A Minor Detour [Zett]

[Mara]

FYI: drdrakethesnake has given me permission to use his character Jaren Nabala as an NPC.


[...from Eyes Wide Open]

The airtaxi ride from Cassandra's apartment building to the spaceport where Ean's ship was docked had been a quiet one. Ean had glanced down beside him at the young girl who in the space of a couple days had gone from a nuisance of a stranger to his own daughter. He had considered briefly engaging her in conversation, perhaps to get her mind off the current circumstances, but he had just as quickly dismissed the idea. Anything he could have said then would probably just have made matters worse, especially since he was experiencing similar emotions and wasn't in the best state for comfort. Better to let her be alone with her thoughts for the time being. She had an awful lot to digest right now: finding her father, reuniting with her mother, and then saying good-bye to the ill woman in order to start a life with said father with more opportunities.

So he had just shaken his head and turned to look out the window of the vehicle to dive into his own introspection. His life had been turned on end, and for the first time, he hadn't a clue as to how to deal with it. Normally so sure of his actions, he was now fumbling around for any kind of handhold. The Corellian did have plans to go to Kuat to find and meet up with an old friend he owed a belated apology to, and he was glad to have at least one goal to head towards. But it was just one thing; the rest of his foreseeable future was a blank slate. And now Ryla would have to take up the rest of it.

What would he do with the girl? Ean had never been responsible for the life of another being before, not like this. He didn't know the first thing about taking care of a child, let alone a female one. His only experience with women was limited to his mother and those few flings in his youth, like Cassandra, from which this daughter of his had sprung forth. This was an entirely new frontier for him. Criminals he could deal with. Even crazed employers with lunatic requests. But Ryla? Spending time with his daughter actually frightened him, more than any of his dealings in his past careers combined had. Fear that he might fail her, that she would regret going off with him.

But then a thought came to him. The being on Kuat he was going to find. She was a woman. Maybe if all went well between them--he was still unsure how she would react to his reappearance--he could ask her advice. It couldn't be any worse than him fumbling around on his own, trying to do right by his daughter. Obviously he knew Ryla was strong and resourceful--she had survived on her own for a couple years while trying to find him--but for all intents and purposes, she was still a far cry from being an adult. Ean had to be a real father to her now, make up for all the time he had missed, but he knew he wouldn't be able to remotely succeed at that if he hadn't some kind of strategy in the wings. A plan he hoped Sam would help him with.

With the 'taxi lowering and decelerating for a landing in front of the Coronet City spaceport, Ean wiped the smile of relief on his face at having come to at least a partial solution regarding his daughter. He paid the driver and got out, waiting for Ryla to do the same before leading her inside to make their way to the docking bay holding the Heleen's Hope. The two of them fell in side-by-side, walking in silence, but Ean no longer bothered thinking of rectifying it. A more pressing matter had his attention, something that he was actually capable of dealing with, and all the issues surrounding his daughter's new presence in his life had been put on hold for the present.

As they closed in on the Hope's berth, he pulled out his commlink and put in a call to Jaren. The former bounty hunter was on more familiar ground now and easily slipped into preparations mode for their upcoming journey. Ean told the Twi'lek pilot that they were on their way and asked him to get the ship warmed up. Now that he had his goal in his sights, he wanted no further delay in getting off of Corellia. He pocketed the device after he finished with Jaren and, feeling good now that he was in control of one facet of his life, he looked down at Ryla and managed a smile. "Almost there."



(((After your post, I'll introduce the 'attacker'...)))

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

She felt the need to pinch herself quite a lot the last few days. First off she had finally managed to find Ean; her real father and began to travel with him... relatively speaking. No sooner then she had found him he had made her begrudgingly tell him where to take her back home. Upon coming home she found her stepfather in a worst situation and attitude then she had ever remembered him in before. This then lead to finding her Mother, Cassandra where the worst of the news had been received.

It was hard to think about how she had been forced to see her mother laying in the bed like she was, as sick as she clearly was but pretending to be strong for Ryla. It was a miracle she could think about it without crying at all, but Ryla was a strong little girl and she could manage it if she had to. She had only left that place a little bit ago, gathering a few small things of her own before leaving again with her father to his space ship.

