Chapter Text

Colonel Miles Quaritch

Blonde locs disappearing into the water was the last he saw of his son. He called for him but a hiss was his reply, and Quaritch despite everything knew he deserved it.

Colonel Miles Quaritch had lived a long life longer than he should have really. First as a human and now a 9 ft blue man-made alien meant to look like a specie on another planet. He had fought many wars on earth, now he was here fighting war for earth.

He lead his troops into battle against the natives and took what the elites wanted for what he was told the betterment of mankind back on earth. Whether the future involved or not he did what he was ordered and never asked any questions even to the detriment of himself and others.

Quaritch always got it done.

Despite it all there was always one task he failed to accomplish and it was a simple one in the grand scheme of things that fought back harder than any issue he had ever experienced and that was capturing Jake Sully, a marine that turned his back on human kind for— on him, for local tail and his children. Life on the other hand had a funny way of working in which the moment he grasps onto Jake, he is also the one that ultimately frees him.

His son—his only son, was in danger and he had made a promise to himself, in the forest, when the kid had accidentally fallen asleep in his arms as he flew Cupcake through the canopies, he was so small, and not in the Na'vi to human comparison but to human Quaritch looking at his baby son in his arms soon after he had been born. This baby relied fully on him and his mother to survive and the thought had scared him and filled him with insurmountable bravery, he would do anything for him.

The sentiment had been brought back in full force at that moment and it stayed with him even after Spider had turned his back on him after saving his life.

His time in the forest with Spider had been short, six months might be a long time but in the grand scheme of the fifteen years his son had lived it was a fraction of the time he had missed. Spider was everything he was not, filled with a levity and joy of a soul that hadn’t been ripped apart by the weight of war and Quaritch hoped it stayed that way. Even though he knew he was going to be the one that inevitably destroyed him too.

This is why without even hesitating he cut Jake Sully free

“Knife.” and handed him the knife, even to the protest of Wainfleet, like him, Jake also got things done.

"Wainfleet keep an eye out for us, alright.” It was an order not an ask, Wainfleet’s protests immediately fell on deaf ears, Quaritch knew what he had to do and no one was going to stop him.

“You go round my six and I’ll take on this side" Jake hadn’t even glanced back at Quaritch as he made his move towards the kids, his ears were pinned straight in concentration occasionally swerving around to listen to any dangers, and what was Quaritch to say the man knew these woods better than he ever could and with a swish of his tail he followed in suit.

In the centre of the gathering stood a tall lean Na’vi woman with a feathered crown split into red and black, red paint in the shape of an arrow aimed down her forehead to the bride of her nose. She like the rest of the Na’vi around her were ash ridden much paler than any Na’vi he had seen. She had a sickly grin on her face as she eyed the sully children, her eyes, large and wide, screamed predator and a warning to stay away. The way she commanded the scene clued him in on her stance and had him formulate his own plan.

She is their Tsahik? Perfect hostage target. She had sauntered over to the sully boy and looked to be asking something from him, persistently pushing the assault rifle into his chest with rising agitation, Quaritch didn’t focus on that. Instead his eyes scanned the scene looking for a certain head of blonde locs. Quaritch’s heart sunk as his eyes sharpened on the boy.

His mask! He doesn’t have it how is he alive?

“He doesn’t have his mask how is he breathing?” Quaritch’s eyes were glued onto Spider and he could feel his ears pinned to his side, Jake’s shallow breaths gave away that he was feeling, the same shock and fear, that was debilitating him leaving his legs shaky and heart racing.

“I-I cant even begin to think about that right now. We need to move.” Jake composed himself, Quaritch knew he did not have time to hesitate and for the time being he was thankful that his son was even alive in the first place. Quaritch moved in after Jake taking the other side as the man had instructed, their plan hadn’t been thought out in the slightest but their combined marine knowledge and experience had them able to fill in the blanks on unplanned positions and attacks as though they had always been on the same side fighting, the same war and at some point that was the truth.

It felt wrong. It felt right.

“Kill the boy!’’ their Tsahik cried as one of her Na’vi raised their bow towards Spider. Every muscle in Quaritch’s body sprung into action, without thinking he lunged Infront of the arrow, piercing right through his upper thigh. Lucky for him aiming for spider was way below any vital spot on his body but regardless it caused him to buckle. He let out a hiss, weak but still threatening. He didn’t have time to tend to his wound or even acknowledge it as his action had given Jake the opportunity to take down the Na’vi guarding the Tsahik.

