Spoils of War
Episode XI: The Arrangement
The Next Day
She could feel every ragged breath Din took and every small movement he made, that's how close they were with her back melted to his strong chest. "Someone will hear us," she breathed anxiously despite rapturing in his close embrace.
"No they won't," he murmured back, voice right in her ear as he grasped her jaw to turn her head toward his. "Shh," he insisted, his other hand traveling low and making her gasp through a euphoric, close-eyed smile…
And then: Boom, boom, boom! It all evaporated. Breathless, Tala's bewildered eyes snapped open to see the familiar ceiling of her apartment overhead. Huh? Her face scrunched into a deep frown as her mind caught up and realized she'd been dreaming—and the dream had left her painfully aroused.
The knocking she'd briefly forgotten sounded again, startling her with the three quick raps. "You in there? It's me." The predicament instantly became worse, because that voice belonged to none other than the man she'd just been having sex dreams about.
Kriff! With eyes bulging wide, Tala sat straight up and her head rammed into the ceiling above her lofted cot so hard that a couple of things on the nearby shelves fell. A perturbed hand slapped to the point of impact on her scalp. "… Ouch!" she muttered hard.
"Everything okay in there?"
Kriffing hell. "Yes! Um! Hold on!" She scrambled out of bed and swung down to ground level shakily, glancing into the little mirror hanging by her small sink. There, a groggy disaster person whose horniness was now a distant memory stared back. Tala hastily smoothed her frizzy bedhead hair to no real effect then opened the door, squinting in the brightness of late morning at her caller.
Din moved back ever so slightly, which gave away his surprise to see her like that. "You… don't look ready to go."
That's when Tala remembered what she was wearing: a skintight, thin gray jumpsuit meant for layering underneath other items. It left little to the imagination. She fought the impulse to wither. "My alarm didn't go off," she said in a croaking voice, cringing at the light beaming off his shining helmet. The same helmet she'd just been dreaming of rubbing herself all over. Oh for kark's sake. She prepared to shut the door again so that she could be alone with her mortification. "Gimme ten minutes."
"I'll throw in a few more for all that hair."
The unexpected wisecrack stopped her in her tracks. Torn between being indignant and a little amused, Tala gave him a sullen glare that was half of each before she told him, "I'm gonna need some caf before you start with the jokes." He laughed, a short and soft huff which only further galled her—because the sound was infuriatingly charming. She primly shut the door and exhaled hard, cursing herself on multiple levels as she began to throw an outfit together.
What the hell is wrong with me! Din kills my father and my first response is to start having intense fantasies about him? She still hadn't landed on a final emotion about Leon, but there was one vying for first place: relief. Closely after that came guilt for being relieved—which didn't even make sense. Forcefully, Tala put thoughts of her father out of her mind, determined not to let that man keep his power over her even after death.
With a distracted sigh, on went pants, a top, a jacket, and her holster. Tala kept shaking her head grimly as she shoved her feet into boots then tamed her hair with some water, a thorough combing, and a couple of braids for good measure. Her mind was now on the man waiting for her outside. It was very much absurd to feel attracted to someone whose face you'd never seen, but here she was. The very vivid dreams last night, the first of their kind, meant it was probably time to admit it to herself: she had developed a serious crush. And it was only getting worse.
Maybe it was a foregone conclusion that someone in her position would get confused and grow feelings for someone who'd intervened in life as Din Djarin had. Whatever the reason was, she'd been noticing things about her rescuer for a while. Things that made her look twice and linger. The mellifluous husk of that soft bass voice. The confident, slow, stride. The terrible and dry sense of humor. His height. His strong, solid build. His command and confidence—his restraint and humility. The gentleness she saw in him. The fierceness. The little things he said that made her wonder. The attention he paid. The devotion. The kind of protection she didn't know how to accept as real.
Tala paused her work, eyes gone to softly study the wall separating them from each other. She wanted in a way she never had before—a way that encompassed every sense she had. She caught herself and jolted.
No no. This is not good.
Tala slammed the ever-increasing catalog of things she liked about Din away with effort. She needed to clear her mind. Focus on reality, not your ridiculous delusions. The mysterious visit with the Armorer awaited. And falling in love with the man who had liberated her was just not a good idea.
…Right?
When Tala re-emerged into daylight ten minutes later looking much more put together but still feeling quite off balance, Din waited casually with crossed arms in an irreverent seat on the stone wall bordering the rooftop—beside him, there were two cups. One had steam coming off it. The other had been drained. Tala halted questioningly.
"I decided caf sounded like a good idea," he explained, handing her the steaming one. Tala recognized the cup design from a vendor who sold drinks down the street.
She took it slowly, feeling sheepish around him for a few reasons. "… Thanks." She blew on the caf briefly, eyed him with a hooded gaze, then suppressed a sputter when he innocently asked:
"How are you sleeping lately?"
…Could he somehow sense the clandestine things her mind had conjured about him? Or was he just being polite? She gave a testy reply to dodge the question. "With my eyes closed." She sampled the caf to determine temperature and it was very warm, but not too hot—so she gulped it down quickly then jerked her head at the street, indicating they go. She was already heading out, leaving him to catch up.
The two made their silent way through Nevarro past the tangle of vendors and visitors, careful of being followed or watched. As they went, foreboding built and Tala became worried. She had started a fight in a public club and Paz plus Din had gotten involved—was she going to be reprimanded? Punished? She couldn't imagine a reason for this visit except for a negative one. They finally slipped into that hard-to-find back alley. That's where Tala's steps slowed then stopped as Din pulled the fabric aside from the sewer entrance then paused to look back at her expectantly.
