Bo-Katan removes her helmet as she tentatively strolls into the Armourer's cave to find the woman in question tidying her work area. "I don't mean to intrude, but I was hoping I could have a word in private." She says, tucking her helmet under her arm as she stands at attention.
The Armourer looks up from arranging her smithing tools next to the forge and angles her head at Bo. She places the last tool down with care and gestures to a small table in the corner of her living space with seats carved from the stone of the cave. "Please. Sit."
Bo straightens her shoulders and strides over to sit stiffly next to the Armourer. Bo rests her helmet on the table in front of her and stares at it for a while, pursing her lips. "I have a question about how you and your Tribe do things." The Armourer nods. "Of course. I encourage you to learn as much about our ways as you can, if you are to rule over all of Mandalore."
Bo smiles awkwardly at the Armourer and continues. "I'm wondering how your people go about… well, dating. I mean if they can't remove their helmets in anyone else's company, then how do they, you know, find someone and have a relationship?"
The Armourer's helmet tilts down slightly, and Bo has the suspicion that she is grinning under there before she responds. "A Mandalorian of any Tribe may petition their elder for a courting sabbatical." Bo narrows her eyes in confusion. "And how does that work?"
The Armourer leans back in her seat as she explains, her low laugh is muffled but Bo's eyes widen at the sound. "Din Djarin could come to me and simply ask."
Bo's mouth drops open and the Armourer chuckles again. "I would permit him the standard six days and he would be allowed to remove his helmet in your presence alone. At the end of this period, he may either return to life as before or ask to marry you."
Her mouth still open, Bo is still in shock and doesn't know what to say as the other woman goes on. "After marriage, you and Din Djarin would be as one and he would be permitted to remove his helmet in your presence and in your clan home."
Bo closes her mouth with a snap and stares at the Armourer for a few long moments before replying. "Look, I have no idea how I feel about Din Djarin, let alone any idea on whether or not he feels anything for me. I was speaking in hypotheticals." She finishes in a panic.
Flustered, Bo stands as she speaks and makes a hasty retreat to the strange sound of the Armourer's laughter.
Bo is distracted for the next couple days as she wanders through the make-shift camp of Mandalorians, raising morale and settling the minor disputes that break out between the two factions.
She's definitely not avoiding a certain chrome covered Mandalorian.
At the end of one uneventful day, she finds herself sitting on a large stone watching the handful of foundlings work at strategy drills. Tiny Grogu makes her smile at his cuteness, but she knows not to underestimate his abilities. At a break in the drills, the other children run off to play with each other and Bo watches Grogu unsure face look around before he waddles over towards her to sit and lean against her boot with a small 'coo'.
"Hey little guy. You feeling left out too?" she asks, not expecting a response, but just enjoying the judgement-free company. She starts when Din answers from behind her shoulder. "But your people are all here now."
Bo sighs and leans forward to stroke the downy hair on top of Grogu's head, earning her a strange purring sound. "Sure, they're here now that I have the sword. But I haven't forgotten how every last one of them abandoned me when I failed to win the saber the first time around."
Din grunts in agreement as he crouches down to hand Grogu a bowl of snacks and a cup before he stands again to lean back against a large boulder beside Bo. They fall into comfortable silence for several minutes, watching their collective peoples go about the end of their day. When Grogu's break is over and he wanders back towards the teaching area with the other kids, Din sighs audibly and speaks hesitantly. "I spoke with the Armourer this morning."
Bo carefully doesn't tense her body, but her attention is solely on the man shading her from the worst of the setting desert sun. He shifts his body restlessly and Bo waits.
"She presented the idea of an alliance between our peoples." her mouth suddenly dry, Bo clears her throat. "An alliance? I thought that's what we had." Din crosses his arms and looks away into the distance. "She's thinking of something a little more permanent, I think."
Bo's eyes are trained, unseeingly, on the foundlings. "Permanent?"
Yep, she's going to make him say it.
Bo hears Din sigh again before turning towards her completely and leaning on his shoulder. "She wants us to marry." she feels her eyes widen and her lips press together. "She thinks we should marry?" Bo reiterates.
"Each other." Din clarifies and they are both silent again for a few very poignant moments until Bo takes a deep breath and stands to face Din, hands on hips with a bravado she doesn't feel. "I suppose it makes sense politically to join our factions in that way."
Din straightens but says nothing and Bo finds herself filling the silence. "Of your clan, I would consider you the least… objectionable." Din ignores her attempt at a compliment. "So, you would consider such an alliance?" he asks suspiciously and Bo fidgets with her helmet in her hands.
"Would you?" she counters. She watches his visor tilt down, like he's thinking. "The Armourer doesn't make idle requests. I would be a fool not to consider."
Bo feels herself nodding. "Yes, exactly. I will also consider her request". She jams her helmet onto her head, and they stare at each other for a few long moments before Bo strides away toward her ship for the night.
A few minutes later, just as she's removing her helmet to place it on the console in front of her pilot's seat, Din comes marching up the ramp, talking fast as he approaches her. "I didn't mean to imply that you had to marry me. There are many others from the clan that would make a more suitable, uh, consort." Bo turns from her seat, her eyes widening at him. "Do you want me to choose someone else?"
Din stops like he walked into an invisible wall. "No. Yes. I mean, only if you decide to marry one of my clan. You don't have to pick me." Bo closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Enough of this double-talk. Din Djarin, if I choose to marry, are you content for me to choose you?" she says bluntly and Din's blank helmet stares at her for a few long seconds.
