I'll Do The Same { Din Djarin x OC}

Chapter Nine: Armor

Thell was restless.

The ride to Pasaana would be long, so she had stuck to camping out in the cockpit with the Mandalorian while Grogu was sleeping down below. The time was silent, and the lull of the Razor Crest threatened to put her to sleep. But her mind was racing, as fast as the streaks of stars that flew by the ship. In all but a day, she had found out who her father had been, his name, and where the remaining pieces of his armor could be.

Her mother had rarely spoken of him, and when she had, it was with contempt. Bo had talked of her father with such high esteem, so what had occurred that had caused such a divide between her parents? Unless Bolie, her father's friend, knew anything, she doubted she would ever come to know the answer.

But with the discovery only came more questions. Why hadn't he ever come and tried to visit her? Did he never hear the news of her mother's death? Had he even known where she was?

But she couldn't help but admire him, Theldar Avan, for his bravery and sacrifice. He had agreed to fight with his Clan and join the others in a fight that desperately needed them. He had been friends with Bo and sacrificed himself saving friends. He had died when she was in her early twenties, in a world that still needed warriors fighting for the light. The Empire, the Emperor had all been crushed five years previous, and her father had never lived to see it. Regardless, as she held the necklace that represented her father's Clan, her Clan, she couldn't help but feel love expound for him.

Her fingers were just skimming over the metal when Mando's voice caught her attention.

"You okay?"

Head raised, Thell realized the Mandalorian had turned, looking at her directly from his seat. Her throat felt dry.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Is something wrong?"

"You're quieter than usual."

"Oh," Thell murmured. "... Really?"

The Mandalorian tilted his helmet down. "You haven't said a word in hours."

Thell blinked and replied, "I'm just thinking, I guess. How much longer until we get to Pasaana?"

"Two hours," he answered. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Thell opened her mouth to respond, knowing what she had been thinking of, but finding it difficult to put directly into words.

"I'm... I'm just shaken by what Bo told me," Thell began, rolling the necklace between her fingers. "I've lived most of my life knowing nothing about my father, and all of a sudden, there's just someone out there that knew him, that fought with him."

"Do you believe her?"

Thell nodded. "I do. I just... It's crazy how two months ago I knew nothing about him. And then I met you and the kid and so much has changed since before. I thought I would just hitch a ride for a while, make myself some money so I could go live on Naboo or somewhere nice. I didn't realize I was on a roadtrip to find myself and uncover the mysteries of my family."

The Mandalorian was quiet, gazing back at her with the mask gleaming in starlight, and the only sounds were the small beeps coming from the control panel. Thell shrank back, putting her necklace down.

"Sorry," she muttered. "That was probably more than you asked for."

"I don't mind. Doesn't seem like there's much else to do."

As he leaned back in his own seat, Thell wanted to talk to him more, ask what he had meant when he said he couldn't save his parents. But knowing how quiet and private he generally was, and wanting to respect his boundaries, she slouched back in her seat and closed her eyes.