Memories - Ch. 12

Previous Post

---

A dream. I am in a dream.

I can hear a bustling crowd... far away, and close by...

It echoes like never-ending ripples.

The busy adults never notice the little figure sitting on the bench...

----------------------------

Anakin held his hand out, touching the shimmering, golden globe. Ripples ran out from where his hand pressed against the smooth surface, and he frowned. He knew deep in his heart that he had seen this globe before. That it was important. That it held something precious. He stared transfixed by the swirls of golden glitter that twisted through its interior.

A shorter blonde girl, who appeared to be about nine years old, stepped up beside him, raising her hand towards the globe. His mouth dropped open. Tahiri, he thought to himself. Why does she look so young?

Her hand closed towards the globe, until she was suddenly thrown backwards. She slammed hard against the wall and slumped to the ground. Anakin dashed over to her.

"I'm okay," she said as she rose to her feet. "Guess there's some kind of force field around that thing. Oh no, what's this creature?" Tahiri cried, jumping backwards.

Anakin looked down at the spot where Tahiri had fallen. Curled up at the base of the stone block was a small animal, not much more than a meter long, and the same brownish-gold as the blocks of the wall. For a moment, Anakin thought it was dead, but then he noticed the ever so slight lift of its side when it drew a breath. Anakin reached down, and stroked the soft fur.

"Anakin, I think it's waking up," Tahiri said from behind him.

Anakin scuttled backwards a bit as the creature opened one large eye. Browns, greens and blues swirled within that eye. Her lips next to his ear, Tahiri whispered, "Do you think it's dangerous?"

"He doesn't seem too worried about us," Anakin replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

The creature stood up, and then turned in a circle before settling down onto its haunches. The muscles on its back rippled, and then it stretched out its front paws, all the while letting out a large yawn.

Then it looked towards Anakin again, and blinked its eyes. Its mouth opened, and a loud whistling sound came out. Anakin could almost make out words, but he was having a hard time concentrating, and he frowned down at the thing.

The creature made the noise again. After Anakin still didn't do anything, it curled up a small fist and pounded it against its chest, making the sound a final time.

Tahiri giggled. "I think it's trying to tell us its name is-"

Anakin snapped awake with a jolt, a thin sheen of sweat covering him, causing his sleeping clothes to cling to his body. He sat up, pushing the blanket and sheet off of his chest, and then ran a hand through his damp hair.

He got out of bed, intending to go to the kitchen and get something to drink. Opening his door, he heard a short sharp yelp. As he stepped into the hallway, he saw Tahiri pressed against the wall, fear on her face. As she slowly recognized him the fear melted away, replaced by relief.

"Anakin," she sighed out.

He smirked at her. "What? Did you think I was a ghost or something?"

"Don't!" she said with in a stern voice as she quickly closed the distance between them.

"What?"

"Don't you know anything, Dummy," she scolded. "Ghosts appear when you talk about ghosts. So you absolutely can't talk about ghosts. Or even say the word ghosts. Especially at night."

Anakin could feel his lips twitching as he suppressed a smile. "You realize you just said the word five times or so."

She let out another yelp, her hands balling into small fists, which she crossed over her heart. "What should we do? What's going to happen?"

He looked at her, noticing the fear on her face. He suddenly felt bad for teasing her. "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen. But more importantly, what are you doing wandering around this late?"

She lowered her hands, grasping the edge of her night shirt, tugging it taut for a moment. "Uhm... uh... ah..."

Anakin suppressed a chuckle. "Looking for something valuable?"

"No!" she snapped out, stomping one foot onto the floor.

Then she lowered her head. "I have to go to the bathroom. But it's scary."

Anakin arched an eyebrow, and then turned, heading towards the kitchen.

"Anakin wait!" she called out to him as she grabbed his pajamas. "You've got to take me, and stand guard outside the door for me."

He looked at her, and sighed as he began walking down the hall, Tahiri shuffling behind him, her hand still firmly holding his shirt.

"Why are you making such a fuss about going to the bathroom?"

Tahiri ignored his question. "I wonder if we woke up Jaina?"

Anakin shook his head. "I doubt it; she's quite a heavy sleeper. It's kind of freaky sometimes."

After she finished in the bathroom, Anakin started towards the kitchen, and she followed behind quietly. As he drew a glass of water, she leaned against the counter watching him.

