found. | Din Djarin

Twelve

Cara and I walk ahead of the boys and I already know what this is about. 

"How much shit did you give him?"

"Only a little," she says but I know her better than that. "Only fair I give you some as well."

I go for denial, using my general voice as I ask her "Are men and women not allowed to be friends now Cara?"

"Not when they're eye-fucking constantly."

I elbow her in the ribs and she just laughs. "That's what I thought."

"Did you have this much of a mouth on you when I was your commanding officer."

"I did, which was why you liked me," she says and it's hard to be mad at her because it's true. "Please tell me you aren't as stubborn as he is with admitting what's going on between the two of you."

"Cara, if you think I haven't become more stubborn with age you're in for a shock," I inform her.  "And there's nothing going on."

"You sure about that?" she asks and all I can hear is him last night, when I was half asleep leaning on his shoulder with the blanket he wrapped around me.

Sweet dreams Mesh'la

My hand comes up to rub my shoulder, my eyes pressed shut for a moment as I try to forget.

"I'm sure."

"You're an awful liar you know that right."

"Look Cara, I don't have a great track record with men," I say, while we fought together in the field my love life has remained quite separate from everything else. While it's common enough knowledge I was with Lando, nobody outside my family knows about the last bounty hunter. "I left the last one so I could keep doing my job instead of settling down, and I don't plan on that changing."

Yet I can't help but taste the lie on my tongue the moment it leaves my mouth.

"And so this isn't your job now?" she asks and I suddenly regret not being stricter with her, while I was strictly formal with most of my soldiers I liked her enough that we became friends. "But you know that you've got him some type of way."

I just laugh at that. "We're talking about the same guy right?"

"You mean the one who's been staring at you since you two hopped off that ship and I bet fifty credits he's staring at you right now."

While she glances over her shoulder I don't have to. I can feel his gaze melting into me.

"So what if he's looking at me?" I counter. "He's observant, vigilant. It's nothing."

"You two are perfect for each other" she says sarcastically as she shakes her head.

"And why's that?"

"You're the biggest idiots in the galaxy."

"Oh no," I say shaking my head. "If you knew my history with men you'd very much agree drawing that line is the smartest thing I've done in my life."

And with that I decide to finish the conversation and turn back around to the boys, the sudden action makes Din halt.

"So Magistrate Karga," I begin with a lighter voice than what I typically use when I'm presenting myself as a general, my mother did raise me to follow after her even if she underestimated just how much I took after my father. "As much as I've loved catching up with my old friend here, what's this business you want our assistance with?"