Quaritch stopped mid-sentence.

He stared at her arm—then leaned closer, squinting like the planet had personally offended him. The skin along her shoulder was darker than usual, a faint bloom of purple spreading where the sun had kissed her a little too long.

“…Wait,” he said slowly, disbelief settling in. “You guys can get sunburn?”

She shifted, clearly uncomfortable now that he’d noticed, trying and failing to hide it. The color deepened under his gaze, not red like human skin—no, Pandora apparently had to be dramatic about everything.

“And it’s purple?” He let out a short laugh, rubbing a hand over his face. “Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be.”

He expected anger. Maybe embarrassment. Instead, she looked at him like this was obvious, like he was the strange one for being surprised. The Na’vi burned under their suns just like anyone else—just with more dignity, apparently.

Quaritch shook his head, amusement bleeding into something warmer. “Unbelievable,” he muttered. “Whole new species, apex predators, neural ponytails—and you still get sunburn like the rest of us.”

He glanced again, softer this time.

“…Kinda cute, though.”