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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎
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BRIGHT, FLAMING STARS SURROUNDED the Razor Crest as it flew past the horizon. Nothing but the sparks from the burning heavenly bodies served as light to the pair who was, once again, set out on a never-ending journey.
For now, they were both certain that they had forever right in front of them and they are not complaining about it. They long for nothing but to be by each other's side.
That was enough for the two of them to survive.
"What if..." Aeryn began, her voice echoing all throughout cockpit. She swiftly turned her head to meet Din's who was still focused on their track. "I never found you?"
The violet-eyed girl's words successfully caught the Mandalorian's attention.
Din Djarin turned his head and was not surprised to meet the eyes he always longed for.
The eyes that always made him smile underneath that beskar helmet. The eyes that always made him feel warm despite of the thick clothes he wore and the invinsible beskar armor all over his body.
"What would be of us?" Aeryn's voice was barely a whisper. If Din was not listening intently to her, he would not have been able to hear her words.
Din found himself lost in Aeryn's eyes. God, he could not even bring words to come out of his mouth. It was just that simple and obvious to him.
"It scares me."
"I doubt it." a soft chuckle left Aeryn's lips. "The infamous cold-blooded bounty hunter, scared of something related to me?"
A short, sharp sigh left Din's lips. He slowly lifted his left hand, cupping the side of Aeryn's face, caressing her cheek.
"You still have no idea how important you are to me, do you?"
"Well--"
The transmission device Din owned suddenly chimed, cutting Aeryn off.
The Mandalorian quickly looked over his transmission device and intently began to analyze it.
"Why? What's going on?" Aeryn asked as worry slowly crept onto her. Everytime this occurs, she knew something was up and most of the time, it was not really that pleasant.
"I just received a transmission on Gor Koresh's location." Din answered, his eyes still focused on the transmission device.
"Which means...?"
Din turned to look at Aeryn for a moment and gently placed his right, gloved hand on the side of Aeryn's head.
"We'll finally have our lead to help the kid." Din's voice beamed and Aeryn could tell that somehow, he was smiling underneath that beskar.
The violet-eyed girl couldn't help but also let out a small, genuine smile as she held onto Din's gloved hand that was currently caressing her braided hair.
Right now, aside from the possible lead, they had each other.
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WHEREVER THE THREE OF THEM WERE, it was not such a sunny place. Darkness clouded over the travellers as they all headed towards a path unknown to Aeryn. Graffiti-filled buildings could be seen through the dim-lit lamp posts the farther they go.
Din lead the way while Aeryn followed a little bit behind him, making sure that the child was safe in its pod. There was one thing that bothered Aeryn the most, though.
Red blinking eyes.
There were numerous pairs of blinking red eyes by the side of the streets. Some moments, the owners of the eyes would quietly whimper in fright.
"Are you sure it's not necessary for me to carry him?" Aeryn asked Din as they all continued to walk, anxiety slowly taking over her.
"Let's try to make him independent. Little by little." Din replied, slightly turning his head to see Aeryn's face. "He's 50 years old, remember?"
A soft chuckle left Aeryn's lips and for a moment, her anxiousness melted away.
"Fair enough."
The clan of three continued walking until they have finally reached a door. Of course, it was a door very much unfamiliar to Aeryn. Yes, she had been travelling for quite most of her life but she had never been on this planet.
Unbeknownst to Aeryn, Din swiftly slipped his hand onto hers, gently squeezing it as they both stood in front of a sinister-looking Twi'lek doorman. He was able to sense her anxiety and he wanted to help that go away.
Aeryn squeezed his hand back, her eyes still on the innocent child.
"I'm here to see Gor Koresh." Din nonchalantly told the doorman.
The Twi'lek briefly glanced at the Mandalorian's company, shifting his eyes from the child to Aeryn. He, then, moved aside and finally gave way for the door to open.
"Enjoy the fights." with the Twi'lek's words, the clan entered the establishment.
As the three of them descended down the staircase, Din kept his hand tangled with Aeryn's.
