Vella stood in her place, frozen as a statue, staring with wide eyes at the girl she'd raised. She was here, in front of her! Her baby! She looked so mature with her brown hair grown long and tied up into thick braids that tightened into a bun along her head. Tan skin contrasting against the dark greens and grays of her outfit. She just looked so grown up, holding herself with poise and confidence.
Joy bubbled into Vella's throat as she smiled and tears stung the backs of her eyes. "Lara," she gasped.
"This is Lara?" Mando asked, turning to Vella.
She tried to swallow the lump stopping the words from leaving her throat. Her head nodded pathetically, unable to manage anything more than that.
"Fine, she can come, but we have to get moving," Din said as he started forward, guiding Vella out the door. She was so shocked, she was practically dazed, going wherever he led her.
"Mum," Lara said as she followed, "who is this?" She gestured to the Mandalorian, then looked down at the small child in her mother's arms and looked back to her. "And who's this!"
Din glanced at her through his visor, she looked like the spitting image of her mom, even their accents were the same. She fashioned her outfit and armor similarly but darker, with the addition of a green leather jacket with the bright orange rebel insignia on the arm. Her hair was done up like how Vella had done hers on the job when she looked like an elite.
He let a sigh scratch through his vocoder. "Your... mother... hired me to protect her," he explained as they walked through the stiff snow towards the speeders. He didn't really know why it was so strange for him to say, but it gave him pause nonetheless.
"I have so many questions," the girl muttered, putting her fingers to her temples.
Vella pulled away from Mando and rested her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Lara, love, I'm sure you do, but we've got to go first. Then we can find somewhere to talk privately."
"Look, Mum, I'd love that but—"
"Who are your friends, Lara," someone asked from behind them.
Instantly Din was on alert, blaster in hand, putting Vella and her daughter behind him.
"Oh!" The voice sang. "A Mandalorian!"
Vella saw the tan tone of her daughter's face turn red as she clenched her jaw. It'd been a long time since she had seen her so angry. She leaned forward to peek around Mando and stare at the woman that prompted her daughter's rage.
A human with dark skin and deep red hair that was cut short and curled in thin ringlets at her shoulders. The clothing she wore made Vella think she was some sort of smuggler, perhaps from Corellia, the accent on her tone only furthered the thought.
As much as appearances did, a Jedi's senses did much more. Vella could tell this woman was angry, far more angry than she looked. Whatever she had against Lara was serious and beyond anything Vella knew of.
Her attention was stolen by the baby who cooed and reached a clawed hand towards his fathers back. Vella bounced him softly and tutted, trying to calm him. She could feel him beginning to be affected by the anger and aggression in the air and Vella couldn't let him get lost in it.
Lara's eyes lingered on her mother as she interacted with the child. It made her almost sick with uncertainty. She'd never thought after all these years, she'd see her mom with a man, and certainly never with a child! But she reminded herself that it had been a long time since they'd seen each other, her mother had changed quite a lot.
And so had she.
"Mando!!"
Vella whirled around and saw the Trandoshan stomping towards them. He looked angry as he clutched his blasters that were aimed at them. His crew wasn't far behind and they looked just as ready for a battle. She sighed. "Who isn't after us today!" Vella muttered bitterly, patting the child's back. He'd started to whine and cry, the tension getting stronger.
The woman's dark eyes flicked uneasily towards the bounty hunter and his gang before centering on Lara and her crew again. "Lara, I'm sure you don't want these probably innocent people to pay for what you've done, so come along and I'll spare them," she said.
"Mando, give me the chip!" Dartrull demanded.
Vella frowned at the hunter, then turned to the Mandalorian. "You didn't give him the chip?" She asked him.
Din mumbled something she couldn't hear and looked to both attackers. "No, because it had weapon data on it, he was going to sell it to the highest bidder."
She sighed, that was why he was so angry earlier, he'd looked at the chip. First the job goes south, now this. They just couldn't catch a break could they.
