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Remember, I changed my icon picture only for the weekend just so you can see what I imagine Zax to look like. I found this pix on the internet, and thought it looked perfect. I have no idea who drew it, but I thank whomever did for such a cute idea.

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Chapter 24

~X~

"A wounded warrior will say to his assailant; If I survive, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven.

Such is the rule of honor and the way of the Mandalorian."

~unknown~

Ravana had followed the burley Mandalorian named Paz down several corridors, passing many others of his kind who each turned to stare, until they stopped in front of a particular door. She'd taken the time as they walked to inspect her guide, noticing that his armor and helmet were shaped a bit differently – being constructed of more sharp angles instead of the sleek curves found on Din's. It was also a darker color as well, more of a flat metal than the shiny beskar she was used to seeing.

"Here is where you can rest up," he instructed, pressing a button that opened the door, gesturing for her and the kid to enter. He followed her inside, pointing out the living area, a bedroom, and the refresher. "No one uses these chambers, but the linens are clean." He looked around the room nervously before speaking again. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier…about you being Din's…well…"

"His what?" Ravana demanded, hoping she could get a straight answer from this man, since Din seemed so unwilling to explain.

"It was not right of me to assume you were in the same category as Xi'an, that Twi'lek woman he once ran with," he grumbled, apparently hating being in the wrong. "I never liked her anyway, far too blood-thirsty, and foul mouthed to boot."

"Who?" Ravana questioned, now even more confused than before. Yet from the way Paz was now acting, she could tell he was very uncomfortable by her questions. Then it hit her. "Do you mean that Din and this woman, this Xi'an, were…together?" So that was why Din hadn't wanted to tell her what they said. And suddenly Ravana wasn't certain she wanted to know either.

"No! I mean, not like you and him are! They were never serious, they just enjoyed each other for a while." Paz spoke up, apparently worried he had once again said the wrong thing. "But I'm sure it meant nothing, and it didn't last very long." He then reached up and rubbed nervously at the base of his helmet, where the back of his neck met his armor. "I shouldn't have said anything at all. It's not honorable to speak of a man's past in front of his wife. Something I didn't know you were, mind you, when I called you his veriduur." {courtesan}

"What does that mean?" Ravana questioned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. She recognized the word, knowing it was the one that was used just before Din had pulled his blaster on his supposed friend. "Wait…never mind, I don't think I want to know." This seemed to please the Mandalorian, him acting as if he didn't wish to tell her in the first place. "Tell you what, if you forgive me for hitting you with that pipe, I'll accept your apology. Let's just forget it ever happened, all right?"

"Thank you," the large man said with a sigh of relief. He then cocked his head a bit and stared at her, perhaps even smiling under his helmet. "I like you. You'll be good for Din. He needs a strong woman at his side…and one with a good heart."

"And you can tell all that from only the few words we've shared?" she chuckled. "For all you know I could be an evil shrew out to bring down Din and all the galaxy."

"If that was your goal, you would hardly be wise admit it, now would you?" he laughed, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder. "No, you are good…and strong. You bested me, after all, and not many can boast of that."

"Thanks," she chuckled. "But in all honesty…it was a lucky shot, and I took advantage of you being distracted with Din. So, don't take it too hard." Ravana told him with a smile.

The kid had once again fallen asleep during their long walk, and she looked around for a place to lay him down. Peeking through the open door, she could see there was only one bed in the sleeping room. Did this mean she and Din would once again be sharing? Apparently, the Mandalorians knew the two of them were married – technically – if what Paz had just said was any indication.

Choosing not to enter the bedchamber, she instead snuggled the kid into a large chair, arranging the cushions in a way that created a make-shift crib of sorts. Once he was secure - and with the way he slept, out for at least a few hours - Ravana looked over at Paz.

"Is there someplace I can get a drink?" she asked. "I really could use one right about now."

"My chambers are just across the hall," he offered, gesturing to where they had entered. "I have something that might suffice. You can leave the doors ajar in case the little one wakes."

"Perfect," she nodded, in desperate need of something to take the edge off of her frayed nerves. "Lead the way."

