Kiri had been taken home by the blonde kid from lunch, apparently. Lo'ak wished he had known that was an option. He would rather be anywhere than headed to some stupid flower shop in the middle of nowhere with Neteyam. They were in his brother's car now, driving. According to google maps, they were 45 minutes away. "What are we even looking for?" Lo'ak asked, facing the window. "I told you. Orchids." Lo'ak groaned. "Why can't she get those from somewhere closer?" "Because she wants pink and gold." "Why?" "Because she thinks they're prettiest." "Why?" Neteyam sighed through gritted teeth. Lo'ak looked over at him, seeing his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "Sorry," Lo'ak muttered, grinning.
Reya:
(lo) i rly hope your mom likes these (lo) i haven't been this far from my house since we moved here
(reya) she for sure will (reya) which shop are you headed to?
(lo) i think it's called ann's flowers maybe
(reya) oh do u mean Annie's flower mart?
(lo) probably lol
(reya) good luck that place is really expensive
(lo) tey said that mom put $100 in his bank account for these flowers (lo) which is crazy behavior especially for my mom
(tsireya)
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(tsireya) miss lana said thank you 🤗
(lo) did she rly say that (lo) i don't believe you.
(reya) yes. she told me.
"Can I have aux?" Lo'ak asked, reaching for the cord. Neteyam gave him a sideways glance. "Yes," he said hesitantly. "But so help me god if you play some stupid shit-" Lo'ak gasped. "Neteyam, I am hurt. I would never, ever play something stupid." Neteyam grunted and rolled his eyes. Lo'ak played Heartless by the Weeknd. The Weeknd was sort of a safe middle ground for both of their music tastes. Neteyam scoffed. "You sing this song real loud for someone who's wearing blue light glasses knowing damn well Tsireya wasn't going to show up today," he murmured, grinning. "Shut up. She said they're good for my eyes." Lo'ak paused. "Also, can we stop by Target or something on the way back home? I wanna get this water flossing thing." Neteyam blinked. "Flossing? Like... teeth?" "Yes." "You want to get something to help you floss?" "Yes." Neteyam turned and stared at his brother, eyes full of disbelief. "Look at the damn road, bro," Lo'ak whined, shoving Neteyam's head away. "Tell me how to drive when mama lets you get your license," Neteyam retorted, swatting Lo'ak's hand away.
When they finally arrived at the flower shop, Lo'ak could tell that he had annoyed his brother enough for one day. He decided to stop asking Neteyam stupid questions and just followed him around silently. Neteyam definitely had more of the artistic eye for things like this, so Lo'ak just let him take charge. The employee at the register looked about their age. She had been looking at them from across the store since the moment they arrived. Neteyam went up to ask her a question, a picture of the orchids Neytiri wanted pulled up on his phone. She smiled as she spoke to him. Neteyam laughed at something she said, and beckoned Lo'ak over. "This is one of Kiri's new friends," Neteyam explained. "Her name is-" "Ninat," she interrupted, holding out her hand. Lo'ak shook it gingerly. "I knew she had two brothers. Not that you guys look alike, but- your accents are all very similar." Lo'ak grinned. "Yeah, she's adopted." Ninat nodded. "Yeah, I figured."
"Should I get some for Reya?" Lo'ak whispered. "Hm?" Neteyam asked, looking up at him. "Flowers. Should I get some for her?" He blinked. "For who?" "Tsireya." Neteyam's eyes sparkled. "I mean, if you want. Do you know what her favorite is?" Lo'ak thought for a moment. "Probably hibiscus. She had one in her hair." Neteyam nodded. "You should probably double check." "Okay, I'll ask her-" "No, Lo'ak, don't ask her! That'll ruin the surprise. Ask, like, Rotxo, or Ao'nung, or something." Lo'ak wrinkled his nose. "No, I'm not asking them," he muttered, frowning. "Why?" "Because." Neteyam shrugged. "Fine. I will, then." Neteyam pulled out his phone and texted someone while Lo'ak sighed. "That's weird," he mumbled. "No it's not, bro," Neteyam replied, grinning.
"Has he answered?" Lo'ak asked after a while, looking over at Neteyam. They had been there for a while, picking up the various flowers Neytiri had requested. Neteyam shook his head. The bell by the front door jingled as someone opened it, followed by a slam and an awkward laugh of "Shit, sorry." Neteyam's head whipped up. Lo'ak followed his line of sight and blinked in surprise. Ao'nung was standing by the door, looking around the store. "Ao'nung?" Lo'ak called, grinning in disbelief. "Oh, there you guys are," he laughed, heading over. "Tsireya said you guys were here. I was in the area when Neteyam asked what her favorite flower was, so I just..." he gestured around him. "Why were you in the area?" Lo'ak asked, tilting his head to the side. Ao'nung froze for a second, before responding. "Just took a drive," he shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "Alright," Lo'ak shrugged, looking away from him. "Wait, what's her favorite flower?" No response. He looked back at Ao'nung, who was staring at the back of Neteyam's head as Neteyam looked at the shelves. "Who?" he asked, blinking and turning his head to face Lo'ak. "Tsireya." "Oh. Um, I think hibiscus." Lo'ak grinned. "I knew it," he laughed, running off to go find some.
When he returned to Neteyam with a small bouquet of bright pink hibiscus, he was getting ready to go. "Ready?" he asked, looking over at Lo'ak. Lo'ak nodded, displaying the flowers he had found in front of him. Ao'nung was hovering over Neteyam's shoulder, arms full of potted orchids. The three of them made their way over to the check out. Ninat's smile faltered as they approached. "Finally ready," Neteyam laughed, moving out of the way for Ao'nung to put his flowers down on the counter. "Ao'nung, do you know Ninat? She's one of Kiri's friends." Ninat's eyes widened. Ao'nung laughed nervously. "Uh, n-no, I don't think I do," he stuttered, glancing briefly at her. "My name is Ao'nung," he said, staring at the ground and waving gently. "Nice to meet you, I guess," Ninat mumbled, scanning the barcodes on their flowers. Neteyam grinned at them. "You should come to one of our hangouts, Ninat," he said, looking at Ao'nung for approval. He shrugged. "I just want Kiri to, you know, have as many friends as she can, I guess," he whispered, glancing at Lo'ak. Ao'nung helped carry their plants out to Neteyam's car. He stood outside Neteyam's window as Lo'ak got in, hands in his pockets. "I, uh, guess I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, looking at Neteyam. "Mhm," Neteyam nodded, not looking up at him. Ao'nung's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he turned and walked back to his truck, looking back over his shoulder once before he got in.
