Private What Friends Are For [Naamino]

[Leshanna]

Takes Place Before the Trial of Ozzuk Thren


Leshanna was restless; she was supposed to be studying for an upcoming quiz that covered topics over the reconstituted Sith Empire, but she just couldn’t keep her mind focused on the information that she needed to know. Instead, she was bothered by something that had happened earlier on in her day, or more like…something that had been said to her.

While in a practice duel under the watchful eye of Darth Thaliax, her opponent had said that she ‘fought like a girl’, and was ‘only as strong as one’. She knew it to be an insult, meant to rankle her and get under her skin, and though she had tried so hard to not let it get to her…she had failed. She had not only lost her duel, but had been chastised by Darth Thaliax harshly in front of everyone. She really didn’t hold that against the Battlemaster; he was doing his job after all, but the situation still stuck with her and left a sour taste in her mouth.

She’d been mocked by her opponent, and others, and even now their mocking words floated through her mind - distracting her.

Sighing in her frustration, Leshanna snapped her study book shut and shoved it into her bag, alongside her notes. She stormed from the library, a dark scowl on her face that indicated that she was in no mood to talk. Most gave her space as she passed by them, though a few purposefully stood in her way - to which she shouldered past without concern or care. A couple tried to harass her but she flipped them the bird as she carried on her way.

Eventually she reached her dormitory and her personal chambers, where she threw her bag across the room and slammed the door shut behind her via manipulation of the Force. She paced in her small room, trying to decide what she was going to do about the situation.

If she ‘fought like a girl’...then maybe that meant she needed to have more lessons to help hone her fighting skills. And if she was ‘as strong as a girl’...then that must have meant that she wasn’t very strong at all. She was involved in vigorous physical exercises…but maybe it wasn’t enough. Clearly, such things got under her skin…because she believed them. And the stern comments passed to her by Thaliax hadn’t helped any - it only reinforced such beliefs and thoughts.

So what was she to do about it? She saw the problem, now she needed to find a way to fix it.

After a while of pacing and considering, Lesh came to a decision and she turned around and walked out of her room. Her pace was more casual this time, but she still carried a scowl on her face. She knew someone who just might be able to help her with, someone she trusted enough to help her in this and not make fun of her. And she had an idea on where she might find him.

It took some navigating, but she eventually found the gym. Surprisingly, very few people were within, but she did spy the one person she had hoped to find.

Naamino Zuukamano .

Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside and quietly made her way towards him, suddenly feeling rather shy. The scowl still remained on her face, but it was softened now.

“Hey…Naamino? Umm..sorry to bother you. But I had-have…I have a question for you.” she started, stumbling over her words slightly, much to her embarrassment as her cheeks flushed pink slightly.

Off to a great start already. Nice Lesh.

 

[Naamino Zuukamano]

Pushing almost silently through his latest set, Naami had a slight sheen of sweat from the bench press he was currently moving at the highest weight he'd yet lifted without having a spotter or a droid on standby to help. The gym had droids stationed there for safety of course, but something about an unfamiliar droid really creeped him out. He didn't trust anything or anyone with an internal experience so inaccessible to his own understanding. So he made due without a spotter that day.

Nevertheless, the boy caught sight of his friend mid set and decided to rack the weights early. Naami sat up, eyeing his friend with curiosity but he had an unusually open expression on his face now he wasn't focused on not dying under the crushing weight of the bar. The zabrak was wearing a compression shirt as well as his customary tailored pants which fit snugly at waist and ankles, along with his trusty black boots. The blue hand wraps covering knuckles and forearms appeared slightly stained with sweat though the teen was not yet winded.

"Hey Lesh- not a bother. What's up?"

Compared to how Naami treated most peers, his tone was downright friendly. Even the intense blue of his eyes seemed more mellow in the controlled setting of a familiar gym with few others around.

