#Dincember 2020

[dindjarindiaries]

DIN DJARIN DRABBLES

Each story below focuses on Din Djarin, with pairings for each story indicated along with summaries.

Stories marked with an asterisk (*) contain sexual, though not explicit/graphic, content.

My ratings are as follows: G (all ages), T (13+), M (18+)

Last updated: Dec. 2, 2023

main masterlist • one-shots • series • prompts

the first • reader You’re alone and in need—and the Mandalorian notices.

you hear me when i cry • reader You try to take a new lover after Din doesn’t make it on Nevarro—but he haunts your dreams every night.

musings • reader Thinking you’re asleep after he’s returned from a long hunt, Din muses about you to himself.

mandoctober • reader, grogu A collection of Mandalorian prompt-based drabbles to celebrate the release of season two.

dincember 2020 • reader, grogu A collection of holiday prompt-based drabbles to celebrate the 2020 season.

cataclysm • grogu Din finally gets a moment to himself after all that’s happened on Tython.

reveries • reader Thinking he’s asleep while you lie together underneath the stars, you muse about Din to yourself.

dincember 2021 • reader, grogu A collection of holiday prompt-based drabbles to celebrate the 2021 season.

dincember 2022 • reader, grogu A collection of holiday prompt-based drabbles to celebrate the 2022 season.

dincember 2023 • reader, grogu A collection of holiday prompt-based drabbles to celebrate the 2023 season.

main masterlist • one-shots • series • prompts

[deprough]

Heat and Harassment

12/4/2020 Dincember prompt: Hot Chocolate

SFW, but it does obliquely reference violence and the lack of what we consider a proper criminal process. 

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the third part of the story. This post won’t make sense without reading the others.

Part 1: Snowballs and Saviors Part 2: Dreams and Dangers (nsfw)

“So… what if you’re drowning, and there’s a hole in the ice, but it’s just too small for your helmet but big enough for your head?” Koda asked.

“I’d drown,” Mando replied with the strained tones of someone who’d been asked this exact question a million times but was continuing to answer it politely out of a desire to promote a good working environment. Corrie debated telling the deputy to stop, but the gurts came over the hill and she focused on scanning the valley below them. Besides, it was amusing.

“So, not even to have the best hot chocolate in the galaxy?” Koda pressed. “Because Brama makes the most amazing hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted.”

The soft sigh from the Mandalorian made Corrie wonder how much longer his patience would last. “I wouldn’t remove my helmet and violate my Creed for a beverage, no matter how good.”

Probably not much longer, Corrie thought as she hid a grin.

“There’s nothing that could make you remove the helmet?” Koda asked.

“Smoke.”

“You smoke?” Her deputy’s face twisted in disgust. 

“No, there’s smoke,” he said, pointing. Corrie had spotted it just before he pointed, and already had the macrobinocs aimed at the gray smudge. She followed it down into the trees, but couldn’t see anything.

“Let’s check it,” she said, nudging Cursehead into motion. The balky gurt wheezed in protest but started down the slope and she heard the other two following. 

They were halfway across the valley when Koda said, “So what if you had to give mouth to mou--”

“Drop it,” Corrie said, her tone allowing no argument. She’d been enjoying the quiet, and Koda needed his mind on potentially finding criminals rather than on the one exact scenario where Mando would show his face.

They left the mounts tied to trees at the bottom of the next hill and waddled through the knee-deep snow into the densest part of the woods. Walking was easier in the forest, where the snow hadn’t fallen so thickly. They paused so that Mando could close the baby’s bassinet. Then the three of them moved quietly, and Corrie once again was forced to note that the Mandalorian seemed good at everything. Well, she thought tartly, everything but parenting. He had protection down, but given the fit that he threw every time she suggested that he leave the child in Niua’s care, or even Brama’s, he needed to learn to chill a little, too.

She put those thoughts from her head and continued forward, and the three of them crawled the last few yards on their bellies while the bassinet waited behind a thick tree. There were three humanoids  around the fire, and Corrie recognized all of them as escapees. She glanced at their bounty hunter and nodded. He signalled that he’d take the middle one, she should take the one on the right, and that Koda should get the left-most one. They each signalled their agreement, then opened fire.

It was quick and bloody. They were all very dangerous criminals, and the Hutt had refused to even send another transport for them. None of them surrendered, and none of them were spared.

~  *  ~  *  ~

“What about a straw?” 

Koda’s question came after three miles of silence. Corrie blinked at him; her mind had been drifting over how to return the stolen items they found. It hurt that she couldn’t repay people for the assaults and slaughtered livestock that had resulted in Libu from the criminals. Getting three of them at once had lifted her spirits, even if part of her regretted the necessity of execution. “What?” she asked.

“Mando, could you have the hot chocolate with a straw?” Koda asked.

Mando’s gurt stopped. Corrie followed suit and turned to watch the show. When Koda faced him, Mando said, “I’m only going to say this once more. My Creed forbids me from removing my helmet in front of another.” Koda opened his mouth and Mando raised his finger to silence him. “My eating and drinking habits are not up for discussion. Speculation on how I sleep, bathe, or kriff are likewise off-limits. My Creed doesn’t exist for you to poke holes in, and I don’t follow it to see how far I can bend it or break it. Is that clear?”

Koda blinked, then nodded. “Sure, man. Sure.

“Great.” He clicked the gurt into motion and rode on. Corrie let him catch up to her, and then she fell into pace with him. Koda followed a few paces behind.

“He didn’t mean it poorly.” She glanced at him, grateful that the dream-version of him she’d concocted was completely different from the real thing. It had helped today go more smoothly. “He just hasn’t been around long enough, or experienced religious folks.”

“I know how he meant it.” Mando didn’t lower his voice as far as she had, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Koda shrink in on himself. “It’s why I didn’t take offense.”

Corrie thought he’d taken a little offense, but she appreciated his attempts at peacemaking. “Mom’s going to offer you hot chocolate. Should I tell her not to bother?”

He thought about it, or probably spent a moment crafting a polite response. “If she won’t be offended by me taking it in my room.”

“Not at all,” Corrie assured him. “She’s just going to want to know later if you liked it.”

He nodded. “Then I’d love to have some. So would the kid.” 

Back at the house, Brama had dinner and hot cocoa ready, and everyone sat down to eat. Koda joined them, as he usually did, and with Mando at the table, feeding his child, they were crowded. By silent agreement, they didn’t talk about the day’s death, focusing on what the kids and Brama had done today. 

Once the baby had passed out his father’s arms, Corrie brought a tray of food with a cup of hot chocolate up to the room for Mando. He laid the child in his bassinet and closed the lid, then took the tray from her. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. Good night,” she said, and closed the door. She started to leave, but heard a thunk through the door that sounded exactly like a helmet might sound when set down on the dresser her great-grandfather had carved by hand. She leaned close to the door and heard a soft sniff, then a gentle slurp. “Damn,” a familiar but unmodulated voice said appreciatively, “that is good hot chocolate.” 

[quartzwriting]

Chills

Pairing: Mando X Fem!Reader

Description: Din has a nightmare that makes his blood run cold, but seeing you and the child safe reassures him. But the two of you are freezing, and Din has to do something.

Warnings: Images of beating, pain, and death (its short) / Spoilers for Chapter 10: The Passenger

Word Count: 1.0k

A/N: More Mando because the last one got so much love THANK YOU also I love him so much sooooo | Uses the prompt “Cold” from @dindjarindiaries​ Dincember prompts!

Part of my 2020 December Holiday One Shots Schedule / Master List

Masterlist | Fic Reading Recs | Ao3 | Quotev | Coffee

Gif by @emys-123​

Din couldn’t move. It felt like his beskar was a cage rather than for protection, restraining him underneath its pure metal. Just standing still, unable to lift a boot off the ground or a single finger. Stuck inside the armour, a sense of panic beginning to swirl around inside the helmet. 

He hated everything about it. And it was so damn cold, he could not feel a thing. 

The visor was beginning to fog up with his quick breathing. The piercing cold that was coming from outside his armour, or the panic he felt, he could not tell the difference. Regardless, his lungs huffed and his chest pounded hard.

But then he heard a scream, shaking him to dart his eyes around. He couldn't see anything. He was trapped in darkness and low temperatures.

The pitch, tone, and energy of the voice of the scream was familiar, his mind put the voice to the face in a split second. 

And any warmth had drained from him, his entire body as cold as a corpse.

Din then heard a crack. The cry of agony that followed was ear-splitting. There was also a baby crying. The owner of the first cry began to breathe heavily before slowing. 

He wanted to yell out himself, lash out, the instinct to lunge to protect the owners of the cries and screams. But his own body restrained him. 

The darkness and the cold combined were too strong, his mind now struggling to grasp what was happening. Now he could not place what direction any of the sounds were coming from. The left? The right? Din did not even know which way was up or down anymore. 

Trapped in a hurricane of cold, crying, and physical limitations under the armour. 