Suddenly, she said, "I miss the stars."

Anakin took a swallow as he watched her. "Well, then go out on the balcony and look at them."

She blinked twice, and then turned, looking around. "Balcony?"

Sighing once again, Anakin led her through the living room to the door to the balcony. He quietly opened it, and stepped out, Tahiri close on his heels.

She gasped as she looked up at the night sky spread out around them. "Ah... wow, you can see so many... but I don't recognize any of the constellations. These aren't my stars."

"That's okay," Anakin replied as he smiled at her. "Your stars are still there-you just get some new ones is all. By the way, which planet are you from?"

Tahiri spun around to look at him, a smile on her face. "Tatooine, Dummy."

She then turned and looked back up at the stars. "My father once told me that the stars give us strength and courage. The power and wisdom to fight. After all, they have to fight so hard against the suns to be seen. But I can't help but still be afraid of such little things."

"Well, I know you're afraid of ghosts-but what else are you scared of?"

She leaned over the balcony's edge, staring down at the ground so far below. "Actually, I'm afraid of the river. Any type of running water terrifies me. It's all I can do to draw a bath sometimes. What's Anakin scared of?"

He chuckled slightly. "Funnily enough, I'm scared of any body of water that you can swim in. Lakes, pools, rivers-I've not been swimming in years."

Silence fell between them, and Tahiri switched from watching the ground to once more watching the sky.

"I think Jaina's kind of pretty, don't you?"

"What's with this all of a sudden?" Anakin asked.

"It's not sudden," Tahiri replied as she shook her head. "I've been thinking it since I met her. She's pretty, she's nice. I think she's a really great person."

"Really?" Anakin said, not sounding quite convinced. "All I've seen is her spacing out and taking naps during lessons. So I guess I just don't get it."

"I wonder if I'll be as pretty as she is, when I grow up."

"She's only a year and a half older than me, you know."

Tahiri turned and looked at him, tilting her head to the side for a moment. "And you're a year and a half older than me."

"Don't worry about it," Anakin said. "You have your own good points, after all."

She took a step towards him. "Like what?"

He once again, suppressed a smirk. "Well, you're able to steal from the same vendor three days in a row."

She stomped her foot in frustration. "Those were all accidents!"

He grinned at the scowl on her face, as he turned back towards the door. "I'm going back to bed now, Tahiri."

----------------------------

Anakin walked towards the school, watching his feet as he followed the well tread path. Letting out a small sigh, he looked up and noticed that Tenel Ka and Eryl were just a few meters ahead of him.

"Hey, you two!" he called out.

They both glanced over their shoulders looking at him. Eryl smiled happily, "It's Anakin!"

"Yeah, it's Anakin," he said as he jogged forward to close the gap between them. "So, the big day is finally here."

Eryl nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it."

"Tenel Ka," Anakin began. "You do remember, right? Tonight's the dance festival."

"Honey bear," Tenel Ka replied.

Eryl's face squished up in confusion, "What? A bear?"

"Bantha baby."

Anakin smacked his palm against his forehead. "Oh yeah. I remember now. I told her to say that. 'Honey bear' for yes and 'Bantha baby' for no. It's to make her cuter. Right, Tenel Ka?"

"Honey bear," she replied.

"Ah, so that's it..." Eryl said the disbelief still on her face slightly.

"It's a rather charming change," Anakin said.

Suddenly, Tenel Ka began walking faster, leaving them behind.

"Hey," Anakin called out after her. "Are you mad?"

Tenel Ka ignored him, so he turned towards Eryl. "Has she always been this way?"

"Yeah," Eryl responded. "For as long as I've known her."

Anakin snorted slightly. "It's amazing you chose to become friends with her."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I just felt she was similar to me."

"Eh? How?"

"I don't really know myself," she replied. "Perhaps it's the burdens she carries."

Anakin watched Eryl for a moment, and then turned towards Tenel Ka once again.

Eryl's voice once more drew his attention once again. "You seem a lot like us too, Anakin."

"Eh?"

Eryl giggled. "Well, it's just my opinion, so don't worry about it." She looked down, a blush appearing on her cheeks for a moment. Then she looked at him with a smile, and started jogging towards Tenel Ka. "Tenel Ka, wait up."

Anakin frowned, wondering just what was going through her head.

