certainty. His fingers flexed once around the small carved bowl before he finally looked back at you.

And the moment his eyes met yours- something in his expression shifted. Not regret. No, that would have been easier. It was worse than regret. Want. Carefully restrained. Quietly suffering beneath discipline and duty and every expectation placed upon him since birth. Your chest tightened painfully.

“You should not look at me like that,” he said softly.

“Like what?”

“As though you are waiting for me to choose differently.” The words landed hard because they were true. Not entirely. But enough.

You looked away first. “That isn't fair,” you murmured.

“No.” His voice lowered further. “It is not.”

The silence returned. Heavy now. You stared at the markings drying along your skin, unable to stop your thoughts from turning toward the truth you had tried not to touch all day. Neytiri. The future already waiting for him. The future the clan expected. You knew what it meant for a warrior like Tsu’tey to turn away from that duty. You knew the shame it would bring- not only upon him, but upon everyone tied to the choice. And no matter what had just passed between you- no matter how his hands had trembled when he touched you- you would never ask that of him. Even if some selfish, aching part of you wanted to.

Tsu’tey moved closer again. Not intimately this time. Carefully. Controlled. He dipped his fingers into the pigment once more before speaking. “We will finish this.” Practical words. But his voice lacked steadiness. You nodded silently.

The final markings remained unfinished along your thighs, the ceremonial patterns meant to wind upward in clean, deliberate lines. You shifted slightly to allow him room, though the movement only made the tension between you worse somehow- because now you were aware of everything. How close he sat. How carefully he avoided touching more than necessary. How much effort it cost him.

His hand settled lightly just above your knee, grounding rather than possessive as he began tracing the next line upward. The touch should have felt clinical. It did not. Your breath caught anyway Tsu’tey’s jaw tightened.

Neither of you spoke. The silence became unbearable precisely because it was controlled. Because both of you were trying so hard not to acknowledge what had changed.

His fingers moved slowly, steadying your leg as he painted the next pattern into your skin with meticulous care. But every now and then his thumb brushed lightly against you- not enough to be accidental, not enough to openly mean anything either. You hated how aware of it you were.

“You are shaking,” he said quietly.

“So are you.” That made him pause. Only briefly. Then he resumed.

“You should be thinking of tonight,” he said after a moment.

“I am trying.”

“No,” he murmured, eyes fixed on the markings rather than your face. “You are thinking about this.”

You swallowed. “…yes.”

His hand stilled again. For one dangerous second, it seemed as though he might lean toward you a second time. The tension in him pulled tight enough that you felt it in your own chest. But then- discipline returned. Cruel in its necessity.

“You deserve clarity before Eywa,” he said carefully. “Not confusion.”

Something inside you twisted. “And what if it’s already too late for that?”

At last he looked at you. Really looked at you. The conflict in his expression nearly undid you completely. Because he wanted more too. That was the unbearable part. Not uncertainty. Not rejection. Wanting- and refusing anyway.

“Tsu’tey…” you began softly. A sound outside the alcove interrupted you both. Footsteps. Nearer now. Teyra. The moment shattered instantly. Tsu’tey drew back at once, composure snapping back into place with painful speed. By the time Teyra appeared at the entrance, he had already lowered his gaze to the final painted line, finishing it with steady precision no one else would question. Only you noticed the tension still lingering in his shoulders. Only you noticed how carefully he avoided looking at you again.

Teyra stepped inside and slowed immediately. Her eyes moved between you both once. Then lingered. Not suspicious. Knowing. But merciful enough not to speak of it. “The markings are beautiful,” she said softly.

Tsu’tey set the pigment aside and rose to his feet. “They are finished,” he said. His voice had returned to normal. Almost. But as he stepped past you toward the exit, his hand brushed lightly against yours for the briefest moment. One final touch. Gone before anyone else could notice. Yet enough to leave your pulse unsteady long after he disappeared from the alcove.

The silence Tsu’tey left behind lingered long after he disappeared from the alcove. You could still feel the imprint of him everywhere. In the warmth lingering against your skin where his hands had steadied you. In the ghost of his mouth against yours. In the unbearable awareness that something had shifted between you both- and neither of you had truly known what to do with it once it had happened.

You sat motionless for a moment too long. Then Teyra moved closer. Quietly. She knelt beside you before finally looking at you properly. And the moment your eyes met hers- you knew she understood. Not every detail. But enough. Heat rose instantly beneath your skin. “It wasn't-” you began. Teyra lifted a hand gently, silencing you before the excuse could fully form. “You have no need to explain,” she said softly. Mercy. That was what it was. Your throat tightened unexpectedly. “Teyra…”

“No,” she murmured, her expression warm with quiet understanding. “You do not need to explain something your own heart has not yet understood.” You looked away. Because if you kept looking at her, you thought perhaps she might see too much. The conflict. The wanting. The painful certainty that wanting changed nothing.

Teyra let the silence settle for a moment before reaching for a cloth, dipping it into the basin beside her. “The beads come later,” she said lightly, almost conversational now as she cleaned a faint streak of pigment from your arm. “After the ceremony. After Eywa hears you.”

You nodded absently. Your thoughts were still elsewhere. Teyra noticed immediately. Of course she did. “You think too loudly,” she said. You huffed faintly. “That is not possible.” She made a small humming sound. “It is for you.” That finally pulled the smallest breath of amusement from you. Satisfied, Teyra settled more comfortably beside you, folding one leg beneath herself.

“When I stood before Eywa for my own ceremony,” she said softly, “I thought I would faint before reaching the Tree of Voices.” You blinked, glancing toward her in surprise. “You?”

“Yes, me.” A smile touched her lips. “I was far less calm than you are now.”

“That seems impossible.”

“Oh, I was terrible.” Her eyes softened with memory. “I nearly argued with the Tsahìk halfway through the preparations.” That startled an actual laugh from you. Teyra looked pleased by the sound.

“You never told me this.”

“There are many things I have not told you.” Something in her voice shifted slightly then- not sad exactly, but distant. Thoughtful.

You watched her carefully. “Teyra…” you said softly. “What was he like?”

Her gaze lifted slowly to yours. For a moment, she did not answer. Then, quietly- “Wild.” The word carried affection so deep it almost ached. A faint smile touched her mouth as she looked somewhere beyond the alcove walls, beyond Home Tree itself. “He was not Omatikaya,” she said. “That was the first problem.”

You frowned slightly. “Another clan?” She nodded. “A small forest clan far to the east.” Her fingers traced absently along the edge of the cloth in her lap. “He came here during trade seasons. The first time I saw him, he insulted my hunting knife.”

You stared at her. “That was your first meeting?”

“It was a very good knife.”

You laughed softly again, and Teyra’s smile widened with the memory. “He thought I carried it too high at my hip,” she continued. “I told him if he kept speaking, I would use it.”

“That sounds more like you.”

“It was not an empty threat.” You could picture it far too easily. Teyra younger. Fierce-eyed and sharp-tongued, standing face-to-face with some reckless hunter stubborn enough not to retreat.

“He came back the next season,” she said quietly. “And the season after that.” The warmth in her expression deepened now, softening every line of her face. “He was…” She paused briefly, searching for the right words. “He saw me as though I was something untamed instead of something that needed softening.” Your chest tightened unexpectedly. “And the clan accepted that?”

A quiet huff of amusement left her. “No.” That answer surprised you less. “My father wished me to choose someone safer,” she said. “Someone Omatikaya. Someone predictable.” Her eyes flickered briefly toward you. “But your heart does not become smaller simply because others ask it to.”

The words settled heavily between you. Not accidental. Never accidental. You swallowed slowly. “What happened?” you asked quietly. Teyra grew still. The silence that followed felt different this time. Older. Her gaze lowered briefly to her hands. And suddenly you knew. Not the details. But enough. “Teyra…”

She looked up quickly then, the softness returning at once before grief could fully surface. “No,” she said gently. Not harsh. Not closed off. Just certain. “Not today.” Your chest tightened with immediate regret. “I didn't mean to-”

“I know.” Her hand found yours briefly, warm and reassuring. “But if I continue this story, you will begin your ceremony with tears in your eyes, and I would rather you begin it standing tall.” Emotion caught unexpectedly in your throat. Teyra squeezed your hand once before rising gracefully to her feet.

Outside the alcove, the light had begun to deepen toward dusk. The time had come. Teyra looked down at you, her expression softening with something deeply maternal now. “Come,” she said quietly. Your pulse quickened instantly. Not from fear alone. From understanding. This was real now. The ceremony. Eywa. Everything waiting beyond this moment. Teyra extended her hand toward you. And after one final steadying breath- you took it.

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Dusk settled over Home Tree like a held breath. The celebration fires had not yet been lit. No laughter echoed through the great hollow now, no easy conversation drifting between the woven walkways. The clan had quieted as the hour approached, reverence sinking into the living heart of the Omatikaya like roots into earth. Everything felt suspended. Waiting.

Teyra walked beside you in silence. Not because there was nothing left to say, but because words no longer belonged to this part of the night. The ceremonial markings across your skin had dried fully now, glowing faintly where the pigments caught the dim blue light woven through Home Tree’s living walls. The air grew cooler as Teyra guided you deeper- down winding pathways rarely walked except during sacred rites, past immense roots twisting through the earth like the bones of something ancient.

The sounds of the clan faded behind you. Until there was only the quiet pulse of life beneath the tree itself. You swallowed slowly. The deeper chambers of Home Tree opened at last before you. Massive roots spiralled upward and downward together, encircling a wide hollow chamber bathed in bioluminescent light. Tendrils glowed softly along the walls like veins carrying Eywa’s breath through the living wood. The air here felt different. Heavier. Sacred. It held the same weight as the area Mo'at had you connect to the same roots of Home Tree.

They were already waiting. Mo’at stood at the centre of the chamber draped in ceremonial adornments, her presence calm and immovable as stone. Beside her stood Eytukan, solemn and watchful. And beside him- Tsu’tey.

Your pulse shifted instantly. His gaze found you the moment you entered. Not lingering. Not openly. But enough. Enough to bring back the memory of his mouth against yours so vividly that your chest tightened painfully beneath it. You looked away first.

As though sensing the exact moment the tension threatened to rise again, movement stirred behind you. Neytiri entered alongside Jake. The shift in the room was immediate.

Jake looked uneasy despite his efforts to hide it, his eyes moving over the chamber with uncertainty that felt almost loud in the sacred quiet. Neytiri walked beside him with far more composure, though something guarded lingered beneath it tonight. Tsu’tey noticed them too. You saw it in the subtle tightening of his jaw. In the way his posture sharpened without movement.

Then Jake looked at you. Really looked at you. For a moment, the chamber seemed to quiet further around that glance alone. There was remorse in his expression still- raw and unresolved from the truth he had finally spoken aloud. But beneath it now sat something else too. Determination. Hope. As though despite everything, despite the anger surrounding him and the damage already done, he still intended to prove himself worthy of remaining here. Of surviving this.

His gaze flickered briefly toward the roots surrounding the chamber. Toward Mo’at. Toward the sacred rite waiting for both of you. He knew what this challenge was. Everyone did. Eywa’s dream trials did not simply test the spirit. They could kill the unworthy. The weak. The unprepared. Jake swallowed once, then gave you the smallest nod. Quiet. Subtle. But full of meaning.

I am sorry.

I will survive this.

You must survive too.

Something tightened painfully in your chest. Because for the first time since his confession, he no longer looked like a man standing between two worlds. He looked like someone desperately trying to choose one before it was too late. You held his gaze for one brief moment longer before Mo’at spoke.

“Come forward.” Her voice carried through the chamber like something older than sound itself. You obeyed instinctively. Jake stepped forward at the same time you did, both of you guided toward the centre where glowing tendrils spiralled upward from the roots beneath your feet. The chamber seemed to close around you.

Teyra moved silently away, taking her place among those seated along the outer roots. You caught sight of her settling beside Neytiri- and beside Tsu’tey. The sight twisted strangely in your chest. Tsu’tey did not look at Neytiri. He was watching you.

Mo’at approached slowly, carrying two small living creatures cupped carefully within carved bowls woven from roots and leaves. At first glance they resembled luminous worms, their translucent bodies pulsing with soft blue light beneath thin skin. Eywa’s breath.

The Dream Challenge.

Jake glanced toward the creature with visible uncertainty. You remained still. Mo’at stopped before you both. “Tonight,” she said softly, “Eywa will see what lies within your spirit.” The chamber had gone utterly silent now. Even breathing felt too loud. “You will walk where truth cannot hide.” Mo’at lifted one glowing creature carefully toward you. “Do not resist what you are shown.”

The worm writhed faintly in her palm, light flickering softly against her weathered skin. You inhaled once. Then accepted it. The creature dissolved almost immediately against your tongue, warmth flooding down your throat in strange pulses of heat and cold all at once. Beside you, Jake swallowed his own with considerably more hesitation.

Mo’at began to chant. Low. Steady. Ancient words spiralling through the chamber as the others joined softly beneath her voice. The sound vibrated through the roots beneath your feet, through the air itself, through your bones.

Something shifted. The world tilted subtly. Your pulse slowed. Then quickened. The glowing roots around you seemed brighter now- too bright, breathing with impossible rhythm as the chant deepened around you.

