Pet Names

Sugar

    It was time to collect, and so the clan of three was back on Nevarro. The Mandalorian went straight to the rebuilt cantina to talk to Greef Karga, and Imogen decided to just wander around the market.
    "Imogen?" she heard a gasp behind her, before she was lifted up off the ground with a squeak. "Imogen!" Aler laughed, spinning her around before setting her on the ground once more.
    "Hey Aler!" she greeted, blowing a stray tuft of hair that had come loose from her braid out of her face.
    "Are you alright?" he immediately asked, and Imogen's brows furrowed in confusion when Aler kept his hands on her shoulders and scanned her from head to toe.
    "Yeah," she said. "Why wouldn't I be?" her arms crossed over her chest as she stepped back, and Aler shrugged.
    "Well, you left with the Mandalorian," he said, as if that was enough of an explanation for his concern, but Imogen was still confused.
    "Yes," she said, raising her eyebrows and gesturing with her hand for him to go on.
    "I just wanted to make sure he didn't bum you out too much," Aler shrugged again, and Imogen's eyes narrowed in an indignant glare as she processed his words.
    "I've had fun," she said curtly, voice wiped of all emotion.   
    "But-"
    "I've had fun," she repeated, more forceful. "Thanks for your concern, Aler," and she swept past him, hearing Aler's gasp as he noticed Ruu'Eva, who was strapped to her back.
    "Baby!" she heard a voice shout, and she whipped around with her glare still in place, ready to take on any threat to her baby. Her gaze softened when she saw Greef walking beside her Mandalorian with a large smile, arms outstretched. The Mandalorian walked slightly ahead of his guild contact, reaching Imogen first and scooping Ruu'Eva out of his harness. Karga was quick to snatch him, the movement bold, but he had earned the Mandalorian's trust once more, some time between Ruu'Eva healing him when the Mandalorian was still wanted and Imogen being hired.
    Imogen's lips quirked into a smile as Ruu'Eva cooed up at the man, whose gaze fell on her next.
    "And you must be the lovely Imogen," he said, extending a hand in greeting while the other held Ruu'Eva against his side. "I've seen you around but never had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, Greef Karga," he introduced himself, shaking Imogen's hand when she placed it in his.
    "Well, you seem to already know my name," she shrugged with a light hearted chuckle, throwing a look in the Mandalorian's direction. "I'm sure I have Sugar here to thank for that," A laugh sputtered out of Karga's lips.
    "Sugar?" he repeated, looking at the Mandalorian with a mirthful gaze. The Mandalorian simply pointed at him.
    "Not a word," he growled, and Karga held up his free hand in surrender.
    Soon enough they parted ways, Karga returning to the cantina, and the Mandalorian taking Imogen through a couple back streets and alleyways.
    "If I didn't know any better, Sugar," Imogen giggled as the Mandalorian tilted his helmet to her to show he was listening. "I'd say you were taking me someplace to murder me," the Mandalorian huffed out a chuckle with a shake of his head.
    "Come on," his hand grabbed hers, and Imogen tried to will away the warmth that spread on her cheeks at the action. There had been handholding before between the pair, but here, on Nevarro, it seemed more intimate. They knew people here, it was as close to a 'home base' as you could get for the pair, especially the Mandalorian considering this is where the covert was.
    They went through a couple more twists and turns before disappearing behind a random curtain. Imogen's brows furrowed as the Mandalorian led her to a staircase going down, and soon they were under the city.
    "Well, well," Imogen gasped at the deep, booming voice that echoed around the hallway they were in, head whipping to see another Mandalorian, this one taller and bulkier than hers, approaching them. "He's brought a girl home,"
    "Paz," her Mandalorian greeted, ignoring the other's teasing.
    "And what's your name?" the hulking Mandalorian asked, helmet turning to face Imogen.
    "I'm Imogen," she answered, thrusting her hand out, and the Mandalorian called Paz let out a booming laugh at the action, causing Imogen to flinch back, withdrawing her hand.
    "Cute," was all Paz said as he brushed past Imogen and her Mandalorian.

