AN: The idea for the story is mine, but the setting belongs to Tomoe and her wonderful fic Parttime Job that's located on AFF. Other characters belong to Karen Traviss and George Lucas. Not mine, just borrowing them. I promise to put them back when I'm done. ;)
The idea for this little short came to me the other night and is essentially from Mird's point of view during part of the events of Chapter 14 and its opinion of Tomoe during its "guard duty".
Crouched on the wet walkway out in the rain, I watched the little sea mouse as it darted about between the railing and the wall, seemingly as oblivious to the pounding rain as I was. The small animal was of little interest to me, even as food, for I would need to eat several dozen of them to be satisfied. It seemed unaware of how close it was to my jaws as it ran past in search of food within the cracks of the plates of the compound whose sterility often stung my sensitive nose.
The mouse smelled of salt and seaweed as it again darted past. Though I had little interest in eating it, the idea of chasing it had some merit as I waited for my master to return home. Following it carefully, I pounced as it again ran by, watching amusedly as it darted away from my paws in a panic.
I could smell the fear and the relief as it ran along the walkway, hurrying to escape my predatory pursuit. I had let it escape, of course. If I had simply killed it right away, my fun would have been over and I would be left to eat a morsel that was far too small to satisfy my appetite. Instead, I continued to chase it around the walkway, drawing close before letting it escape a short distance away yet again.
After awhile, I became aware of the sound of movement coming from within my master's home. Finally! I didn't mind the rain, but even I had my limits and had been soaked through some time ago. Letting the sea mouse go, I turned and padded back to the door through the puddles of water on the walkway, listening carefully to the sounds coming from within.
My master wasn't alone. I could hear another voice coming from within that was unfamiliar and female. I stopped outside of the door and tipped my head slightly, pricking my ears as I listened. My master lived apart from all the others because they could no more stand him than they could me and he wasn't known for bringing potential mates home.
As I sat there just outside the door, I realized that whatever they were talking about, the female wasn't happy about it. I could smell the fear from her, mixed with an unfamiliar scent almost similar to that of the sea mice, but sweeter and more pleasant. Ah, she smelled of grass and wood, like the forests of Mandalore, but not quite. My ears caught the barely-contained sound of anger in her voice and I could almost taste the tension between them, even though my master remained as cold and calm as always.
"I won't take performing your duties personally." The female's voice. She didn't sound or smell like my master or the others. Her voice was soft and light, soothing even. It wasn't harsh or laced with authority, only a strange calm despite the obvious anger and tension.
"So be it..." She had rattled him. Nobody ever rattled my master perhaps with the exception of his own master, the man who exuded authority over everyone else. That same man had never shown any fear of me like most and had no problem staring me down whenever he saw me. I scratched at the door, eager to be let in out of the cold rain and to see for myself this strange female who seemed to tear down the cold wall of emotionlessness my master kept about himself with just a few words.
Within but a few seconds, I heard the familiar sound of my master's footsteps approaching the door before the door itself hissed open to reveal him. "Ah, Mird, there you are..." He was relieved to see me as I quickly slipped through the door into the warm apartment, bouncing eagerly to see him home. Water dripped from my fur all over the bare floor beneath my paws as I looked for his attention or perhaps a strip of nerf jerky.
"Keep her there." Ah, he was all business tonight. The female must be an interrogation target, not potential company. That would explain the tension and why she was even here to begin with. I could work with that.
As soon as my master had given the command, I began to pad around the short, thin female who I now realized not only smelled of grass and wood, but also faintly of sex as well. The scent wasn't my master's, but that of his own master's, and I realized that the female must have displeased him somehow. I stopped for a moment to look up at her and bare my fangs as my master headed off to another room.
Surprisingly, she didn't seem all that intimidated by the display of teeth that had been known to shatter bones when I had been so inclined. Instead, the tension immediately dissolved and the female seemed to relax. No longer did I smell the fear or anger, only the grass, wood, and faint hint of human mating.
