Sugar and spice and everything nice

[Samka Derith]

It was all fun and games but Funami had revealed a likely ambition in the midst of things. To be the most powerful telekinetic prodigy in the galaxy? Well it was always nice to aim high. Or... did she already think that she was?

"My, my, a Jedi spy all along. How deceitful!" The Ren said with mock surprise.

A quick sense in the nearby vicinity revealed no sentient life around. It was safe for Sam to use her abilities without discovery. A crackle of lightning flickered between Sam's fingertips, passing from one to the other then probing the barrier around her. The blue threads of electricity were weak and stood no chance of overcoming the shield which covered her. It was not remotely comparable to the Lightning attacks Funami had witnessed earlier, just a few thin bolts which harmlessly struck the shield before retreating back into the Ren's hand.

Admitting defeat, Sam hung her head and looked at Funami with her best, wide-eyed sad face. "Your Orb of Protection has bested me, Master Jedi. I pledge myself at your mercy and ask that you help me reform my wickedness."

[member="Funami Teriyaki"]​

 

[Funami Teriyaki]

Witnessing Sam’s display of Dark side mastery again, Funami’s eyes greedily leered at the strands of blue energy dancing between her fingertips. One of the most iconic powers among Dark side practitioners, Force lightning had always been among those impractical, yet fancy powers to wield. Although Funami knew telekinesis to be vastly more versatile and dwarfing most abilities Force users could learn, her heart still lusted for those crackling bolts of electricity. Her inner sadist craved it, especially after seeing Sam do the horrific deed several levels below.

Lifting her chin and proudly looking down on the trapped Dark side user, the wise Jedi master cocked her head in consideration. These decisions required plenty of thought! One could not just let a captured Sith lord go! Then again, the wily Sith pledged redemption! Funami instinctively sensed the Sith’s words were pure and void of lies. Knowing Sam’s honor would keep her from ever using the Dark side again, the pink-haired Jedi overlord shrugged. At that moment, the barrier around Sam collapsed into tiny energy fragments that shattered in the wind vanished forever. Another Dark side user redeemed!

“Hey, do you see now why begging isn’t out of character for me?” The girl commented, the corners of her mouth curling into a sly smile. “Most people in the galaxy aren’t sociopaths. They will hesitate to kill an unarmed little girl who begs for her life. It buys me enough time to raise a shield or strike when their guard is down.”

Shrugging again and folding her arms across her chest, the girl longingly looked at Sam’s hands. Their softness continued to fascinate her in a weird, morbid way. The hands of a cold-blooded murderer weren’t supposed to be soft and gentle, not like Sam's or even her own. Especially if the same hands generated electricity and engaged in cold-blooded torture.

“You’re gonna teach me that spell, right?” Funami quickly added and raised a hand, wiggling her fingers. “Bzzzzt!”

[member="Samka Derith"]​

 

[Samka Derith]

The prison around her disappeared and Sam made a show of loudly exhaling in relief and placing her palm on her chest. "My gratitude," she said, bowing her head in respect. It was odd to play around like this. When was the last time she had done so? As a literal child, perhaps? Such a lifetime ago...

Funami seemed to have stopped her games and was slyly using it to justify her earlier whimpering behaviour. The brunette leaned forwards on the bench and tilted her head, partially agreeing with the girl's reasoning. "Yes but no. Most people in the galaxy aren't and it'll likely be an effective method against Jedi at the least however you were dealing with an accomplished practitioner of the Dark Side. You know as well as I what that means in terms of empathy and mercy. Given the fact that you'd tried to murder me just a moment prior, I would have slain you without hesitation if I deemed it necessary. Although I'm glad I didn't, you make entertaining company."

"Oh and of course," Sam extended her hand towards the younger girl and a few harmless blue bolts passed through the air to where Funami had raised her own hand. They'd hardly hurt, more of a little jolt similar to those one got from touching a charged object. "I'll teach you all that I can to give you every advantage. I have a good feeling about you, Funami," Sam said with a simpering giggle. "I think we'll make a most excellent fit."

