✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Chapter 7 (Part 2): "As You Please" *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
"No, that's too dangerous. It's a stupid plan."
"Got anything better, little miss genius?" Pablo grumbles.
"Oh, and you're a genius?" It takes all of your inner strength to keep your voice below a whisper. You feel your face warm with seething anger. "You're the one who got caught by a bounty hunter!"
"And you're the one who got kidnapped."
"Stars!" you growl, shifting further away from Pablo, sliding across the Mandalorian's bed. "Honestly? I hope they do kill you."
"Don't tempt me with a good time."
You hand is raised in the air, prepared to shove him off the bed when Winta bursts through the doorway of the sleeping quarters.
"Someone's coming!"
"Kriff!" you hiss, flying to your feet.
"Hey, hey, wait, where the hell-"
"Under the bed!" You slap a hand on the top of his head, shoving it down with force. "Go!"
"I can barely fit," he growls. "I think I'm stuck- HEY NOW."
"Move!" you hiss through your teeth, pushing on his ass with both hands.
A few more panicked wiggles, and he slips underneath.
"Here." You slip him his blaster back. "Don't make me regret this."
He peaks up at you with a lopsided smile. "Never, sweetheart."
You barely make it back into the hull before the female Nar Shaddaa operative steps down from the last rung of the ladder.
"We've finalized the last details of the rendezvous with the Mandalorian." She throws both hands on her hips, rolling her shoulders forward, taking on a much more intimidating presence. "We should be arriving within fifteen minutes."
Stars! Fifteen minutes... Within fifteen minutes...
Oh Maker...
Swallowing back your anxiety, you stroll over to where the children sit in the bunk compartment, climbing up and joining them. You take the baby up, setting him down in your lap. He stares up at the woman and coos as the other children tuck behind your back.
"And?" You are trying your hardest to use your professional, almost bored tone of voice, the one you used when discussing "business" on Nar Shaddaa.
"I'm just reiterating my earlier point-" she smiles- "that one wrong move, play heroics, and you know how this will end."
You blink, keeping the mask on your face. "Good, well, thanks for the update." If you stay calm... the kids will stay calm... If you stay calm... the kids will stay calm...
The woman huffs and does a quick visual sweep of the hull before spinning around, climbing right straight up the ladder again.
Hell.
The unfrozen carbonite block. Tucked away in the back.
The kriff. She didn't see it. Bloody hells!
You'll just have to blame Pablo for that one.
You groan, letting your head flop forward against the baby's head. He coos against the touch, reaching up and clasping both of his hands against your cheeks.
"Baby, I know you miss your daddy," you sigh heavily, rubbing his ear with affection. "I think you all need naps."
"You need a nap."
You twist to frown at Winta. She just shrugs.
Well, she might have a point. After a long day of plot twist after plot twist, well...
You can't take many more of them.
"Hello, sweetheart."
Your eyes shoot up, your mouth plummeting to the floor.
"What the kriff are you doing?"
Pablo keeps his blaster trained on you, shrugging at your question. "Sorry, but I intend to do this my way, whether you like it or not."
You grit your teeth, rage boiling in your stomach- only the fear of alerting the cockpit keeping it from spilling over and consuming Pablo alive.
"I- you- how dare-"
"Save it." His face falls into the most serious expression you've seen from him thus far. He swoops along the wall, angling his head cautiously, peering up the ladder.
"The door's closed. Stay quiet. Climb."
"Are you crazy?!" You leap to your feet, marching over with little regard for the blaster trained on your head.
"Get back," he spits, holding a hand up in warning.
"No," you growl, ripping your hat off your head and slamming it against the floor. "Shoot me. You won't! Shoot me, you kriffing coward!"
His hand launches forward, twisting around your upper arm. His fingers dig into the soft flesh beneath the sleeve as he yanks you forward to hiss in your ear. "Don't do this, not in front of the children."
The children.
Stars.
You- you lost your temper in front of the children. You peak a reluctant glance over at the bunk, horrified to discover sheer terror etched in their expressions.
You want to throw up.
