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"He's getting fussy," Mando looked to the whining child who was placed in his satchel, him and Hebe had stopped outside of a nearby village market on a hot planet to gather more much-needed materials. "Maybe he wants to be held?" She responded, Mando only shook his head. "We can't have him out in the open. Just do that thing you did before," he sounded unsure as he made a loose gesture with his hand.
"Do what?"
"The wrap you made," he motioned across his chest. "Oh," she looked around and found a spare piece of cloth in a side pocket of Din's bag. She remembered the first time she had made it, it was when Din dragged her and the child out of that hell hole, it was to protect him. "Why do you even have this?" She wrapped it around her chest and tied it at the back, Mando gingerly handed her the child which she put him in the enclosed pouch and both adults smirked when his whining quieted down. "I think he likes me."
"No kidding," Din chuckled as they approached a few stalls, not attracting any attention like they had hoped. "How much do we have?" He held his hand out and showed her the pouch of money. "Just enough to get food and some new clothes."
"I think I'd prefer just getting some armour pieces and just save up for clothes," she hummed as he stared off at her and then to some of the stalls. "We can get both."
"I don't think so-" he only gave her a stern glance and then paced off, making her have to jog to catch up. He let her pick out a grey tunic and trousers that ends at the calf along with a body harness and a thigh garter with an attachable holster. Hebe bad already felt like she had bought too much, unaware that Din was using some savings. "Really, I think that's the limit, foods more important, especially for the little one," she poked the kid's nose as he giggled, playing with a strand of her grey, grown out hair.
"I agree, but the clothes here are surprisingly cheap," he showed her the 3/4 full coin bag and she raised an eyebrow, he wasn't kidding. He convinced her to get a vambrace for each arm and then they left to get food. The three wandered through the midday heat towards the small food market, Din picked out mostly meat and the odd packet of soup and that left at least a quarter of their money, he carried the food in a sack he slung over his shoulder. "Oh that's what you have the cloth for," he hummed in response. They had taken up most of their day and Hebe decided that it was best to start heading back to the ship before it started getting dark.
Din wanted to fill in the silence on their walk through the sandy terrain so desperately but he was never usually the one to do that. He had never had someone with him for so long, maybe only talkative bounties and he didn't have to make conversation with a child that can't even talk. It was in times like this that he disliked lacking social skills. So what was he meant to say? "You look like your having a mid-life crisis, Mando," he looked over his shoulder, Hebe was squinting the sun out of her eyes but observing him carefully at the same time. He turned back, not saying anything.
"How long have you, um..." He trailed off, she smiled in amusement as he tried to make small talk. "Been uh, a bounty?"
"Just about twelve years," she answered.
"You mean, you've been by yourself for twelve years?" He shot back, slowing his pace to walk beside her, she occupied her hands by tickling the kid's nose and letting him play with her hand. "I guess, it doesn't feel like it's been that long, but..."
"Time flies," he answered for her, turning back to her, but realising that he drifted off in thought, staring at her, he snapped back to the present when Hebe slowed walking and chuckled lightly. "Has no one ever told you that it's rude to stare?" She brushed off his embarrassing attitude as he shifted his weight. "We should stop here, it's almost dark unless you want to keep walking?" She tilted her head.
"Yeah. Good idea," he sang praises in his head that his voice came out clear and like his normal stern attitude, which he noticed he wasn't acting as brooding as he normally was. She noticed the shift in attitude too. As Hebe busied herself with pulling the child out of his place and onto the floor, Din unclipped his thick brown cloak, lying it onto the soft and flat sand and pulling out a flask of water. "You and the kid can sleep here," he lay himself down a foot from his cloak, sinking into the sand, it was weirdly comfortable.
"You're going to get sand all in your armour, look," she crouched beside him and pulled his one arm up, the sand falling similar to that of a waterfall. He sighed as she shook her head, then looked down to Din's tattered clothing she was wearing. "I'm going to change," she leaned over Din, grabbing the satchel that contained her new clothes. He turned over as she shuffled the clothing on, adjusting the straps on her harnesses and then pulling on the vambraces at a comfortable angle and finally standing up and looking down at herself, Mando turned once he heard her stand up, the child cooed at her and walked around her feet.
That night they both lay side by side with the child leaning his head on Din's back, his mini hand latched onto Hebe's finger. Though Din didn't really sleep at all. I mean, how could he, beside you?
