~*~
He is, perhaps, one of the most strangest bounty hunters she's ever met.
He's one of the first few that actually cared about their way of life, and out of all the ones she's seen as a child, none had truly cared about her or Kuiil enough to stick around for long, or were ever seen or heard from again. But, like the other bounty hunters they've met, he isn't that much of a talker; speaking short answers and getting straight to the point.
She moves closer towards the tent to hear their conversation, wiping the brown jar she's holding that she had used for the bluurgs' food with a rag.
"Many have passed through," Kuiil says, lifting a pitcher from the kitchen table, "They all seek the same as you."
"Did you help them?" The Mandalorian asks softly.
"Yes," Kuiil nods, as he pours himself, and their new guest a glass of water.
"What happened to them?"
"They all died."
If the Mandalorian was startled by Kuiil's bluntness, he couldn't show it. His helmet kept his facial expressions guarded. He must be a great bluffer, she supposes as she takes a good look at him from the flap.
"Well, I don't know if I want your help."
"You do," Kuiil reminds him softly. "I can help you get to the encampment."
"What's your cut?"
"Half."
"Half of the bounty?" The Mandalorian asks with skepticism, "Seems steep."
"No," Kuiil shakes his head, and points towards where the blurrgs were all still resting. "Half of the blurrg I've helped you capture."
"You can keep them both."
"You need one to ride," Kuill insists, "it's impossible to get around without one."
"I dont know how to ride a blurrg."
"I have spoken," Kuill says with a half hearted glare.
And with that, she has a feeling their conversation is over, so she moves away from the flap; her mind still processing everything that happened. Dessa shakes her head, and moves closer to the blurrg nearest her, the one that they'd just caught thanks to the Mandalorian. Her ears pick up the sound of footsteps crunching softly against the sand. Speaking of ... her lips twitch up at his loud presence.
The Mandalorian approaches with caution, eyeing the blurrg she's petting with such distrust that she nearly laughs at how easy the emotion was visible underneath all that armor.
"He tell you that you need to ride one?" She tries to make conversation with him now that she knows he'll be staying with them for a while, or at least until he repairs his ship.
"Yes," he says, after an awkward silence.
She wonders if all bounty hunters were always this quiet, and stiff. She gives him a good look over, taking in his tense shoulders which have yet to loosen up. He's reluctant. She couldn't blame him for reacting that way, as it is the exact same reaction when she first met a blurrg.
"Start with her," she inclines her head towards the blurrg near her. "She's one of the more tamer ones."
The blurrg snorts, a puff of hot air clouds around its nose, and the bounty hunter steps back at the aggressive way it lifts its two little arms in the air as if to swipe at his helmet.
"One of the tamer ones, huh?" He asks skeptically.
"At least she won't kill you right away," she says, and walks off to let them get acquainted.
"That's reassuring," he calls to her calmly, and she grins to herself as she enters the tent.
Kuiil is sitting on the floor, eyes narrowed at the empty spot in front of him, deep in his thoughts. She grabs a pitcher from the stove and pours some water for the Ugnaught to drink on his cup on the table nearest him. She and Kuiil usually spent their days like this, mostly in silence. Well, Kuiil is the only one of them who liked to sit in silence.
"You're thinking hard. What made you want to help him?" She can't help it, she's curious. The question's been nagging at her ever since they found him.
"You were right," Kuiil admits with a hum, "he's different."
"I'm sorry, say that again?" She grins at the exasperation on his face.
"What?"
"The part where you admitted I was right," she says innocently.
"Go help him before I change my mind," Kuiil orders half heartedly.
"Yes, sir," she gives him a cheeky salute, before heading out the door. She lifts up the flap, holding a tray in her hands, as she walks closer towards the rink, stopping when she hears a soft yell.
The Mandalorian's lying on the ground, clutching his side, and gasping for breath.
"Need some help?" She asks, stepping into the rink with him.
"I can handle it," he snaps at her, raising a hand up as if to stop her. She ignores it, and keeps moving towards him anyway.
Dessa raises her brow, and scoffs to herself. Alright, definitely the 'manly man who hates when somebody helps him' type.
"Even the toughest person needs a little help sometimes," she insists, and offers him the palm of her hand, inching it towards him so that he can take a hint.
"Well, I don't," he says gruffly, and turns down her offer to help him off the ground. He gets up himself.
"I figured," she shrugs, retracts her hand, and leans against the fence, placing her elbows against the wood, "you sort of seem like the 'work alone' type."
"Really? What gave it away?" He asks dryly.
"It's all in the armor," she points at the rusty armor, and he glances down at his arms and chest, "and the way you speak."
"The way I speak?" He repeats with incredulity.
"You act like you haven't spoken with anyone in days," she prompts. He doesn't answer.
"I haven't," she jumps at his voice. He's avoiding her gaze, eyes fixed firmly on the sand beneath them. "I'm not -- I'm not really used to people helping me."
Oh. It's suddenly too dry for her to swallow. She doesn't know to respond to that. And really, she didn't have any right to pry or ask. Other than Kuill, She hasn't spoken to another person in a long time herself.