 

[Leshanna]

Tag: Naamino Zuukamano
​

Leshanna flickered a cautious glance towards the few other individuals who were within the gym besides Naamino, before she turned her focus back on him. He seemed to have noticed her before she made her presence known, and he finished his set early and set the bar back before sitting up to watch her approach with curiosity in his bright blue eyes. He greeted her warmly when she announced that she had a question, and the friendliness in his tone of voice momentarily stunned her into silence. She was so used to him being gruff and grumpy, that this open and warm side of him mildly caught her off guard.

The girl blinked - before her eyes drifted over him in his slightly sweat dampened compression shirt and fitted black pants. An unconscious expression of appraisal drifted across her lightly freckled face. “Wow…Naami you’re looking really good!” She said softly, before she realized what she had said and heat flooded her cheeks and she lifted a hand to hide her face briefly.

“I…sorry, that kind of came out of nowhere.” She muttered, trying to compose herself and recall why she had come to find him in the first place. She didn’t really know why seeing him in his workout outfit made her suddenly feel all shy and flustered; was it because she rarely saw him like this? And clearly his workout sessions were working on him…he was filling out and that definitely caught her eye.

…why had she come here again?

Right. I was looking for him to help me.

She blinked again when she looked at him, before pulling herself together enough to respond back. “Uh…right. Umm. I was wondering if you could help me out with a couple of things…” She rubbed the back of her neck underneath her hair, clearly feeling a bit awkward.

What the heck was wrong with her??

She sighed heavily in frustration - mostly at herself. “I was in Darth Thaliax’s class today and had to do a duel against another first year. He said ‘I fought like a girl’…and that I was ‘as strong as one’. He…meant it as an insult and though I tried to not let it get to me, it did. I got in trouble, a bit - Thaliax scolded me and kinda drove the point home that…I’m not where I’m supposed to be. I’m kinda falling behind in the whole…being strong department. I spend too much time in the library instead of practicing my katas and working out…like you do.”

Lesh gave her friend a half-hearted smile, and it would be clear to him that she was rather embarrassed to even admit such a thing to him - but she trusted him enough to seek him out for help. “I guess…I wanted to ask if you would be willing to help me out? You’re doing really good in saber training I hear and…well…” She gestured to him and the weight rack there with him.

“...clearly this is all working for you.”

 

[Naamino Zuukamano]

Dark eyebrows raised and blue eyes widened at her next comments. For a long moment it seemed that neither of them knew what to do. His friend covered her face and stumbled over an unnecessary apology, while Naami felt warmth creeping into his face. The tips of his tapered ears and the bridge of his nose dusted pink as he attempted to reassure her during a pause in the conversation, despite being quite uncertain himself.

"That's- uhm thank you. It's ok- that's nice of you…"

Fidgeting with his hand wraps a bit, the zabrak's words trailed off and his friend continued. At first, his expression remained open and still somewhat confused but as her explanation continued on, his eyes seemed to grow stormy and his expression grew stern. He stood rather abruptly, then more slowly and with a small amount of hesitation because he didn't want to startle her or presume too much, placed one large palm on her shoulder. His voice was still calm despite whatever emotions had animated him so thoroughly.

"Lesh, 'course I'll help- we are in this together. And I could use a sparring partner more on my own level."

Which was true, because practice with Gavin was great and all but sometimes he needed to return to mastering the basics rather than constantly pushing the extremes of combat with a guy who was still outside his weight class by almost a hundred pounds. The boy managed a small smile for his friend which he hoped was reassuring, then his voice went cold and serious as he asked.

"Did you happen to get this guy's name? A description would do. He's a first year?"

 

[Leshanna]

Tag: Naamino Zuukamano
​

Naami seemed a bit taken by surprise by her words…just as much as she was surprised she had even said them.

"That's- uhm thank you. It's ok- that's nice of you…" Her zabrak friend said as his voice trailed off, clearly unsure of what to really say or think on the matter, and it only served to force more heat into her cheeks. Hey he said ‘Thank you’! And that it was nice of you! A more cheerful voice seemed to echo in Lesh’s mind.