Lara and Din sandwiched Vella and the child between their backs, the two had blasters in hand, ready to fire. Lara to whoever the woman was, and Din to the bounty hunter Dartrull and his crew. The child hummed and stared up at Vella. She put a hand on the back of his head and smiled, trying to give him some of her calmness.
"You've got to pay for what you did eventually, Lara," the woman snapped.
"Okay, who is this lady!" Vella asked, turning to look at the back of her daughter's head.
"Havora Wen, she was an old friend," the girl replied.
Havora scoffed and shook her blaster at her. "Until you stabbed me in the back!"
"You stabbed me!" Lara cried.
"Enough!" Dartrull interrupted, suddenly pointing one of his blasters at Havora, who did the same. "I just want my chip, Mando."
"You're not getting it," he replied, his voice low and gruff.
Vella slowly reached for her blaster under the cover of Din's body and pulled it from the holster on her thigh. No one moved, the first person to move would be the first person shot. So they all held their breath.
The sun was starting to set and the clouds had become thick. The temperature had dropped significantly, a brisk chill becoming a frigid cold. It wasn't safe to be out at night on a frozen planet. If the blasters didn't kill them, the climate would.
Din's eyes roamed from Dartrull to the bounty hunters before him, then to Havora. The woman looked restless, glancing between him and Lara anxiously. The Trandoshan was getting tired of waiting, his feet shifted and that caught the Mandalorian's eye. Instantly Din was sending two blasts, hitting someone in the shoulder and pushing the two women into the cover of the divider where their speeder bikes were parked.
The trio laid cover fire. They took out a few initially but as soon as their opponents dodged and took refuge they became harder targets.
Havora inched closer, using the cover of everyone's lasers to try and sneak up on them. Lara saw her first, but wasn't fast enough to dodge as the woman ran towards her and knocked them both to the ground beneath the cover of the Lodge's wall. Lara quickly jumped up and sent a punch towards her but the woman was slippery.
Vella heard them before she saw them, turning to see her daughter fighting. She stared in shock as she and the Mandalorian watched the two battle.
Din couldn't help but see Vella's fighting style in Lara, but also something else. She was more vicious, with harder, more forceful blows. Where Vella excelled in speed and agility, Lara had a sturdy, rocklike strength which wasn't like her mother.
"Don't come after me again," the girl demanded as she kicked Havora in the knee and knocked her down. She pointed the blaster at her and said something neither Mando, nor Vella could hear.
The two stared in shock at her ruthlessness. The woman's body fell limp as Lara knocked her out cold and returned to cover. Vella had sensed the difference in her daughter but until now she didn't realize she was becoming more like—
"Vella," Mando said, drawing her eye, "take the kid and Lara and get to the ship, I'll cover you."
"What? But Mando—"
"Just do it!"
Vella shook her head and her jaw clenched, she didn't like the idea of leaving him alone but she couldn't disagree. The priority was the kids and she knew Mando could take care of himself. She turned to look at her daughter, who only glanced at her between shots. Vella let out a frustrated growl and kept shooting. "Fine," she spat, "but I'll be back once the kids are safe." She moved the speeder out of the way and nodded to it. "Lara, you go first, head to the spaceport, I'll be right behind you."
The girl wore her disdain for this plan on her face but obeyed, keeping her body low while her mother and the Mandalorian kept the others pinned so she could make her escape. The speeder kicked up snow, giving her further cover.
"You next, Vella," Din grunted as he ducked and dodged a laser. She ignored him, shooting someone in the arm, stalling for time. "Protect him until I get there," Mando told her. She could hear the softness in his voice.
Vella stared at the faceless mask and knew under it was a father who just wanted to make sure his son was safe. Who was she to deny him that?
She clenched a fist but started towards her speeder. Vella had no idea how he was going to get out but she knew if anyone could, it would be him. So, against her better judgment she obeyed his wishes and took off into the snowy terrain.
The wind was worse now, snowflakes flurrying from the sky. It hurt just to breathe. She pulled the blanket over the baby's mouth to protect him. He whined and squirmed, not wanting to leave his father, but Vella kept a tight grip on him even though she hated it too.
