"Talon, I still don't see why people treat Asura like she bears a plague.", Alana said cooly in Basic, sipping on a skin of water while she looked to her Husband, twisting the ring on her finger impatiently. "I get the whole 'untrusting of Jedi' thing, but she is your daughter. She has proven herself to be helpful despite being pregnant."

Talon raised a brow and replied, "Darling, do you remember when I brought you here? It took them long to warm up to you. But with Asura's nature, her love of children and her knowledge of Holos..." His eyes narrowed and he grunted, were it not for that cheating scumpile that his daughter married, Asura wouldn't have to worry about having to assimilate into Mandalorian society so late in her life. Maybe things would be easier for the baby she was carrying. His thoughts seemed to wander further into what exactly he'd do to that cheating fool when he felt Alana's hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I know this is hard, but it's something she has to deal with. But she isn't alone. She has us, and with her charm, will and skills, the Clan will accept her as they've accepted me. And that will make it all the more harder for Davus to come here and try to take the child.", she remarked, patting him on the shoulder and squeezing. Despite her being in her fifties, she had a good grip. Talon smirked, reaching up to pat her hand.


********

"Thirteen years ago, you were screaming as you came into the world. You're a fighter, my dear, and we're proud.", Talon said, slapping the young girl on the back. This in turn made her choke on her water.

Asura cried out, "Dad, you've gotta be careful! Anabi, are you alright?" She handed a dishtowel off to her magenta haired daughter, who was still hacking and coughing, but polite enough to wipe off the table she was at before covering her mouth. Asura sighed and looked to both of her parents. The past twelve years had been filled with threats to take the girl in the night. They all felt fortunate that Davus hadn't bothered to follow through.

Alana, seeming to read the thoughts of her daughter, shook her head and motioned for Asura to keep quiet. The thirteenth birthday of her Granddaughter would not be sullied by the threats of a weak-willed coward. Glancing around, the woman sighed and pulled out a gift. "Anabi, now that you're a woman, it is time I gave you something important and rare."

Asura raised her brow and said, "Mom.."

Talon shook his head and cut her off, "Let her speak, Asura."

The older woman pulled out a necklace with a brilliant stone set in the middle. "This is something that was passed down in my family for some time. Your mother wore it, but I want to stress how important it is to the Ren women." Alana came around to the back of the young girl, placing the necklace around her slim neck. "Family and the past are important. The lessons and advice in the stone will guide you through the darkest of times. You are a woman, you will learn from other women and when you have a daughter, she will learn from you."

Anabi, having been quiet the entire time, looked down at the stone and smiled widely. "It feels like it has a life of it's own. I will never take it off, I promise.", the girl whispered, reaching up to brush her fingers over the surface. Alana laughed and picked up the dishtowel and glanced to Talon, who presented an old, scratched up blaster.

"This thing has seen more action than I can remember. It'll be a good weapon for you. Not as fancy as your family heirloom, but it'll be dependable for when you need to save your skin.", he said, shrugging and leaning back in the chair, looking around the Cantina. The place had a few regulars in it besides them, and it was heavily guarded for Anabi's birthday party.

Asura tilted her head and stood up, gesturing to Anabi. "You're a woman now by Mandalorian standards. As hesitant as I am about all this, I am willing to assume you are mature enough to make your own decisions.", she said, frowning. From a pouch on her belt, she withdrew what looked like a large seed. "My gift may not be something special now, but with care, it will grow."

The girl accepted the seed and asked, "What kind of plant is it?" Anabi frowned and inspected it. The thing didn't look out of the ordinary on the outside. "Mom..?", she asked, noticing the change in Asura's attitude. It went from nervous to frosty and tense within seconds, like something snapped. Despite Anabi's lack of sensitivity to the Force, she could feel instinctively that something was wrong.

That was when she heard a shatter of pottery nearby in the cantina and Alana dove on top of her while Asura activated her Lightsaber and Talon pulled both of his blasters, heading towards the source of the shot.