Secrecy

Chapter XI

It had taken the Armorer several hours to forge new armor for the male Mandalorian, and it had finally been completed. He had just wandered out of the armory a few minutes ago, unquestionably going to get another task from the Guild that she did not work with. It was time for her to take her leave, as she was in need of finding a new assignment as well, and with twilight approaching soon, she needed to ready herself for her next venture.

"Wait," the words stop her in her tracks, making her turn around and face the Armorer once again.

"Yes?" She asks in confusion as she stands still with her arms dangling to her side.

"Your armor is in need of mending," the Armorer states, keeping her back turned away from her as she speaks.

She glances down to her left shoulder guard, finding that there was a small crack in the middle of it that would inevitably grow over time. Must have happened in one of the battles. She thinks to herself as she inspects the damage.

"It's fine," she shakes her head as she lifts her gaze and turns back around, but she doesn't get the chance to move forward.

"Sit," the Armorer says calmy, but in a tone of authority that made her sigh in defeat.

She doesn't say a word as she turns back around and listens to her command, if there was one thing she had learned throughout her adolescence, it was that arguing with the woman in front of her, was futile.

She sits down in front of the small table, leaning back on her legs with her back straight and shoulders resting. Lifting her gaze up, she looks to the woman in front of her, watching as she places the remaining beskar into a small metal box. Most of the extra beskar stayed in this carton until it was needed for the foundlings, but sometimes it would be used for others...such as the small droid she had recovered in her teenage years.

The Armorer was something of a leader to everyone here, as she knew more than most did, and built every piece of armor that everyone wore. She didn't look like any other in the covert. She was around the same height as the woman sitting behind her was, helmet gold with small spikes at the top front temples, armor made out of a brown leather material, and a shawl made out of animal fur rested on her shoulders.

The Armorer turns around to face her as she walks forward, kneeling down beside her as she disconnects her shoulder guard from her person, and takes it over to the welding fire to be mended and shaped back into a suitable state of adequate stability.

"I was not aware you were traveling with someone," the Armorer's words make her frown as she looks over to her again, watching as she begins to restore her armor. "Especially a male," she adds, making her fight back an eye roll at the implied hint a mother would give her child.

"I'm not," she says, keeping her eyes on the blue flames within the firepit. "It was not a planned partnership, and was temporary," she states with a firm nod.

"Mmm," the Armorer hums with a tone of skepticism as she sinks the piece of armor into a bucket of water, making it sizzle and let off steam as it cools to a settling temperature.

"You don't believe me?" She asks in confusion, looking up to her in questioning. "I am not one for comrades," she justifies.

"The Way of the Mandalore is not one best lived alone," the Armorer informs her as she walks back over to her and places her new-like shoulder guard back into its rightful place.

"I am not alone," she states simply, glancing over to her as she speaks.

"A droid does not count as Mandalorian company," the Armorer responds with a tone of amusement, standing back up before she comes to sit in front of her.

She goes to say something back to her but stops at the sound of small giggling behind her. The noise catches both of their attention, making them look over to the entrance of the room to see what was going on. But, before she could see who it was that was laughing, she is tackled by three young foundlings.

"We'll keep her safe!" The three children shout in excitement, making her laugh as she sits up with them, looking back over to the Armorer as she sighs and shakes her head in amusement.

"See? Not alone," she chuckles, reaching up to one of the foundlings as she straightens their oversized helmet. They were not under her care, but she had always had a soft spot for the children that were taken into the Mandalorian Way, and she loved them in a way that a caregiver would.

"I worry about your future, foundling," the Armorer addresses the woman in front of her as the young foundlings' runoff to continue on with their day that was coming to an end.

"Worry will lead you to an early grave, founder," she says in a joking tone, giving her old guardian an unbeknownst smile as she stands to her feet, and makes her way out of the armory.

✶✶✶

Her boots click against the stone as she walks out of the covert and into the outer tunnels, armor restored and cleaned up from her last expedition. The sun had almost completely set, meaning that it was best for her to be off in search of another job before it was entirely dark.
She was still unable to feel as if her last job was fulfilled. The thought of the child was still at the front of her mind, unnerving her as she continued with her footsteps, inching towards the exit with her thoughts incapable of leaving her be.

As her right foot touches the first step of the spiral staircase...the other doesn't get the chance to set onto the next.

Someone grabs onto her arm and stops her from moving, the sudden act making her fight or flight function go into effect. She quickly turns herself around and pushes whoever had grabbed her against the wall, swiftly taking her dagger out in the process, and putting the blade up to their neck. The tunnel was dark, as she had yet to turn on the night sight that was built into her helmet, and her vision did not process who it was that stood in front of her until they spoke.

"Whoa!" The man that she had traveled with shouts as he lifts his hands up in surrender. "It's me," he informs her, making no sudden movements as she still held the blade to him.

She stands still for a few seconds, processing the situation as everything had happened rather quickly due to her reflexes. She doesn't say a word as she grasps onto the clothes that were peeking out from underneath his chest plate, turns around with him in her grasp, and then tosses him to the ground away from herself.

"You're an idiot," she says calmly, staring down at him as he now lays on the floor with the air knocked out of his lungs.

"Thanks," he wheezes out with a cough.

"What was the point of your lurking?" She asks as she places her dagger back in its placeholder in her boot, and then crosses her arms over her chest, offering him no help standing back up.

"I'm going to get the kid back," he informs her, rising up from the ground to stand in front of her.

"...what?" She shakes her head in confusion.

"I'm going to-"

"I know what you said," she stops him from repeating his clearly heard words. "Why are you here then?" She questions.

"It's only a kid. And, I should have seen that before," he sighs at his own actions. "I need your help breaking it out," he states as he looks over to her, hoping that he could count on her for this, even though they barely knew one another.

She stares at him unmovingly as she silently thinks to herself, unsure why he would come to her in the first place. He seemed to be fine with being rid of her as soon as they got here, and she had no objects with that as she didn't want much to do with him either.

She hadn't been able to let the child go, and she knew that there had to be a reason for it, but this would unquestionably end in a way that could not be fixed. This was something that would change everything, and they both would never be able to come back from it...ever.

"Lead the way."