The falling snow speeding towards her made it hard to see. She rode down the steep mountain ridge and the bike slipped from beneath her until she caught herself. Snow was kicked up behind her in a large plume before it fell back down to the land.
By the time she reached the port, the market had already been long closed for the storm and her body was frozen to the bone. The powder was starting to get deeper. She couldn't dawdle long, if the weather continued like this Mando would have no chance. With a silent breath she wished the storm would wait, just until he could get back safely. If something happened to him, she wouldn't forgive herself.
The speeders whirring quieted as she slowed it down. People were walking, inside shops and restaurants were still open and the night life of Vandor was just beginning.
Vella slid off the side and scoured the crowd until she landed on Lara who was looking for her too. She marched up to her daughter and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the hangar where the Crest was.
The girl stared in shock before realizing it was her mother.
Vella glanced back, hopefully sending a reassuring smile. "I'm taking you to the ship then I'm leaving you with the baby and going back to help Mando," she told her.
The girl's eyes opened wide. "What! You can't, I can't... I'm not—"
"Lara, I need you to do this, please," she sighed, patting the child as he cooed. He stared up at her with wide eyes, he didn't look like he liked that idea very much either.
Once they got on the ship she put the child on the floor and knelt down on a knee to unwrap him from the blanket. "I know you don't want to stay..." she started, fixing the child's little coat.
He frowned at her and her heart melted.
"If I bring you, Mando will be furious," she argued.
He cooed angrily at her.
"Do you want to have him furious with us?" She asked.
He simply stared, his wide eyes looking at her in an expression she was all too familiar seeing from her own daughter.
"I don't think he's going to let up," Lara said with a smirk.
Vella looked up at her and chuckled weakly. "Yes, I think you're right." She turned back to the child. "Alright, fine, but if we get in trouble it's your fault!" She said as she picked him up again.
"Mum, wait." Lara let out a groan and followed her back down the ramp of the ship. "You can't go back out there, it's dark, it's cold, if he... if he's gone then you're only putting yourself in danger."
"I'm going to go back for him, because I know he's not dead," Vella told her as they walked towards the doorway.
"Right, your whole 'Force voodoo,'" she mumbled.
"Lara!" Her mother scolded.
"I'm not sorry for not wanting you to get hurt!"
"I'm going."
Lara pulled on her arm, making her whirl around. "Mum! Stop!" She cried. Vella searched her face and even in the dim lighting she saw the desperation in her eyes as she tried hard to keep the fear from her expression. Lara's lips pursed before she finally continued. "I just got you back, what if I lose you again," she whispered.
Vella placed a hand on her cheek and smiled at her. "You won't, I promise. I need to find him. If he's in danger, he has no one to have his back but us."
Lara sighed and shook her head, looking at her with fondness in her eyes. "Stars, you're still as stubborn as a bloody blurrg."
The woman laughed. "I'm your mother, of course I am. I love you! Stay here, we'll be back I promise."
Lara watched her leave through the doors and wondered if she'd be true to her promise. Last time it was her who had done the leaving. That had been much easier, and she'd preferred that much more than this. Being left behind sucked.
~~~
The child—being the child—knew exactly where to find the Mandalorian. He didn't guide so much as he told her where not to go. He frowned and angrily muttered nonsense whenever she went the wrong way and was silent when she went the right way.
Vella's gloved hands were frozen as they clutched tightly to the metal controls of the speeder. The frigid air made her fingers feel like they would chip off if she tried removing them from the handles. When they were all safe, she'd take a few pages from Lara and Mando's books and buy a warm cloak, better gloves, and some goggles next time she had the chance.
The terrain was eery. The sun was now completely gone. Her main source of light was just the speeder's headlights, the bright moon only showed up between the thick clouds. Everything else was pitch black. Vella's eyes trailed along her left and right, hoping to see any sign of Mando. But all she saw were the streaking shadows left by the tall trees and her headlights
Snow pelted her cheeks and strong wind froze the skin of her face. Big gusts pulled at the green trees, making them bend and dance, casting odd shapes in the shadows. Vella didn't like it. There was a strange, uneasy feeling in the Force. But still the baby guided her and she followed.