She hesitated in place. "And you're sure I'm not in trouble or something."
"You're not in trouble."
Tala was unconvinced. Din sighed softly and dropped the fabric to face her and come a bit closer. "I'm not supposed to tell you specifics." Well, that only made her feel more worried. "It's nothing bad," he offered after a short pause, his voice carrying a little more compassion. "I'll be with you the entire time. Come on." He reached his hand out, immediately stumping her. After a confused beat of silence, she hesitantly put her hand into his while second-guessing herself. But she hadn't had it wrong. His hand gently closed around hers and he led her to the sewer entrance then down into the darkness. He let go at the bottom of the stairs, leaving her pining for more and wondering if he'd done that to kindly give her a feeling of being supported… or simply to get her to come along more quickly.
When the bounty hunter and his companion made it to the common area of the covert, the waiting younglings flocked to Tala the way she'd seen them flock to Din—which briefly expunged all bad things in favor of leaving her feeling very moved. She apologized profusely for leaving without saying goodbye and received forgiveness before Din gently steered Tala to where they were awaited.
The Forge
The Armorer occupied her workspace, but the forge was not on. Instead, one of her worktables had been cleared off and pulled out from the wall. At it, four chairs waited. One each for the Armorer, Tala, Din, and Jal Yen, who nodded a silent, crisp hello. Tala tried not to gawk—why was she here?
"Welcome, Tala Stryker." The Armorer came forward as the couple entered. "You left without any farewells! Did you find your time with us displeasing?"
Chastened, Tala tried to be respectful and own her mistake. Just like Esha taught. "No, not at all," she answered truthfully, eyes flickering up and down apologetically. She was thoroughly embarrassed. If she hadn't regretted fleeing in the night before, she surely did now. "I'm sorry. I left without thinking, which was very rude thanks for everything you've done. Please forgive me."
The Armorer nodded, indicating she had no resentments. "Of course! Din Djarin did explain the general circumstances and your emotional distress. You have my sympathies for the difficult time which you face." She stepped aside and indicated the table. "Onto the matter at hand. Please, sit." With uncertainty she tried to conceal, Tala took her seat. Din settled beside her, and across from them Jal and the Armorer sat too. The Armorer began. "We have asked you here to consider an arrangement after lengthy deliberation among our members. Paz Visla has found himself in troubled waters and is in need of reprieve from his tasks. That, and I fear for our safety more than ever concerning what Din Djarin tells us of the Empire's footsteps in the galaxy. Our secrecy is even more important than ever." She paused significantly. "This is where you come in."
Tala listened with a growing sense of incredulity. She had to be wrong, but she swore she saw where this was going. And she blurted it out in the moment of quiet: "… You want me to take over Paz's job?" No way she had that right.
But the Armorer sounded pleased. "Correct."
Tala looked around the table at each silent helmet with drawn brows and disbelief. "Me?"
"Well, mostly," Jal clarified in her strong, steady voice. "I'll keep the books and give you the credits necessary for each delivery, then you'll pay the deliverers and transport deliveries via the lava tunnel to us."
"You'd be looking at a day per month, typically," Din added beside Tala from a slumped-back lean with folded arms. "Sometimes less. Sometimes more."
Tala gaped around in disbelief. Were they serious? They seemed serious. The Armorer continued onward:
"Appropriate compensation for your time will of course be given, and we would welcome visits from you, provided discretion is taken. The children especially are taken with their beroya's riduur." Words that made Tala feel an abrupt pull of sweetness in her chest. The Armorer raised her chin thoughtfully. "And I think there is still much learning and exploration to take place between us. This provides a way."
Silence rang, and Tala was sure she looked every bit as shell-shocked as she felt. This wasn't some small favor or little job. This was something very serious, long-lasting, and important. Sacred, in a way. "You'd trust me with this? All of you?" she asked, stirred and intimidated and unconvinced all at once.
A short silence commenced, in which the Mandalorians exchanged uneasy glances—she could tell by the faint turns of the helmet. The Armorer tactfully put her gloved hands on the table with fingers interlaced, giving the impression of thoughtfulness and candor. "I shall be honest. Not everyone is sure about this. Yet everyone agrees Paz Visla's conduct is unacceptable, and that sending another Mandalorian in armor above world is not preferable. Thus how favorable it is that Din Djarin has recently found himself with a riduur who can blend in seamlessly with the outside world!" The Armorer sat back, straight and tall, her gloves gliding off the table to disappear beneath. "Everyone is willing to see what comes of the arrangement—that is, if you will even agree to it. What do you think of our proposition? What questions have you?"
Everyone looked at her, waiting. Speechless, Tala didn't have immediate questions. This felt like a defining life moment, and it was surreal to be inside of. She was underground with a secret, surviving people who the galaxy thought had been exterminated. She was being asked to help these people—people who had sheltered her and made exceptions for her she still didn't understand. People she found herself liking. The words Romy had made Tala put vow to came back abruptly: "Someday, you'll see someone who needs help like you did. You'll give it, without ever needing anything back."
