SHORT CIRCUIT ─ the mandalorian ✓

SEVEN

So why was she standing here, wrist gripped by a strange warrior that turned to give her reassurance, about to watch a war unfold before her?

The answer was she did not know. Tess couldn't understand why she didn't run the other way. She couldn't believe that she stood in place, watching the ground rumble as the dragon awoke from its slumber. Why didn't she run away? Why didn't she hide, just as she'd always done? When fear gripped her heart and her body began to shake, why didn't she turn around and flee?

The reason was because once Tess Oprin made up her mind, she couldn't change it.

Days before she'd sat, heartbroken and hoarse from having lost the only place that gave her solace. She'd just been carried in by a man bruised from where she'd punched at his arms and torso and face. He'd sat her down and helped her return to normal, but they all knew that something had changed. Once she'd downed her glass and put on her mask, Tess had finally looked up. Right into the eyes of the man now holding her. Beskar clad armor glinting in the sun, broad shoulders and helmeted features watching the young girl carefully, the Mandalorian had been intrigued by the girl ever since she changed her face. Ever since her features went from pained to placid. When he'd vowed to help them kill the dragon, Tess had made a similar promise; to get revenge. Ever since then she'd gone with the two, and slowly, something started chipping away at her.

She'd been all anger that first day, when the mechanic's shop was destroyed yet she survived. Bent on one thing and one thing only, to kill the dragon and have her heart return to normal. But no such thing occurred. Instead, everything seemed to change. When the raider's strange pet had erupted from the sands, she'd had adrenaline rush through her veins. She went to the Mandalorian and pet the small thing, a smirk playing on her lips. She'd gotten up and stepped in front of the Marshal as he insinuated a fight between the raiders and them. Thunder had erupted from her lips as she'd stood up from her spot, putting herself in the middle of a fight. When she'd come out of her tent that very same night, she hadn't gone back in when she saw the Mandalorian sitting by the fire. Instead, she'd gone to him, spoken to him. And when the child began to heal her leg, he'd caught her.

Everything had changed since the dragon destroyed her forge, and as Tess stood rigid on the crest of the fight, she realized she didn't know if it had been for better or for worse.

That was what scared her the most.

The Tusken's loud calls brought Tess out of her daze, and when they finally stopped, the growling of the dragon rising in the air, Tess took a deep breath. This was it. The fight. The battle. Her revenge. She was so scared.

The Mandalorian did not let go, and Tess did not pull away as the Marshal handed her the detonator. Tess took it in her other hand and released the safety pin. She positioned her thumb over the large button, skin barely brushing the plastic. One push of this and everything would be set off simultaneously. Every single canister that the townsfolk, Tess, and the Mandalorian had built would blow up, destruction reigning down from their detonation.

Normally Tess would almost smile at the thought of seeing her work in action, but not this time. This time, her machines were weapons, and they could kill. They were used to fight with. It brought a wave of nausea roiling inside Tess' stomach. The Mandalorian gripped her wrist tighter, hoping his touch would bring her the reassurance he himself was lacking in that moment.

But Tess was too smart for that, he knew. He held on tighter nonetheless.

The ground trembled as the dragon's horrible screams grew louder with each second. The raiders ran back, rifles in hand. They tripped over their robes, scrambling to get back to safety behind the crossbows. Silently, Tess pleaded for them to make it. She'd already seen one raider perish at the jaws of the dragon, and found she did not want to see another.