Her lungs didn't appreciate the cold, and neither did the child's. He squirmed and pulled the blankets around him over his mouth. She carefully removed her hand and held him. Vella glanced down, she wasn't sure what they'd find when they found the Mandalorian and felt her fear for the child growing in her chest. She really hoped he was okay.
They'd soon find out.
"Mando!" Vella yelled as she jumped off the speeder and ran to his side, sliding into the snow beside him.
She left the speeder running and the light trained on his body to be able to tend to his wounds better. Vella let the child out of her jacket and held him.
The Mandalorian was laying on his back on the ground. She saw pieces of smoking parts and little fires scattered around. The remains of his speeder. By what Vella could piece together, the speeder had been shot and blown up, sending Mando flying off into a few trees and taking a heavy hit.
Din grunted when he moved his head to look at her. "What... are you doing here? I told you... to go back to the ship." His voice was weak, more quiet and gravelly than usual.
Vella looked around even though she knew no one had followed him. They probably would have seen his speeder blow up and assumed him good as dead. "The kid refused, and it's a good thing," she said mindlessly as she reached over him, carefully pressing his shoulder and sides to check where his wounds were.
He winced as she touched his torso near his hip and Vella knew, even before she looked, it was bad. She saw the huge gash in Mando's side and if she didn't think of something fast, he'd bleed out.
"How did you find me?" He asked.
She let out a humorless laugh. "The kid, he knew where you were." Vella didn't explain why.
The child wiggled out of her arms and she put him down in the snow beside his father. He let out a concerned babble of noises, head tilting and arms reaching out.
"Hey... bud..." Din muttered, consciousness fading.
Vella leaned over him and started shoveling ice onto his wound. Din winced, his hand resting on his stomach as his visor turned towards her. She tried a smile as she gave him a hollow apology and patted his chestplate consolingly with her other hand. The ice melted against her palm and she shoveled some more. At least she could temporarily stop the bleeding.
Finally the ice stayed, she saw the dark red seeping through the clear white. "Hang in there, Mando, I-I'll get a medpack." She moved to stand but stopped when she saw the baby place his hands on his fathers arm.
She paused, pursing her lips together. Vella didn't know what to tell him, how do you tell a child his father is dying? "Kid... I–" She started, but quickly silenced herself.
The baby's large eyes closed as he focused.
"No..." Din disagreed, but was too weak to do anything about it.
Vella's head tilted and a frown creased her forehead. The Force inside him was gathering, a strong steady thrum of energy being expended somewhere Vella couldn't pinpoint. Until she felt the dying Life Force inside the Mandalorian beginning to grow stronger as the Child shifted some of his life towards his father.
Her jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide. She watched with unbridled amazement as the boy somehow used the Force to heal the Mandalorian. "What..." she muttered.
Mando pulled his arm away from him before he was completely healed in attempts to save the kid's energy. Worn and tired, the boy fell backwards and Vella caught him before he hit the snow.
"He..." she whispered. As Din sat up and dusted away the bloodied ice, she saw the gash on his side had almost completely repaired itself. Vella handed him the child, and watched how tenderly he held him in his arms. The kid's small breaths came out in puffs as he slept.
"He has special abilities," the Mandalorian said simply.
She knew that but she had no idea about this. The old Jedi archives had nothing about this. The Jedi hadn't know about this!
"I'll explain more once we're back at the ship," he muttered. His voice was still weak but she could hear that his usual steadiness had returned.
Vella said nothing, only coming up beside him and draping his arm across her shoulders. They grunted as they stood, hobbling together through the deep snow. Vella clung to Mando's clothes, supporting most of his weight. She was so astounded that she was speechless. Her mind raced with questions and concerns that her lips couldn't be brought to speak.
