Topic: DtP 40 - One Small Life (Read 5648 times)

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #75 on:** July 30, 2018, 02:33:43 PM »

"Yeah, it sounded like that... From what I got from Ni'ka and Brenda, it wasn't just a few families but a really big group of people living there," Rick said, confirming Tangek's guess.

Then he gave Tangek a sideways glance. "You know - the way you say it it sounds like we need a babysitter all the time. We might actually be able to survive one or two days on our own." To be honest, he was starting to get a little impatient; Tangek was turning out to be one of the most stubborn people he'd ever had to deal with. And the healer had a talent for looking for the fly in the ointment...

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #76 on:** July 30, 2018, 02:41:00 PM »

Any incipient softness in the healer's demeanor lifted away, though not beyond recall. "May I ask you one question?" he said acerbically. "What with archery lessons, riding lessons, our hunters earning that Angtsik meat, Ash's...problematic condition, the plan to grow food-plants from the nuts and seeds in our rations, your mate being suicidal, and the entertainment value of having Tali and Enya around, exactly how much of yesterday do you think you would have gotten through if we were not here?"

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #77 on:** July 30, 2018, 02:49:12 PM »

Rick sighed and gave a half grin. "Hey, don't let Tali or Enya hear that you think we'd value them just for their entertainment value... In my book, Tali's a great scout already at his young age - and it might have been Enya and her reaction that saved Ni'tingal's baby in the end." He let his shoulders sag. "And you have no idea how grateful I am that Kenten was there at the right moment..."

He kicked at a little stone, frustrated as he somehow couldn't seem to find the right words. "We've got a real mixed bag of a group here - Na'vi, humans, Avatars, Changed ones from each of those... Somehow I think all we can do is work together as well as we can to make things work out somehow. As you said, for Enya this here is probably the best place to make a gentle slip into her new life..."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #78 on:** July 30, 2018, 02:56:45 PM »

Tangek reflected on what he'd just said and what Rick had just said, then chuckled and shook his head ruefully. "Oh, dear...I suppose I did sound a bit patronising there, hmm? No offense, Rick, but I've been listening to that kind of talk from your mate since we were still at Hometree, and hating every minute of it--and then here I go doing the same thing." He sighed. "And you're right; we just don't seem to know how to talk to each other about these things...

"But that's one of the reasons I think it'd be better if we were, as Tali might say, out of each others' faces. We can't clash if we're not here dealing with each other every moment we're all home. And I don't mean to make it sound like 'us against you'...but you two only have your own situation to deal with. We have both yours and ours, and it's a strain. So much so that a part of me is relieved that a largish group of people has chosen to leave Hometree and take themselves to somewhere we can visit--if we could only spare the manpower... But there it is. There are just enough of us to sustain ourselves here--and nothing else. And it takes everything we've got just to do that. And even at that we're living in guest quarters and largely on the food others bring us. Rick..." He made a somewhat helpless gesture. "We can't keep this up..."

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #79 on:** July 30, 2018, 03:01:43 PM »

"Wouldn't you live in guest quarters in that other camp too?" Rick asked. "I mean, it's not as if that group will have a grown Hometree there - or would they?" He had never really thought about how close those trees grew to each other. "But of course, it'd be Na'vi guest quarters, not something we humans set up - that probably makes the difference..."

His face mirrored Tangek's helplessness. "I know we're in a tight spot - and there's no use in running yourself ragged. And we don't have the right to ask it from you."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #80 on:** July 30, 2018, 03:12:29 PM »

Tangek only now became aware that he'd been speaking to Rick from three feet overhead all this time, and he had the insight to realise that it was probably not going to help the tone of the conversation should either of them step too hard on a delicate subject. He took a seat on Brenda's porch steps and sighed.