Yeah he’s probably embarrassed as all heck because of that. Ugh I’m such an idiot. Think before you speak Lesh…

She moved forward on why she had originally sought him out, trying her best to pretend that little moment had never happened, but she couldn’t help but notice the faint pink that also dusted her friend’s face. Had he blushed at her comment?? She didn’t say anything on that matter, as she didn’t want to embarrass her friend any further than she already had.

The more she moved into the story of what had happened though, she noticed Naami’s friendly expression on his face and in his eyes shifted to one of stormy agitation. He stood up abruptly, causing Lesh to blink and unconsciously take a very small step back, as if to give him some space. He seemed to catch onto the fact that such movements might make her wary, and he forced himself to move a bit more slowly and deliberately, before placing a hand gently on her shoulder - something that served to relax her sudden spike of nerves, though another faint blush crept across her cheeks at the touch.

"Lesh, 'course I'll help- we are in this together. And I could use a sparring partner more on my own level." Naami said calmly to her, and she smiled at him as relief washed through her. Damn when did he get this tall??

“Oh phew. For some reason I thought you might say no…” Her eyes narrowed at him for a moment. “More on your level?? What, is Gavin too much for you?” she teased lightly. She knew the two boys had a brotherly rivalry with one another and were always testing each other.

"Did you happen to get this guy's name? A description would do. He's a first year?"

His voice was cold, and the chill of it raised the hairs on the back of Leshanna’s neck. Oh he is not happy about what I told him… She swallowed hard and turned her eyes away from him briefly.

“He’s a first year, yeah. I think his name is Fenn. He has a scar across his forehead, usually has his head completely shaved. Thinks it makes him look tough I guess…” she murmured with a shrug as she looked back at Naamino, a stern glint to her own blue eyes now. “I wanted to see about training with you, so that I can later on beat the chit out of him and show him that yes, I can fight like a girl and I can still beat his stupid ass.” She huffed. “But, I’m just not there yet. Which is why I asked you for help.”

 

[Naamino Zuukamano]

It was nice to see her smile, particularly after she'd come to him looking so... Well he didn't know quite what she seemed to be feeling before, but it was good that she seemed more herself as their conversation went on. His brow knit together when she shared that she worried he'd say no, but the tease about Gav made him relax again, rolling his eyes good-naturedly at her jab.

"Mm" he acknowledged noncommittally about the nerf herder that upset her.

Naami could sense maybe his own anger at the punk first year was making Lesh uncomfortable so he kept any plans of retribution to himself, instead showing support for her own.

"Well let's get you there then," he squeezed her shoulder once more then broke contact as he began to feel a bit unsure about it himself.

The zabrak wasted no time, quickly re-racking the weights he'd been using and growing more animated by the moment as he guided her to the open floor dojo section of the gym. Picking out two training sabers for them, Naami made sure they seemed to be some of the newer models and in good working order before deactivating both again and handing Lesh one.

"Right, you know the basic kata?"

He moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with her at first, naming off the kata in order as he moved slowly through the forms without activating the training saber yet. He chose to do his forms to mirror hers, demonstrating his ambidexterity as he kept an eye on her form. Once they walked through the basics a few times, Naami offered a few pointers for adjustment but otherwise flashed a rare smile. The dimpled grin accentuated by the patterns of his tattoos.

"Good- ok lets spar, and I won't go easy on ya but I'll stick strictly to basic forms and you can get creative. Really though, if you focus on your basics and mastering footwork, you'll find that the basics are the foundation of it all for a reason."

His eyes were bright with excitement though his tone remained even, and it was clear that saberplay as well as the artform therein was something he really enjoyed. The boy took a one handed ready stance while the other hand gestured her forward, devoid of all bravado and genuinely friendly in the beckoning.