Her whole body ached. Pain radiated from each bruise where Qui-Gon had whacked her with his stick. Ana did her best not to limp, but she thought Qui-Gon saw it anyway; how else can you account for the mildly apologetic look he gave her when they entered their new quarters? Qui-Gon noticed the box in the middle of the room and raised an eyebrow. Ana shrugged slightly. "Clah'Diam and I moved my things up here this morning," she said after a minute. "I'll unpack once I get a shower." she left, heading for the 'fresher that was down the hall. It was a spacious refresher, with a showerhead that could be set to sonic blasts that literally stripped the dirt from her body, or a soothing jet of hot water. Ana settled for the latter, turning the faucet on and beginning to strip off her clothes. It took her all of five seconds to untangle herself from the sweaty garments, and she piled them by the door. The full-length mirror on the wall caught her attention, and she winced when she saw her reflection. Large black and red bruises dotted her body randomly, and she fingered one of them ruefully. For some morbid reason, she was grateful that he had not gone easy on her. The spar had managed to clear her head for a few hours and calm her down, and if she had to handle a little discomfort to do that, then so be it.
The hot water was sinfully delicious on her lithe body. She stood there for a moment, allowing the steam to bathe her skin, then reached for the bar of coarse brown soap. Lathering herself up, she scrubbed at the layers of sweat and filth that had accumulated on her body from the hours of moving things and training. Rasping a washcloth along her arms and neck, she remembered to wash behind her ears. A little smile briefly tugged at the corners of her mouth when she did so; it had been one of Wathearu's pet peeves when people had dirty ears. She rinsed and washed herself again, enjoying the hot soap sliding along her semi-clean skin. She dipped her mop of black curls under the hot water stream and began washing her hair. She knew that once she got out, she would feel much better, and she wanted her head to be clean. After a moment of scrubbing, she rocked back on her heels and allowed the hot water to soothe her once more. Then she snapped the switch and got out, shaking one foot as she stepped onto the fluffy bathmat.
The rough towel scraped along her arms and torso, absorbing the water droplets that were already dewing on her body. She wrapped it tightly around her and went into her room. It was woefully sparse, and she realized with a little jolt of surprise that Qui-Gon had thoughtfully moved her box of belongings into the room. Her eyes narrowed as she looked through the contents. From what she could tell, he hadn't gone through any of her things. Mentally she huffed. Half of her wanted for him to have gone through her items, and then she could have yelled at him for not respecting her privacy. But it was impossible to be angry with a man who had done nothing wrong. Ana dug through her clothes until she found her sleepwear, a brown tunic and black shorts. Hair still dripping, she went back outside in search of food. Her stomach was loudly reminding her that there was food to be consumed, and Ana realized that this was one of the first times she had actually felt consciously hungry since Wathearu died.
She didn't know where Qui-Gon was - probably in his room, waiting to take a shower as well - but she decided she would make dinner. It wasn't unusual for Wathearu to go to the dining hall by himself, but Ana had always preferred to eat in the privacy of her own home. She opened the cooling unit and saw it had been stocked with a few necessities. There was a carton of tantums, which were small yellow fruits which tasted like a combination of kiwis and mangos, a container of purp juice - think of a mellow pear spiked with raspberries - and a neatly packaged ethearu leg. Ethearu was a deliciously gamy meat, and when cooked properly it was the height of buttery texture and spicy meat. She considered all of these ingredients in various combinations, and then emptied the cooling unit and spilled the contents across the counter. She used the Force to withdraw a knife from a chopping block some yards away, and began slicing the tantums thinly.
Once they were in small slices, she set them aside to soak in water so they wouldn't absorb any of the butter. She heated a medium sized pan and put a dab of butter in it, remembering the sizzling crackle of the butter as it skated around on the metal pan, leaving behind a trail of melted yellow butter. When the butter had browned slightly, she slapped the meat into the pan. Instantly the butter began to bubble up and surround the leg, and a delicious aroma wafted towards her, a primal scent of raw meat and hot butter. She sniffed it gratefully, her stomach growling again, and carefully poured half a cup of purp juice into the pan. Again the pan sizzled and a new aroma, this one scented heavily with a hint of boiling raspberries, teased her nose.
