#⟢ || peace and warmth is bright in her smile / omera.

[maskedbeskar]

tag dump THE REMIX TM !

[coffeequill]

Mandomera Week Day 3: Reunion

(A bit late. Shh. Written in my modern executive!AU.)

---

The airport was loud. She preferred early arrivals, or late ones, really, when the airport seemed a bit quieter, a bit more peaceful. Instead she arrived home in the middle of the day when it was all busy and crowded, utterly exhausted. Her appearance was unkempt, hair a mess and she’d changed from respectful attire to essentially a sweatsuit and sneakers.

She longed for nothing more to be home.

Getting off the plane, walking to baggage claim, all felt a herculean effort. She threw out her fifth coffee of the day and rubbed at her eyes, walking with the rest of the passengers, until they finally reached the claim. The belt had yet to move. She rubbed at her eyes again and tried to blink them open as she crossed her arms to wait.

“Some day, huh?”

She turned and looked beside her. A man stood there, almost like Din in appearance though his hair was a lighter color and his features sharper. He smiled at her, dressed fine in a suit, and she recognized him as another in business class. “It’s been a day, yes,” she agreed.

“Is this home?”

She nodded. The buzzer for luggage sounded and the belt began to move. “Finally.”

He smiled. “Me, too. Only about a half hour -- Bunsen Borough.”

“Sorgan Borough.” She looked at him and smiled. “So close.”

“Funny coincidence.”

She looked down to her phone, glancing up occasionally for any signs of her suitcase. The man stood beside her, a comfortable distance away and yet still within her peripheral vision, rocking his weight back and forth as though wanting to say something more. She looked again over her texts from Din, the simple “I’ll pick you up.” and the later heart that he’d sent after their hour-long call before her flight. It could have gone longer if not for Grogu beginning a tantrum in the background and somehow she’d sensed, through the heart, his guilt at so hastily throwing out an “I love you, bye” before hanging up to take care of him.

A guilt she wished he didn’t feel -- the boy had to come before their silly romantic moments. His needs were of greater importance.

Finally, her dark blue suitcase came, distinguishable by the black flowers Winta had drawn on it in sharpie years ago. She nudged her way through the crowd with a soft “excuse me”, reaching out to pull it off the belt. She set it on the ground and pulled the handle, again looking down at her phone as she started towards the doors.

“Mama!”

The loud call drew her attention and she looked just before getting an armful of her daughter. She smiled and wrapped an arm around Winta, holding her in snug, before pressing a kiss to her hair. “Hello,” she said, “Din’s with the car?”

Winta squeezed her harder in a hug, then pulled away and nodded with a bright smile. “Right out there! Can I pull it?”

“Yes, sure.”

Winta was more than happy to grab the suitcase handle and start walking towards the doors leading out. Omera smiled and followed. Outside, the air was warm and the wind blowing, Din’s car not difficult to spot -- the only black amongst blue, red, and white. As they approached, Din was quick to get out of the driver’s seat and come around. Grogu was in his arms, tearful and looking miserable. At the sight of Omera, he squirmed.

“Mama!”

He reached out for her and as Din came over, Omera immediately put her arms out. “He missed you,” Din said with a smile, transferring the boy over, and Grogu didn’t hesitate to cling to her the moment he made contact. He shoved his tearstained face against her neck, whimpering. As Din took the suitcase from Winta to put in the back, the boy was hiccuping and on the verge of further tears. The wails didn’t come, though, as she rubbed his back.

“M… mama,” he whimpered again.

“I’m here, love,” she said, smoothing her hand over his short curls as she bounced him. “Had a bad night, hm?”

His hand grabbed at both her hair and shirt. Din shut the trunk and Winta climbed into the back, the doors closing, before Din came over to them again. “Hey,” he murmured, and Omera smiled up at him.

“Hey.”

She reached up to grab at his shoulder but he’d already cupped her cheek in one hand, bending down to kiss her. She’d have his kisses all day, every day if she could, feeling his thumb brush across her cheek and the warmth poured into it. It’d only been about two weeks, she thought. Just fifteen days between their last kiss and this. But fifteen days had been an eternity.

