Li'aania's stomach growled fiercely as it churned in hungry protest. A quick glance at her chronometer told her that she still had a substantial wait before the midday meal was served. She thought about how her father had offered her a basket of food to take with her on her trip. Thinking about the food back home and how she'd refused her father's offer only made her homesickness worse. She found herself blinking back tears for the second time that morning but she stubbornly forced them back. She had a job to do and she wasn't going to let being away from home for the first time sabotage it.

Li'aa stepped back to admire her progress. The room was beginning to look less like a dungeon cell and more like the room of a young woman barely out of her teens. The walls were decorated with hangings that depicted some of her favorite DJs and performers. There was even one of Brodey smiling back at her as he instinctively manipulated the decks. Come to think of it, the entire room seemed like a shrine to her. It was a shrine to a life that seemed ancient history. She frowned slightly as she realized that the room she saw, in all likelihood, was not the finished product. Some things would have to go.

However, she was much too exhausted to care. It had been a long, restless journey and she fell back onto the bed, hoping to convince her stomach that sleep was a better idea than food. At almost the same instant as her head hit the pillow she fell into a dreamless sleep. When she finally awoke it seemed much later and, strangely enough, there was a figure standing in her doorway.

"Hey," She said sleepily as she rubbed her eyes until she could see clearly. "Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" The young man responded, surprise rippling from him. "I was just passing by and was curious about who lived here, that's all."

"That's fine," She said softly as she slid off the bed and walked up to him. "You didn't answer my question. Who are you?"

"Valin Horn, at your service," He replied with a crooked smile and a slight bow. As his head came back up she got her first good look at his face. His features, like the rest of him, were sharp and solid. The most striking ones were his shaggy mass of gold-flecked brown hair, the warm hazel eyes that peered out from behind long, dark eyelashes, and his straight white teeth. Li'aa couldn't help but find him attractive even though he was more than half a head shorter than she.

"Well Valin, it's nice to meet you," She said, returning his smile. "I'm Li'aa Narundi."

"Force, you're Brodey's sister! I should have known," He exclaimed and then blushed slightly at his own outburst. "You know, the blond hair. You look a lot like him, and I mean that in a good way."

"Thank you," She said as she watched him squirm. "Oh sith!"

"What's wrong?" He asked in alarm.

"I think I just missed meal time," She groaned. "Slept right through it."

Valin frowned, looking up to the right at something on her ceiling as he thought. "We could probably still find something for you to eat. Come on, I'll go with you."

Her stomach grumbled again, telling her to go with him, and she nodded, following the young man out into the open corridors of the temple.

"Are you enjoying your stay here so far?" He asked.

"Yeah, I guess. It's my first time away from home," She said softly.

"If you ever need anything, feel free to ask," He offered. "It's never fun when it's your first time away from home."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me," She said, her face heating up slightly as she beamed at him. Inside her head she felt her thoughts roiling as she became confused about her feelings toward this young man. Sure, he was attractive on the outside, but was she really attracted to him in a more than physical sense? Her stomach reminded her that such things were less important than sustenance.

"This is where we eat. It's sort of a dining hall but we also train here," He explained. "And you're in luck. They still have some of the main course left over."

Li'aa made a face as he handed her a bowl of grayish mush that looked completely void of any flavor. She tried her best to look interested in the food as she stirred it with the utensil he'd handed her.

"You don't have to pretend to like it. It's really not good for anything else besides keeping you alive," He said, sensing her indecision. "Your brother actually cared for this dish because the texture wasn't that offensive. He couldn't taste a thing, of course."

"I wouldn't think so," Li'aa laughed, noting the lack of taste as she took a small spoonful. After a couple spoonfuls the taste of the meal ceased to matter. She was ravenous and she found herself going up for seconds and thirds.

"Told you it wasn't that bad," Valin chuckled as he watched her eat.

"No, I guess not," She admitted with a grin.

"There you are!"

Li'aa twisted her neck around to see Kyp walking quickly toward them, a curious expression on his face.

"I've been looking all over for you," He explained. "You're late for your first training session."

"I'm sorry, Kyp," She stammered in embarrassment as she got up from the table. "I overslept but I'll get right over there."

"All right, I'm coming with you," Kyp said eagerly. "I wouldn't miss a chance to watch another Narundi give a first lesson in combat skills. The last one I witnessed was. . .amusing, to say the least."

"Lets get over there, then," Li'aa said with a wink and then turned back to Valin. "Thanks for helping me out, Valin."

"Yeah, no problem," Valin said, extending his hand to her. "Nice to meet you. Hope to see you around again."

"I'm sure I will," She said, shaking his hand firmly. "Nice meeting you too."

Li'aa turned around quickly to race after Kyp, who was already halfway to the clearing where a number of students waited impatiently for their next lesson. Little did they know that they were in for a real treat.