Broken Soul | Din Djarin

chapter four: the connection

Kuiil had taken one of the blurrgs back to his home while the two of you were in the encampment, leaving the remaining one behind for the trek back to the ship. Unfortunately, that blurrg had broken free and ran off in all of the noise and excitement of blaster fire. So, you had resorted to walking back to the ship... for several hours... with the man that had hunted you and planned to turn you in.

Fan-kriffing-tastic.

Personally, you don't mind the walking part of this strange situation. There are definitely worse situations to be in than this and you're thankful for the chance to stretch your legs... it's just the company... and the painfully awkward silence so thick and tangible that one could probably cut it with a knife. The Mandalorian is walking by your side while the Child's pod levitates between you. Neither of you have spoken since you left the encampment, and your mind keeps drifting back to the Nikto you'd met in the hallway. After seeing the display of bodies outside of the hangar door, you don't have a good feeling about the chance of survival for the Nikto who had let you pass. The sight of the men's fearstricken eyes flicker in the back of your mind and a heavy weight of shame for taking their lives settles in your chest.

Mando notices the tension and breaks the silence, startling you when his modulated voice crackles through the air after such a long silence.

"Where did you go?"

You turn your head to look at him. "What?"

He's staring straight ahead. "You. You disappeared after we got to the encampment. Where did you go?"

"Oh," you look down at your boots and kick a rock down the path ahead of you. "I found an opening in the wall so I went to look inside while you dealt with the droid. And, for the record, I didn't 'disappear'... you ditched me."

He nods slowly as the silence returns. You awkwardly look at your surroundings, admiring the beauty of the desert. You're walking in a small canyon with overhanging walls above you. The stone is tan with streaks of red throughout its surface. The light of the setting suns leaks into the canyon and illuminates the walls, turning everything the light touches a golden orange. You look over at the Child to see that it too is observing the world around him with awe, leaving you to wonder how long he'd been tucked away in that encampment and how he got there in the first place. Reaching out to stroke the Child's ear, you crack a smile when it coos in return. The feeling of an intense stare makes you look back up to see Mando watching you admire the Child, and you quickly pull your hand away, turning to stare forward once again. You wish you could see his expression. While the Force does help you with sensing the emotions of those around you, seeing a face filled with emotion is more comfortable for you than the void stare of his T-shaped visor. It's more human. Natural.

His stare never strays from you as he continues the conversation. "What happened to those Niktos?"

"Oh... um... Nothing."

"... Nothing?"

"Yep," you say quickly, popping the pronunciation with emphasis.

Another awkward silence. Mando sighs, his breath reverberating through his helmet's modulator.

"What's your name?"

You look at him incredulously at the question, scoffing slightly as you do so. He holds your gaze, a stupid look of confusion etched across his hidden expression, "What?"

"You tracked me across the galaxy and you don't even know my name?!"

"They didn't tell me much."

Scoffing, "Yeah, I can see that." You pause, eventually looking at him again with a frown, "Alora."

"Excuse me?"