“I missed you,” Din said, leaning their foreheads together.

“You better have.”

“On second thought…”

Omera rolled her eyes and tugged him into another kiss before stepping towards the car. She opened the back door and carefully eased Grogu down into his carseat, though it only drew a whimper and a determined grip. “I’m here,” she murmured, gentle in wiping away his tears. “I’m not leaving you, sweetheart.”

The boy didn’t look accepting. Abandonment was only one of the horrors he’d endured before Din found him. But she pressed a kiss to his forehead and rubbed his arm in slow circles until slowly, he sniffled and let go, letting her buckle him into his seat. “Good boy,” she murmured, giving him another kiss. She shut the door and got into the passenger seat.

Din was already in his seat, glancing over his shoulder before easing out of their spot. “How was it?”

“Great.” Omera turned and gave Grogu a smile before reaching back to gently jostle his leg. He smiled back and she faced forward with a sigh. “God, exhausting, though.”

“Sounded like it.” Din looked at her with a smile. Then he reached out and grabbed her hand. He gave her a squeeze and Omera squeezed back, finally relaxing in her seat. The sound of the AC, the scent of Din’s car, Winta’s endless chatter about what Omera had missed and Grogu’s occasional bursts of chatter in response.

Good to be home.

--

@mandomeraweek 

Mandomera Discord

[autisticdindjarin]

Seeking Sanctuary

Chapter Two: Family

(AO3)

Summary:  19 years after Chapter 16, Din and Grogu find themselves on the run again. They stop at a familiar sanctuary.   Rating: T Pairing: Din Djarin x Omera Warnings: Mentions of trauma Notes:  For Mandomera Week! Prompt: Family. It’s been a very long time since I’ve updated a fic two days in a row and I’m loving it.

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The first week in Sorgan had been filled with a bounty of relaxation and sleep and a domesticity that felt unfamiliar to Din. 

Grogu adjusted well to it, and Din supposed it was some semblance of what it’d been like for him at the Jedi Temple. Routine and warm meals and shared laughter that reminded Din - just faintly, a fading ripple of memory - of his own childhood on Aq Vetina.

The best part of the days here were always at the end, when they all came together. Winta’s wife, Vinita, joined them from working as the village’s only schoolteacher, and they gathered around the small fireplace that exuded warmth and peace almost as well as Omera’s family did. 

Somehow he always found himself sitting next to Lori, who had been trailing him like a loth-cat after a yarn ball. Grogu had made his own seat claimed next to Winta and Vinita, who both adored the adolescent humor that Din had trouble keeping up with. He’d roll his eyes under his helmet but it still warmed his heart to see them all like this. Happy. Serene. Family.

Omera sat on the opposite side of him on the long couch directly in front of the fire. Lori had tired herself out with rambling some time ago, and Din had been amused to find she’d fallen asleep nestled up against his beskar, which stars, that couldn’t be comfortable. 

He hesitated after a good half hour of her resting there, not wanting to wake her, but he carefully managed to tug his cape out from under his shoulder, bunching it up to prop her head against it. Lori mumbled something in her sleep. Din smiled, a hand reaching to brush wayward wild hair out of her face. It looked much like Winta’s.

“You’re good with her,” came Omera’s warm voice. Din paused then peered over at her.

“I don’t know about that. She’s just easily entertained,” he shrugged, his voice low; he was well aware of the sleeping child propped against his side.

“You’ll want to wash that cape later - she drools in her sleep,” Winta teased from across the room, making Grogu giggle around the cookie he was eating. 

Din wasn’t sure how Omera had any food left at this point - his son was due for another growth spurt. He was small, yes, but the amounts he’d been devouring lately made Din’s own stomach ache.

“It’s seen worse,” he snorted, making Grogu laugh more.

Din glanced over and caught Omera’s spaced out stare on him. He frowned, shifting - not squirming - where he sat.

“You okay?” he asked, voice just right for only her to catch. She blinked and shook her head, smiling.