"So you are the infamous Lord Mirdalan." She offered a hand carefully as if she had experience with unfamiliar creatures like myself. I didn't know whether to be insulted or pleased as I cautiously sniffed at her palm, smelling her unique scent beneath the sweet perfumes. Most targets I kept under control for my master went into hysterics the moment they saw the display of fangs and did anything they could to get as far away as possible. More than a few had fainted in terror, but not her.
"Looks like you came home in last moment. Be a nice puppy and stay with me while Walon gets you a towel." Her hand slid across my back as I wound around her legs, stroking the short, wet fur without hesitation or a hint of fear. Well, if she wanted to play THAT way, I suppose it couldn't hurt just this once. If treating me like a pet was what kept her in place, I wasn't about to waste the chance, especially when my own master had failed to greet me properly like usual.
"Oh, you are so sloppy!" I rubbed against her legs under her petting, soaking her clothes as she scratched my back. She even laughed a little in amusement. My master was an expert in getting information from targets by any means possible, including myself when necessary. Nobody who had been brought before him for interrogation ever laughed.
"You two look like carved out of a single wookiee...you got all the pelt, while he got most of the height?" Oh, now that was just too much. I sat on my haunches and looked up at her, tipping her head with a small whine. A wookiee? I most certainly did not smell like grease and ozone on top of sweaty fur, even if my master was almost as tall as one.
She seemed to have noticed my irritation with being compared to a wookiee of all things. "Just joking." She patted my head in apology and I decided that was good enough for now. "You smell quite different, so you certainly are an individual of your own right." Ah, humans and their humor. I was grateful my master wasn't one to make jokes. He was as much a predator as I was and had earned my respect. This female, however...
Deciding that she was friendly enough and that I had enjoyed her attentions, I flopped over onto my side and rolled onto my belly. With another melodious little laugh, the female knelt down gracefully beside me and began to eagerly scratch my belly. Oh yes, that was indeed delicious and I let my tongue loll as I leaned back with enjoyment, not caring about how much drool ended up on the floor amongst the rainwater.
"I'm glad you two get along." Instantly, she stopped, and that cold tension returned as she looked up to see my master there, draping a towel over her shoulder. I gave a huff at the interruption and rolled back onto my side. Sometimes he could be a real spoilsport. If not for the female immediately rubbing me down, I might have been more than a little upset with him.
Instead, I rolled over onto my belly and let the female dry me with the warm towel, drooling happily as she rubbed the water away. I could see my master's reflection in the glass as he filled a needle with one of his many solutions. He almost looked troubled, as if there was something about the female that had disturbed him that may or may not have anything to do with the impending interrogation.
"Nice enough now, Mird. Go ahead." Even though I was still a bit damp, it seemed that it was time for my master to get to work. A pity. I scrambled to my feet to leave them be and immediately sneezed. "Bless you." Whatever that meant. I padded around the apartment to ensure that the three of us were indeed alone. If my master was to interrogate the female, then he would not appreciate any unexpected interruptions.
I watched as he led her to the bathroom and quietly followed in case he might need my assistance. Why he would be interrogating her in such a small place, I didn't know, but perhaps it was simply a matter of convenience. Occasionally his interrogations ended messily, particularly with uncooperative subjects, although this female didn't seem to be that sort, despite her unease around my master.
I sat patiently just inside the door, watching as he began to remove his gloves and the rest of his clothing. The female hesitated for the briefest of moments and in that moment, I could smell her anger increase before she, too, began to reluctantly strip. I padded over to the stack of armor plates my master had indicated and curled up beside them protectively, watching as they stepped into the shower.
So that was it. She wasn't an interrogation target, but a mate after all. Unusual for my master, but at least he had chosen a mate that didn't run away the moment she saw me this time. Perhaps he wasn't as unnerved by her as much as he had seemed after all. Good. Even a keen predator like my master couldn't afford to lose his edge and certainly not over a mate.
Deciding that he could handle the female on his own if he had relegated me to watching over his armor, I allowed myself to drift off into a well-deserved sleep.