She was no longer on the run or looking for her father. She in a round about way had a home; even if it came in the form of her father's space ship, and she had a family again. But that didn't mean it would be easy for her to settle into a normal life again after so long of being on the run like she had been for the last couple of years. She hardly knew her father at all, and she had yet to meet this other crew mate she was talking to over the comm unit. So there was still he getting to know everyone phase of the relationship. She tried not to pry too much, and in fact neither of them had said so much as even a single word sense they had left Cassandra's house as they were now making their way to the space ship after the short air Taxi ride to the spaceport.

As the ship was in view and they were growing near to it, Ean spoke up, Ryla nodding as she looked ahead to it. She looked back up to her father as she continued to step beside him and approach the ship, asking a question finally. "What's it's name? What kind of ship is it?" She asked both, slowly so as not to seem like an anxious child. Being a mechanic for most of her life and it being how she had made her money when she needed it, she was curious about these things often, and would probably adopt the role of repairing the ship for her father when it was in need of it...

[Mara]

(((-LINK- to the ship)))


Ean turned a corner, Ryla still by his side, and finally his ship came into sight, down towards the end of a row. Away from the center of the spaceport that catered to Coronet City's higher class citizens. But being in the outskirts gave it a bit of anonymity as well as cheaper rents. However, the Heleen Hope's matte black paint made it stand out amongst all the other grayish freighters and other starships. The old model Dynamic probably belonged in a junkyard or a museum, but after comandeering it from the Republic for his last job, he had spruced it up a bit, both inside and outside. And now it was almost like a new ship, formidable in its own right.

He smiled to himself, happy to have his eyes on it again. Though he had no doubts that something could have happened to it in so short a time, it was good to have his fears come up unfounded. One never knew with Twi'leks and how far they could be trusted. It was a strange feeling for Ean, this possessiveness, worry, over an inanimate object, even such a large one. Just a year or two ago, he never would have thought he'd be claiming ownership of such a vehicle. Up until then, he had always relied on public transport or hiring pilots who could keep their mouths shut. The Corellian had never bothered with learning the trade of piloting; he had had other things that demanded his attention.

They were a couple berths away from reaching their intended destination when Ryla spoke up, Ean not realizing it was her right away. He had been so focused on the ship and getting to it that he had momentarily forgotten his companion. His daughter. Shaking this off, he looked down at her, a sense of pride on his face that the girl was showing some interest in something that was important to him. Better the ship than his career choice. That was something he could actually talk about, albeit in a general way, as he was not well-versed in all the technical bits.

Lifting his arm to point out the black freighter, he answered, "She's the Heleen's Hope." That's all he had ever told anyone who inquired about the name. Most just shook it off; plenty of starships had strange names, only known to their owners. However, this girl was more than an ordinary passenger; she was his daughter, his flesh and blood. So he took a deep breath and added, "I named her after my mother. Your... grandmother. So she's always with me." Though his job choices would never have been something she would have approved of, he still tried to do right by her memory. Even if had given a stolen ship her name.

"And I think it's a Dynamic." Ean was relatively certainly had gotten the ship's model correct; he had had enough time now to commit it to memory for further recall. He just hoped that Ryla didn't ask for more details, because those kinds of things he would have to look up on his datapad. A ship expert he was not. "An old ship but she's sturdy enough," he said in defense, unsure why he did so. The Hope was his after all, but she was still just a big hunk of metal he used to get from point A to point B. Ryla probably wouldn't be interested anyway, being of the female persuasion.

The ramp was already lowered by the time they approached the ship, Jaren apparently taking to heart the urgency in Ean's request of a few moments prior. Something that the Corellian could appreciate. Even if the Twi'lek was a bit shifty at times, at least he had expediency in common with his employer. "All right, here we--" He stopped, suddenly feeling something jab him in the back, followed by a gruff voice grunting out "Gimme all your credits."

Immediately, Ean tensed, angry at himself for getting complacent about his surroundings. Any other time, he would have sensed this low life from several meters away and dispatched him before he had become a nuisance. But thoughts of departing, mixed in with having his newly discovered daughter, had thrown him off his game. However, it wasn't too late to deal with this disruption. Slowly, he raised his hands up in the air, silently urging Ryla to step in front of him and do the same, hoping she understood that he was in control of the situation and not to be scared. Allowing a tremor to enter his voice, "Please, sir, we don't want any trouble..."