The baby’s crying stopped abruptly after a muffled blow. And the other set of cries, that had been reduced to a slow and quiet gasping, had disappeared. 

Everything was quiet again, except for Din’s own panicked breaths.

~~~

When Din jolted awake with a gasp, his helmet hit the metal wall behind his head creating a loud ‘tink’ sound. It was then he realized that he could move again.

Heavy breathing fogged up his visor, just like in the dream. It took him a second to realize where he was, the fog fading once his breathing gained a regular pattern once again. He was inside the hull of his ship, which was a complete mess with the cargo tossed and frost covering every inch. Flakes of snow and waves of cold air blew in from the opening in the side of the ship caused from the crash. 

Across from him, he could see the frog lady, a blanket over her canister of eggs, asleep and shivering. 

Panic almost returned to him before he felt a slight shuffle to his left. Underneath a thick blanket, clinging to his side, there you were fast asleep. Sandwiched between you and him was the baby, his little ears poking out of the blanket. The two of you were shivering, you cuddling the baby and his little hands grasping your sleeve in his sleep. 

Din took a deep breath, filling his lungs with a much-needed intake of air. The heavy breath came out, fogging up his visor again and a heavy sigh coming out of his modulator. 

It was absolutely freezing in here. Okay, so the temperature got through to his dream, it was not just him being overcome with fear. You and the baby were in no real danger. Just a nightmare. The cold must be getting to him. 

The beskar was not helping, the conductor for the freezing temperature was accumulating frost.

Din reached over to adjust the blanket that had fallen off your shoulder. Looking closer, he could see flakes of frost on your hair and eyelashes. There was also some on the tips of the ears of the Child. The frost that had formed over everything showed just how cold the hull had become.

The thought of pulling your sleeping body closer to him crossed his mind, but he did not want his freezing cold armour to touch you. So he kept you where you and the child were, hoping that the one blanket was enough. You continued to shiver, so did the baby. 

Din did not like the sight.

So he came up with an idea. He began to take off plates of his cold armour, making sure his movements did not disturb you or the child. The plates from his shoulder, chest, arms, and everything else but his helmet came off. He placed them aside on a nearby overturned crate. Even his gloves could not prevent him from feeling the metal that was now colder than ice.

Feeling lighter, Din made sure no cold metal was left on his body besides the helmet. He than carefully wrapped his arm around your shoulders, slowly as to not wake you up, and pulled you closer to him. Soon you were nuzzled into his side fully and the baby resting on his thigh. He made sure his cloak blocked any more cold air, pulling it over himself to cover you and the baby. 

Things were already starting to warm back up, the combined body heat from the three of you making things more toasty. 

He needed to get you all out of here. He did not want any of you to freeze to death. And he needed to get the frog lady where she needed to go, so he still had a job to do.

He told himself that he will never, ever, let any harm come to the child or you as long as he is alive. But to protect you from the cold, there was little he could do now. Blankets and his body heat could only last so long while being on this ice planet.

So he rested some more while cuddled up with you two, the nightmare not coming back but the memory of it reminding him to keep his little clan safe in every way he could.

[lyalii]

dindja’s art masterlist

bc writers can’t have all the fun...

My Art (favorites in color)

Space Kindergarten (Nov. 22, 2020)

Gracie (my wife) (Nov. 25, 2020)

what happens when people open their hearts? (Nov. 26, 2020)

everything (Nov. 28, 2020)

Din in Christmas Lights (Dec. 1, 2020)

Pedro Pascal Cinematic Universe (fr*ck the MCU) (Dec. 6, 2020)

i like your girl, pa (Dec. 16, 2020)

Planets of the Mandalorian, part I (Dec. 16, 2020)

din’s new sweater (Dec. 17th, 2020)

western din yee haw (Dec. 17, 2020)

i’m a bad b*tch, you can’t kill me! (Dec. 20, 2020)

rey and grogu AU (Dec. 22, 2020)

mand’alor din djarin hell yeah (Dec. 23, 2020)

froggy fruit snacks (Dec. 28, 2020)

a mando new year (din drunk crying idk) (Dec. 31, 2020)

din and paz doing hot girl sh*t (Jan. 1, 2021)

would it be okay if i came home to you? (din x princess) (Jan. 4, 2021)

spicy mandomera (Jan. 10, 2021)

Princess Astra from Security (Jan. 12, 2021)

Dincember 2020: 

sorgan girlies vs. clan of 2 EPIC SNOW FIGHT BATTLE (Nov. 30, 2020)

im the present and you know it (Dec. 2, 2020)

he lip too smol for he gotdamn drink (Dec. 4, 2020)

are you sure you’re warm enough? (Dec. 16, 2020)

all i want for christmas is you (Dec. 23, 2020)

the found family is over for life day dinner (Dec. 25, 2020)

[stardustdiaries]

ART MASTERLIST!

Wanna see my art, but can’t seem to find what you’re looking for? Try here!

Personal Work:

Happy New Year! (December 31st, 2020)

Under a leaf umbrella (December 31st, 2020)

This is Fine (January 1st, 2021)

School Work:

Against the odds - a color harmony project (November 9th, 2020)

Haint Blue - a creative response (January 21st, 2021)

Self-portrait (2021) - (January 27th, 2021 )

The Mandalorian

1. Pretty Boy™️ - (February 19th, 2021)

Dincember

Snow 

December

Hot Chocolate

Fire

Let it Snow

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Blankets

The Bad Batch

Hunter in a man-bun

(WRITING MASTERLIST)

[hobiiwan]

the bookshelf

[ ⭒ ] (implied) smut

STAR WARS

DIN DJARIN

FICS

the five times you catch him staring; the one time you do something about it [HIATUS]

part one • part two • part three

the mandalorian with a pregnant s/o 

ONESHOTS

dincember

day one: snow day two: december ⭒ day three: hot chocolate day four: fire day five: let it snow

the aftermath of a krayt dragon and a trusty jet pack

DRABBLES

dancing in the dark 

mandalorian squared 

swaddle

HEADCANONS

living with the mandalorian

uncertain 

mother-hen mando

bean, the child

best friends with mando

coming out 

BOBA FETT

save a horse, ride a bounty hunter ⭒

OBI-WAN KENOBI

tethered

star wars secret santa 2020

CAPTAIN REX

mirror

SERGEANT HUNTER

knife play with hunter ⭒

THE BAD BATCH

the bad batch: kinks ⭒

LUKE SKYWALKER

dating luke skywalker would include

POE DAMERON

night cap

[deprough]

Snowballs and Saviors

11/30/2020 Dincember Prompt: Snow

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the first part of the story.

“What do you think, Sheriff?” 

Corrie glanced up at the tall man and pursed her lips. “I think,” she said slowly, “that we don’t have much choice.”

Kado picked up the reins of his gurt and clicked once. The wooly herbivore started forward, and Corrie’s gray gurt, Cursehead, followed before she could give the command. Through the gunship’s front windows, she saw the armored man notice them, then disappear into his ship. A second later, the ramp lowered into the snow.

As they drew closer, Corrie asked herself once again if she was really lucky enough to have a bounty hunter drop into her backyard at this exact moment. If he was who Old Relston claimed, he could be exactly the person they needed. Corrie distrusted luck like that, though, even when the man stepped into view and she admitted it was probably that guy.

“Welcome to Zalzus,” Corrie called as they came to a stop in front of the ship. “You’ve landed outside the town of Libu. I’m Sheriff Corde Melne, and this is my deputy, Kado Soummu. May I ask your business, sir?”

That black visor bounced between Kado and her a couple of times. She wondered if their knitted garments, handmade from dyed gurt wool, looked cheap and primitive to him. “Do you always greet arrivals so directly?”

“No,” Corrie said honestly, her breath frosting the air. His didn’t, which meant his helmet contained it. Bet it has environmentals in there. “But I’m hoping you’re the Mandalorian who travels with a kid.” Just saying it made her uneasy.

The man looked to the side, telegraphing irritation. What’s the point in covering your face if you don’t control your body language? she wondered. “For your sake, you’d better be offering me a job.”

“What else would we want?” Kado asked curiously; Corrie swallowed her annoyance with her underling. Kado would someday be a great cop, but he was still naive. Someday, he’d get that jaded shell he needed to be a peace officer in the Outer Rim; sadly, it might be during their current crisis.

“People want lots of things from me,” the Mandalorian stated.

“I’m sure you have your charms,” Corrie said wryly, “but I need your skills, not your vagueness. A Hutt prison ship has crashed not far from our village. The Hutt in question won’t round them up, and we’ve already had one death. You up for taking in twenty men?” 

“Can you pay me for twenty bounties?” he asked bluntly.

“No,” Corrie said. “We’ll give you what we can, about half the Guild rate per head, the full resources and support of the sheriff's office, and room and board as long as you’re working for us.”

“Who died?” the Mandalorian asked.

Corrie blinked, thrown by the sudden topic change. “Pardon?”

“You said you had a death. Who died, and how?” he asked.

Drawing a deep breath and trying to not remember the scene, she said, “My uncle, the last sheriff. Vinor Cyone. He tried to track one down. We only found his bones, but we think his spine was snapped.”

The man stilled or stiffened; Corrie couldn’t quite tell what changed about his stance, but he’d definitely had a reaction to that news. “My condolences,” he said after a moment. “How did his body decompose so quickly?”

“One of the prisoners is a Wookie. I can’t say his name right, but his nickname is Maneater.” Corrie didn’t have to say more; they all heard his sharp inhale. 

