She located her mother in short order, unsurprisingly, working away in the gardens. The perfume of flowers filled the air, and Kat wove through meticulously-kept beds already bursting with plants native to both Mandalore and the queen's homeworld of Sorgan. She'd brought seeds and seedlings with her when she and Winta finally made the transition from one planet to another, keeping them alive in a small greenhouse of her own design until the ground was suitable for planting. The rest came from the underground gardens faithfully maintained by a rag-tag group of survivors of the Purge, who were also instrumental in guiding the group headed by Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze to the remains of the Great Forge during the Reclamation.
Her younger sister Mirah suddenly appeared from behind a thick tree, the twelve-year-old's black hair in a waist-length braid identical to their mother's, and crouched beside her as they tended the bed of Kat's favorite blossoms- Mandalorian lilies. The scent was light and delicate, and the petals ranged in hue from the faintest blush pink to a deep crimson red. The distinguishing feature, however, was the stamen in the middle: differing shades of gray from silver to near-black that corresponded to the darkness of the petals, there was always a cluster of three that formed the signature T of their helmet's visor. A stylized version of the flower adorned Shona's shoulderplate- the signet of Clan Ovad, memorializing their ancestors' development of the plant centuries before.
A scuffling noise from overhead drew her attention upward, and she peered up at the tree above her. For a few seconds she saw nothing, but then a lanky form clad in a gray tunic and black pants scooted out from among the leaves onto a thick limb that stretched over the walkway where Mirah and their mother knelt side-by-side. She recognized the unruly cluster of dark brown curls immediately- and the brightly-colored object in the boy's hand. Without a second thought she clambered up the tree trunk after him, silently maneuvering herself to the branch where he was stretched out on his stomach, preparing to lob whatever homemade projectile he had come up with at his twin. Even though it was most likely just water inside the rubbery sphere- though it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that he had used paint instead- there would be no peace between the two of them for the rest of the evening if he was successful in his prank.
"Eitan Kuiil Djarin, don't you dare," she hissed, grabbing his ankle. He jumped and twisted around to face her, nearly losing his balance on the limb. He flailed for a second, throwing out a hand to catch himself on a branch, and in the process the ball slipped from his grasp. Kat grimaced and braced herself for the shriek of indignation that was sure to come from her sister, but instead all she heard was the wet splat of liquid hitting the stone walkway. She peered down just as Mirah and their mother scrambled to their feet, a bright yellow splatter less than a foot from where they had been kneeling.
Eitan glared at her. "Look at what you made me do. I spent half the morning on that."
She met his scowl and crossed her arms. She knew he'd probably accuse her of trying to act like Mother when she did that, but at the moment she didn't care. He was thirteen years old, soon to become a man; the time for di'kutla tricks was past. "Your verd'goten is only a few weeks away. You know Buir has already told you no more pranks."
"Exactly- a few weeks. That was supposed to be my last one." He peered down through the leaves to see their mother staring up at him expectantly, hands planted firmly on her hips. His shoulders slumped and he groaned then threw Kat another glare before sliding off the branch. It was a drop of a few meters, but he landed easily on his feet as gracefully as a cat, and Bo-Katan followed a second layer with a roll of her eyes.
Her feet had scarcely touched the ground when the scolding began. "Eitan, I thought your father made it perfectly clear that there were to be no more pranks." Mother's gaze cut to Kat, and her stomach turned at the look of disappointment that appeared there. "I expected more from both of you."
To everyone's surprise, rather than wilting under the chastisement, Eitan jumped immediately to her defense. "Bo had nothing to do with it. She saw me about to drop it on Mirah but she surprised me before I could. That's why it fell on the walkway instead."
Some of the frustration eased from her expression at the revelation, but before she could scold him further or declare a punishment, someone daintily their throat behind Kat. She turned to find Ellia, one of Vasha's assistants in the kitchen, standing behind them, hands clasped behind her back but uncertainty clear in her expression.
She bowed her head in deference to the four of them, her eyes firmly fixed on Mother. "I apologize for the intrusion, my lady. Cook sent me to tell you that supper will be ready shortly."
Omera looked up and her eyes went wide, apparently surprised by the passage of time. She muttered something under her breath before turning an apologetic smile to Ellia. "Thank you, El. We'll be along shortly." The young woman bowed again and hurried back down the path toward the palace while their mother wiped her soiled hands on the apron covering her dress and bent to retrieve her basket of gardening tools. "We'll discuss this with your father later. Go wash up and get ready for dinner." She ushered them on with a wave of her hands, and they had barely gone a few feet before Mirah launched into a tirade against Eitan, who broke into a run within a few words in an attempt to escape his sister's wrath. Never one to let any matter rest easily, she sprinted after him leaving Kat and their mother far behind. Kat huffed out a sigh; so much for keeping the peace between them.