“Yes. I got lost in thought there,” she admitted. Her hand moved up to squeeze his upper arm, right under the left pauldron. She had often gifted him with small touches like that since he and Grogu had arrived once again on her doorstep. Goosebumps shivered across his hidden skin every time. He wasn’t complaining about it.

As conversation began to die down and the sun set and settled over the forested Sorgan horizon, Vinita gathered Lori carefully up from Din’s side.

“Thank you, Mando. She never falls asleep so easily for us,” she chuckled and shook her head. Din shrugged.

“I think she just wears herself out with all the questions,” he answered.

“Ah, I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not one to deny a child curiosity,” she grinned. Winta stepped beside her, running a hand over the surface of Lori’s hair and pressing a soft kiss to her wife’s cheek.

“Night all,” she said cheerfully, her eyes shining, and Din could see how truly happy she was. 

Grogu tilted his head to the side where he still perched upon a smaller chair that Lori had shared with him. 

He noticed everything. 

Sometimes that was a good thing. Sometimes it left Din feeling annoyed, having to explain last night that no, Omera certainly didn’t look at him like he was the last cookie, where did Grogu even come up with these things.

But eventually, Grogu toddled off to bed, leaving Omera and Din alone, a fact which hit Din like a freighter in an asteroid field.

“You’re tense. Is your leg hurting?” Omera asked. Din huffed out a sound of laughter.

“No, I just - I don’t know what to say,” he admitted. He twisted the drooled covered end of his cape on his lap. “Your family is nice.” The afterthought came too quick, and he felt stupid once he said it, bumbling and nervous.

Omera chuckled.

“So is yours, you know.”

He paused at that. 

Sure, Grogu was his son, they were family, a clan, but he had never heard the word nice to describe their unconventional familial ties. More often, the impressions he got were strange, or curious, or bewildered. Not nice. Certainly not anything near resembling normal.

“He’s … something,” Din said with wry amusement. “Everything, really,” he clarified. His eyes drifted and he lost his thoughts in the fireplace.

Omera leaned up against his side and steadily ripped him from his quiet musings. He took a breath, very aware of how warm she felt through his flight suit. His nerves rattled into a tangle of chaos inside his head; he willed himself not to tense. He didn’t want to discourage … this. Whatever this was.

Instead, his arm raised and slid over her shoulders and brought her closer and he felt like he had slipped into the middle of a very pleasant spice dream.

She relaxed further into his hold, and Din felt something in his chest give, something that had ached inside of him for a very long time.

--------------

Mornings almost always came bright on Sorgan. This one made a harsh exception. Thunder rumbled through the whole hut - were the walls shaking? Din sat upright, jerked out of his peaceful warm slumber. Rain cascaded down in sheets against the thatched roof. A leak had begun right in front of the burnt out fireplace, water coming down in a steady and persistent drip drip drip.

Omera stirred beside him. Had they …. ? They had. They’d fallen asleep cuddled on the couch like a pair of partied out teenagers. Din held back a yawn, carding a gloved hand through her hair.

“It’s okay. Storm,” he said, still groggy with sleep. Omera hummed, tucking her head against his side. It was almost relaxing, until another sharp smack of thunder hit them. That was entirely too close to the hut for comfort.

Grogu dashed out of the bedroom before Din had time to think, big eyes finding him. Din could see the fear in them.

“Hey,” he said, gently disentangling himself from Omera and standing up, his shoulders strained and aching from the less than ideal sleeping position. Grogu trembled. Din had never seen him like this, and he immediately went forwards. He scooped his son up against his chest. Omera had come up behind him and placed her hand on the middle of Din’s back.

“What’s wrong? You okay, kid?” Din asked, his concern weighing heavy now. Grogu’s ears drooped. His small three fingered hands found the sides of Din’s helmet. Din leaned forwards so that his helmet touched Grogu’s forehead.

“The temple. A … A dream, I had.” The smaller than usual voice explained.

A nightmare, then.

