Kiri looked out her window excitedly as they pulled into the Kogoya's driveway. Their massive house would be intimidating if not for the people who lived there. Kiri climbed over her siblings and walked to the front door, camera in hand. Tsireya answered, stepping outside and going to help the Sully's carry their things in. She was instantly stopped by Lo'ak. Kiri knew he was holding her flowers behind his back. She froze and looked up at him, smiling warmly. Lo'ak seemed unable to formulate words for a brief moment. He stood there, looking down at her, until Neteyam gently nudged him with his elbow. Lo'ak blinked and looked at the ground before revealing her flowers. Tsireya's eyes widened. Her jaw dropped into a wide grin as she took them, holding them close to her face to look at the petals. Kiri got out her camera just in time for Tsireya to wrap her arms around Lo'ak's midsection, pressing her cheek to his chest and laughing in delight. Lo'ak froze, arms outstretched, flushing dramatically. A slow grin spread across his face. He blinked rapidly as he gently placed his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head for just a second before she pulled away. With blushing cheeks and flowers in hand, Tsireya went to help bring in flowers. Lo'ak stood right where she had left him, a dazed smile on his face. "Come on, go help Dad," Kiri beckoned, elbowing him in the side. He grinned and hid his face in his hands for a second, before nodding and turning to help. Kiri watched Neteyam poke his head around the side of the car and smile at his brother, raising his eyebrows.
Something scratched the back of Kiri's head. She frantically reached for it, not knowing what it was. Her fingers closed around a plastic clip. Rotxo laughed over her shoulder. She whirled around, seeing him holding the leaf claw clip Spider had forgotten to give back in his hand. "Oh," she breathed, grinning. "I thought there was a bug in my hair." Rotxo smiled at her, the downward smile he always got when he was thinking of something sarcastic. "Not a bug. Maybe an arachnid." Kiri blinked in confusion. "You know, because-" "Ohhh. Spider." Rotxo grinned and nodded as Kiri shook her head, trying not to laugh. "That. That was not funny," she said, folding her arms across her chest. He shrugged. "You're laughing, so-" "I am not." He smiled and handed her clip back. She stuck it on her belt loop and turned to hand him a potted orchid. "I got a really beautiful picture of Tsireya about to hug Lo'ak," she whispered, gesturing to her camera. "Lemme see," Rotxo said instantly, setting his pot on the ground and leaning over her shoulder.
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(the picture she took)
Jake and Tonowari stood on the back deck, setting up the grill and talking animatedly about what they were doing. Ao'nung stood beside them, hands clasped behind his back respectfully. He had a bored expression on his face which only left when one of them asked him a question, which he would answer with an artificially engaged smile and rapid nodding. His eyes kept darting through the glass doors, always managing to find their way to Neteyam. His gaze would soften with longing before blinking and looking away, frowning in shame for only a brief second. Kiri knew Jake was onto him. Her dad's eyes kept following his line of sight when Ao'nung thought no one was looking. Jake would raise his eyebrows at Ao'nung, trying to catch his attention. Ao'nung was yet to notice.
Lo'ak was holding Iolana gingerly in his arms. Even though he was still fairly young when Tuk was born, caring for babies came naturally to him. Iolana's small hands grasped for his face and hair. Tsireya sat beside them, hands covering her mouth. Neteyam stood beside Kiri, watching their brother. "He really is good with kids," he whispered softly. Kiri nodded, smiling. "Neteyam, come say hi!" Tsireya called, waving him over. Neteyam went hesitantly, sitting down on the couch slowly. A door slammed. Kiri looked over and saw Ao'nung walking over, a small smile on his face. He crouched on the floor next to Neteyam, watching Lo'ak gently hand Iolana over. Neteyam's arms instantly shifted to accommodate her. Kiri knew it was pure muscle memory for him at this point. Kiri pulled up her camera and went to stand in front of him. "Smile," she whispered, getting his attention. He looked up and grinned, real happiness on his face. Kiri looked at the photo, noticing a part of Ao'nung's dimpled cheek and a single squinted eye gazing up at him from the corner. She grinned and let her camera hang freely from her neck, looking around for Rotxo.
She spied her mother deep in discussion with Ronal. Neytiri was gesturing wildly with her hands while Ronal smiled at her, nodding genuinely as if she was soaking up everything Neytiri was saying. She grinned and looked back to Neteyam, only to realize he had vanished. Iolana was in Tsireya's arms, gazing up at Lo'ak with wide eyes. Kiri blinked. Ao'nung was gone as well. She went to go find them, wanting to show Neteyam the picture she took and wanting to as Ao'nung where Rotxo had gone.
Her dad hadn't seen Neteyam since they got here, and Tonowari hadn't even noticed Ao'nung wasn't by his side. He laughed and apologized, telling Kiri to go look up in his or Rotxo's rooms. Kiri found her way to the stairs, about to explore a whole new part of the Kogoya house. She climbed the stairs, hand dragging softly along the railing. Their house truly was beautiful. Kiri took her shoes off and carried them, not wanting to dirty Ronal's carpet.
She stumbled across what could only be Tsireya's room. Dozens of stuffed dolphins scattered her bed. A tropical scented candle burned on her shelf. Seashells covered nearly every available surface, from her dresser to her window sill. Kiri smiled at how beautifully predictable her friend was and moved on. Down the hall from Tsireya's were two doors on the same side of the hall. Kiri opened one of them - a sparsely decorated room with a blue and green flannel comforter. Pictures of three dark haired babies were framed on the dresser. She figured this must be Rotxo's room. She saw a door leading to the bathroom and went in, curious to see what products he used. Kiri heard voices from the door on the far side. It must lead to the next room over. She pressed her ear to the door gently, listening for who it was. She pulled her head back in shock, instantly recognizing her brother's laugh. Without thinking, she opened the door. "Neteyam, where did you-" she froze as Neteyam stared up at her from the floor. Ao'nung's head rested on his knees. His hands were in Neteyam's hair, playing with his beads. His eyes were staring at Kiri in absolute horror. Ao'nung sat up abruptly, head butting Neteyam squarely in the nose. Kiri heard a crack and saw Neteyam grab for his face in shock.
