September 16, 2363

Zia said today should be the last day she'll need us to sit for the portrait, though she might grab one or two of us for a short bit of reference here and there while she puts the final touches in place. We're taking Mama out to dinner at a nice place tomorrow, on her birthday.

Travis and I stopped by to say hello to her yesterday. She hardly talked to me, so I wandered the family compound, talked to my aunt and uncles a bit. Even sparred with them some, that was nice. Mama and Travis spent a lot of time talking, and every time I was within ear shot, it was about me. Usually he was defending me, for some thing that he really shouldn't have to defend me for, or she was going on about something that she wanted him to try to change in me. While it's disconcerting that my mother gets along better with my human boyfriend than she ever has with me, her own flesh and blood, it does reassure me that Travis cares about me enough to stand up for me against this woman.

Honestly, there have been a few times where I could tell I'd scared the living daylights out of him. Like watching a bar fight that Blue and I didn't plan erupt while he's there, when people have made threats towards him, or any of those sorts of things. I become a wild beast, and after a couple of these events, he's admitted to me that he was afraid of me. He knew deep down, I wouldn't hurt him, but he was still afraid. The fire in my eyes, the wildness in my actions. Compared to my mother, I'm as tame as a kitten. He's seen her in her full Klingon temper, she got baited into the sparring grounds by her brother while we'd been here for Mara's wedding, and Travis was there to watch. Even knowing this, even knowing I'm a watered down version of her, in the way of a temper, he will stand up to her. This is both entirely stupid, and deeply endearing to me.

I think this means I can keep him, even if he can't hold a bat'leth straight to save his life.