"Stay here." He says finally and then turns and practically jogs down the ramp of her ship and out of sight. Bo stands frozen, staring at the spot where Din was just standing until she's sure he's not coming back. Angry with herself for botching a delicate matter, she rips open a compartment over her head and tears into a ration pack as she drops down into her seat. She's just brushing the crumbs off her flight suit when she hears a small rustling sound and turns to find Grogu laboriously inching up the ramp. Bo hops up and walks over to scoop the little green guy up into her arms, depositing him on the co-pilot seat and handing him a cookie from her ration pack. She settles back down into her seat.
"I may have screwed up something important." She sighs, staring out the viewscreen of her ship. "I'm not very good at touchy-feely conversations and I got angry with your dad, who was only trying to be 'do the right thing'. As always." Bo glances over to see Grogu munching happily on his cookie, completely oblivious to what she's saying, it seems. She smiles at him. "Truth is, if anyone else were to suggest such a thing I would laugh long and hard in their faces."
"There you are." Bo's head whips around to find Din walking up the ramp. "Someone said they saw you come this way." Din stops beside the co-pilot seat and tilts his head down at his son in admonishment.
"He's welcome here any time. I don't mind." Bo says and Din's helmet turns to glance at her for only a moment before returning to Grogu. "Hey kid, can you give us a few minutes to talk? Go to the Armourer. She has more of those cookies hidden behind the forge."
With a deep breath, Bo stands and holds her hands out to Grogu. "C'mon little guy. I'll walk you down the ramp."
Bo is watching Grogu make his way across the sand towards the Armourer's cave when the ramp of her ship starts rising. She walks back up and stops dead at the top when she sees Din standing at the console with a hand over the ramp controls.
And his helmet in his other hand.
"I talked to the Armourer and she permitted me a courting sabbatical. It means—"
"I know what it means." Bo interrupts as she takes a step towards him. Without going through a modulator, his voice is soft and low. His back is still to her, and her breath catches in anticipation as he slowly turns around. There's a moment of shock and then Bo bursts out laughing, immediately regretting her reaction when Din's gaze drops to the floor. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just—I never expected you to be handsome." His eyes flash up and the smile on Bo's face melts away, replaced by a very different emotion.
She swallows.
"So, six days, huh." She's walking closer slowly, watching Din for any sign of discomfort but he doesn't move. He just watches her approach with predatory stillness. "How does it feel?" Bo leans an elbow on the top of the co-pilot seat, as an attempt at casualness as his dark eyes look away and he thinks over her question. "Strange. Wrong…"
Bo inwardly flinches and her eyes drop to the floor of the ship. "Well, this is a political arrangement so if you choose not to touch me, I will understand. It is more of a show of solidarity than a true marriage, I suppose." Din's eyes narrow and he steps forward to tip her chin back up to meet his eyes. "And if I want to touch you?"
When did he take his gloves off? His hands are rough and calloused but warm and gentle on her skin. He asked her a question and Bo is starting to panic because she can't think about anything but his fingers starting to trail down her neck.
Din's hand falls away and Bo recovers enough to tease him. "I guess we could work something out." He gives her a small lop-sided smirk and Bo decides on fair play as she steps even closer and cups his chin, running her thumb over his bottom lip. She sees the flash of panic in his eyes for only a moment before his breath catches and his eyes drop to her mouth.
"What exactly are the rules for the next six days?" Bo asks in a voice she almost doesn't recognize as Din's brow furrows momentarily. "I should have asked."
"Mmm" Bo agrees. "I have a feeling that's something we should find out. I feel like if I kiss you right now, the best beskar in all the systems won't keep us from tearing off each other's clothes."
She laughs at Din's confirming grin and takes a step back to a safer distance. He picks up her hint and leans back against her pilot's seat as Bo puts the co-pilot seat between them and rests both of her crossed arm over the arm rest. She's trying to not be obvious as she studies Din's face, from his scruffy beard to his arched nose and deep brown eyes. Bo doesn't realize that her tongue's darted out to wet her lips until is snags his attention and Din's gaze zeroes in on the motion.
A slow smile spreads across Bo's face and she leans over the seat slightly. "So, I have a… pertinent question." His eyes rise to hers and she continues. "Have you ever… been with anyone? I'm a little fuzzy on the rules for your covert." Her success in making him chuckle and blush sends a thrill through her, and her sultry smile turns into a grin. "I have. Although I usually find it more effort than its worth and its always awkward. Not too many repeat customers."
A thought occurs to Bo and her face drops. "Wait. You didn't do it… with your helmet on…?" another deep blush and laugh and Bo can't help but laugh with him. "That's not a rule for married people, right?" Din stops laughing and pins her with a weighted look. "No. Married couples are considered as one and permitted to remove their helmets."
Din takes a step towards Bo and she raises a hand. "I think we should clarify the rules before we go any further. I'd hate to lure you into dishonour." Bo sighs loudly as she brazenly looks him over as he reaches back to reclaim his helmet and fits it back over his head in a practiced motion.
"You, Din Djarin, are a ticking time bomb and I really hope I'm around when you go off." His modulated voice carries as he ambles down the ramp of her ship. "You'll be the only one there."
Bo can't help the smile on her face as she bites her bottom lip and looks forward to tomorrow.