"What's making this difficult for me personally right now--what's really brought it to a head--is that Tsanten is now well enough to travel. He doesn't need to be here anymore; and since most of us are here to support him and the rest are here to support us, it means the rest of us don't absolutely have to be here either. You have no idea how badly I would like to leave. But Tali and Enya like it here, and 'Iheyu would stay for their sake, and Ni'ka won't leave you two... This threatens to tear our family apart."

He fell silent for a bit and gazed out, to the extent that he could in an enclosed space, as he debated saying anything more. When he finally spoke again, his voice was shaking: "Rick...'Iheyu and I had a talk last night that turned into a verbal brawl. She said some things... I hope she didn't mean them; I hope it's only the tension of our unnatural situation. But there is a barrier now between me and my beloved, and I don't know how thick it is or how long it will take to wear it down or what I might lose in the process...and this could not have happened--the discussion that started it would not have happened--if we were not feeling so...trapped. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #81 on:** July 30, 2018, 03:18:44 PM »

Rick gave a half-chuckle. "Oh yeah - I see exactly what you're saying here. Actually, it's a sign that Na'vi and humans aren't that different in some things at all. Saying the wrong things or acting in a way we wouldn't have otherwise when we're tense or upset... Seems we have that in common."

He looked over to Tangek. "I don't know if you know it - but when I was younger, in a different life, back on Earth... there was this girl I loved - we wanted to become mates. And then she died in a stupid, useless accident, just 'cause someone else was sloppy." He shook his head. "I said quite my share of stupid things back then - almost killed the guy who I thought was responsible, not even listening to what he had to say. Then I drowned myself in alcohol, and when I sobered up I enlisted for the next ship to Pandora 'cause that was as far away as I could get. In the end that turned out to be the best thing I've ever done, but I still feel ashamed about how I treated that poor guy. It wasn't me that day speaking and acting, it was my grief and anger. So - yes, I think I can see where you're coming from."

He scratched his neck. "What a mess... Nobody ever meant to risk your family. That's not worth it at all - crap is, I've got no solution for you. Just one bit of advice: Go talk to 'Iheyu. Don't let that wall become too thick or too high. Tell her what you told me. And without shouting or yelling," he added with a smile. "I'm sure she'll understand; she cares for you."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #82 on:** July 30, 2018, 03:25:21 PM »

"Easier said than done!" Tangek replied with a half-smile. "Or do you remember she's got a temper too? And I wouldn't dream of shouting...not with Brenda right behind me." He jerked his thumb in the fierce Dreamwalker's general direction; he'd been inside the B-shack, he knew where the bunks were.

Then he sighed. "I don't have an answer either, except to leave my family; leave with my family; or keep putting up with it. Well, nothing for it now..." He spread his palms, shrugging; then he stood and dusted himself off. "So let's give ourselves something to think about besides rocks and hard places, shall we? We can start on the shacks; at least it'll make the kiddos happy."

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #83 on:** July 30, 2018, 03:30:05 PM »

"Yeah, they were both all for some redecorating...although I guess a bit of that moss now went into baby-Ni'tingal's future nest." He shook his head with a grin while he started towards the piled-up bags with leaves, ferns and vines. "If someone had told me I'd ever be building a crib for an Ikran baby, I'd've probably asked what he had smoked out there..."

"What'd you come up with for him, anyway?" Tangek asked.

"A box made of glass...that size." Rick showed with his hands. "It's filled with sand and moss and heated stones - Enya's idea, by the way - so the little guy will have it soft and cozy; it's in Tsanten's module, with heating lamps above. It's not perfect, but it'll keep him warm until he's strong enough to stay with his mother."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #84 on:** July 30, 2018, 03:38:16 PM »

"Sounds like," Tangek nodded. "And the box sounds big enough for the egg. But once the little fellow's out, he'll need to be able to stretch his wings...they have to dry after hatching, you know, and after that it's just what an Ikran has to learn how to do more than anything else. We might want to just fix up that whole end of the module so he can spread out to his little heart's content." The thought made him chuckle.