But your pride, your temper, still speak for you when your lips open. "In front of the children? Says the man pointing a blaster at me," you say through clenched teeth.
His eyes grow hard, and he shakes his head vigorously. "You'll thank me later."
You have no idea what's about to happen, but your priority is the children. Their safety. Their comfort. Their lives.
You will get them out of this, somehow. Somehow.
"I won't forget this, Pablo."
-------
It took Pablo less than thirty seconds to override the locks on the escape pod. Who knew that there was an emergency feature that allowed for it to be manually unlocked? Certainly would have been handy information to have that one time a Gungan was chasing you on his freighter...
"Come on, doll," Pablo whispers, shoving Winta as tightly against your body as possible. She groans, wrapping both arms around your leg. "I'm tired."
"I know, babydoll."
"Ouch!"
"Shh!"
"Maker," you mumble, barely audible. "Who designs a coffin escape pod that fits one person?" You squeeze the baby against your chest, praying there would be room enough to shut the door with all four of you stuffed inside. He releases a little whine, leaning into you as tightly as possible.
"Listen-" Pablo dips his head down within inches of your ear- "they won't know you've launched. I froze the pod's system computers from this panel, so you should be safe."
"How do I know you didn't screw the pod up?" you sneer.
He cocks his head, dipping in even closer to your ear. You feel his hot breath brush against your ear.
"Trust me."
"Kriff. Off," you mouth at him. He has the audacity to smirk.
"What in the Corellian hells are we supposed to do when we land?"
"You'll figure it out."
Kriff, you want to smack that smirk right off his face.... You gasp when something cold presses into your one free hand.
"Take it."
You look down, astonished to find his blaster in your grip. Your eyes shoot back up, honestly baffled by the gesture. This... this leaves him defenseless. "I could blast you right now." A smirk tickles at the corner of your lips.
"Shoot me." He grins, a bright, wide grin. "You won't, you kriffing coward."
And with one final chuckle, he seals the door shut, plastering the four of you tightly, but safely, within the confines of the escape pod.
"Here we go, kiddos," you mumble, feeling light for the first time since this whole mess started. Yes. Finally... The kids will be out of danger... A thousand-pound weight lifts from your shoulders, and you sigh, letting your eyes fall shut.
"Let's fly."
With a jolt- a jerk, the pod releases, and you take over the controls, begging the force for a safe landing, if for any reason, for the children's sake.
"He's going to die, isn't he?"
"Maybe not, Winta."
Probably not.
-------
"I hate adventure."
You reach down into the escape pod, pulling Birdie up to his feet. "Come on now, Birdie. You love adventure!"
"Not anymore!" Birdie screams at the top of his lungs. "It's stinky!"
"I want to go home!" Winta cries, flopping down on the sand. The baby takes this as his emotional cue, dramatically flopping over into Winta's lap and launching into high-pitched whining.
"Stars almighty!" You drop down to your knees and throw your hat off your head. "We're safe! Look, don't give up now!"
You know this isn't a fair request. They're children, for goodness sake. Tired, hungry, stressed children. But you have no clue, no clue, where you are on Arvala. No clue where Kuill's is. No clue what direction to go or how long it will take. It's hot, everyone's hungry... And outside of one blaster pistol, defenseless.
You stare up into the sky, squinting against the blazing, unforgiving sun.
Sigh.
"Come on now." You lumber back up to your feet, thrusting an arm out towards the horizon. "We'll get home that way."
Yes, the direction the Razor Crest was headed when you launched from it. Better than wandering around in circles.
You rest the baby against your hip, the other hand clenching the blaster with a steely grip. The children stumble into a line behind you, eyes drooping and shoulders low. You sigh.
"Let's sing while we walk, how 'bout?" you chirp.
They grumble an affirmative. You think so, anyway. Stars, you're actually jealous of their freedom to show outwardly how they really feel, not have to worry about keeping up a tough face.
Being an adult, to quote Birdie, is stinky.
-------
Eh, everyone's a critic. The children fall into a heavy silence after you finish the second song, so you give up on the singing. Well, maybe at this point, letting them process the day in silence would be better for them than anything else.