Grabbing her buy'ce from where she had left it on a table just inside the doorway, she peeled off to the small 'fresher down the hall to wash her hands while her mother went to put her tools away and change out of her work dress. The corridors were blessedly devoid of angry Mando'a as she made her way to the informal dining room where the family took their meals when they had no important guests. She arrived to an empty room and left her helmet on the table against the wall before taking her seat, the smells coming from the kitchen next door setting her stomach to grumbling again. Plates and utensils were stacked in the center of the table so she busied herself with laying out the place settings, and just as she was finishing with the last one her siblings stepped into the room. They were no longer fighting about the incident in the garden, but instead bickered about who-knew-what new subject. Mother was a few steps behind, looking bright and fresh in a clean dress in the signature dark teal of her homeworld and her silver-edged dark hair pulled back in a silver clip. She shushed the twins as they all took their seats to wait for Buir to join them.
Vasha and her assistants were bringing in steaming dishes of food when their father finally appeared, helmeted head bent over a datapad. He tapped twice on the pad then set it on the table next to Kat's helmet, removing his own and setting it on top of the device, and crossed the room to the table. As was his habit at every meal, he pressed a brief kiss to his riduur's lips before taking his seat opposite her at the head of the table. And right on cue, Eitan made a face of adolescent disgust at the public display of affection.
"One of these days you might not mind so much, Buuren'ika, when you find someone that steals your heart," their father admonished as he took the bowl of fruit that Kat handed to him, sending a wink down the table to their mother, who blushed like a schoolgirl under his attention. Her brother scoffed and shoved an over-large bite of meat into his mouth, but Kat couldn't help but wonder over the silent communication taking place between the two adults. What was it like to have such a deep connection with another person that you could read each other's minds with a single look, and for that kind of love to last a lifetime?
"Not if he keeps up his dumb pranks," Mirah grumbled into her bowl of tiingilar. The comment brought Father's gaze whipping around to his youngest daughter. Exasperation began creeping into his dark eyes and he flicked a glance at his son, who ducked his head and suddenly became very interested in his meal, before returning his attention to Mirah.
"When was this?" He leaned back in his chair, his body assuming the unnatural stillness honed over decades as an experienced hunter- a sure sign that he was keeping a tight rein over whatever emotions were building inside of him.
"Just a little while ago, in the garden. He made a paintball that he was going to throw at me-"
"But Bo caught me first and it fell on the ground," Eitan threw out in his own defense. He glared at his twin then turned a supplicating look to Father. "I swear, it was going to be my last one."
"And it will be." Four simple words, spoken in the serious tone of a king that left no room for debate, had the twelve-year-old's head drooping toward his plate. He nodded once then, suddenly seeming to remember his training, straightened his shoulders and looked the Mand'alor in the eye as steadily as any seasoned verd.
"Elek, Buir." With that, the matter was closed, and conversation shifted to other topics. Kat mostly listened, sharing about her day when asked by her mother. As soon as she mentioned winning the knife-throwing contest again her father sent a knowing look in her direction. He knew. Of course he knew; her little trick wasn't something Alor'ad Woves wouldn't at least mention to him. She sat stiffly, waiting for the chastisement, but to her surprise all he offered was a small smile and a word of congratulations.
The rest of the meal passed uneventfully, most of the conversation revolving around the upcoming diplomatic visit and the returning Mando'ade still making their way back to their homeworld from all corners of the galaxy. After a dessert of pear tarts, one of the many recipes Mother had brought with her from Sorgan, Kat excused herself and retreated to her room, anxious for a hot shower before she tackled her take-home work from the academy.
Half an hour later she sat cross-legged on her bed, worksheets and datapads holding textbooks scattered around her, her damp hair falling in an auburn curtain over one shoulder. The sound of booted footsteps preceded a knock on her open door. She looked up to see Father standing in the doorway, one shoulder leaned into the frame and his hands folded patiently at his belt. He had already divested himself of his unpainted silver armor and deep teal cloak, now looking more like a common, everyday person than the ruler of a whole system in his dark gray-brown kute.
"I received an interesting message from Axe this afternoon," he stated without preamble. She averted her eyes for a moment, switching off the pad in her lap and fidgeting with the stylus in her hand. She heard him drift toward her, silently waiting, as was his way, for her admission before launching right into a lecture. Kat swept her hair out of the way over her shoulder and looked up to see him standing only a few feet away now, his expression still unnervingly blank.
"I didn't mean to disrespect him. I didn't even plan on doing the flip; it just sort of… happened." It was a weak defense, even to her own ears, but it was the best she could do.
He studied her for several seconds before finally, his lips twitched in a hint of a smile. "You didn't disrespect him. On the contrary, he was rather amused- and actually a bit impressed- by your trick. He told me to tell you vod Shuk was teaching you well." Relief swept over her, replacing the worry tensing her muscles. The mattress dipped under his weight as he perched on the edge of her bed. "Though I wouldn't advise trying something like that again without her supervision." Kat huffed a single chuckle, and Father's grin grew into a full smile. He chucked her under the chin with his knuckle, bringing back memories of when he used to do so when she was a small child. "I'm going to visit the farms in Ruusaan tomorrow. If you'd like you may come along with me."
"Of course; I'd love to." He knew her well- any chance have some time outside the city was an automatic 'yes' for her.
"We'll have to leave early, so you'd best get to bed." She nodded and he leaned down to press his forehead against hers in a brief kov'nyn before he stood and strode from the room. Kat stacked her schoolwork on the table beside her bed and flicked off the light, sliding underneath the covers to watch the flickering lights scattered about Sundari through her window until she drifted off to sleep.