Jake swayed beside you. You felt it too. The sensation crawling beneath your skin. Wrong. Powerful. Mo’at circled slowly around you both, her chant rising louder now while the others echoed her rhythm from the edges of the chamber. The world blurred. Your heartbeat thundered. Then-

Pain. Sharp and sudden. You gasped as something struck hard against the base of your spine. A scorpion. Its tail buried briefly into your back before withdrawing instantly. Beside you, Jake cried out as the second struck him too.

The venom hit immediately. White-hot agony tore through your body so violently your knees buckled beneath you. Your breath vanished entirely as pain arched up your spine, twisting through every nerve until the chamber itself shattered into light and sound.

The chamber blurred. The pain was unbearable. Not contained to your body- everywhere. Inside your blood. Inside your bones. The venom spread through you like fire threaded with light, burning through every nerve until you thought your body might tear itself apart beneath it.

You heard yourself cry out. Or thought you did. The chanting grew louder. No. Closer. Inside you. Your vision fractured suddenly into streams of blue and silver light. The roots around you glowed brighter- too bright- and then you saw them.

At first only flashes. Lines of light beneath skin. You blinked hard against the agony flooding your body, but the sight only sharpened further. The Na’vi surrounding you were glowing. Not externally. Within. Mo’at stood before you wreathed in streams of pale gold and blue threading through her body like living rivers. The light moved through her veins, through her chest, through her queue where it pulsed strongest of all.

Then the lines extended outward. Connecting. Teyra. Neytiri. Eytukan. Tsu’tey. Every heartbeat in the chamber became visible. Every pulse. The roots beneath Home Tree surged with luminous strands spreading outward from every living body, weaving together beneath the earth in endless patterns too vast to follow.

Your breath caught violently. Not just visible. You could feel them. The heartbeat nearest to you slammed hard into your chest first. Jake. Fast. Uneven. Fear beneath it. Then another. Tsu’tey. Strong. Controlled. But something more beneath it. Something restless. Something straining.

Then all of them at once. The chamber exploded into sensation. Hundreds of heartbeats crashed through you in overlapping rhythm, intertwining so completely you could no longer separate one from another. Emotion flooded through the connection alongside them- fear, grief, love, hope, pain—raw and unfiltered until it became unbearable.

You gasped sharply, clutching at your chest. It hurt. Eywa- it hurt. The connection was too much. Too vast. Too alive. The roots beneath your palms pulsed violently in response, streams of light surging upward through your hands and into your body. This was Eywa. Not a distant goddess. Not simply spirit. Connection. Every living thing bound together beneath the same pulse. The same breath. The same life.

You felt Home Tree itself. Felt the immense ancient heartbeat deep beneath the roots, slow and powerful enough to shake the air around you. You felt the forest. Creatures moving miles away. Trees breathing. Water flowing through roots beneath the earth. And all of it- all of it- connected.

The realization struck with overwhelming force. No one was alone here. No death happened in isolation. No pain belonged to only one body. Everything touched everything else. The sheer immensity of it drove another cry from your throat as the connection flooded harder through you. Tears streamed freely down your face now, your body trembling violently beneath the weight of sensation.

Too much. It was too much to hold. You could feel Tsu’tey suddenly- more clearly than before. Not physically. His heartbeat. Steady and powerful beneath layers of restraint, but pulsing faster now as concern rippled sharply through the bond the venom had forced open.

Your gaze lifted instinctively. Across the chamber, through blurred vision and streams of light, you found him immediately. And for one impossible moment- you felt him feel you. Not words. Emotion. Fear. Want. The terrible helplessness of watching you in pain while unable to reach you.

The connection slammed into you so violently it stole your breath. You understood then why the bond to Eywa was sacred. Why severing it would destroy more than bodies. It would destroy being.

The pain intensified sharply. The chamber began dissolving around you. The glowing roots stretched impossibly outward, unravelling into endless streams of silver and blue threading through darkness itself. The heartbeats grew louder. Faster. Then merged entirely into one vast thunderous pulse that consumed everything around you.

Someone was shouting. Or maybe chanting. You could no longer tell. Your hands hit the roots beneath you. The ground no longer felt real. The pain became something else. Weightlessness. Your vision fractured into streams of glowing blue, the roots of Home Tree stretching impossibly far around you like veins threading through the universe itself. Then-

Everything fell away. The chamber disappeared. The chanting disappeared. Your body disappeared. And somewhere far below, you felt yourself collapse fully as your spirit was pulled upward into something vast and endless.

Eywa.

The sensation was impossible to describe. Like drowning. Like flying. Like every thought and memory inside you being touched by something ancient beyond comprehension. Then... silence.

You opened your eyes. You stood alone. The world around you was unfamiliar now- vast bioluminescent forests stretching endlessly beneath a sky too bright with stars. The air shimmered strangely, alive with drifting particles of light. No Home Tree. No chamber. No Jake. Separate paths. Separate truths.

Eywa’s challenge had begun.

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You stood alone beneath a sky that did not belong to any world you knew. At first, the spirit forest seemed beautiful. The trees towered impossibly high above you, their branches woven with drifting strands of light that moved like living stars. Bioluminescent mist curled low across the ground, glowing softly around your feet with every step you took. The air itself shimmered faintly, heavy with Eywa’s presence- vast and endless and watching.

But beneath the beauty- something was wrong. You felt it immediately. The forest was too quiet. No distant calls. No movement in the undergrowth. No pulse of life beneath the silence. Only waiting.

Your breath fogged faintly before you despite the warmth of the air. You turned slowly, every instinct tightening within you. “Eywa?” you called softly. No answer came. Only the distant creak of trees swaying where no wind touched them. Your hand moved instinctively toward the knife you usually kept at your hip. It was there. Relief flickered briefly. Then-

A sound split the silence. Low. Deep. A growl. Every muscle in your body locked instantly. The forest shifted around you. Not physically. Something deeper. The sensation of becoming prey. Your pulse thundered once. Twice.

Then movement exploded through the trees. You spun just as a massive shape tore through the glowing mist- a viperwolf larger than any you had ever seen, its eyes burning with unnatural white light as it lunged.

You barely moved in time. Its claws ripped through the space your throat had occupied moments before as you threw yourself aside, hitting the ground hard before scrambling back to your feet. The creature wheeled toward you instantly. Too fast. Too silent. Its jaws peeled back in another growl that rattled through your bones. Then it charged again.

You ran.

Branches whipped against your skin as you tore through the spirit forest, your breathing harsh against the terrible silence surrounding you. The creature pursued relentlessly behind you, its snarls echoing too close, too fast. This was the challenge. Survive. Hunt or be hunted.

You leapt over twisted roots glowing blue beneath your feet, your mind narrowing sharply into instinct. Every lesson. Every hunt. Every movement your body had ever learned surged forward now.

The creature lunged again. You spun this time. Your knife flashed. The blade struck deep into the side of its shoulder- and the creature screamed. Not a predator’s cry. Pain. Real pain. The sound tore through you unexpectedly. The beast staggered backward, collapsing heavily against the roots beneath it.

You froze. Its glowing eyes met yours. And suddenly- it changed. Not all at once. The great body shimmered strangely, the white light beneath its skin flickering violently before the shape began to distort. Bones shifting. Limbs stretching. The snarling jaw softened into something almost familiar-

Until you stumbled back in horror. It was no longer a viperwolf. A direhorse lay before you now, trembling violently where your blade had pierced it. Its sides heaved. Blood darkened its glowing skin. And its eyes. Its eyes held no rage. Only suffering.

Your breath caught painfully. “No…” The direhorse struggled weakly, trying to rise. The sight twisted through your chest with unbearable force. This was wrong. Eywa would never-

Then understanding hit you. Not a hunt. A choice. Your grip loosened on the knife. Slowly, cautiously, you lowered yourself toward the creature instead of finishing the kill. The direhorse flinched violently at first. Then stilled. Your hand trembled as it reached toward the wound. “I see you,” you whispered softly.

The moment the words left you- the forest exploded. A deafening roar tore through the spirit world. The ground shook violently beneath your knees as light fractured around you in blinding flashes. The direhorse vanished. The trees vanished. Everything vanished. And suddenly-

Fire.

You gasped sharply. The spirit forest had become a nightmare. The sky burned above you, thick black smoke pouring through shattered trees while screams echoed from every direction. Gunships roared overhead like monsters, their searchlights cutting through the forest as explosions tore the earth apart.

Your heart stopped. “No…” You knew this place. Home Tree. Or what remained of it. Massive roots burned around you. The sacred walls had split open under impossible force, glowing embers raining through the smoke while Na’vi voices cried out in terror. Panic surged violently through your chest. This was the vision. Not possibility anymore. Truth.

You stumbled forward through the chaos, your breathing ragged as devastation unfolded around you. Children crying. Warriors falling. The forest itself screaming beneath the destruction. Then you saw him.

Jake.

He stood below one of the burning roots, human weapons roaring in the distance behind him while horror carved itself openly across his face. Not triumph. Not loyalty to his own kind. Grief. He looked shattered by what he was witnessing. And still- it was happening. Because of him.

The realization struck like a blade through your ribs. Your vision blurred with furious grief. “This is your fault,” you whispered. Jake looked up suddenly. As though he had heard you. For one impossible moment, his eyes met yours through the burning smoke. And you saw it. Remorse. Desperation. A man realizing too late that he had carried destruction directly into the heart of the people he had begun to love.

Then the world shifted again. The screams faded. The fire dimmed. And suddenly- you stood somewhere quiet. Still. The spirit forest had returned, but darker now, shadowed beneath silver light. A figure stood ahead beneath the glowing trees. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Still.

Your breath caught. “Tsu’tey.” Tsu’tey turned slowly toward you. For a moment, relief nearly overwhelmed you. Until you saw the blood. It covered him. Dark against his skin. One arm hung uselessly at his side while deep wounds cut across his chest as though from battle. “Tsu’tey-”

You moved toward him immediately. He did not. His gaze held yours steadily, painfully calm despite the blood dripping slowly from his fingertips. “You see now,” he said quietly. Fear clenched hard inside your chest. “No.”

“You cannot stop what is coming.”

“I can try.”

“You cannot save everyone.”

The words felt wrong. Not because they were cruel. Because they sounded true. You reached him at last, your hands grasping desperately for him despite the blood staining your palms. “This isn't real.” His expression softened then. Devastatingly so. “Does that matter?” Your throat tightened painfully. “No,” you whispered.

The forest around you dimmed further. Tsu’tey lifted one hand slowly, pressing it lightly against your cheek the same way he had before the ceremony. Warm. Familiar. Breaking you apart. “You stand between love and grief,” he said softly. “And soon you will learn they are not always different things.” Your vision blurred. “No…”

“You must choose what remains when fear takes everything else.” His hand began slipping from your skin. You grabbed for it immediately. “No!” But his form was already fading into streams of glowing light beneath your fingers. Panic surged violently through you. “Tsu’tey!”

The spirit forest shattered. Light exploded around you once more. Silence. Complete. Endless. You stood alone again beneath the stars of Eywa’s dream. And somewhere far beyond the spirit world- your real body still lay trembling beneath Home Tree while the dream continued.

Silence swallowed everything. No fire. No screaming. No forest. Only endless darkness threaded with faint streams of silver light drifting beneath your feet like roots beneath water. You stood motionless, your breathing uneven, your hands still trembling from where Tsu’tey had vanished beneath your grasp. The ache of it lingered horribly. Not only fear. Not only grief. But the terrible realization that Eywa had shown you something because it mattered. Because it could happen.

Your chest tightened painfully. “You cannot save everyone.” His voice echoed through your mind with unbearable clarity. You closed your eyes briefly, trying to steady yourself. But the moment you did- the darkness shifted. Light bloomed slowly around you. Not violent this time. Gentle.

The silver beneath your feet spread outward into glowing roots that spiralled endlessly through the void, pulsing softly like veins carrying life through the universe itself. Eywa. You felt her now more clearly than before. Not as a voice. Not as a figure. Something larger. Ancient beyond understanding. Present in everything.

The glowing roots moved around you slowly, drifting upward into the darkness until they formed shapes- memories suspended within light itself. You saw Home Tree again. Whole.

Children running along the walkways. Hunters returning with laughter in their voices. Teyra smiling softly while Ramtsyi clung to her arm. Neytiri flying high above the forest on her ikran. Tsu’tey standing among the warriors, alive and unbroken beneath the sunlight. Your chest ached at the sight. Then the images shifted. Faster now. Jake laughing beside Neytiri. Grace speaking gently beneath the Tree of Voices.

Human machines tearing through the forest. Flames. Death. Connection and destruction woven together so tightly you could no longer separate them. The roots pulsed brighter. And suddenly-

You understood. Not fully. Never fully. But enough. Eywa was not showing you certainty. She was showing you consequence. Possibility. Paths. Every choice living beside another choice, branching endlessly outward like roots beneath the earth. Nothing was fixed yet. Not Home Tree. Not Jake. Not Tsu’tey.

Not you.

