"Sabine, I swear!" Ezra cried, willing his riduur, a bit out of sorts since that run-in with the Loth-Wolf, to believe him. Why would he lie? Not to her! She was being stubborn about what had happened when they'd had to flee Imperial forces bent on catching them. And then doing who knew what to them since Sabine had stolen the Tie Defender right out from under their noses, and then after their new flying weapon had crashed, she and he had removed the hyperdrive and the data recorder. The Empire was out for blood...Sabine's and his.
If it hadn't been for the elusive, ethereal creature, it would be fair to say they wouldn't be here, back with their family in rebellion.
"Why won't you believe me, Sab?" Ezra pleaded, his eyes urging her to reconsider and see that he was telling the truth. He saw in her eyes her reluctance to concede. He was never going to be a match for her in this sort of battle, and he was loath to know it.
"I want to hear you say it, Ezra."
He perpetrated one more half-hearted pleading look, then let out a long sigh of resignation, relenting. "I made the whole thing up..." He didn't sound convincing.
"See, now was that so hard?" Sabine inveigled.
The memory of the majestic, snow-white, stately animal overpowered Ezra's mind, and he blurted, "But, I didn't! I didn't make the Loth-Wolf up! He came when we needed him most because the Loth-cat brought him. The wolf took us out of harm's way, carrying us to safety, to Hera, Kanan...everyone we trust." Ezra had sounded every bit the soul of utter sincerity and dyed-in-the-wool commitment.
Sabine's stern gaze immediately shifted into a mellow smile. It was as if she could read straight into his heart, and she glimpsed the truth of all he said. She remembered what her father had reminded her...a man was only as good as his word. Ezra was his word. Aggressively, she moved forward, pinning her riduur to the wall behind them. Her lips met his forcefully as her hands snaked behind his back, pulling him into her as if she wanted every inch of herself to feel every inch of him at once. This sort of outburst from Sabine was becoming less and less unexpected. He relished her bold, brash displays of affection. His spunky Mando wife delighted him, and he judged it was high time he returned the favor as he harnessed his considerable strength to pick his lithe lady up, his hands finding their own comfortable position on her derriere, suddenly spinning her around so she was against the wall now.
Adapting quickly, Sabine wrapped her legs around Ezra's waist as her lips moved down his jawline to his neck, nipping him playfully to elicit faint moans to spur him on. She moaned in his ear, lapsing into her native language as she succumbed to Ezra's ardor. Transitioning from unbridled passion to gentler kisses, and expressions of tender endearment before setting her back on the ground.
Her legs shaky, Sabine returned to breathing normally as she collapsed into Ezra, feeling his steady heartbeat under her ear while her mind returned to the moment. Another moment or so passed, and she stood, straightening her armor. Not anyone's kid anymore, she thought, smirking. And yet...still believes in such things as Loth-Wolves... Abruptly, she told him, "Just because you can kiss me like that doesn't mean I'm changing my mind, kiddo." Softly, she laughed, trying to regain a measure of command of her voice. Her waking smile and dazzling eyes with just a hint of wetness betrayed her. "Oh, and another thing: We've been risking our lives for years. If you think I'm going to start waiting on the ship while you go off and fight, or never be out of your sight, you'd better think again."
"Oh, I've thought about it, Sab. It's mostly what I think about a lot ever since...we, well...you know. Took those vows."
"Here's the thing...if anything really bad ever happens..." She leaned in for one last kiss before they made contact with the bounty hunter who waited for them in this grimy, hole-in-the-wall cantina. "I know my powerful, fearless and irresistibly handsome Jedi Knight will be here, right on target, to protect me, as always."
With a devastatingly naughty smirk, she re-donned her helmet to walk off purposefully in the direction of the cantina, with Ezra, in characteristic, puppy dog fashion, scampering right off after her, his mission to have her back.
As always.