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

((O.O.C--- i swear my goal is to post more then once a month in this. I hate life sometimes.))

She was taking in the series of different ships as she walked into the space port along side her newly found father, Ean. Her question was left to hang in the air for a minute it seemed, eventually Ryla turning her eyes to look upward at her father in order to see what it was that was taking him this long to answer her. She sighed a little to herself as it seemed he had all but forgotten she was right beside him. Well that was comforting, thanks Dad. She thought to her self as she rolled her eyes a little with only a small smirk on her face.

Sadly there was a part of her that was used to just fading in and not being seen by anyone, it came with the life of running around and trying to avoid anyone who looked big enough to send her home... or worse. Still she knew in this case it wasn't all that intentional on either of their parts... and it would just take some getting used to for the both of them.

When he pointed it out, her second question went totally out the window. Where her father wasn't a huge expert on ships and technology, she wasn't a novice. She was more then capable of identifying one of the most popular ships of it's time, let alone the fact it was Corellian in design. Then came the answer to the question that still needed to be answered as Ean told her what it was named, then explaining with just a little bit of hesitation that he had named if after his mother, or in effect Ryla's grandmother. She looked up to him, nodding a bit as she took in the name for a moment to her self before she spoke. "Cool... looks like you've had some work done." She commented conversationally, already noticing things like that. Jumping around from one mechanic shop to the next did that to you, and though she may not be like some famous detective who could figure out every detail about who did it just from looking at it... cause she had heard of that guy... she could still tell when someone had work done to a ship.

They were already on their way to the ramp when she heard a man behind her and Ean, raspily demanding their money. Ryla was only a kid, so maybe he thought she didn't have any; which would be a mistake, but it would have helped a little. She turned in step with her father, hands high in the air as she did so, as she watched the encounter while Ean put up an act of fear for the man. "Yeah?" She asked, not at all scared as she had faced situations far worse then this in her days of hiding and running away from worse men then this. Or at least it happened now and then.

"Why?" She asked, with more then just a small amount of snarkyness in her voice, though she was pulling her back pack already down so as to show she was complying. "Whatdoyou need it for?" She added as she tilted her head a little.

[Mara]

"I don'' want any trouble neither." The Chev gestured with his weapon as his two potential victims slowly spun to face the opportunistic criminal. It wasn't a new model, but the pistol appeared to be clean and in good working order. And not set on stun. "Just yer credits. So hurry it up." On the other hand, the Chev was looking pretty worse for wear; his clothing was ragged and dirty with a few tears and holes. As well, a foul breath issued forth from a mouth of stained and broken teeth whenever he spoke.

Ean needed all his strength in order to try to perpetuate the lie that he and Ryla were no threat. That they would, of course, comply with this Chev's demands in order to save themselves and send the thug on his way. He kept his gaze focused on the being's face, though he wanted to stare at the gun in his hand. The weapon was making him nervous, the way the man was waving it around in front of his face. Nor did he move his upraised arms; dropping them might bring attention to the blaster on his own hip, and if he wanted to get them safely out of this situation, he needed every advantage he could eke out.

Seeing the girl for the first time, the Chev turned his gun on her after she chimed in, which in turn made Ean grimace and momentarily shut his eyes. She had stepped out from behind him and moved away from his protection. "What's it to you?" He sneered in reply. "You got 'em. I need 'em. What else is there? It's simple. So give it here," he added, gesturing to the pack Ryla was preparing to open up. His weapon still trained on her, he reached forward with his other hand, eagerly awaiting whatever credits or other items were within the bag.

"Please, sir, don't hurt us. We'll give you whatever you want. We don't have much, but it's yours. I promise." Ean took a chance and let his hands fall down to the girl's shoulders innocently, a fearful father wanting only to protect his family. Reassuring her. However, he was finding it increasingly harder to allow a tremble in his voice. When all he wanted to do was strangle Ryla for her stupidity. Instead, he settled for squeezing his fingers around her briefly while the Chev wasn't looking, as if reprimanding a child, which was half-true. They would have to have a serious talk when this was all over about the do's and don't's of life in the galaxy.