-----------------

Anakin held out the container of ice cream towards Nelani, who smiled at him and took the sweet. She settled herself onto a low wall that surrounded one of the trees and peeled away the lid. He sat down beside her and watched as she dug the spoon into the desert and took her first bite, her eyes closing in pleasure as she chewed.

"You seem to be enjoying it," he said.

"That's because it's my favorite," she responded. Then she held it out towards him. "Would you like half?"

Anakin took it, and looked at it for a moment, wondering if he should eat the treat he had bought her.

"Go ahead, don't hold back," she encouraged from beside him.

Giving himself an inner shrug, he quickly began eating the ice cream.

Nelani gasped at his antics. "If you eat it that way," she said as she reached out and grabbed one of his arms. "You won't be able to taste it."

Suddenly pain lanced through his forehead, and he groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut. Intellectually, he knew what had happened. The cold ice cream had touched a nerve center on the roof of his mouth, activating a nerve cluster which responded by trying to heat his brain. Yet knowing that did nothing to lessen the pain.

"Are you all right?" Nelani asked

Setting the ice cream down, he grabbed at his head with both hands. "I'm not okay..."

"Standing on your head in these cases helps."

"I can't do that here," he shot back.

"Hm. I know," she responded. "I'll give you some medicine."

She began digging in a bag that she held underneath her shawl. She pulled out a white bottle. "This is diarrhea medicine."

She calmly set it down beside her and pulled out a white box with green writing. "This is cold medicine."

She pulled out a spray bottle containing a red liquid. "Throat spray..."

Anakin dropped his hands, and looked at the medicines and then at her. "Do you always carry such things?"

Turning to look at him, she smiled and said, "It's what I'm good at."

She looked back into her bag, and pulled out a clear bottle, filled with white pills and closed with a red lid. "Ah-hah. This is the pain medicine and antacid."

Then she pulled out another clear bottle with white pills, but this time with an orange lid. "No... It's this one... huh..."

Her brow knotted together as her eyes darted from one bottle to the other.

"Which was it?" she wondered aloud.

Anakin sighed and stood up. He walked over to a nearby tree, and flipped into a handstand, and then tried to hold that pose.

After a minute, Nelani's legs came into view, and she hunched down so he could see her face.

"Looks like you're feeling better," she said with a smile. Then she closed her eyes and continued. "But of course, I really didn't think you'd do this."

"Well, the dance festival is tonight," Anakin responded. "I can't afford to be sick."

"The dance festival...."

The way she said that drew Anakin's attention, and he noticed that had begun to stare out into the distance.

Finally, she spoke again. "I think I would like to try that. It sounds like fun."

"Then why don't you?" Anakin asked. "It's free to anyone who wants to participate."

"I'm sick, so I'll pass," she said, as she looked at him again. Then she gave him a strained smile, and tilted her head slightly. "Anakin, you've got to have fun for both of us, okay?"

Anakin wondered what he could say to that, even as he wondered just what was wrong with her. Suddenly, the alarm on his comlink began to ring.

"It's time isn't it?" she asked.

Anakin dropped from his position doing the handstand and stood up straight. "Yeah. It's time. So go home now, Cinderella."

A smile flashed across her lips. "Right. Bye then."

He watched as she began to slowly walk away. After she had gone a dozen steps she stopped suddenly. Without turning around, she said, "A Cinderella who can't go to the ball..." A heartbeat passed, and then she turned around, the smile still on her lips. "It's pretty wizard, don't you think?"

Anakin nodded. "Well, you just got to put up with having me, rather than a prince."

She waved at him, and then turned back around, walking towards the entrance to the school.

Anakin watched her disappear, and then went into the Temple. As he entered, he found himself standing in front of another trainee, a green Twi'lek who was slightly younger than he was. Her sinuous lekku writhed along her back, as her eyes seemed to bore into him.

"Do you know that girl you were just with?" she asked him.

He frowned for a moment, wondering if he knew this girl. Finally, he nodded his head. "Yes, I do. Are you in her training class?"

The girl nodded her head. "Yes, she was... but... uhm... why was she at the Temple?"

Anakin scratched at his head. "Well, she's out because of a cold, right? And she says it's too boring staying in her quarters all the time. So she sneaks out and comes here."

The girl tilted her head slightly. "A cold?" Then she shook her head. "But it's not a cold. She's been out for months, since the first day of this training period."

Anakin could feel his eyes widen in shock. He had not realized that her condition was that serious. "What?"