Quaritch took her short moment of astonishment to grab her and put the gun to her temple. The arrow in his leg caused his movements to be choppy but still fast and precise enough to get him where he needed to be.

“Put down your weapons!” His voice carried through the forest despite all the noise from the fighting. A glance around, made him note that they clearly didn’t understand the situation at hand, to show them what he meant he fired at one of the approaching Na’vi putting him into the ground instantly, their Tsahik now clearly understood the situation they were in and ordered her people to stand down. They complied lowering their weapons to the ground fear in their eyes as they looked at Quaritch.

Good, normal, I can handle this

The pain in his leg flared up from the stance he had taken but he could wobble, show any weakness that could allow them to have the upper hand and turn the tides on a balance of scales barely in their favour. With the situation mostly handled he started giving orders, he fought with all his might to keep his eyes away from Spider as he knew looking at the boy would lock his attention. He would want to go up and check any wounds he might have, the thought alone filled him with dread.

“First you are going to back away from us and slowly hands where I can see em.” their Tsahik started to cry, her tears dry and clearly meant to be mocking before he could even question her and finish his orders he felt a sharp tug from his kuru which turned into an overwhelming burning sensation, he felt his knees hit the ground before he could even comprehend what was going on. The pain flared though his whole body leaving him helpless, the Tsahik laughed at him while he cried in pain. His kuru was being strangled by hers. The constant supply of pain and fire leaving him completely vulnerable, with a quick glance to his side, he saw the body of Jake Sully on the ground as his children cried over him, Spider among them calling for him.

Not me

With a heavy fist and his strength alone Quaritch severed their bond, his hand shook from the amount of strength he had to put just to raise it past his thighs, but the damage had left him weak and wheezing unable to fight back as she rubbed her fingers against his face with an innocent smile of a beast.

“You are strong sky man” voice laced with temptation. “You will teach me how to make thunder!” She raised the assault rifle to his chest and kept her eyes trained on his, she had this fire, evil within her he hadn’t see in many and knew exactly what kind of person he needed to be. He glanced back at the Sully’s—at Spider and saw him looking right back with worry and fear in his eyes, Quaritch didn’t know if it was aimed at him or the situation at hand, regardless he had to do what needed to be done.

If she was fire, despite the dangers, he would have to play with it, so he did as he was asked and showed her how each component worked and how to use them. Her visage was bright with glee the black paint around her face caused the excitement in her eyes to be even more visible. If things had been different he probably would have fallen for her right then and there.

She reminded him a lot of Paz, strong woman, an even stronger fighter its why she was called into battle leaving baby Miles with the scientists to wait for her to get back. She never did.

He was harshly thrown back into reality when she cocked the gun in his direction. “I don’t need you anymore skyman” was all she said with a grin across her face, her scrutinising gaze still trained on him before he felt a hard blow to the back of his head sending his whole world into darkness.

Ah shit.

Quaritch came to not too long after the pain from his leg and kuru shot through his system, waking him up with his hands bound and Jake Sully lying Infront of him, his kids not too far behind.

Fuck. My head.

It swarmed and pounded it seemed getting your nerves messed with did lingering damage, he laughed to himself at the sardonic thought. A quick tug of his wrist and he knew he wasn’t getting out of these ropes anytime soon, Jake on the other hand still struggled and writhed trying to free himself before he too came to the same realisation.

“These pricks know their knots.” Despite it all Quaritch found this situation oddly hilarious tied up face to face with his sworn enemy probably about to be killed with his only son. Maybe that brought some comfort that this whole saga would end in one fell swoop and if Jake’s dead then he did his job in the end. Still though his biggest regret would be Spider that kid deserved to live a long and happy life despite his own personal actions, he should have been around more when he was a kid, should have raised him even without his mother, but he died and now here he is as a blue alien about to die again and taking his son with him.

That would have been the case had not the inconspicuous flowers unprompted shot out needles hitting the Na’vi guards that had been watching over them, springing one of the Sully kids into action, he grabbed the blade left behind and started tearing through his rope before doing the same to his siblings and Jake Sully.

Once Jake got free Quaritch had fully expected them to leave him there to die but instead. “C’mon” Jake rounded his back ripping him from his bondage, he knew he had no time to ask questions so with a quick glance at Spider they moved. Tearing through the jungle to get as far away as possible from the ashy Na’vi before they found out they were missing and started tracking them. He reached for his neck planning on contacting Wainfleet to tell him to help with evacuation only for his hand to touch empty skin.

Shit they took my comms.