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Ravana's first sip of the fiery green liquid had nearly made her choke, but the second and third had gone down much smoother. They had indeed left both chamber doors open slightly so she could hear if the String-bean needed her, just as he'd suggested. She'd found his room to be rather sparse, reminding her of Din's ship, and how he too had very little in the way of keepsakes. Still, the covert had just recently had to escape from Nevarro, and she was sure that sentimental items had been low on the list of things they'd chose to take when in such a hurry.

"Take it easy, that's strong stuff," Paz warned her, his voice sounding rather amused.

"The stronger the better," she told him, holding out her glass for him to fill it up again. "After the day…no, the week, I've had, I need this." Granted, she hardly ever indulged - the last time she'd had a drink had been on Nevarro with Cara…and the time before that had been right after her uncle's funeral.

"I take it that you and Din have not exactly been on your honeymoon?" Paz guessed, sitting back in his chair and folding his muscular arms over his armored chest.

"Honeymoon?" Ravana scoffed, downing the contents of her glass in one gulp and grabbing the bottle herself to get more. "To have a honeymoon, one would have to actually be man and wife first, wouldn't they?"

"What? You mean you are not Din's mate?" This had Paz sitting up with a start, acting as if a crime had been committed or something. "But he said –"

"No, no…we're married," Ravana assured him with a dismissive wave. Here she held up her wrist and showed him the bonding bracelet she wore. "I've got the proof of that right here."

This seemed to make the large Mandalorian relax a bit, easing back in his chair once more.

"Then what did you mean?" he demanded.

"That this whole thing is a sham! That Din only married me in order to protect me from being auctioned off to group of miners on Katella," she explained, her words starting to slur just a bit as her mind began to become fuzzy. Ravana went on to explain the whole sordid mess to him, from how she'd found a wounded Din on Pessue, to the moment they'd touched down on Anoah. Paz had listened quietly, nodding with interest but saying very little until she came to the end of her story.

"That is quite the tale," he said at last, reaching out to remove the bottle from her hands when she attempted to pour herself yet another glass. "One I find very difficult to believe Din would get himself into unwillingly."

"It's that over-active sense of chivalry he has," she grumbled, eyeing the bottle he'd now placed on the other end of the table, quite out of her reach. "He tries to act all mean and tough, but he's not fooling me. He's as soft and squishy inside as an exogorth space slug."

This description had Paz roaring with laughter, his palm slapping on the surface of the table in amusement.

"Can't say I've ever heard Djarin described that way," he said, at last able to get himself under control. "But you've got him pegged all right. In all the years I've known him, he's been as tight lipped as they come. I often suspected it was due to him being afraid to let his true feelings show. No one can accuse him of caring, if he always keeps his mouth shut. Sometimes I think he wears two sets of armor, determined to never let anyone see underneath either one."

"EXACTLY!" Ravana exclaimed, her words quickly followed by a few little hiccups. "Emotionally constipated, that's what he is. Keeps everything all bottled up inside!"

"But you love the shabuir {jerk} anyway, don't you?" Paz asked, hoping she wouldn't notice he'd slipped in the love word until it was too late…grinning to himself when his tactic paid off.

"Yes…I do," she admitted with a heavy sigh. Then, suddenly realizing what she'd just said, she quickly back-peddled. "What? NO! I mean…I like him, sure, but who wouldn't? Especially after he'd saved me from dying and rescued me from that bounty hunter. But love…I hardly think so." She was silent for a moment, staring at the expressionless man before her. "You're not buying it, are you?"

"Not one word," he chuckled, reaching for the bottle and pouring a small amount of the green liquid into her empty glass. "Maybe you could use just a little bit more."

"Are you trying to get me drunk so I'll tell you all my secrets?" she asked with narrowed eyes, though she accepted the drink nonetheless.

"I believe you've already told me most of your life story as it is," he pointed out. "I doubt you have much left to reveal."

"Din said I'm beautiful," she blurted out, proving Paz wrong. "Did you know that?"

"No, I did not. However, I'm hardly shocked to hear it," he mused. "He would have to be blind not to notice."

"Do you think I'm pretty, then?" Ravana questioned, sounding surprised that he might believe so as well.

"Very," he stated without pause.

"Dang!" she muttered, looking at the glass in her hand. "I should really drink more often."

