"Did you?" Kira asked. "Seems to me like you took exception with what someone said and then lost a challenge you issued. You look twice as stupid now."
Kira straightened, dusting imaginary dirt off her pants.
"I am not," Ziva shouted, her eyes pooling with tears and her lower lip beginning to tremble. "I was winning but then his friend threw a rock."
"The weak tend to travel in packs," Kira agreed. "But you showed stupidity too. Picking the time and place for a fight is as important as training for it. You chose a time where he was at his strongest, surrounded by allies. Now he knows your weaknesses and he will come for you again."
Bullies always did. They couldn't help themselves. They now knew what set Ziva off and they'd use the leverage whenever they wanted a boost for their confidence.
Graydon crossed his massive arms and looked at the child. "Better yet, you should have avoided fighting someone stronger than yourself."
"She didn't," Ziva said, pointing at Kira and her assortment of bruises.
"I'm a horrible role model," Kira said lightly. "You shouldn't base any of your actions off me."
She cocked her head. She needed to give the kid something to hold onto. "I'll tell you this much. I didn't go looking for the fight that gave me these. Also, if it’d been my family he insulted, I wouldn't have attacked him. I would have waited until he was alone and vulnerable, and then crushed him so utterly he would never have dared show his face in front of me again."
Ziva looked up at her, her eyes wide as she dipped her chin in grave understanding.
A small sound from the door leading into the Citadel drew their notice. Ayela stood there, her expression slightly incredulous after listening to Kira's advice. Her honey-colored hair was bound in an undone braid that showed her pointed ears.
"Excuse me," Ayela said diffidently, her eyes darting nervously to Graydon. "I'm here for the young ones."
Ziva stiffened, moving closer to Kira's legs, one small hand reaching out to clutch at her pants.
"You were at the airfield when I arrived," Kira said, remembering. She also thought she'd seen her in the audience at the obstacle course.
"Yes, since I am not a warrior or artisan and possess no specialized skill set, my duties vary depending on need," Ayela said.
Kira nodded slowly. "I'll take responsibility for them and see them to the nursery when we're done."
Ziva's hand relaxed slightly.
"Pardon me, but I would be in trouble for letting them wander off," Ayela said. Her tone diffident even as her words challenged.
Graydon shifted next to her, his expression remote. "You may trust they will not come to harm in our care."
Ayela opened her mouth again then closed it, finally bowing and backing away, but not before Kira noted the small flash of anger.
"There is something off about that woman," Kira said once she was gone, staring at the door she'd disappeared through.
"There is something off about a lot of this place," Graydon said seriously. "It's becoming hard to distinguish between what is truth and paranoia."
Kira made a small sound of agreement.
She turned to the two she'd saddled herself with. Someday she'd learn not to take on more responsibility. Today was not that day.
"I guess you two will get your way. I'll show you a few moves before dinner time," she said.
The two let out twin cheers.
Kira glanced at Graydon. "Call your minions from their hiding spots. They can be useful and act as punching dummies."
Graydon's expression was inscrutable as he held her gaze. After a long moment, he gave a nod.
Two of his soldiers materialized in the middle of the courtyard as if stepping out of thin air. One second she and Graydon were alone with the children, and then suddenly they weren’t.
Handy trick that. She’d give her left arm to learn it.
Kira watched them, not particularly surprised at their presence. Given Graydon's insistence she be accompanied by Finn at all times, she'd assumed they’d be around somewhere, hidden but close, in case of need.
"I thought so," she said. They were good. She'd barely detected their presence and she knew the woman hadn't.
Nor had the children, if their wide eyes and exclamations of surprise were anything to go by.
Kira clapped her hands. "Alright, let's get started."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The afternoon was surprisingly pleasant as Kira ran the two through a set of drills to discover what they already knew and what they thought they knew but had applied incorrectly.
Their base was good. Much better than Kira would have assumed given their ages.
She straightened from where she'd been showing Joule how to set his feet, as Finn strode out of one of the alcoves leading to the Citadel, his expression thunderous.
"Where have you been?" he spat.
She cocked her head. "Around."
"I left to sleep for two hours and you were gone when I returned," he ground out. If he'd been a dog, his ears would have been pinned against his skull and his teeth bared.
"You've found me now," Kira said.
"Several hours later. Do you know what could happen to you?" he said.
"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me," she said.
"You could have been kidnapped. Not to mention killed ten times over in the time you've been wandering around unprotected," he spat. "How would you feel if someone tortured you for that length of time? I promise you a minute can feel like hours if the right technique is applied."
"Sounds awful," Kira observed. "Perhaps you could demonstrate one of these methods. For educational purposes, of course."
Finn blinked at her, obviously wrestling with a desire to strangle her that was in direct contrast to his duty. He slowly started shaking his head and then kept shaking it, physically taking two steps back as he looked around the impromptu training yard.
Graydon's minions looked sympathetic to his plight, their lips twitching.
"You're a menace," Finn told her.
Kira nodded. "So I've been told."
She'd never let that stop her before. She didn't see why she'd change now.
Finn cast a look at Graydon who shrugged his massive shoulders and smirked, as if to say what did you expect.
Finn noticed the children as they performed their drills at a pace three times slower than normal. Their movements were simple, the kind of thing even beginners could do. Both had protested they were past this stage, but Kira had insisted.
The complicated maneuvers had their place, but without a firm foundation in the basics, they would face problems later. Kira was a firm believer that sometimes the simplest methods were the most effective. The rest was improvisation and adapting to the changing dynamics of the situation.
"What are they doing?" he asked with a scowl.
"Practicing," Kira said succinctly.
"Practicing for what?"
"The shitstorm that is life."
He narrowed his eyes and sent an expectant look Graydon's way. "You approved this?"
Graydon nodded, giving Kira a sidelong look filled with speculation. "She presented a very good case."