"She collapsed during class on that first day." The girl looked down, before she continued to speak. "She was the first person to speak to me, after I got here, so I've been worried about her this whole time. So that's why I was surprised to see Nelan'idinn here today."

"Nelan'idinn?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have a bad habit of doing that. Her name is Nelani Dinn, but in my culture, it's not good to have your name separated like that, so I called her Nelan'idinn."

"Dinn? Her name is Nelani Dinn?"

The Twi'lek nodded her head. "Yes."

Just then one of the Jedi Masters who taught at the school walked past. He glanced at both of them, a frown on his face. "Get back to class."

The girl bowed quickly. "Sorry, sir." she stammered out, and then turned and fled back towards the classrooms.

Anakin watched her disappear, and then went to his own class, wondering the entire way, just how Nelani and Kiori were related.

----------------------------

As the bell signaling the start of the lunch hour chimed, Anakin stood up and stretched, as Jaina stepped to his side. Suddenly, Raynar jumped up on the desk, having changed from his robes to a white jumpsuit, with frills along the sleeves and legs, accompanied by a thick white belt.

"Anakin! Jaina! Look at this," he exclaimed happily, one arm on his hip, the other pointing towards the sky.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, almost scared of the answer he would receive.

"It's my outfit for the Dance Festival," Raynar replied. "I'm the activities chairman, so I have a responsibility to stand out."

Anakin shook his head, trying to wrap his brain around what Raynar was saying. "Activities chairman? You?"

Raynar glanced at him for a moment, and then posed in his outfit, displaying the sequins that decorated his back; a shimmering logo of the Bornaryn Trading Company.

"Yes," Raynar said, ignoring Anakin's questions. "With this outfit, I'll be the star of the dance. I'll have a monopoly on the hall, everyone will notice."

From her seat, Kiori spoke up, "It definitely looks like you'll have a monopoly on something."

"Right!" Raynar said happily to her. "I'm super excited about dancing with you."

"I'm not going," she replied, turning away from them to look towards the front of the classroom.

"WHAT!" Raynar yelled, his jaw dropping in disbelief.

"I've got plans to go shopping with Jaina today," she said as she stood up. Then she started walking from the room. "I've got to make an appearance at my club now. Wait for me out front, all right, Jaina?"

Then she was gone. Raynar stretched one arm out towards the door she had disappeared through. "N... no way...."

Then he slumped his shoulders and let out a sigh. "She's changed a lot since the start of this year's training."

Jaina nodded her head. "That's true, she doesn't seem very happy lately."

Anakin frowned for a moment, wondering if this had anything to do with Nelani. Making up his mind, he rushed from the room, running down the hall to catch up with Kiori.

"Kiori!" he called out as he caught sight of her about to turn a corner. She stopped, but did not turn to face him.

He closed the distance, stopping a few paces from her.

"You have a sister named Nelani, don't you? She was at school today," he frowned, noticing that her fists had clenched and she had begun to tremble slightly. "Should I tell you the next time she shows up?"

"Aren't you misunderstanding something?" she replied, her voice oddly without inflection.

"Huh?"

She turned slightly, just enough so that Anakin could see one of her eyes over her shoulder. In that eye, he could see layers of coldness and pain. Then in a flash those emotions where gone, and her eye appeared normal once more. "I don't have anything like a sister. I'm an only child."

Shock ran through Anakin and he straightened up, even as he could feel his jaw drop. "Eh?"

She turned away from him, and once more began walking down the hall. "Goodbye, Anakin."

Then she turned the corner, and was gone. Anakin stared at the spot where she had disappeared, once more confused about things.

A hand settled on his shoulder, and Jaina stepped into his peripheral vision, as she said, "Anakin, what's wrong?"

He frowned for a moment longer and then turned towards Jaina. "Do you know anything about Kiori's sister?"

Jaina arched an eyebrow, "Her sister? Kiori has a sister?"

Anakin shrugged. "There's another trainee with the same last name. If she's not her sister, then maybe she's a relative of some kind."

"I don't know," Jaina replied, lifting one hand to chew on a knuckle. "Kiori really doesn't talk about her family."

Anakin frowned, and once more turned his attention to the spot where she had disappeared. The haunted look he had glimpsed in her eye as she looked at him, weighed at his heart heavily.