He was going in blind, he didn’t know where Wainfleet had gone, or if he was alive, but he had no time to think about it as he had to keep focused to keep up with the Sully family.

They moved through the bushes like it was their second home and it very much was, he had after all seen it many times, his leg ached and caused him to buckle a few times as the movement caused the arrow lodged in his thigh to justle around enlarging the wound. The blood loss was leaving him light headed and weak. He needed to pack it but he had no time and he wasn’t about to call out to them to get them to wait for him, if he stopped and they left him he was a dead man.

Hope I don’t have to run again soon cause my leg is done for.

Spider kept up as expected so Quaritch had no choice, he just needed to push more, so he did. Once they got to a river bank they dove in letting the water carry them down the stream and away from those psychotic Na’vi. The cold water shocking his system giving him the adrenaline he needed from the blood loss that was weakening him. His wound continued to bleed, the blood leaking into the water it ached and burned as the liquid seeped into his open flesh, but he kept steady swimming anyways. He noticed Jake constantly glancing back at him then to his leg but he refused to acknowledge it. His weakness would not be acknowledged even if the arrow hurt like the mother fucker.

Colonel Miles Quaritch would not die from drowning.

They approached the river bank and pulled themselves out of it, everyone heaving and panting from exhaustion, he slinked behind Jake the two of them making eye contact a conversation passing with eyes alone. Quaritch knew he would struggle if he fought now, his leg had left him exhausted along with all the running and swimming they had done, but if he had to fight he would.

“We still have some unfinished business.” Quaritch braced himself for the fight. He could see Jake was exhausted and hope he felt the same amount of exhaustion he did.

“Or we could just not, not right now.” Jake dropped his bow and arrow keeping his eyes locked with Quaritch’s.

Hah. Guess the bastards tired too.

“We still have our knives.” Despite the comment Quaritch walked—or more so hobbled right past Jake before settling onto a rock not too far from the kids. Spider was—no had been staring, he noticed it when Jake had been doing the same thing in the river bank, glancing at him then down to his leg. Jake was one thing, his son, another, he wasn’t meant to look weak in-front of him. The kid said nothing though, Quaritch wondered what was going on through Spider’s head, his eyes swarmed and his vision blurred, his head was pounding and he was fading fast. Jake came in front of him at that moment forcing him to focus despite fatigue that was washing over him fast.

“Despite all this time you still don’t get it?” Jake questioned and it only made him angry from the weariness and pain. He wasn’t in the mood for all this questioning.

So preachy he is like the general

“It doesn’t matter what colour I am I still know what I need to do.” He spat back, his brain fogging over as his adrenaline seeped out of his body. He glanced at spider the boy sat up despite the exhaustion evident on his face, his eyes were slack and his body swayed. Despite it, he was ready for a battle, it stung when he realised this but he knew it was warranted he is the one that caused his lack of trust why would it be different now? Even if he took an arrow for him.

Before falling under into the abyss, once more the words of Jake Sully rung through his ears “You need to open your eyes Colonel and see.” and like that he was out. The words playing around in his head like a mantra as he stayed in a coma like sleep.

The only reason he even woke up was to an all to familiar voice screaming at someone. He wanted to stay in his dream like state where nothing felt real and he didn’t have to think about anything, not his human life nor his Na’vi self nor Spider he just needed to be—.

“I WILL KILL THAT DEMON!” he shot up from his resting ground, expecting to see the blue sky and the green leaves of the pandoran trees. Possibly also the familiar screech of a blue ikran tearing towards him the rider bow poised ready to end his life. Instead he was met by white pasty walls and the smell of disinfectants something he hardly paid attention to as a human but as a Na’vi it was impossible to ignore. Bright lights sent his ears pinned to his head and his eyes snapping shut from the pain. His head pounded and he was extremely disoriented. He shifted his legs gently trying to make sense of what was going on. He was in a hospital room why? How? Did Lyle or another troop take him back to home base? The voice—that voice that doesn’t make any sense that’s-. His thoughts were sharply cut off, with the sound of a table crashing down. His eyes shot up putting him face to face with no one other than an extremely murder hungry Mrs. Sully walking around the corner her, eyes sharp and out for blood.

My blood no less. Shit.

Chapter Text

Quaritch didn’t know where he was or what was happening but all he knew was that he needed to run, his ears were flat against his head as a he stared up at the encroaching figure of Mrs Sully. He mustered what little strength he had and tried to flee, his feet, shakily planted onto the ground, he tried to bolt but a tug around his wrist told him all he needed to know. He was bound, a glance at his arm showed the culprit, a bind wrapped around his left wrist to the pole of the bed. The same ones he had used on the Sully kids many times when he captured them, the irony wasn’t lost on him. He felt his heart drop to the ground and his unsteadiness got the better of him causing his legs to slump onto the floor, his wrist forcibly raised as though in defeat strapped to the bed.