Her perspective began to shift, and readiness gathered. From the moment Din had changed his mind about collecting bounty on her, Tala had been searching vainly for a way to balance the scales. Up until today, the debt owed had only ever increased, impossible to repay even a little bit. This could change things. It would. Tala sat straighter, intensely serious as she thought about how meaningful this was, and how it provided her an opportunity to contribute to something beyond herself. This made sense. This felt right. And as such, the answer was easy. "I don't want any money," she clarified firmly and emphatically. "What you've all done for me, I'll do for you." She raised her chin a bit, meaning every word so deeply that she had to be careful not to become emotional. "Gladly." Beside her, Din was quiet and touched, but of course she couldn't see that. "When do I start?"
The Armorer nodded neatly, her voice ringing with approval at Tala's agreement. "This is the Way."
"This is the Way," Jal and Din echoed in tandem. Tala's eyes found Din and she took in a deep breath, convinced her eyes were beaming out the light and relief she felt inside. This was what it felt like to be valued, maybe. To be respected and considered an equal. She would do this to the best of her ability, for as long as they would let her.
The discussion began of the details. Tala floated the entire time.
After breaking down the logistics and expectations and then planning for the first delivery the group parted ways, leaving Din and Tala to make their way back to the surface. As they did so, Tala's head spun with all the information she'd taken in. When the light of the staircase could be seen ahead, Din finally broke the silence.
"Well, was it as bad as you thought?"
Tala had to laugh her lingering disbelief out. It hadn't quite set in. "I can't believe you're all okay with letting me do this. It's a huge job."
Din stopped at the foot of the stairs. "If you've changed your mind—"
Already on the first step, Tala paused and turned back. "No. I'm sure. Just—" She had no idea how to say it and threw her hands in the air with a shrug before turning and climbing the spiral-cut stone stairs. "Wow, you know? Wow." She checked that the alley was clear before exiting from behind the curtain over the door. Din followed just after and Tala turned, crossing her arms curiously. When they'd said their goodbyes, she'd heard him mention to the Armorer that he'd be gone a couple of weeks. "Where you off to next, anyway?"
He jerked his head in the direction of the town exit. "Gonna nab a couple of bail jumpers. Shouldn't take too long—I'll be back in time to accompany you to your first delivery."
Which was three weeks away. Tala nodded, drawing in a deep breath to calm the uptick in her nerves. The responsibility being placed on her was vast, and she took it very seriously. "I'll walk with you," she suggested, and he agreed with an incline of his helm.
They headed out, retracing their earlier steps. Smoke from the vendors grilling meats wafted thickly in the city at the lunch hour. Children played bazbatchi with chalk, hopping across the symbols they drew. Citizens of all sorts lounged outside Junna's Café, some already drunk at midday. Central to the cantina, the usual assortment of formidable bounty hunters came and went.
As they neared the city exit, Tala had an unfortunate thought occur. "Paz is probably upset, isn't he?"
At her side, Din sounded unbothered. "Yes and no. He's known for some time that he needed a reset, I think." He gestured faintly at what was happening around them, speaking low so only she could hear. "It's a lot to come to terms with. Life trapped underground, while the galaxy just… goes on like usual above your head. He's always had a hard time with it. He's so…" He exhaled hard. "Well, you know."
That was for damn sure. A soft chuckle escaped. "Yeah." Paz was something else. He reminded her of a wild animal who just wanted to do whatever he wanted but often found himself forcefully tamed or put into a cage. She wondered how life underground without any trips upward again would affect him, and then she wondered if Din ever felt guilty for being one of the only ones allowed above surface. Well. The only one, now. Except her, she guessed. Her peculiar, ill-defined place in the Tribe felt like something they'd someday decide was a mistake. But maybe they wouldn't. Tala tried to identify what she wanted. She wasn't sure.
They crossed under the stone arch and into the landing field. A few steps in, that's when Din decided to let Tala in on quite the surprising fact: "He was betting on your fights, you know."
Astounded, Tala's head swiveled as she gaped. "What?! Betting on my fights?" She abruptly grinned. While it was on the farcical and unexpected side, she felt a burst of pride to know Paz had such apparent confidence in her abilities. "For how long?"
"Not sure."
"Huh." And then Tala ran into quite the question and her smile was replaced with a studious frown. "… And with what money?"
Din nodded once. "Exactly."
"Hm."
For a moment, neither said anything. Then Din gathered courage. She could hear it in how his voice went fractionally softer and more cautious. "How are you? Since everything that happened?"
Her body reacted before her mind could, growing less soft. He meant since he'd killed her father. "Good. Bad. Everything." It was an honest answer, and so was this: "I'll be okay." Someday. Healing takes time. Esha had said this. And until the healing came, she just didn't want to think about it much. Tala looked sidelong at her companion as they drew closer to the Razor Crest. She hadn't paused to wonder how he felt about what he'd done or if he felt any kind of way at all. "What about you? Are you okay?"
His helm turned toward her. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
She couldn't get a read on his tone. They came to a stop outside of the ship and Tala eyed him meticulously. "Who knows what all that armor's hiding." She'd meant it to come out as a joke, but when it was said aloud, it sounded intense. To cover it over, she turned her attention to the ship they were beside and walked up to it, patting the siding approvingly. "Well. This bucket of junk is looking better all the time, isn't it!"
Din shook his head, sounding fond and annoyed. "Watch it." Tala sent him a little smirk, enjoying it when she got reactions like that. He sauntered closer and put a hand against the Razor Crest's siding to lean with a straight arm, putting his free hand onto his hip and crossing an ankle over opposite shin, resulting in an effortlessly dashing pose that made Tala's smile fade. "When I get back, I gotta replace the fission chamber on this thing. You in?"
