"You sound like you’re familiar with him," Kira said.
Uncertainty crossed Finn’s face. "One of my previous swords was a friend of his."
Kira was surprised he was the one to broach this subject. Since Yukina’s revelations, he’d made a point to keep a low profile.
There was something in the careful way he held himself that said he wasn’t ready to reopen this wound. Kira could respect that.
From the way his shoulders loosened when she didn’t say anything else, she realized she’d made the right decision.
Movement pulled Kira’s attention to the tableau in front of her.
An oshota stood guard as a figure not much taller than Kira's waist spun and twirled, executing kick after punch after flip in a short drill Kira recognized.
The figure spun again, showing her the person's face.
Kira inhaled sharply, forcing herself not to move as the oshota tensed, fixating on her like a papa wolf who’d spotted a danger to his pup.
Said pup wobbled as she immediately tried to flow into the next sequence of movements. There was a hitch in her step as she recovered.
Not bad, Kira conceded, but the pup still had a way to go.
Kira stopped several feet from the oshota and young girl. She waited, knowing getting any closer would only escalate the situation. The oshota didn't know who she was. If he perceived her as a threat, he would be within his rights to eliminate Kira.
In the next second, the girl spun, her leg sweeping out in a graceful arc.
She spotted Kira, her eyes widening as she lost focus. Unfortunately for her, her momentum didn't stop. She tripped, nearly face-planting before she caught herself again.
Kira folded her arms across her chest and stared at the waif. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"
Kira pretended not to see the way the oshota tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword in clear threat as her niece looked up at her with guilt written across her face.
"Hi, Auntie. Some unexpected things happened."
Kira's eyebrow twitched. "Oh? Do tell."
Elena flinched at Kira’s expression.
"I just thought I could help," Elena muttered, deflating.
"Instead, you got caught—and now I'm caught. What have we learned?" Kira asked, not letting herself soften.
They were dealing with extremely dangerous entities. Things had worked out this time because it was Graydon. What if it had been someone else who'd locked onto Elena because of her actions?
Kira's way of speaking might seem harsh—maybe even mean—but she'd much prefer Elena learn with words rather than experience the much more brutal lessons their enemies would teach if they ever caught her.
The oshota watched the two carefully, dropping his hand from his en-blade as he concluded Kira wasn’t a threat.
Elena answered in a monotone. "Not to act recklessly, or else I’ll put everyone in danger."
Kira's smile was humorless. "You don’t seem quite convinced."
Elena shot up her head, her eyes widening. "No. I've learned my lesson. I promise."
"Too late." Kira clapped her hands. "Time for some remedial lessons."
Elena groaned. "I hate those."
"Which is why I do them."