“Where am I staying?” the Mandalorian asked.

“My mother’s house,” Corrie replied, feeling relief and hope flood her. She kept her voice neutral; there’d be time for relief once he’d proven he was as good as his reputation. “She’s got space. Do you have a bike or somethin’ up on that ship?”

He didn’t, of course, and so that was how Corrie ended up with a Mandalorian sitting behind her on Curse’s fuzzy back. They weren’t quite touching, but every so often, the gurt’s sway bumped their bodies together. He did have a child with him, not that Corrie had seen much of it with the bassinet sealed against the cold. Amusingly, he had the same model she’d used, though his seemed to have some modifications.

He remained silent on the ride into town, which was fine with Corrie. She pulled her yellow scarf back up over her nose, grateful for the warmth. The kids were out, playing in the snow, and they stopped to stare as the group rode into town. “Your kids really seem to like snow,” the man said suddenly.

Corrie frowned a second before she caught his misunderstanding. “It just snowed last night. Zalzus isn’t an ice world. We have seasons. For the kids, snow means two things: fun and Lifeday is coming.”

He grunted. “Your town celebrates Lifeday,” he said flatly.

“Yep,” she said, wondering what he had against the holiday. He didn’t elaborate or ask further, and it wasn’t her business.

She stopped in front of Mom’s house, turning and offering her arm for him to dismount. He slid down as Mom stepped out, beaming. Like Corrie, she was stout and short, with gray curls instead of brown. “Welcome, sir! I’m Brama Cyone, and my home is your home. What is your name?”

“People call me Mando,” he said simply, removing his gear from Koda’s gurt. 

Wondering if he actually ever answered questions, Corrie pointed at the next building over. “That’s my house. Mom and I share the stable behind the house. One of our folks is loaning you a gurt, if you can ride.”

“I ride.” He turned to Brama. “Can I see my room now?”

“Of course!” Brama led him into the wooden two-story house. The bassinet followed him like a loyal pet.

Koda turned to her. “Wow, he’s… I don’t know. Weird.”

“He’s a man who travels the edges of civilized life making a living off people who break the law,” Corrie said, pulling her gray wool coat tighter around her. “I’d be more worried if he were normal. I’ll see him settled and meet you at the jail.” 

~  *  ~  *  ~

“-- and this is Terian Novex,” Corrie said wearily, glad they were almost through the files. Her five other deputies, even Talee, the nightwatch, had met their hunter and stayed for the briefing. Corrie pulled up the next file, scraping her fingers through her brown hair as she waited for it to load. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched their guest; he’d sat down in the wooden chair at their table. His shiny, high-tech armor looked out of place in the simple whitewashed room. It probably also kept him warmer than the rest of them; the Jail’s single pane windows leaked the heat from the stove.

The click of knitting needles and carding wool filled the room’s silence as they waited for the ancient holo projector to render the image. Corrie had considered asking her deputies to not work on their side projects, but dismissed the idea. If Mando was uncomfortable, he could speak up and ask them to stop. A grainy image of the Zabrax woman appeared on the holo and Corrie started again. “She’s a hitman for a rival Hutt--”

“Half of these bounties are,” Mando sighed. He sounded tired, which was somewhat gratifying. 

“Hey, does your kid want to go outside and play?” Koda asked, drawing attention back to the bassinet. The alien child inside stared hopefully out the window, watching the other children at play behind the jail. As if sensing their attention, he turned and looked at them. All ears and eyes, Corrie thought again. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Mando said, sounding nervous.

“It’s safe,” Corrie said.

“Where I go, he goes.” 

“Poor guy,” she said, without thinking, and sure enough, their guest visibly bristled. “Calm down, I mean he wants to play, and we have a bit more work. Hold on.” She went to the backdoor and opened it. “Nuia!” she bellowed, and the girl turned and trotted through the snow toward them.

The sturdy teen stomped off her boots and came in. “Yes, sheriff?” she asked, but her eyes had already fallen on the baby and a besotted smile crossed her face. She waved at the baby, who stared at her, then waved back.

“Can you take the little one outside? Keep an eye on him but let him play with the tots?” she asked.

“I’d love to--”

“Where I go, he goes,” Mando interrupted. 

Corrie turned to him. “Then go play.” 

His head pulled back. “What?” Her deputies, used to her way of doing things, grinned and rose to stretch and get hot drinks.

“He’s a kid. He’s bored stupid here with us. So if the only way he gets to play is if you play with him, then go play.” Corrie waved her hand toward the door. “I need a break, and maybe you’ll realize by the end of it that we need you more than you need us, and we’ll protect you little one like our own.”

“You have children?” he asked. 

“We all do. I personally have two. Raina’s playing with the tots and Lonneric's probably in a snow fort ambusing the other warriors-in-the-making.” Corrie waved again. “Just go.” 

She feigned indifference until he was outside; then all seven of them crept to the window to watch. Mando stood outside stiffly, watching his little green child helping the baker’s daughter build a lopsided snow tower. “He’s hopeless,” Koda finally said. “Stiff as rock.”

“Yep.” Corrie pulled on her coat, gloves, and boots again. 

“Whatcha doin’?” Kend asked, his playful grin telling her he already knew.

“Just checking on things,” she said innocently as she slipped out the front door, pulling on her woolen hat. She eased around the side of the building, scooping up two handfuls of snow and pressing them into a ball. 

It was perfect -- heavy and wet without being drippy, compacting into a nice ball in her gloves. She peered around the corner, pleased to see his back toward her. She glanced at the window to see Koda shaking his head in bemusement. 

More than a few of the kids had seen her; Lonneric had already followed her lead, starting to make snowballs as fast as he could instead of throwing them as soon as they were complete. 

The kids staring at her gave him warning, and he half-turned toward her. Recognizing her window of opportunity closing, she threw the ball at his helmet. It wasn’t the best example for the children, but if you wore a helmet to a snowball fight, you were asking for headshots, in her book. 

She hit her mark, smearing white powder over the side of his head. He jumped and spun, hand on his blaster and for a second, she thought she’d made a terrible mistake. Lonneric had already followed her lead, and this blow hit his chest. Mando let go of his blaster, and Corrie relaxed, even as she scooped up more snow. “No,” he told her firmly, “don--”

One of the Kelshin twins nailed him in the face, and then Mando was at the heart of a flurry of snowballs. He put his hands up and crouched, but didn’t seem to know how to react to the kids pelting him. 

A snowball nailed her, and Corrie shrieked playfully. “Traitors!” she shouted as she also became a target. Her own son hit her next with a loose ball that exploded across her shoulder.

“Down with the adults!” Lonneric shouted, and the battle cry echoed across the field. 

Laughing, Corrie fought her way to Mando’s side. “C’mon!” she cried, pulling on his arm. “Run!”

After a moment of hesitation, he followed, stumbling after her to the back door of the jail. They staggered inside in a rain of balls, then pushed the door shut sharply. A few more snowballs hammered the door; then they could hear the children cheering. 

Corrie straightened up and pulled off her wet gloves. She looked at Mando and laughed. “You look like a snowman decided to become a Mandalorian.”

He looked down at himself; the snow had stuck to his clothing but not his silver armor. “You look like an insane woman who just got into a snowball fight with kids,” he said sharply.

Corrie held her smile with effort as she shed her hat and scarf. “Yeah, but I bet you’re ready to work again.”

He didn’t answer her, and as she hung up her outwear, she continued, “We were talking about Terian Novex--”

This was going to be a long partnership, but she didn’t regret dragging him into the snowball fight. They’d both needed it.

[deprough]

Lifeday

12/25/2020 Dincember prompt: Christmas / Lifeday

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the twelveth part of the story. This post won’t make sense without reading the others.

Part 1: Snowballs and Saviors Part 2: Dreams and Dangers (nsfw) Part 3: Heat and Harassment Part 4:   Fire and Fatality (depictions of violence and death) Part 5: Wood and Worry Part 6: Searches and Scarves Part 7: Talks and Tricks Part 8: Exposure and Expectations (NSFW) Part 9: Deals and Disappointments (mild NSFW) Part 10: Tastes and Touches (NSFW, completel smut-fest) Part 11: Lifeday Eve 

On time! For once! Merry Christmas to those who celebrate. Thank you for reading my stories, liking, and enjoying them. 

Corrie woke up next to Mando again, knowing it was probably the last time or one of the last times. Still blindfolded, she rolled over and looped her arm over his chest. He stirred and she felt him turn his head and nuzzle her hair. “Stay today, please,” she said. “Leave tomorrow.”

“I will,” he said, his voice regretful. “I need to go check on the kid.”

“I know,” she said. “Tell me when I can take this thing off.” 

He slipped away from her and she snuggled under the blankets, listening to him dress. Finally, he said, “Okay.” Corrie pulled off the blindfold and blinked in the soft light of her room. He looked imposing and untouchable, so different than the considerate, patient lover she’d gotten to know. “Should I come back later?”