Qui-Gon entered the kitchen silently and a little amused smile turned one corner of his mouth. A maddeningly delicious smell was beginning to embed itself in the spacious apartment, and it seemed to be originating from the leg of ethearu which was cooking on the stove. The little hellcat which had sparred with him so ruthlessly only half an hour ago had been transformed into a domestic little kitten. Her expression was serious as she poked at the meat, as if it were a science experiment that needed tending to with great care. She stirred the violet sauce that was swimming around the leg of meat, tasting it quickly and licking her lips. She looked about as half as hungry as he felt. Her hair was still wet, but it was rapidly drying from the heat of the stove, and was once again beginning to curl into a mop of messy black hair that spilled into her eyes. He approached her silently from behind and she looked up. "Can I help?" he asked. He spoke once more in that low, quiet voice that had an edge of a growl behind it, coupled with an indefinable accent. She pointed with her knife at the tantums in the water.
"You can take those out and pat them dry," she said. There was no note of a challenge in her voice, merely a spike of a command. She resumed her watchful eye on the steak and turned it over with the aid of two forks. It was juicily brown, oozing a few beads of purple sauce as it cooked on the opposite side. Qui-Gon patted the damp yellow fruit slices with a dishcloth and then, at Ana's careful direction, sprinkled them heavily into the pan. They crackled the moment they touched the heat, beginning to turn brown and withered as they were simmered in a mixture of butter and purp juice. Ana's fork darted out and hooked a slice of the tantums with one prong and fed it to Qui-Gon. It had the vague taste of a warmed kiwi, and it melted in Qui-Gon's mouth as he tasted it. She looked at him, cocked her head to the side, and waited. "I like mine done a bit longer, to tell you the truth, but some people like them only warmed a little bit." she said. "What do you think?"
"Keep them in longer," he said. He was slightly pleased to know that she was including him in this process. Qui-Gon could cook, but he couldn't cook anything fancy. He usually only ate when his body told him to, but Ana seemed to take cooking quite seriously. She pushed the tantums around in the sauce for a while, then shut off the heat and took two small ceramic plates out of the cabinets. She sliced the ethearu meat and arranged it on the plates, then poured some violet sauce over it, accompanied by some sliced of tantums. Qui-Gon took them to the table and they sat down. The meat was succulent and juicy, melting in her mouth as soon as Ana bit down. The tantums were pleasantly crispy and they added a satisfying crunch. The meal was eaten in relative silence, except for the subtle clinking of silverware against dishes. When they were finished, Ana brought the dishes to the sink and set them to soak. Ethearu meat was famous for staining.
Qui-Gon watched her as she departed the room. She was quiet, but her dark green eyes were bright with interest as she surveyed the roomy apartment. For a reason he couldn't discern, he followed her into her room and the two of them began to unpack her belongings. Her hand went immediately to the bag of trinkets she had brought with her, and she hesitated for the briefest instant. She didn't want Qui-Gon seeing them, but how could she keep secrets from him? Then again, she hardly knew the man. She slipped them under her pillow and hoped he hadn't noticed her moment of indecision. No such luck, however, but Qui-Gon elected not to mention it. It didn't take long to unpack her few belongings, placing her clothes in the small chest at the foot of her bed and throwing her blankets over her pallet. Qui-Gon noticed the broken slats on her pallet but the look on her face was one of fierce determination, so he once again said nothing.
She retired to bed after bidding Qui-Gon a polite, if cool, good night.
Qui-Gon woke abruptly and completely, wondering what had awoken him. He waited for another movement or sound, but there was nothing. He reached out using the Force and touched Ana's mind, probing her shields lightly. Apparently she had meditated somewhat before retiring, and her shields were intact. But there was a hairline fissure against her mental guards, and then again he heard it. A small whimper, a tiny cry. He got out of bed and crept down the hallway, stepping inside Ana's room. The room was almost completely dark save for a patch of watery moonlight that shone through the open window, making a square of white against the backdrop of inky black. He could see her tossing and turning; for an instant, he wondered if she was still awake. But then he heard another little whimper and a sad whine as she continued to thrash.
He was at her side in a moment, one large hand on her arm, trying to shake her awake. She didn't pay any attention to him and kept trying to roll over, still whimpering. He saw a tear trickling down her face as she wiggled, and he said her name aloud in the relative quiet of the room. Then she sat bolt upright and screamed bloody murder, a heart wrenching scream that reverberated through the very core of the Temple. He reached out to her, soothing her through the Force, and tried to calm her. She collapsed against him, one hand clinging to the fabric of his tunic as she cried. Tears began to join the first dewdrop of moisture that had beaded at the corner of her eye, and she was crying openly now.
After what seemed like an eternity, she fell back into her blankets, her crying subsiding as the nightmare fled. He knelt at her bedside, wondering what horrors were haunting her that made her scream in the night.