“Neytiri, wait!” a voice called out, it was Jake, his face wore a desperate expression; his ears flat, giving Quaritch a pause, Neytiri too as she stopped to look at her husband. Her face turned away from him scared him more than her anger in his direction. "You promised.” He settled his hands on her shoulders expression raw.

“He killed our son, I can not let this demon live!” she shifted her shoulders harshly causing Jake to lose his grip. Her tailed whipped viciously back and forth, apart from her voice it was the only tell Quaritch had on her emotions. She was pissed. Her words caused him to flinch but he stayed quiet, some silly part of himself thought maybe if he was as quiet as a mouse the cat wouldn’t want to pounce him. It was foolish but the hope kept him quiet. “You brought him here to our base! Our safe haven for the rest of the clan, from the RDA.”

“But he also saved our kids, he took an arrow for Spider, baby.” Jake’s voice was soft, trying to calm his wife not to dissimilar from trying to calm down an angry lioness. “He—he killed our son,” The words sounded hard to push out. “I know he did but let me deal with him okay?” Jake continued his eyes never leaving her. Mrs Sully’s tail continued to thrash as she turned her death glare towards him, freezing him in place.

“That pink skin should have died anyways.” On instinct Quaritch let out a hiss, which was quickly over powered by her ferocious growl in response, stunning him once again, before storming out of the building, her tail whipping into a couple of the papers on the table. She had just proposed letting Spider be killed like it was nothing and the expression on Jake’s face made it clear that this was all too common.

Quaritch was extremely confused at the whole situation notwithstanding his fear and anger, Jake Sully had just saved his life for a reason completely unbeknownst to him. "Why didn’t you let your batshit crazy wife kill me Corporal?” He inquired, curiosity getting to the better of him, he was grateful don’t get him wrong but extremely confused at what the play was here. He needed to think of a plan to escape and possibly gather intel on their location so they could lead a raid here. “Getting soft?” a sneer laid on his face as he finished.

Jake sent a hard glare his way, probably for calling his wife crazy but didn’t respond. Instead he stalked over to Quaritch with an unreadable expression, the smirk on Quaritch’s face wavered from the steadying approach. He didn’t know what he was expecting but it wasn’t anything good he thought.

“You will stay here until you are healed then I will decide what to do with you.” Jake said in a matter of fact. Quaritch still on the floor had to look up at the man as he spoke, the position leaving him feeling even weaker than he already did. Quaritch wasn’t a big fan of the tone Jake had. It implied something more sinister. “You will do whatever Mo’at and my daughter asks of you or the decision will come quicker and it will not be something you like.” Quaritch knew what he meant without having to outwardly say it. You cross the line and you die. Quaritch was on extremely thin ice and helping him save his kids and Spider’s life had given him the minimal grace to get this far and to even get medical attention in the first place.

“Why didn’t you just leave me out to die Corporal?” He asked despite himself. There was a pause Jake seemed to be gathering the words to say before letting out a deep sigh filled with many unspoken words, instead he replied simply.

“You saved Spider.” With that he turned and left following in his wife’s footsteps. Leaving a stunned Quaritch still on the floor tied up to a bed post.

What the hell was happening.

With way more struggle than Quaritch was willing to admit he pulled himself back onto the bed, the emotional rollercoaster of his interaction with the husband and wife duo left him exhausted, he laid back down and stared at the light above him formulating a plan of escape. Here he was being, held hostage by the people he had sworn to kill, whose son he had, for all intended purposes, killed if not directly—indirectly, and despite it all his enemy didn’t leave him to die, instead brought him to his home and is now nurturing him to full health. It left Quaritch confused, was Jake an idiot or just extremely naïve?

How was he going to escape? He knew they probably weren’t going to let him be unbound from this bed anytime soon, if ever. His life was also up in the air as Jake let it be known, he was going to decide after wards, why let him get better before killing him? Quaritch wouldn’t know. Maybe he wants to have an honourable final battle? Marine to marine and all that? Quaritch could theorise all he wanted but he wouldn’t know until Jake told him on his own terms.

Exhaustion still clung to Quaritch like a spider and try as he might he was soon out like a light, this time however waking up not the yells of an angry Na’vi woman but instead to a strong herbal scent that burnt his nostrils and sent his head reeling.