---------------------------

Anakin sat cross-legged on the lunch mat, Tenel Ka and Eryl sitting on the edges of the square mat to either side of him. He silently stared at his food, still confused about Kiori and Nelani.

"Anakin, Here's your formal clothes for the dance tonight?" Eryl said, lifting up a package. "What's wrong? You've been spacing out for a while now."

"Sorry," Anakin replied, giving his head a little shake. "I've just been thinking about some things."

He slapped his face once, and then took the package from Eryl, giving her a Solo grin. "I'm looking forward to seeing both of your dresses. Tenel Ka, aren't you?"

She ignored him, focusing instead on her plate as she chewed silently. He frowned for a moment, and then lifted up her plate, raising it high. She tracked the plate with her eyes, lifting her chin in the process. Then he dropped the plate, and she tilted her head back down. Then he repeated the whole thing, before setting her plate back onto the mat.

Then he grinned once more. "See! Tenel Ka is looking forward to it as well."

Eryl smiled happily, as she clapped her hands. "That's great!"

Tenel Ka just looked straight ahead, her face a perfect mask of calm.

------------------------------

Anakin stepped into the apartment, and called out, "I'm back."

Tahiri rounded the corner from the living room, a smile on her face. "Welcome home, Anakin."

He grinned at her. "I think I'll start with a bath, you've drawn one right?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, it's not ready."

He sighed. "In that case, food!"

"We're about to go shopping now. Apparently, you're out of food."

At that moment, Mara Jade rounded the corner, a smirk tugging at one side of her lips. "Did I hear you correctly about a bath, Solo? Making this girl work like that?"

Anakin smiled, and chuckled. "I was actually joking, Aunt Mara."

Mara just looked at him, a sly amusement shining in her eyes. Finally, she spoke again, "Well we're going to the shopping district. Bye!"

Then Mara walked past him, and Tahiri trailed after. As she turned to close the door, Tahiri smiled brightly at him, and waved. "Bye! See you soon."

Then the door was closed, and Anakin frowned at it. Those two get along well. Too well, why does it bother me?

He looked around the room, his frown deepening. Then he walked into the living room, and turned on the holovid to a smashball game. Settling on the couch, he tried to get interested in the game, but found he couldn't concentrate.

It's too quiet around here, he thought. I think this might be the first time I've been home alone since I got back.

He sighed again, and once more tried to focus on the game. Stretching he glanced at the clock, to discover that he had an hour before he had to leave for the dance. As he leaned back in his seat, his eyes slowly drifted close, until he was lost to sleep.

----------------------------

Anakin slammed his fist against the door. After a second, he did it again. With the suddenness of Imperial engineering, the door snapped open, and Jaina stood there, dressed in a sleeping gown, rubbing at her eyes.

"What do you want, Anakin?" she growled at him.

"I need to borrow some money."

She blinked a few more times, and the arched an eyebrow at him. "Money? What for?"

Anakin glanced down, even as he could feel his cheeks start to redden. "Uhm... I've promised Tahiri that I'd bring her something back from Coruscant. And I'm supposed to go back to Yavin in just a few hours."

Jaina looked at him, a frown on her face. "And you woke me for this?"

"Yeah, I did," Anakin replied. He then clasped his hands together in front of him. "Come on, Jaya. Just a couple hundred or so credits. That's all I need."

She shook her head. "No."

"Jaya, please! When I get back from the Academy, I'll help you rebuild that astromech that you blew up last week.""

Jaina frowned for a moment. "I can give you a hundred. More than that, and mom will get mad at me."

Anakin grinned up at her. "That's more than enough, Jaya! Thanks!"

She turned away from him, muttering something he could not really hear under her breath. She went to her desk, and rummaged in it for a few moments. Then she returned to him, and held out a credit chit. "Here. Now go away."

Anakin snatched it away before she could change her mind, and smiled up at her. "Thanks Jaya! You're a life saver."

He then turned away and ran down the hallway. He left the house at a dead run, earning him a scream from his mother as he darted out the door. Then he was in the hallway, waiting impatiently on the turbolift. Every few seconds he jabbed at the call button.

His mother stuck her head out of the door to their apartment. "And just where do you think you're going young man? You're leaving for Yavin IV in less than two hours."

He glanced over his shoulder as the doors to the life opened. "I've just got to go buy something for one of my friends. I'll be back before dad's ready to leave."