The fighting pit was filled with species of all kinds. The whole place was a little bit congested considering all the activities ocurring all at the same time. Almost every species' attention was glued onto the fighting ring, roaring and shouting everywhere.
Gor Koresh was a chubby Abyssin with a sense of style. That, Aeryn was certain of. The moment Din had finally found Gor, he immediately took the vacant seat beside him, completely blocking Aeryn from Gor's view.
"You know this is no place for a child." Gor began, glancing at the child.
"Wherever I go, he goes."
"So I've heard." Gor chuckled and for a brief moment, his eyes landed onto Aeryn.
The violet-eyed girl furrowed her eyebrows and decided not to mind the Abyssin fellow. Instead, she proceed to give her attention to the child as it tried to reach out to her hair.
"And if you think that you are able to hide that beautiful lady with you, you are mistaken." Gor added which only made Aeryn slightly more uncomfortable.
There was a brief silence between the two. Though everyone else kept on roaring, shouting, and cheering at the fighting ring, it was evident to Aeryn that there was already some tension slowly building up.
"I've been quested to bring him to his kind. If I can locate other Mandalorians, they can help guide me. I'm told you know where to find them." Din answered calmly as if he had not heard Gor bring up Aeryn.
"It's uncouth to talk business immediately. Just enjoy the entertainment."
The hid cooed in slight distress when the fighting Gamorrean's axes fiercely clanged together. Aeryn gently yet quickly placed her hand on top of the child's head and hope that it will somehow help him calm down.
"Bah! My Gamorrean's not doing well. Kill him! Finish him!" Gor bellowed as a Gamorrean fell onto the fighting ring.
Din took a quick glance at Aeryn and the child, making sure that they were still safe and protected.
"Do you gamble, Mando?" Gor asked, catching Din's attention.
"Not when it can be avoided."
Gor Karesh, once again, chuckled.
"This man might have some chuckling problem." Aeryn carefully whispered to the child to which, surprisingly, he acknowledged with a giggle.
"Well, I'll bet you the information you seek that this Gamorrean's going to die within the next minute and a half..." Gor halted midway, eyeing Din. "And all you have to put up in exchange is your shiny beskar armor."
"Say what?" Aeryn hissed at herself, almost prepared to attack the Abyssin if not for the child who was currently clinging onto her fingers.
"I'm prepared to pay you for the information. I'm not leaving my fate up to chance." Din replied calmly.
"Nor am I."
With that, Gor pulled out a blaster out of his coat and quickly shoots at the opposing Gamorrean on the ring; killing it immediately.
Aeryn's instincts quickly took over her and she shut the child's pod closed, keeping it extremely close to her.
Gor Koresh's henchpeople suddenly rose all around the three of them, numerous blasters all pointed at them.
Aeryn froze at her seat but still held the child's pod close to her. Whatever happens, she knew that Din was there to protect them. If not her, the safety of the child must be assured.
"Thank you for coming to me. Normally, I have to seek out remnants of you Mandalorians in your hidden hives to harvest your precious shiny shells." Gor halted, chuckling. "Beskar's value continues to rise. I've grown quite fond of it. Give it to me now or I will peel it off your corpse."
"Tell me where the Mandalorians are and I'll walk outta here without killing you."
"I thought you said you weren't a gambler..."
"I'm not."
Din released the whistling birds, immediately killing all four henchmen. He abruptly pushed Aeryn down onto the floor while she held the child's pod close to her chest.
Grunts, punches, and blaster shots filled the fighting pit's air as Din fought with all of Gor Koresh's henchmen. No matter how much Aeryn wanted to help, she knew that right now, it was her job to stay with the child.
As Aeryn watched Din fight with other henchmen, her eyes landed on a fleeing Gor.
"Di--Mando, do you want me to take care of Gor?!" Aeryn shouted.
