Lacuna

Chapter 11

To Kahli's relief, Sam was the only one in the Civil Corps building that evening. Sam looked up excitedly when Kahli entered, and she jumped to her feet, punching a fist into her palm.

"Alright!" she exclaimed. "Let's kick some ass, shall we?"

Kahli saluted her playfully. "I'm ready. Show me your moves."

"First thing's first," Sam started. "If you wanna be a good fighter, ya gotta learn all about the proper stance. It's all about balance. You stay in balance, and you already have an edge." As she spoke, Sam demonstrated, standing with her feet apart, knees bent, and her fists up. She hopped to the left, then to the right, and back and forth. "You can dodge and move all around your enemies without losing a beat! Once you perfect that, I'll teach you how to throw a couple of good punches. We'll work in a few kicks, and then get into some real sparring." She threw a few punches out before her, then kicked her leg around, returning back into her proper stance.

Kahli frowned. "I thought we were gonna play with swords."

Sam grinned and straightened. "We'll get there. You gotta learn the basics first." She pulled her gaze away and hesitated. "And admittedly, I'm not exactly the best swordsman. Don't get me wrong, I can do what I need to do, but it's not exactly my forte." She spoke quickly to reassure Kahli, brightening slightly. "But, ask anyone! Ya gotta know the basics first. And Django is pretty good with a sword. Once you graduate from my lessons, you can get him to show you how to use a sword."

"Alright," Kahli said. "I trust ya."

Sam smiled. "Good. With both of our skills, we'll make you the best damn fighter Portia has ever seen! You'll be a Civil Corps officer in no time!"

"Let's see if I can survive these robots, first," Kahli said.

Kahli spent the following weeks training with Sam. Spring warmed into summer, and Kahli already noticed herself getting stronger and more agile. And when she wasn't training with sam, she was gathering materials in the mines and exploring Portia. She began work on the dee-dee transports, and with Emily's help, she even began construction on a barn, eager to fill her property with cows and sheep - and someday - a horse.

She mostly admired the horses from afar, occasionally coming to the paddock fence to offer them handfuls of grass or apples and carrots. One horse in particular caught her eye; a white mare that often came to her when she sat on the fence to offer her treats.

When the barn was finally ready, she made her way to MaDonald's to arrange the purchase of two cows and five sheep. She was counting out the gols she had saved as McDonald chatted on about the quality milk his cows produced.

"I've noticed you eyeing the horses, too," he said to Kahli. He grinned at her when she handed him her money. "Ever ridden before?"

Kahli shook her head. "I've always wanted to learn. But there weren't exactly a lot of horses in Barnarock."

McDonald nodded. "Tell ya what," he said. "I've got a busted barn out there that needs fixing. If you can give me a hand, I'll give you lessons. And maybe I'll give ya the friends and family discount on Star over there."

Kahli looked over her shoulder to the white mare he pointed to.

"She's a fast one, though," he warned her. "But I see you've both taken to one another. I think I could part with her if she goes to you."

Kahli met his gaze and smiled. "You got yourself a deal."

After bringing the two cows back to their new home - and going back for the five sheep - Kahli set to work, spending the rest of the day fixing the barn for McDonald. By the evening, she had finished, and she stepped back to admire her work.