Azaria by J.H. Hayes

don't you go anywhere Daneel, come here," Zephia said with a sob. "The Mother knows you've been a part of this family since the morning you and Azaria first played together. If I didn't think of you as a daughter too, I never would have yelled at you." She finally burst into tears also, holding one of her arms out to embrace her daughter's best friend.
    Daneel sobbed as she wrapped her arms around the other two women, partly because their tears evoked her own, but mostly from Zephia's heartfelt and unexpected admission.
    The three women were still weeping when the leather flaps swung open and Azerban entered with his son. Quzo walked in nonchalantly, as if nothing unusual was occurring, but Azerban stopped in his tracks. He'd been busy with the other Ta'araki preparing for the night's ceremonies and had little sense what the three women had been going through. "Whoa, Quzo," he whispered. "Maybe we should leave these women alone."
    "No, it's okay. They're jus' bein' girls," Quzo exclaimed in his most normal voice, setting the three women off in giggles, which relaxed Azerban enough to come all the way in.
    "Is everything okay here?" he asked. He was as angry with his daughter as he knew his mate was. He thought he had a pretty good idea of what might have transpired, but was still curious.
    "Yes, Quzo is correct. We were just sharing a womanly moment," Zephia replied as she reached out for her boy. "Come here, my son."
    "Aaawwwwah," Quzo protested, already knowing what she was going to say, for she'd been telling him the same thing all sun.
    Zephia took her son's face within her hands. "Don't you ever jump off that rock, do you hear me?"
    So it was about Azaria's jump, Azerban confirmed to himself.
    "But I wanna be Bird-Runner too!" Quzo whined.
    Alarmed, Zephia looked up to her mate for assistance. Nodding, Azerban took his son's shoulder and turned him around, kneeling down to meet him eye to eye. "Quzo, listen to me boy. You’re not to jump off High Cliff or any other rock without my direct permission. Do you hear me?"
    "Yes, father..."
    "Now you will get to jump off rocks, but we will do it together. Do you understand?"
    "Yes, father..."
    "Good!!" Azerban concluded before lifting him up over his head and spinning him around. "I'm happy we understand each other then."
    "Well, now that we have that behind us, I think we should get these girls into their outfits," Zephia said, wiping any remaining wetness from her eyes.
    Daneel, happy to see an end to the earlier unpleasantness, unrolled the outfit she'd brought over for the celebration. "Azaria, will you help me into this?" she asked.
    Azaria helped her slip into a gazelle skin tunic and turned her around. She'd seen this particular outfit before, but was awed when she saw the front. It had always been an admirable piece, but Daneel - presumably with the help of her mother - had been working on it. Two rows of shiny black jewels, each with a white stripe running around its hemisphere, now draped down the front of her dress, from one shoulder, down and across her bust and back up the other side. The stones had been strategically drilled and positioned so that the white stripe ran continuously. The effect was to ensure any observer's eyes lingered on her full chest.
    "Daneel! That is beautiful!" Zephia must have noticed the new embellishment also, for Azaria seldom saw her mother quite so impressed. She thought her mother was actually jealous. She was too.
    "Wow, Daneel! Where did you get all that onyx?" Azaria asked. "This dress is even more stunning than before. No, actually, it's like a whole new piece. It's amazing!"
    Daneel had kept quiet, carefully waiting for the reaction she'd been anticipating. She opened her mouth to speak, but Zephia beat her to it.
    "From that thieving father of yours, no doubt." Zephia didn't mean the remark derogatorily. Asek, Boar Camp's Master Trader, was well known for driving a hard bargain, and for his lavishness with his mate and daughter.