"Yes--" Din briefly answered as he continued to struggle fighting all the other henchmen. "Please--"
The violet-eyed girl proceeded to kick a henchman on its groin, punched it right on the face, and elbowed its jaw on her way to running after Gor. Aeryn grabbed a lasso from her belt, the one that Din gave her just in case she ever needed it, and aimed it right at Gor Koresh's leg.
It was a success and before Gor even knew it, he already face-planted onto the ground.
Aeryn rushed to where Gor was and stood over him with a glorious smile plastered across her face.
"I know you, you know?" Gor suddenly spoke, catching the girl's attention.
"Oh, really?" Aeryn scoffed.
"He's looking for you." Gor added. At this point, the smile on Aeryn's face slowly faded as darkness flooded over her. "Violet eyes. Dark hair. Moff Gideon is eager to have you back. Many other hunters are probably aware of it."
"How many?"
"All over the galaxy, Aeryn Mavek. As we speak, there are bounty fobs leading right to where you are."
"How much?" Aeryn gulped as she suddenly felt like she no longer had any water in her system. Her lungs felt like they would be collpasing anytime and that her knees would actually fail to keep her in balance.
"Quite a large price, I must say. Just as expensive as beskar. Don't worry, young lady. The Empire wants you alive."
With those five words, Aeryn's world seemed to crush and crumble down to the ground. She couldn't believe her ears. It couldn't be true. After all these years she has managed to run away from the Empire and now, they were using her to get the child.
Tracking fobs.
In a blink of an eye, numerous bounty hunters could surround her, Din, and the child without them even knowing there was a threat. That she was a threat.
By being alive and staying with Din and the child, she was already endagering them. She was endagering her own family.
Just as Aeryn was finally about to lose her composure, Din had exited the fighting pit, seeing Aeryn with a quite disturbed look on her face. She was able to quickly cover it with a fake, victorious smile, though.
Din quickly made his way to the lamp post where Aeryn now stood along with the face-planted Gor and gave the girl a brief pat on the head. One that she really needed at the moment.
The Mandalorian, then, quickly hung the Abyssin on the lamp post, upside down.
"All right, stop, stop! I'll tell you where he is. But you must give me your word that you won't kill me." Gor pleaded, facing the pair.
"I promise you will not die by my hand. Now, where is the Mandalorian you know of?"
"Tatooine."
"What?"
"The Mando I know of is on Tatooine." Gor groaned for the second time.
"I've spent much time on Tatooine. I've never seen a Mandalorian there."
When the hangin man didn't seen to answer, Aeryn quickly pulled one of her knives out of her boots and pointed it right across Gor's neck.
"Lying won't do you any good." she threatened and the Abyssin shivered.
"Okay, okay! M-my information is good, I tell you. The city of Mos Pelgo. I swear it by the Gotra!"
Din swiftly turned her head toward Aeryn, tilting his head at her quite proudly. The girl, on the other hand, had a wide smile plastered on her face.
"Tatooine it is, then."
Din led the way while Aeryn and the child followed right behind him as they finally left the place.
"Wait, Mando! You can't leave me like this! Cut me down!"
"I think," Aeryn replied and turned around to meet Gor's distressed face. "That wasn't part of the deal." she, then, quickly shoots the street lamp, causing a shroud of darkness to fall upon the hanging, struggling body of Gor Koresh.
As the clan finally walked away from the chaotic fighting pit, Din couldn't help but eye Aeryn as she walked close to the child's pod.
"Are you proud of me now?" Aeryn suddenly blurted out, swiftly facing Din.
"When was I not?"
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hello there, beatiful person!!
i would just like to say that i really love you all and you just melt my heart soooo much 😩❤ i really appreciate your kinnd comments and i no longer know how to express it because ❤❤😔 i hope you liked this chapter and dang, i feel like something's wrong with my writing skkskskdj.
anyway, i love you, stay safe, make good choices, and i hope you have a wonderful day because you deserve it <33
p.s. i am so hyped yet sad 'cause the season finale's about to air AGGGHH
p.p.s. may the original Boba Fett, Jeremy Bulloch, rest in peace.