“Brama will probably bring you back over for breakfast,” Corrie told him. “She’s planning to eat with me today.”

“Then I’ll see you later.” His voice had warmth in it, and it wasn’t love, but Corrie liked it. 

She listened until he was gone, then hopped out of bed. She showered quickly, aware that she had a lot to get done before breakfast. When she’d been a kid, she’d never understood how much work her parents had done to make Lifeday a pleasure for her and her brothers. 

She started the oven and put in the sweet breads, then pulled out the remaining gifts. Most of the kids’ gifts were out on the Lifeday table, set out last night after they’d been to bed. The rest were for Mando and his family, and not just from her and Brama. The entire town had slipped her gifts in secret that she’d hidden under her stairs for today. His pile was larger than her kids, and she couldn’t mind. He’d given her town the best gift of all, and they were trying to repay him. In front of the pile of gifts, she put the bag holding the credits for the Wookie -- not as a gift, but as payment for his services. 

And then he’ll leave. She didn’t want him to, but she wouldn’t be that selfish. She knew his reasons for staying on the move. With that done, she took one last look around the house and made sure she’d prepared everything. The red banners with knitted flowers and snowflakes hung from the mantle and the doors; garlands of evergreens and red ribbons wound up the bannister on the staircase. The gifts were on the gift table, and everything looked to be in order. 

The door opened and Brama came in, followed by Mando and the bassinet. Brama had more gifts, and Mando carried her massive pot of hot chocolate. “Happy Lifeday!” Corrie said loudly, giving her mother, Mando, and the baby a hug. When she finished with the little one, she set him down and said, “Would you like to get Raina and Lonneric up?”

The child looked at the stairs, so Corrie nodded encouragingly. With surprising speed, he went after her two sleepyheads. Laughing, she turned to Mando. “Always move faster then they want something, don’t they?”

“They do.” He glanced at the table and asked, “Do I see my name on one of those?”

“Your name is on a lot of them, but we don’t open until after breakfast.” Corrie saw his helmet pull back but a storm of feet from above signaled the arrival of the children. “That was fast! Alright,” she directed them away from the table firmly, “everyone wash their hands, then take a seat.”

“One gift, please!” Raina clasped her hands in front of her and dropped to her knees. Lonneric joined her a second later, his own pleading, “Just one!” The baby watched them with wide eyes.

“Nope, gifts after we eat.” Connie looked at her mom, who helped her physically herd the two bigger kids, while Mando got his child into the highchair. The kids tore into the sweetbreads, practically inhaling them. Just to build character, Corrie made the kids wait until the adults finished before she turned them loose on their gifts.

“Come here,” she said, drawing Mando and the baby over to their pile. “Here,” she said, handing the little on a bundle as big as himself. He gazed at it, then up to her, and her heart broke a little at the clear confusion.

“Open it.” Mando’s soft voice cut through the sadness. “It’s for you. Here, pull this.” He touched a ribbon. Hesitantly, the child pulled on it and the package fell partially open. He looked up at his father, who nodded encouragingly, and then the little one pulled out the stuffed gurt toy. “That’s a cute toy,” Mando remarked, and Corrie swore his calm voice was thicker with emotion. The baby tried to hand it to him, and he said, “No, that’s yours to play with. Do you want to open another?”

The baby nodded, and Mando sat down next to the table and pulled over another gift. “Oh, this is for me. Should I open it?” The baby’s ears rose and he nodded. “Okay, let’s see what Kend got me. He’s the older deputy, right?”

“Yeah,” Corrie said, feeling tears threaten at how unfair this galaxy had been to the two of them; how it had denied them some of the simplest of pleasures.

Mando pulled the gift open, his son watching from his lap. When he pulled the cloth wrapping back and saw the silvered blaster, he seemed unsure what to say. He picked up the note and read, “‘It’s shiny like you, so I thought it would look better on your hip.’”

Smiling a little, Corrie pulled back to give them privacy as she went to her own gifts. Like Mando, she had gifts from all over town though the ones from her closest loves were her favorites; Lonneric gave her a piece of carved soap, and Raina had punched holes in a piece of felt and “embroidered” a little picca flower for her. Brama had replaced a pot Corrie had been forced to convert into a planter after the handle broke. Koda gave her a whole bundle of carded wool and a promise that he’d card for her all year.

Sitting back in her favorite chair, she watched her children play with their grandmother, while Mando and his child sat in an ever-growing mountain of gifts. She tried not to cry as the little one seemed as lost as he was grateful. Mando seemed to sense it too, and stopped giving him more gifts. The little one finally picked out a wooden zixcat and went to play with Raina and Lonneric. The adults watched; Mando in silence while Brama and Corrie took care of dishes and the next meal. 

After lunch, the kids went outside to play, and Mando caught Corrie by the arm. “Hey, I don’t really think I have room for all of this on the ship.” He waved at the gifts. “Can you and the kids use it?”

His matter-of-fact statement about it finished Corrie’s resolve to not lose it. She tried to say, “Whatever you need to do,” and instead she burst into tears. She heard her mother’s knitting needles stop abruptly. 

“I’m sorry.” Mando put his hands on her arms, clearly upset. She still couldn’t speak, and she helplessly shook her head as her mother joined them, putting an arm around her shoulders. 

“It’s not you, I promise,” Brama said to Mando as she steered her away. “Give us a moment?”

“Of course.” 

Brama pulled her into her bedroom and sat her down on the bed, tugging her close. It was too much like when her mother had held her when Loren had died, and the tears just flowed faster. “It’s okay,” her mother said softly, rubbing her arm. “It’s okay.”

“He didn’t understand Lifeday. The baby. He didn’t have a clue,” Corrie finally managed to choke out and her mother nodded. 

“Thanks to you, he does now,” Brama said gently. It didn’t help, because all Corrie could think was that in fifty long years, no one had ever shown that kid the simple pleasure of Lifeday, or anything like it. Brama didn’t say any more; she just let her daughter cry until the tears were done. 

When Corrie sat up straight and sighed in frustration, her mother said, “I’d say, just tell Mando that he can take what he can, and we’ll figure it out when he’s gone.”

The reminder that he was leaving tomorrow definitely didn’t help Corrie’s mood. “That’s what I was trying to say before my emotions got the better of me. Ugh, have I ruined Lifeday, you think?”

“No.” Her mother smiled. “I think he understands, too.” 

Mando looked up when she came back to the main floor, and Corrie said, “Sorry about that. Whatever you need to do with the gifts. We’ll work it out here.”

“I don’t want to insult anyone in town,” he said quickly.

“No one will be insulted,” Corrie said firmly. And if they are, they’d better keep that to themselves. “We understand you have limited space.”

“And there’s this. This is my gift for you.” He handed her the bag with the credits for the Wookie’s bounty in it. 

“I don’t understand,” Corrie said. “This was our agreed fee.” 

“I brought in the Wookie for you, for free. This is all I can give you, Corrie, in thanks for all that you have done. Your town, your family--” He cupped her cheek with his hand, his fingers tangling in her hair. “You.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, smiling at him.

They spent the afternoon opening the remaining gifts and picking out which ones Mando could take. Her town had opened their hearts and given the best they had to their savior, and he seemed to know that as he carefully made his choices. The rest, Corrie set aside to deal with later, when he was gone. For now, she stacked them in the front closet. She couldn’t bear to look at them right now, and she dreaded explaining this to Raina, who was both perceptive enough to notice, and too young to understand without a lot of explanation from her mother.

She managed to get through dinner and the day without another outburst, thankfully. Her mother and Mando were both gentle with her, and she accepted their care without comment. It had been one of Loren’s gifts to her; teaching her to just relax into being cared for rather than trying to tough it out. Thoughts of her lost husband didn’t help her emotional turmoil, but she didn’t let herself dwell on that. There would be time to mourn tomorrow.

After the kids were asleep, Corrie showered and sat on her bed in her robe, waiting. She ran the scarf that was her customary blindfold through her fingers and listened to the silence. Finally, she heard someone softly open the door, then light steps on the stairs. A quiet tap at her door finally brought a smile to her face, and she let him in.

They didn’t speak, and didn’t need to say anything to each other. Corrie helped Mando out of his armor, and he blindfolded her, and then they crashed into one another. It wasn’t violent or harsh, but the patience of before had faded in knowledge that this was their last night together. Corrie knew she’d likely have a long wait before she could find another partner for this, and she suspected that Mando was as picky as she was.

Exhaustion claimed her in the small hours of the morning, but when he woke her up for one more coupling, she responded eagerly. By the time the sun’s rays pierced the horizon, Corrie was tired, sore, and physically sated. Emotionally, she was already missing the stranger who hadn’t left yet.