They need the- wait.
You freeze, dropping your body down to the dirt at the top of the hill. You jerk your arm in circles, and the children flop down beside you.
"The Razor Crest!" Winta gasps, eyes widening.
Resting a hand above your eyes, you squint against the sun's rays, sweeping your eyes around the valley in which the ship is positioned. But what you find is... well.
Not good.
You see no one. Hear no one.
But the ramp is open, and there's blaster bolt residue all along the sides of the rocks, the far cliff face, and even new marks on the Razor Crest itself. You bite your lower lip to stop it from trembling. At- at least you don't see their bodies. That's... good, right? Means they're somewhere... fighting?
Oh, stars...
You shift back on your heel to stand, anxiously brushing your pants off. "Stay here. Do not move for any-" you point at them and raise your eyebrows- "and I mean any reason." You are met by sharp nods of agreement.
You sigh, twisting around to slide down the hill towards the ship. Crouching down, you scramble from rock to rock, moving closer in towards the ship. You still hear nothing, not even from within the ship. You pause, frozen in place, for a good three, four minutes, just enough to make sure it was safe enough to approach closer.
If no one is in the ship, you can fly it off. Fly it to Kuill's, get help, call the Mandalorian, anything.
You cautiously rest one foot at the bottom of the ramp, as if it was triggered with bombs just waiting to go off with one wrong step. You release a puff of air, standing completely motionless as the Arvala wind whips your clothes around. You shake your head, taking several more steps.
All seems good, so now you can-
"WATCH OUT!"
You leap back several feet, clumsily falling off the edge of the ramp with an oof. You don't allow yourself time to feel pain. You clutch at the arm you landed on, gritting your teeth. Stumbling up, you slip on loose rocks as you race towards cover. Panting heavily, you jerk your head around in circles. You reach down to your waistband, grasping for Pablo's blaster.
Wait- no, no! The blaster- Pablo's blaster! You- you must have lost it by the ramp in your panic! Damn!
"LOOK!"
Your eyes tear up to where Winta stands at the top of the hill. She and Birdie are leaping up and down, motioning wildly towards the opposite side of the Crest where you sit. You spin around, expecting the worst.
And finding it.
Seven Corellian hells.
The Nar Shaddaa woman, dusted up and bloodied, is racing towards the Crest.
And she'll have to pass you to get to it.
"Watch out!"
BLAST.
BLAST.
The kids shriek as the blaster bolts sail over their heads. "DROP!" you howl, leaping up from your position. "DROP DOWN- ARH!" You grasp your left arm, grinding your teeth as the blood begins to pool on the fabric, warm and sticky against your hand.
You spin around, tears dripping from the pain. She's lifting it again. Aiming.
You dive, screaming as your bad arm crashes into the dirt. No, no. The world falls dark for only a second. But now you're stuck- stuck behind a rock. She's coming- coming closer. You can hear her boots, crunching against the rocks and pebbles. Crunching crunching.
Kriff.
Kriff.
Kriff.
You- you can't breathe. The smell of burned flesh- your flesh- turns your stomach inside out.
No.
This can't- this won't be your end.
Tears of terror and pain and resolve flood your cheeks.
You have one option. One chance.
You will get to the Razor Crest first.
One deep breath. Stumbling over pebbles, you push for the ramp. Your eyes are fixed forward. Tuning out any other thought besides-
run.
A bolt whizzes past your right ear. You instinctively jerk left, falling over from the burst of pain blasting from your arm straight to your head.
No, no. You can't- You have to get up. The children...
Rage seethes in your chest. Damn her. Damn this galaxy.
You belly crawl to the nearest rock, pressing up against it. What can you do? Oh, Maker, what can you do?
You peak your head up. She's so close. Closer. Lifts the gleaming silver. Aim-
Wait, what?
You gasp, slapping your good hand across your mouth.
You- your eyes... is this real? It can't... You blink. No, it's real.
The woman is floating in the air.
"What the hell," you hiss under your breath. "What th- OH!"