"That's not how it works," Paz laughed once more. "Strong drink only makes others look more attractive, not yourself."

"No, but it sure makes asking the hard questions easier," she giggled, suddenly feeling as free as a bird. "So…tell me more about this Xi'an chick. Was she pretty?"

"No," Paz once again told her without so much as a pause. "But she had… certain attributes a man would find appealing," he admitted.

"Do you think Din loved her?" she pressed.

"He was young," Paz shrugged. "I don't believe he would have recognized a true emotion back then, even if it had bit him on the arse."

"But you think he's old enough to do so now?" she asked curiously.

"If not, then he's even more blind and stupid than I thought he was," Paz huffed. He then sat forward in his chair, reaching out with his gloved hand and tucking a stray lock of hair that had fallen in her eyes behind her ear. "He'd be the biggest fool in the galaxy not to see what's right in front of him."

Ravana was about to thank him for his kind words when a loud bang was heard behind her, making her jump in fright.

"Me'haran? Me'shab bana?" {What the hell? What is happening?} came the angry voice of Din Djarin, having just slammed the door open and stepped inside the room.

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Din had come looking for Ravana in order to make sure she and the kid were all right, intending to apologize for the way he'd been acting. He'd made arrangements to speak with the Armorer the following day, but this time he wanted both Paz and Ravana to be there as well. Still, when he'd been directed to where she would have been housed, he was confused to find the kid sleeping alone with the door ajar…that is until he heard two familiar voices coming from the room across the hall. Peeking inside, he'd been instantly outraged to see Paz reaching out and daring to touch the cheek of his wife!

Pushing the door open with more force than necessary, he quickly got their attention, the two of them pulling away from one another in surprise.

"Din Jadarin!" Ravana greeted him in a slurred voice, one telling him that she was completely plastered. "Come join us, husband of mine!" she held up her drink, the contents sloshing a bit as she gestured for him to step closer.

He did indeed, crossing the small room in two strides as he took the glass from her hand, much to her displeasure.

"Hey! That's mine!" she protested, grabbing for it, but he held it just out of her reach.

"You got her drunk?" he hissed, pointing at Paz accusingly.

"No, she got herself drunk," he corrected, not sounding at all sorry. "I only offered her the means to do so. But I must say, she's quite a bit of fun this way."

Din might have said, or done, more to his friend, but Ravana rose from her chair just then and all but fell against him in a fit of giggles.

"Din, Din, Din," she said, slapping the palm of her hand against his chest with each word. "Why are you always so serious? Loosen up for a change, will you?"

"Like you are now?" he asked, not sure he cared to see her so out of control, especially when he had found her in the private chambers of another. "Completely wasted and unable to stand on your own?"

"If that's what it takes," she said with a shrug. She then poked his beskar chest plate with her finger. "You're always so rigid, so stiff and unyielding. But I suppose you'd have to remove that blasted helmet if you ever wanted to toss a few back, wouldn't you? And drinking alone is just so sad." She then let her head fall to the side, turning a bit so she could stare back at Paz. "Your friend, Paz, has been telling me some really juicy stories about you, Din. He's simply full of interesting information."

"I'll bet," he growled, slamming the glass down on the table.

"He also said I was pretty," she offered up next. "That's two of you now! Do you think it's a Mandalorian thing? That I'm only attractive to men who wear helmets?"

This caused Paz to give a snort of laughter, obviously enjoying this far too much. Yet, when Din gave a low growl in his throat, and drew his blaster, the other man quickly sobered and held up his hands in defense. Unfortunately, it was a case of too little, too late, and before anything could be said, Din fired. The blast hit Paz in the chest, propelling him backwards as the chair he was sitting in toppled over, leaving him sprawled out on the floor.

"DIN!" Ravana screamed, her hands instantly going to her head in shock and horror. "YOU KILLED HIM!"

"He's not dead," Din scoffed. "It was set on stun. Or...at least I think it was." Here he lifted the blaster and inspected the settings more carefully. "Yes, it's set on stun."

"But...but you shot him!" Ravana was literally freaking out. "How could you? He's your friend!"