They lay quietly together for a long moment. She felt the second he summoned his willpower; sensed the shift in his body that signaled the coming departure. “I need to leave,” he said softly. 

“I know,” she said. He cupped her face and gave her one last, sweet kiss, then slipped out of bed. She let him go without complaint, listening to him dress. She could have protested, and a small part of her that had enjoyed having a bed companion again wanted to speak out. He wasn’t the staying kind, and she wasn’t the leaving kind, and they’d both known this. 

She wasn’t in love, she was lonely. Or perhaps just horny.

“You can take it off,” he said softly. 

She did, blinking at him in the dim bedroom. Sitting up, she asked, “Do you want us to see you off?”

“No.” He didn’t say it’d be easier, but they both heard it. 

“Okay,” she said, yawning. “I’m going to go back to sleep.”

“Thank you,” he said softly, his voice warm. “It was good to celebrate Lifeday again.”

“It was the least we could do after all you’ve given us.” Corrie watched him silently shrug off the comment. “You’re welcome to come back and visit anytime.”

“I will,” he said. “When it’s safe.” Corrie couldn’t tell if he was lying or not, but she didn’t call him on it or probe. He would come back or he wouldn’t. “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Mando.” Then he was gone from her life as rapidly as he had entered it. She stayed in bed until she heard the Crest lift off, then she got up, showered and started her day. She’d miss him, but life would go on after he’d helped them set things right. Her people would survive because of him, and that was enough.

[deprough]

Wood and Worry

12/9/2020 Dincember prompt: "Let It Snow”

SFW, however there are descriptions of murder and violence after the fact.

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the fifth part of the story. This post won’t make sense without reading the others.

Part 1: Snowballs and Saviors Part 2: Dreams and Dangers (nsfw) Part 3: Heat and Harassment Part 4:  Fire and Fatality (depictions of violence and death)

The snow started just after sunrise, fat, heavy flakes that would have doomed the search mission if it hadn’t been for Mando. The weird thing on his back that Corrie had wondered about from time to time was a jetpack that allowed him to get an aerial view and cover more ground. She was starting to understand why the Mandalorians had such a fierce reputation. 

“They’re in the cave nearby,” Mando said as soon as the roar of his jet pack faded. 

“Good, an ambush shouldn’t be too hard, then,” Corrie said grimly. “How many?”

“Eight.” Mando’s grim announcement caused the posse members to shift nervously. That was two more than the posse, but all Corrie could think was that if they got this group, that was over half of them dead or caught.

“Are we sure this is the group that torched the jail?” Kado asked. 

“I am,” Mando replied. “I’m not sure it was all of them, but the two that I followed from the town are here.”

“Unless they surrender, kill them all,” Corrie said, drawing her blaster.

“What happens if the two who torched the jail surrender?” Mando asked.

“Then they go back to town to stand trial,” Corrie said grimly. “I hope they do.” Mando tilted his helmet in a silent question. “It’d do the townsfolk good to see them dance on a rope.”

“Then give the word, Sheriff, and we’ll get ‘em,” Mando said.

“Word,” Corrie said, and the posse rolled out.

~  *  ~  * ~

The bodies were dragged off and left for the beasts, which was no better than those animals deserved anyway. They only had one injury, thanks to Mando’s willingness to test the integrity of his armor by being the heart of the battle. 

“You okay, Osker?” Corrie asked, kneeling down next to the kid. He was technically an adult, but didn’t look it, especially when his face was almost white with pain and he was biting back tears. 

“I’ll be fine, Sheriff.” He put on a brave face but everyone knew the knife wound in his shoulder hurt. Corrie patted his hand and started to get up, but he caught her hand. “Sheriff, if… if my arm’s gonna be okay, can I be a deputy?”

Corrie smiled, even as part of her hated the sudden reminder that she’d lost one last night. The mother in her objected to the idea of sending this baby into fights. Osker wasn’t a baby though; he was a grown man, even if he was barely so. Even if she could remember when he was born. “I’d be proud to have you, once you’re better. You take care.”

He swelled with pride. “Yes, Sheriff.” Then he let the other men get him up on his gurt for the long, painful ride back to town. 

Koda turned to her. “You sure you’ll be okay out here, Corrie?”

“I’ve got Mando,” she said, “I think we’ll be alright.” She hadn’t meant it quite the way it came out, and Koda raised an eyebrow. “Anyone who comes back to this camp tonight is in for a nasty surprise,” she quickly added, ignoring the blush trying to stain her cheeks. 

She stood in the snow, watching four of the six people she’d ridden out with go home. Glancing over at Mando with his floating kid, she said, “So, how about you get some wood and I’ll find some tinder?”

Literally eating her foot wasn’t an option so she met the black T of his visor and didn’t show her discomfort. It’s what Dad would have done, though she didn’t think her father was capable of unintentional sexual innuendos like she was managing. “Yeah,” he said after a moment. “I got it.”

The second he’d turned away, Corrie allowed herself a full-body cringe over the matter. When she was done, she went through the prisoner’s meager belongings. They’d clearly been stealing from the locals; Corrie recognized all the tools and clothing as being Zalzus-made. She identified one of the scarves; it had been Sunga’s favorite, and Corrie’s clenched her teeth as she carefully set it aside to take back with them.

She picked some yarn from frayed woolen gloves for tinder, and dug the wet pieces of wood out of the firepit. During the fight, someone had kicked snow onto the fire, and now it was up to her to salvage it. Getting out flint and tinder, she started the fight to get it lit again.

“Here, let me,” Mando offered as he dropped an armful of wood next to the pit. Corrie was more than happy to let someone else do this crappy job. She handed him the flint box, only to have him extend his arm and send a gout of flame that effortlessly lit the tinder.

She stared at him. He looked down at the flint box, then back at her. “Cheater,” she told him.

“It isn’t cheating if you win the fight,” he told her. 

“All’s fair in love and war?” she shot back, then wanted to swallow her foot again. 

“In war. Wouldn’t know much about in love,” he said levelly.

“So you don’t love your son?” she asked sharply.

His helmet pulled back in surprise. “That’s not what you were asking about.”

“That’s not what you thought I was asking about.” She shrugged. “Love’s love. There’s different kinds, and it comes out in different ways, but it’s rarely fair either way.”

“So kids aren’t fair in love?” he asked, his voice curious.

Corrie laughed. “Mando, kids are the worst about love. They’ll take it all, but they have to be almost adults before they truly understand how to give it.” He glanced at the child, and she said, “That’s a deep look.”

“You can’t see my face,” he protested.

“I don’t need to,” she said. “Something I said hit a nerve or provoked somethin’.”

He turned from her and she shrugged. They were silent as they got the gurts hidden in the back of the cave with water and food. Then he went and got them more water while she opened jarred stew and started heating it. 

“The kid’s fifty.” His remark, delivered as he casually sent down the water jug, made her take another look at the child. Mando added, “I just thought, if you’re right, then I’ll never know him when he’s capable of giving love.”

Behind him, snow started to fall in a white curtain that blocked the remaining light of the day. “That a problem?” Corrie asked, leaning forward to stir the stew.

“Does it matter if it is?” he asked.

“You don’t like to answer questions, do you?” she asked.

“Not invasive ones.” 

“Then tell me to shut up,” Corrie told him, peering up at him. “So have you figured out how you’re eating yet?”

His shoulders drooped a bit. “No.”

“Great. I’ll just wait outside for a bit.” Corrie half-expected a protest, something about how she shouldn’t get soaked just for him, and no, no, he’d go stand in the snow to eat. 

“Thank you, Sheriff.” His simple acceptance was a pleasant surprise, and Corrie found her opinion of his shifting yet again. He couldn’t seem to go a moment without changing her views on him. 

He took one of the seats left by the prisoners as the food finished warming. They sat in silence, then Corrie ate while Mando fed the baby. 

When she was done, she said, “Hollar when you’re done.” He nodded as he placed the child in the bassinet and reached for the closure. “Naw, give me the control and let him follow me. Get some fresh air.”

He hesitated. “We’re in an open cave. He’s got fresh air.

“We won’t be far away,” she said. “Literally just out of line of sight. It’s better than him being locked up in the bassinet, right?” 

Mando looked at the baby, who looked at him. Rising, he checked to make sure his hat and gloves were on correctly, then tucked the blanket around him more tightly and handed her the controls. Aware of the trust he was silently showing in her, she walked just out of sight of the entrance and no further, pulling the bassinet toward her so she could gently rock it. The kid looked alarmed for a moment, then smiled and settled back to watch the snow fall.

Her comm crackled and then Koda said, “Boss, you read me?”

“Yeah, Koda, I read ya,” she said, wondering what was happening now.

“Boss, some of the teens made their own posse and headed up into the eastern hills before the snow started,” Koda told her. “I followed as far as I could, but the snow’s gettin’ bad.”

“Dank ferrik,” she growled. “Who was it?”

“Scerr Hamne, Lindi Jissard, and Kuna Tane. They took Kern’s speederbikes.”