Tala pretended to examine the ship to avoid staring at him. "Yeah of course," she replied semi-automatically. "I'll be ready."
He nodded and took a few seconds then ceased leaning, hesitating. "Maybe then I can hear more about your time with the Tribe."
Her stomach flip flopped. Her eyes found him again, and the sight only made the strange feeling in her middle more intense. This was the thing that confused Tala the most: Din's pursuit of her. It wasn't a clamoring chase. It was a slow, steady thing. It confused her. It thrilled her. It scared her. Him, wanting to spend time with. Stop romanticizing this, you HoloDrama watching sap. "Yeah," she agreed, putting on a nonchalant attitude to cover her more vexing thoughts. "Okay." Then silence began between them and to Tala, it felt like they both wanted to say more but couldn't find words.
"Well. All right," Din finally said, then let a couple of awkward seconds pass before he began his departure, walking halfway down the length of the ramp before vaulting up gracefully.
"Be safe out there." Tala backed up by a few steps to see him better as he ascended the ramp into the belly of the Crest. That's when she realized she did have one more thing to say based on the couple of times recently she'd seen him touching down: "And stop riding your ion stabilizers so hard during landings, you're burning out the central core at three times the speed you should!"
He hit the close-ramp function and it began to slink in and up. "Just keeping you in business." Insufferable. He was absolutely insufferable. Yet she was suppressing a stupid smile as the doorway sealed shut. With a shake of the head, Tala headed home. Behind her, the familiar sound of those antique engines fired on and she looked back over her shoulder briefly, catching sight of him in the cockpit as the ship began to lift off. Even though he was a deadly and capable warrior, she still worried.
With eyes ahead of herself again, Tala looked around at the people going about their business with no idea of what existed practically under their feet. Pride swelled to even in a small way be someone's protector and provider. Her thoughts unexpectedly turned to her flesh and blood. No, not her father and brothers. Her sisters. The ones she wished she could have protected.
She didn't remember Lora and barely recalled Leda—the oldest two who'd left when Tala was five and then seven years old. Tera had left when Tala was nine, so she had memories of her. Tula and Ona, who'd been married off when Tala was twelve and then fifteen, she remembered best. But even then, the sisters had been kept separate much of their lives, each living a strange and lonely existence with mostly their chaperone. A powerful tactic of division Tala still hurt over. How could these men do this to us? How could any of the grown women allow it? She thought of her mother, who had killed herself to escape. Or so she assumed. She really didn't know. And probably never would.
When Tala got to her apartment, she spent a couple hours tidying and thinking about the envelope she still hadn't opened. Given a burst of purpose by what had transpired with the Tribe she finally sat on the air vent outside with the envelope and worked up her courage.
She read the files on each of her sisters and was met with growing dismay and sadness with each of the brief reports. Lora, Leda, Tera, Tula, and Ona. All alive, but trapped in marriages to powerful and dangerous men—crime lords, syndicate bosses, Imperial officials. Each account Tala read sank her further and convinced her that she was too small to ever dream of helping them—let alone even establishing any kind of contact. Feeling like a deserter and a coward, Tala put the papers back into the envelope and vowed that someday she would find a way to do something—she just didn't know what. Later, she told herself. Soon. Just not yet. And those are the same things she would keep telling herself for years.
…Three Years Later
6BBY
The molten red-orange river twisted across the lava fields, eventually swallowed by a raised rocky slope where the tunnel into the sewers commenced. Beside the tunnel's entry on the flatter plain adjacent, a Skybird perched bright against the dark terrain. The bike's pilot lounged against the vehicle with folded arms and crossed ankles, her peaceful gaze traveling the now-familiar landscape of molten ribbons weaving through volcanic rock.
Nearly four years had passed since that day on Bracca when the appearance of a certain Mandalorian had changed everything. Rarely did a day pass where Tala didn't think about the life she might have had versus the one she found herself living instead: Settled and content, making suitable wages, sharpening her skills, helping others, and enjoying the simple things. She was approaching master mechanic status and had built a reputation as one of Nevarro's best hand-to-hand combat fighters. She didn't worry about assassins anymore—there'd been nothing at all since Din killed Leon. Even her visits to the Tribe (usually connected to deliveries, but not always) felt natural and easy.
By now, trust had steadily built both ways for the Tribe members and their armorless supplies transporter. There remained a couple of Mandalorians who openly disliked her, but Tala didn't focus on them. She focused on the ones she had good relationships with. Paz had recently started calling her vod—a Mando'a word reserved for siblings. Jal had given her jetpack lessons. Kal-Bruna, turning thirteen soon, taught Tala how to bake uj'alayi and cook tiingilar—and Tala taught Kal-Bruna the decorative paper folding she'd done as a child, and how to hurl staffs the Vorian way. Time was soaring by.
Not once had Tala been pressured to take the Creed, but she knew everyone still held that as their ultimate goal. While Tala had come to respect and understand the Mandalorians, there was one thing she could not find herself capable of budging on: she would never be able to live a life hidden away under a mask. If she was ever asked outright to take the Creed, she would have to say no because of that—and probably lose all this. Maybe they knew that. Maybe that's why they never asked her about it. Either way, a steady and careful balance was maintained. Hopefully, it would continue.
And then there was Din. Even the thought of his name ushered in a certain gentleness she felt only for him. Underground, they called him her riduur. Husband. At first, this habit had irked her and made her wilt. These days? That word, used to describe him, only made her feel a poignant yearning. When it was just the two of them, they called their relationship a friendship, but Tala had realized a while ago that she saw him as more. How could she not?
