Finished commission for perdikitti. Zannah is mine. The little monster(s) belong to Pez. XD Watercolor, gouache, marker, acrylic gouache and ink on mix media paper, finished in today's stream. Story is (mostly) by Pez. =D

“Zaaaaannnnaaaah.”

The ghostly whisper seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. Zannah froze in place, her ears swiveling against the veil of her hair. Skywalker had told her about the ghosts in the Force who spoke from time to time, offering wisdom or counsel, but she had never experienced them in her own right. If the ghosts of ancient Jedi long since passed were going to reach out to her, why would they do it just as she was stepping into the ’fresher?

“Zaaaaaaaaannaaaaaah.”

There was a flicker of awareness in the Force, a momentary hint of the one whose attention was fixed on her being, but it was maddeningly unhelpful.

“Who’s there?” Zannah demanded, regretting the choice to leave her lightsaber locked away in safety rather than bring it with her to the ship’s 'fresher. “Who is it?”

There was a thump from the ventilation system, and an eerie rattle. Cold air rushed into the ’fresher, whipping Zannah’s hair away from her bare limbs. She leaped toward the sink just before the grate from the air vent crashed to the floor where she had been standing. Her apprentice flew out seconds later, seeming to hover in the air.

“ZANNAHHHH! I LEARNED TO JUMPS IN TH’ FORCE!” she squealed, leaping to and fro like a rabid gizka. A clutch of a dozen or so of the little space blights hopped out of the vent on the girl’s heels, poinging about behind her. “INNIT WUNNERFUL?”

The vixen let out a very un-Jedi-like yelp, tripped over her own feet, and went crashing to the floor of the ‘fresher. “Perdia!” she yelled swiping her hair out of her eyes. “Now is not the time!”

“But, Zannahs…”

“And why are there gizka?” she growled. Jedi were supposed to be calm, centered, but most Jedi didn’t have to contend with a delinquent mini-apprentice who attracted trouble with every breath.

“Gizka? What gizkas?” One of the little monsters hopped on Perdia’s long tail. “Oh. Them. Um… I’s gots an explanations for that, honest!”

“Do tell.” Zannah climbed back to her feet and snatched up a towel, shaking another gizka out of it.

“Um…” The girl twitched her tail aside. “They followeds me home, can I keeps ’em? Great! Okay, buh-bye! Has a nice showers!” Perdia bolted for the door like the cavalcade of gizka in her wake were on fire. For a moment, Zannah wished they were.

“I bet Karn put her up to this,” she muttered, slamming the door of the cramped shower cubicle closed and trapping another of the awful critters inside. Gizka bred like… Gizka. Zannah yanked on a clean shipsuit and stomped out of the ‘fresher. “Roura,” she called, knowing the girl would hear her, wherever she had squirreled herself away. “We’ve got another gizka infestation. Time to break out the lightsabers.” It was overkill, but with pests that reproduced as fast as these little monsters, it paid to be sure.