The woman goes blasting off, crashing against the Crest with an audible crunch. Winta screams. You rip your eyes away, staring up at the hill, just in time to watch the baby fall into Winta's lap.
Oh.
Oh no. No. No.
The baby- the baby used the force.
Complicated. How do things keep getting more and more complicated?
Movement pulls your attention away. The woman is getting up- clutching her side in pain. She releases a guttural scream, eyes flashing flames at you.
Right between you. In the middle. The blaster.
Like a match being lit, you burst forward. The pounding in your ears is like the hum of machinery, pushing you on like you had no say in the matter.
But then she falls, tumbles over her own feet, and you grasp the blaster from the dirt. But she's on you. A snap against your fingers, and you cry out as the weapon launches from your hand. She kicked it.
She wraps an arm around your neck, but you pull her down with every bit of your body weight- both of you screaming against your injuries and wounds, but neither giving in.
Side leap- roll. You launch at her legs, taking her down. She throws you off- climbing astride. You grab her wrists, tears bubbling in your eyes as the pain in your arm blackens the edges of your eyesight.
You freeze.
You don't- you don't feel pain.
It's cold. Just feels... cold.
With shaking, trembling hands, your clutch the handle of the vibroblade- your vibroblade- jutting from your side.
She jumps up off you, twisting around on her heel. You kn-know... she's... the children. The children. You think you can... faintly hear them.
It wasn't smart. But you have to... Gritting your teeth, you yank the knife from your side. Flopping over as you wail, the pain held back like a dam releases all at once.
Face kissed with tears, you wobble up to your feet, swaying against the darkness encroaching your vision.
May the force guide your hand.
You swing back. The knife flies, slips right out of your fingers. Slices through the air.
The Nar Shaddaa operative collapses, the handle of your knife glowing golden in the sun's rays.
This will be your legacy.
Not your arrests, rebellion, schemes, failures, betrayals.
No.
When you die, your legacy will be the golden knife shining from their back. Your legacy will be the three children that will live on another day.
You're selfish. You've lived a selfish life. But somehow, you think, with the last three minutes of your breath, maybe, just maybe, you have wiped that slate clean.
"Valera," you mumble. Stars, you see her face. That's all you want. Yes, to hell with this life. Valera... Bright eyes giggle above your face.
Maker.... You're hallucinating... You're... you're actually dying. Years of close calls, and now you're dying.
"V-Va-Valera."
You reach up. But it is not softness nor warmth you feel.
Cold.
Hard.
"She's going into shock."
Din.
His voice is a thousand miles away. You are buried a hundred miles below the surface of an ocean. You are only vaguely aware of arms sliding underneath you, lifting you.
You feel no pain. Only a dark light, hovering at the edge, consuming more and more of the bright light. A battle, life and death. And you are stuck between them.
You comprehend a few things. The soft hug of blankets beneath your body. The gentle give of a mattress. A deep voice, muffled above the water's surface. Soft, affectionate fingers tracing your jaw, cupping your cheek.
You hear your name, clear through the fog, a desperate, pleading voice.
It calls out. You want to answer.
But the darkness wins.
-------
You don't remember the first time you awaken. Or the second. Nor the third. But the fourth time-
You pry open heavy eyelids, as if the lashes were tied to lead strands. You groan- you feel so heavy, like there's a pressure boring down on you from some invisible source. You wiggle against the weight; the soreness shoots up your side; your arm-
Oh!
Your eyes shatter the lead weights into a thousand crystal shards, blasting wide open when everything hits your mind at once.
Hell! What- are the kids...? Where are- wait!
You lean forward, lifting up from the bed like some rakghoul emerging from its grave. A mistake. You moan against the ache that quivers up your spine.
"Easy."
Catching the movement of silver, your eyes tear over to the opposite side of the room... Din's room. You're on the Razor Crest.
"Din," you breathe, groaning as you place your good hand on your forehead. "What- what happened?"
He tilts his head. "You were stabbed."
"I- I think I figured that part out," you grumble as you stare down at your body, laying back against the pillows.