They still hadn't spoken at length about him killing her father, but Tala had made peace with what happened—and thanked the stars for what Din had done. All of it. Their dynamic was familiar and multi-leveled, but easygoing most of all. Usually, they enjoyed comfortable interactions peppered with joking, traded observations, and discussions on various subjects or current events. But now and then, there would be a certain sort of comment, or an unexpected touch, or a drawn-out look that made Tala pause and wonder what he was thinking. How he felt. Neither of them ever said anything about it, nor did either of them discuss their supposed marriage or how they felt about it. Or where it might go if they decided to take it seriously.
At some stage in the passage of time, Tala had taken to leaving him little things in the small metal divot they'd accidentally created by installing a sensor wrong onto the Razor Crest's lower left side. Small items could be found there whenever Din was parked in the airfield: a jar of armor polish, a yellow flower from her garden, his preferred fruit (Din 'I don't have favorites' Djarin certainly did have favorites, and Tala was always watching to learn more)—a funny figurine, a new thread-and-needle kit when he misplaced his old one, some weapon grease and new cleaning cloths after seeing how threadbare his old ones were. He left things for her too. On the vent that doubled as a bench, not on the stairway's ledge like before. Things showed up randomly of all sorts: more painted stones from the children, a flask of Alderaanian wine she'd discovered she liked, an interesting find from his journeys across the galaxy, a piece or part he knew she wanted, new boots when she complained of the soles on her old ones. He still found all kinds of reasons to need her help with the Crest, even though Tala had realized a couple of years ago that he didn't actually need help. He was just finding excuses to spend time together.
Din was another instance of careful balance she maintained. Another instance of something she had become afraid to lose. That's why she sometimes found the nebulous nature of their relationship comforting. Without labels or declarations between them, it felt safer. After all, it was only persons she'd valued who had been taken from her. She didn't want him to be taken too; the man who came to her aid without question every time and spent time with her without wanting anything except her company. He knew how to put her at ease and make her feel respected. He cared about how she was doing and she knew it. Her unwavering companion. The hero of her life. Was it any wonder she'd fallen in love with him?
Sometimes she tortured herself with the knowledge that she'd never see his face or glimpse his eyes… the idea that the only place she'd ever kiss him would be in obscure dreams where he had no face. But usually, she managed to find acceptance about their situation, and gratitude for all that did exist. Their relationship was special, and nothing could change that. The undercurrent of longing would just be there, and she would endure it. Half thoughts featuring the words 'maybe' and 'someday' always came up around this subject, and she dutifully ignored them as best she could.
Interjecting into her thoughts, the familiar whirr of the lava ferry's arrival came from the tunnel mouth and Tala looked over the short distance to see her familiar aide had arrived and was docking the transport. Her heart grew a size and she felt the familiar sensation she always did to see him: happiness. She straightened and gave him a little smile from her bike as he thrust his chin upward briefly in greeting. And then he said the funniest thing: "Howdy, stranger."
"…'Howdy'?" she repeated with high eyebrows and a tiny grin. "What kind of greeting is that?"
Din docked the ferry and hopped out, heading her way as his cape caught a gust of breeze. "Gungan, actually."
Snickering, Tala shook her head. "I should have known."
He leaned on the opposite side of the bike. It shifted under their combined weight and their backs lightly, briefly touched. "You ever met one?"
Ignoring the brief rush of feelings at his simple touch, Tala twisted to eye the side of his helmet skeptically. "Yeah, that challenger last year who was all tongue and ears." Din had been at that fight, Tala specifically remembered that. She scrunched her face in thought, trying to recall the name of her opponent, then snapped her fingers. "Nar-Blat Kongatins! How do you not remember him?"
Din chuckled teasingly. "Ah. Now I remember why I forgot. It wasn't your best work."
Tala gave him a deadpan look. "Well, now I have to toss you into that lava."
He leaned out to twist and look right back at her with crossed arms and an audible smirk. "I'd like to see you try."
Tala couldn't manage to sound threatening. "Oh I'll do it. I'll throw your shiny ass right in there." Instead, she just sounded affectionate.
He chuckled, then scanned the sky briefly for a moment. "Well I'm on time, where are they?"
Tala shook her head and shrugged, then got off the bike and went to the back where she unstrapped a small container while eyeing the sky briefly. The deliveries weren't always precisely on time, but Din always was. Whenever he was on planet, he always showed up to help. Every single time. Tala plucked two meiloorun melons from her packed lunch then settled nearby on a large rock opposite Din. She couldn't say she minded some time to catch up a bit. "How's work lately? It's been a while since I've seen you." She offered him a melon silently and he nodded and put his hand up to catch it. She tossed it over.
"Same old same old," he commented offhandedly as he continued to lounge on her bike and briefly examine the melon he'd just caught. "Nearly lost an arm in a sarlacc nest but who hasn't."
Tala eyed him over the fruit she'd just bitten into. Chewing thoughtfully and shaking her head ruefully, she had to push the worry for his life aside, as usual. "Right."
Din pocketed his melon for later. "What about you? Anything new since last time?"
Thinking about the month since she'd seen him last, Tala left out the part where she'd missed him more than usual. "Well, I explored all the way to Tapir's Point last week. Did you know there's canyons down there? Black as soot, and shiny. Beautiful in their own way."
Din made a thoughtful, acknowledging sound. "Someday we'll get you offworld for better sightseeing."
