006,  celebration

          IT HAD been a few days since Kiri's seizure and Taėlia was currently following close behind after her mother, holding her mothers equipment. Everyone was getting impatient and loosing hope, so Taėlia decided to try and get her mother to help. And somehow, her convincing actually worked.

          The two women walked into the mauri. Taėlia's eyes immediately shot down to the floor, where Kiri was laid. A human was scanning an unfamiliar machine over Kiri's body as Neytiri looked over to Taėlia and Ronal. Taėlia quickly placed Ronal's equipment on the floor, scurrying out of the mauri. She knew she made the right decision when she heard her mother and Neytiri shouting at one another.

          Taėlia's eyebrows furrowed as she felt an arm wrap around her shoulder. She looked up, meeting eyes with Rotxo. "Are you okay?" He asked, guiding her onto the beach as they walked over to his ilu. "As good I can be." She tried to joke, but her expression remained sad. Rotxo signed, grabbing a few fishes as he chucked them into the mouth of his ilu. "Akotia is expecting." He changed the subjecting, referring to his ilu. "Really? How many?" Taėlia excitedly asked, stroking the pregnant ilu. "Twins. A boy and a girl." Akotia screeched, rolling around beside Taėlia.

        "Hey lovers, Kiri has awoken!" Tsireya shouted in the pairs direction. Taėlia didn't even process what Tsireya had referred to them as lovers as she quickly ran towards the Sully's mauri.

          "Kiri!" She exploded, pushing through everyone surrounding her friend. "Hi, Taė." Kiri lightly chuckled as the younger girl pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "You are awake just in time for the Tsa'ka tomorrow!" Taėlia exclaimed. Kiri's face scrunched up in confusion. "What is that?"

          "The tulkun's return, so we have a festival in celebration!"

✧˖*°࿐

          It was now the next morning and Taėlia was eagerly waiting for the tulkun's. A smile quickly formed on her face as she spotted two tulkun's in the distance. It wasn't long until there was many more visible. Taėlia immediately jumped into the water, pulling herself onto her ilu. "The tulkun have returned! Everybody our brothers and sisers have returned!" She shouted as a horn was blown to notify everyone.

          Taėlia wasted no time as her ilu dove into the water, quickly trying to find Roqa. Taėlia smiled as she spotted Roqa. "Hello, Roqa." She signed, getting off her ilu as she sat on Roqa's fin. Roqa made several noises as she asked how Taėlia was and if she still liked the boy she did last time they saw one another.

          "I am very good. And yes, I do still like Rotxo. But i'm slowly loosing hope." She signed back, a small frown present on her face at the thought of what her and Rotxo were. Don't loose hope Roqa hummed as Taėlia nodded. The young girl was quick to change the subject, not wanting to speak anymore of Rotxo.

✧˖*°࿐

         "Sirieya." Taėlia firmly spoke, removing the brush from her little cousins face. It was almost eclipse, meaning the festival would start soon, but Sirieya kept moving causing Taėlia to mess up. "Sorry." She mumbled, sitting deadly still. Taėlia drew two more swirls on her face before placing down the paints. "Perfect." Taėlia smiled at her younger cousin before ushering her out so she could do her own face paint.

          Taėlia kept it simple, drawing two gold swirls — one on her forehead and a smaller one on her cheek. She placed a few small dots before dragging her silver painted fingers down the middle of her face. Taėlia wiped the paint off of her hands before taking out her braids. Though she had only had them in for a day or two, she always preferred her hair when it was natural. Carefully, she placed her hair accessory in before leaving the mauri, setting off to find Roqa. But she didn't get far as Rotxo stepped in front of her. She was stunned at how perfect he looked. He admired her for a few seconds before speaking.

          "Can I talk to you?"