"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."
"You going to help or not?" she challenged.
He shook his head, his expression inscrutable as he moved toward the two children. He stopped Ziva and corrected her form before prowling toward Joule to do the same. Both children brightened at his presence, their faces turning worshipful as they hadn't when Kira had done the same.
"That's a surprise," Graydon murmured.
"What is?"
"He approves." Graydon turned to face her, a glimmer of admiration in his intelligent eyes. "As do I."
There was a sharp stab of pleasure at his words, surprising Kira. Such a simple statement shouldn't have been enough to unbalance her to this extent, even as she found herself craving more.
She shook off the feelings. She wasn't here to care what Graydon thought of her or her actions. She had more important things to consider, a long overdue mission deserving completion.
She couldn't afford to be tempted by emotion, even if the seriously sexy packaging made her want to spend hours exploring the hard planes and grooves of his body.
He didn't say anything else, moving past her to help Finn as they both worked to guide the kids through the moves, showing them easy modifications when Ziva and Joule struggled.
The children were like flowers in their care, blossoming under the men's instruction.
Kira stayed in the background, her smile dying as loneliness surged up to grab hold. As much fun as flirting with Graydon was or watching the kids come into their own, this was temporary, she reminded herself.
Soon she'd return to her ship and its isolation. Once she might have welcomed the reprieve it offered; now she found herself hesitating as Graydon, Finn, and the Curs made her crave things she hadn't allowed herself to think about in many years.
"There's to be a formal welcome ceremony tomorrow evening," Finn announced, glancing her way. "All of your attendance is mandatory."
The tangent was enough to pull Kira from her melancholy thoughts.
Joule and Ziva paused, looking at each other with guarded expressions, their earlier levity disappearing.