Then before she could respond, he stepped onto the turbolift and the doors closed. He jabbed one of the buttons, smiling as the lift jolted into life, taking him to one of the tourist areas of the Imperial Palace, the one which had the most shops and vendor booths.

He strolled around the shops, hunting for that perfect something that he could get her. Finally, he found a small cart vendor, selling small stuffed dolls. One of them, had a vaguely human shape, with white wings on the back, and was all of 5 centimeters long. Anakin picked it up by the small cord that came from the doll's head, and held it up towards the Drall that was tending the cart.

"How much?"

The Drall glanced up from the terminal he was reading, and looked at the doll in Anakin's hands. "25 credits."

Anakin passed over the credit chit, and a few minutes later was running towards the landing bay where his dad kept the Millennium Falcon[.

As he stomped up the ramp, into the freighter's hold, he pulled the doll from his pocket, looking at it and smiling. Yeah, I think Tahiri will really like this. At least, I hope she does.

Frowning, he shoved the doll back into his pocket, and dropped into one of the seats, strapping himself in for take off.

Two days later, the Falcon was settling to the ground in front of the Great Temple. Sitting at the engineering station, Anakin switched on the external cameras and could make out his Uncle Luke, Tionne and Tahiri standing off to the side.

As soon as the ship was settled, he unstrapped himself, and slapped the ramp access controls, running down them even as they continued to lower to the ground. He ran past Luke and Tionne, and grabbed Tahiri's hand, dragging her towards the Temple and away from the grownups.

Once they were out of sight, Anakin reached into his pocket, and pulled out the doll, holding it out towards Tahiri.

Cautiously, she took it from him, and stared at it for a moment. Then she looked up at him. "Can I have it?"

"Of course," he replied as he grinned at her. "That's why I got it."

"Thank you," she responded, looking down at the doll again. "It's so cute. I'll treasure it. I'll treasure it forever and ever."

Anakin frowned for a moment. "Isn't that going a bit overboard?"

Tahiri shook her head, and smiled at him. "Thanks, Anakin."

Anakin looked at that smile for a moment, and then grinned again. "You've gotten cheerful again."

She looked up at him, "huh?"

Anakin ran a hand through his hair, pushing his long bangs away from his face. "Well, since we got back from Tatooine, and you were told about your parents, well... you've not been really happy. But now, you're smiling again."

Tahiri looked down at the doll, squeezing it slightly. "It's hard Anakin. I... I always wanted to know what happened to my parents, only to find out that my family killed them. And now, I can't ever go back to the Tribe. It hurts... It's hard to deal with. But... but I think I can forget the sadness."

Anakin looked at his friend, a melancholic ache in his heart at the pain evident on her face.

Then she looked up at him, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "That's... that's why I'm so thankful for you, Anakin."

"I see," Anakin replied, not entirely certain how he should respond to that.

Then she smiled brightly for him, and with a jolt, he snapped awake.

He looked around trying to get past the memories of the dream, and then glanced at the chrono.

"Kriff!" he exclaimed as he realized he only had fifteen minutes before the dance started. He jumped up off the couch, and rushed to his room, quickly changing out of his training outfit and into the formal clothes that Eryl had provided him.

A half hour later, he walked into the massive hanger at the lowest level of the Temple. It was decorated for the Dance festival: along one wall was a buffet set out, spread out around the room were a number of tables, and in the center of the room the floor was open, with a few couples already dancing.

He looked around, looking for Tenel Ka and Eryl, but could not see them anywhere. He glanced towards the temporary stage set up against one wall, to see Raynar in his garish white jumpsuit, talking into a microphone. He tuned Raynar out, and walked deeper into the crowd, still looking for the girls.

"All right, Tenel Ka and Eryl... where are you two..."

Then a flash of pink and a swirl of red hair caught his eye.

He turned to find Tenel Ka standing a few meters away from him, dressed in a pink strapless gown. It was made of satin and shimmersilk, and was tight across the top and clung to her hips, tracing the outlines of her legs. A slit up one side, revealed a well toned leg up to her mid-thigh. A thin choker was strapped around her neck, with what appeared to be a rainbow gem fashioned in its center. Her hair was piled atop her head, with cascades of curls running down the side, and resting on her bared shoulders. The final touch of the outfit were a pair of corusca gems in her ears, their glitter the same grey as her eyes.

