#test muse: Ahsoka

[timeguardians]

"Ahsoka. Focus." Anakin told her as he sat there watching her go through the motions of Form V and the routine he placed on her.

Frustration ROARS, crackling like untamed ELECTRICITY, through every part of Ahsoka's fatigued form. She's too far into her head, into all the PAIN and SUFFERING she witnessed all around her. She can't possibly dedicate attentiveness to her own movements which, had become brash and sloppy. Saber dropping to her side she turns to him, to her Master.

"What if I want to STOP fighting?" Tano challenges, her fingers still curled about the hilt of her saber. "All I've ever wanted to be was a keeper of PEACE. All I've been since I've joined you, since I've been a PADAWAN, is a SOLDIER." Her part of this LEGACY is only DEATH, WAR, DESTRUCTION.

[isthisfree]

WIP Wednesday

Obi-Wan had learned to crochet, not knit, when he was seven years old. A visiting Master had been assigned to the creche and thought it would be a good skill to teach the younglings. They had been told it could help their fine motor skills, patience, and perseverance. Obi-Wan now thinks the Master should have added restraint to the list. Over the years Obi-Wan has had to restrain himself from buying every shade and variation of yarn he comes across, restrain himself from taking on too many projects or giving unrealistic deadlines to his friends’ requests, and the hardest one of all, restrain himself from taking his crochet hook and stabbing every single person, who no matter how often they have been corrected, still calls it knitting, right in their apparently useless eye. 

Obi-Wan eyed the hook in his hand, and mused that he could probably pop someone’s eyeball right out of their socket if he was so inclined, but luckily for the uncultured masses he could control his more murderous impulses. If he became truly irked though, he could always sic Anakin on them. His former Padawan would probably relish an opportunity to maim someone with a crochet hook. And what kind of Master would Obi-Wan be if he didn’t provide fun and enriching experiences from time to time? 

He looked up from the blanket he was working on for Ahsoka and caught sight of his reflection in the window. Blast. He was smiling, again. Obi-Wan forced himself to frown and turn his thoughts away from Anakin and back to the blanket for his Grand-Padawan. It had been happening more and more lately, his mind would betray him. Whenever Obi-Wan’s thoughts began to drift they would inevitably land on Anakin.

That in and of itself wouldn't be so bad, nothing to get worked up about. Anakin is an important - the most important really, part of his life. Of course he thinks about him! The issue was that his thoughts were becoming less and less...platonic in nature. But he reasoned, that doesn’t necessarily mean they were romantic thoughts or…lustful thoughts. No. There has to be a level between purely platonic and romantic, right? He shook his head. Best not to dwell, ignorance is bliss and all that. 

Obi-Wan tugged on his yarn. It didn’t budge. He signed. Of course his yarn was tangled. How could he expect anything to go smoothly when his own mind was such a mess. Meditation had not given him his usual amount of comfort. And why would it? His face twisted with self loathing. Of course he couldn’t successfully give his feelings for Anakin, because if he was honest they are romantic feelings, to the force, if deep down he didn’t want to let them go. He was a failure of a Jedi, a Master, and a friend. 

He pushed the blanket aside. He might need to scrap this project all together and start from scratch. Qui-Gon had always maintained that the recipients of gifts such as these could sense what the maker was feeling as they worked. Obi-Wan never really believed Qui-Gon, but he had never received a handmade blanket, scarf, poncho, or stuffed animal to test the theory. He was properly horrified though at even the smallest chance that poor Ahsoka might pick up on his inappropriate feelings. He would rather burn it to ash than have that happen. 

Ok, definitely time to take of break if he is contemplating arson. Obi-Wan stood and picked up the half finished blanket and his supplies, carefully storing them away in the custom caf table Anakin had made for him. It was full of drawers and compartments, big and small, designed to hold his yarn, hooks, stitch markers, scissors, really anything he could ever need for a project. Obi-Wan slowly ran his hand over the top of the table, before snatching it away. This was truly getting pathetic. Trying to sense his Padawan’s potential feelings for him from furniture. If this wasn’t rock bottom, Obi-Wan didn’t want to know what was. 

He needed to get out of their apartment, get his body moving and quite his mind. Obi-Wan clipped on his saber and headed out the door, his feet pointing him in the direction of the training salles. If this just happened to be the time that Anakin usually tended to be there himself, well that was just a coincidence, nothing more.

[vodika-vibes]

Dust & Ashanii having to sit and do math hw 😂

Fun fact: Math was always my worst subject—and I hated it more because my parents always signed me up for extracurricular math classes. Maybe Cody should threaten to sign them up for math class next time they be mischievous little gremlins 🤭

Mm. Math. I fell behind in elementary school, when I was like 7, and I stayed fallen behind until I was, like, 11 and was failing math. I'm still so bad at it. I don't know my times tables at all. Multiplying big numbers is easier than multiplying small numbers.

And then, of course, I strongly suspect that I have dyscalculia. One of the biggest signs is a hard time with pattern recognition (i always had to guess when pattern questions were on math tests), difficulty with word problems (I can't turn words into numbers. I just can't.) Reading an analogue clock (I can, but it's not instantly. It takes me about 15 seconds) and differentiating left and right (my husband thinks it's funny, but I have to use my hand to determine which way is left, it's why gps is a life saver.)