They reached the speeder and she helped him on, driving them back to the spaceport. Neither said anything as Din held onto her with an arm around her stomach and the other holding the baby. His head hurt too much to support himself but he appreciated having someone to lean on for once.
The child had taken off the lethal edge of his wounds but Din hadn't let the boy heal him completely, so he was still quite damaged. His head felt heavy, ears ringing, eyes blurred, body sore. Though that's usually what happens when you're blown up and thrown into a tree.
When they reached the hangar Vella slid off first and helped him inside. She grunted and readjusted her hold on him. Every time he put weight on his left leg, she felt his shoulders wince, and she could hear how labored his breathing was through his vocoder.
The pair stumbled in to see Lara sitting on the ramp waiting for them. When she saw them enter and noticed how beaten the Mandalorian was, she jumped up and ran towards them.
But her mother's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Lara, get the bacta patches and spray, they're in the bottom compartment on the left side of the ship," Vella ordered, holding tighter to him as they climbed up into the Razor Crest and closed the hatch behind them.
Vella walked with him as he put the child in his hammock and closed the bunk's door. Din knew the child would be asleep for a little while. He grunted as she sat him down on the floor, leaning him against the wall. Vella took her spot next to him, sitting on her folded legs.
Lara handed her everything she'd found and sat far away from them. She felt like she was intruding on whatever sort of family these three had become even though Vella had been her family first.
Vella whispered a mindless 'thank you' but was still in a state of disbelief and started thoughtlessly unwrapping a medpack. It had become second nature to use one practically every night, considering how many fights they found themselves in. Who would have thought that a Mandalorian bounty hunter and Jedi rebel would get into so much trouble.
Din's helmet leaned back and thunked against the metal wall as it made contact. She could still hear his heavy breathing, but didn't want to let him sleep before taking care of his injuries.
"We might need to remove some armor to get to the wounds," Vella said.
He looked at her sharply, hurting himself more than he thought it would.
"Not your helmet, Mando, it's okay, you can do that yourself later," she reassured him.
He relaxed.
"But your backplate..." she faded off.
His heart raced, he'd always managed before on his own, but now he had someone who could actually help him. Who he might actually trust enough to help him. Din nodded slowly before hesitantly moving away from the wall so she could have access to the gash in his side, back, and shoulder.
She carefully unlatched his armor and placed it on the ground, then pulled up his brown undersuit to reveal his wounds. Vella was shocked to see how many scars he had all over his back as she wiped away the blood with bacta-infused pads. But then again, she shouldn't have been, he was not only a Mandalorian, but a bounty hunter. That lifestyle along with career choice were dangerous and not without risk.
When she was done cleaning the wounds, she secured the bacta patch onto his skin. She pulled down his shirt and moved to put the backplate and shoulder pauldron back on when he waved her off.
"It's okay..." he whispered, "thank you."
Nodding once, she settled into a cross legged position beside him.
Lara had silently watched the whole thing, if she didn't feel alienated in the start, she certainly did now. It was like they'd forgotten she was even present. Unfortunately to say, they kind of did. After all that happened they were both a little disoriented and dazed.
Vella didn't want to ask, in fact, she wanted to sleep. Exhaustion made itself known on her face and Din could see it through his visor. Her eyes were tired and her face was expressionless, she slouched as she sat next to him.
"Maybe we should talk about what happened tomorrow," he offered.
Vella nodded weakly. "Alright. But after you're all cleaned up," she told him.
He looked at her, he couldn't help but see the sadness in her eyes as she stared at him. Din wondered why she looked so upset but was too scared to ask. He wanted to disagree but knew she wouldn't give in so he let out a breath and nodded.
She stood up and saw Lara sitting against the rear ramp, she smiled weakly and gestured for her to follow. They left to sit in the cockpit and wait for him to finish tending to his wounds, settling into silence in the two back seats.
Vella's mind was slow but her thoughts were loud, they nearly shook her brain. Mando might have died if she'd gone back to the ship to get medical supplies, or if she'd tried to move him in that state. Not that she could have healed him like the child had—she didn't even know healing like that existed, but she wanted to know how.