Corrie tucked her hair behind her ears, since she couldn’t rake her fingers through it like she normally did when agitated. Silently cursing idiot kids, she said, “Lemme guess, they took the high performance ones.”

“Got it in one. Kern says the bikes should have frozen up already.”

“Damn kids. Has Kern gone after them?”

“No, but Lindi’s not going to be able to sit for a month when we find her, and is probably grounded until she’s dead,” Kota answered. “Can’t say I blame her father. Kern loves his speederbikes.” 

“We have to find them before he can ruin her life,” Corrie replied. “I think Mando and I are stuck up here until morning, at minimum. We’ll join the hunt tomorrow.”

“That’s what I figured, boss. See ya tomorrow. Stay warm.”

But not too warm, Corrie thought with a flush. “See ya tomorrow. Have the search party ready.”

When Mando called her in, he took one look at her face and guessed, “Trouble?” 

“Been nothin’ but since that kriffin’ ship crashed,” she said wearily. “Libu used to be quiet and safe, and now…” She pulled off her hat and ran her fingers through her thick curls. Sometimes, she forgot she’d cut it back when she’d taken the job, and got a little surprise when she ran out of hair before she thought she would. Tonight was one of those nights when she came up short, and wondered if she really had the right to be out here, doing this job.

“Hutts happen.” 

Corrie looked at the bounty hunter. “Is that a joke?”

He paused and then said, “Was it funny?”

“I… I don’t know,” she said, reaching out to the bassinet and rocking the kid again. He cooed softly. “A little, I guess.”

“I’m not good at jokes.” He said it simply, and she wished she could see his face, to read what emotions were crossing it. 

“No,” Corrie said with faux shock, opting to try a little humor herself. “Really? It’s been a laugh a minute since I met you.” 

The second it was out of her mouth, she realized he might feel mocked, but before she could withdraw her statement, he said, “That’s me, Funny Man Mando.”

She chuckled. “Funny Man Mando, savior of Libu. I think that’s what we’ll put on the statue we erect to you.” 

He visibly winced. “You’re local law enforcement, you’re supposed to take all the credit after I leave town. Besides, you’d make a prettier statue than me.”

Which left her so flustered that she couldn’t come up with a retort, and it had distracted her from the problem with the teens. As a bonus, it meant they spent the rest of the night in near-blessed silence. Better than eating her foot every few minutes.

[deprough]

Talks and Tricks

12/14/2020 Dincember prompt: Cold

SFW

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the seventh part of the story. This post won’t make sense without reading the others.

Part 1: Snowballs and Saviors Part 2: Dreams and Dangers (nsfw) Part 3: Heat and Harassment Part 4:  Fire and Fatality (depictions of violence and death) Part 5: Wood and Worry Part 6: Searches and Scarves

No rest for the weary; Corrie wanted to find the remaining prisoners before Lifeday, and they had five days left. Since they had no direct clues on where to search next, Corrie broke everyone up into two-man teams and sent them out to search. She put herself with Mando, mostly because Koda still had a habit of asking nosey, personal questions, and everyone else was afraid of him. 

Cursehead and Patchy were still showing signs of exhaustion, so they’d borrowed Kend’s riding gurts. “Please bring them back in one piece,” he said with a smile. “I don’t have anymore.”

“Ain’t lost a gurt yet,” Corrie huffed as she mounted up. “‘Sides you know I’m good for it, if it comes to that.” 

Kend nodded and petted his gray ewes. “Still rather not lose Slobber or Snot. They were twins, ya know.”

“I know.” Corrie leaned down to pat his shoulder as Mando settled in Snot’s saddle. “I remember.” Straightening, she started out of town, the bounty hunter and his bassinet following her. Brama had altered one of Raina’s old sets of snowgear, and today the little green child watched the world encased in wool and furs instead of closed away. He looked pleased about it, too.

“Man was really concerned about his ewes,” Mando noted after a while. 

“They’re the last lambs out of his favorite ram, so he’s a little protective,” Corrie stated. “I’m sure you understand gettin’ attached to things.”

“I understand the concept,” he said, which made her roll her eyes. She knew better than to engage men further when they got like this, she just let it go. 

They rode in silence after that, picking a path along the river that followed through the countryside and cut the wide valley in half. At the bridge, she said, “Okay, once we’re across this, we’re technically outside the Libu township area. But we have neighbors out this way, and I wanna check on them while we’re here. So we’ll be looping back and forth a bit, okay?”

“You’re the boss,” Mando said as the gunts’ wide hooves started to slap against the stone bridge.

Corrie shot him a look. “Never thought I’d hear something like that from a man like you.”

“You’ve hired me, paid me for the bounties I’ve helped bring in, and you direct my actions.” He shrugged and steered Snot around a branch on the bridge. “I believe that makes you the boss.”

“Fair.” She shot him a thoughtful glance, and he said, “That’s a loaded look.”

“You just surprise me sometimes.” She grinned. “Guess that just means I don’t know bounty hunters really well.” 

“Am I the first you’ve dealt with?” he asked.

“First I’ve hired directly,” she said as the gurts reached the far side and she started the hunt for the Nix turnoff. “Dad and Uncle Vinor both hired them from time to time, but usually only for planet-jumpers. This arrangement has been unusual for us all around.”

“Your dad was sheriff, too? This a family occupation?” Mando asked curiously.

“Sorta. Being a deputy is a family occupation, and when a sheriff dies or retires, one of their deputies usually step up,” Corrie said. “This time, I was the one to step up.”

“Easier to get vengeance when you’re in charge.” He sounded approving, and she guessed hadn’t meant it as an insult, but she still scowled at him. 

“It wasn’t about vengeance. It’s about a job that has to be done, that’ll probably shorten my life considerably.” She shook her head. “I know you think this is a quiet little backwater, but it’s dangerous, too. We get criminals hiding out here, raiders in the summer, and diggers.”

“I didn’t mean it--”

“I know,” she said, her voice softening. “I just--” She saw the turnoff for Nix’s place; thankfully, he’d shoveled his drive so the gurts didn’t have to fight through snow. Steering onto it, she said, “I wonder if I made the right decision all the time. I looked around that room, and I knew everyone was terrified to step up. To lead the hunt against these criminals. Kend coulda; he’s been deputy since my dad’s time and by rights, it shoulda been him. But he couldn’t. He looked up at me, and I saw his fear, and knew that in a few seconds, he’d step up anyway and that fear would lead our response against these things. So I’d said I’d do it, and you shoulda felt the relief in the room. No one said anything, not a single sound, but it was like a pressure was gone from it.”

“From the room, and right into you,” Mando said softly.

Corrie hadn’t expected him to understand so clearly. “Experienced accepting some responsibility that no one else wanted, huh?”

“The kid. Wasn’t quite the same, but when I took responsibility for him, it felt like the whole galaxy expected something from me,” he said quietly, glancing back at the child, who was leaning over the edge of his vehicle to watch its shadow.

“It did,” she told him with a smile, “but I promise it’s okay.”

He nodded and they rode on to the house, where Feja Nix said they were fine, and hadn’t seen any strangers, and yes, it’d be fine if they rode through their fields and bypass the road if they wanted. Corrie thanked her and promised to send word if they saw a problem on her land. 

After the Nix’s, they rode on through the Autem’s and the Donnell’s lands, then on through to the other Nix’s, Feja’s brother-by-law. Everyone was fine, and no one had seen any strangers. “Hopefully,” Corrie said when they stopped so he could hide and eat, “the prisoners couldn’t figure out how to cross the river.”

“If it doesn’t freeze over, it’d be harder to do,” Mando said from behind several trees. His unmodulated voice was familiar and strange at the same time. “Unless they found the bridge.”

“Without gurts, moving around in the snow is hard. Their hooves are shaped to help them traverse deep snow,” Corrie remarked, straightening a little. Something was wrong here, and she couldn’t say what, only that she was suddenly nervous.

A flash of black in the woods caught her eye, and she pushed off the tree she’d been leaning on, peering through the branches and heaped snow. Slobber and Snot turned their heads at the same time, their ears pricking in the same direction as the movement. Snot bleated, and Corrie said, “Mando--”

She cut off as a tall Wookie stepped into view. Corrie had never seen one in person before, but the tall bipedal lifeform covered in thick black fur couldn’t be anything else. He wore a gurtskin over his shoulders, and had a massive bow and spears on his back. 

“Maneater!” she barked and pulled her blaster. The monster roared and spun into the trees as she fired a shot at him. It went wide and she vaulted into Slobber’s saddle, kicking the gurt into a run. 

“Corrie!” she heard Mando shout, but she wasn’t letting this gurt-kriffer get away from her. Her quick reaction meant that the Wookie wasn’t quite able to get completely out of her sight, and his black fur showed up like a stain on the white landscape. She heard the roar of Mando’s jetpack over the rush of her pursuit, hoping that the bounty hunter got ahead of the beast.

The Wookie went into the trees, swinging through them effortlessly and vaulting over an open space in the forest, only to drop down on the far side and look back at her. She didn’t understand the strange maneuver until Slobber slid to a stop and pitched Corrie over her head. She hit hard but rolled with it to come to her feet, only to freeze when she heard the ice creak under her. Maneater waved and wuffed in a Wookie chuckle, then disappeared into the snowy thicket.

