Chapter 4: she's like a monk!
Kifanue sat down on the thick blue pad that was placed inside half of the gym, her eyes closed and her mind at peace, Master Kenobi was across from her examining her lightsabers, both of them were shotos, and had a personalized hilt, he admired her workmanship, and the dedication she had clearly put into each one, the markings not quite the same as the other, but still had that feeling of hope that as engraved in the silver and gold lightsaber.
Kifanue opened her eyes slowly and smiled warmly, it was a different from her normal bright and energetic smile that she used so often. Her entire face seemed to have lost the child like cuteness that was there moments before.
"Shall we start master?" she asked, her voice had also lost the child like grace that was part of her natural charm, and instead was a bit deeper with the hint of amusement coated within.
The sudden change in her character shocked Obi Wan for a moment, he had never seen a Jedi change personalities so swiftly. He nodded his head, leaving it down a tad bit longer then he should, and he lifted his head and nodded, standing up from where he sat.
"Yes, show me what you know," he replied, opening his hands.
The two shotos were lifted off of his hands and floated carelessly into her's, she smiled again. Then activated her lightsaber and twisting them a couple of times until the rested gently in her palms and she slowly got into the most common stance, her lightsabers in the unorthodox reverse grip.
Obi Wan chuckled as he got into his own stance, noticing how the girl favored the same style as Anakin's own padawan, he gave a slight nod and before his brain could register what his eyes saw, Kifanue was already up close to his face, her daggers coming up for his neck, but she stopped and backed up deactivating her lightsabers.
"I thought you were ready," she said, her sing song tone returning a little.
Obi Wan blinked then smiled. "I was caught off guard my young padawan, it won't happen again," he said returning to his stance.
Kifanue smiled and nodded her head, as she followed suit and activated her lightsabers. Returning to shien, this time she hoped that it wouldn't end so soon. She charged at him again, this time attacking from above, like how normal Jedi attack on the first round, her approach was swiftly blocked by her masters blue blade, se twisted around bending to avoid his lightsaber as her's came out from underneath it. She tried to attack him from behind, but Obi Wan had seen this attack coming and turned around swiftly to block her once again. She turned her head slightly when she heard their lightsabers clash, and she realized the awkward position she was in, it was the wrong move, being twisted as she was.
Obi Wan shook his head, he realized that Kifanue fought on impulse, and never really thought her moves out before it was too late. He tripped her, deactivated his lightsaber, and took hold of her wrist before she fell completely to the ground.
"That wasn't a very smart move young one," he smiled teasingly.
She sighed and nodded her head, deactivating her daggers and clipped them back onto her belt. "I know master, i messed up, i wasn't expecting you to be so fast, i figured i was faster, and there for the move would have been in my favor," she explained.
"Well, now we know where to begin with your weapons training, don't we?" he asked.
Kifanue smiled as she cocked her head to the side a little, "yes master, but next time, i will win," she sang, her normal cheery, childish self was returning after the lesson was over.
"Well, why don't you go hit the 'fresher, and we'll head down to the mess hall for something to eat," Obi Wan offered.
Kifanue agreed as she skipped off to her room, well, her's and Cody's room, she did have to share. When she got to the room, she bumped into Cody. He quickly stood at attention and saluted his commander. Kifanue looked up at him and smiled.
"Hello commander Cody," she sang as she opened the door to their room.
"Commander Tanfe," he acknowledged. "Uh, Ma'am what are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm going to go take a shower sir," she replied as she walked in heading towards her discarded bags.
Cody blinked, he wondered why she was going to take a shower in his room, wouldn't it be easier if she was in her own room, wasn't that where she put her things? It took him a while for it to sink in, and when it did he sure had something to say to his general.