Because Ryla was her father's daughter, except that she hadn't learned yet how to deal with her stubbornness, how best to act in various situations. Running off her mouth could only get them shot. Ean had been rash as she was now once, and it had taken him years to hone himself down to be more calculating and thoughtful in his actions. This girl was used to being on her own and fending for herself and had no consideration for him and any plan he might have for taking care of this Chev standing before them. He wanted to groan and sigh but remained stoic. Just maybe he could still salvage things and get them both away in one piece, and with all their money.

While the Chev was focused on getting Ryla's bag, and the girl was similarly focused in giving it to him--obviously with some kind of half-assed plan in her head--Ean slid one of his hands off her shoulder. He had managed to position himself just so that his weapon was hidden from view; one good thing that Ryla's impulsive behavior had given him. As quietly as he could muster, he snapped open the holster and wrapped his fingers around the blaster, flipping off the safety and setting his own to 'kill'. Then with a swift practiced movement, he darted to the side, jerked up his gun hand, and popped off a shot to the thug without regard to aiming. At the same time he yelled, "Run! Get to the ship! Now, Ryla!" And fired off a few more shots, though by this time the Chev had found some cover and was returning fire at Ean, causing him to duck a couple times and pray that Ryla got away safely.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

She was shuffling her back off of her back now, not worried about what was inside it. There wasn't really any money in there, as that was all tucked away out of sight and in her boot pocket. The only thing in the back pack was her tools, some food, clothes and a few other small items of little importance, especially to someone so clearly looking for their money and nothing more then that. Besides this she was beginning to formulate other plans though... is Ean wasn't going to do something, she sure as heck was!

Maybe she could throw the back pack at the man's... gingerly areas? Or maybe she could pull one of her power packs out and discharge it, giving the man a nice jolt? Both of these plans had risks though, and she was running out of time to think. It was as if Ean could read her mind as she felt his powerful hands squeezing her shoulders. "Wha? Hey! Ow!" She complained under her breath before she could see Ean was actually formulating his own plan.

Once the gun was pulled, she thought it was as good as over, that her father would be able to take care of this. Of course she was already slinging her back pack back onto her shoulders and diving for the gangplank. She was in such a hurry up the ramp that she almost hit her shoulder on the hydraulic system in the process, but safely managed to jump up and inside, instantly looking around for a away to help her father out if at all she could.

[Mara]

They continued like that for the next few minutes. The Chev would jump up from his cover of storage crates to fire a few blaster bolts Ean's way before ducking down again. And the big Corellian would jerk out of the way of the shots, dancing around the hangar, trying to catch the would-be burglar with his own weapon before the alien hide away once more. At the same time Ean's eyes were darting around for some protection of his own; right now, he was easy pickings, even for this Chev who was not a very good shot. Eventually he might get lucky.

Ean himself was actually a great shot, but he was out of practice, having been on holiday the past few weeks. He had barely touched his gun in that time, let alone thought about it. And having to stay on the move to avoid getting shot while he aimed and fired at his moving target wasn't helping matters either. The man was used to working under more controlled situations. So it wasn't surprising that doing this whole skirmish the Corellian was muttering curses under his breath, learned from a wide array of locations, from his home planet to the outer rim of the galaxy.

One oath wasn't quite so quiet as he didn't jump out of the way far enough, and a bolt from the Chev's blaster grazed his shoulder. He was unharmed, but there was a smoking tear in his favorite nerf leather jacket. Setting his jaw, he forced calm breaths out of his lungs, forcing his brain to slow down and focus. This being had gone one step too far. It was bad enough that the Chev had gotten the jump on him, still worse that Ryla had been in harm's way. But ruining his treasured piece of clothing? Ean was angry and ran forward towards the alien with purpose, keeping his profile low, firing all the way.

Closer on, his shots were more accurate, and it didn't take much more than half a dozen squeezes of the trigger to finally land one home. The Chev's eyes widened in surprise, and then he fell over, a gaping hole right between his eyes. Ean stood over the body and unloaded another couple bolts into the man's chest, just in case. He stood there staring a moment, breathing heavily after his sprint. But as the adrenaline cloud dissipated, he remembered his ship. And Ryla.

