Times like these, Liara wondered if, in lieu of DNA, asari children got a piece of their father's spirit. Liat had Lani's smoky grey eyes… and her knack for unintentionally killing defenseless aquatic animals. But on the whole, Liat was quiet and shy, reading her books, practicing her violin, and dutifully doing biotic exercises. Kamala, on the other hand, was very much like Lani: rough and tumble. Always getting in trouble at the academy, always defending those getting picked on, always poking at a split lip with her tongue, a defiant sneer on her face, and always more interested in watching instructional vids on hand-to-hand combat and target shooting than developing her biotics – an issue that would start this argument, as it had before.
At the moment, Kamala sat in a chair with her arms and legs stubbornly crossed, her foot jiggled irritably. The sunlight streaming in through the kitchen windows gave her teal skin a silver edge.
"Your instructor tells me you're not showing up for class again." Liara said, leaning against the gleaming white countertop.
"I don't want to learn how to make the furniture float so I can vacuum beneath it. I want to learn how to blow off a thresher maw's face with a grenade launcher. I'm not special or clever, and I don't want to be. I just want to be a soldier, nothing more, nothing less."
There was no shortage of vids and holograms of their father for the twins to peruse, but that phrase, very similar to one of Lani's favorites ("I'm a soldier. Nothing more and nothing less,") had never been recorded, and Liara hadn't heard it spoken in so very long. Unexpected tears sprung to her eyes and her mouth pulled taut. Her daughter's scowl faded instantly. Just like her father, Kamala's rough exterior protected a soft heart.
"Mom…?" she slowly rose from her chair, hesitantly extending one hand.
"I'm… I'm all right." Liara said, giving Kamala's hand a gentle squeeze. "And an education is important, even for a soldier," she held up her other hand, forestalling Kamala's protests. "So, I will make you a deal. You go to class, you put effort into your class, and I will arrange for a tutor to start teaching you melee combat and target shooting."
Kamala's round face lit up with pure delight, "Are you serious, mom? You mean it?"
Liara nodded, "Yes, you have my word."
"By the goddess! Mom, thank you!" Kamala threw her arms around Liara's neck and hugged her tight. "Thank you, thank you! I won't let you down, I swear! I'll go to class and pay attention and everything! Oh, goddess, I'm so – I've got to tell Liat!"
Kamala raced out of the kitchen, practically bubbling over with glee, and Liara turned to the window, looking out at the glittering city. A smile curved her lips even as a sad sigh escaped her. She reached up, wiping away the single tear that rolled down her cheek. Only her daughter, Lani's daughter, could be so excited about a deal such as that.
Anyone who says FemShep can't be a father will be called an anthropocentric bag of dicks by Grandpa Aethyta.