Mando appeared above her and she pointed where he’s just been. “That way!” she screamed, fighting back rage. “Get ‘em!”

The ice gave way and she dropped into the water. The cold brought immediate pain, but she fought through that. She felt the current grab her and suck her away, and her grabbing hands found nothing to hold. Her boots and heavy woolens, so necessary for life in the cold, pulled her away from the surface and from life.

[deprough]

Fire and Fatality

12/7/2020 Dincember prompt: Fire

SFW, however there are descriptions of murder and violence after the fact. 

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the fourth part of the story. This post won’t make sense without reading the others.

Part 1: Snowballs and Saviors  Part 2: Dreams and Dangers (nsfw) Part 3: Heat and Harassment  

The warning bell clanged loudly and Corrie sat up, jarred out of sleep. She had half a second to wonder what was going on when someone yelled, “Fire!”

That woke her up, and she threw on the first pants, sweater and socks she touched from the piles on her floor. She paused at the door to slam her feet into her boots and grab her gun belt, then she dashed outside. 

Brama stuck her head out just as Corrie emerged, and she shouted, “Mom, the kids!” Her mother nodded, hiked up her nightgown and raced to Corrie’s house. With her kids safe, the sheriff headed for the town square.

The jail burned.

For a shocked second, Corrie stared; then she remembered, Talee was on duty tonight. The water trough hadn’t frozen over yet and Corrie ripped off her sweater, dunked it, and threw it back on. The shock of cold drew a shout from her but she didn’t hesitate to shove open the door. In the dancing light, she could see six forms on the floor, unmoving.

“No, no!” she cried and grabbed the nearest. Talee Relston, Corrie’s night deputy, was dead with a slit throat. The next one, Delli Sypikne, also lay in a pool of her own blood. On down she went, frantically checking for life and finding none. 

A wet blanket dropped over her, and she looked up to see Mando looming over her. “They’re dead, let’s go!” he shouted over the roaring of the flames.

Corrie shook her head. “No!”

“Sheriff, the building is on fir--”

She grabbed the top of his breastplate and yanked his helmet close to her face. “We don’t leave our dead to burn! Help me or get out!” Her bold statement was undercut by the coughing fit that choked her on the last word.

He pulled her hand loose and tied his grapple line around Talee’s legs, then grabbed Delli and Rhan by their coats and started to drag them out. Corrie got little Howen Relston over her shoulder and grabbed Nicka by her coat and pulled. As she headed for the door, someone started to pull Talee out by Mando’s line, and the man himself passed Corrie as he went back for the final body. 

The town had gathered, and the weeping had already started. Old Man Relston stood with his hand on his son’s shoulder as he rocked Talee’s body and wept. Delli’s grown children were already gathered around her, shielding Delli’s grandchildren from the sight of the fatal wound on her neck. When Corrie laid Nicka down in the snow, the young woman’s father moaned with grief, but that was nothing compared to the sound Old Man made when he saw his grandson in Corrie’s arms. “I’m sorry,” she said to him as he came and took the child from her. 

Mando pulled the last one out into the snow and stepped back so that his family could claim them. No one came to mourn Spang Myrishi, and Corrie frowned. “He lives way out of town,” she muttered. His family was the furthest away, kept to themselves, and barely considered themselves part of the town.

Mando brought her a dry blanket; she hadn’t felt the cold until the offering reminded her of her wet clothing. As she sank into the dry warmth gratefully, he ruined her pleasure by stating, “They may have taken prisoners.”

For a second, she was angry that he wasn’t giving them even a second to grieve, but he was also right. “Koda!” she hollered, and her deputy turned away from the burning jail. It was well and truly caught now, as the dried evergreens and red Lifeday ribbons on the eevees burst into fire. “Get the other deputies. We have to get everyone counted. We have to know if they took captives.”

Her deputy paled but nodded quickly. He started to leave but Corrie grabbed his arm, looking down at Spang’s body. “Find Kern. Ask him to pull out one of his speederbikes and bring it to me. I need to check on the farmsteads, starting with the Myrishi’s.”

Koda looked even more grim and nodded before disappearing into the growing crowd. Mando said, “There’s a message on the side of the next building.”

Together, they walked over, and Corrie read the painted words aloud, “Two to one exchange.”

“We must have missed someone in the woods,” Mando said. “Someone escaped.”

“Can you hunt them?” she asked.

“I can.”

“Then as soon as we’ve verified who’s safe, we’ll go,” she said.

~  *  ~  *  ~

Corrie knew what she’d find the second she stopped the speederbike outside the Myrishi farmhouse. The front door was open, and the gates to their gurt pen stood wide open. A few animals were huddled in the back of their shelter, a few ewes and wethers unwilling to leave the comfort of familiarity.

Corrie drew her pistol, then stood still and listened. She couldn't hear anything, and she knew that the culprits were likely long gone. She closed the gate; Spang had kin on the north side of the township and the gurts would be theirs. 

Swallowing, she checked the house. The murders had ransacked it, but it didn’t look like the family had suffered. “Small mercies,” Corrie muttered as she covered Sunga’s body with a blanket. After a second, she flipped the blanket back and knelt to touch Sunga’s arm. Cold and starting to stiffen; they’d been killed well before the fire had started.

Covering Spang’s wife back up, Corrie left the farmhouse and shut the door, being sure it latched. She’d send someone out to their kin to see if they wanted to handle the funerals. If not, the people of Libu would see to it. 

She mounted the speederbike and left, turning toward the next homestead. She had about a dozen to check tonight, then a posse to lead in the morning. They were going to find those responsible, and they were going to end them.

That was one thing that the invading criminals hadn’t realized yet. They thought killing innocents would scare the townfolk into backing down. All they’d done was escalate the war. As she raced through the night, Corrie muttered to herself, “Good thing I have a Mandalorian on my side.”

[deprough]

DA - Dincember grows

I worked just on Dincember today since I got a great idea for one of the stories. Also, its my day off, and that inspires laziness. Still, the piece came out nicely and I look forward to sprucing it up more in the later editing. 

Quote (Dincember);  “Hold on, it’s gonna get cold,” he warned, and her teeth were chattering too hard to tell him it was already cold. His jet pack roared, louder than normal, and they shot into the air. He was right -- it was cold as the wind slapped at her frozen skin. She whimpered but he was already landing in front of a small cabin.

[deprough]

I am still accountable!

Heh, I’m in a silly mood because I’ve gotten a bunch of comments on my Mando fics on AO3, and I’ve just been so happy about it all day. I’m tired, though, so I can’t wax on about it too much. I worked on all three of my projects, so it was a good day.

Quote (from Dincember work): “Come on, Hexa.” Corrie gently pried Kuna’s mother off their guest. “Let him breathe.” It took some doing, but she coaxed the townsfolk away. “See?” she said when she’d finally cleared them. “Our hero.”

[deprough]

DA

So... Dincember is coming nicely and I’m going to share a quote from that tonight. Got a LOT done again today, though that was in part because of how I count my words -- some stuff from yesterday only got counted today. But since I got something done on all three of my projects, I’m feeling pretty good.

And in case the quote doesn’t make this clear, Dincember is way more light-hearted than Jobs. I hope people enjoy it as much.

Quote (Dincember): “So… what if you’re drowning, and there’s a hole in the ice, but it’s just too small for your helmet but big enough for your head?” Koda asked.

“I’d drown, I guess,” Mando replied with the strained tones of someone who’d been asked this exact question a million times but was continuing to answer it politely out of a desire to promote a good working environment.

[deprough]

4,440.

Good grief. I can’t remember the last time I wrote that much in one day. I actually have a good start to Dincenber 2020 now. Yay, me!

[deprough]

Exposure and Expectations

12/16/2020 Dincember prompt: Blankets

NSFW

My Dincember prompts are part of a serial story I’m telling. This is the eighth part of the story. This post won’t make sense without reading the others.

Part 1: Snowballs and Saviors Part 2: Dreams and Dangers (nsfw) Part 3: Heat and Harassment Part 4:  Fire and Fatality (depictions of violence and death) Part 5: Wood and Worry Part 6: Searches and Scarves Part 7: Talks and Tricks

Note: Sorry to be late -- I was sick the last couple of days. Please note that the first couple of paragraphs contain a TW for drowning. The last half is mildly explicit and all below the cut.

Her lungs aching, Corrie fought to swim up, but it was cold, and everything got harder and harder to do. Knowing it was hypothermia didn’t stop it from affecting her, and she summoned her energy for one last desperate grab.

Something caught her and pulled, and she surfaced into the air, coughing weakly. Mando hung upside down from a tree, hauling her out of the water. Corrie tried to help him, but all she could manage was a body-wracking shiver. “I’ve got you,” Mando said, swinging upright and pulling her against his body in one move. “No, don’t put your face against my beskar, not while it's wet.” She’d freeze to it, like her clothing was trying to do already, and she nodded understanding shakily. 