Kifanue had turned on the shower and started picking up her clothes, tossing the old ones on to the floor of the 'fresher, the door was locked, she didn't want anyone coming in and seeing her naked, not that it had ever happened, and it wasn't like she didn't trust the guys, she just didn't want to risk a surprised accident. The water warmed up and steam soon filled the tiny room, activating the fans that kept it cool and moister free, or at least tried. She undid her hair from the tight braid she had twisted it in for the sparing session with her new master. Her dark brown hair fell over her shoulders and reached her knees, she giggled looking at herself in the mirror, and she had always claimed how she looked like chocolate mint ice cream. She used her index finger to outline all of the tattoos she had, the bands on her arms and legs, and the strips of triangles on her side and face, she had gotten them when she was young, at least one or two while she was younger, but the most recent one was the band around her left leg, it was an odd place to put a cultural tattoo, but she liked it, even though it still hurt, and was still a bit puffy, not as much as when it was when she had gotten it, but still bad. Kifanue sighed not rubbing her finger around the band. She would have to wash more gently.
Cody had sat on his bed, he took the bottom bunk, because he didn't feel that it was necessary to take a top bunk when no one else was sharing his room, however when all that changed, he started thinking about where Kifanue was going to sleep, there was no way of getting out of it, Kenobi had made his point very clear, and he had to admit it was a very wise decision to allow her to sleep in his room. He wasn't interested in her like most men would be in a pretty young woman who was as innocent as Kifanue, he didn't know her well enough to even call her a friend, let alone a sister, and so her calling him a brother, even if it was just a joke, it irked him. Cody lay back in his bed and sighed again. It was going to be a few long years, maybe more if the girl took long to learn and get promoted. Heck the war could end before she even got the chance to take the test to be promoted, he would never know.
Kifanue walked out of the private 'fresher wearing the same thing she had worn before, just that this one was clean, and she was hand drying her hair with the tan towel she had brought with her from home. She stopped walking and smiled brightly at Cody.
"So, I'm getting top bunk?" she asked as she wrapped the towel around her shoulder, she paused for a little bit. "I hope you don't mind me staying here, i don't even think I'll be here for very long, just to sleep," she giggled.
Cody wanted to tell her to go, that she needed to find another room, that he didn't want her to have any kind of attachment on for him, but all he could do was smile.
"Don't worry commander Tanfe; i don't think any of us will be in our rooms much," he replied with a light smile.
Kifanue smiled and then climbed up to the top bunk, she used the force to bring her lightsabers to her, and she quickly took it apart, looking over all the pieces, and as swiftly as she had taken it apart she put it together, and then did the same to the second one. After she was done she laid back and sighed. "We're in hyperspace huh?" she asked.
Cody had forgotten that she was even in the room, she had been so quiet, and when she spoke it was like listening to another person, and not the happy little girl that she seemed to be. He wondered if she was already home sick, she must be, since this was the first time she won't be with the people who she knew for her whole life.
"Yeah, we hit hyperspace a while ago, are you regretting coming?" he had to ask.
"No, i wanted to come, i wanted to grow as a Jedi, i…" she paused and Cody could hear her roll onto her side in the bunk above his.
Cody waited patiently for her to continue, when she didn't he got curious and climbed halfway up the stairs to see what was wrong with her. Kifanue was looking at her lightsabers while munching on a candy bar. She looked at Cody, blinked, and then remembered that she didn't finish her sentence.
"I'm afraid that i would fail, and instead of just me falling and having to be picked up and dusted off, i would have taken so many with me, and i would be the only one alive, it scares me," she confessed looking down a little embarrassed.
"Everyone falls, you can't let that scare you, I'm sure you'll do fine," he reassured, he didn't know what to tell her, or how to comfort her, everyone goes through this, and since she was a new padawan, during a war, yeah, that would scare a kid.
Kifanue sighed she smiled, but you could tell that it was forced; she was still worried about it. "What if i tell you, i know a young padawan who went through the same thing?" he said, seeing her like that was depressing.
Kifanue looked up and tilted her head to the side. "You do?" she asked.
"Yeah i know two, both of them are girls, and they had to deal with the effects of war, if you want we can go and talk to them," he explained.
"Alright."
Cody slid off the ladder, and waited for Kifanue to come down as well, when she did, she shook her self once then looked up at him, waiting for him to lead her off to talk to the other padawans, sure she lived in the same temple as they did, but that didn't mean she was friends with everyone, no, she had been alone for most of her life, she was just to…different, she guessed. Cody led her out of their room and off to the communications, this would he was planning on talking to Rex sometime this day, might as well knock to birds with one stone right?