He always said that. "I named it Din's Canyon in your honor," Tala continued with a playful grin. "I'll show you sometime, if you want." For cover purposes and to explain away how often she biked off into the uninhabited parts of the planet, she'd taken to exploring a lot.
"Yeah? How's it compare to Tala's Rock?" That was the formation she'd found last year in the rocky northern region. It looked like a giant letter T. She made a so-so motion with her hand and he chuckled lowly. The faint sound of engines pulled both of their gazes to the sky. A familiar ship was making approach. "There they are."
Both stood, attention turning to getting another batch of supplies safely inside. The shipments came via starbarge on oversized pallets crowded with large, unlabeled containers. These pallets were secured via forcefields that held goods tight to the barge's underbelly. The barge would land goods first, the shipper would come out to collect payment and then return inside, releasing the delivery from the ship before taking off. Inside the containers was everything the Tribe needed: food items, dry goods, textiles, hygiene items, parts and tools, and whatever else they might require. About thirty containers came each time and they had to go on the ferry two at a time, which was tedious.
Step one was unstrapping everything from the pallets. Drawing out the blade she'd taken to carrying in a boot, Tala began cutting on one side as Din took the other. Over the huge containers, she eyed him hopefully. "You should come to the fights tonight if you can," she ventured after she'd hit a steady rhythm of sawing ropes. "I'm facing off against Xansor Seepa—should be interesting."
Din kept his head down, working diligently, but a glance came her way, indicated by a brief lift of the helmet. "I'll be there." Tala hid a pleased smile and glanced at him a few times like she always did. There was never anything new to see—same old armor and helmet that really didn't change much except for becoming dull if he didn't polish the pieces often enough. But she always found herself stealing glances at him. If only she knew he did the same thing behind the anonymity of that helmet.
Two Months Later
Hapa's
Victory was the high point Tala was addicted to: the moment when she got to raise her gloved hands high and scream her primal power at the wild, cheering crowd. It was a rush. It was a high. It was everything.
Hopping out of the ring after having just accomplished another win, Tala relished the regulars clapping her on the shoulders as she made a beeline for the small bar in Hapa's where water awaited and she could catch her breath.
As she leaned elbows onto the bar, another fight began behind her and she glanced at it briefly, pulling her gloves off and smacking them down before gulping her water. That's when a stranger sidled up and smiled at her. He was a white, stockily built man just a bit taller than Tala. He had frizzy salt-and-pepper hair that cascaded in wild curls across his shoulders and led into a very long, wiry beard. "Great fight," he said with a swagger she immediately found off-putting. He stuck his hand out for a shake. "Name's Ranzar Malk."
Tala looked at his hand and did not reach out. Her eyes lifted to stare into his brazenly. "And what does Ranzar Malk want?"
"Straight to business. I can respect that." He accepted her rebuff with grace, retracting his hand. "Call me Ran," he said conversationally. "I got a mercenary job I think you'd be perfect for."
Immediately thrown, Tala thought he must have the wrong person. And then a third person suddenly stood closely behind and just to the side of her. "I'm the mercenary here, not her."
Ran didn't look surprised at Din's appearance. Instead, he looked happy. "Mando! Good to see ya, buddy!" He slid sly, subtle eyes from the bounty hunter to Tala then back again. "You two know each other?" He sounded darkly playful, and it immediately made Tala think these two knew each other.
Din was terse. "None of your business."
Ran chuckled leisurely, his eyes twinkling. "See, it is though. It might miss the mainstream news, but the grapevine? Especially the bounty hunter grapevine? We hear about everything. So when I heard a few years ago about a Mandalorian stealing Leon Stryker's daughter away I said to myself, huh. I know exactly who that Mandalorian is, since there's only the one. And when my associate Qin told me about a lady named Tala he saw fighting here on Nevarro at Hapa's a couple weeks ago, well. Doesn't take a genius to do the math, now does it?"
Tala did not like the way this man was coming at them. She could tell from Din's body language that he didn't like it either. "Get to the point, will you?" she said, expecting a threat or an attempt to blackmail. In which case she now knew many more places to get rid of a body on Nevarro besides the lava river…
He smiled at her in a way that felt provoking. "I'm here because Lark Bevran."
Absolute shock made her face drop. Everything changed instantly. Tala's eyes drilled into this Ranzar Malk guy then glanced at Din before she whirled. "Locker room. Now."
Dim and grungy like the rest of Hapa's, the ramshackle locker room was thankfully empty. Tala shut and locked the door behind herself and the two men. Beside her, Din leaned in closely. "Who's Lark Bevran?"
Tala looked at him with rigid features. Her heart was beating faster, and her hands were shaky. "One of my father's right-hand men."
Ran stood off a bit watching the bounty hunter and young woman with interest. He cracked a smile. "That's the one," he confirmed, "The Stryker higher up who mysteriously disappeared after Leon was mysteriously assassinated. Stole a bunch of Stryker property, too." He eyed Din and Tala perceptively. "Bevran's scrubbed his ID from the entirety of the HoloNet. No idea how he did it, but we need someone who can recognize him. Someone who can draw him out. That's you, young lady. An informant got word to us that he's on Canto Bight—you know, that dumb old casino planet where all the deep pockets hang out."
Tala squinted suspiciously. "Well then why don't you hire that same informant to spot Lark for you?"
