Silas directed his attention to Liara. "If this is acceptable to you, Overlord."
Liara's smile was faint. "Of course. We're pleased Joule will get this chance. The remnants of their House and I will expect regular reports and visits to ensure their continued wellbeing."
Kira's attention jerked to her cousin. Now she saw why Liara had been willing to let Joule and Ziva make this attempt. It wasn't because she thought they'd be better off—although Kira had no doubt that was part of it. Instead, Liara had neatly managed to come up with a way to keep tabs on Kira.
Respect crept into Silas's gaze, and he inclined his head in a formal bow.
"Well played," Graydon murmured.
There was the slightest quirk to Liara's lips that said she heard and appreciated the compliment.
It left an uneasy feeling in Kira's gut. She didn't like the thought of Joule and Ziva being pawns in a larger game. She'd been in that position too many times to be comfortable sentencing someone else to that fate.
"Ziva," Joule said, sounding lost and shocked. This turn of events had been nowhere in his calculations, Kira was sure. It was a harsh, but necessary, lesson that things wouldn’t always go his way.
"You need to go," Ziva said in a strong voice. She had a cocky smile on her face even as Kira caught the faintest tremble in her hands. "I'll catch up soon enough."
Joule shook his head, the sting of betrayal in his eyes. Kira could see his resolve wavering. She didn't blame him. Both children had lost more than any should have to bear. They'd probably clung to each other harder as a result. Now, their goals threatened to separate them for an unknown length of time.
Kira exhaled heavily and moved toward them. She set a hand on Joule's head, before flicking him in the forehead.
Joule touched the spot and glared, anger replacing the lost look he'd had. Good. The other expression hadn't suited him at all. "What was that for?"
She leveled a censorious glance on him. "Are you thinking clearly again?"
His gaze fell, his shoulders rounding before he nodded.
"Good, it looks like we're about to move. Why don't you say goodbye to Liara?" Kira told him.
His lips flattened mulishly before his gaze went to Ziva. His eyes softened, and he jerked his chin down slowly, a wealth of promise there. "I won't let us down."
Ziva's small body shook next to Kira, but she still managed an enthusiastic cry of approval. Joule spun, striding toward Luatha's Overlord.
There was a sniffle next to Kira, Ziva's composure cracking. Kira saw the girl glaring at the gate even as tears trailed down her cheek.
The girl had done well to put up a front for this long.
Kira dropped to a knee, getting to Ziva's level and blocking her from the rest of those in the room. By now silent sobs wracked Ziva's small body, the girl's hands clenched into fists as determination blazed from her eyes. Kira smiled. That was her girl.
She pulled Ziva into a hug, pressing the child's face against her shoulder and ignoring the tears soaking her shirt. "Well done."
"I don't want to be left behind," Ziva gasped.
Kira nodded. She understood that feeling. She'd been left behind more times than she liked to think about. She'd done the leaving a time or two. It never got any easier. "I don't think anyone does."
Kira ran a hand over Ziva's silky hair. She saw too much of herself in Ziva. The girl was a survivor. Incredibly brave and foolish at the same time with a chip on her shoulder. Joule too. They both made Kira remember the lost little girl she'd once been. She couldn't walk away, not without making sure Ziva would be all right. "This is going to hurt. You're going to feel lonely. That's okay. Use those feelings to make yourself stronger."
Kira drew back, her gaze finding Ziva's as she shared the things she wished someone would have told her. "You're going to be tempted to close yourself off from others. Don't let yourself fall into that trap. You will both experience many things from now on. It will change you. Your worlds will slowly shift, and you will grow. Make those friends, Ziva. They will help during darker times."
Both Joule and Ziva were so young. It was entirely possible that by the time they found their way back to each other, they would be different than the other remembered, neither fitting so easily into the other's world.
Kira hoped that didn't happen, but that was the way of life. You grew. You evolved. Sometimes toward one another; other times away. Only the two of them could decide which direction they'd take.
Ziva's tears had faded, and she had a focused look on her face that said she was internalizing Kira's words. Kira squeezed her shoulder and stood. She hoped they were helpful, that they'd provide comfort in the lonely days ahead.
"I will make our dream a reality," Ziva promised in a fervent voice.
Kira couldn't help a small smile at that statement. The arrogance of youth. She could do with a little of that herself.