Tears burned unexpectedly behind your eyes. “Then why show me this?” you whispered into the endless dark. The roots beneath your feet brightened instantly. Warmth surged upward through your body- not painful this time, but overwhelming in its vastness. And somewhere deep within that warmth-

You felt the answer. Not words. Feeling. Because love without grief is meaningless. Because connection demands vulnerability. Because to truly belong to Pandora meant loving it enough to suffer for it. Your knees weakened beneath the weight of it. You sank slowly onto the glowing roots, breath catching hard in your chest as emotion threatened to overwhelm you completely.

You thought of Teyra. Of Ramtsyi. Of Neytiri. Of Jake standing horrified beneath burning skies. Of Tsu’tey looking at you as though restraint itself was killing him. You loved them already. And Eywa had shown you that love would not protect you from loss. It would only make the loss matter.

A soft sound stirred somewhere nearby. You lifted your head sharply. The darkness ahead shimmered faintly. A shapeless figure emerged. Not Tsu’tey. Not Jake. Perhaps a woman. Tall and unfamiliar, glowing faintly beneath streams of silver light woven through her hair like stars caught in water. Her face carried no clarity you could understand. Yet something about her felt deeply known. Sacred.

You rose slowly to your feet. The woman regarded you quietly for a long moment before stepping closer. When she spoke, her voice sounded like many voices layered together. “You fear the breaking.”

Your throat tightened. “Yes.”

The woman tilted her head slightly. “But you still love.”

The words struck harder than they should have. You swallowed painfully. “I don't know how not to.”

A faint sadness touched her. “That is why Eywa hears you.”

Emotion surged violently in your chest. You did not understand why those words hurt so much. “Will it happen?” you asked quietly. “The destruction.”

The woman’s face shifted toward the endless roots surrounding you. “Life does not move in one direction alone.”

“That is not an answer.”

“No.” A pause. “But it is truth.”

Frustration rose sharply beneath your grief. “Then what am I meant to do?”

At that, the woman stepped forward fully. Close enough now that the silver light around her illuminated every curve of your face. “You endure.” The simplicity of it shattered something inside you. Because suddenly you understood- Eywa had never asked you to stop the storm. Only to remain yourself within it. Tears slipped silently down your face before you could stop them.

The woman lifted one hand slowly. Not touching. Just hovering near your heart. “You will lose,” she said softly. The words nearly stopped your breath. “You will grieve.” Pain twisted through your chest. “You will love anyway.”

A sob caught unexpectedly in your throat. The roots beneath your feet began glowing brighter now- faster, stronger, the spirit world trembling softly around you. The woman stepped back. The dream was ending. Fear surged instantly. “No- wait-” But already the light around her had begun dissolving. “Eywa sees you,” she said softly.

Then- everything shattered. Pain slammed back into your body all at once. You gasped violently as breath returned to your lungs like drowning in reverse. Your body arched hard against the roots beneath you, every nerve screaming from the venom still burning through your spine.

The return to your body was violent. The pain was not sharp anymore, but deep- settled into your bones and muscles like the aftermath of lightning striking too close. Your chest heaved violently as breath tore back into your lungs, the chamber of Home Tree returning in fractured pieces around you. Voices. Roots glowing overhead. The smell of smoke and earth. Your own pulse hammering uncontrollably.

You gasped sharply and curled instinctively against the roots beneath you as the last remnants of Eywa’s dream tore through your mind in flashes. Fire. Silver roots. Tsu’tey disappearing beneath your hands. You will love anyway.

A sound broke from your throat before you could stop it. Then warmth steadied you. Hands. Firm. Certain. One cradled the back of your head while the other pressed carefully against your shoulder, grounding you against the violent trembling still moving through your body. “Easy,” came Mo’at’s voice, low and steady beside you. “Easy, child.”

You blinked hard. The chamber swam in and out of focus at first, light smearing strangely across your vision while the last traces of venom still burned through your veins. You realised slowly that your head rested against Mo’at’s lap. She was holding you there carefully, one hand supporting the base of your skull to keep you from striking the roots as your body convulsed through the final waves of pain.

Your breathing hitched again. Everything still felt too loud. Too alive. Even now, faint echoes of the connection remained beneath your skin. You could still feel the lingering pulse of the chamber around you- dozens of heartbeats slowly separating themselves back into individuals instead of one endless overwhelming current.

Mo’at’s thumb brushed once across your temple. Grounding. Present. “You have returned,” she murmured. Tears still clung to your lashes. You did not know whether they belonged to pain or grief or something too large for either word. Your throat tightened as you forced yourself to focus fully on her.

Mo’at watched you quietly. Not with pity. With understanding. And slowly- very slowly- a faint smile touched her face. Relief. Pride. “Eywa has looked upon your spirit,” she said softly. “And you did not turn away.” Emotion hit unexpectedly hard at the words. Your breath trembled.

The dream still clung to you too vividly- the visions, the destruction, the impossible weight of connection itself. Part of you still felt suspended between worlds, your soul not yet fully settled back inside your body. You swallowed painfully. “I saw…”

Mo’at nodded once before you could continue. “I know.” The simple certainty in her voice undid something inside your chest. You closed your eyes briefly. The memory of it surged immediately back against the darkness behind your eyelids-

The burning forest. The pulse of Eywa beneath the earth. Tsu’tey’s hand against your cheek. The woman woven from silver light. You will lose. You will grieve. You will love anyway. Your breath caught sharply again. Mo’at’s hand steadied against your shoulder at once. “Breathe,” she instructed gently.

You obeyed instinctively. Slowly. In. Out. The chamber became clearer now. You became aware of movement nearby- Jake lying several feet away, still struggling through the aftermath of his own trial while Neytiri knelt beside him. Eytukan stood behind them both, solemn and watchful. And beyond them-

Tsu’tey. Your gaze found him immediately. He stood utterly still near the roots, but the moment your eyes lifted to his, something in his posture shifted almost imperceptibly. Relief. It passed through him so quickly another might have missed it. You did not.

For one dangerous moment, the remnants of the bond you had felt within the dream seemed to flare painfully between you again. You remembered his heartbeat beneath Eywa’s connection- steady and strained and terrified for you despite every effort to contain it. Your chest tightened sharply. Tsu’tey looked away first.

Mo'at helped you slowly sit upright. Your limbs still trembled violently beneath you. “That was not merely a trial,” you whispered hoarsely. “No,” Mo’at agreed softly. “It was seeing. And you have seen the truth.”

The memory overwhelmed you again briefly- enough to be unable to register Mo’at’s words fully- the flood of heartbeats, emotion, life itself woven into one impossible pulse. Mo’at’s expression softened further. “Yes,” she said. “Now you understand.”

Your throat tightened painfully. Because you did understand now. Why Eywa mattered. Why the clan fought so fiercely for connection. Why destruction would wound far more than flesh.

Mo’at rose slowly to her feet before extending a hand down toward you. And though your body still ached terribly, you took it. The chamber remained silent as you stood. Watching. Waiting. Then Mo’at turned toward the others and spoke clearly enough for every voice in the sacred hollow to hear. “She has passed through Eywa’s eyes.”

The words echoed through the roots themselves. A ripple passed through the chamber immediately- relief, reverence, pride. You barely heard it. Because your gaze had lifted again. Toward Tsu’tey. And despite everything- the first thing you saw in his expression was not pride. Not duty. Not restraint. It was gratitude that you were alive.

The sacred chamber remained quiet for only a short while after Mo’at’s declaration. Not silent. Never silent. The roots of Home Tree still pulsed softly around you, alive with Eywa’s breath, while the lingering echoes of chanting settled slowly into the living wood. Your body ached beneath the aftermath of the venom, every limb heavy and trembling as though your spirit had not yet fully returned to itself.

Yet something inside you had changed. You could still feel it faintly beneath your skin. Connection. Not overwhelming now- not the crushing flood it had been inside the dream- but enough that the presence of others no longer felt separate from you entirely. Their heartbeats existed around you like distant drums beneath water. Alive. Real.

Teyra appeared beside you quietly. Her hands settled gently at your elbows before you could attempt to walk forward before you were ready. “Slowly,” she murmured. You obeyed- one foot placed tentatively in front of the other. Teyra steadied you immediately, one hand firm against your back. “There,” she said softly. “You are still returning.”

Across the chamber, Neytiri helped Jake upright in much the same way, though he looked far worse for the experience. Sweat clung visibly to his skin, and confusion still lingered heavily in his expression as though part of him remained trapped within whatever Eywa had shown him.

No one spoke loudly. This part of the ceremony demanded reverence. Mo’at stepped aside first. Then Eytukan inclined his head once toward the path leading upward through the roots. It was time.

Teyra guided you carefully toward the exit of the sacred chamber, her presence warm and grounding at your side while the glow of the roots slowly faded behind you. Neytiri walked ahead with Jake, quiet and composed once more despite the emotion still lingering visibly in her eyes.

And as you passed beyond the chamber- your gaze lifted instinctively. Toward Tsu’tey. He stood near the edge of the roots, waiting silently for the procession to begin. The moment your eyes met- everything from earlier returned in painful clarity. His mouth against yours. His hand trembling faintly at your chin. The dream. The blood. The feeling of his heartbeat within Eywa’s connection.

Tsu’tey said nothing. Neither did you. But something passed between you anyway. A quiet understanding too large for words. Then Teyra guided you onward before the moment could linger too long.

The climb upward through Home Tree felt unreal. The higher you ascended, the louder the distant sounds became- not conversation exactly, but anticipation. The gathered clan waited above, their presence vibrating faintly through the living structure beneath your feet. Your pulse quickened. Not fear this time. Something larger.

By the time the final passage opened before you, your breathing had grown uneven again. And then- you saw them.

The Omatikaya filled the vast central hollow of Home Tree from root to highest walkway. Eager eyes turned toward you and Jake as you emerged into the firelit space, the entire clan gathered beneath the great living arches of the tree.

The sight struck you so hard your steps faltered. Not because they looked at you with judgment. Because they looked at you with pride. Warmth surged painfully into your chest. Children leaned forward excitedly from beside their parents. Warriors stood tall along the outer walkways, solemn but approving. Elders watched with quiet reverence. And near the front-

Ramtsyi.

The moment she saw you, her face crumpled completely. She was trying so hard to remain still. Trying to look composed like the others. But tears streamed openly down her cheeks anyway, bright happiness radiating from her so fiercely you could feel it from across the hollow. The sight nearly undid you.

Her hands were clasped tightly beneath her chin as though physically restraining herself from running toward you. The moment your eyes met, she laughed through her tears. “Tsmuke,” she whispered breathlessly. Your throat tightened painfully.

Teyra’s hand brushed lightly against your back again, grounding you before emotion could overwhelm you completely. “It is not over yet,” she reminded softly. You swallowed hard and nodded.

At the centre of the hollow, Eytukan waited beside Mo’at beneath the massive roots forming the heart of Home Tree itself. Jake moved beside you quietly now, still pale from the dream but standing straighter than before. Together, you stepped forward. The clan parted around you reverently as you approached the centre. The air felt alive. Heavy with expectation. Sacred.

Eytukan stood before you both in silence for a long moment, his gaze steady and ancient with the weight of leadership carried across generations “You have walked through Eywa’s eyes.” His voice echoed through the vast hollow like distant thunder. “You have faced truth.”

The roots beneath your feet seemed to pulse softly beneath the words. Eytukan stepped closer. “You are now a son and a daughter of the Omatikaya.” Emotion surged violently into your chest. “You are one of the People.” Then he lifted his hands. And placed them firmly against your shoulders.

At the same moment, Mo’at stepped beside him, one hand resting against your arm while her other settled upon Jake’s shoulder. Neytiri moved next to Jake immediately, touching him with visible emotion still lingering in her expression.

Teyra’s hands settled gently against your back. Warm. Steady. Home. And then- Tsu’tey stepped forward. Your pulse faltered painfully the instant he came close. He stopped beside Teyra, close enough that the warmth of him brushed faintly against your side before his hands came to rest carefully against your shoulders beside Eytukan’s.

The touch was ceremonial. Nothing more. And somehow that made it worse. Because his hands were steady now. Controlled. As though the heated kiss between you had never happened at all. Yet beneath the restraint, you still felt it- that impossible awareness between you both humming quietly beneath his skin and yours.

The clan continued to gather around you. Not one by one. Together. Ramtsyi hurried forward at last, tears still shining openly on her face as she pressed herself against Teyra’s side, her small hands clutching tightly at Teyra’s arm while Teyra remained connected to you.

Others followed immediately. Warriors. Hunters. Elders. Children. Each person touching the next. A hand against a shoulder. An arm. A wrist. Until the connection spread outward in widening circles around you and Jake like living roots branching endlessly through the clan. The entire hollow became one unbroken chain.

You felt it before you fully understood it. The warmth. The pulse. The breath moving through hundreds of bodies as though the Omatikaya themselves had become one living thing surrounding you. Your throat tightened sharply. Eywa. This was Eywa. Not only within the forest. Within them. Within this.

Connection passed from body to body outward through the clan until even those watching from the higher walkways touched one another, creating a living web beneath Home Tree’s glowing roots. The sensation overwhelmed you instantly. Not as violently as the venom dream. But enough. Enough that tears burned hard behind your eyes again as the pulse of the clan moved through the circle surrounding you.