Din hummed sympathetically. Those same images had haunted him the past week they’d been here. It surprised him that it hadn’t hit Grogu sooner, though he had noted his sons tossing and turning during the nights.

“I think I’ll make us some tea,” Omera spoke, her interjection quiet. Din nodded.

“Thank you. I - We’ll be in the room,” he told her. She gave him a little smile and nodded back before making her way to the kitchen.

Grogu clung to Din, and he brought him into the little bedroom. He sat down, putting Grogu to his side.

They sat in simple silence. Din remained patient, waiting. Finally Grogu spoke.

“You died.”

Din tilted his helmet over him at the words, before moving to slip it off. Fresh air hit his face and he ran a hand down it, grimacing at the feel of facial hair he hadn’t taken a chance to groom in over a week. But his eyes found Grogu’s.

“I didn’t,” he said. Simple, but true.

“The edge of death, you stood on. Better, I could have done. Sorry,” his son whispered, grief evident in his eyes. Din leaned over, rubbing Grogu’s small back.

“Hey, no. You saved me, and exhausted yourself doing it too. Don’t be- Don’t be sorry,” Din said, trying to wrap his head around what Grogu was feeling. “I’d do it again, kid. I’d do it a thousand times.”

“No,” Grogu said, voice sharp and loud and startling Din. He raised his eyebrows over towards his very frustrated, scared looking son.

“Family. You’re my family. My only, now,” Grogu said, quieter than before, with his ears nearly reaching down to his lap. His shoulders slumped along with them, sad and forlorn. Din squeezed his shoulder.

“That’s what families do. What a clan does. We protect each other, okay? I, in fact, like protecting you. I like seeing you alive and well. And happy, if I can,” the words spilled out of Din, more than he was used to at one time, especially so early in the morning.

“My Jedi family … gone,” Grogu said, mournful, and Din’s heart twisted.

“I would have protected them too, if I could have,” he said quietly. Grogu’s little laugh made his brow furrow.

“Protect you would, yes. Always. A father, you are. By blood not, but by soul, yes.”

The little words of wisdom coming from the teenage Jedi had Din turning his head away, suppressing the deep emotion that slammed into him. His fingers traced over the top of Grogu’s head, down to the tip of one ear. He tugged at it, with a hint of playfulness.

“Well. Someone had to do it.”

Grogu’s face buried hard into his side and wrapped Din in a tight little hug. Din took a deep breath and ran his hand over the kid’s back, trying to comfort him in some way.

“We’ll figure it out. Just … we’ll keep going, okay?”

Grogu nodded against his side. His breathing had evened out now, but he sounded more tired than when he first woke up. Grogu  jumped as thunder clapped again, this time further away; the storm was settling down now, with a peaceful splatter of slow rain replacing it. Din held him closer.

-----------------

Grogu eventually fell back to sleep, and Din tucked him in. He held his hand back from running across Grogu’s small, vulnerable looking face before he slipped his helmet back on. The smell of tea hit him as he left the room. Winta and Vinita looked at him as he stepped out of the small bedroom. They lounged across the ouch Din and Omera had fallen asleep on last night. Din nodded at them. Vinita beamed, concerningly bright and bubbly every morning. Meanwhile, Winta looked her usual morning sour. Din smiled and walked into the kitchen.

Omera sat at the table with an empty cup in front of her. Two other cups - full - sat at the side.

“He fell back asleep.” The chair scraped across the floor and Din sat down. He noticed the frame of it creaking at his weight, seeming loud with the eerie dawn backdropped by rain. Omera nodded.

“I was going to bring it in to you, but I heard some serious conversation going on. I didn’t want to interrupt. I wasn’t sure if you had your helmet on,” she said.

“I didn’t.” Din looked over at the tea in front of him, calculating.

“You can take it into the room, I don’t expect you to drink it out here,” Omera said quickly.

“It’s fine,” Din shrugged, and he lifted his helmet just enough for a long draw of the perfectly not-too-cold and not-too-hot tea. He didn’t miss Omera’s sharp intake of breath, and he could see her turning her face away through the awkwardly tilted angle of his visor.

