The forest ended with a steep uphill as they got closer to where he originally fell.

Mando stepped into a clearing, glancing back to see Rapunzel panting softy. A light sheen of sweat covered her exposed skin. Her hair, that she wrapped around her arm, had gathered some static. Little pieces floated out from the mass. She gave him a tired smile.

He didn't fair much better. The humidity of the planet laid over his armor and clothes like a heavy soaked blanket. He understood why all the inhabitants here wore light, almost see-through clothing. Anything else was suffocating. In his case it couldn't be helped.

A bush rustled off to his left. He eyed it, but it came from the bottom of the bush. Probably a animal. He kept an eye on it, but wasn't concerned.

Rapunzel did not come to that same conclusion.

Mando, in the next moment, found a heavy weight attached to his back and limbs, constricting around his neck and chest. He grunted. His hands clinched into fists, tense as he actively resisted the instinct to throw her off.

"What is it?" Rapunzel squeaked out. Her legs moved against his torso. Her thighs clinched against his sides. She buried her face in the crease between his neck and shoulder, somehow finding the small strip of skin his armor and jumpsuit didn't cover. Her warm breath puffed against the exposed skin, sending shivers racing down his spine. It planted images in his head. Images that he shouldn't even entertain. Images of warm skin under him and soft pale thighs wrapped around his waist, her quiet moans muffled against his shoulder. Her pan thumped against his chest, clinched in her hand, effectively banishing the thoughts. "Roughens? Thugs?"

A small fluffy animal with large ears hopped out from under the bush.

Mando suppressed a sigh. He turned his head slightly to look at Rapunzel.

Rapunzel stiffened from her pace on Mando's back. Awareness of her position sent heat rushing to her face. Her nose grazed the tanned skin between his helmet and clothes. The smell of something new filled her senses. Metal, sweat, and musk. It should be gross, she thought, but it sent her head spinning and something low in her tummy clinched. She gave a sheepish expression as she unlocked her limbs and climbed off with an embarrassed laugh. She tucked her hair behind her ear, willing the new strange awareness of him to go away. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little jumpy."

"I guess we should avoid roughens and thugs then." Mando said. HIs words dripping in sarcasm as all he sought were 'roughens and thugs' on a normal basis.

Beyond the clearing, a worn wooden sign swayed in the afternoon breeze, just off a rough path.

Snuggly Duck.

Mando rolled his eyes. Even the cantinas on Corona were strange and child like.

A squatty building sat just off the path, behind the sign.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

Rapunzel shrugged. "I could eat."

He nodded and led the way, half hoping she'd see how he fit in among those she feared and go her own way. He passed here on his way to his ship before the speeder crashed. They weren't far from the city. Maybe a twenty minute walk if she hurried.

The cantina door slid open when they walked up to it.

What happened next, happened fast.

"Is that him?"

"Yeah."

"Looks it."

"Get him."

The conversation punctuated by a large hand wrapped around his neck. Mando plunged a vibroblade into said hand. The man let out an angry bellow. The rest of the cantina seemed to converge on him, so he fought. With the knowledge that twenty against one would more then likely end in his death.

But they all forgot about Rapunzel, even Mando.

Mando had one finger on the ignite of his flamethrower. His legs locked around someone's neck, their face turning a shade of purple. Someone held him off the ground with a thick arm around his neck. He felt hands on his right shoulder and side. The man in front of him came at him with a raised fist and bared teeth. Suddenly a familiar looking pan came flying though the air and beaned the guy in front of Mando over the head. The dull thunk of the impact seemed loud.

So did the female voice. "Let him go!" Rapunzel yelled. Her shoulders tense and back ramrod straight as she tried to portray a strength and confidence she didn't feel.

The now quiet cantina of rough men all turned toward Rapunzel. The one she hit with the pan tool a step toward her. The hook that replaced his right hand gleamed as he raised it.

"Put him down." She started again. The anger in her voice faded to anxiety as she talked. "Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns, because I've been dreaming about them my entire life. Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?"

"I've had a dream once..." The same man said.

And somehow, in the next twenty minutes, Mando found himself sulking. He sat at the bar. His arms crossed over his chest as he watched the scene in front of him. A man next to him kept a painful grip on his shoulder, keeping him in his seat.

Rapunzel sat in a circle of men, listening adamantly as they dumped their personal baggage at her feet. She engaged with each of them, actually interested in their dreams and stories. Offering encouragement.

It was nuts. She was nuts. Everyone on this planet was nuts.

Mando sighed and glanced at the door. He could probably just leave. She probably wouldn't even notice.

Pascal sat next to Mando. His big eyes flickered from Rapunzel to the men around her with a disapproving look. He worried about how easily she trusted these people outside their tower. The chameleon tapped the metal man on the thigh with a glare when he saw him looking at the door.

"Well, what's your dream?" A rough voice asked.

Mando startled, realizing they were talking to him. All eyes looking at him expectantly as the hand on his shoulder squeezed. "Currently." He mumbled in aggression, talking behind gritted teeth. "To be on an island all alone, surrounded by enormous piles of credits."

The cantina doors slid open. "I got the guards!" A man came in yelling.

Shit.

Sorry about the wait! I'm such a liar. Mom brain took over and that one day wait for an update turned to five.