"A friend should know better than to get a man's wife drunk like this," he argued, holstering his weapon. "Paz will understand and get over it...eventually. This is -" he began, but Ravana cut him off.

"If you finish that sentence with 'the way' I'm going to kick you so hard your ancestors will feel it!" she threatened. "Shooting your friends is never the way!"

"You still have a lot to learn about Mandalorians," Din said with a shake of his head. Leaning forward he took hold of Ravana around the back of her knees and hefting her up over his left shoulder. She wiggled and squawked, but all her protests were ignored as he strode from the room, leaving an unconscious Paz behind.

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Once he was back in their temporary chambers, Din headed right for the bedroom, dropping Ravana onto the mattress and watching her bounce just a bit as she landed.

"HEY!" she groused, her hands going to her head as the blood began to rush back out of it from being hung upside down over his shoulder. "Stop the room from spinning, will ya?"

"Sorry, I can't," he said, not sounding at all apologetic. "This is your doing, and as such, you'll have to suffer the consequences."

"Some husband you are!" she huffed, taking the pillow and tossing it in his direction. He caught it easily and set it aside, crossing his arms as he stared down at her.

"And some wife you are as well," he accused. "Do you truly think it proper to be drinking in another man's chambers like that?" His accusatory words seemed to light a fire in her, and Din watched as she scrambled off the bed and stood directly in front of him…though swaying just a bit. "You should know better."

"Oh? So now what are you going to do? Stun me too?" she demanded.

"Don't be ridiculous," Din balked, finding her suggestion completely absurd. "Paz deserved it, and he'd be the first to admit it...if he were conscious," Din argued. "I was honestly worried when I came to this room to find only the kid, and you were missing."

"Oh, right, as if you really cared!" she accused. "I wanted to stay with you, but oh no, I had to leave so the high and mighty Din Djarin could speak to the mystical Armorer. At least Paz was kind enough to keep me company."

"Kind is not the word I would use to describe him," Din said with a snort of derision. "Nor would I exactly call him smart right about now."

"Yeah, well he used a few choice words to describe you as well," she countered. "Seems as if you two aren't the best of buddies after all, are you?"

Din chose not to answer, instead he simply stood there and stared down at her. He was still upset about finding her in another man's room, but he couldn't help but notice that Ravana was extremely attractive when she was angry. Her eyes were ablaze, and her cheeks were flushed, though much of that could be due to the alcohol she'd consumed. Din had seen the bottle on the table. What had Paz been thinking, giving her Pirate Brew? He was shocked she was still able to stand on her feet after a few glasses of that backwater sludge.

He was about to turn and leave, figuring she needed to calm down and sleep it off, when once again, she practically fell against him, wrapping her arms around his body as she rested her cheek on his beskar chest plate.

"Din, don't go…I don't want to fight with you," she told him in a plaintive voice. "I have no idea why we argue so much, especially when that's the last thing I want to do with you."

"Oh?" Din questioned, suddenly very interested in what she had to say. "And why is that?"

Ravana pulled back a bit, looking up into his visor, though not letting go of her hold on him.

"I wish I could see your eyes," she muttered, as if talking to herself and not directly to him. She let her hand reach up and caress the cheek of the metal helmet that hid his face beneath. "I bet you have beautiful eyes. They say that you can tell what a person is thinking if you stare into them long enough. But I can't see your eyes, thus I never know what you're thinking, do I?"

"Why not just ask, if you want to know," he offered, hoping that by doing so he might actually get a few answers himself.

"Because I'm afraid of what you might say," she confessed. "I'm afraid if I told you the truth of how I felt, you would run away."

"Unless you plan to say you wish to murder me in my sleep, I can assure you…I won't run away, Ana," he promised, holding his breath in anticipation.

"Ana…I like it when you call me that," she said with a happy smile. "It makes me feel special."

"You are special," he told her.

"But am I special to you, Din?" Ravana asked. "Or am I just another foundling you feel obligated to take care of out of a sense of duty? Do you think about me as much as I think about you? And not just during the day, but in the middle of the night as well? When you're in your room and the walls seem to be closing in on you because you're all alone?" Suddenly her hands began to wander over his cuirass, her fingers tracing the edge of the beskar plate, then finding their way up to his shoulders and around his neck. "Do you ever want to touch me as much as I want to touch you, Din?"