He remains silent, moving across the room to stand at your side. He doesn't go to sit or even speak; he just... stares down at you.
"What?" you grumble, perhaps a bit heavy on the aggression. But hey, you've just been stabbed and shot. You imagine you have the right to be grumpy for at least a week or two. Maybe three, if you push it.
"I'm trying to determine-" he reaches down, dusting your forehead with the hint of leather- "if it's you or the drugs speaking right now."
"Drugs?" A teasing smile blooms at the corner of your mouth. "Hey, what kind of drugs are we talking about here?"
He lowers down into the chair positioned beside your bed with a grunt.
"It's you."
You chuckle even through your aching exhaustion.
"I..." you drop the humor, voice lowering to a mere whisper. "What happened? I don't remember..."
Din twists his head away from you. You fear he might not answer; you begin panicking, wondering if something horrible happened and-
"When we arrived," he sighs, heavy, tired, "they refused to show us you and the children. Next thing I know-" he tilts his head- "a man emerged from the ramp saying you were safe and to shoot them."
Pablo. Some plan! You roll your eyes, perhaps with a smidge of affection in your heart, if you searched very, very hard. Very hard.
"Then we found you," he whispers, barely audible through the vocoder. He leans forward, resting both elbows against his knees and shaking his head.
"Ka'r'ika, you... " He reaches out again, dusting of leather against your cheek. "I- you died."
"I... I did?" Your eyes widen. "I- it's... really?" You blink, humor taking over for your lack of words. You force a grin. "Damn, that's... hardcore."
Din does not attempt to mask the aggression in his tone.
"They died too quickly." He leans against the mattress, voice dropping in volume. "They deserved to have it dragged out."
Shivers spike up your spine at his words. Sometimes you forget he's a hunter, running with his own, perhaps sometimes cruel, set of rules and codes. But quickly... was it quickly? You let your eyes slide shut, trying your hardest to forget to stench of raw, burnt flesh, the children wailing...
You launch forward with a gasp. "The kids! Are they-"
He pushes you back with a firm grip on your shoulder.
"Time has helped." He leans forward. "Every time they tell the story, the details grow a bit more elaborate. A good sign."
"Heh, no surprise there- wait a minute, how much time are we talking about here?"
"Three days." He angles his head at you. "Been taking turns watching you."
"Stars! Three days!" You blink, biting you lip. "I, uh, I'm sorry. I can go to my, um, own bunk now. I feel better..." You begin shifting, but a firm, yet gentle, hand presses you back down, fingers lingering a few seconds longer than necessary.
You sigh, letting your good arm flop down on your chest.
"Ka'r'ika..."
You turn your head to watch him; he taps his fingers rapidly against his thigh.
"You did well."
A small smile peaks through your lips, and you slide your hand along the edge of the bed, seeking his. You grasp the cool leather, pleased when he returns the grip.
"We can't seem to stay out of trouble-" you toss him a lopsided smile- "can we?"
"No," he rasps. You are happy to hear amusement has returned to his voice. "You can't."
"Mando-" you scrunch your nose- "you can kriff right off."
He laughs... stars, even more beautiful than the first time you heard it. Best watch out, Mando, now you will do everything in your power to pry open that tin can heart of his and pull that laugh out.
Your mood turns, your face dropping.
The baby.
The baby.
Hell, he... he used the force. Surely the Mandalorian knew, right? How- how could he not? Do you bring it up? Ask? You twist your head, avoiding meeting the dark depths of his visor.
You will wait. You will wait and see if he brings it up.
After all, the children saw it too. They must have told him what they saw...
"What's wrong?"
You blink rapidly, breath catching in your throat. "Oh, ah, nothing." Biting your lip, you take a deep breathe of air. "I guess, I just wonder, you know, this is my fault. I should have- could have... I don't know." You will not cry you will not cry. "I'm a karking coward." You bury your face in your hand.
"You're a lot of things-" you rip your hand away, staring at him as he speaks- "but a coward is not one of them."
You blink as he continues.