The only thing he found he could do was stare at her.

----------------------------

Anakin stared at her.

It was the only thing he was capable of doing. His feet refused to work, his mouth just wanted to hang open.

Is this really, Tenel Ka, he thought to himself.

Eryl talking to someone next to Tenel Ka glanced up and saw him. She smiled brightly, and turned back towards Tenel Ka, wrapping an arm around her.

"Look at this dress," she said happily to Anakin. "Doesn't Tenel Ka look so cute in it?"

"Yeah," Anakin replied. Then he tilted his head and smiled. "And just where might you be from, milady?"

Tenel Ka's lips twitched slightly, and a blush rose up on her cheeks. Then she walked forward, and hit him on the forehead with the edge of her palm.

He winced, and said. "Ow."

"Tenel Ka..." Eryl said, wondering what was happening.

Anakin grinned again. "She just delivered the punchline."

Eryl shook her head, and then looked between them. "Tenel Ka, it's nothing for you to blush over. It really does look nice on you."

Tenel Ka chopped Eryl on the forehead.

Anakin smirked, starting to enjoy himself. "This means that Tenel Ka is tonight's heroine, doesn't it?"

She hit him on the forehead again.

Eryl smiled bigger. "That's right. She's the prettiest one here."

Eryl's turn.

"That's exactly right," Anakin responded.

Then she hit him on the forehead again.

"Eryl!" someone from near the doorway called out.

The three of them turned, and saw the Rar twins, two Twi'leks who had recently been brought to the Academy for training by the Knight Swilija'fen. Eryl waved at the two of them, and started that way.

She glanced back towards Anakin and Tenel Ka. "I'm going to go talk to them for a bit."

Anakin nodded his head. "All right, take your time."

The two stood in silence for a moment and watched as Eryl walked away. Finally, Anakin spoke again. "But seriously, for a second, I thought you were someone else."

A blush once more came to Tenel Ka's cheeks.

Anakin chuckled. "Now, I meant it, there's not a reason for you to blush like that."

A stern harsh voice spoke from behind them. "Too think someone like you would come to this. And I bet you borrowed that dress from Eryl. How noble of you to take advantage of her kind heart."

Anakin and Tenel Ka turned towards the voice, and he could feel her tense beside him. Interested by the reaction from her, he looked closer at the man the voice belonged to. He was a few years older than Anakin himself, a ruffle of dark hair, and strong jawline. There was something in the way the man held himself that made Anakin dislike him immediately.

Anakin frowned, and stepped around Tenel Ka, interposing himself between her and the other man. "Who are you?"

He arched an eyebrow in Anakin's direction. "I'm the lead of the Student Council, Miko Reglia." Miko frowned for a moment. "Not knowing that... well you must not be very serious about your training."

"Oh really?" Anakin replied with a chuckle. "Is that how Council members reply to new trainees? I mean, I've only been here for a few weeks, it's not like I can know everything yet."

Miko's eyes narrowed as he looked at Anakin for a moment. Then he turned his attention to Tenel Ka. "I'm warning you, Tenel Ka. You've caused a lot of problems in the past. If you do anything to ruin this event, the school will punish you without mercy."

Anakin could feel himself growing angrier the more Miko talked.

"Keep that in mind," Miko continued. "You Dathomiri witch." Then he spun away from the two of them, and walked away.

Tenel Ka looked at him for a moment, and then spun on her heel, and walked towards one of the buffet tables. After a moment, Anakin followed her.

He fixed himself a plate of food, and then leaned against the wall near an empty table, watching the people on the dance floor. A few seconds later, Tenel Ka joined him.

On the dance floor, he could see Raynar asking various girls to dance, and consistently getting turned down.

"That Miko guy still ticks me off," Anakin began. "Hey, Tenel Ka, aren't you mad that he said that stuff to you?"

"Not really," she replied. "It is a fact after all."

Anakin sighed and shook his head. "You've got no sense of competition. Anyways, why don't you go dance with someone? You came all the way here after all."

"Someone?" she responded, looking up at him.

Anakin looked around the room, and saw Raynar asking yet another girl to dance; and being turned down. He gestured in Raynar's direction. "What about him? He doesn't seem to have a dance partner."

"No. Anakin. I would rather dance with Anakin."

Anakin scratched at the top of his head. "Eh? Well... it's... the thing is, as far as dancing goes, all I can do is the Monkey."