"My first thought too," Ran replied, seeming privately amused. "That's the thing. They're… kinda dead now." He shrugged widely, dismissing it without more thought. "It's an easy job. You'd lure him out where we can jump him without taking heat or causing a ruckus, then we'd have him take us back to wherever he's stashed the stuff he stole. Then we kill him, return the goods, and get the reward. It's a four-person job, so you'd get a fourth of the two-hundred-thousand cut."
Tala's eyes were narrow on him. "Who hired you?"
Another of those smiles she really didn't like came. "I'm not at liberty to say."
Tala would bet every single credit she possessed that it was her brothers, which made her feel a very negative, spiteful way. She looked at the two bounty hunters in turn. "And you two have worked together before?" Why the strange tension, then?
"Used to all the time," Ran confirmed, and Tala wondered if she was detecting just the slightest bit of resentment. "Not as much lately since he's become a Guild golden boy."
"We all do what we have to do to get by," Din replied curtly.
Ran chuckled. "Right you are, Mando."
Tala crossed her arms, tensely debating. "When would we leave for this?"
Din turned his head in surprise. "… You're actually thinking about this?"
"Tonight," Ran said, ignoring the interjection. "Now. I got the crew waiting on board my ship out in the field."
What Din didn't know, since Tala avoided talking about her family much, was that she'd kept close tabs on her brothers over the years—and never stopped thinking about her sisters, either. The constant guilt and frustration of not being able to affect any change or revenge bothered her more than anyone knew and made her thirsty for an opportunity to do something meaningful. Like this. "I'll do it," she said, not thinking it through past that.
Din was taken back. "Tala, wait."
Somewhat impatient and stiff, Tala shrugged at him. "You're always saying how I need to go offworld. Well. Here I go."
"Think about this, you'd be bait. That's not safe."
How could she make him understand? She took a minute to find the words. "Do you know how often I dream of doing something to cut these people down to size?" Genuinely vulnerable things were audible in the softness of her voice. Things she didn't talk about.
Din was silent for so long that she thought he was just going to endlessly stare at her all night. Then his helmet turned to Ran. "I go with her." Tala's heart squeezed and her emotions rose.
"Now, I dunno if we have extra room for the boyfriend…" Ran objected slowly.
Given a lot more confidence, Tala stood taller. "He comes with me."
Considering the silent Mandalorian and his resolute companion, Ran sighed. "All right sure, guess we can swing that. As long as you two agree to divide a cut. I ain't doing a five-way split."
"Done," Tala said. It wasn't really about the money, although fifty thousand would be very useful for the Tribe.
Din didn't sound like he cared. "Fine with me."
Ran eyed him with that same unpleasant smile. "We got a deal, then. Heh-heh, Mando did always like his target practice, didn't he?"
Tala's Apartment
She hurriedly shoved things into a travel sack she happened to own as Din leaned in her doorway, surveying the city. Ran waited in the street below. Tala glanced Din's way, wondering about the tension she could sense. "Do you not trust this guy or what?"
His reply took a few beats of silence to come. "I don't trust anyone." Tala pondered him briefly, assuming he was excluding the Tribe from that statement. And hopefully her, at least a little bit. His helmet turned her way. "I just don't like anything to do with your old family. Are you sure about this?"
Old family. Implying the Tribe was her new family, she thought. Maybe. "Well, I feel better with you coming along," she admitted, recognizing that she was rushing headlong into this.
"That makes two of us."
Tala focused on what she knew and the reason why she felt strongly about this: "Lark Bevran is a very bad man. So if I can do something to take him out, maybe I can feel like I did something worthwhile with my freedom."
There was a thick pause. "You've already done that." Tala's eyes flickered to him repentantly. She didn't mean to dismiss what she did for the Tribe. Din looked back off to the city again. "I'm with you, though."
It was moments like these when she wanted to say something. Like how good he was to her, and how much it meant. How deeply she'd come to love him not only for everything he did for her, but for who he was as a person. Instead, she yanked her bag up and shoved that thought far away. "All right, I'm ready."
Din motioned for her to go ahead, and they made their way down the steps to where Ran waited.
Ran led them aboard a G9 Rigger, a Corellian freighter double the size of the Crest. In the dark hold, two purple-skinned Twi'leks waited—one a large male with lumpy nodules protruding from a massive forehead, the other a twitchy female with rascally darting eyes and hands full of gleaming knives. They sat on the far side of the hold near to each other, appearing listless until the newcomers appeared.
"Ha!" the female commented in delighted surprise when Din entered after Tala. "No one said he was coming along! Ooh, what fun!"
Ran swept out a hand in a brief introduction. "Qin, Xi'an, this here's Tala. You already know the tin can." He jerked a thumb toward the cockpit, which was just off the hold. "Let's get this show on the road, huh?" He headed there then threw himself into the seat and began initiating takeoff.
Din watched Tala take a seat assertively on the bench across from Qin and Xi'an, showing no intimidation whatsoever on her face even though Qin and Xi'an were both a bit intimidating, especially when you first met them—the latter of which he was trying very hard not to acknowledge. The wily Twi'lek's wicked grin and stare seemed to penetrate his helmet from across the hold. And sure enough, she began to poke at him, which of course he'd predicted. "Why so quiet, Mando?" Xi'an asked, then whispered dramatically: "Not even going to say hello to your old friend?" She chuckled low and suggestively.
The ship began to ascend as Tala looked questioningly at Din, who took a seat beside her.