Right there, staring out the cockpit window, she decided her secret wasn't worth the Mandalorian's life. If she could protect him, the child, or Lara, with a Force trick, blaster deflection, or anything, she would do it.
All this time she'd been telling herself they wouldn't know each other long enough for it to matter if he knew her secret or not. But every day they spent together made it increasingly clear this might be a longer relationship than either had anticipated. And her guilt was growing everyday she didn't tell him.
Lara's voice tore her from her thoughts. "What... happened?" She asked.
Vella closed her eyes and leaned her head against the chair, letting out a breath and trying to center herself. Though her head still hurt, the bump had started to go away. Her body ached but the bacta had taken off a majority of the edge from her wounds.
She hummed and frowned at nothing before finally finding the words. "I assume, he tried to get away on his speeder but they managed a shot on the engine and it blew up. When we found him, he was very hurt," she told her. "I thought he was going to die, until the kid..." she laughed dryly, "healed him... using the Force..." she whispered.
Her daughter raised her eyebrows. "You can do that?"
Vella shrugged weakly. "Apparently... I had no idea, not even the Jedi did. I remember reading so many of the old archives, even a majority of the medical ones, but I have never heard anything about healing with the Force like what he did."
The two were silent for a while, Lara not knowing what to say to continue the conversation and Vella not wanting to speak. The girl couldn't help but feel relieved that she and her mother were finally alone, they could finally talk. "I have so many questions," she muttered.
Vella felt her body and mind disagree but didn't have the heart to say no to her after it'd been so long. "Go ahead," she said with a weak smile.
"First, how are you, I mean you look amazing but stressed."
This prompted a chuckle from her. "I am stressed but that kind of comes with the territory."
Her daughter nodded reasonably. "How did you get mixed up with this guy?"
"What he told you was true," she started, "I hired him to protect me."
"Protect you from who?"
Vella eyed her, she knew she wasn't going to like the answer. "Malik."
Lara's eyes burst open and her jaw dropped. "Malik?!"
She nodded.
"That backstabbing, slimy, sludge-slinging" she struggled to find the right word to use to curse the man, "sleemo!!"
Vella couldn't help but smile at her, still as passionate as ever.
"If he gets near you Mum," she hummed angrily, punching a fist into her open palm, "I'll show him what it's like to mess with a Delaba!"
"Yes, I'm sure you will!" She laughed, shaking her head at the girl who cracked her knuckles noisily on purpose.
Lara smiled, happy to have made her mother laugh. "So then why were you at the Lodge?" She asked.
"Finishing up a job, from the Trandoshan that attacked us."
Lara nodded reasonably but didn't fully understand.
"And you?"
"Job. Well, looking for a job, you said once the Lodge is where you used to go so I started to too. It's worked out okay so far, I guess Havora knew I'd show up."
Vella's mood got serious, head leaning against the chair again but turned towards her daughter. "What about that Havora woman? Why was she after you?"
Lara slumped into her seat and played with the button on her rebel jacket. "She was an old business partner until she backstabbed me."
Vella raised an eyebrow at her. "Ah," she hummed. She'd been the girl's mother long enough to know there was a lot she wasn't saying but she also learned to give Lara her space where she wanted it.
"It doesn't matter anymore anyway," her daughter continued as she sat upright again, "she made her choice and now we're enemies."
Vella hummed. "You and I have a bad history with business partners," she said with a light chuckle.
The girl didn't laugh. "Yeah, how did Malik go bad?"
Her mother froze, her breath catching in her throat and jaw clenching shut. "That's... a long story..."
Lara looked away, she knew what that meant. Her stomach turned, the thought of it made her sick. "Amazing how things change," she muttered, keeping her face downcast.
The Jedi's eyes softened, she smiled at the girl fondly. Things do change, people change. Vella knew it, she could feel it not only with the Force but with her heart. Her daughter wasn't the same as she'd been, not entirely. The galaxy was wearing her down. She was rougher around the edges than when they'd lived together. Her daughter had been bold, bright, and brilliant, she still was, but now she was also a lot more jaded.
