"Ugh…" I groaned, falling onto the bed.
"Where do you keep disappearing to all the time?!" Ramira complained, starting to heal me. Simple applications of the Force relieved fatigue well and healed minor wounds—exactly the ones Master Tsikuna missed while setting my fractures. Yeah, I've got the nerve to walk into the girls' room like I own it, regardless of anything. Well, where else do you rest after brutal training if not here? Besides, my room is even farther, and right now every step is hard.
"I'm doing additional Force training," I grumble, staring at the ceiling.
"And you're not sick of it? There isn't a living spot on you. And who the hell teaches you LIKE THAT?!" Ramira ranted, yet kept working over me. My muscles gradually relaxed, the pain faded, and my skin tone returned to normal.
"Sadly… I need it," I sigh, then suddenly feel a light prick in my hand. "Ow!"
"Oh, how delicate we are," Ramira threw out, putting away a little cylinder with my blood.
"Hey!"
"Need it," she said, and that was it.
"Why?!"
"I want to check something…"
"Instead of going for a walk with us, eating, at least hanging out more often, you're off somewhere doing something," Ves grumbled, settling beside me.
"With you? Or with you?" a sly smile crawls onto my face on its own.
"Of course with me. Uh, I mean… idiot!" A light punch landed in my shoulder. Only, judging by her emotions, the indignation was very skillfully acted—inside, the cat was having fun.
"Big-time. Not on speaking terms with my brain," I wrap an arm around her and brazenly flop onto my side. I feel bright shock mixed with a storm of joy.
"Strange," Ramira drew our attention.
"Mmm?"
"Your midichlorian level in your blood went up," she stated, thoughtfully biting a nail on her thumb. "Very strange. No, it's logical, but the fluctuations are too high…"
"Rami, please explain for a teapot."
"When we first came here, they took blood from all of us. Since I hang out in the medical wing, they let me see our group's analyses, so I know who has what level. Right now your midichlorian count is fifteen thousand, and when we first came here it didn't even exceed twelve." She paused and looked at me. "What kind of training are you doing?! To raise your connection to the Force like that, you'd have to regularly do something serious. Very, very serious. And not only that—your whole self would have to be constantly bathed in the Force like an X-ray."
"Hold on, hold on, hold on," I slow our medic down, catching one main question. "Answer this first…"
"Well?"
"I don't understand—don't midichlorians regulate your connection to the Force?"
"No. Where did you even hear that?!"
"Uh… doesn't matter. Then how?"
"Your connection to the Force is yours and yours alone. Midichlorians need beings with high Force sensitivity to survive. And the higher the sensitivity, the more comfortable they are, so they'll multiply. Their number is used to determine a being's Force level."
"A-a-ah…" and mentally I add, "Anakin, you cheater! To be born on a desert planet with over twenty thousand right off the bat—that's insane! And I don't even know what pisses me off more: that he had that perk from the start, or that he wasted the perk!"
Shaking myself, I come back to the real world.
"Alright, okay, I get it. Thanks. But what's the problem that has you upset?"
"You have too big a difference in indicators," she returned to the monitor. "It shouldn't be like that. Usually that kind of growth is seen in those who go too deep into one aspect of the Force or the other. In that case, midichlorians start multiplying like yeast. But that's not your case," she shot me a sideways look, accompanied by a flare of disbelief. "You're in balance. And here I honestly can't understand how… how did you raise your Force sensitivity like that?"
"Uh…" I remember being turned into a pancake, and with completely honest eyes I answer, "No idea how. Maybe it's the training effect."
"Suppose. But answer—what kind of training is it? What are you doing?"
"I'm going through an advanced course," and with that I peel myself off Ves, raise a hand, and ignite a small bead of fire in my palm. Clenching my fist, I snuff it out and look at the amazed guys. "Don't get excited—this is pure masochism."
"Why?" Ves looked extremely interested. She was always attracted to the idea of becoming stronger and achieving something, becoming a recognized Master. Understandable—she's a girl from a small, distant colony.
"Normally they cover that material in a safe setting without harming the student, but it takes years, if not decades. I'm being run through an express course, forced to learn the full power of these techniques on my own body."
"That's insane!" Ramira exclaimed.
"It's effective," I answer with a sigh. "Don't get excited, guys—it really hurts. But with my lifestyle, there's no other way. If I leave here without 'above average' training, I'll sign my own death warrant. Luckily Mom provided me with minimal training, and here I'm getting average… if you can put it that way."
"Actually, after graduation we'll have a personal mentor either way. They'll take over the training."
"And here my gut says a disaster is waiting for me."
"A disaster?" the girls exchanged glances.
"A fluffy little animal with white fur. It lives on another planet. Its feature is that it comes completely suddenly, silently. You don't expect it, and then it's there. It's often used as an analogy for trouble—like, trouble came from where you didn't expect."
"Interesting animal… first time I've heard of it," Ramira murmured thoughtfully. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Yes?"
"Ramira, you coming soon?" The door opened and Zeng appeared.
"Oh, right away," our healer grabbed her bag on the spot, tossed in a couple things, threw me a tube of healing alchemical ointment, and ran to the door. "That's it, I'm off for a walk, bye-bye. Ves, I'm leaving the room to you," she waved and disappeared out the door together with one of the twins.
"The hell?!" I turn to Ves. "Am I missing something?"
"Zeng started dating Rami, and Feng is dating Ayana."
