Aria

"Give it back!" I tried to snatch the bassinet from the group of Jawas, making them snicker and shimmy away. I strapped the baby to my back and sprinted after them, slipping slightly in the sand.

Switching to their native language, I pointed at the crib,

"That's mine!"

The group halted and the Jawa in the front turned towards me,

"You speak Jawa?" It's fast little voice was curious, intrigued.

"Please, give me the crib back." I turned, showing them the little green head poking above my shoulder. "You wouldn't want an innocent baby sleeping in a big bed where he might fall out, would you?"

The Jawas conversed with each other and I caught a few words here and there before the leader replied.

"We trade! You for the crib!"

Ridiculous.

"You don't understand-"

"HEY!"

The shout made the Jawas jump a mile high and they lifted their blasters just as Din skidded in front of me.

"Give that back!" He pointed at the bassinet again and this time the Jawas fired a warning shot, spraying us with sand. "You little-"

"No wait!" I tugged on his cape, almost choking him. "Don't frighten them!"

"Are you crazy?" He exclaimed but the Jawas laughed.

"Big ugly man! He choke!"

I listened to the rest of their floating conversation and I looked up at Din with incredulity,

"You disintegrated them last time you were here?!"

"They'd stripped the Crest." Din replied, lifting a shoulder and not sounding a bit sorry.

"I can't handle all this testosterone." I grumbled, sitting in the sand and motioning for the leader of the Jawas to sit with me as I switched to their language. "Don't worry, I won't let them hurt you."

In my peripheral, I saw Din's head spin towards me at the sound of the foreign language emitting from my lips.

"You sit. I sit." The Jawa replied and plopped down in front of me, his little fingers still covering his gun.

After a few minutes, the Jawas let me take the bassinet back with the promise that I go to their harvest festival the next night. I was thankful that Din didn't understand a lot of Jawa because he would have protested mightily.

As we parted ways from the Jawas, Din caught my arm and spun me towards him, making me squeak in surprise.

"You speak Jawa?" He asked in a low voice.

"You'd be surprised how many of them got ripped off in Zepro's store back home on Tatooine." I replied, squinting to see him in the dim night.

"You'll have to teach me sometime."

"I don't know," I pretended to think about it, "I kind of liked not having you know what I say for once."

He chuckled and let me go, walking back towards Kuill's little house in the sand dune as the child yawned loudly in my ear.

"You told them you'd what?" Din couldn't believe his ears as he watched Aria wash her face in Kuiil's tiny bathroom.

"You heard me." She replied, her voice muffled as she dried her face and brushed past him.

"I did not agree to let you go tripping across the desert to party with a bunch of thieves." Din thundered, following her in the small room as Kuiil rolled his eyes by the stove.

"The Jawas' Harvest Festival is hardly dangerous." The Ugnaught cut in, "They are fond of dancing and eating roasted meat and conversing with each other while they trade."

"See?" Aria crossed her arms, "Kuiil trusts me, why don't you?"

"That's not the point." Din spoke in a tone that he knew Aria knew at this point. "You're not going."

"Come on, Mando." She said, a teasing smile on her lips as she brushed past him once again to grab something from her bag. "Live a little for once in your life."

Din was beginning to think their little relationship had changed more of their interactions than he had originally thought. Instead of giving him a wary look, Aria was hardly looking at him at all. It was almost as if she knew he wouldn't hurt her or he wouldn't do anything unless it was for her safety. Naturally, all this was true but he liked to have the appearance of being stern and taking the reins. He just wasn't used to sharing them.

"I don't like this." Aria finally went to him, making him dip his head as she stood toe to toe with him, her hands sliding to his shoulders gently.

"I know you don't. But I'm going to be ok."

He sighed but didn't fight her, and he couldn't help the twinge of tenderness rising up in him when she pulled away the fabric covering his neck to press a kiss to his skin.

He watched darkly as she slung a backpack over her shoulder, kissed the kid goodbye and waved at Kuiil before bouncing out the door. Every inch of Din's body wanted to leap after her and keep her in his line of sight, but he sat down instead, facing the door of course.

"You care for her." The Ugnaught said, purposefully sitting across from The Mandalorian and blocking his view to the door.

"Yes."

"Yet you are leaving her behind."

"It's for the best."

Kuiil stirred his bowl of stew, slurping it loudly before responding.

"Go to her then."

Din focused on his friend, his patience wearing thin with the stress of not knowing exactly where Aria was.

"What?"

"You say you care for her. You say you want to leave her here where it's safe." Kuiil waved his spoon, "Then go with her to the festival and make her happy. Make one more memory before you have to leave her."

Din contemplated this suggestion for a moment before getting up and slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

"You got the kid?" He asked and Kuiil nodded, giving him a small smile.