They settled into silence as they both thought through what they said, the weight of certain things giving them more pause than others. It'd been a while since they'd been together and could just sit in the quiet and enjoy each other's company.
They both had missed it.
But the question was still burning Lara's mind, she had to ask. "And him?" She gestured her head behind them to where they assumed the Mandalorian was still tending to his wounds.
"What about him?"
"Mum, come on... a Mandalorian?" She whispered.
Vella smiled and placed a hand on her daughters. "I wasn't sure about him at first either but we've been through a lot together." She turned to look where she knew he was even if she couldn't see him. "I trust him."
Lara looked at her mother, it wasn't the first time she'd seen that expression on her. "Are you sure there isn't another reason you trust him so easily?" She asked.
Vella sucked in a breath and pulled her hand away, sending a stern glare to her daughter. She didn't need to say anything, her expression said plenty as she shook her head.
Lara sighed. It appeared she was going to have to get used to having a mom again. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have one, and that she had to be nice, and polite because she'd raised her or whatever. "I'm sorry," Lara whispered.
Vella wasn't angry. She knew what she meant, they were dancing around the same issues but Vella didn't have the strength to talk about it. Not yet. "No, don't be, it's okay," she said softly.
"How have you been since..." her daughter asked quietly, volume barely over a whisper.
Vella shook her head, she wasn't ready to have that conversation. She let out a breath and turned to face her again, an entirely new attitude on, signing to her instead of speaking.
Lara's eyes lit up, the familiarity of her mom using their language making her smile.
They were so talkative and invested in their conversation that they didn't even notice Din had climbed the ladder with the Child in his arms and was watching intently. Mando knew a thing or two when it came to sign language. Yet, he couldn't recognize a few of their gestures as if they'd made most of it up themselves. Which they had.
He thought the conversation was going quite well because of their expressions. But he'd also been standing there awkwardly waiting for them to notice him, which they hadn't, and he wasn't sure if they were going to. So he coughed to get their attention.
Vella's eyebrows raised and she looked at him in shock. "Mando!" She cried.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, looking from one woman to the other, "but we should probably get going." He gave a stout nod before walking past them into the pilot seat. The child sat on his lap and rested, he still looked tired from exerting all that energy but his eyes were open and he was awake. Din was just happy he didn't sleep forever afterwards anymore. When he'd raised that mudhorn for the first time he'd slept for so long, Din was worried he'd never wake up. But the kid seemed to be getting better about using his abilities.
"I thought we were resting first," Vella said to the back of his silver helmet as he lifted the ship into the air.
"Later," he mumbled. "I didn't exactly take care of the Trandoshan's crew or the woman that was after Lara, if they found my ship we'd be sitting mynocks."
Vella nodded and let out a tired breath, this day kept dragging on and on. But she noticed the Mandalorian looked better. Well, as far as she could tell. He seemed to be healing, his breathing wasn't as labored as it had been before and he wasn't as careful when he moved.
Lara watched her mother as she examined the man. Even though she didn't have the Force, she could tell there was a connection to him and the Child. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. She couldn't pick one out of a whirlpool of emotions. Jealousy? Maybe. Confusion for sure. Bitterness? A little. Anger? Not much, but it was there too.
Yet, Lara found herself feeling happy. If her mother really did like this man then maybe she could find her happiness again. A daughter could hope. And if this man brought her mother happiness, that would be all Lara wanted for her.
The strange crew of people ventured forth in silence. It was an awkward silence, none of them particularly wanted to talk with nothing to talk about. The child, of course, was content. He didn't have much to say and was quite comfortable in his spot on his father's lap where he could see the atmosphere turn from sky to stars.
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Hi I'm in love with my cast oops
Lara is Beloved.
THESE TWO AND THEIR RAISED EYEBROWS
Also they can point guns at me if they wanted
Father of the year. Best dad. I am in love with this man.