He sat the tea down, having drunk half of it swiftly. A pleasant warmth bloomed through his torso.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” he muttered. He pulled the helmet back down. Omera turned to him with a befuddled gaze. Her bottom lip jutted out in a frown and it was kind of adorable. Din cleared his throat and tapped his fingers over the surface of the table.

“You - you didn’t, I was trying to avoid the opposite,” she laughed, shaking her head. “Is that … Was that allowed?”

Din hesitated.

“It’s complicated.”

“Like what brought you here?” she mused, eyes meeting his, a glint of teasing in them. Din smiled.

“Two different kinds of complicated.”

Omera laughed again. He wanted to keep hearing that sound forever. He leaned forward some, sighing.

“You can stay here for … for as long as you need, you know. We’re happy to have you here again, with more than a barn to offer for lodging.”

“We won’t overstay our welcome,” Din said, almost in a questioning voice..

“You couldn’t. Not here. We like you here. Winta sees Grogu as her long lost brother, you know. And Lori has become very attached.”

Din sighed, his gaze meeting hers again, this time holding it.

“And what about you?”

Omera’s cheeks darkened, flustered,  but her hand moved across the table. Her fingertips brushed excruciatingly lightly against his.

“What about me?” she asked. Her voice smiled.

“What do you see me - us,” he corrected himself swiftly, “as?”

Omera peered at him, a sincere look in her eyes that read somehow sad and happy at the same time.

“Mando, you’re like family.”

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@mandomeraweek

[jabbajambler]

18

Human

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin x f!OC

Word Count: 2,161

*GIF by @thetvgag​*

         "DIN!" Myrah shouted, whining as she was thrown into the small pond, soon becoming drenched in water.

         He quickly shushed her and shook his head, bending down to kneel at the water's edge. "I told you. Only use that name in private."

         "We are in private." Myrah hissed, pushing her wet hair from her face.

         "When you yell like that, it's not so private."

         "So you're saying you don't like when I yell your name?" She teased with a flirtatious smile.

         He could feel a warmth rise to his face, creeping up his neck. If she could see his face right now, he was sure he would make an absolute fool of himself. As if he wasn't already.

         "Keep it down." He mumbled, trying to keep his voice steady.

         "Sometimes I can't help it, you know?" She swam over to the edge where he kneeled, folding her arms beneath her chin as she rested them on the ground. "I like the way it rolls off of my tongue. It sounds so..."

         He gulped. "So...?" He encouraged her to continue, finding himself lost in her eyes. He knew that this is most definitely not 'the way' but he was already way past that.

         "So..."

         She took the moment of distraction to grab onto his wrists and tug him into the pond as well. His body hit the water with a huge splash as Myrah burst into a fit of laughter.

         While he was upset with being soaked in the water, especially since his clothes would take significantly longer to dry, her laughter put him at ease. A soft fluttering filled his stomach just by looking at her joyful face.

         A small voice in the back of his head kept telling him that this is wrong. But if it was, then why did it feel so damn right?

         He waded towards her as she leaned against the edge with her face scrunched up. He placed his hands against the wall on both sides of her body, cornering her between his arms.

         This isn't right.

                   This isn't right.

                             This isn't right.

         But he couldn't help it.

         Her laughter died down as she gazed up into his visor. Her eyes softened and her small, tender hands moved to rest against his chest plate. He never knew how she always managed to find his eyes beneath the helmet.

         "That wasn't very nice." He whispered.

         "Throwing me into the pond isn't very nice either, Din." His name rolled smoothly off of her tongue in an almost sing-song tone.

         "I learned from the best."

         His voice was breathy as it always was with the modulator, but it was even more so now. He moved his hand from the wall to cup her jaw, brushing his fingers along the line of it. She shivered beneath his touch once his thumb began drawing slow circles against her cheek.

         He swore he could have stayed like this forever.

         Myrah hummed and leaned into his hand, the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile.