"There's a bunk where he can jump around a bit," Rick grinned. "The one where Enya's taking her nap right now. And yeah, he should be outside of that box as much as possible - and of course with his mother."

Tangek considered. "By the time he's hopping on and off platforms, he'll be too big for inside! Not to mention he'll have been with Ni'tingal for a while before he gets to that stage. But Enya's stones are a wonderful idea for helping him learn to sit up and to crawl. Once he's mastered those, he'll be ready for his mother and, ahh, 'life on the edge'."

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #85 on:** July 31, 2018, 12:21:44 PM »

Rick chuckled. "You should have heard the discussion about feeding him. Poor little guy; there are Avatar rations in his future...nutritious, but they taste like cardboard. And that's insulting for cardboard... That way he learns that the really good stuff only comes from his Mommy. It makes sense, but I still feel kinda sorry for the little guy."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #86 on:** July 31, 2018, 12:43:32 PM »

"You mean Little Grey Packs?" the healer laughed. "I have it on very good authority that eating a few of those will make you immune to Vrrtep for life!" By now he was well into the task of gathering all the ashes he could from the firepit and funnelling them into containers so they could be spread over the roofs of the shacks. "It's a good plan, though; the little fellow won't know anything better until he gets it from his mama. --Say, could you find Kenten and ask him if he's got some manure? Na, I won't ask you to work with it..." He winked.

Rick raised a brow. "Do I even wanna know what you want to do with the stuff?" As Kenten was nowhere to be seen, he guessed the hunter would probably be with the Pa'li, caring for them.

Tangek smiled wryly. "It's going on the shacks too, but mostly around the perimeter of the camp," he began. "It helps the camouflage. You see, we're not just trying to remain unseen by the kunsips. We're trying to make this into something other than a scar on the land. The animals we hunt are not going to come any closer to this place as long as it smells too clean. No fear; most of the scent will dissipate as it dries, and I suspect it'll fall below the threshold for humans at least... The other thing is that there might be plants in your haul that will grow from fallen leaves and stems just as well as if they had roots. If we put the manure on the roofs and the plants sprout in it, we will indeed have shacks--or at least coverings for shacks--that grew here."

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #87 on:** July 31, 2018, 12:51:37 PM »

"Makes a lot of sense." Rick nodded. "We might put an extra load around the chopper then, too, to mask the smell of fuel and metal and grease. Which reminds me that Brenda said she might have a camouflage net for it too..." He peeked over to where the Samson rested between the closest trees and sighed. "Not that there's enough fuel left to fly anyway. Whatever, I'm gonna find Kenten now - and hopefully some manure."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #88 on:** July 31, 2018, 01:11:06 PM »

"I think I know where Brenda keeps that net," Tangek said. "Not that I'd go in there while she's asleep!" He took a moment to look around the compound and frowned as his eyes fell on the Avatar cabin. "Now, where is that boy? You'd think he'd've been back out with the egg by now--we need his help!"

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #89 on:** July 31, 2018, 01:31:40 PM »

"I don't know - maybe he's wrapping it up in an additional layer? Or he has to wake 'Iheyu first? As far as I know she's sleeping curled up around it." Rick shrugged. "Whatever - I won't find Kenten by just standing around here..." He turned on his heel and made his way towards the corner where the Pa'li used to graze.

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #90 on:** July 31, 2018, 01:42:31 PM »

Tangek tiptoed over to the longhouse and ventured a peek inside. 'Iheyu was indeed asleep in Tall Brenda's stall, curled up on a mat under the Avatar's hammock...and Tali was napping with her, his arms around her neck, and the egg covered and secure in the warm pocket between mother and son.

-:-

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #91 on:** July 31, 2018, 01:43:33 PM »

"Kenten? Are you there?" Being a human between a group of gentle but huge Pa'li wasn't the easiest way to spot someone, even if said someone was a Na'vi. At least Rick could see several heaps of manure on the ground, so even if the hunter wasn't there he would at least be able to collect some of the stuff.