[member="Funami Teriyaki"]​

 

[Funami Teriyaki]

Whizzing at incredible speed, the blue bolts of electricity snatched after Funami’s hand and tickled against her skin. Quickly drawing her hand back and sucking at the spot where the evil energy bit, Funami looked a bit confused. She had not expected the signature power of Sith to be this playful and harmless. In hindsight, it made perfect sense though. Just as her own telekinesis could crush metal and gently carry an egg, Force lightning’s power output could also be controlled. How long did one have to train to reach this degree of skill? Two years? Five? Ten? Unable to give an accurate guess as she had never formally trained her psychokinesis in the first place, she just shrugged it off.

A slick pop as her lips parted with her hand and Funami posed akimbo, looking smug as Sam’s praise polished her ego and self-confidence. A spoiled brat who craved attention, Funami wasn’t above accepting compliments, especially those who spoke of her incredible potential and bright future. She liked that. She like that a lot.

In the corner of her eyes, she noticed three vibrant shadows. Turning her head, she discovered three colorful, well-fed birds that displayed no shame about parading up close to the two young women and stealing the seeds formerly used as ammunition. Sam was right. They did take advantage of the kindness of others. Looking at it from that perspective made Funami realize she wasn’t all that different. Casting her eyes back at Sam, the Sithling clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward, giving the impression of an overly enthusiastic puppy who wished nothing more than to please its master.

“We are an excellent fit! That is why you’re the best teacher I could ask for!” Funami gave a toothy grin accompanied by a decisive nod. “Hey, isn’t it great? I am your little sis and disciple in one! Think of what we’ll accomplish together!”

Thus far all Sith she had met, minus the Emperor himself, lacked ambition. An ambitious girl, Funami did not share their morals and values, their sense of duty toward something greater. She wanted to grow, acquire power and influence alike.

“So where do we start, my lord?” The young Sith acolyte asked with a playful twinge in her voice.

[member="Samka Derith"]​

 

[Samka Derith]

Samka giggled at the little Sith's reaction to her lightning. She looked a little bewildered, perhaps she was caught off guard. Funami displayed such advanced knowledge of certain areas of the Force yet so little with others. Sam wondered just what shape her previous training had taken.

"Such a sweet pupil," Samka chuckled at Funami's enthusiastic display. "We will accomplish much, you're so right." She leaned back with a smile, somewhat guiltily enjoying the attention. She knew it was all a part of the child's games and fake personas but that didn't stop it being charming.

"Oh I'm no Lord," Samka snorted and gave a dismissive flippant gesture with her hand. "You need not address me so formally, we are friends first are we not?" Now she paused, placing tapping a finger on her chin in thought. So where did they start? Memories of her own training began to resurface. Locked in a dark room. Cages. Experiments. Jungles and deserts used as survivalist training. Did it suit Funami? She didn't want to dolt on the girl too much, tough love could do wondrous things but it also may not suit the pupil. In a one to one grouping like this, tailoring for the student's needs and style was essential. Somehow, she already didn't think Funami would respond too well to beatings.

"I think I need a full evaluation first," Sam finally said, turning back to meet those bright and eager violet eyes. "So a fair testing ground is needed to assess your current abilities. Mandalore was a quick, chaotic affair with much of your antics out of my line of sight. Now I had planned to leave this Loovria slave trade affair to Cloud City's authorities and consider the matter resolved but... Are you free next week?" Sam batted her lashes at the younger girl.

[member="Funami Teriyaki"]​

 

[Funami Teriyaki]

Funami looked at Sam funny. This was the second time her future master rejected formalities and opted for a more friendly and casual approach. For a society of murderous sociopaths who strived to take over the galaxy, practitioners of the Dark did not appear to dwell on formalities. That, or perhaps Funami’s adorable charm of youth and inexperience had a way of bringing out love in even the darkest of hearts. She definitely liked the latter more, as it meant her petty little manipulations worked as intended. It ultimately did not matter; Funami could switch her attitude in any way her master required. An adaptable little imp, she was fully capable of erasing the silly girl act and replacing it with one of sharp formality.

Though admittedly, being cold and dispassionate was nowhere near as fun.

Smiling broadly, the Sithling heard out Sam’s plan. An evaluation of sorts. So far her history had been one of disappointment. Promising great things and never delivering, the young girl had been branded a coward by several fellow acolytes. It came with playing a harmless little rabbit and meant she knew how to play well. The situation had changed now though. With Sam’s awareness of what lied behind Funami’s sweet mask, there was little need for the girl to ridiculously downplay her abilities. Blinking, the pink-haired girl shifted her weight from one leg to another and pursed her lips.

