I'll Do The Same { Din Djarin x OC}

Chapter Nine: Armor

. . . .

"They say he's not far from here, in a shack off the cliffs."

"Really?"

Mando put the Razor Crest back in the air, and Thell watched the small village below them fade away. Pasaana was definitely her least favorite planet they had come to so far. With only sand and cliffs for miles and miles, the landscape was less than appealing. As they flew to Bolie's place, she could only pinpoint small villages and farms beyond the clouds the Razor Crest skimmed.

It wasn't long before the Razor Crest landed again, shaking under her feet. Thell went to unbuckle before the Mandalorian was standing over her, putting his hand out.

"Wait on the ship with the kid. I'm going to scope it out before we both get down there."

Thell was anxious to get outside and meet Bolie, but after standing on the side ramp and looking at his ramshackle house, she decided against it.

Grogu was at her feet, watching the Mandalorian step down with his rifle in hand.

"Mando!" Thell called before he had gone too far.

He turned, the sun reflecting off the Beskar in a way that made Thell's heart jump. Again, she wondered who was hiding under that mask.

"... Be careful."

If she had seen his face, maybe he would have smiled. "Always am."

From their distance at the ship, she watched him scour the area, stopping completely at the door and knocking. From here, Thell could see it crack, see an older man open up the door suddenly to the Mandalorian. He seemed surprised at first; Thell could see his arms waving at his side, and to her surprise, ushering Mando inside. The last glimpse she got of him was the flash of his jetpack against the sun.

Thell waited, cross legged at the helm of the side ramp, Grogu sitting in her lap. Pasaana was quiet around them, a slight breeze whistling past her ears, but Thell couldn't shake her uneasy feeling. It had started as soon as they had landed on the planet, the vastness of the desert and its unassuming safety. Grogu seemed to sense it too, even more so when Mando disappeared inside the house. He was whining in her lap, cocking his head to look up at her.

"What?" Thell asked, tilting her head to look back at him. His dark eyes flickered over her face, but she could tell he was nervous.

"I know. I'm nervous, too," she said, rubbing his head. "There's something off about this place... but I'm sure he'll be fine. Your dad knows how to protect himself. He'll be okay, you'll see."

And suddenly it wasn't fine, because the house in front of her eyes bursted into flames, splinters flying into the sky as the house completely exploded. The shock wave hit them immediately, throwing Thell onto her back and Grogu halfway across the cargo hold. Pain laced up her spine and skull as she collided with a supply crate, but quickly recovered, too worried to care about her injuries.

"Grogu!" She called in a panic. The fear was starting to invade, and her mind went to the worst of places.

Mando, her friend, had been in that house. She had seen him walk inside in broad daylight. Her only security, the only person that seemed to mildly care about her besides the kid. And she had never talked to him like she wanted to.

Another blast resounded over her shoulder, and Thell pushed herself to her feet, stumbling for a hold against the wall. The house had been blown to bits, charred walls standing lopsided and flames dusting the sand. She couldn't see the Mandalorian as she scanned the surroundings, not even past the sand dunes and cliffs that surrounded them.