Quaritch sat up with a jolt, the sudden movement caused his pained leg to burn, he let out a sharp hiss in response.

“You are very stupid sky man.” An unimpressed voice said to the left of him, he turned over and met the origin of the smell. There stood an older Na’vi woman way older than he had previously seen, draped in red beads that covered her shoulders, and hanging from her upturned ears under her chin was a sharpened bone with something Quaritch could not identify. The air around this woman whispered might, and familiarity. She must be the Tsahik.

Quaritch knew she would be a perfect negotiating captive if only he wasn’t completely under the Sully’s fingers. If she was their Tsahik then—

“You must be Mrs Sully’s mother.” He pulled a rictus on his face, brittle but he needed to seem in control of this ship with no wheel. Her ears twitched as she kept her gaze on him, as though staring into his soul. There was a pause. His smile faltered. Quaritch felt something at the back of his neck, sharp and stinging as he held his gaze firm, it was encroaching, creeping on him like a predator hunting its prey. Then she turned her back and the moment vanished. Quaritch’s heart was racing and he heard his tail thunk against the bed repeatedly.

“I do not know why Jake Sully—” her voice drawled “ brought you here,” her hands moved adding things to a concoction he couldn’t see over her back. “—but he has protected this clan time and time again. I trust his judgement.” She swiftly twisted back to him this time with a cup smelling of the herbs that had initially woken him up. Quaritch said nothing but his mind was racing. What do they want with me. Torture, Jake knows I wont squeal. “Drink.” She harshly pushed the cup into his hands leaving no room for pushback.

Quaritch scoffed “Why would I drink something from the enemy team, what’s to say it isn’t poisonous.” Quaritch was trying to rile her up, to get some sort of reaction to get a glimpse of what they might have been arranging for him. The blindness of his situation was leaving him panicked and he needed any sort of hold he could get. He felt like he was falling but without any Ikran—anybody to save him. He received a curt glance in response paired with a roll of her eyes and a deep sigh. More expression in a Na’vi he had ever seen past the anger and fear he often brought.

“Do whatever you want sky man.” She stated “Your death would be most preferable, if you die from an infection then so be it.” Her voice was light and uncaring, before she turned to face him with a sneer of her own. “It would be the will of Eywa and I wouldn’t be blamed for it.” Before Quaritch could respond she sauntered back out without a glance in his direction.

Quaritch now knew where Mrs Sully got her anger from.

He drank the whole cup.

Quaritch was, once again, awake, whatever the Tsahik had put in his medicine had sent him straight back into the abyss. This time however he was awoken by the pattering of smaller feet and his attention drawn to the Sully daughter. Kiri if his memory served him correctly, they had yelled her name a lot on that boat. The one he had held at knife point and let go because of…Spider. Once again he found himself in the losing position thanks to that kid but he had no complaints, that just seemed to be the way it went. The girl had herbs in her hand as well as a cup not to dissimilar to the one he had drunk from earlier. This was the second time he was around the girl and he didn’t like it one bit, she looked just like Grace and sounded like her too, it gave him pause when he had first tied her up. The busyness of the situation hadn’t given him time to fully dwell on it. Now that he wasn’t trying to use her life to lure her father onto the ship to kill. He was allowed to sit with the thought a lot longer than he was comfortable with. What was she?

She settled Infront of him with a lightness in her steps, she dragged in a feeling of heaviness with her. Similar to the Tsahik’s but different all together, more grounding, almost spiritual, when she gazed into his eyes it felt even worse, she felt older, like life itself despite her youthful face. The base of his kuru was tingling as though trying to make him submit, something he hadn’t ever felt before, something he didn’t want to feel again. “What? Don’t recognise me? It’s not like we haven’t met, you kidnapped me remember.” The second she spoke, it was like the illusion was broken, she sounded like a kid again and the light breezes of a second figure in the space was quickly over shadowed by her clear teenage like behaviour.

“I remember you missy, still angry over that?” He barked, a comfortable smirk resting on his face. I could deal with this. He didn’t know where the Tsahik had gone but was thankful this was going to be much easier.

“No, I don’t care about that more than the fact you kidnapped Spider! and then you guys tortured him!” She hissed back, her tailed swished fervently in anger and her ears where pinned back. Quaritch’s grin was wiped of his face with one sentence. “He couldn’t sleep for days! He would wake up crying and would clam up when asked any questions like he was under investigation.” She started pacing back and forth. “It took him weeks to finally open up about what they did—what YOU DID!” She jerked her finger in his direction.

