Rila: The first of my trio for the collab between Jade-Max, LadyZelthePen and I. :D
Disclaimer: I wish they'd shown/show more of cute little kid!Ahsoka. As in before she became a padawan. *squee*
Word Count: 855
Chapter Description: "We may not be able to prepare the future for our children, but we can at least prepare our children for the future." - Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The archives were not ever the definition of crowded, nor were conversations within the walls ever carried out in more than hushed whispers — Madam Jocasta Nu kept it that way by a finger pressed to her lips as she made her rounds, a stern gleam to her eye.
But it was peaceful today, and empty save for a tiny Togruta girl, seated at one of the tables. Her feet did not touch the ground, legs swinging in the gap between the legs. One hand propped her head up, the other flipping idly through one of the books that lay on the table.
That itself was not odd — what was odd was the fact that she shouldn't have been there. Shaking his head, Kit approached the table, resisting the upward twitch of his lips when she looked up, eyes going comically wide with fear. "Master Fisto!"
"Shouldn't you be in class, Ahsoka?" His tone was amused, no true anger in it — and he allowed a smile to spread across his lips when the tiny girl before him fidgeted, tugging at the clothes that were a little too big for her through the arms, a nervous squirm.
"The other younglings," she began, her voice soft, "they don't..."
Kit blinked, and then frowned. "Ahsoka?"
"They said I'm too young," murmured Ahsoka, and turned to watch him with wide, innocent blue eyes. Eyes that had not yet seen the terrors of battle, of the hardships of being a Padawan. They were the wide eyes of a child who trusted without fault — and begged him for an answer. "Am I too young, Master Fisto?"
In terms of her training to become a Padawan, she was not quite as old as some of the other younglings — but she had every right to be there. He shook his head. "Ahsoka," he asked in return, "do you think you're too young?"
Ahsoka paused, her head cocking to the side before gnawing her bottom lip. She seemed to be giving it real thought, her nose wrinkling before she shook her head. "No," she answered at last, "I don't think so."
The uncertainty remained, however, and Kit reached forward to place a gentle hand on one of her small, narrow shoulders. His eyes flicked to the book on the table, and he was almost surprised to see that she had been studying in here, instead of wandering around the Temple as she was known to do.
"Let's take a walk," he suggested, and Ahsoka blinked once, twice, and then nodded and slid off the chair. Her head barely reached his waist, and he slowed his pace so that she could keep up as they moved to the entrance of the archives and past Madam Jocasta, who nodded in greeting.
"Where are we going?" Ahsoka inquired, and Kit glanced down as Ahsoka, who apparently had deemed that it did not need an immediate answer, followed the question with another. "Is being a Jedi hard, Master?"
"Yes," he answered, and his mouth tugged into a smile when she looked up at him, watching him intently. "But it's very rewarding, Ahsoka."
"I can't wait to construct my lightsabre," Ahsoka told him, and he could not help but shake his head — as all children, her attention span was flighty, jumping from one topic to the next at a whim. She hopped forward, arms at her sides as she skipped and leaped ahead of him. Even for her tiny size, she was surprisingly quick and well-balanced — her heritage as a Togruta, no doubt. Her lekku, almost comically short, bounced against her neck as she jumped forward and then spun, laughing. "Do you know when I'll get to construct my lightsabre, Master?"
"When Master Yoda believes you're ready," he answered, and laughed when she shot him a pout. "Be patient, young one."
"Waiting is boring," she huffed, cheeks puffing out before she exhaled noisily. "Do you think I'll be a good Jedi, Master?"
He blinked again, observing her — so small and young, watching him with a severity and wondering that did not quite fit her stature — and his mouth slipped into a smaller, fonder smile as he reached her, placing a hand on her head. "I have no doubts that you will, Ahsoka."
She beamed, reaching up to take her hand into both of her own, tiny and rust colored and swung it with a laugh. He chuckled and pulled his hand away. "Come on, Ahsoka. I think it's time we returned you to class."
Ahsoka pouted once more, latching back onto his hand as he began walking. "I guess," she sighed, and said nothing more until they were outside the classroom. "Thank-you, Master Fisto." She squeezed his hand, a softer smile curving her lips. "I hope that I'm assigned to you when I become a Padawan."
And then she was gone, disappearing behind the door. Kit stared at the door and then smiled. "As do I, Ahsoka." She was interesting as it was, and he was curious as to how she would develop as a Padawan. With a shake of his head, Kit turned and moved away from the door.