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[Random the Navigator]

- ::: [ 23. The Little Things ] ::: -

For the first time since the banquet the night of the delegation's arrival, the group of resident Avatars, visiting Na'vi and one transplanted human were present in full force at the station.  To the casual eye, nothing extraordinary seemed to be afoot among them except for the gathering itself.  They left the firepit in twos and threes after their mid-day meal?, breaking off into little groups as their needs and affinities led them.  Yet there was no mistaking a certain air of expectancy that grew on everyone there as the afternoon? progressed.  And perhaps because not everyone was going on the expedition, there was also the poignancy of impending separation, an absence from each other the length of which no one could really know beforehand.

These things, the anxiety and the anticipation, were in Tayu's and Waytelem's voices as they conferred on the porch, having a talk that might take a lifetime to resolve, but that had to at least begin before they parted ways.

They were in Tsanten's manner as he made himself small and gestured for a certain small Avatar to join him, then beckoned Tayu over as well and gave them a briefing on what the adventurers would be doing while they were out--not their objective, but the particulars of daily life on a long journey through the wooded lands.  It wasn't as if Enya and Tayu had never travelled, never explored.  And truly Tayu didn't need it.  But the exercise was meant to give the Avatar child a clear mental image of what her Sa'nok, her Sempul and most of her friends would most likely be doing and experiencing on their quest.  This, the Lorekeeper had learned ages ago, was vastly preferable to leaving a worried youngster with a big unknown and only her imagination to fill in the gaps; in almost every instance, the things children thought might happen to their loved ones were worlds worse than anything that actually did.  And Tayu's part? --Only to be briefed too, so that Enya wouldn't feel singled out; and it wouldn't hurt them to both hear the same things at the same time.

The poignancy, especially, was in Clan BrEnyaBen's eyes and gestures afterwards as the family prepared for their long-awaited outing, all three with shining eyes and little lumps in their throats even as Enya, living mostly in the moment now, bounced and wagged and smiled.

And the anticipation, albeit a somewhat weary one more akin to relief, was in Spaz's demeanor as he and Rick went over a bit of business the rocker-scientist wanted to have out of the way before they both morphed into full-time babysitters in the morning.


(We're still adjusting the timeframe and staffing on this one; material in italics/with question-marks is subject to change.)

[Kiyevanie]

This very same anticipation could also be felt in the way Yo'ku was sorting through his tools, deciding what to take along and what to leave behind; and in the expression of the crafter's eyes.  For some reason he hadn't visited the cliff since the day he had come there to find that Frank was gone; in a way this would be a trip back to the days of his youth, with much less responsibility.  And while he was sorting through his tools and belongings he found himself smiling, and the adventurous shine in his eyes came back.

His son, as usual, solved his own excitement by activity - checking all saddles, the Pa'lis' and Taw'itan's alike, for any weak straps and his arrows for loose feathers, then finally deciding to head out to have a look at the Pa'li they wanted to take along.

Ni'ka watched the whole outburst of activity with a smile, then headed to her own sleeping place.  She would not completely break camp, but she decided that now was as good a time as any to give her old hammock to Yo'ku.  The crafter might even be able to use it on the trip already...

The most excited of all of them might have been Anna.  The young zoologist packed and unpacked her backpack maybe half a dozen times, trying to decide what to take along and what not to.  There'd be less than they had taken on that fateful trip to the plains, but she was still afraid to leave something important behind.  She even linked out for a while, rummaging through the personal belongings she had brought along to Pandora, staring at them and finally deciding on two or three of them - not really sure why she was taking them along, just following a not completely rational impulse.

[Random the Navigator]

"Anna, Anna!" came Angelo's hearty voice as he noticed her ins and outs and rummaging.  "Where're you goin' with all that loco-motion?  Lemme guess--typical gal; can't decide what to wear, what to bring..."  He came over and eyed her backpack.  "For one thing, you're gonna need more than that on this jaunt.  I can tell you're thinking 'overnighter'.  But it's gonna be a couple days coming and going, and of course we'll want to kick around the place long enough to justify the walk...  So me, I'm packing for four days--a long weekend.  Clothing, gear, shelter, rations...  That'll get us there in good order and high spirits, and we won't have to go hunting the minute we drop our dufflebags at the site.  Anything after that, we can live off the land, fend for ourselves; and the ones who don't know how have the rest of us to fend for them.  And remember, the ponies'll be carrying the heavy stuff."  He smirked at himself.  "Leaves more room for my video gear; I have got to start doing some work around here for a change or Sgt Kelly's gonna have a fit...!"

[Kiyevanie]

Anna, back in link again, sat down on her cot and looked up to Angelo, ears drooped in comical frustration.  She sighed.  "I know...I'm making a fuss out of the whole thing."  She raked her hands through her now properly-braided hair.  "It's just...dang, I'm nervous as a girl preparing for her first date here.  And that's frickin' silly, ain't it?"  She gave the backpack a slight kick.  "Well, guess I'll better start packing it again - and maybe add a few pouches for the heavy stuff we can load the Pa'li with."

One ear perked up again.  "Gee - I could remember that I pretend to be a scientist and approach the whole thing systematically and with logic, huh?"

[Random the Navigator]

Angelo chuckled.  "Ma'am, there hasn't been anything logical or systematic about our lives this last couple of weeks.  Not since the rock camp!  So you're entitled to run around squealing like a schoolgirl inside, as long as your hands stay busy.  My head's only spinning a little slower than yours...and we're just now getting to the fun part."

He arose and took a look outside, finding Enya and her mother standing in identical poses with their arms crossed and miffed looks on their faces.  "Speaking of the fun part...I've got a date myself, and it's high time I got going!"  Whereupon he trotted down the little porch steps singing "Two girls for ev-'ry boooyyy..."