You felt Ramtsyi trembling with happiness somewhere behind Teyra. Felt Neytiri’s fierce pride beside Jake. Felt the immense steady calm of Eytukan anchoring the centre. And beneath it all- Tsu’tey.

His heartbeat remained maddeningly familiar now after the dream. Even through the sea of others surrounding you, you could still sense it beneath the connection. Strong. Controlled. Yet quicker than it should have been. Your breath caught softly.

The chanting began again then. Low voices rising together from every corner of Home Tree until the entire clan vibrated with sound and life and belonging. The roots glowed brighter overhead, responding to the unity surrounding you.

You closed your eyes briefly. And for the first time since arriving among the Omatikaya- you truly understood what it meant to belong to a people instead of merely standing beside them. Not isolation. Not survival alone. Connection. To love meant to grieve. To belong meant to carry one another. And standing there at the centre of the living circle, held by the clan and the pulse of Eywa herself-

You no longer felt alone.

--------------------------------------------------------

The celebration began slowly.

At first, the Omatikaya remained gathered in reverent quiet around you and Jake, the weight of the ceremony still lingering heavily through Home Tree. But gradually the solemnity softened into warmth. Fires were lit along the great roots, casting golden light across painted skin and woven beads while drums began to pulse somewhere deeper within the hollow.

Life returned. Laughter followed it. Children darted between the roots glowing faintly beneath their feet while hunters carried woven baskets of fruit and roasted meat through the gathering crowd. Music rose slowly into the vast hollow of Home Tree until the entire clan seemed to breathe together in rhythm.

You were no longer standing before the Omatikaya. You were standing among them. The realization nearly overwhelmed you all over again.

“Tsmuke!” Ramtsyi crashed into you before you could properly prepare yourself, arms wrapping tightly around your waist while tears still shone openly on her cheeks. “You are crying again,” you murmured softly, laughing despite yourself as you steadied her. “I know!” she said miserably. “I cannot stop!”

“That is because you love deeply,” Teyra said warmly as she approached.

Ramtsyi nuzzled her head deeper into you. “I do love my Tsmuke.”

“I love you too.” The words left you before you realised. But, they didn’t feel wrong. They felt as natural as speaking itself. The words made Ramtsyi’s eyes shine brighter and her arms to squeeze you tighter.

You laughed quietly again, the sound softer this time- real. Teyra’s expression immediately gentled at the sight. “There,” she murmured. “That is better.” The fierce tension that had gripped your chest since the dream challenge had not vanished, but it had loosened slightly beneath the warmth surrounding you now.

Teyra motioned for you to sit near one of the lower roots beside the firelight. “This part,” she said softly, lifting a woven strand of beads from her lap, “belongs to celebration. Not ceremony.” The beads were beautiful. Deep forest blues woven with pale glowing stones and carved bone pieces polished smooth with age and care. They glittered softly in the firelight as Teyra carefully settled them across your shoulders and braided them gently into your hair.

Around you, older women of the clan smiled warmly while offering small touches against your arms or shoulders as they passed. Acceptance. You felt it everywhere now. Not forced. Not ceremonial anymore. Real.

Ramtsyi sat practically pressed against your side the entire time, still glowing with happiness so brightly it almost hurt to look at her. “You survived Eywa,” she whispered for perhaps the tenth time.

“Yes.”

“You really survived.”

“So did Jake.”

Ramtsyi made a face. “I am happier about you.”

Teyra sighed softly. “Ramtsyi.”

“It is true.”

You huffed a quiet laugh. Then- without meaning to- your gaze lifted across the hollow. And found Tsu’tey instantly. Tsu’tey stood among the warriors near the edge of the firelight, speaking to one of the hunters while the celebration unfolded around him. Or pretending to speak. Because his attention drifted back toward you every few moments despite himself.

You felt it now immediately whenever he looked. The awareness between you had become unbearable after the dream. After the kiss. After feeling his heartbeat within Eywa herself. Your chest tightened painfully.

And as though sensing your attention, Tsu’tey looked toward you again. For one dangerous moment, neither of you looked away. Then Neytiri approached him from behind. Reality returned sharply. Tsu’tey stepped back immediately, posture straightening as though some invisible wall had slammed back into place around him. Your stomach twisted unexpectedly. Teyra noticed. Of course she did. But before she could say anything-

Another voice interrupted softly nearby. “You look less pale now.” You turned. Sa’ran stood beside the firelight holding a carved bowl filled with sliced fruit. And unlike earlier that morning- he looked entirely at ease. Confident. Comfortable approaching you openly now.

Ramtsyi immediately brightened in dangerous delight. “Oh,” she whispered to herself. You ignored her. Sa’ran crouched slightly beside you, offering the bowl casually. “You have not eaten.”

You glanced down at it briefly. “Have you been watching me?”

“Yes. When you look like this, it is hard not to notice.” The honesty startled a soft laugh from you. Sa’ran smiled faintly at the sound. “The challenge took a great length of time,” he said quietly. “I began to wonder whether Eywa intended to return you at all.”

“There were moments where I wondered the same.”

Something in his expression softened then. “You looked afraid when you came back.”

The words struck deeper than expected. Because no one else had said it aloud. Not even Teyra. Your throat tightened slightly. Sa’ran noticed immediately. But unlike others might have, he did not push further. Instead, he simply sat beside you near the roots, close enough for warmth but not close enough to crowd.

“I have seen hunters return from dream challenges before,” he said after a moment. “Most try very hard to pretend they were not frightened.”

“And were they?”

“All of them.” That finally drew another quiet laugh from you. Sa’ran looked pleased by it.

Across the hollow- Tsu’tey was watching. You felt it before you saw it. The weight of his attention settled heavily across your skin the moment your laughter reached him. Your gaze lifted instinctively. He stood perfectly still now near the firelight, expression unreadable from a distance.

But his eyes- his eyes had sharpened. Sa’ran followed your gaze calmly. And understood immediately. Interesting. Instead of withdrawing, Sa’ran leaned slightly closer toward you. Not improper. Not possessive. But deliberate enough to be seen.

“You should dance tonight,” he said softly.

You blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

“The celebration.”

“I know what dancing is.”

A faint smile touched his mouth. “Good. That makes this easier.”

Ramtsyi looked seconds away from exploding with excitement. “You are asking her?” she whispered loudly.

“I am.”

“You should say yes.”

“Ramtsyi.”

“What? He is brave.”

Sa’ran laughed quietly. And across the hollow- Tsu’tey’s jaw tightened visibly. The sight sent something twisting painfully through your chest. Because the cruellest part was this: Sa’ran was easy. Warm. Open. There was no impossible duty hanging between you. No promises. No restraint sharp enough to wound. He could stand beside you freely. Tsu’tey could not. And perhaps that was exactly why Tsu’tey could not stop watching.

Eventually the drums deepened as more clan members joined the dancing around the fires, bodies moving gracefully beneath glowing light while voices rose into song around Home Tree. Sa’ran stood first and extended a hand toward you. “Come.”

Your pulse quickened unexpectedly. You hesitated only briefly before placing your hand in his. The movement pulled a delighted sound from Ramtsyi immediately. “There,” she announced proudly to Teyra. “She is finally enjoying herself.” Teyra only smiled knowingly.

Sa’ran guided you gently toward the edge of the dancers, his hand warm and steady against yours as the drums vibrated through the roots beneath your feet. The dancing itself was easy. Natural. Nothing formal. Nothing intimate. Just movement and laughter and warmth beneath firelight while the clan celebrated around you.

And for the first time since the ceremony began- you laughed fully. Freely. The sound startled even you. Sa’ran’s expression softened instantly at hearing it. “There you are,” he murmured quietly enough so you didn't hear over the music.

Across the fires- Tsu’tey watched everything. The way Sa’ran’s hand rested lightly at your waist while guiding you through the dance. The way you smiled despite yourself. The way you looked alive instead of burdened for a few precious moments.

And standing there in the shadows of the firelight beside the woman he was still promised to- Tsu’tey realized something that hollowed him out completely. Someone else could give you happiness openly. Someone else could stand beside you without shame. Without conflict. Without tearing himself apart wanting things he could never ask for. The realization hurt far worse than jealousy. Because for the first time- he wanted your happiness more than he wanted to possess it. And that terrified him.

Much later, after the dancing slowed and the fires burned lower, you finally slipped quietly away from the celebration for air. The night embraced you immediately outside the crowded hollow of Home Tree. Cool. Still. The stars stretched endlessly above Pandora’s glowing forest while distant sounds of celebration echoed softly behind you.

You breathed slowly. And despite the warmth still lingering from the celebration- the vision returned. Fire. Smoke. Falling trees. Your chest tightened painfully. Something terrible was still coming. Eywa had shown you that much. And standing beneath the stars with the echoes of laughter behind you and grief waiting somewhere ahead-

You finally understood the cruel beauty of belonging. To love this deeply meant you now had something to lose.

-----------------------------------------------------

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[dailyblueobsession]

Quick qs about your pfp:

why is your pfp specifically that?

Do you plan to change it anytime soon?

Why not keep a Na'vi pfp? (making a funny face or smth)

On a scale of one to ten how would you rate your desire to have an avatar pfp

Please don't be offended this is just to satisfy my weird ahh brain at 2:00 am

Those were the legit questions that popped in my mind when I saw your pfp and blog (also love your pfp and also excuse my nosiness)

Heyyyy! Excellent question! I was wondering if someone would question this 😂 I literally picked it on a whim cause I just a) find it hilarious and b) think it’s an accurate representation of my face anytime Tsu’tey is on my screen 😩

I HAVE thought about changing it buuuut…. Idk I kinda like it 🤷‍♀️ I think it’d be super cute to search for an Avatar pic instead pulling a face! Maybe one of these days I’ll commission an artist to make Ramtsyi and Teyra come to life 💕 I think that’d be a nice personal touch ☺️

Please don’t apologise for the nosiness! I love random questions! Most subjects are not off limits for me to talk about 😂 I’ll answer almost anything 🫶

[dailyblueobsession]

OMG I FINISHED BINGE READING MIRRORED SKIES AND ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS CHIEF’S KISS 🤌!

THE WAY YOU WRITE THE READER AND HOW HER FEELINGS ARE INCLUDED AND EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL! I personally love that it’s different from the movies where it’s focused just on the main characters and that’s it. It makes it feel more real and true.

The way you write Tsu’tey is just wonderful, I didn’t think people remember him since someone on Tiktok was like “Who is he?” And I was like- How can’t you know of him 😭?

I love Teyra and her daughter, truly a beautiful part of the story that I didn’t know I needed until I read this and I’m blessed with it! Teyra backstory is heartbreaking but also she’s a strong woman!

I love your work, big fan! Thanks for sharing with us🩷

AHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH 💕💕

I’m so so happy you’re loving the story! I’m glad you like the zoomed in focus on the main characters it was definitely intentional and not at all because I’m a lil lazy 🙂‍↔️

Ugh I love him so much 😭 he gets slept on FAR TOO OFTEN younger me knew what was up ✋

Thank you so much 🫶 I really do love the OCs I created for this fic and honestly i didn’t expect to be integrating them this much into the story but here we are! 🥹

I LOVE YOU AND YOUR KIND WORDS 🫶 I can’t wait to share more!

[dailyblueobsession]

As a fanfic writer myself what are your honest thoughts on "phone text/ dialogue only " fics. Like tell me your honest opinion or preference (p.s I'd rather you give your most honest thoughts)

Hey! Thanks so much for the question 🤗 I don’t really have an opinion on fics like that other than it’s not my cup of tea as I like to be immersed in the story and I can’t with dialogue only fics- but that’s just me ☺️ I personally wouldn’t write or read a fic that was dialogue only or majority dialogue but I’m a big believer in ‘don’t like, don’t read’ so that’s pretty much my whole opinion. I tried it and I found it wasn’t for me so that’s all I have to say really 🫶

[dailyblueobsession]

dont feel pressured tho! take your time <3 i get a busy schedule and that it can also sometimes cause you to not want to write so take your time please!!

Thank you love!! I truly appreciate all of your support from the bottom of my heart 🫶 All of your lovely words keep me pushing forward when motivation is low and I just want to give back to all those who give me a reason to keep going 💕

[dailyblueobsession]

This isn’t Avatar related but I literally have no one to talk to about this and it’s taking over my brain…

Is anyone else under the crippling hold of a rebirthed Michael Jackson obsession since watching the movie? Like I’ve always been a fan but now I actually can’t stop listening to ONLY his music and watching edits of him on my FYP- it’s becoming a serious problem 😃 WTF DID THEY PUT IN THAT MOVIE?!

