I knew the moment the Mandalorian walked into the casino that it was after me. I turned around to face the man whose lap I was currently perched on and politely excused myself in his native tongue. I left a featherlight kiss on his neck and he hummed, telling me not to be gone too long.
Swiftly leaving the card table, I made my way towards the balcony that overlooked the ocean. Canto Bight was a ruthless place, full of rich Imperial and Rebel war traders like, but it would be a lie to say that it wasn't beautiful. Once the cool air bit my skin I inhaled a deep breath. Then I spat, quite rudely, at the Twi'lek on the balcony to move her large green ass or I'd personally shove her over the railing. She glared at me with wide, alarmed eyes before rushing back into the casino.
Even over the din of the music and voices that filled Canto Bight, I honed in on the light foot falls of the Mandalorian hot on my tail. I press my back against the gritty stone next to the doorway, biding my time until the metalhead appeared around the corner.
But before he cleared the opening, I heard him say through his modulator, "I thought you would've tried something a little more creative, Jeyna."
I closed my eyes, cursing the heat tracking abilities inside of his helmet as I stepped in front of the threshold. His armor was practically brand new, the beskar reflecting the harsh moonlight. That is a shit ton of brand new beskar, I thought to myself. But what I really needed to focus on was the blaster he had pointed right at my chest.
"I haven't seen one of your kind in years," I said as I smiled confidently, even though I was trembling on the inside. How did he find me, and how does he know my name?
He cocked his shiny head to the side. "Do you actually not remember me?"
Wait. I knew that voice.
My entire body nearly collapsed from relief. "Din!" I exclaimed, stepping forward and throwing my arms around his neck, not even worried about the blaster that was now pressed between our bodies. He flinched back, cautiously wrapping his free arm around my torso.
After a brief moment I released him, taking a step back to admire his shining beskar. "Wow, I didn't even recognize you in your new armor."
"Yeah, well," He shrugged, holstering his blaster, "I got lucky." He quickly looked me up and down, soaking in everything that he could. He seemed slightly confused, but then I quickly remembered that this was the first time he had seen my face, or really even my body for that matter, since he was a Foundling on Mandalore.
He commented, breaking the silence, "You grew your hair out."
I smiled, remembering when Din and I used to spend our days together. Ever since I had met him, I was the broad intimidating one that kept an eye out for him (since I was born on Mandalore), and he was always small, uncoordinated, and wiry. And until we were fifteen, I was at least head taller than him and would kick his ass every time we would spar, but if any of the other Foundlings thought it was a good idea to mess with him, I'd show just how far I could kick them across the training yard.
Then one summer, he grew at least six inches and began to fill out. We even swore the Creed together, but his tribe had strict rules about always wearing the helmets. He grew to believe that no living thing could ever see his face. I never strictly adhered to that part of the Creed, but I had grown comfortable in my armor and was reluctant to take it off. Then we got split up shortly before the Great Purge, and I never heard from him again.
I pushed my growing nostalgia from my mind. "Your voice got deeper," I countered.
He sighed, the lighthearted mood changing in an instant. "I need your help."
"Why?" I crossed my arms. "I heard you're some big shot with the Guild."
Din took a step closer. "Let's just say the Guild and I aren't on good terms anymore."
Then a story I heard a few days ago flashed across my mind. Suspicion bloomed in my gut and spread throughout my whole body. I had heard about a Mandalorian throwing a fit with the Guild. But I would have never guessed it to be Din Djarin.
"You're the one that went rogue." I didn't phrase it like a question.
He nodded and I narrowed my eyes at him. "What do you want?"
He cocked his head in just a way that made me feel like I wasn't going to like what he had to say. "I want you to come with me."
I laughed incredulously. "What makes you think I'm going to leave this place to be on the run from Guild bounty hunters with you?"
"I can't do this by myself, Jeyna."
"Din," I breathed, rubbing my forehead, "I have a life here."
He jabbed a thumb behind him, motioning to the casino. "This life?" He remarked, completely ignoring the last half of my earlier question. "Sipping fancy drinks and selling yourself to the highest bidder?" He glanced around before lowering his voice. "That's no life for a Mandalorian."
My anger flared as I jabbed my pointer finger into his brand new shiny chest plate. I growled, "I'm not one of you anymore."
I tried to sidestep him, but his hand shot up and he grabbed my bicep tightly. He said in a low voice, looking down on me, "You know what happened to you was not fair."