He felt himself shiver with desire, her words and gentle caress causing him close his eyes in ecstasy. Suddenly Din realized he might actually have to thank Paz for the part he'd played in all this.

"If you weren't wearing that stupid helmet, I swear that I would kiss you right now," Ravana revealed.

This revelation made Din's eyes pop open in utter disbelief. She would?

"I've wanted to do so for a long time now," she continued. "But I never knew if you'd welcome such a thing…even if it had been possible."

"I would have," Din assured her, his voice now hoarse from the shock of what she was saying. Was it all true? Was this how she honestly felt, or was it only the alcohol talking?

"You would?" she gasped, pulling out of his arms and taking a step back. "You…you mean you've wanted me to kiss you? But you never said a thing!" Suddenly she looked angry again. "All this time and you never thought to tell me this?"

"Well, it's not as if you said anything either," he stated in his defense, wishing they could go back to how things were a moment ago.

"Of course, I didn't! How could I when you're always so stern and unapproachable?" she accused. "Marching around in your armor and acting as if you don't need, or want, anyone to get close to you! If it weren't for the kid, I would swear you had no heart at all! How is a woman supposed to tell a man like that that she's been fighting with herself not to develop feelings for him? Romantic feelings!"

"What did you say?" came Din's near-breathless words.

"You heard me, laser-brains! But if you're not willing to even meet me half way in this screwed up relationship, I'll be damned if you'll ever hear such words from my lips again!" she swore, reaching out and giving him a shove, one he hardly felt as he stood there in disbelief. He wasn't, however, so stunned that he didn't see her loose her footing and begin to fall over, his arms instinctively reaching out to catch her. Once she was safely back in his protective embrace, she seemed to calm instantly, a sleepy smile spreading over her face. "Damn it, Din…why can't we ever just be honest like this when I'm not drunk out of my mind? Honest enough to tell each other how we truly feel."

"And…how is that, exactly?" he pressed, anxious to hear her confession.

"I…I think I love you, Din Djarin…yes, I'm pretty sure I do." And with one last heavy sigh, Ravana promptly passed out, going limp against him.

"NO!" Din growled, scooping her up as he cradled her like a babe in his arms. Just when things were finally getting interesting!

He walked over and laid her on the bed, this time with a great deal of care and reverence. She would be sleeping this off for quite a while, he decided, and when she woke…well, there would be one long and in-depth conversation, that was for damn sure!

Ravana loved him…or at least she believed so in her drunken mind, but that was enough encouragement for him to want to find out more. Had she been feeling the same things as him all this time? Din truly hoped so.

But for now, he would let her rest. He knew that Pirate Brew had a strong kick, one that would leave her head pounding when she woke. Maybe he could ask around for some pain meds to help ease her discomfort. It was the least he could do…after all, he was her husband, and that's what a spouse did, right?

From now on, Din would take care of his wife, seeing to her every need…emotional as well as physical.

This was the way.

Ok, we now have multiple confessions of love...one Din made in front of the Armorer, one Ravana made in front of Paz, and one Ravana made to Din. Yet, we still need to get Din to say the words out loud to her.

Did you enjoy getting to know Paz? You will learn even more abut him in the next chapter.

Also, Ravana now has a whole lot more information about Din and he's got a lot more information about her, or at least her feelings for him. And I'm willing he intends to make good use of them.

So what do you think of the pix I found of Zax? Isn't he adorable?

See you on Monday!

Guest Reviews:

Phantom Guest: Yep, Ravana can hold her own...most of the time. And Din did indeed say it out loud...there's no taking it back now, we all heard him say it! What...they have to now tell each other? Well, half of that happened at least. But pulling words out of Din is just tooooo hard! Let's hope Ravana can motivate him when she wakes up. ha ha. Thanks.

Guest: Yes, I think it is a MUST that she be able to see his face at some point. And officially married seems the most logical reason for that to me. And they do indeed make a cute couple...cute couple of idiots. ha ha. I hope you enjoyed the

DinJarinsLover: I think they need to kiss soon too...but I'm only the writer. I have no control over them. (sigh) If only they'd listen. Thanks!