Please it can’t just be me 😭

[dailyblueobsession]

Is it impossible to post before 30th..? I feel like I'm asking for too much SORRY 😭😭😭😭🙏🙏 BUT still so I'm obsessed with your writing that I feel restless when you're away 😔😔

It’s okay my darling, I understand 💕

I haven’t been able to have the time to get a big chunk of writing done this week but I’m hopeful that I can get the chapter out a little sooner for you 🫶 I’ll give an update when I’m almost ready to post 😚 x

[dailyblueobsession]

Ooooo i haven’t been on tumblr for a hot minute and DAMN when i saw that you have posted A LOT since i went mia I WAS SO HAPPY (cus for some reason the avatar fandom went quiet… when i got busy)

Rest assured that i will be reading this all over again

xoxo

Please, take a seat. Join us. Indulge. Allow me to rekindle your infatuation with big blue aliens 🙂‍↔️

I’m so happy you’re here and enjoying the fic 💕

[dailyblueobsession]

Mirrored Skies Chapter 20

Pairing: Tsu'tey x AvatarFemReader

Trope: Enemies to Allies to Lovers

Summary: You are a part of Grace's avatar programme. You make the mistake of following Jake on the expedition and narrowly escape death. You would kill him but the dumbass somehow got you both to the hearts of the Ometikaya.

Word Count: 10.1k

Warnings: very mild NSFW- not sure if this was even restriction worthy but adjusted the setting just in case!

A/N: Okay, so I've had to break the ceremony up into 2 parts! I got a bit carried away with the last scene an it was getting far too long to have everything in one chapter... Enjoy! 😛

P.s. I'm so sorry if there's any mistakes but I've been staring at this all day and the words are beginning to blur together. 🫪

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Night settled heavily over Home Tree. The laughter and movement of the evening had thinned to murmurs now- low voices fading into distant corners, the crackle of banked fires, the soft shifting sounds of people settling into sleep. Bioluminescent veins glowed through the great roots, turning the inner chambers blue-white and dreamlike.

You lay awake. Eyes fixed on the woven ceiling above. Tomorrow. The word had lived in your chest for weeks as something bright. Now it felt like a stone. You turned onto your side and closed your eyes. It changed nothing.

The moment you did, Jake’s voice returned as clearly as if he were beside you. At first… I gave it to him. Information. The clan. The land. What he was learning.

You opened your eyes again. The breath left you slowly through your nose. Part of you had known. Not known exactly- but sensed it. The strange disappearances. The evasions. The way something always sat wrong beneath his easy charm. You had suspected a hidden truth. But suspicion was smoke. Reality was flame. And now it burned through everything.

You sat up, wrapping your arms around your knees. Across the chamber, several sleeping forms rose and fell in peaceful rhythm. Someone snored softly. A child murmured in a dream before quieting again. Safe. For now.

Your throat tightened. You thought of Teyra smoothing your hair that evening with steady hands. Of Ramtsyi beaming as she spoke of finally having a sister. Of the women laying out beadwork for tomorrow. Of the men laughing over fires. Of elders who had begun greeting you by name. Of belonging growing slowly around you until you had forgotten how empty life once felt.

And now one human secret had the power to tear through all of it. Your eyes stung. You pressed the heels of your hands hard against them. No. Not now. If you began crying, you feared you would not stop. You lowered your hands and forced yourself to breathe evenly.

Tomorrow they would paint your skin. Tomorrow they would sing. Tomorrow they would welcome you before everyone. Tomorrow Teyra would smile at you like something lost had been returned.

How were you meant to stand there knowing what might be coming? How were you meant to let them celebrate while danger moved unseen toward them? How were you meant to smile? The answer came bitter and immediate.

You would because they deserved one last joyful day untouched by fear. You would because Teyra had worked too hard. Because Ramtsyi would watch you with shining eyes. Because Mo’at would see through you if you faltered. Because if panic began now, it would spread like sickness.

So you would pretend. For them. The thought made your chest ache. You rose quietly and crossed to the outer edge of the sleeping platform, where a narrow opening in the roots revealed the night beyond.

Pandora stretched dark and luminous beneath the stars. The forest breathed in pulses of blue light. Far away, some creature called once into the darkness. Beautiful. Alive. Fragile.

You rested a hand against the bark. “I can’t lose them,” you whispered. The words vanished into the night. Your mind betrayed you then with another image. Tsu’tey standing rigid with anger if truth came out. Charging straight toward conflict because duty would demand it. Fighting for everyone else until there was nothing left of himself.

Your chest tightened further. Too many people to lose. Too many paths leading toward grief. You bowed your head. For the first time since arriving here, tomorrow was no longer the thing you feared most. It was what came after.

Behind you, someone stirred. You quickly wiped your face and turned. Ramtsyi had only rolled in her sleep, one arm flung dramatically across an empty blanket. You let out a shaky breath.

Then returned to your place and lay back down. Eyes open. Waiting for dawn. Knowing that when it came, you would rise, smile, be painted, be praised- and carry dread like a hidden blade beneath it all.

Sleep did not come gently. It took you by exhaustion alone. One moment you were staring into the dim blue glow of Home Tree’s inner chamber, listening to the breathing of those around you, counting each rise and fall of your own chest as if discipline alone could quiet your mind.

The next, the world loosened. The woven ceiling above you dissolved into darkness. Then light. Soft at first. Blue-white threads unfurling beneath your feet. You were standing. Barefoot.

The ground was not ground at all, but a vast weave of roots lit from within, spreading endlessly in every direction like veins beneath translucent skin. They pulsed with slow, living rhythm beneath your soles. The air hummed. Not with sound exactly, but presence. You knew at once where you were. Not Home Tree. Not any place of waking. Eywa.

You turned slowly. There was no sky above- only shadow filled with drifting sparks like seeds suspended in water. No wind, yet your hair moved softly around your shoulders. “Hello?” you whispered. Your voice vanished into the glow.

Then the roots beneath you brightened. Shapes began to move inside them. You dropped to your knees instinctively, palms pressing to the illuminated strands. Faces rose beneath the surface. Not clearly. Not as flesh. Outlines of memory shaped in light.

A mother bending over a new-born child. An elder laughing, mouth wide with joy. Young hunters racing one another through branches. Hands joined in dance. Bodies gathered in mourning. A pair of lovers touching foreheads beneath falling seeds. Lives layered upon lives, flowing beneath your fingers like a river of all who had come before.

Your breath caught. You recognized none of them. And somehow all of them. The sensation that washed through you was overwhelming- not sight alone, but feeling. Love. Grief. Hunger. Relief. Fear. Wonder.

Each memory brushed through you as if the roots remembered through touch. Tears filled your eyes. You pressed your hands deeper into the glowing weave. More faces rose. Then ones you knew.

Teyra smiling as she threaded beads through your hair. Ramtsyi laughing with both arms around your waist. Neytiri watching you with guarded softness. Mo’at silent and all-seeing. Then-

Tsu’tey.

His face formed only for a heartbeat. Eyes dark and unreadable. Something aching beneath them. You reached instinctively. The image dissolved into ripples of light. “No,” you whispered.

The roots trembled beneath your hands. The glow changed. Warm blue sharpened suddenly to white. Then orange. You rose to your feet as the horizon of roots split open with a soundless crack. Flame surged upward. Home Tree stood before you now- vast, towering, beautiful. Burning.

Fire raced along bark and branch in terrible silence. No screams. No collapsing wood. Only the sight of sacred life consumed by merciless light. You stumbled backward. “No!” Ash drifted around you like black snow. The woven platforms where laughter had lived were swallowed in smoke. The chambers where children slept turned to embers.

You searched wildly. “Teyra!” Nothing. “Ramtsyi!” Only flame. Your voice broke. “Tsu’tey!” The fire roared soundlessly higher. You ran toward it, feet slipping on roots that now charred beneath you. Heat should have burned your skin, but there was no pain. Only helplessness. Only terror.

You fell to your knees before the inferno. “I can’t lose them,” you sobbed. “Please- please-” The tree shuddered. Then collapsed inward. A storm of sparks burst into the dark. You cried out and covered your face.

Silence followed. Long. Total. You lowered your hands slowly. Nothing remained but ash stretching to the horizon. Grey. Dead. Still. Your breathing came ragged and sharp.

Then beneath your knees, something stirred. A pulse. You looked down. Under the ash, faint blue light glimmered. Another pulse. Then another. Thin roots pushed upward through the ruin. Fresh. Luminous. Alive.

You stared as green shoots broke through the grey in hundreds, then thousands. Tiny leaves unfurled. Vines curled across scorched ground. Saplings rose where cinders lay. The dead earth bloomed. The ash became soil. Around you, the river of roots returned brighter than before, carrying new life through what had been broken.

You wept openly now. Not from grief. From the unbearable beauty of it. A presence moved behind you. You turned. No figure stood there. Only drifting seeds of light gathering in a slow spiral. They circled you once, then settled over your shoulders, your hair, your hands. One came to rest above your heart.

And in the silence, a voice that was not a voice moved through every part of you. Not heard. Known.

Nothing truly loved is lost.

Your breath hitched. The seeds lifted again, spinning upward. Another truth followed, deep as roots.

What is broken may live again in another form.

You closed your eyes. The ache inside you loosened. Not gone. But held. When you opened them once more, the faces in the roots had returned. So many lives. So many endings. So many beginnings hidden inside them.

Then the light rushed upward. The roots dissolved. The world fell away. You woke with tears cooling on your cheeks. Home Tree surrounded you once more. Dark blue chambers. Sleeping forms. Low embers glowing nearby.

Your hand was pressed flat against the living floor. And beneath your palm- faint and steady- you swore you felt the pulse of roots answering back.

--------------------------------------------------

Morning found you in two worlds at once. For one suspended moment, you were still beneath glowing roots. Still hearing the pulse of Eywa beneath your palms. Still carrying the echo of words that had settled somewhere deeper than thought.

Then sensation rushed back all at once. Weight in your limbs. The rough weave of blankets beneath you. The warmth of nearby fires. The scent of smoke, leaves, and sleeping bodies.

Your human lungs drew a sharp breath inside the link chamber. Your eyes opened. And immediately met another pair inches from your own. You yelped. Ramtsyi shrieked in delight. “You are awake!”

She was kneeling directly on top of you, one knee planted beside your hip, both hands braced near your shoulders as she peered down into your face with wild intensity. “How long have you been there?” you croaked.

“A long time.”

“That was terrifying.”

“I was waiting.”

“That’s worse actually.”

Ramtsyi beamed, utterly unrepentant. Her braids had half come loose in sleep, framing her face in soft disorder. Excitement radiated from her so strongly it was almost visible. “It is today,” she whispered loudly, as if sharing sacred news.

You blinked at her. “Yes.”

“It is today.”

“I heard you the first time.”

She bounced once where she knelt on the blankets. Your ribs protested. “Ramtsyi-”

“It is your ceremony day!” The joy in her voice struck so purely that despite everything knotted inside you, a laugh escaped. “Yes,” you said, softer now. “It is.”

She seized both your hands and tugged. “Get up.”

“It’s dawn.”

“So?”

“Just let me lie here for a bit.”

“No.”

“I am suddenly very ill.”

“No.”

“I may die.”

“Then you will die painted beautifully.”

You laughed again, more helplessly this time. Ramtsyi narrowed her eyes in mock suspicion. “You were crying.” The words landed gently. You stilled. Her thumb brushed at the dried track beneath one eye. “I-”

“You cry strange,” she announced. “Very quietly. Like someone trying to hide from Eywa.” Relief and emotion tangled in your throat. “It was only a dream.” Ramtsyi tilted her head. "Good dream or bad dream?" You thought of fire. Ash. Roots blooming through ruin. A voice older than language. “Yes,” you answered. She frowned. “That is not an answer.”

“It’s the only one I have.” Ramtsyi considered this with the solemnity of a child handling philosophy. Then decided it did not matter. She brightened instantly. “Mother says we must wash you, feed you, braid you, paint you, and keep you from running away.”

“I didn't plan on running.”

“She said to watch you anyway.”

“That sounds insulting.”

“She loves you.”

That simple certainty almost undid you before the day had even begun. You squeezed her hands. “And you?” Ramtsyi gasped dramatically. “I am offended you must ask.” Then she flung herself forward, wrapping both arms around your neck in a fierce hug that nearly toppled you back into the blankets. “I love you most loudly,” she declared into your shoulder.

You closed your eyes and held her there for a moment. The fear from last night still lived in you. Jake’s truth still waited like a storm beyond the horizon. But here, now, in the warm glow of morning, with this child wrapped around you as if you had always belonged to her- there was love too.

Ramtsyi pulled back suddenly. “We have to go!” Before she could scramble away, you caught her around the waist and dragged her back down into the blankets with you. She squealed, bursting into laughter. “No! We have things to do!”

You wrapped both arms around her tighter, burying her against your chest. “Five more minutes.”

“You are impossible!”

“You woke me up like a forest demon. This is punishment.” Ramtsyi wriggled furiously, laughing so hard her words came broken. “Mother will- she will be angry!”

“She can join us in five minutes.”

“She would never!”

You squeezed her again until she shrieked with delighted outrage. “You can’t pretend with me,” you said, grinning down at her. “I know you love this.” Ramtsyi went suddenly pink beneath her stripes and tried to hide her face in the blankets. “I do not.”

“Yes you do.”

“I do not!”

“You cling like a vine.”

She made an offended noise that only made you laugh harder. Softening, you brushed her loose braids back and kissed the top of her head. “Fiiiiine,” you sighed dramatically. “We’ll get up now.”

Ramtsyi popped upright at once in triumph. “I win.”

“You cheated.”

“I used charm.”