“Hold on, it’s gonna get cold,” he warned, and her teeth were chattering too hard to tell him it was already cold. His jet pack roared, louder than normal, and they shot into the air. He was right -- it was cold as the wind slapped at her frozen skin. She whimpered but he was already landing in front of a small cabin. She staggered away from him, feeling her clothing catch and pull on his armor.

He started to knock, but she pushed the door open. “Hu-u-u-u-nt-t-t-t-ter’s c-c-c-cabin,” she stuttered out. It was a single room with a small cot, a table, and a fireplace. 

Mando pushed her inside and got a fire started in seconds, cheating with his weaponry again. Connie didn’t mind nearly as much this time. “Strip,” he commanded, and left the building. 

It was a choice between dignity and life, and Corrie started to pull off her wet clothing. Her fingers didn’t work quite right, and it made the process of disrobing slower. He returned as she was naked from the waist up, but struggling to get her pants open. 

Setting the supplies he’d gathered from their mounts on the table, he came over and helped, opening her pants and pushing them down with her underwear. She felt a little warmer in the cabin already, but he pushed one of the wool blankets into her hands and said, “Get in.”

“Th-th-the ggggg-urts,” she chattered as she shrugged on the blanket.

His shoulders slumped a little. “You’re not going to stop until I make sure they’re okay, are you?” She shook her head and he sighed. “Stay in that blanket. I’ll be back soon.”

Corrie pulled the blanket tighter and crept as close to the fire as she dared. A gurtskin had been left on the floor in front of the hearth, and she laid down, cuddling into the soft texture. The heat was a blessed warmth, and she pulled the pillow off the cot and tucked it under her wet hair. Despite how hard the floor was, she fell asleep almost immediately. 

“No! Wake up!” Some gurt-kriffer was shaking her, and Corrie pushed at the hands holding her. “Shab!”

“Go’way,” she mumbled. 

Someone pulled her up and slapped her across the face, a teeth-rattling smack that jerked her into awareness. Corrie opened her eyes to focus on the bounty hunter. “Ow,” she said. “You hit me.”

“Just be glad I took my glove off first,” he growled. “I need you to wear a blindfold.”

“You’re rude,” she muttered, trying to make sense of what he was saying. 

“I’m trying to save you from hypothermia.” He took a bandage and tied it around her eyes. “Listen to me, this is important. Don’t take that bandage off.”

She’d already touched it but she pulled her hands away and frowned at him. “Why?”

“Because this is already going to be awkward enough without you violating my Creed.” Something hard and metal hit the floor, followed by the jangle of a belt.

“Are you taking off clothing?” she asked.

“My dilemma is this: you need an external heat source and even my underarmor covering has thermal protection. So if you’re to gain any benefit from this, it’s skin to skin.” Another blanket dropped on top of her, then a third, which she guessed was all the blankets available. “You lay closer to the fire,” he ordered and she shifted on the rug until the heat of the fire pressed at her. 

A body slid in behind her, male and muscled and not too far from her imagining of his physique. He pressed against her, and she groaned as the delicious heat of his body suffused her back and ass. He hissed sharply at the contact with her chilled skin, then growled, “Don’t make that noise.”

“You’re warm, I’m human,” she said, wishing she could wrap herself in his body and the fire. Both burned against her skin, but she embraced the heat. She pushed against him instinctively, needing the warmth he was giving. He didn’t pull away, though she almost did when she felt his erection. The need for warmth won out over embarrassment, and she didn’t pull away either, snuggling as close as she could.

“Please stop wiggling against me,” he said, and she realized two things: she could hear his unmodulated voice, and he was gritting his teeth as he spoke. 

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m doing my best.”

“Tell me about your husband.” A bare hand rested on her arm, oddly respectfully given the circumstances.

Shock stole her voice for a moment. “You schiehole,” she growled. “Why?”

She felt him shift a little and warm air stirred her hair. “Because you need to think about something else, and it’ll help you keep awake.” 

He was right, not that it made her feel any better to be talking about Loren while snuggling naked with another man. “He’s not from Libu or even Zalzus. He was with a crew of miners looking to see if we had rare metals to extract. When they found we didn’t, they left, and he stayed with me.

“People thought I was nuts for marrying an off-worlder,” she continued, relaxing into the story. “He didn’t know about how to survive in a snowstorm, or how to shear a sheep, or card wool. He wasn’t in touch with his family anymore, and I think he was always surprised at how close I was with mine. 

“But he was a good man, and people loved him,” Corrie said softly, feeling tears sting. 

“Did he leave?” Mando asked softly. 

“I’ve told you he died,” she snapped. The topic made this both more awkward and more bearable. “You’re being obtuse on purpose, aren’t you?”

“Is it helping?”

“Loren was a good man, but he’d lived a rugged life, and he could take care of himself,” Corrie continued, ignoring the question and staring at the darkness on the inside of her blindfold. “He didn’t listen to us when we told him that he couldn’t handle a digger alone.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a predator that lives underground,” Corrie said, grief coloring her voice. She felt the hand on her arm squeeze gently. “I’d told him over and over that no one deals with it alone, but he didn’t get help. He tried to burn it out like we said to, but he did it alone. So it killed him. Koda and I figured out where he’d gone missing, and burned it out together, found his body.”

Silence fell over the cabin. “My parents died of a droid attack,” Mando said without preamble. She turned toward him instinctively. He paused to tug the blanket up over her shoulders. “The Mandalorians took me in and adopted me. But I still remember the attack, and my parents hiding me, and the fear.” 

“Did you lose the kid’s mother, too?” Corrie asked. If he was going to hit her with personal questions, she was damn well returning the favor. Besides, she needed a distraction from the hardness against her ass.

“No, I rescued him from Imperials.” He sighed. “I can’t settle down, Corrie. I want to be clear that this isn’t about me making any kind of--” He stopped as her shoulders started to shake. “Oh, um, don’t cry. It’s not you--” Corrie couldn’t hold it in any longer; her peals of laughter filled the small building. “What-- Why are you laughing?”

“I don’t recall asking you to settle down,” she retorted when she could talk again. 

“But… I’ve seen the way you watch me.” He sounded confused and she almost lost it again. 

“Mando, I’m sure you have wonderful and quite masculine reasons why you can’t be in the family way,” Corrie said sardonically, “but I assure you, what I feel for you is just lust.”

“You don’t even know what I look like!” He sounded outraged, and she had to choke back another bout of laughter.

“I don’t kriff your face,” she said bluntly. “And your body is more than acceptable for that. Has every person after you wanted a union and a farmstead and kids?”

“Well, no, but the ones who already had a farmstead did want something more permanent.” He paused and she let him think as she waited patiently. “You’re not like the ones who didn’t.”

“People come in all kinds,” she said. “I love Loren still, and I’m not looking for another husband. I don’t need someone for companionship, I don’t need anyone trying to be a father to my kids, and I definitely don’t need anyone worrying about me out doing my job. Sometimes, I like to have some fun, though.”

Mando didn’t reply, and Corrie relaxed into the warmth of the piled blankets and the heat of the fire. “Where's the kid?” she muttered sleepily.

“Closed in his bassinet.” His hand slid down her arm and came to rest on her belly. Sleep stopping being a problem in the space of two seconds. “I think your core temperature is back in safe ranges. Take a nap. I’ll keep watch, and we can go back when you feel ready.”

Then he left the cocoon of blankets, and Corrie sighed. Oh well, she thought, woulda been fun.

For a second, there was only the sound of him dressing. “You can take off the blindfold.” Corrie sat up and pulled it away, blinking in the rosy light of the fire. He had his pants and helmet on, and it should have looked silly, but her eyes were caught on the exposed expanse of lean, brown skin. A tattoo, some kind of animal skull, had been inked over his heart, and another, smaller one was on his shoulder where the same skull was embossed on his pauldron. She was so entranced watching him that she almost missed his question. “Tonight, can I come to your room?”

“My room?” she asked.

“Sometimes, I like to have some fun, too.” He pulled his shirt on and zipped it shut, and he realized he’d very intentionally left it off to show off his body. 

Corrie blinked and then nodded. “Sure. Stop on by. I’ll be up.”

He snorted and said, “Isn’t that my line?”

“You can have it if you come pick it up tonight,” Corrie said playfully, watching him dress. When he was done, he opened up the bassinet and the alien kid blinked at the light. “Hey,” she said, remembering her pack had been on Slobber. “I have spare clothing. If you bring in my saddle bags, I can get dressed too.”

He nodded and left. As his son dropped out of his bassinet and began to pet the gurtskin, Corrie started to grin. Now that’s what I call an early Lifeday gift.