𝖜𝖎𝖘𝖍𝖇𝖔𝖓𝖊, 𝔡𝔦𝔫 𝔡𝔧𝔞𝔯𝔦𝔫

𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

THEY TRUDGED UP the steep incline, battered, bruised and fatigued. Sevara's arm stung where she had sliced it from shoulder to elbow, though in all honesty she was more worried for Mando. His armour had been roughed up during the fight, with his beskar hanging hanging on by the bare minimum and despite all that, Mando still protected her, pushing her out of harms way as he took the beast head on. Sevara couldn't lie, her heart fluttered at his act and instead of pushing away the feeling, she embraced it for a moment, no matter how fleeting.

Beside them, the child remained in it's deep slumber. It's chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, presumably recharging from it's heroic performance as it saved both Sevara and Mando from the Mudhorn. The child's peculiar gift still left Sevara puzzled each time she recalled how it commanded the Mudhorn, but she dismissed the feeling as the Jawas fortress came into view, with Kuiil waving them over.

"Sevara, Mando!"

"We have it," he grunted, raising the prize in his arms. "We got the Egg."

At that, a wave of Jawas rushed from their fortress and huddled around them as Mando handed them the Egg that looked as though it had sprouted long, brown tendrils from it's shell. The Jawas sliced it open, chanting with glee as they passed the Egg around to each other, savouring the yellow yolk it contained. Shaking his head, Mando beckoned Sevara to follow as he crossed over to Kuiil, who's eyes widened as he took in her nasty gash.

"Sevara, your arm!" Kuiil said as he gently took her wrist and examined her once gray sleeve, now stained with red. She winced at the touch, sending a sharp stabbing sensation through her whole limb. Kuiil apologised, dropping her wrist as she cradled her arm to her chest.

"I can take care of it," said Mando, earning a raised brow from Sevara as he took a half step forward, reasoning, "I've had my fair share of cuts and bruises. I know what to do."

"Oh— okay, thank you."

"You're welcome," said Mando, his finger briefly dancing over her uninjured arm before bidding goodbye as he and Kuiil went to negotiate the Jawas end of the deal.

A smile played on Sevara's lips, her thoughts drifting to the bounty hunter as she guided the pod to the cart, lowering herself onto the side of it as she swayed her feet above the ground. Not long after, the parts for Mando's ship had been loaded onto the cart and secured with rope as they set off back to the farm, the afternoon light casting a golden glow.

"Is it still sleeping?" Kuiil asked, glancing back as he held on tight to the reins of his blurrg.

Sevara watched as Mando reached out, gently rocking the pod as it glided alongside them, replying, "Yes."

She was perched beside Mando with their their knees brushing against each other's in feather-light touches. Sevara tried her best to not press her body against his as she was mere inches away, for she wasn't sure where he was hurting the most under all his armour. Still, as she glanced at him Sevara wasn't sure Mando would even tell her if he was wounded, although his armour suggested otherwise.

"Was it injured?" Asked Kuiil, glancing back once more, this time his gaze fixed on Sevara. Unwilling to acknowledge it, she flicked her line of sight towards rocks, ignoring him.

"I don't think so," Mando replied. "Not physically."

"Explain it to me again," asked Kuiil, "I still don't understand what happened."

"Neither do we."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

TWILIGHT HAD APPROACHED, bathing them in the deep blue of the night as Mando's ship came into view. The Razor Crest, he had told Sevara as they pulled up beside it, with Mando saying, "There's no way we're gonna get this to work without a full maintenance facility. This is gonna' take days to fix."

"If you care to help," said Kuiil, "it might go faster."

"Besides," Sevara interjected as she moved to help Kuiil unload the cart, "I used to fix up ships for a living, remember?"

"Oh no you don't," said Mando as he eased the sheet of metal from her grip. "You can't do anything with your arm bleeding out like that. It could get infected."

Sevara crossed her arms, "I think I can deal with a little infection."

Mando shook his head, huffing a soft laugh. "Come on, I've got stuff inside."

Kuiil waved them off as Mando lead Sevara inside his ship to the cockpit, the only compartment still in tact for the most part. He guided her to the co-pilot seat, then bent down to retrieve a small box beneath the control panel. Sevara noted how he winced as he lowered himself onto the cool brown material of pilot seat, turning on the flashlight at his helmet and twisting around to see her arm.

"You'll, uh— you'll need to take it off so I can clean your wound," said Mando, pointing to her blood-stained shirt.

With a hesitant nod, Sevara peeled the bloody grey fabric from her body, leaving her in her white sleeveless undershirt. She suddenly felt more exposed than ever as his gaze seemed to rake over the multitude of milky white scars that littered her skin, a permanent reminder of her time in captivity. Mando flicked his gaze away from her markings, instead focusing on the box in his lap as he dug through its contents, pulling out a small vial of clear liquid and a square of cloth.

"This might sting," he said as soaked the cloth in the liquid and pressed it to her wound. In the harsh light, she was given a better look at the gash, feeling her stomach flip each time she really looked at it.

As Mando removed the red-stained cloth, his gentle touch remained on her upper arm. He gaze caught her inner wrist and in an airy motion, his finger trailed down to the small letter of ink embellished into her skin, spelling out the letter, 'T'.

His breath hitched, asking, "What does this mean?"

"Oh," said Sevara, a flush coating her cheeks, "I have... had, someone who meant a lot to me but... he's gone now. I got it as a reminder that he'll always be with me, I suppose."

Mando gave a careful nod, retracting his touch as he began to dress her wound, asking, "This 'someone', were they a... lover?"

"You could say that," she replied, her gaze falling to her ring finger. The diamond was as absent as it had been for years.

"And your scars," he said, his head tilted, "what happened?"

Sevara shook her head, "I don't want to talk about it."

Mando was silent, giving only a slow nod in response and continued to bandage her arm without another word. When he was finished, Sevara shrugged her shirt back on, grateful for the long sleeves that kept her scars hidden.

As she quietly thanked him, making a start to exit the Razor Crest, Mando caught her arm, saying, "Don't be ashamed of them, okay? I have scars too, so I understand it's hard not to be. Instead of thinking about them in a negative light, think of them as the story of how you survived."

Sevara nodded, hesitating for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand in hers, replying, "Thank you."

The two of them stepped out from the ship, dropping hands as Kuiil turned to them and said, "There is much work to do."

From the peak of twilight up until dawn, they worked together on fixing the Razor Crest from it's stripped state. Sevara managed to fall back into a steady rhythm as she repaired the ship, her muscle memory flowing through her as she reconstructed the ship.

After an hour or so, Sevara paused as she raised her shirtsleeve and observed her many scars. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Mando was right. No longer should she see them as the villains, the permanent markings etched into her skin from her imprisonment, but as the saviours, for each one of them told a story of how she survived the treacherous days in the Spice Mines of Kessel.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾

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