         "Wouldn't it be nice if-"

         "Mando." The two quickly moved away from one another at the sound of someone else's voice. They looked up, only to find Cara. They both let out a long sigh of relief. "Omera's looking for you."

         "Right." He nodded and pulled himself from the water. "I'll be right there."

         Myrah coughed obnoxiously loud, holding her hands up from the water. He smiled behind the helmet and took her hands to help her from the water. His hands lingered on hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.

         "Myrah, I-"

         "Don't worry about me, I understand. She's an amazing woman and if she makes you happy, then I'm happy."

         She was shot with a sharp pang of jealousy, desperately trying to hide it from him.

          "It's not-"

         She stopped him again, placing her hand on the side of his helm. "Go."

         She patted the helmet before stepping past him, journeying towards her hut. Her clothes dripped water along the path, trailing behind her.

         Din sighed and watched as she walked away. He hated seeing her so...hurt? Was that the word he was looking for?

         Cara cleared her throat next to him, catching his attention and bringing him out of his thoughts. "Omera is still waiting."

         "Right." He murmured before walking towards the huts with Cara at his side.

         Cara had settled on a box outside of Din's small home, watching as the children played in the grass. He leaned against the wall on the other side of the entrance, his brain racking with ideas of what Omera could possibly want to talk about.

         After a few minutes of waiting, Omera emerged from the hut and handed Cara a small mug of spotchka. "Can I set you something in the house?"

         "Uh... Thank you. Maybe later." He cleared his throat and returned to watching the kids play.

         Omera smiled as she gazed up at the Mandalorian, watching his subtle moves as he supervised. She followed his gaze to find the children, but most importantly, the little green alien that played with them.

         "He's very happy here."

         "He is."

         "Fits right in."

         He could tell by the soft, longing look in her eyes that she was not talking about the child at all. She brushed past him, leaving for the fields with the smile never leaving her face.

         Cara's eyebrows raised while a smug little grin crept onto her face. "So, what happens if you take that thing off?" Din glanced over at her, his head cocked to the side. "They come after you and kill you?"

         "No... You just can't ever put it back on again."

         "That's it?" She scoffed. "So you can slip off the helmet, and settle down with that beautiful young widow, hell, even your gorgeous partner. Don't even try to deny it. And raise your kid here, sipping spotchka?"

         He gave her a sharp look that she simply shrugged off and took another sip from her cup.

         "You know, we raised some hell here a few weeks back. It's too much action for a backwater town like this. Word travels fast... We might wanna cycle the charts and move on."

         "Would not wanna be the one who's gonna tell them."

         She nodded her head towards Myrah, who had now changed into a pair of fresh, dry clothes. Her arms wrapped around the small green child as she scooped him up, tickling him and kissing his head.

         "I'm leaving him here. Myrah, too, if she wants... Traveling with me, that's no life for a kid. I did my job, he's safe. Better chance at a life."

         "It's gonna break their hearts."

         "They'll get over it. We all do." He sighed and pushed himself from the wall before walking over towards the harvesting ponds where Omera sat. "Excuse me. Can I have a word?"

         Omera looked up at him, a bright smile immediately gracing her features. "Of course." She stood up and looked around, following him a few feet away.

         "It's very nice here."

         She nodded and looked over at the people who were farming away, a hopeful expression forming on her face. "Yes."

         "I think it's clear he's... He's happy here."

         "What about you?"

         "Me?"

         "Are you happy here?"

         He looked over her shoulder, his eyes wandering to Myrah and the child. Yes. He was happy here. He was happier than he had ever been and yet he was leaving it. Just by looking at the two, his heart filled with a joy that he didn't know how to express.

         "We want you to stay. The community's grateful. You can pack all this away in case there's ever trouble... You and your boy could have a good life." She paused, her eyes lighting up. "He could be a child for a while. Wouldn't that be nice?"

         Nice. That's what Myrah wanted, that's what she asked for. They wouldn't be on the run and wouldn't have to hunt others just to survive. Here, she wouldn't have to hide from whoever was after her. She would be safe and more importantly, happy.

         "It would." He mumbled.