“That line sounds familiar.” You sat up, smiling despite everything, while Ramtsyi dragged you toward the waiting day.

--------------------------------------------------

Soft light filtered down through the vast hollow, catching along the living walls and the winding walkways, while the clan stirred into quiet wakefulness. Voices murmured, fires were coaxed back to life, and the world felt… hushed. Not silent. Just aware.

You stepped out into it expecting familiarity. Instead, you felt it immediately- that shift. Eyes turned. Not sharply. Not rudely. But they lingered.

You slowed slightly, uncertain. A small hand slipped into yours. “You are walking too slowly,” Ramtsyi declared. You glanced down at her. She was already looking up at you with bright, barely contained excitement, her tail flicking restlessly behind her, her entire energy far too awake for the quiet morning.

“I'm walking normally.” You say, raising a brow down at her. “No,” she said, squeezing your hand tighter. “You are thinking. I can tell.” You try to hide your smile with a scoff. “That is not a crime.”

“It is today,” she replied seriously. “Today you should not think. Today you should be-” she paused, searching for the word, then beamed- “important.” You stared at her. “I thought I was already important.” She gasped softly, delighted. “Yes, but now everyone will know.” You tried- unsuccessfully- not to smile.

Ramtsyi bounced slightly where she stood, tugging your hand as though she might drag you forward faster simply because she could not contain herself. “When you stand before Eywa tonight,” she continued, voice dropping into something almost reverent, “they will say your name differently.”

“That isn't how names work.” You grin, tugging her back as she bounced. “It is,” she insisted. “It feels different when people say it.” You exhaled softly, but your gaze had already shifted. Because she was right about one thing.

People were looking.

A pair of clan members inclined their heads slightly as you passed- more deliberate than usual. Someone stepped aside to give you space. Others simply watched, their attention quiet but unmistakable. It settled uneasily across your shoulders.

“I don't like this,” you murmured. “I do,” Ramtsyi said immediately. “That doesn't surprise me even a bit.” She leaned closer, her voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper. “I like that they see you how I see you.” That- that caught you off guard. You looked down at her, but she was already grinning, far too pleased with herself. Before you could respond- your attention shifted again.

Sa’ran stood ahead, across the open stretch of walkway. And he was very clearly looking at you. Not uncertain. Not hesitant. Intent. You slowed. Ramtsyi noticed instantly. “Oh,” she breathed, delighted. “It is him.”

“Do you know him?” You asked, unable to look away from the hunter lingering in the distance. Ramtsyi nodded. "That is Sa'ran. Another hunter." She turned her head to you, grin stretching wide. "I have seen him looking at you from afar." Your head snapped to meet her eyes. "What?"

Ramtsyi shrugged a little too casually. "Only in the recent days... your ceremony is tonight. I may be young but I know what it means for your place in the clan." Your mouth dropped open as she winked at you. Regret filled you instantly for teaching her that- followed by embarrassment that even Ramtsyi was aware what the ceremony meant for your social standing.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her face shifted into a mock innocence. "I thought you saw too. You must talk to him for him to notice you." You shake your head with a disbelieving smile. "Actually, we've only spoke once before. Yesterday." She tilted her head, studying him now. “He is not nervous, for someone who does not know you.”

“No,” you said quietly. “He is not.”

Sa’ran stepped forward. There was no pause. No second-guessing. He crossed the space with quiet confidence, his posture relaxed but deliberate- fully aware of what he was doing. Of who was watching.

You felt it before you looked. That shift in the air behind him. But Sa’ran did not slow. He stopped in front of you, close enough to be unmistakable, yet not improper. “Good morning,” he said. His voice was steady. Easy.

“…Good morning.” You reply out of habit while trying to wrap your head around the interaction. Ramtsyi leaned slightly into your arm, watching with bright, shameless curiosity. Sa’ran did not seem to mind.

“I was hoping I would find you before the day carried you away,” he continued. “That seems unlikely,” you said. “Everyone appears to have plans for me.”

“That does not mean I cannot take a moment of it.” There was something in the way he said it- light, but intentional. As though the moment itself mattered. As though being seen in it mattered more. “I wished to speak with you again,” he added. “Properly this time.”

“You spoke with me before.”

“Briefly,” he said. “And not well.”

Ramtsyi made a small, delighted sound at that. You ignored her. “And now?” you asked. “Now,” Sa’ran said, “I intend to do better.” Your breath caught- just slightly. There was no awkwardness. No hesitation. Only presence. Only choice. “I wish you strength for tonight,” he said, his tone softening just enough to carry sincerity beneath the confidence. “And clarity.”

“That is… kinder than most warnings I have received.”

“Then you have been listening to the wrong people.” His gaze lingered- not intrusive, not overwhelming, but steady. Choosing not to look away. Behind him, you felt it again. That stillness. That attention. Sa’ran knew. Of course he knew. And still-

He did not step back. “I will not keep you,” he said at last, though nothing in him suggested reluctance. “But I will speak with you again. After.” It was not quite a question. Not quite a request. More like something already decided.

You inclined your head slightly. “Perhaps.” It was enough. A faint smile touched his expression- satisfied, not arrogant. Then, only then, he stepped back. Not quickly. Not as though dismissed. But with the quiet assurance of someone who had made himself known.

As he turned- his gaze flickered, briefly, toward where Tsu’tey stood. A glance. Measured. Deliberate. Then gone. Ramtsyi leaned into you immediately, barely containing herself. “He did that on purpose.”

“Yes,” you said quietly- fighting the urge to look in Tsu'tey's direction.

“He is very bold.”

“Yes, that's one way of putting it.”

“I like him.”

You shot her a look. She grinned. Across the walkway, Tsu’tey had not moved. But something in him had changed. The stillness had sharpened. The air around him drawn tighter, quieter- watching without appearing to watch. And for the first time- it did not feel accidental.

You looked away first. Ramtsyi tugged your hand again, this time gentler. “Come,” she said, her voice returning to something softer, more affectionate. “We still have so much to do before tonight.” You let her lead you forward. But the feeling remained. Not just of being seen-

But of something shifting. Something beginning. And Ramtsyi, still holding your hand, squeezed it once more with quiet excitement. “Tsmuke,” she murmured to herself, becoming more familiar with that name than your own.

------------------------------------------

The early stir of the clan had softened into a steady rhythm- voices weaving through the vast hollow, footsteps crossing the suspended walkways, the distant echo of laughter rising and fading like breath. Light filtered down in warmer tones now, catching in strands along the living walls and casting shifting patterns across the floor of Teyra’s alcove.

It felt quieter here. Contained. Intentional. Teyra had already begun. By the time you stepped inside, she was seated beside a low basin, sleeves drawn back, several small bundles laid neatly around her- herbs, oils, beads sorted by colour and meaning, cords coiled with care. Everything had its place.

She glanced up as you entered. “There you are,” she said softly. “Come.” There was no urgency in her tone. No pressure. Only expectation. You crossed the space and knelt where she gestured, the woven mat warm beneath your knees. For a moment, neither of you spoke.

Teyra studied you. Not critically. Not even curiously. Simply… seeing. “You are carrying too much already,” she said at last. “I am fine.” You mutter in a pathetic attempt to deny the truth.

“Yes,” she replied, reaching for a small cloth. “You always say that when you are not.” You opened your mouth to respond, but she was already moving closer. “Sit properly,” she murmured, guiding your shoulders with gentle hands. “Let me see you.” There was something in the way she said it that made resistance feel unnecessary. You settled.

Teyra dipped the cloth into the basin and wrung it out, the faint scent of crushed leaves rising with the steam. When she lifted her hand to your hair, her touch was warm and steady- familiar. Grounding. “This is only the beginning,” she said quietly, working her fingers through your hair with practiced ease. “We are not rushing you toward anything yet.”

“It feels like I am being pushed toward it despite that.”

“You are not being pushed,” she said. “You are being prepared.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Yes.” Her hands moved slowly, smoothing through your hair, easing out small tangles without pulling. “One takes from you. The other gives you what you need to stand.”

You exhaled softly, your gaze dropping to your hands resting in your lap. They felt… restless. Uncertain. Teyra noticed. Of course she did. Her hand came to yours without hesitation, stilling the movement with a gentle pressure. “Do not let your thoughts run ahead of you,” she said.

“I can't stop them.”

“You do not need to stop them,” she replied. “Only stop following them.” You frowned faintly. “That sounds like something meant to confuse me.”

“It is something meant to steady you.” Her thumb brushed lightly across the back of your hand, once, before she released it and returned to your hair. The motion was simple. It worked anyway.

For a time, there was only quiet. The soft sound of water. The faint rustle of beads as she sorted them beside you. Her fingers moved with care, cleaning your hair in slow, deliberate passes, occasionally tilting your head slightly to catch the light better. Each touch was unhurried, intentional- never intrusive, never distant. Just… present.

When she finished, she reached for a cloth and began gently drying the strands, separating them again with her fingers. “These will sit here,” she murmured, more to herself now as she laid out a row of beads before you. “And these- no, not those- those are for later.”

You watched her work. Precise. Certain. “Does it always feel like this?” you asked quietly.

“Like what?”

“Like something is… waiting.”

Teyra did not look up. “Yes,” she said after a moment. “But not always in the way you think.” She picked up a cord, tested its strength between her fingers, then set it aside. “Today is not the moment,” she continued. “It is only the path toward it.”

“That doesn't seem to make it easier.”

“No,” she agreed. “But it makes it clearer.” She shifted closer again, her hand coming lightly to your chin, tilting your face just enough to meet her gaze. “You are not alone in this,” she said. The words were quiet. Certain. Her thumb brushed once along your jaw- brief, grounding- before she released you.

“Now,” she added, her tone softening into something lighter, “try not to move. I would like your hair to remain where I put it for at least a few moments.” You huffed faintly. “That sounds unlikely.”

“It does,” she agreed. “But I have hope.” A small smile pulled at your lips before you could stop it. Teyra returned it, just briefly, before turning back to her work. Beads were sorted. Cords laid out. Each piece placed with quiet purpose. And for the first time since morning- your thoughts slowed. Not gone. But quieter. Held in place, if only for a little while.

By late morning, the quiet Teyra had given you began to unravel. Not suddenly. Not violently. Just… slowly. Like something beneath your thoughts had been waiting for stillness- and now that it had it, it began to rise.

You did not say anything when you stood. Teyra noticed, of course. She always did. But she only glanced at you once, her expression soft and knowing. “Go,” she said gently.

You hesitated. “There is still more to-”

“There will always be more,” she replied. “You need this first.”

You did not argue. You slipped out of the alcove without another word.

---------------------------------------------

Home Tree felt different now.

Fuller.

Louder.

The steady hum of the clan had grown into something sharper- movement layered upon movement, voices overlapping, preparations quietly unfolding in every corner. It pressed at you in a way it had not earlier. Too much.

You moved through it quickly, instinct guiding your steps rather than thought. Upward. Away. The higher pathways thinned, the air cooling as you climbed along the living structure. Fewer voices reached you here. Fewer eyes. Until at last-

There was only the wind.

You stepped out onto a high branch that curved outward from Home Tree, stretching into open space above the forest below. The world opened around you. Pandora breathed.

Endless green, layered and alive, shifting softly beneath the touch of the wind. Distant calls echoed across the canopy, the sky stretching wide above it all. It should have calmed you. Instead... everything inside you felt louder.

You moved toward the edge and stopped, your hand resting lightly against the living wood beneath you. And then, you exhaled. Long. Unsteady. The thoughts came all at once.

Jake’s voice. You closed your eyes. You had heard many things since coming here- warnings, teachings, stories of balance and life and Eywa’s will. But that-

That had not been a story. That had been truth. And worse- it had been his truth. You saw his face again as he had spoken. Not defiant. Not proud. Conflicted. But not enough to stop what had already begun.

Your fingers tightened slightly against the branch. The vision came. Not gently. Never gently. It pressed into your mind with the same quiet force it always carried- no sound, no clear image, and yet unmistakable. Pain.

The forest shaking- not with life, but with something tearing through it. The ground trembling beneath something unnatural. Light that did not belong. Fire that did not belong. The great trees... Falling.

The feeling of it struck deeper than sight. Loss. A silence where there should have been connection. Pandora hurt. Your breath caught. “No…” you murmured, though there was no one there to hear it.

You had tried to dismiss it before. Tried to believe it was only fear given shape. But now- now it felt closer. Clearer. Because now you had a name to place inside it. Jake.

You did not want to. You resisted it. But the thought came anyway. Unbidden. Unwelcome. And once it was there, it would not leave. He stood at the centre of both worlds. He walked between them. He carried knowledge from one into the other.

A bridge.

Or-

A breaking point.

Your chest tightened. “If it is him…” you whispered, your voice barely carrying over the wind, “then what does that make all of this?” All of you. All of this.

Your gaze lifted, sweeping across the vastness below. Home Tree stood behind you. Alive. Strong. Unmoving. It had always felt unshakable. Now, you were no longer certain.

Your hand rose instinctively, fingers brushing against your queue, grounding yourself in something real, something present. But even that did not steady you completely. Because beneath everything else- beneath the fear, the doubt, the weight of what you had seen- there was something quieter. Colder.