"Yes, sweetie, we know each other," Xi'an simpered theatrically, "Very intimately." At the ripple of confusion on Tala's face, glee burgeoned on Xi'an's face and she grinned, showing yellowish, fanged teeth. "Ohh, I think she's jealous!"
"Of?" Din had never done this before, but he really wanted to knock Xi'an down a peg or ten, and three thoughtless, impulsive words did it easily: "That's my wife."
He got exactly what he wanted: Xi'an's eyes bulged. "What?! Wife?! Since when?!" Beside Din Tala's eyes had bulged too—but only for the briefest second before she hid behind a neutral face.
Din shrugged as if bored while he wondered why the kriff he had just said that. "Life happens fast."
Qin laughed openly at his sister's scowl as Ran looked back from the cockpit like he was waiting for the punchline. When it didn't come, he guffawed. "Well musta been true love to make a guy like Mando settle down!"
Again, Tala's eyes said what she didn't: they cut sidelong toward Ran, then at Din, silently speculating on what the hell was happening. Xi'an toyed with one of her knives sullenly, sending death stares at Din and a disgusted sneer Tala's way. "Couldn't you have picked someone pretty, at least?"
"Now who's jealous?" Din prompted. She hissed at him, which inspired a dark chuckle. He turned his helmet toward Tala. "Kaysh mirsh solus." Meaning, her single brain cell must be lonely.
Tala was familiar with the insult because Din said it about Paz so often. "Bal'ban," she replied, which meant indeed—her tone was strange though. Uncomfortably wondering what she thought about what he'd blurted out, Din guessed he'd have to wait to find out.
"Speak Basic or shut up!" Xi'an insisted, then went on a colorful, muttering rant in her native tongue, Ryl. Qin put a hand on his face like he had a headache before he barked something back at her.
The ship punched into hyperspace. "Everyone get comfy!" Ran called back. "We got ten hours between here and there."
Xi'an continued to mutter, then stalked off to the lower cargo hold to be alone. Qin rolled his eyes, hunkered down with crossed arms, and shut his eyes to sleep.
After a moment, Din leaned Tala's way, speaking low so that only she could hear him. "I just wanted to see the look on her face," he said, hoping he hadn't pissed her off with the wife comment. He was kicking himself, realizing that with Xi'an's inclination to blabbing… he might have just shot himself in the foot.
Tala looked at him sidelong, and she didn't even remark on the wife comment. "You and her?" she asked doubtfully, causing Din to flush over with genuine mortification. "Really?"
Worried she was judging him—and losing respect—Din was honest. "Absolute mistake," he muttered, lamenting his first couple years of above-world conduct and the very bizarre choices he'd sometimes made… like the Twi'lek who no doubt was currently imagining turning him into a pin cushion with all her stupid knives.
"Hm," Tala commented softly, and left it at that, falling quiet.
Din sank into unpleasant contemplations. The few encounters with the hot-headed Twi'lek hadn't meant anything, nor were they anything even pleasant to recall. Quick, hard, rushed, unplanned, semi-violent. Alcohol or desperation had usually been involved. Anyway. Regrets aside, Xi'an was wrong. Tala was pretty. More than pretty. She was the most beautiful woman Din had ever seen. At some point he didn't recall, she'd become the standard Din compared all other women against. None of them came close. Especially not Xi'an.
After a long stretch of painful silence, Tala eventually nodded off sitting up with folded arms and ultimately sagged onto Din's shoulder pauldron, which couldn't be comfortable he didn't think. After weighing his options, he carefully managed to shift most of his cape over to wedge it between Tala's cheek and his cold armor. "Mmph," she muttered when he did it, a sound that made him feel soft inside and yearn for... well, he wasn't entirely sure what.
Xi'an returned after a while and eyed the sight with disdain. Din did his best to ignore her, but her energy was very hard to overlook. He focused on the soft inhale-exhale pattern happening beside him and allowed himself a brief moment of savoring before he chided himself and tried to stop. In times like these, he couldn't help but think about his most closely guarded secret: At some point that felt very long ago now, he'd started very much liking the idea of a wife. Well, not any wife. Specifically, her. The one he'd found himself with. The one who didn't see herself as such. The one he had fallen in love with what felt like a very long time ago now.
Maybe that was why it had just slipped out so easily today. He cursed himself in all the languages he knew, then suppressed a troubled sigh. As he so often did, he felt overwhelmed at all the implications and complications. He fought himself as he always did, holding himself to what he'd decided: Tala had to be the one to make the first move—because she was skittish and wounded, and it had taken time to earn her trust. Their relationship as it stood was special to him, and he feared messing it up. That, and even if she ever did someday express interest in him that way, he wasn't sure if he deemed himself worthy. She was the most special person he'd ever met.
He wondered about their future. He worried about this job on Canto Bight. Across from him, Xi'an's eyes were sharp and sinister. Din decided he needed to keep an extra eye on the scheming, jealous Twi'lek. Beside him, Tala slept peacefully and Din grappled with the fact that everyone on board now knew, in part, how important she was to him. Uneasy, he resolved to be more careful moving forward.
Author's Notes: helloooo dear reader, omg. This chapter made me squee several times over, how about you?! It's really interesting to me how the way I first envision a pairing compares to the secondary reality of actually writing them. Mandala was seriously cute and soulful in my mind upon concept and running through plot possibilities etc, but actually writing this relationship!? Omg, it's just been delightful to witness them come to life and start falling in love. My lil shipper heart is bursting lol. Anyway, hope you're enjoying. Thanks so dearly for the reviews and kudos, it always makes my day!