         Omera hesitated, her eyes darting across the helmet as she lifted her hands to either side of his helmet. She managed to lift it, barely enough to hear the hiss of its relief, but his fingers wrapped around her wrists to pull them back down.

         "I don't belong here." He spoke with a sadness filling his voice. "But he does."

         "I understand." She whispered. "I will look after him as one of my own-"

         A loud gunshot echoed through the trees. The children screamed and ran towards their homes. Villagers were diving to the ground and covering their heads, fearing another ambush.

         "Go get the kids." He demanded, his blaster raised as he ran towards the trees.

         Myrah and Cara stood over a fallen body, Myrah's hand wrapped tight around her blaster. There was a soft beeping coming from the corpse. It was a familiar beeping.

         Too familiar.

         Din kicked it over, revealing an active tracking fob beneath it.

         "Who's he tracking?" Cara spoke with her voice low and quiet. They were all a bit riled up by the sudden action in the peaceful village.

         "The kid." Din spat out the word like poison on his tongue.

         "Damn it." Myrah whispered harshly, holstering her blaster. "They know he's here." She hissed and ripped the tracking fob from Din's hand, staring down at it with a glare that could kill.

         "They'll keep coming." Cara gave him a knowing look and tilted her head towards Myrah.

         Myrah looked between the two, her eyes narrowing into slits. Her movements became deadly silent as she approached Din. Her eyebrows furrowed and her grip around the fob tightened.

         "What are you guys not telling me?"

         The Mandalorian glanced between the two women, swallowing the fear that Myrah brought upon him. He hesitantly took the fob from her hand, crushing against a rock with the bottom of his boot.

       "We have to leave." He said with a sigh before sauntering back to the village.

         Myrah glanced over at Cara, raising a brow and trying to get more information out of her. Cara only shrugged and followed after Din, leaving Myrah confused and alone in the dark forest.

┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉┉

         The child was already loaded up onto the speeder, his big brown eyes following Myrah and Din as they packed their belongings onto it. Despite Myrah's pleas, he refused to tell her what Cara and him had talked about. He figured it was best she didn't know.

         "Are you sure you don't want an escort?" Cara strolled over to the hunters, helping them pack things up on the platform.

         "I appreciate the offer, but we're gonna bypass the town and head right to the Razor Crest." Din stopped and turned towards the rebel.

         "Well then, until our paths cross." She held her hand out to the Mandalorian who grasped it in a brief handshake.

         "Until our paths cross."

         "Myrah." Cara turned towards the other woman with a smile, opening her arms out for a hug. She graciously accepted and wrapped her arms tight around her. "Keep him out of trouble." Cara chuckled.

         "You know I'll try." She laughed softly and stepped away from her.  "You stay safe. Got it?" She sniffled, feeling her eyes start to burn as tears threatened to drip down her face. She hadn't realized how attached she got to the planet.

         "I've got it." Cara delivered a soft pat to her shoulders before she turned and walked towards the trees.

         Din met Omera's soft, loving gaze. "Thank you." She whispered. He nodded, unable to muster up any other words.

         "Mando?" Myrah cooed quietly from the speeder, catching his attention. He sighed and grabbed his rifle, pulling himself onto the back edge of the vehicle.

         The village slowly disappeared from their sights, both of them felt a flurry of emotions as everyone waved, shouting their goodbyes. Once they could no longer see the village, Din turned to face Myrah, immediately spotting the mischievous glint in her eyes.

         "Sad to be leaving your woman behind?" She teased, nudging him with her elbow.

         "Not necessarily." He stated simply as he stared down at her.

         Her hair was down and flowing over her shoulders with the soft breeze. The light of the gentle sun caught her brown eyes, highlighting the specks of green and gold that floated around them. He felt his stomach tighten into a knot, his hand moving to grip hers.

         "There's someone else I can't get off my mind."

         She felt her breath hitch under his intense gaze and a warm flush flow to her face.

         "I don't think that follows your little 'code,' Din."

         "It doesn't." He mumbled and released her hand from his grasp.

                   To hell with the code.