turtle seeking the safety of its shell, told Kira he'd guessed right.
Kira glanced up at Graydon, expecting him to take the lead since both children were under his care. He arched an eyebrow at her, signaling with a supercilious expression she could deal with this problem.
Kira shook her head.
Why her?
She glanced to where the defiant child watched her carefully.
Kira sighed. She remembered what it was like to be that age and mad at the world. She’d had so much rage at the injustices dumped at her feet that sometimes it felt like her skin was a balloon. One wrong word could make it pop, causing all that rage and pain to come pouring out, oftentimes in violent and destructive ways.
She saw too much of herself in Ziva. More so, even than she did Joule. Ziva was a survivor, scrappy and stubborn. Her family had been taken from her in a manner Kira suspected had been bloody and violent. She'd been uprooted from all she knew and thrust into a House that didn't seem to want or need her.
Demands and angry recriminations were more likely to make her retreat further.
Kira waited patiently, crouching so she was eye level with Ziva.
"Stop stalling," Joule said impatiently.
Kira held up a hand, motioning for silence. She waited until Ziva looked up at her, the expression in her clear blue eyes trying to tug at Kira's heart.
Kira lips curled in a small smile. Ziva would have to work harder than that to get the sympathy vote from her.
Kira lifted her eyebrow's expectantly. "Well?"
"They said we were mutts," Ziva muttered. "And that we should be grateful for what we were given and not get uppity."
"And?" Kira asked.
Ziva shrugged. "And I challenged them to a duel."
Kira glanced up at Graydon, asking silently if this was normal protocol for children.
"As long as no one is injured permanently and there is no danger of death, an adult will not step in. We believe children should learn from their own experiences rather than being told what to do."
Kira tried not to let her surprised consternation show. She turned to Ziva. "What happened then?"
"I lost." Ziva's eyes flashed up to meet Kira's.
Kira nodded, considering and discarding several responses. "Well, that was dumb."
Mutiny flashed across Ziva's face, her tiny body bunching as if she would leap for Kira's face. "It was not," she shouted. "I defended my family's honor."
"Did you?" Kira asked. "Seems to me like you took exception with what someone said and then lost a challenge you issued. You look twice as stupid now."
Kira straightened, dusting imaginary dirt off her pants.
"I am not," Ziva shouted, her eyes pooling with tears and her lower lip beginning to tremble. "I was winning but then his friend threw a rock."
"The weak tend to travel in packs," Kira agreed. "But you showed stupidity too. Picking the time and place for a fight is as important as training for it. You chose a time where he was at his strongest, surrounded by allies. Now he knows your weaknesses and he will come for you again."
Bullies always did. They couldn't help themselves. They now knew what set Ziva off and they'd use the leverage whenever they wanted a boost for their confidence.
Graydon crossed his massive arms and looked at the child. "Better yet, you should have avoided fighting someone stronger than yourself."
"She didn't," Ziva said, pointing at Kira and her assortment of bruises.
"I'm a horrible role model," Kira said lightly. "You shouldn't base any of your actions off me."
She cocked her head. She needed to give the kid something to hold onto. "I'll tell you this much. I didn't go looking for the fight that gave me these. Also, if it’d been my family he insulted, I wouldn't have attacked him. I would have waited until he was alone and vulnerable, and then crushed him so utterly he would never have dared show his face in front of me again."
Ziva looked up at her, her eyes wide as she dipped her chin in grave understanding.
A small sound from the door leading into the Citadel drew their notice. Ayela stood there, her expression slightly incredulous after listening to Kira's advice. Her honey-colored hair was bound in an undone braid that showed her pointed ears.
"Excuse me," Ayela said diffidently, her eyes darting nervously to Graydon. "I'm here for the young ones."
Ziva stiffened, moving closer to Kira's legs, one small hand reaching out to clutch at her pants.
"You were at the airfield when I arrived," Kira said, remembering. She also