Quickly, he holstered his weapon and hurried towards the lowered ramp. Even though he could probably claim self-defense in taking down the scumbag who had tried to mug him, his method of doing so could be seen as overkill. It was best if he just got off of Corellia as soon as possible. His booted feet thudded down the ramp as he shooed Ryla up inside. And then slapped the release to close up the ship before heading deeper into the ship. Just minutes afterwards, there was a bit of a lurch as Jaren engaged the repulsors and took the Hope off her landing struts. Ean palmed a bulkhead to keep his balance, and then as the ship gained altitude to leave behind the docking bay and the spaceport, he looked around and caught Ryla's eyes, a hard set to his face. Time for that talk, he thought, as he stepped slowly towards her.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

In the mean time Ryla was running about the halls of the ship she found herself on, trying to get acquainted with the lay out of the ship in order to give her an idea of everything and where it all was. Her motivation was clear... she wanted to help her father in some way.

Being a girl on the run so long she was used to trouble by now, but she was also used to not having anyone there to help her out. This caused her to be strong well before her age required it, and dependent on herself and no one else. When trouble came her way, she was ready to take it on herself. The thought that her father could handle himself out there didn't even cross her mind for a split second.

She had already formulated a plan to lose the Chev outside and give her father an upper hand long enough for him to board the craft. She could shut all the exhaust and vent it in one spot, creating a cloud around her father, in which the Chev would be unable to see him and allow them to make their escape from there. By the time she had figured out where everything she needed for this plan was located though, the gunshots on the outside of the ship had stopped, and she could hear the heavy clattering of her father's footfalls on the ramp of the ship. She paused, sighing a bit as she realized he didn't need her help after all. Something she might have to learn for herself.

In all her running around the ship, she hadn't even noticed the pilot in the front until he was already starting to get them off the ground and out of the docking bay.

She looked around, not knowing what to do anymore before she was falling down in one of the seats in the common room, dropping her back pack down beside her as she gave a heavy sigh. Ean entering the room a moment later. She looked upwards at him, a sheepish look crossing her face as she clicked her teeth, able to tell right away he seemed upset. She knew she was in for a lecture... but at the same time she could see the hole in the side of his jacket... maybe he was hurt and she could use that to wiggle out of a tongue lashing.

"Are you hurt?!" She asked eagerly, sitting up straighter now as she looked to the burnt spot on the side of the jacket.

[Mara]

He had been completely prepared to ream Ryla out, give her a severe tongue-lashing. Scold the girl for her actions back in the docking bay, decisions that could have gotten them both killed. Give her the business, just as his father had done with him whenever he had done something disappointing. And for Ean, that had been a regular occurrence as a boy. The elder Stenner had pulled him aside seemingly several times a week, whispering harshly into his ear, sending him to his room without any supper, or even giving him a light beating. Now it was time to pass on the tradition to his daughter; though he would never lay a hand on Ryla, she needed to learn her lesson.

But he had stopped short, mouth agape when she spoke up, asking him if he was okay. Ean blinked a couple times, his brain having to backpedal a bit. All the words he had been planning on saying to her had to be pushed away so he could focus on her question, the look of concern on her still-innocent face. He sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few beats, and then exhaled slowly. The man realized he was probably going about this whole issue the wrong way. While Ryla still needed the lecture of how to and how not to act in certain situations, he had been mixed up in something potentially dangerous, and she deserved to know that he was all right, first of all. A luxury his father had never afforded him.

With a sigh, Ean stepped forward and turned to join Ryla on the bench, sitting down heavily next to her. Glancing at his shoulder, which still had a tiny wisp of smoke floating out from it, he looked to his daughter. He shook his head. "No, I'm fine... just a hole in my jacket." Just in case the girl needed more proof of his claim, that he wasn't just being brave in the face of an injury, he poked a finger into the ragged opening, wiggled it around, and then removed it, showing her it was clean. No blood. Not even a tear in his shirt underneath.  But it could have been much, much worse.