“Um, no! But I could excuse my absence in school by claiming to have important family matters to attend! And it’s true, I’ll be helping my big sister, right?” She said all merry and stuck out her tongue. “Just tell me where and when and what to bring!”

The lure of more killing could not be resisted. Another craving she suffered from, among others. The little Sith looked forward to it, eager to test her power against living beings again without ever having to worry about consequences. That was the whole point of being Sith. Having fun doing whatever she wanted and making good friends along the way.

[member="Samka Derith"]​

 

[Samka Derith]

"School," Sam repeated with a smile. "Of course, you can't sacrifice your grades or attendance too much. You could get in trouble." Such a carefree life it must be. "Well I'd like you to bring what you would expect to take on a violent adventure. Presumably your Lightsaber and whatever other weaponry you'd use. I'll give you 48 hours notice and send you coordinates to meet me near Loovria and there we'll take of things together, it will be a thrill to truly see you in action!" Sam grinned at the little Sith. She meant it. It would be fascinating to analyse the little girl's abilities.

She stood up abruptly and stretched. With a happy hum, she brushed past Funami to the edge of the trees and tossed the remainder of the bird seed in the forest. There was flurry as a number of birds and the rodent from earlier rushed in to scavenge the seeds. Sam watched the animals and let out another soft giggle. "Such sweet little things," she turned to Funami, "much like you in another respect then, aren't they?" The giggle got a little louder and Sam brought her hand to her mouth.

"Now then," she extended her hand to the bench and the parasol snapped to her open palm then the Ren extended her free hand to her pink haired companion to take. "Is there more you'd like to see or shall I escort you to your ship?"

[member="Funami Teriyaki"]​

 

[Funami Teriyaki]

“Eh?” Funami frowned, either not grasping Sam’s comment about the birds or feigning ignorance. Whatever the case, her small hand reached up and grabbed her companion’s hand, small fingers curling about Sam’s palm. Looking up at the not so towering, but still taller companion, she flashed a devious smile and drew a deep breath. Her violet eyes were fixed upon Sam’s expression, scrutinizing every detail to see her reaction to the little detail about to slip off her tongue. Her feet started to slowly pad over the path, walking next to the elegant woman. Although maintaining the image of relative calmness, the child felt ready to explode with excitement. Partly because she had gained another teacher to help her climb the pathway to greatness, partly because of what she was about to say.

“Oh, there sure is more I’d like to see,” the girl lowered her eyebrows in a playful frown. “As I will be spending one more day here, tee-hee-hee~! You cannot get rid of meee!”

Laughing, she leaned closer and ended up brushing against Sam’s arm. With this affectionate and very intentional gesture, she looked up and pouted, once more becoming the most adorable little thing in the universe.

“There’s no school today or tomorrow, you know. Because of school holiday. Sooo~, you’ll show me around, right? We'll eat cake and visit places.”

[member="Samka Derith"]​

 

[Samka Derith]

"One more day?" Sam repeated, her eyebrows raised in surprise. The child was giggling, brushing against her, little fingers curled around her hand then a childish pout accompanied by a request sealed the performance. "Well that wasn't included in my invitation, I did specify one day," Sam tutted and made a show of thinking hard about Funami's request while offering her hand an encouraging squeeze.

"But oh very well," Samka relented, "I can't possibly say no to a face like that one, can I?" The Ren chuckled and reached over to ruffle her companion's pink hair. As soft as can be.

She'd arrange for a fancy hotel room for the pair to stay in tonight, she did not yet trust the girl to such an extent that she'd show Funami where she lived and have her stay the night. The little terror had attempted to murder her just a few hours previous. She was already cautious about demonstrating too many links between herself and Cloud City, the Sith child may already be able to connect some dots - she wouldn't have gotten this far by being a fool.

For now though, she'd enjoy the child's company. "I'd be delighted to keep you around. Now that I know you're interested, there's actually a most fantastic music store in the shopping district. Come along! I'll show you!"

With a skip and a hop, she tugged Funami's hand to lead her to their destination. A smile crossed her lips as she realised that, despite the torture and attempted murder, this was one of most fun and carefree days she'd had in a very long time.

[member="Funami Teriyaki"]​