I laughed sharply. I guess I hadn't realized just how tall he gotten until now, especially since I had to really tilt my head back to look him in the visor. "It doesn't matter," I spat back in his face, "I chose to stay away."
"Because you had to. Otherwise they would've killed you." His statement made me hesitate, mostly because deep down, I knew that was the truth. I opened my mouth to argue, but then he said something I never thought I'd ever hear him say.
"Please." He lowered his head slightly as he let go of my arm. "I can't do this by myself," He repeated.
"Do what?" I snapped, throwing my arms in the air. He flinched back a fraction at my sudden outburst. "Run from the Guild? You should've thought of that before you took a high value asset, Din."
He recoiled slightly. "How much have you heard?"
I shrugged. "Not much. I just know you took the reward then ran off with the asset."
He scoffed, shaking his head. "That's not even the half of it," He mumbled.
"That doesn't matter either," I pointed out. "They are still going to hunt you." Looking away from him, I reached for the door's button panel. I clicked the button that open the doors and the blissful warmth from the casino came rushing out, the music and laughter filling my ears once more.
I noticed that Din hadn't moved behind me. "You know," I said, throwing him a forgiving glance over my shoulder, "It was really good to see you again."
"Yep," Was all he said, taking the hint that I wasn't coming with him.
Leaving him on the balcony was a harder task than I thought. My chest tightened with every step I took until I forced myself to forget him. I returned to the patron that was still seated at the sabacc table.
"Sorry," I said with a smile, "I had something I needed to take care of."
I slid into his lap again, but my breath hitched when I felt the cool tip of a blaster against my back. My eyes flicked to the man's face, where a knowing smirk rested on his lips. "Like what?" He inquired, pressing the blaster tip deeper into my back. "Talk to your Mandalorian friend on the balcony?"
I swallowed, trying my best to hide my nerves. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said unconvincingly.
"Oh, I think you do." The patron laughed quietly as two large men appeared behind him. He slowly dragged one of his hands under the skirt of my dress, brushing his fingertips against the inside of my leg. He leaned forward, laughing again as he whispered in my ear, "The Guild is looking for a Mando that looks just like him. Do you think he'd agree to some questioning?"
I couldn't help the low laugh at escaped my own lips.
Well, so much for feigning innocence.
I whispered, "You don't honestly think that you're going to catch a Mandalorian and have him come willingly, do you?"
Another knowing smirk crossed his face as his grip on my thigh tightened. His lips tickled my ear as he whispered, "Then how come I've had no troubles with you?"
All of a sudden, two blaster bolts were fired back to back, their loud echo causing a mass panic in the casino. The two men that flanked the patron slumped to the ground dramatically, and I felt everyone's eyes staring past me to where Din casually pointed his blaster at the back of the man's skull. He swallowed audibly, and I fought the urge to giggle again.
"I wouldn't do anything stupid." Din's voice echoed throughout the silent room.
"Well," I said after a bit of silence, patting the patrons chest as I slid off his lap. "This was fun. We should do it again sometime." I winked for added effect.
I sauntered over to Din, who watched me intently as I latched my arm around his outstretched one, causing him to lower his blaster. "Come on, Mando," I purred, tossing him my winning smile. "Let's go cause trouble somewhere else."
"Not so fast." I turned to watch the man get out of his chair. He pointed to Din with a sly smile. "That Mandalorian is a traitor to the Guild. If I turn him in, maybe I can convince Greef Karga to let me keep his beskar after they shred him to pieces."
Internally shaking my head at the blatant disregard of the fact that Din could snap him in half with his pinkie finger, I said, "Then why don't you let me turn him in? After all," I paused with a wicked smile, "You did said we were friends."
"I don't think so-"
"You heard me," I snapped. I felt Din tense under my arm, and I prayed that he could see through my act. "I'm taking him to Greef."
When no one else made a move to stop us, I pulled him away from the casino before he could stir up any more trouble that might cause a huge shoot out. Even though there was a rule against blasters in the casino, anyone who knew what kind of business went down there made sure to have at least two strapped onto them.
As we walked swiftly through the dark streets of Canto Bight, my heart began to race.
Oh, we were is such deep, deep shit.
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Word Count: 1872
Hey guys! Here's to my first story! I finished watching both seasons of The Mandalorian a few weeks ago and I just couldn't get enough of it, so I decided to write my own fanfic! I've written stories like this before, but this is the first time I've decided to publish my work. I hope you stick around for Chapter Two!
Ch 1 published: December 28th, 2020