    "Sugar, did I do something wrong?" Imogen asked her Mandalorian as Paz was walking away, and Din cringed as he remembered she didn't know that a Mandalorian's helmet had built-in hearing enhancers.
    "Sugar?" Paz boomed, stomping back over to them. "You call him SUGAR?" Imogen cringed, shuffling so that she was partially hidden behind Din's shoulder, and he squeezed her hand in reassurance that it was okay.
    "S-since I don't know-know his name," Imogen stuttered out an explanation, and Paz humphed. "But it-it's not always S-Sugar," Paz tilted his helmet at her before turning back to Din.
    "Copikla," he said, and though he knew Imogen couldn't tell, Din could basically feel Paz's smirk under his helmet. Imogen still bristled, Din having explained to her the insult of calling a woman cute in Mando'a, copikla being a phrase reserved for animals and babies.
    "Ne'johaa!" he growled, and Paz laughed as he walked away again.
    "So can I rip his head off?" Imogen asked, and Din barked out a laugh when Paz froze for a moment before continuing to walk away.
    "Not right now," he answered, and Imogen sighed dejectedly as Din led her further through the tunnels.
    "Why did you bring me this time?" Imogen asked after a minute or two of walking, and Din paused, remembering the last time he had spoken to the armorer, last time they had been on Nevarro.
   "Din," the armorer said as they sat together, just catching up. Imogen was closer than she thought when she had said the armorer seemed more like his therapist, she was his close friend. He tilted his helmet at her. "I need to meet this girl," she said, and Din tensed.
    "Why's that?" he asked, and the armorer reached over and grabbed his hand, shoving something into his palm.
    "I believe in some cultures it marks a certain stage of a relationship to bring someone to meet the family," she said, and Din could hear the amusement in her voice.
    "We're not-"
    "It's inevitable," she cut him off, and Din froze, saying no more since he knew that it was at least inevitable that he would tell Imogen how he feels, no matter how far in the future it was. The armorer withdrew her hand and Din looked down and gasped, seeing a pin with his signet, the Mudhorn. "For her," the armorer said, and Din looked back up at her.
    "Thank you," he said, voice flooded with emotion.
    "The armorer wanted to meet you," he said, and saw how Imogen's shoulders tensed.
    "That's not intimidating at all, Sugar," she muttered sarcastically, and Din chuckled as he threw an arm around her shoulders, forcing them to relax.
    "Relax," he soothed, Ruu'Eva cooing from his place on his dad's hip, where he had been mostly silent. It was then that he heard the clinking of armor, and he led Imogen the final bit of the way to where the armorer was already walking towards them.
    "Hello," she greeted, and Din nodded at her.
    "H-hi," Imogen breathed. The armorer tilted her helmet as she appraised her, before turning to Din.
    "She's... tiny," she said finally, Din huffing out a laugh at that being her first thought.
    "She's right here," Imogen shot back, not liking the two warriors talking, literally, over her head. The armorer laughed lightly.
    "Apologies, ad'ika," she bowed her head, and Imogen sighed. "What name have you chosen for him today?" the armorer asked after another moment of silent appraisal, and Imogen startled.
    "What?" she asked, voice quiet.
    "What name have you chosen for him today?" the armorer repeated her question, and Imogen turned her head to raise an eyebrow at Din.
    "Sugar," she answered, and the armorer chuckled softly. "I told you she was your therapist," the armorer full on laughed at that, and Din shifted his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably, this time the blush being on his face, not that anyone else was aware of that.
    "Close enough," the armorer nodded, swiftly turning and walking back to the forge, abruptly ending their conversation.
    "Nice to meet you?" Imogen called after her, voice raising in an unsure question at the end, and the armorer paused in her steps to turn their helmet back to face Imogen.
    "I look forward to our next meeting," she said, and then went behind the curtain at the end of the hallway. Imogen's face was adorably lost, and Din let out a chuckle as he led her back to the streets and then onto the Razor Crest.
    "She likes you," he said as he closed the ramp of the ship.
    "Does she?" Imogen raised her eyebrows in surprise.
    "Yes, cyar'ika," he said fondly, and Imogen smiled at him. They both climbed up to the cockpit, Din settling in the pilot's chair after handing Ruu'Eva to Imogen, and she sat in the copilot's seat with their son on her lap. "How do you feel about a little vacation?" he asked as he started the engines, and Imogen hummed in question.
    "Vacation? Where to?" she asked, clearly wondering where the big bad Mandalorian went for vacation.
    "Just a backwater skughole called Sorgan," he said, and soon they were jumping through Hyperspace to the swampy planet.

Mando'a Translations
Copikla - Cute, for animals and babies, never women unless you want your head ripped off
Ne'johaa - Shut up
Ad'ika - Little One
Cyar'ika - Darling; Beloved