"Ayana?! I thought they didn't get along…" I stare at the ceiling, remembering how those two constantly snapped at each other. Ayana is a Twi'lek girl from Chikaagu, and she's got a far-from-peaceful temper. On the other hand, I can be happy for my friend.
"Yeah. I think even Gris started seeing someone," Ves finished me.
"O'valik!" I blurt out in Togruta, stunned.
"Or, not so much dating as writing letters, since she's from Ska-Gora."
"Ah… that makes sense," I nod. Ska-Gora has a lot of Wookiees, so it's not hard to guess our shaggy friend found himself a partner of his own species. "Want me to help with the cream?" Ves changed the subject, taking the tube and turning it in her hands, studying my face.
"I'd appreciate it."
When I turned face-down into the pillow, my shirt was pulled off, and she sat astride me and began rubbing the healing cream into the spots on my skin.
"I've fallen behind on life with all these trainings," I grumble into the pillow.
"Only noticed now?" Ves giggled.
"Yeah. They're dating, these are scheming… and I'm clueless."
"Shade, do you realize you have more extra duty and private lessons than classes?" indignation flared from Ves.
"I find it funny," I snort.
"And I don't."
"Hm?"
"Where's that Shade who came to the temple with us? Not a day went by when you didn't tease me—and I'm not even talking about how you always wanted to scratch behind my ear."
"You have very cute ears," I smile.
"Yeah," she got embarrassed, "but now I barely even see you. You're always disappearing somewhere."
"And that's good! Ouch! Ves!" I protest as she hits a bruise.
"Is my company really that unpleasant for you?" she pouted at me.
"I didn't say that. I said that for safety reasons, sometimes it's better to keep your distance from me to avoid, so to speak, an accident."
"You're an idiot. A complete idiot."
"I've never denied that."
"Heh. So what—between those trainings you don't even date anyone?"
"If I do, it's the bed and pillow," I smile, and Ves laughs too.
"What, no one even in mind?"
"Well… depends," I turn my head and look at that sly little face. "Why?"
"And who is she?" Oof, how Ves flared. Indignation, anger, regret, hurt… no, sweetheart, where are you going with that? Come on…
"Cute, pretty, with ears… and I scratched her behind the ear too." The Cathar got embarrassed, and not a trace of that storm remained.
"Seriously?"
"Absolutely."
"So you do like me?"
"You already know the answer," I close my eyes, melting under the shoulder massage. Ves leaned closer and whispered in my ear:
"I want to hear it."
"Yes, Ves. I like you," and quieter I add, "not every girl can even tolerate me, not to mention a relationship. You yourself said I'm always disappearing somewhere. I don't give attention. Almost. And even when I do, it's… unconventional, let's say. And you… not only tolerate it, you even make sure I've got a full fridge and a clean room. Thank you, Ves."
"If so, then why do I have to wait so long?!" she snapped, digging her claws into my back.
"A-a-ow!" I jerk, almost bouncing, but the Cathar sitting on top pressed me down firmly. "I-I-I mean?" I raise an eyebrow, managing to turn onto my back with effort. Ves didn't even plan to get off—on the contrary, she braced her paws on my chest and stared into my eyes. Stared in a very wrong way, and in her emotions there was something I couldn't quite parse.
"Exactly what I mean! Where's the romance? Where's the courting?"
"Uh…"
"Where are my well-deserved kisses, finally?!" she grabbed me with claws like a predator ready to gut its prey.
"I kissed you!"
"I mean real ones, not your 'smack,'" her paws closed around my neck, and for a moment it felt like she was about to kill me.
"I-I'll fix it!"
"You? Fix it?" Ves asked in a venomous tone.
"Mmm, fair point. But this time I really will! For such a cute sweetheart I'll do anything!"
"I don't want to wait. You've been tormenting me these last takedus as it is."
"Huh?" It was like the air got knocked out of me by those words.
"Oh, great Force—everyone has boyfriends like boyfriends, and you…" she groaned tiredly, lifting her eyes to the ceiling for a moment. "Why do I have to do everything myself?"
With those words she leaned in and kissed me. Passionately, extremely diligently, and completely clumsily, running her palms along my skin from neck to cheeks. Surprise paralyzed me worse than Force shackles. Pulling back, I see a crowd of little devils dancing in her eyes, and very specific feelings started dominating her emotions. First and foremost, there was Passion, followed by a possessive desire to claim me.
"V-ve-es? Wh—"
"Shh," she pressed a finger to my lips. "No words." Then she latched onto me again, pressing her chest against me. That was the last drop, and all my self-control—trained over years—went straight to hell. Hugging that beauty back, I run my palms along her arching back down to her hips.
A moment—and I saw a small ripple in the Force, and a click of the door lock sounded in the room. The emotional background was drowning me. Alongside desire and passion there was also shyness, and confidence, and a pushy determination that made me think of someone throwing themselves into an abyss—as if there was no road back anymore. And all of it was seasoned with a pinch of fear, which sobered me just enough to let a thought reach my brain.
"Ves," I pull back a little, forcing myself under control.
"You don't want to?" surprise flared in her, mixed with hurt.
"Nonsense. I want to, but…"
"Then stop talking," she breathed sensually, licking my cheek. Her slightly rough tongue left conflicting sensations. Even now, even in a moment like this, reason tried to break through—but this time, no. Ves herself crushed the last spark, unnoticed unfastening my belt and sliding a hand beneath it.