Unwelcome
Ke zola'u nìprrte'
•—————•—————•—————•—————•

"Let's go meet your new boss." Patel broke the silence and led us into the link room. Rows of grey metal coffins lined the walls, at least nine in this room.

"Grace Augustine is a legend." Norm explained to the clueless Jake, "she wrote the book, I mean literally wrote the book on Pandoran botany."

"Well, that's because she likes plants better than people." Patel droned, "here she is, Cinderella back from the ball. Grace, I'd like you to meet Norm Spellman, Aria Quaritch, and Jake Sully."

The red haired woman turned at the mention of her name and immediately looked pissed. She straightened up and addressed the most promising of us three.

"Norm, I hear good things about you, how's your na'vi?"

Norm collects his thoughts and replies smoothly.

"Awvea ultxari ohe ngeyä, Nawma sa'nok lrrtok siveiyi."(may the great mother smile upon our first meeting.) he said, motioning his hands as he spoke.

"Tsun tivam. Aylì'u ngian nì'it skepek lu."(not bad. You sound a bit too formal though.) she responded in a less than casual tone. They resumed their conversation for a time before Max interrupted.

"What about you, spawn of satan, I heard you squandered your anthropology degree for the military. How's you na'vi?"

"Nìtxan sìltsan. Ngian, tsakem lu ngeyä tìftey."(very good. However, it is your decision.) Aria eluded to the voice to transfer her out, it was clear she wasn't well-liked.

"Ke fe' säftxulì'u."(not bad oration.)

"Grace? This is Jake Sully." Max interjected again.

"Ma'am." Jake offered a handshake.

"Yeah. I know who you are, and I don't need you. I need your brother."

"Someone didn't get the memo." Aria grumbled with a frown. No hospitality with this lady.

"What memo?" She turned to Aria with a venomous tone.

"He's dead." Jake stated coldly, "I know it's a big inconvenience for everyone." Grace's demeanor shifted from pissy, to frustrated.

"How much lab training have you had?"

"I dissected a frog once." He said stupidly.

"See? You see? I mean, they're just pissing on us without even the courtesy of calling it rain. I'm going to Selfridge." She grimaced at Max, turning the corner and walking out the office.

•—————•—————•—————•—————•

Aria settled into her new home with a new sense of frustration. Her dad doesn't have time for her, her boss and almost everyone there already hates her, and all the small things are triggering unwanted memories. Great, just fucking great.

But in the morning, she could take her new body for a spin. Maybe it's worth the mental assault.

Short chapter