A knowing you did not want to name. Something is coming. Not tonight. Not yet. But soon. You felt it in the stillness of the forest. In the way the wind shifted. In the way your thoughts refused to settle.

You exhaled again, slower this time. You were not ready. Not for the ceremony. Not for what it meant. Not for what might follow. But the day would not wait. The sun would continue its path. Dusk would come. And when it did-

You would stand before Eywa. Whether you felt prepared… or not.

The wind had not settled. It moved steadily through the upper branches, threading through the leaves and across your skin, cool enough to keep you aware, not enough to quiet the unrest beneath it.

You had not realised how long you had been standing there. Only that your thoughts had begun to circle instead of move forward. So when the presence came, you felt it before you heard it. Subtle. Familiar. The shift of weight along the living branch behind you. The faintest sound of breath not your own. You did not turn.

“You should not be here alone.” His voice carried low, controlled. You closed your eyes briefly. “I am not helpless.”

“I did not say you were.”

“You implied it.”

A pause. Then, closer- “I said you should not be alone.” There was something in the correction that made your chest tighten. You turned then.

Tsu’tey stood a few steps behind you, framed by the filtered light of the canopy. His posture was as it always was- steady, composed, immovable. But there was something else beneath it now. Something less controlled.

“What are you doing here?” you asked. Are you here to talk me into running away? Into making everything go away? The question didn't leave you.

“I could ask the same of you.”

“I was here first.”

“That does not make it yours.”

“It can.”

His gaze held yours for a moment longer than necessary. Then shifted- briefly- to the edge of the branch where you stood too close to open air. “You stand carelessly,” he said.

“I stand where I choose.”

“You stand where one misstep would-”

“I won't fall.” The words came sharper than intended. He did not flinch. “I know,” he said quietly. That- That was not what you expected. Silence followed. The wind moved between you. You turned away first, your gaze dropping back to the forest below. “Then why say it?”

Another pause. Longer this time. Because he had no easy answer. Or perhaps- because the answer was not one he wished to give. “I saw Sa’ran this morning,” he said instead. There it was.

You exhaled slowly. “Of course you did.”

“He speaks to you often.”

“He has spoke to me twice.”

“He intends to speak more.”

You turned your head slightly. “And that concerns you?”

“Yes.” No hesitation. No deflection. Just truth.

Your breath caught- only for a moment- but it was enough. “You have no right,” you said quietly.

“I know.”

“And yet-”

“And yet,” he repeated, the edge of something breaking through his control, “I will not pretend I do not see what is in front of me.”

You turned fully now. “You mean him speaking to me?”

“I mean the way he looks at you.”

“And what way is that?”

“The way a man looks when he has decided something.” The words landed heavier than they should have.

“And what has he decided?” you asked.

“That you are worth standing beside.”

Your pulse shifted. “And is that wrong?”

“Yes.” The answer came too quickly. Too sharp.

You stilled. “Why?” You didn't care about what Sa'ran wanted, you barely knew the hunter. You just wanted the truth from him. For once. His jaw tightened. Because the truth was not simple. Because the truth was not fair. “You stand before the clan tonight,” he said instead. “You do not need distraction.”

“That is not what you meant.”

“It is what I said.”

Before you can stop them, the words leave you too quick to take back. “You always mean more than what you say.” That struck something. You saw it. Felt it. The tension in him tightened further, his restraint thinning with every word that pressed too close to what he refused to speak.

“And you,” he said, quieter now, “always push where you should not.”

“Then stop answering me.”

“I am trying.”

The admission slipped out before he could stop it. Both of you felt it. The space between you shifted- subtle, but undeniable. You stepped closer without thinking. Not much. Just enough. He did not move back.

“I didn't ask you to follow me here,” you said.

“I did not follow you.”

“No?”

“I came because you left.”

That was worse. Your breath caught. “You just noticed I wasn't there?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

He held your gaze. And for a moment- it looked like he might answer honestly. “I should have been there,” he said instead. The shift was abrupt. But not unexpected. Toruk. The memory moved between you without needing to be named.

“You've already said that,” you replied softly.

“And you did not answer me.”

“I didn't need to.”

“You did.” His voice was lower now. Closer. “I was not there,” he said, each word controlled, deliberate, as though holding something back with force. “I should have been.”

“I don't blame you. You can't be everywhere.”

“I should have been there.”

“This isn't something for you to carry forever.”

“It already is.” The weight of it pressed into the space between you. You did not know what to do with it. With him. With the way he looked at you now- not as a warrior, not as someone standing apart, but as something far more unguarded than he allowed anyone else to see.

“You are not responsible for everything,” you said quietly.

His gaze flickered. “Not everything,” he agreed. A step closer. You felt it more than saw it. “But some things…” he continued, voice dropping, rougher now, “should not have been left to chance.”

Your breath caught. You were too close. You both knew it. Neither of you moved. “You did not fall,” he said, quieter still.

“No.”

“I saw the marks.”

Your hand lifted instinctively, brushing your cheek where the faint graze remained. His gaze followed the movement. Then- without asking- he stepped closer. This time, there was no space left to pretend.

His hand lifted slowly, as though giving you time to stop him. You did not. His fingers brushed your cheek- light, careful, impossibly gentle as they traced along the faint mark left behind. The contrast between his touch and the memory of how it had been made sent something sharp through your chest. “You call this nothing,” he murmured.

“It is nothing.”

“It is not.” His thumb lingered there, just beneath your eye, the warmth of it grounding and undoing all at once. You should have stepped back. You did not.

“You weren't there,” you said, softer this time. Not accusation. Not quite. His gaze dropped briefly to your lips- just for a moment- before returning to your eyes. “I know.” The words were quieter now. Not defensive. Not proud. Just... honest.

His hand remained where it was. Too long. Long enough that it was no longer something that could be ignored. “You shouldn't do this,” you whispered.

“Do what?”

“You know.”

A pause. Then- “Yes.” But he did not move. Not immediately. Not until something in him- discipline, duty, something stronger than what was pulling him forward- forced his hand to lower.

The absence of his touch felt louder than the contact had. He stepped back. Only slightly. Enough to breathe again. “The ceremony,” he said, his voice returning to something steadier, though not unchanged. “We should return.”

You held his gaze a moment longer. “You always do that.”

“Do what?”

“Say something practical,” you said quietly, “when you mean something else.”

For a moment. A short, clear moment. He did not deny it. Then the mask returned. “You should not keep Teyra waiting.” There it was again. Distance. Control. But it did not sit as cleanly as it once had.

You turned first. Because if you did not- you were not certain you would. And as you moved past him, you felt it. His presence lingering. His attention following. Unspoken. Unresolved. And far too close to something neither of you was ready to name.

------------------------------------------

The light had shifted by the time you returned. Afternoon had begun its slow descent toward dusk, and inside Home Tree, the air carried a different weight now- quieter, more reverent, as though everything was holding its breath for what was to come. You stepped into the fire-lit alcove-and stopped. Tsu’tey was already there. There was no time granted to you to prepare mentally, emotionally or spiritually for what was to come next.

Teyra stood beside him only briefly, adjusting the arrangement of pigments and cords before turning to you. “Tsu'tey will begin the painting now,” she said. Your eyes narrowed slightly. “You're not leaving, are you?”

“Yes.”

“Why-.”

“You'll be in safe hands.” Her hand came to your shoulder, warm and steady, grounding you before she stepped away. “Be still,” she murmured. Then she was gone.

The quiet that followed was heavier than before. You did not move at first. Neither did he. The stillness allowed you to study his face. It told you that you weren't the only one with conflicting feelings of your current predicament. You moved from one heavy moment to another. You did not know how either of you would cope with what was required of you in this moment. Then-

“Sit.”

You exhaled softly. “You never ask.”

“I do not need to.”

“…That may be what you think. It doesn't make it true.” Still. You sat.

Tsu’tey moved closer, kneeling beside you. The space between you vanished quickly, replaced by something far more dangerous- awareness. Of him. Of yourself. Of how little distance remained.

"It seems cruel to walk into this so soon after our talk." You admit into the silence, looking at the side of his face to try and catch his thoughts. His eyes focused on the paint- unwitting or unable to look at you, at your eyes. "I do not mean to make you uncomfortable." The admittance came softly, and you knew he meant it.

"I'm surprised you accepted this role. It was your idea to distance ourselves." You admit, eyes darting towards the pots of fresh paint. You caught the pause in his movement. "Neytiri requested it, I thought it... acceptable." His fingers dipped into the pigment, careful not to spill a single drop. You watched the calculations playing through his mind- obvious in his hesitation. The slight tremble in his fingers that only you seemed to notice. "I still stand by those words of distance."

Time seemed to slow as the gap shrank between your skin and his hand- your eyes following the closing space. His fingers halt an inch away from your shoulder. "If you do not want me to do this, I can find Teyra to fulfil my role."

Your eyes snapped to his now. My role. The fire reflecting in his irises poorly disguised the whirlpool of emotion hiding there. Shame. Wanting. Fear. You could only imagine your own eyes were a mirror of his.

"No- it's fine. I'm sure Teyra is busy and... I don't mind you painting me." You watched as those emotions seemingly vanished from your small words of reassurance to continue. He only nodded before moving his fingers again.

When they moved to your skin, the first touch was careful- steady, controlled as he traced the initial line across your shoulder. You felt it immediately. Not just the coolness of the pigment- but the warmth of his hand beneath it. You felt yourself tense instantly, the touch feeling illicit after your moment not too long ago high in Home Tree.

“You are tense,” he said quietly.

“I am aware.” You say through gritted teeth.

“You should not be.”

“That is not helpful.”

His hand steadied against your arm, thumb resting lightly where it did not need to be. You couldn't block out the sensation- it was as though all your nerve endings had accumulated into that one spot.

“You are still tensing. It is distracting,” he added. Only his insult pulled you back from his touch. “You are the one touching me.” You wanted to glare at him, to pierce through the tension forming with a threat. He didn't meet your gaze. A faint pause. Then-

“Would you like me to stop?”

"No." The word escaped you quicker than you would have liked. Final. The swiftness of your voice brought his eyes to yours. The firelight turned his golden eyes into pools of rich honey. And how you wanted to swim in them. A ghost of a smile in the corner of his mouth was all the retaliation he gave.

The line continued. Slow. Measured. Too slow. Each movement deliberate, as though he were forcing himself to remain within the bounds of something he no longer fully controlled. You tried to focus on anything else. The fire. The sound of your own breathing. The markings forming across your skin. But every time his fingers brushed too close to the curve of your collarbone, every time his knuckles grazed the side of your neck-

It pulled you back. To him. To the soul consuming fact that Tsu'tey was touching you freely. Willingly. Carefully. Intimately. In a way that redefined and broke the boundaries you had both mentally placed.

You let out the breath you were holding. “You are taking too long,” you murmured. He had already painted below your knees, back and arms- leaving the worst for last.

“I am taking the time required.”

“That sounds like an excuse.”

“It is not.”

Another line. This one lower. His hand froze millimetres from the swell of your breast not covered by the single wide strip of fabric wrapped horizontally around your chest. The ceremony permitted only the necessary and plain coverings- the beautifully crafted garment awaited until the celebration.

Your eyes had closed moments ago, not wanting to face looking at him when he inevitably reached below your collarbones. You had spent the last however many minutes stilling yourself under his touch to deny the truth written in the space between you.

You took in a sharp breath- the movement causing your chest to rise and meet his touch. You refused to open your eyes. You only heard his own deep breath and the familiar sound of his hand dipping into the paint. His other hand. Within seconds, you felt both of his hands on the skin above your chest. Your heart jolted at the sensation. You fought against the shiver crawling down your spine- but there was nothing you could hide from him at this closeness.

One breath was all the time you had before his fingers moved symmetrically over the swell of your breasts. It was no simple design- his fingers moved in swirls across your chest. The movement was slow, from precision or savouring the moment, you couldn't tell and you weren't sure if you wanted to.

One thing you were sure of was your heartbeat thundering inside your ribcage and your ability to keep your breathing controlled was slipping from you. Tsu'tey must have noticed. But he said nothing. Instead, one of his hands shifted, steadying you- palm resting against your shoulder, thumb pressing lightly into your skin. Too firm to ignore. Too gentle to question.

“You need to move quicker,” you said quietly.

“If I rush, I could ruin the pattern.”

“Are you saying you aren't a master at this?” A pause. Then-

“You have an answer for everything. I wonder what would you say if I said I just want to touch you?” His voice was coated in irritation but the admittance was naked beneath it.

Your eyes flashed open at that. You weren't prepared for his face to be so close to yours. Your breathing had yet to calm and the silence between your prolonged eye contact felt even more intimate than the feeling of his hands tracing patterns on your skin.

His hand was still resting against your shoulder. As you looked into his eyes, you could see the shield he often hid behind had pulled back slightly. His breath warmed your cheek with your closeness and your mind was flooded with the same forbidden desires that were bare to you in his eyes. "Do you?" You whisper at last.