"Are you okay?" he asked eventually, a bit of concern leaking into his voice. This whole fatherhood thing was all trial and error for him. She didn't seem any worse for wear; Ean couldn't see anything obvious, at least. But it had come to his attention more recently that sometimes the worst wounds weren't physical but emotional and mental.  Injuries to the body healed, but injuries to the mind and psyche never entirely faded. He knew Ryla was a tough girl--had to be, with what she had injured in the past couple of years--but she was still only a girl. And he had decided it was best to check on her condition before just ripping into her. Ean had the whole trip to Kuat to get things sorted out with his daughter so that in the future she acted more smartly.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

(Two Months? Really? I'm getting worse about keeping up with this thing )

---

Ryla sat there for a moment longer, looking over to Ean as he explained that he hadn't been hurt by the blaster bolt that had whizzed past him. His over jacket had been torn a little on the sleeve, but otherwise he was completely fine. Ryla wasn't sure, but he seemed a little reluctant to have said that much, even if he had entered into the room appearing to be ready to talk about something. It wasn't a stretch of her imagination either to think exactly what it was he was wanting to talk to her about, and really she wouldn't try and get out of it if she had a lecture of some kind coming. Really she didn't think she had done anything wrong, but at the same time she hadn't really been in a position of listening to many people in the last couple of years either; making it totally possible that she hadn't handled that all too well.

Before too long though Ean was surprising her as instead of jumping into a lecture of some kind he was actually changing his tune a little and turning the same question to her, asking if she was alright. Ryla found herself looking down at herself, trying to see what it was that might worry him, but then realized it wasn't anything more then the fact he just wanted to check on her... concern... a feeling she hadn't had someone experience for her in a long time it seemed. "Yeah i'm alright." She admitted as she looked back up to him again with a small sigh. By this point she wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to talk about, but either way she wasn't about to just try and side step any of it... moving to put her back pack on the table in front of her as she leaned back a little in her seat. Visibly putting effort in trying to get comfortable, but still being quite a bit out of her comfort zone.

"So... what next?" She asked, trying to break the tension that she could feel so palpable in the air. It wasn't exactly her lining up for her punishment, (which she was willing to listen to) but it was still a valid question in her opinion.

[Mara]

(((No worries! We're probably close to wrapping up and moving on to the next thread anyway. )))


"Good. Good." Ean nodded to himself, unsure what else he could say in return to her confirmation that she was fine. He was relieved that she was indeed unharmed after the scuffle in the hangar. The man didn't know what he would do if something had happened to Ryla, minor or not. This whole experience was new to him, and he had made a promise to his former love to take care of his daughter, no matter what. But expressing such a notion was hard for him. Or even figuring out if he needed to say anything at all, if no reply at all was the best response. Not for the first time since leaving her apartment he wished that Cassandra was there instead of him; a mother would have the right words, not an absent father who hadn't a clue.

She asked him what the schedule was, where they would be headed, what was going to happen. What he wanted to do was have a stern talk with her as he had originally planned on. But all his anger at his daughter for her rash actions back in the hangar had dissipated in her concern for his own well-being. It had been quite some time before anyone else besides his mother had shown such care, and Ryla had taken all the wind out of his sails. Making him realize there were more important things in this galaxy to worry about. That they had both survived a mugging gone wrong was nothing to shake a head at.

So instead of all the harsh words, he decided to answer her honestly. "Well..." Ean bent forward, resting his arms on his knees, gazing down at the durasteel plates of the ship's floor. "We're going to Kuat. I have some business there to take care of with an old friend of mine." He paused for a couple of moments before continuing on. "That's where I was headed when... when you..." The rest of the words wouldn't come. But Ryla would get the idea. She had be the reason his trip had been interrupted. And despite all the grief it brought, he didn't regret it.

He sat up and leaned back against the seat, turning his eyes up to the ceiling now. "And then I suppose we have to... you know, figure all this out. Go from there." The Corellian had nowhere else to be and had the luxury to take all the time he needed to sort out his relationship with his daughter. Learn all about her and vice versa. Set some rules and boundaries, not only to keep her safe, but so that she had some privacy away from him as well. Make sense of everything. In short: be there for her, as her father, a friend.

First things first, though. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, Ean turned his brown eyes on his daughter. His voice was quiet, empty of the rage he felt earlier. Now all he wanted was to get his point across and make her understand where he was coming from.  "What happened out there... what you did, it was reckless. I know you've been on your own, surviving by yourself. But you have me now. I will protect you. You have to trust me." If he had been his own father, he probably would have added "and you could have gotten us both killed," but he decided that Ryla was feeling enough guilt  already without dropping that on her as well. The last thing he wanted to do was emulate the elder Stenner with his own daughter; he had to break the cycle.