"Monkey?" she said, looking up at him, interest shining in her eyes.

He shook his head. "It's not really something that you'd do here. I learned it in a bar in Coronet, the last time dad took me without mom."

She looked away from him, and then dropped her gaze to the table where her food sat. "I am not accustomed to these places. These things. I... I want you to stay with me."

The music for the next dance started up, as Anakin watched her profile. Finally he held a hand out towards her. "It doesn't matter if you're accustomed or not. You just need to have fun."

She turned back to him and leaned forward slightly, looking at his hand. He grinned. "Take my hand. Take it."

She looked up at him again, and slid her hand into his. He then lead her out onto the dance floor. As they strode confidently through the crowds, he could feel the eyes of everyone following him. It brought back slightly unpleasant memories of the formal dinners and other affairs that his mother would often take him to.

Once they got to the center of the room, he twisted around in front of her, wrapping his free arm around her waist. Then he closed his eyes, allowing the music to fill him, and began to dance, leading Tenel Ka through the complicated movements.

After a few minutes of dancing, he opened his eyes, and grinned at her. "You can dance pretty well."

A smile flickered across her lips for a moment. "I am getting used to it." They danced for longer. Finally, her eyes caught his again. "Thank you, Anakin."

Anakin shook his head. "I didn't do anything here, Tenel Ka."

Suddenly, her body stiffened, and she stumbled slightly in the next step. Anakin tightened his grip slightly, in case she was about to fall. "What's wrong?"

Tenel Ka's eyes began darting around the room. "It is here," she whispered.

Before Anakin could respond, the windows that lined one side of the hall exploded inwards, showering everyone with small bits of glass.

The people around them, screamed in confusion, and backed away from the wall.

Then a strong wind gusted through the room, and the buffet table exploded, showering food in all directions.

Anakin spun in a circle, looking for the next target. As he did so, he spied Eryl standing still in shock. Before he could process that thought, the people between the buffet table and Eryl suddenly started getting knocked aside one by one.

"Eryl!" Anakin yelled out as soon as he realized that she was the demon's target and started running towards her.

Then Tenel Ka was running past him, Eryl's name came from her lips as a hoarse scream.

The wavering distortation which Anakin associated with the demon finally reached Eryl, and in a heart beat the girl was flying through the air; until she slammed into a wall, hard enough to leave an indention in the plaster. She slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Some part of his mind recognized that Tenel Ka had stopped and he passed her, but he continued on, not stopping until he had reached Eryl's side. He dropped down beside her, cradling her head into his arms. "Eryl? Answer me Eryl. Wake up!"

He glanced around, looking for Tenel Ka. "Where's Tenel Ka?"

Then there was another scream from his left, and he turned that way to see Tenel Ka standing there, her sword held out in front of her, a dark expression on her face.

"Tenel Ka..." Anakin shook his head. Where did she get her sword from, he thought to himself, even as he called out, "Tenel Ka! Wait! Stop!"

But he could see that she was ignoring him. She was captured in her emotions; her tears streamed down her face. She hunched forward slightly, and then darted ahead. The sword rose from a low guard up across her chest ending in a high guard. Then she landed, and sliced down and backwards, splintering a table.

The unseen demon struck her, sending her flying backwards. She twisted in mid air, landed and then darted forward again, attacking once more.

Anakin watched the battle transfixed. Tenel Ka was like a demonness herself. Unbridled fury and rage. Occasionally, when her blade would intersect with the distortation a flash of rainbow colored light would appear.

"Kriff it, Tenel Ka! Stop it! That's enough!" Anakin yelled again.

Tenel Ka continued to ignore him. She dodge the demon, the spot she had been standing exploded in a plume of dust and smoke. She back-flipped onto a table top and then jumped in the air, her blade coming down towards the distortion.

Right before her blade connected, the distortion disappeared. The sword's point lodged itself into the floor and she crumpled down beside it, her breath coming in labored gasps.

From somewhere, Anakin heard Miko yelling. "You've done it now, you Dathomiri witch."

Tenel Ka turned towards him, and Anakin could see the tears that flowed down her face.

Miko yelled again. "This is a serious problem! Don't think you'll get away with this!"

"Tenel Ka..." Eryl whispered in a weak voice from his lap.

For his part, the only thing that Anakin could think was why do things always get more and more kriffed up?

---

Next Post