Hey everyone! Sorry, this got out a little later than I was planning. I literally have no excuse. I'm not entirely sure what happened. I had the chapter written and everything...Anyway! Let me know what you think! I love hearing from everyone :)

Vizsla continued to generously apply the cream until she was satisfied with its green thickness. To her it looked like she was wearing bright green slippers that had begun to melt and then resolidified and the thought had her smiling. Vizsla may have been a little overzealous.

It wasn't long until Mando returned. Along with the new boots he placed in front of her, he also carried two large sacks that appeared to be full of supplies. While Vizsla was peeling the now dry, green goop from her feet, he spoke quietly to her in her native tongue and the grandmother responded with a careless wave of consent. Mando was quick to turn and deposit his load behind Vizsla's stand. When he turned back it was to find the girl efficiently lacing her new boots onto her feet under Vizsla's watchful eye. When she was finished Mando stepped away from the two, back towards the market, with a curt, "Come with me."

The girl stared after the bounty hunter for a moment, then quickly got to her feet and hurried to catch up with him before she lost him in the gathering crowd, shooting an apologetic smile to Vizsla as she went. She caught up to him fairly quickly and stuck close as they wound their way deeper into the market. Eventually, Mando stopped in front of one of the few permanent businesses on the street. The door to the building was open and so Mando walked in with little preamble, the girl still in tow.

Inside the shop was much darker, lit only by the large forge in the center of the room. Tools, large and small, littered the floor and hung on the walls. The large space reeked of sweat, hot metal and ash; typical of a smithy.

"Wha' can I do ya for?" A deep voice grumbled from the shadows just before it's owner stepped forward and made himself known. Tall, humanoid, craggy features and ridged, bald head. A Boltrunian. Mando felt the girl huddle closer to him at the alien's appearance. With the low, flickering light throwing sharp relief on his features, Mando supposed he couldn't blame her.

"Gūrrahk." (Greetings) Mando greeted the alien in his mother tongue before continuing in Basic, "We need a collar removed."

"Hūrren Hîkunta hit gutĕn duzu?" (You speak the language of The People?) The Boltrunian grunted, seeming surprised.

"Txîkia." (A little.) Mando answered, "Can you remove it?"

"Been a long time since I heard Boltruna." The alien spoke wistfully before shaking his head and getting back to business, "Let's see it." He grunted, gesturing for the two to step closer.

Mando waited, but when the girl hesitated he took hold of her arm and gently guided her forward, ignoring the trembles he could feel raking her body at having to approach the giant, gruff alien. When she didn't remove her hood, he gave the back of it a couple tugs until the glint of silver around her neck was visible in the dim lighting.

"Slave collar, huh?" The Boltrunian grunted, "Pontū bat ezkônta, Mandalorian?" (Planning on a marriage, Mandalorian?)

"Nūngit." (No.) Mando answered curtly, refusing to elaborate.

The Boltrunian huffed out a laugh before turning his full attention on the girl and her collar. Using one thick digit, he tilted her chin up so he could get a better look at what he was working with. Mando had to admit, she had grit. Even though she was clearly scared, she didn't flinch or draw back from the contact. Instead, he saw her jaw tighten and her brows furrow as she scowled at the alien, who ignored her as he turned her head this way and that to get a better look at the collar.

"Hmph. Fancy work. Puck." He grunted at Mando who held out the small, round device for examination. The smithy released his hold on the girl but didn't take the puck, instead looking it over closely as it sat in Mando's palm.

"Can't cut it," He grumbled out after a couple minutes, gesturing to the collar, "Try ta pick it, it'll kill 'er. Seen this on'y once. Hutt work. Gorga, I'd say."

"Gorga the Hutt." Mando repeated, throwing an incredulous look at the girl.

"Yup. 'Spensive work. Can on'y be r'moved bya key word said by her key master. Or if the key master dies. Or if the slave dies."

"Key master." Mando had never heard that phrase bandied about before.

"Yup."

"Then why the puck?"

"Acts likea leash. Controls distance. Carries commands. Can't steal it neither. Shock a thief ta death if they grab the puck. Needa master programmer ta mess wit' it." The smithy grunted out.

"Who is the key master?"

The alien shrugged his thick shoulders, "Anyone. Gorga. Some-un who hired Gorga. One a Gorga's lackies."

Helpful. Mando thought sardonically.

"Fifty Trunas." The smithy suddenly grunted.

"What?" Mando growled.

"Ya wan'er off yer hands. No questions. No fuss. It's a fair offer." The Boltrunian circled around the girl, who was visibly trembling at his heightened interest in her. He ran a hand down her dark braid, which had tumbled free when the hood was pulled back, giving it a tug that elicited a sharp gasp from her before looking up at Mando.

"She's a pretty un. Healthy. I'll take 'er. Not much ta en'ertain round here, see."

"She's not for sale."

The Boltrunian raised an eyebrow ridge when Mando reached out to grab the girl's arm and haul her back to his side, then shrugged carelessly.

"Zūk egit uzu." (You do you.) He grumbled, "Zūr galět." (Your loss.) With those parting words, he slipped back into the shadows of his workshop clearly dismissing them.

The young woman was all too willing to allow her bounty hunter to lead her out into the blazing, sunlit market once more. Quickly, she tugged her hood and cowl back into place with her free hand while Mando drew to an abrupt halt, muttering a couple foreign sounding curses. She watched him as he fell into deep thought, seemingly unaware that he still had a grip on her arm. Suddenly he turned and, just as abruptly as he had stopped, took off through the market with her in tow. The crowds didn't exactly part before them and she found herself having a hard time keeping up with his fast clip, despite the iron hold he still had on her arm. She expected him to slow down, or at least ease his grip, but he seemed so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice her struggle to keep her feet under her. Eventually he pulled her free of the crowded market and into an abandoned alley that stunk of unwashed bodies and trash.