"Are you hot underneath all that armor?" She frowns, and her eyes widen as she realizes what she just asked, especially at the head tilt in her direction. "Kriff! Wait, wait, what I meant to say was--"
"I know what you meant," he says, but she can still hear the amusement in his voice. "The heat doesn't bother me. What about that wrap?"
She glances down to the green garments she's wearing that's covering up her white tunic and trousers.
"Once you've lived here for years, you get used to the heat," she admits.
"Wish I could say the same," he says, and she's taken aback by the casual way he spoke.
"I thought you said --"
"I lied," he shrugs.
Why, that sneaky slimeball! She's about to tell him off, but stops when she notices that he's staring at the blurrg, who's eating the slimy food she's cooked for it.
"Think I'll try again," he sighs.
"Good luck," she nods.
"I don't need luck," he counters, and slowly approaches the blurrg, who's backing away from him.
This time, he manages to stay on top for a few good minutes, before the blurrg kicks him off. He yells as he lands against the sand, kicking it up in the air and creating a cloud around them.
"What did you say about not needing luck?" She asks him innocently, and he turns to stare at her. She can't see what his expression looks like, but she thinks it's a glare.
"Perhaps if you would remove your helmet," Kuiil suggests as he approaches the two of them.
"Perhaps he remembers I tried to roast him," the Mandalorian counters, glancing back at the blurrg.
"That blurrg is female," Kuiil corrects him. "Males are eaten during mating season."
"This is ridiculous!" The Mandalorian exclaims rather childishly. "Don't you have a landspeeder or a speed biker I could hire?"
"You are Mandalorian," Kuiil reminds him. "Your ancestors used to ride the Mythosaur. Surely you can ride this young foal."
Whatever Kuiil said to him seemed to do the trick because the Mandalorian is approaching the blurrg again, much more slowly and gently that he did last time. He's talking to the blurrg under his breath, mumbled enough that both she and Kuiil can't understand him. He's persistent, she'll give him that much.
"How'd you do that?" She whispers to Kuiil, her eyes still fixed on the Mandalorian, who's now much more relaxed than he was before, though still had shaky hands as he gets closer to the blurrg.
"With a whole lot of patience," Kuiil says to her. "Men like him sometimes need a stern talking to, and a knock upside the head."
"But you didn't knock him over the head," she whispers back.
"It was a figure of speech," Kuiil sighs.
"Oh."
Like some sort of miracle, the Mandalorian manages to stay on top of the blurrg with a graceful ease, and is riding it around the camp. She can't help but envy the grace, it took her forever to get the blurrgs to like her.
"I have something to confess," she says with a sheepish grin, "that blurrg is one of the stronger ones. I told him she was tame."
"I knew, which is why I didn't say anything," Kuiil snickers, and raises his voice so the bounty hunter can hear, "How are you, Mandalorian? Is it riding alright for you?"
"Surprisingly yes," he says breathlessly. Dessa snickers under her breath, and he turns to stare at her, and she stops herself before he can question it. Just a little payback for earlier.
"Then let's get a move on," Kuiil nods. "We can't waste any more time."
She glances back just to check on how he's holding up. It was rocky for him at the start, but a few hours later, he's riding the blurrg like a pro. And soon enough, they were at their destination. She hasn't been in this place in years. The Nikto encampment just gives her an awful feeling. They were standing guard. And she can't help but wonder what's so precious inside their camp that they needed several guards patrolling the area.
"There you will find your quarry," Kuiil puts away the telescope.
Dessa raises her eyebrows at the small bag of sums the Mandalorian tries to offer. That's a first, she admits. But, Kuiil raises his hand up and shakes his head, declining the offer.
"Please," the Mandalorian insists. "You deserve this."
"Since they've arrived," Kuiil says, "there has been an endless stream of mercenaries seeking reward, and bringing destruction."
"Then why did you guide me?"
"They do not belong here," Kuiil answers. "Those that live here come to seek peace. There will be no peace until they're gone."
"Then why do you help?"
"I've never met a Mandalorian," Kuiil confesses with a small grin. "Only heard the stories. If they are true, you will make quick work of it. Only then there will be peace. I have spoken."
"Thank you for your help," the Mandolarian nods his head, and rushes off ahead, leaving the two to their quiet thoughts.
"I'm surprised you didn't go with him," Kuiil hums, bringing her out of her thoughts. "what with your reckless track record and all."
"You said so yourself, he's Mandalorian," she sighs tiredly. "he can handle it himself."
She's still glancing down at the Nikto camp with worry. The Mandalorian would be overrun in an instant. There was just too many walking around, and guarding the area. She's not taking any risks going down there.
"You didn't seem to think that when you helped him with the blurrg," Kuiil scoffs.
"I have spoken," she mocks him, and smiles at the glare sent her way.
They both stop in their tracks when they hear gunfire, and battle cries in the distance. She tenses and reluctantly turns around. Maybe should have gone ...
"Are you sure you don't want to help him?" She doesn't like the knowing tone in Kuill's voice. He knew something she didn't, and her pride wouldn't allow that.
"He can handle it," she decides with finality.
Without saying anything more, she turns back around to head straight for the camp with Kuiil following closely nearby.
She just hopes that the bounty hunter is true to his word, and can actually handle it on his own.
~*~