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #92 on:** July 31, 2018, 01:47:49 PM »

But Kenten was there; the little hunter had seen to the Pa'li and their burdens after the outing, so now he was actually breaking up the manure with a trimmed branch that served him as a rake. "I was thinking this might be good for Enya's houseplants," he said when he heard Rick's voice.

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #93 on:** July 31, 2018, 01:51:20 PM »

"It probably would," Rick agreed. "But right now we need the first load for, um, decorating the roofs of the shacks. And the chopper." He pointed with his thumb. "Ya know, to mask the scent of the things? Tangek's idea...and if you ask me, we should start with the chopper, 'cause even I can smell that one."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #94 on:** July 31, 2018, 02:02:46 PM »

"Now, there's a thought!" Kenten said cheerily; then, his voice a bit more subdued, he asked: "So you've talked to the poor fellow? What's the reading on his mood?"

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #95 on:** July 31, 2018, 02:06:54 PM »

Rick sighed and started counting on his fingers. "Torn, lost and worried. He doesn't like the situation you guys are all living in, and I can really see where he's coming from, even though I can't see a solution for it. And the fight with 'Iheyu is getting to him. So, in a nutshell, I've already seen happier people than Tangek is at the moment."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #96 on:** July 31, 2018, 02:19:24 PM »

"Like, say, Enya her first night here?" Kenten mentioned. "Or Tsanten his first day at Hometree? Difficult times for those two, to be sure...but they were surrounded by people who were concerned for them. Tangek, now...he doesn't have many close friends. This must be something close to terrifying for him."

He walked to where the now-empty gathering-pouches lay against the Avatar cabin and began to fill one with 'horse-apples'. "Very good idea, doing the kunsip first. It's the smelliest object here, true...but it's also the one you least want the other Skyfolk to discover. A leaf-net over it and some manure where needed should keep anyone from finding it...or wanting to take it with them if they do!" he laughed.

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #97 on:** July 31, 2018, 02:22:58 PM »

"Probably not," Rick chuckled. "We should just try to avoid manure on the pilot's seat. I mean, chances are low I'm ever gonna fly that baby again, but you never know - and then I'd rather not have any Pa'li excretions on my rear."

He eyed the chopper with a slightly regretful smile. "I'm really gonna miss flying - but even with enough fuel it'd be too risky."

Random the Navigator · « **Reply #98 on:** July 31, 2018, 02:34:55 PM »

Kenten's expressive face now took on a look of quiet concern. "I'm surprised they haven't found us already..." It said something that he used "us" instead of "you", including himself in Rick's group and Rick in his; at least one Na'vi in the place felt that he and the rebels had a common cause.

Their pouches full with the first load, they made their way to the mostly-hidden aircraft and spent some time determining the parts of it that most needed the olfactory camouflage. It was while they were inspecting it that Kenten made a most pleasant discovery: "Heia, look here--I think we've found Brenda's leaf-net!!"

At this, Tangek pricked his ears and jogged over. "You realise that you two have just saved me a very risky expedition into her home, don't you?" he said, quirking a smile.

Kiyevanie · « **Reply #99 on:** July 31, 2018, 02:40:45 PM »

"Kenten has; I had completely forgotten," Rick admitted, looking slightly sheepish. "Yeah, we threw it in there when we packed up all her stuff yesterday, and we never took it out."

Being the shortest of the three, he jumped into the chopper and started tugging at the folded-up camouflage net, pulling it towards the two Na'vi. "One leaf net to hide a chopper away."

The net was big enough to cover a shack...or the trailer of a big-rig, which was much the same size. So it draped very nicely over the contours of the Samson, which, while being close to a shack's length, didn't have those boxy corners...just the rotors jutting out on each side. The two Na'vi then went to gather leafy branches to fill in the holes in the net.

- - -

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Author Topic: DtP 40 - One Small Life (Read 5648 times)