"You protected our children. Killed to do so." He angles his helmet. "Didn't run, stayed with me to take a Bateran down." He blows a huff of air through the vocoder. "And a coward wouldn't have risked their life for those women on Taek."
"That was just a gut reaction," you grumble, feeling your cheeks burn at the Mandalorian's praise.
"Bravery as an instinct is stronger than a deliberate choice. It means it's in your nature." He shifts to stand, hovering over your body before stepping back. "This is the way."
"Um, oh. Ok-ay."
Pride, there was pride in his voice.
"Well-" you stop him before he can move further away from you- "what now for you, Mandalorian?"
"Delivering the chip to the client." He steps over a pile of clothing to stare up at some piping running through the walls. "That should take care of any future issues, for both of us." He hooks his fingers in his belt, stepping back away from the bed. "I redirected their beacon. Made it look like they were in a completely different sector. Kuill should be safe, protected."
Your eye twitches, afraid to ask your next question.
"So, where is this chip to be delivered?"
"Nar Shaddaa."
Oh.
Oh, hell no no nonono.
You didn't spend months of blood, sweat, and tears running to get away from there only to go back now. No, no. You're going with Cara. You're going to Keolith.
Movement from the corner of your eye breaks apart your panicked thoughts.
Din, stepping over another pile of junk, stoops down to pick some of it up.
"It- I..." he pauses, several quiet, long seconds. "I could keep you safe- if you were to stay with me."
You blink, thinking you hear a light strangle of air slipping under his helm.
"...Until things with Taek are cleared," he swiftly adds, stuffing some shirts into a drawer.
"Din," your voice is soft, barely audible. He drops everything to turn and stare at you.
"I've been lying to you."
Silence.
"I- I can't stay here- not with you, your son, these people." Your voice grows louder with every word. "It's too dangerous. And- and I can't go back to Nar Shaddaa. I had to flee the planet with only the clothes on my back. I'm in a big, hot mess."
You vigorously shake your head, avoiding looking in his direction. "If there isn't already, soon there will be a price on my head. It doesn't matter why. And- shit- I... it's bad, really bad." The words spill faster and faster.
"And I don't mean cheap hunters!" You throw your good hand in the air. "We're talking private, high-level hunters!" You slap your face into your hand, yanking on your hair as you groan.
"Hell, on Taek- I stalked you. I heard stories of the Mandalorian hunters. Expensive, efficient. I thought you were there for me." Gulping back against your dry throat, you force yourself to turn and face him.
He stands motionless, watching you. His visor, that damn visor, bores into you like it could dig secrets from your soul.
Oh no.
A hunter. He is, first and foremost, a hunter.
You-you messed up. He wouldn't- maybe you overestimated... He's going to turn you in, collect-
"I know." His voice is soft, gentle.
Your lips part, confusion etched in your furrowed brows.
"I knew you were watching me, trailing me to the cantina."
Your eyes widen.
"I followed you to the courtyard that night," he rasps, crossing his arms. "To observe. Maybe question you."
"Poodoo," you breathe, eyes wide open in disbelief. "And there I was the whole time thinking I was being sneaky."
A small gasp escapes your lips when he suddenly steps to the side. He sweeps around the bed, stomping right over the clothes you had tossed on the floor only a few days prior. You startle, digging back against the pillows, holding your breath until he pauses right beside you.
"You're staying with me."
"W-what? Didn't you just hear what I said?" You start to sit up, but his firm grip on your shoulder pushes you back, holding you there as he resumes speaking.
"I'm not letting you leave until it's safe and this situation is cleared up."
You know you can't argue when he uses that tone of voice, but you can try. "But the hunters!"
"Will not hurt or find us. I will- I swear-" he rips his hand away from your shoulder, dropping down into the chair. "You will be kept safe. And- after that... I will return you to Keolith, or whatever you wish." His voice drifts, softening towards the end.
Tears threaten to spill from your eyes.
But no, you will not cry.
You grab his hand with yours, ignoring the sharp exhale of breath that slips beneath his helm. You desperately wish you could feel, squeeze, the soft flesh hidden away in leather. You want to touch the man inside.
