"So you've gone and got yourself a wife?" "We're not married," Mando dejected. "Oh, so she's available then?" Carl leaned back in his seat grinning at me. We were currently sitting round a table; me situated in between the two warriors. While they were yacking, I was drinking some broth.
"How long have you been here?" Mando asked, trying to steer the conversation off the clearly uncomfortable topic. "About a week," Carl shrugged one shoulder. "How'd you end up here?" Mando asked and Carl peered at me through the corner of his eye. "Let's just call it an early retirement." Then Carl took a swig of his soup before glancing back at the Mandalorian across the table.
"Look, I only went onto your ship because I thought, for some bizarre reason, that you might be inside," the sarcasm in his tone made me smile- a little. Seeing this, Carl continued. "I didn't know you had… company onboard, and judging by the way you tackled me, very precious company." "Yeah, that's what I figured," Mando's head gave a nod. "Well this has been a real treat," grinning at me, Carl left his bowl and got up from his chair. I flashed him a side-smirk before finishing up my soup. Mando looked at Carl intently. "So?" "So I'd say that unless you want to go another round, one of us is gonna have to move on, and I was here first. She's welcomed to stay, course; but you're gonna have to leave, Mando old boy." Then, with one last smile my way, Carl took off. Mando waited until he was gone before turning to me. "Well, looks like this planet's taken." I loved how he didn't even momentarily consider leaving me here with Carl Dune. Is that wrong that made me so happy? I don't think so, I decided taking one last sip of broth.
Mando and I went back to the ship afterwards. He headed out to do some maintenance; that's where he was when I guess these local farmers approached him. I know he was talking to somebody since I could hear then as the door opened. I peered up from where I was sitting on my cot. "Come on; let's head back," I didn't recognize that voice. "It took us a whole day to get here," I didn't know that one either. "Now we have to ride back with no protection, to the middle of nowhere." Who were these guys? Why are they talking to Mando?
"Where do you live?" I next heard the Mandalorian ask. There was the universe's quickest pause. "At a farm. Weren't you listening? We're farmers." Wait, he's talking to farmers? Where there's farms there's water; and that means I can finally have a bath! "In the middle of nowhere?" Yeah, that's it, Mando; keep talking to them. "Yes," one answered. "You have lodging?" "Y-yeah, absolutely," the other spoke this time. "Good, come up and help."
So Mando emerged back onto the ship with these two weathered-looking men. They looked at me, then back at Mando as he began to instruct them what to grab. Together we all loaded a cart. Once the majority of the work was done, the Mandalorian gave me a blanket to wrap myself in; he made sure I was comfy in his own way. He paused to glance in my direction, resting his hand near my lap. "Stay here. I won't go far." I nodded, feeling a bit too tired to go anywhere anyway. He then turned to one of the farmers. "I'm going to need one more thing. Give me those credits."
I don't know where Mando went but roughly five minutes later he returned with none other than Carl Dune. "Carl?" I perked up upon their arrival. "Hey, Saoirse. Long time, no see," he gave me a playful, mocking grin. My eyes rolled from him to Mando totally confused; he merely stared back at me. "We have company." "I see that…." Slowly my gaze drifted back to Carl. He hoped onboard, as did Mando- once he closed up the ship.
"So we're basically running off a band of raiders for lunch money?" Carl asked Mando sometime after we'd set off. "You're doing what now?" "They're cornering us in the middle of nowhere. Last I checked that's a pretty square deal for somebody in your position." Oooooooh, shots fired. And yeah, he did completely ignore my question. The Mandalorian went on. "Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we're a deterrent. I can't imagine there's anything living in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn't handle."
"What's a shock trooper?" I blinked over to Carl. He seemed surprised to hear me ask this. "You don't know what shock troopers are?" He countered. I shrugged. "My god, woman. Have you been living under a rock? Do you at least know what he is?" Carl's thumb stuck out at Mando. "I know he's a Mandalorian." "Do you know what a Mandalorian is?" My head shook. This made Carl laugh; Mando did not.
"Why are you two traveling together? She doesn't know anything about you." To be fair, Mando didn't know that much about me either. "It's a long story," I sighed, pressing my chin into my palm. "We got nothin' but time," Carl responded to me. We looked at each other for a second; that's when I came up with something. "I have an idea. Why don't we play a game instead?" "A game?" Carl's eyebrow lifted and Mando's head turned towards me. I grinned, sitting up a bit.
"How about I Spy?" "Pass," Carl's eyes rolled. "Ok, um…. How about Twenty Questions?" "What's that?" "We take turn asking each other questions until we've answered twenty." Carl considered this for a moment. "Can we veto a question?" I nodded. "Yep. Only answer what you're comfortable answering; and no personally tailored questions. So, for example, I can't ask what those tattoos on your arm mean." Carl and Mando gazed at each other before they nodded. Carl in particular leaned back, spreading both his arms out at his sides. "Sure, fine. Ask away."
"Ok, uh, what's your favourite colour?" My finger rested cutely on my cheek. Once again, Carl seemed taken aback by this sort of question. "My favourite colour? Huh, don't know- green, I guess." "And your favourite colour, Mando?" I then peered at the Mandalorian. He glanced down at his hands. "Don't have one…" "Black," Carl sent me a teasing smirk as he answered for Mando. The Mandalorian didn't correct him, instead simply turning his head in Carl's direction. But Carl was watching me by now, twiddling with his fingers a bit. "What's your favourite colour, Saoirse?" "Pink," I didn't even have to think about it. Carl laughed softly, dropping his eyes down to his hands. "Why am I not surprised? Ok, my turn. How many planets have you been on?" He chose to ask Mando first. "Lots," short and to the point- classic Mando. "Heh, same. You, Saoirse?" "Three." "Three?!" Carl gasped. His shocked reaction surprised me; my head cocked a little puzzled.
"Is that unusual?" "Seriously, where is this rock you were living under?" "Honestly," my eyes rolled. "It's not unusual," the Mandalorian reassured me. "Speak for yourself. I've never met anyone like you before," Carl's eyes were on me now. "Same here," I grinned back at him. Carl yawned, planting both hands behind his head and spinning his eyes back to Mando. "Alright, Mando; you're turn." "Pass." "Fine; be a kill-joy. Saoirse, go." "Hmmmmmm, how old are you?" "Now that's pretty personal, don't you think?" "Alright, what's your favourite star in the night sky?" And so on we went.
We played this game for a while longer, the two of the practically vetoing every other question; I'm the only one who answered all of them. It had its desired effect though. By the time the game wound down, we were all pretty tired. "We should get some rest," Mando quietly announced. I was the only one who had a blanket; I suppose Mando had his armour on and Carl…. well he seemed fine. Didn't have any trouble falling to sleep if he was uncomfortable. I remember the last person I saw before I closed my eyes was Mando. I saw him and gently shut my eyes as I drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless slumber.