Cataclysm ─── The Mandalorian. ¹

xxii. tumbling amber dunes

            "You're right, Zoya. You and your husband have a great deal to learn about being parents. Also—what's his name?" Peli looks to Din, who doesn't say anything, taken aback by the woman so blatantly calling him Zoya's husband, despite the fact that Zoya had told him all about her assumption before they'd even gotten to the cantina. "Well?"

            "Call him Mando," Zoya supplies, knowing that he won't tell her his name. The woman looks at him for another beat, curiosity narrowing her eyes. "I'll take him back, now." She reaches out for the child. Peli eyes her for a second, then passes him over. Pulling him closer, Zoya murmurs, "Hey, bud. Have a good nap?" He gurgles in response.

            "Anyway," Peli drags out, "I started the repair on the fuel leak." She turns to a set of controls, fingers flying over the buttons. Din strides back up the ramp to grab a bag, listening to Peli continuing to speak behind him. "There you go. I had a couple setbacks I wanted to talk to you about. You know, I didn't use any droids, as requested, so it took me a lot longer than I expected." She pauses as he starts to return down the ramp, glancing at the child in Zoya's arms. "But, I figured you were good for the money since you have an extra mouth to feed."

            "Thank you," Zoya says. "That's very kind."

            When she nudges him with her elbow, Din echoes, "Thank you." He glances down at Zoya, then gestures with his helmet towards the door, so subtle that she almost doesn't catch the movement. He starts to walk forward without another word, and Zoya follows, refusing to let him out of her sight.

            "Oh, I guess I was right!" Peli exclaims, tailing them. "You got a job, didn't you?"

            It's clear that Din isn't interested in talking. "Yes, he did," Zoya says for him, rolling her eyes at his back. Would it kill you to be a little more polite?

            The back door slides open before them, and a swath of dusty golden light spills across the floor. "Well, that's good," Peli says. "You know, it's costing me a lot of money to keep these droids even powered up."

            Zoya's lips twist as her eyes fall upon Toro, waiting for them with two speeders. "Hey, Mando, what do you think? Not too shabby, huh?" After he speaks, his gaze falls upon the child in Zoya's arms. She tenses, pulling him closer to her chest, wanting to hide him from Toro's prying eyes.

            Din places his pack on the back of the speeder, stepping towards the front end to examine the vehicle. He prods at it for a beat, and the metal clicks together, proving that the speeders might not be as stable as they look.

            "What'd you expect?" Toro says, watching the inspection. "This ain't Corellia." He glances to Peli, who steps up behind Zoya. "Ma'am."

            "Watch him, please," Zoya says, giving the child carefully over to Peli. "We won't be gone for too long. Just . . . make sure he's safe."

            Peli nods. "Of course I will. Make sure you come back for him, though."

            "We would never leave him behind," Zoya says.

            As Toro climbs onto his speeder, she walks over to Din, who's about to mount his own. Beneath the helmet, he opens his mouth to speak, but Zoya steps right past him, slinging her leg over the seat of the speeder. He stares at her for a moment, unsure of what she's thinking. She glances at him, raising her eyebrows expectedly.

            "What are you doing?" he asks.

            Zoya looks pointedly at the speeder. "Um. I'm sitting here?"