Finally he came to a halt and released her. She tried not to wince as the blood returned to her fingertips. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. Instead he turned and stared her down for a long moment. His stare made her increasingly uncomfortable. Was he mad at her? Was he reconsidering just selling her off? She subtly increased the distance between them, fidgeting as she hunched her shoulders and ducked her head until she was the picture of submissive servility. He sighed beneath the helmet and she froze. Had she made a mistake?

"I need your trust." He finally stated firmly. She didn't move. Couldn't move. Her trust? What did that have to do with anything? She was his slave. If he ordered her to do something, she would do it. No questions asked. No hesitation. Even if she knew it was a suicidal task. Honestly, she had survived worse.

Gloved fingers slipped under her chin and her hood was tugged back until they were looking eye to eye. Well, eye to T-visor.

"Did you hear me?" Mando asked lowly. The girl nodded slowly but he could see the obvious confusion in her violet eyes. Yes, she had heard him but it was clear she hadn't understood what he meant by what he said. Time to explain himself, something he had little patience for but had a feeling he would be forced to get more comfortable with by the time he was finally free of this slave.

"There's someone who might be able to help. They're part of my Coven. However, it's essential you remain unaware of its specific location. " So saying, he plucked the hood completely off her head, ignoring her bemused expression, and folded the soft fabric into a long strip about three inches wide. Holding it up to her, he waited until understanding crossed her face.

A blindfold. He wanted to blindfold her so that she would remain oblivious to the location of this 'Coven' of his. More importantly, he was asking for permission. She was fairly certain she had never been asked for permission for anything in her entire life. That, more than anything else, was what had her nodding to his request.

She held still as he circled around her and gently looped the fabric over her eyes and around her head. After ensuring the blindfold completely covered her eyes, he secured it with a deft knot.

"I'm going to lift you now." He stated in a tone that left no room for argument before bending and scooping her into his arms. She gasped and flailed a bit at the sudden motion before managing to throw her arms around his neck and secure herself to him. His abruptness earned him a scowl from her which had him grinning slightly behind his helmet. He was fairly certain she never would have scowled at any of her former masters, which meant she was making progress on ridding herself of her slave mentality.

Without saying anything about it, he began to walk deeper into the labyrinth of alleyways that ran between the town center and the wall of the canyon in which it rested. After a series of random turns and a couple switchbacks, Mando felt confident that his passenger would be completely turned around at this point so he turned down one last alley, ducked through the back entrance of a nearly abandoned pub and gave a nod to the supposedly drunk chef lounging back on a low stool.

The obese man raised an eyebrow at Mando's baggage but didn't say a word as he staggered to his feet. Stepping to the side he gave the large grill set in the wall behind him a decisive tug and revealed the steep, stone stairs spiraling straight down. Flipping the man a tip, Mando adjusted his grip on the young woman in his arms and began the descent.

Unbeknownst to him, the compliant girl with her arms wrapped trustingly around his neck had an excellent memory and had bent her mind to memorizing how many steps he took and every turn he made. She knew they had stepped into a building due to the change in smells and temperature. Now she was fairly certain they were headed underground as the air steadily grew cooler. However, being unable to see, coupled with the tightly spiraled stairway, was making her feel dizzy and ill. Concentrating on trying to settle her stomach, she buried her face into the cloth between her bounty hunter's shoulder armor and neck and focused on counting his steady, firm steps.

Mando immediately stiffened at the feeling of her burrowing closer to him. Her arms had tightened around his neck and, while before it had been clear that he had been carrying her, it now felt more like she was clinging to him. He could feel her warm breath through the fabric of his tunic and suppressed a shiver at the sensation. He hadn't been this close to someone who wasn't trying to kill him in a long time and he found it was a feeling he could definitely get used to. The feeling of trusting arms. Warmth. Safety. Protectiveness. The last time he had experienced something similar was…

Shaking his head and stiffening his spine, he purposely wiped those thoughts out of his mind as he rounded the last curve in the stairway. Stretched out before him was his Coven.

The stone tunnel in which they resided was long and wide enough to accommodate four men walking abreast. Small residences branched off of it, along with other tunnels that wound further underground. Within this underground labyrinth dwelt the people of the Mandalore, his adopted people. Warriors in their armor stood or lounged around the edge of the tunnel. Their few children scampered up and down the length of the tunnel, the dim overhead lighting glinting off their small helmets. The low chatter of their voices had filled the tunnels with a faint echo, until they became aware of Mando and his guest. Silence suddenly reigned as all eyes turned on them. Mando stiffened his spine and made his way down the tunnel at a purposely casual pace. Ignoring the warriors who had decided to follow him at an equally casual pace, he turned left and stepped underneath the likeness of a great Mandalore head into the heart of their Coven. The Forge.

Upon entering the room, he gently shifted his passenger until her feet were solidly on the ground. Only then did he release his hold on her waist. Keeping a hand on her shoulder he guided her forward a few steps.

"Kneel." He murmured. Instantly she did as he asked with no questions, as if it were an order she was all too familiar with. What he could see of her face remained serene but he could feel her sudden tenseness under his hand. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring pat before releasing her.

"Wait here."

There was no reason to leave her standing uncomfortably while he spoke with the Armorer.