found. | Din Djarin

Fourteen

The journey to Tatooine is peaceful, a welcome change. Even the child's stayed out of trouble. Well as much as he's capable of.

He sits in my lap, tucked under the blanket Din had wrapped around us both after we'd fallen asleep in the cockpit. A regular occurrence.

One that never fails to warm me in ways I'd forgotten were possible.

Din watches as I take the ball out of the child's little hands.

"Take it," I say holding it between my thumb and forefinger. "I know you want it."

He just tilts his head at me and reaches for the ball with his hand instead.

"He's stubborn," Din sighs as I let the kid take it, knowing he's not in the mood for training and would much rather just play.

"So was I, but he'll come around," I assure him, smiling fondly at the child. "I'll be able to train him better at home on Tatooine."

"So we won't be going to the other Jedi?" he asks in confirmation of the plan.

"Ahsoka can wait, first I want to get to the bottom of what the Empire wants with him," I answer in Mando'a, not wanting to worry the child. "So we'll be heading to Chandrila after I review all the tapes and compile a report for the Chancellor."

"How long will that take?"

"A couple days," I tell him, feeling his anxiousness. "I'm guessing you've never been to the core worlds?"

He shakes his head. "I've always preferred the outer rims anyways, not that I've stayed in one place for long."

"Never thought of finding a planet to call home?" I ask not out of mere curiosity, but to better know the man beneath the beskar.

A man I've grown to care for more than I ever expected.

"Once," he answers and the pain in his voice takes me by surprise. "A sanctuary, but I couldn't stay."

My voice is gentle. "Why?"

I expect him to not answer, but he does. "Because I would have only brought violence there. I wanted to stay more than anything, but I couldn't. The kid- moving is the only thing that's kept us safe."

I nod understandingly and assure him. "We'll be safe on Tatooine, my father was able to hide from the Empire for nineteen years there and they never found him. We'll be able to hide the kid there for a few days."

And he trusts my word. "It will be good to have a few days of peace."

Peace.

Something I've never truly sought, or at least I never thought I had, until now.

"It will be," I agree sincerely. "We all need it."

My eyes linger on him until the child points and we see it.

Tatooine.

~

We land and find my ship still there thankfully, but then again, even the Jawa's know not to come here to the home of a Jedi.

Din takes the weapon we took from the Imperial freighter out of his impressive armoury while I gather the data files. As I pack them into a satchel my hand closes around the data drive Bo-Katan gave me, the one with the holo picture of Korkie and I.