He held your gaze for a few moments longer, denying you the truth with his silence. His throat bobbed as he swallowed back his words. Your eyes followed the movement and your hand gently reached up to rest against his neck without thinking. You wanted to reprimand yourself for your lack of restraint but your mind was too busy fighting against itself to stop your body from acting on its own whim. Tsu'tey didn't push you away. Your body took that as a sign to lean into your lustful actions. You leaned forward to let your lips connect to his pulse point.

The hand on your shoulder stopped you before you could cross the distance. Your eyes dropped to the floor- shame pooled in your stomach along with the desire beginning to become undeniable. Your head hung down slightly as you hid yourself from his eyes. His other hand cupped your remaining shoulder and you felt his breath against the side of your neck. You had limited restraint left to stop the sharp gasp that escaped you at the sensation against your sensitive skin. "Lie back. I need to continue the pattern to your stomach and thighs." Stop. That's what those words meant to you.

You clenched your eyes- wanting the ground to swallow you up to escape from the shame of letting your resilience break so easily. You considered telling him to stop and getting Teyra to finish the painting but that would only raise questions. Questions about you and Tsu'tey. Questions you didn't want to face. You had to let him finish- even at the expense of your dignity.

You nodded your head slightly and felt him gently push you back to lay on your back. He shifted to your side as you lay so you could lie straight. Your eyes remained tightly closed. The silence was already eating into you- you couldn't bare to look into his eyes now. You wished for him to just insult you so all of the embarrassment could be overshadowed by anger.

"You do not have to hide from me." His voice was gentle to break the thick silence. You pursed your lips closed- forcing yourself to think before you spoke this time. "I prefer it this way." Were the only words you could think of to hide behind. He saw straight through them. "I prefer you not to hide." There it was. The little comment to spark the annoyance from you to shield yourself.

Your eyes opened into a glare- your first line of defence. "So I should just do what you prefer all the time?" You scoffed. The fire casted a shadow over his face to enhance the tiny smile on his face just enough so you could see it. He was obviously pleased his tactic worked to get his way. Not that it took much for you to listen to him- a fact you would never admit to him.

Your eyes softened at his smile- even if it was barely there- before ripping them away to look at the ceiling of the alcove. You knew if you stayed lost in that sight, you would be lost forever. "We don't have much time left." The small smile melted away back to his stoic expression at the reminder. "Then you must stay still while I finish your patterns." You scoff, still hiding behind your forced annoyance. His hands dipped back into the paint and this time you didn't watch him- but your eyes remained open.

He glanced at your face once before his hands touched your upper stomach with soft precision. You couldn't stop the sharp inhale at the feeling. All the tension inside you that had softened returned immediately as his fingers gently traced their way down. With each centimetre of movement from his touch, you felt a tingling sensation left behind by his fingers. As his fingers moved closer to your navel, you realised that wasn't the only reaction your body was granting him. You felt the materialisation of your desire in the familiar ache growing in your stomach, the stiffening of your nipples against your chest covering and the tension pooling between your legs- thankfully hidden beneath your tewng. You wanted to feel betrayed by your body but perhaps it- and you- was tired of pretending your attraction was imagined.

You could only hope he didn't- and wouldn't- realise the effect his touch was having on you. You couldn't tell him to stop now. It would be all too obvious then and even harder to deny another truth; you were aroused by Tsu'tey's touch. Your brain could lie to your heart and tell you your feelings weren't affection but instead intrigue- but your body solidified the reality now. There was no more lying to yourself- or Tsu'tey- if he relised. You kept your jaw clenched shut to prevent any sounds escaping or else you would simply die from mortification.

The ache in your stomach grew to a deep swirling pool of lust with every second of his touch. It had taken all of your effort to keep your body completely still apart from the subtle rise and fall of your breaths. He had reached just above your tewng where it rested against your hip- and dangerously close to the moisture building between your legs that you held clenched together just enough to keep closed but not enough to look suspicious. His hands finally gave you respite as he lifted them from your skin to dip into the paint. You wanted nothing more than to unclench your tensed muscles but it wasn't over yet. He still had to paint your upper legs.

When Tsu'tey didn't immediately begin again, your eyes fell from the ceiling to look at him. Your heart began thundering in your chest even heavier now. Your eyes widened as you found he was already looking at your face with a hint of confusion. "I understand you may find this... uncomfortable, but I need you to widen your legs so I can paint them properly." You weren't able to mask your shame with irritation quick enough. You opened your mouth but no words came out. He mistook your hesitation for shock rather than what you knew it for. "I will not do anything inappropriate. I have shown you my respect, have I not?" You saw the irritation on his face but it wasn't solely for you. You weren't able to dissect the origin of that emotion before he sucked his teeth. "Fine. If you will not move, I will paint as you are."

You almost let out a sigh of relief that he caved in to your stubbornness but you couldn't let your body relax and reveal everything you tried so hard to hide. You did however, admire that he didn't push you to be uncomfortable- not that it has stopped him before but the fact remained true here and now. "You are impossible." He grumbled, loud enough to let you know he wanted you to hear his insult.

You tilted your head up and opened your mouth to quickly shoot back a reply before he resumed- using your reliable shield of annoyance again- but his hand made contact with the top of your inner thigh. "I am-mmhn-" No. No. Fuck! Your mouth hung open in shock as dread swallowed your body whole. Your ears begun to ring in the deafening silence. Tsu'tey snapped his head toward you- pupils blown wide and his body frozen in surprise. His hand remained on your thigh as your eyes locked together.

"I- I-" You couldn't form any words. You couldn't scramble together an excuse to play off what just escaped you. You shook your head slightly as if this was a nightmare that you could simply escape from. His still expression wasn't giving you any indication of his next reaction and that filled you with fear more than anything.

You pushed yourself upright- the movement pulled Tsu'tey out of his trance and he released your thigh from his touch. "I'm sorry- I... I don't know-" You tried to form a sentence but your heart raced in your chest so hard it prevented you from remaining calm. Fear and shame began to creep in at the edges- threatening to consume your very being.

Tsu'tey hadn't spoken a word and you still couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Maybe if he was disgusted, angry, disappointed- that would be better than the shattering silence of the unknown crushing against your chest. You pulled your legs back, increasing the gap between you. Without realising, the action released further proof of your desire into Tsu'tey's senses. You were too consumed in your panic to notice the deep inhale the Na'vi male took. You didn't notice the tremble of his body as your lustful scent began to take over every ounce of his control years of discipline took to master. You didn't notice the deep breaths to greedily savour the smell that eradicated his own guilt for having the same shameful desires. All you noticed was the silence.

Your panic allowed you a moment of respite to fill the air with a desperate plea. "I can't take the silence any longer. Just- please say something!" Those eyes- that usually reminded you of melted gold- were darkened by a lustful haze. His pupils grown from your intoxicating scent. He took a sharp inhale as though battling something inside you couldn't see. "You continue to test me..." His voice was barely above a whisper, "...this time I will fail."

You were about to question what he meant when the gap between you disappeared in a flash of strong blue hands reaching out to cup either side of your head. "Tsu'tey-" You cut yourself off with a gasp as he gently turned your head to the side and buried his nose deep into the crook of your neck to inhale you. The shiver that ran through your body brought one of his hands down to the side of your hip. "Do not say my name like that." The rumble of his strained voice against your skin felt delicious and delirious all at once.

"Like what?" You managed to mutter, eyes fluttering closed. The part of you screaming that this was wrong, that you needed to push him away- was fading into the depth of your mind. Each sinful thought and cardinal desire that had been locked away rushed to the surface in its place.

"Like you expect me to listen." Your breath caught. Because he wasn’t. Not anymore. And neither were you. He pulled himself away from your neck and you turned back to take in his face. He looked drunk just from the smell of you. Both of you were panting- eyes flashing between the other's gaze and lips. He swallowed as though the action could help him regain his control- instead he just looked pained from holding himself back.

"This should end here," he managed to say between panting breaths. "Then let go." You spoke in the same shattered whisper. He didn’t. The silence stretched. Fragile. Dangerous. "I should not-" he began, then stopped, his jaw tightening as though the rest of the words would not obey him. His grip shifted slightly, fingers brushing along your jaw, not pulling you closer- but not letting you go.

"Stop me," he said suddenly. The words were low. Rough. Barely controlled. The space between you felt impossibly smaller than it was. You should have pushed back. Should have pulled away. Should have ended it there. Instead- you leaned forward. Just enough. His restraint broke. He closed the distance in one decisive movement, his hand tightened its grip on your hip and your hands hooked around his neck.

His lips met yours with an unexpected softness that pulled a sigh from you. The noise stroked something deep inside him that had him pulling deeper into the kiss with the hunger of a starved man. The euphoria of having his lips on yours numbed all rational thoughts until there was nothing but base desire left for you to act on. Your hands roamed from his neck across the top of his shoulders- savouring the feeling of his muscles underneath your touch.

You broke the connection only for a second to catch your breath but it was stolen once again by the deep rumbling groan that escaped Tsu'tey from his displeasure of your lips no longer being on his. The sound alone made the ache in your stomach spark into a burning flame threatening to consume your very being. You needed contact. You needed him. Only that would douse the flames rising within you.

He pulled you back into the kiss- and still his hands remained on your hip and the side of your head, the only form of restraint left in him. His thumb gently caressed the curve of your cheek to make sure they didn't roam carelessly. The taste of him made you lightheaded and it only made you crave more of him. You sank deeper into the kiss until the faint sound of footsteps shattered the veil separating you both from the world.

Both of you stilled. Your eyes opened at last to be greeted by Tsu'tey's only a couple inches away from yours. The haze in them had begun to dissipate already. He pulled back, breath and composure shaken for the first time you had ever seen, his hand dropping from your face as though the contact itself had become too much. Silence rushed in. Heavy. Unforgiving.

You sat panting, heart pounding and head spinning from the rush. Your lips tingled against the now empty space. The warm pleasure that coursed through your veins seconds ago was sharply replaced by the cold agony of reality. That was a mistake. It was wrong. You've made things worse for yourself.

You finally braved the glance at him in the silence that was quickly becoming stifling. "That should not have happened," he said. But his voice lacked certainty. Because it had. And neither of you had stopped it. You couldn't bring yourself to speak- you settled for a shameful nod.

Outside, the light continued to fade. The ceremony waited. And whatever had just shifted between you...

Would not be undone.

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A/N: Okay so I'm just putting this here so there's no spoilers! But it's been a LONG WHILE since I've written anything smut related- obviously even I wouldn't really class this as smut but pleeeaaaassse any and all feedback to help me improve is much appreciated! Thank you! 🙏🙂‍↔️

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[fandommemporiumm]

Wakes up, checks tumblr…

“Oh yay new chapter!”

Sensitive content warning

Me

But seriously this is the only fic I’ve been looking forward to these days and the little morsel we got in this chapter just makes me kick my feet.

[dailyblueobsession]

The way I have been rereading this reblog all day at work. The Loki gif is just 🤌

But so so happy you’re looking forward to the updates! I can’t wait to give you more!

[dailyblueobsession]

AYY don't you worry about being late 😡😡

As a reader ofc I want updates asap but I also love the person behind these amazing stories so ofc I want you to enjoy every process without any stress 🥰🥰

DW mama bird your babies will patiently wait for their next meal ✌️✌️

Yes ma’am! 🫡

I seriously don’t think you guys realise just how happy you all make me 🥹💕 it’s so surreal to me! I’m so extremely thankful for this beautiful community you’ve created on my little page 🫶

I’ll continue to work hard for you all in return and keep you all well fed 💕

[dailyblueobsession]

https://www.tumblr.com/dailyblueobsession/816868908529336320/whens-the-next-one-coming-out

we dont hate you pookie. never. you feed us so much <3

i cant wait for the next one! I was gonna send in a question asking if you had like a preference of how long you write your chapters because in the beginning, they were all like 6K but the last few have been above that, which I promise you, we love it!!

AH I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH 🫶💕 It’s like having friends that I see once a week to talk about my favourite things 😭

Ooh interesting question! I don’t have a preference per say but I don’t like to make them too long cause I feel like if I put too much into a chapter it can be easy to forget certain scenes (if that makes sense) and I don’t like them being too short either cause as a reader, I’m a greedy bitch- I want more than 2k words per post puhlease! 😭

Essentially, as long as I have everything covered that I want I’m happy! So if it’s on the shorter side, I’m sat there like this waiting for divine inspiration on what to add without moving the story on too quick. And sometimes they end up being the best scenes in my opinion ☺️

[dailyblueobsession]

whens the next one coming out?

Unfortunately my darlings, I’m going to have to leave you all on a cliffhanger for a little while extra 🫪 I’m busy for a few days with family stuff this week so I’m having to push back the next chapter to next weekend (most likely Saturday 30th) 😩

I KNOW IM SORRY 😔✋ But the next chapter is another chunky one that I haven’t finished yet and won’t get the time to this week 🥲

Please don’t hate me pookie 🫠

[dailyblueobsession]

AYYYY UP THE NORTH

Big up The North

[dailyblueobsession]

Im half convinced that Neytiri's choice to have Tsu'tey paint Y/N is mainly her trying to play match maker

Tsu'tey - I am duty bound to neytiri and the clan, regardless of what my heart want

Neytiri - fuck it, I'll do it

This was 100% all part of her plot to make Jake her mans 💅🏻