Kailua finds herself resenting her sister over their mutual like of the youngest Sully boy... who sends the clan into a panic when he fails to turn up for evening meal.
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https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0ypdkGuQnq83SSSw5JmJzU?si=1f91d78133494836
Something that I want, My universe, Lullaby
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Kailua's heart felt torn in two. Tsireya seemed to take everything she wanted without even realising it. That somehow hurt more than if she did it deliberately. At least if she did it on purpose, Kailua wouldn't feel so horrible at disliking her every time it happened. Tsireya with her big blue eyes and her dimpled smile with her soft hair, softer than Kailua's. She was the prize of the clan; every man... well, boy... had tried their hand at flirting with her, or asking Tonowari for her hand when they reached mating age.

They were shut down immediately by Ronal, of all people. Their mom believed in true love; and that usually required you to know the person first. Tsireya would always smile, hold their hands gently, and whisper: "Perhaps try again when we are older,"

Even Rotxo tried once. Kailua was always ignored or laughed at. Nobody wanted her for her abilities; they thought, despite Ronal stating otherwise, that she was a freak and she was dangerous. She was, but not of her own volition. It didn't seem fair that she was left out. Even with training others, like the younglings. They'd always chose Tsireya over her. Their reason? "You don't know how to hold your breath. You've never needed to,"

And now? Both Sully brothers, scrap that, the entire family, seemed to love Tsireya more than her. Toruk Makto would always watch her with a wary gaze, Neytiri would follow her with obvious distrust upon her features, little Tuk would grin at her but run to Tsireya chattering about her day, Neteyam would watch her curiously with pursed lips and Lo'ak, well, he followed Tsireya blindly.

The only one who seemed to dislike them both equally was Kiri; despite Kailua getting into a punch up for her.

Tsireya skipped into the family hut that evening with a grin on her features. Kailua felt her resentment rise and a glare settle on her face. She picked up her bowl of fish broth with a huff and breezed past her siblings, ignoring them as they scoffed her name (Ao'nung) or called her (Tsireya) confused.

She found her little "moon" pool and sat on the edge. She Kailua loved being at her little secluded pool. It was dubbed the moon pool for one very simple reason; once the moon was at its peak, it lit up the small circular area brightly until it went past 3 in the morning. It made for great floating either under or above the water. It usually helped clear her mind after a rough day.

And it did.

~

The following day, Kailua felt a little calmer in regard to her little sister. Despite that, she still avoided her at all costs, claiming to her parents that she needed to meditate some more as she felt a vision coming on. That usually excluded her from teaching for the day, meaning she could take the day to herself.

95% of the time, there wasn't a vision brewing; she just needed the alone time. Kailua drifted in her moon pool for most of the day. At some point, she dozed off under the warm midday sun. When she woke, having had the most restful sleep of her life, not once plagued with memories or visions or Eywa, the sun was beginning to set. She swore and leaped out of the pool.

One of the conditions of her taking the day to either deal with the visions or organise her thoughts was she still had to fulfil her patrol in the evening. She ran and dived into the ocean quickly, swimming to her post. She hauled herself up and grabbed her spear that she'd left a few nights ago. "Daydreaming again?" Rigloxín teased. Kailua flicked her hair out of her face with a smug smile. "Funny. How's your boyfriend?" She teased back. Rigloxín rolled her eyes with a huff. "He's not my boyfriend," She mumbled. "Uh huh," Kailua teased with a grin. Rigloxín faked a jab at her.

The sea was quiet as the sun drew in for the night, barely a ripple.

It was odd. "The sea is awfully calm tonight," Rigloxín commented slowly. Kailua nodded with a frown. "Unusually so," She mused. "You think something's coming?" Rigloxín asked quietly. Kailua leaned against her staff, humming softly. "Maybe. Could be a storm. We're overdue for one," Rigloxín hummed her agreement. Kailua dipped her tail in the water swishing it idly. "I don't like it." She decided. "It should be rougher. Certainly where we are; it's perilous to go beyond the reef because of the waves." Rigloxín turned with a nod. "I agree. Something's definitely coming." She paused for a moment. "Or maybe it's already here,"

Kailua frowned. "You think it has something to do with the Sully's?" She asked. Rigloxín shrugged. "I dunno. Seems a bit odd that everything's changed since they arrived. We've not had a single storm, or bad day." Kailua snorted. "Most people would be happy with that, Rigloxín." The older na'vi shrugged. "I dunno. Something about them... it's off... and I don't like it,"

Kailua watched as the eclipse swallowed the sun quickly, her heart feeling heavy for some reason. "Do you want me to get your brother to cook you some food? My patrol's finished," Kailua offered. Rigloxín shook her head. "Nah, it's good. Mine finishes soon. Dad'll be here to take over. I'll bully Rotxo into making me some broth then. I'm overdue for a beating,"

Kailua laughed. "See ya Riglo,"

She dove into the water and swam back home. Rigloxín was right though; the waters were calm; probably the calmest Kailua had ever seen in her life. She crawled out onto the sand with a stretch. "Mm mm," She said aloud to nobody. "Time for food," As she walked to the pier, her mother and father rushed by, knocking her to the side. "Hey!" She barked before quickly realising who'd run into her. "Kailua, there's some broth by your bed roll," Her father called over his shoulder.

How odd. She mused. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued on her way home. Only Tsireya lay there, long asleep. Kailua drank her broth with a small sigh as she gazed upon her little sister. It wasn't fair, her dislike of her. Reya had done nothing wrong. As she laid on her bedroll, Kailua's heart felt the heaviest it had in weeks.

~

She woke to her hut already empty. Huh. Whatever her parents had rushed off to must've been pretty important. Tsireya always woke with the sun, and she was usually on morning patrol because of that. Ao'nung and his merry band of idiots would likely be causing pain and misery to somebody's life (probably one of the Sully's) leaving Kailua to herself.

She began to clear up some of her mother's healing ointments when there was a faint knock at the entrance. If Kailua was any further into her task, she likely wouldn't have heard it. "Come in," She called. There was a pause, causing her to look over her shoulder. "I said come in," She turned back to her work. The beaded cover of the entry way rattled as it was pulled aside. "My mother is out at the moment; so you'll either have to wait for her, or accept what little help I can provide," Kailua forewarned over her shoulder. "That's ok," She turned with a deep frown. "Your mother scares me anyway,"

"Lo'ak," Kailua said. "What the eywa happened to you? You look like you fell from a tree," She noted the scratches and bruises across his body. "Don't worry about it," Kailua raised her eye muscle. "Ok. If I am not to worry about it, then why are you here?" She crossed her arms. "I assume you were looking for my mother?" Lo'ak shifted with a wince. "Can you heal things?" He asked. Kailua raised her eye muscle further. "Not as well as my mother or sister, but yes, I can. Why?" He seemed nervous. "I haven't got all day," She prodded.

Ok. Kailua was being a little unfair. Her dislike of her sister (which wasn't really warranted) was projecting onto Lo'ak now. But can you blame her? Honestly?

He coughed behind his hand with a poorly concealed hiss. "I think I've broken a rib."