Quaritch stayed still, despite not being the one to turn on the machine. He had let it go on for days, hours on end, he only stopped once he realised the boy was seriously in danger and even then he had ignored the warning signs again and again trying his best to distant himself from feeling any sort of protectiveness over the boy. He failed, and was able to use his good graces to get general Ardmore to stop slowly killing the boy. The damage had been done it seemed. Worse is Quaritch had noticed it during their time together but the boy was so good at hiding his true feelings that it was only when he slept and had nightmares screaming about not confessing to the location of the Sullys, did he ever see a fraction of the damage. Those moments were far and few in-between, he concluded the boy must not have slept much during their time together, not sleeping meant no nightmares, which meant not having to relive the torture and maybe it was the mask on his face that had hid those signs from Quaritch or maybe it was his fault.

Another sign of his neglect, his wilful ignorance. Quaritch allowed himself to sit with the heavy feeling. Failure was its name and he knew it all too well. This time however it was worse, because he was failing the only good thing his human self had done. Spider.

“Well say something!” She finished with a huff, her chest rose and fell rapidly from the outburst. Her reply was a vacant stare from Quaritch numb of any emotion or maybe too much emotion that his only response was numbness. Kiri’s angry expression faltered; her brow upturned ever so slightly before she shoved the cup in his hand spiling a bit on the side and leaving him alone with his thoughts, her tail thrashing behind her.

He didn’t touch the cup.

“You knew my mother.”

Despite her outburst, Kiri came again, Quaritch didn’t know how much time had passed. When she returned much more composed with a hard glare but question behind her leer; he was already back to ignoring his guilt. He wasn’t supposed to feel guilt in the first place.

Kiri began by asking about her mother, Grace, he supplied. He already knew but felt something off. Had she really slept with Jake? The thought was outrageous and made him settle on the fact that it was probably just another Na’vi that must have died leaving her orphaned and with Jake’s bleeding heart he adopted her.

“Grace?” He question regardless and he slowly sipped on the bitter medicine she supplied and at this point he had gotten used to, his gaze stayed up, looking at her. She huffed rolling her eyes before nodding. He was expecting another outburst but her stare held longing and a want for information. I could take advantage of that. Her outburst about Spider earlier doused that thought instantly and he let out a sigh before replying. “Yes I did—” He noted how her ears immediately turned up alert, her gaze widened and her tail curled. “—Her human form anyways.” He stayed silent, feigning ignorance to her wanting gaze drinking up any information about her mother.

“Tell me more skxawng.” She hissed.

“Funny coming for information from your brother’s killer.” He snarled, he put a lot more emphasis than he had meant, just trying to get her to back off. Her ears fell instantly and her body stilled like a deer in headlights. Her eyes watered and she viciously blinked them away, shaking her head to once again compose herself.

“You—you were not the monster that killed my brother, your friend did.” She emphasised “friend” with a scornful tone. “You had already held me captive by the time—the time Neteyam—” She took a deep breath grounding herself “—was shot.” A clean shot he surmounted, no chance to save him. He didn’t know why the latter part of that thought floated through his mind.

“What does it matter who shot him, I’m the one that gave the clear to kill any one of you” He didn’t know why he was pushing this but he did so anyway, knowing that any second she could easily run out of here and get anyone of the Sullys to kill him. They were probably dying for it anyways and Quaritch at this point was starting to care less and less.

“You didn’t kill him.” Kiri answered matter of fact. Her voice unwavering as she said those words, a belief she had chosen to cement herself on. Quaritch was stunned by that and decided to stop his attempts at riling her up. He shut his eyes briefly before staring back into those large yellow eyes with unshed tears. It was like looking at a way younger Grace, when she had yelled at him about his soldiers shooting up the school she had been using to teach the Na’vi English. Despite the grief she had felt she refused to cry in front of him, as she yelled and berated, he had dismissed her back then and their relationship, while not friendly by any means, had turned irreparable.

She is a lot more like Grace than I thought.

“Well—” he started “Your mother was a bitch.” That seemed to throw Kiri completely off guard as her sadness was quickly washed away by anger taking its place.

“What did you say about my mother?!” She hissed right at him her tailed lashed left and right and her ears pressed flat against her face. Her angry face reminded him so much of Grace too, she was almost like a clone of her. The thought was yelled out of his head with the amount of insults she was hurling his way despite the pain from recovering.

Instead of getting upset though, against his will, a grin broke out on his face at the familiarity of it all.