But that thought scares you. It scares you because, you have a feeling, if you were to ask, he would do it for you.
You- you don't want that kind of power. You can't handle that kind of power.
"Interrupting anything?"
You rip your hand away, tucking it beneath the blankets.
"Cara!" you laugh, brushing off your discomfort.
"So, you live!"
"It appears so."
"Feeling okay?" Her voice softens, dropping the jestering tone.
"Yeah," you sigh.
"Good." That mischievous glint returns to her eye. "Well, aren't we going to be just one cozy little group, all together in the Razor Crest."
"E-excuse me?" You raise an eyebrow.
A new person entering the room rips your attention towards the door.
"It'll be a tight squeeze, but-" Pablo takes another bite of his apple- "hey! That bed could fit three, easily. Who wants to spoon me?"
"You!" you growl, wincing as you lift up off the bed. "You're not spooning anyone tonight! How about we just freeze you back!"
Pablo throws his hands in the air, giving you a raised eyebrow.
"Hold the spunk, sweetheart." He takes another bite of the apple, casually walking closer to you. "I'm a free man. Kids vouched for me. They love me."
Din releases the heaviest, most long-suffering sigh you have ever heard from him.
Apparently, three days with Pablo hasn't exactly made the Mandalorian a fan either.
"In exchange for his assistance, I messaged and had Greef wipe his Guild bounty, listed as dead," Cara chuckles.
"Yeah, saving Mando's girl got me on the buddy list. And Mando, you wouldn't have caught me the first time if I wasn't taken off guard." He points a finger at Din. "Lemme know when you want a rematch."
"I-I'm not his girl," you mumble, heart beating faster at the insinuation. Oh stars... You dare not steal a glance at the Mandalorian.
"Oh good, I was worried," Pablo sighs. "Didn't want Mando to find out that you grabbed this tight ass when we were alone in here."
"Pablo!" you yelp, growling through clenched teeth. Stars, you've had enough. "Remember our previous conversation? I'm going to bloody kill you!" You launch a pillow at him with your one good arm that he easily dodges. "Get over here, you coward!"
He flops on the other side of the bed, yelling and covering his face as you smack him repeatedly with a pillow.
"Damn- HEY- wa- ouch!"
"Blast-" smack- "you-" smack- "banthabrain!"
"Stop." A strong grip pulls your arm back. "You'll agitate your injuries."
"I will not travel with him in the same ship!"
"I'm not too excited about it either, sister!"
"Go with Cara then!"
"About that-" Cara taps her chin- "my little craft might have been destroyed in the scuffle with the Nar Shaddaa creeps."
"Oh." You blink. "I'm-I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Wasn't my ship," she chuckles.
"We're dropping them off," Din sighs, rolling his head back as if to say, "how did I get into this mess?"
"If you can't handle each other's presence," he grumbles, crossing his arms. "I can freeze you both."
"Grumpy old man," you snort.
You turn towards Pablo, sticking a tongue out at him. He returns the gesture.
Cara grabs the back of Pablo's collar. "Come on, let's let her get some rest." Cara swoops her hand towards the door. "Din, go get some sleep. I'll stay and listen for her." She leans in close to you, raising her hand to cover her mouth. "He wouldn't leave your side."
You feel your cheeks burst into flames, and you wish you could bury your head under the covers like the children.
"Fine." Pablo spins around in the doorframe, tossing you a quick wink. "Later, sweetheart."
Cara chuckles. "You too, Din."
Letting his shoulders fall, he shuffles over towards the door, pausing just before the frame.
"Ka'r'ika, wait."
You lift your eyes. "What is that?"
Your mouth falls open, the familiar golden gleam finally registering in your head.
Your knife.
"You should wield this with honor, Ka'r'ika," Din rumbles.
You hesitantly reach out, taking it with a trembling hand.
"You earned the honor."
You raise your head, a small smile on your lips.
"Teach me sometime?"
His hand lifts your chin. Skin, not leather, strokes just below your lip.
"As you please."