Calamity || The Mandalorian

three

"Oh my gods," she whispered, her eyes locked onto the small mint-green alien as it hobbled its way towards the two of them, cooing softly. "That is the cutest, most precious thing I have ever seen in my life. Seriously, someone pinch me," she murmured in awe.

"I'd rather not," she heard Mando mutter. Taking a page out of his book, she ignored him as she got up from her seat.

"Why hello there little one," she cooed as she fell to her knees. Looking up at her with big, curious eyes, the baby cocked his head at her. Forcing herself to look away from the precious child, she glanced back up at Mando, "What's his name?"

Mando didn't answer, though he seemed to clench one of the controls a little bit harder. Huffing at his lack of response, Kasia turned back to the alien baby and reached out her mind towards him—only to hit a wall. Instinctively she flinched back and let go of the child who merely cooed and looked up at her in interest.

Why did... why couldn't I read his mind? she wondered as she peered down at him. Half a thought had her reaching out towards Mando and slipping past his mental shields. Kasia had to admit, compared to most people his mental walls were actually pretty well built up—maybe his Beskar armor extended to more of his body than he realized.

What is the child's name? she heard the Mandalorian wonder himself. What is the child even doing out of his cradle? And why is she playing with him?

Like a water trickling down a stream, Kasia slipped from Mando's thoughts before she heard or saw something that she didn't want to.

"The child?" she mused aloud. "Does it really not have a name?"

At her question, Mando's helmet jerked to look at her. "How did you know that?" he breathed pressing a button before standing up. At the sound of Mando's voice, the child ran over and latched onto his leg. As if by instinct, the Mandalorian angled his body between Kasia and the child's and let his hand fall to rest on his blaster.

Kasia studied the two of them thoughtfully. The way they interacted... there was certainly a level of affection there. But the fact that the child didn't have a name... and what Mando had said earlier about not going to Nevarro for her... She stilled. "Is he one of your quarry?" she asked quietly, looking down at the child with soft eyes.

The Mandalorian stiffened, and that was all the answer she needed as she slowly brought her gaze up to give him an accusatory glare. She understood herself being one of his hunted, but for this small, delicate creature...

"How did you know that?" he repeated his earlier question, hand slowly lifting his blaster from its holster.

She gave a half-smile, glancing over his shoulder as planets and stars flew by in a blur of white and blue. Somewhere far off in the galaxy, she could almost imagine her own planet, lush with trees, bright with sunlight, loud with laughter. But she knew that even if she traveled to her home planet, the reality wouldn't be like that. Not anymore. "Would you believe me if I said it was intuition?"

The way that Mando's hand tightened on his blaster told her the answer.

She sighed. "I didn't think so."

Gods, was she really going to tell him that if she willed it so she could hear the thoughts flowing through his brain as easily as he could hear the thrum of an engine or the shot of a blaster? Still, she didn't see how it could hurt. Maybe it could even earn her brownie points for sharing it with him. And at the very least, it would freak him the hell out—a rather entertaining notion. 

Biting her lip, she glanced to the side. "Can I at least sit down?"

*.*.*