ANYWAY

"So, you think that this planet is a good one?" Master Windu asks over the holo as his daze darts between Obi-Wan and Ahsoka and then back again. "I do." Ahsoka agrees, "The force feels weird here in some places, but I think that might actually help us hide." Mace nods slowly, "And your padawan, what does she think?" "She's fine." Ahsoka replies absently. Blue glances at his General, and then clears his throat, drawing the attention of the council, "And by that, she means that the planet can be confusing to young Force Users. Ashanii got lost and wasn't able to use the force to find her way back." "That's concerning-" Mace murmurs, "And she's alright?" "She is now. We pulled a cadet around the same age out here, they're bonding. Hopefully it'll keep her out of trouble while she adjusts." Blue folds his arms, "Other than that, it is a good planet, we just need to mesh the kids together." "How do you mean, Captain?" General Koon asks. "Look, I get that you force types are used to using the Force for every little thing. But it makes you utterly incapable of surviving when you can't use it. Our Cadets can help the kids adapt until they adapt to the planet." "Hm...I think it's a good idea." Depa muses thoughtfully as she taps her lower lip with her knuckles, "We can start merging the cadets with the younglings here, before we move there-" "Send the corps to you, we shall." Master Yoda says, "Begin building shelters, they will." And that's the end of it. The Jedi now have a new base of operations while they fight the war.

[rexsokaficquotes]

He was oddly profound for a twenty year old boy. But he was an artist at heart, and something in him resonated with something in her. 

“You sound like a philosophy student when you talk like that.” She smiles, nudging his boot under the table. 

His grin is almost lopsided—dangerously inviting. 

They find a comfortable pause in conversation after that. Finishing their drinks and beginning rough sketches to work out kinks in the rendering or test out different mediums. Rex shares a few stories of his brothers, and Ahsoka secretly thinks she could get lost in the way his eyes light up as he talks about them. In turn she talks about the specific kind of art she’s majoring in and her interest with the classics. 

It's sappy and entirely too poignant the way she thinks about Rex. He consumes her thoughts like a visceral kind of romanticization. His smile, his laugh, his eyes. The furrow in his brow that she’d like to smooth out with her fingers, the rosiness of his cheeks she’d like to cup with her palms. It was the kind of poetic obsession only an artist could possess and—as he suggested they meet at his dorm on Friday since he was the one with a single—Ahsoka couldn’t even find it in herself to mind.

— jewelofmandalore, from Muse

[galaxyvoices]

Here is the newly updated list of muses! It can also be found here (x).

Star Wars

Quinlan Vos (canon w/legends lore mixed in.)

Darth Thanaton (SWTOR.)

Bode Akuna ( JS.)

Trilla Suduri (JFO.)

Tala Durith (Kenobi series.)

Shin Hati (Ahsoka series. Mostly headcanon based.)

Qui-Gon Jinn (canon w/some legends lore. lots o'headcanons. Very selective.)

Eilhara Corrik (OC / Primarily sequel era. but a lil before.) Her bio is here (x)

Kandri Harik (OC / Prequel/High Republic'ish.) Her bio is here (x)

The Grand Inquisitor (Test muse. Request only.)

Doctor Who

Ruby Sunday (test muse.)

Star Trek

James T. Kirk (Alternate Timeline.)

Dune

Chani Kynes (movie based w/some book elements. I am currently reading it. By request only. Test muse.)

[madmanwonder]

My Mood

AU(S): Barbarian AU: King of the Barbarian AU, Monster Girl AU, Spy AU, Horror AU: Vampire AU, Yandere AU, Law and Crime AU: Criminal AU - Mafia AU & Officer AU - Undercover Cop AU, Alien AU, Cyberpunk AU, Fantasy World AU: Guild Adventurer AU, Caribbean AU: Pirate AU, Childhood Friend AU, Gym AU, Mercenary AU, Slavery AU: Gladiator AU

General Moods: Yandere, Romance, One-Sided Affection, Dramedy, Comedy, 2koma, Shipping, Cute, Wholesome, Angsty

Main Muses: Naruto, Vermil in Gold, Dragon Ball Series, Dead or Alive/Ninja Gaiden, SNK Franchise, One Piece, Marvel, Fairy Tail, Tekken, Highschool DxD, Nintendo Franchise, Star Wars, A Song of Ice and Fire, Mass Effect, World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls, The Testament of Sister New Devil, Akame ga Kill!, Highschool of the Dead

Main Male Muses: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anduin Wrynn, M!Commander Shepard, Farkas, Robb Stark Mario, Basara Tojo, Tatsumi, Takashi Komuro, Vegeta, Ryu Hayabusa, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Gray Fullbuster, Issei Hyoudou, Geese Howard, Kazuya Mishima, Jun Kazama, Alto Goldfield, Kakashi Hatake

Main Female Muses: Myrcella Baratheon, Vermeil, Bulma, Momiji, Chizuru Kagura, Jaina Proudmoore, Vinsmoke Reiju, Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, Ur (Fairy Tail), Serana, Ahsoka Tano, Ashley Williams, Maria Naruse, Akeno Himejima, Saeko Busujima, Esdeath, Princess Peach, Anko Mitarashi

Meme: If They Had a Kid, Mortal Kombat Intro - MK 1 Intro, Kill or Spare, April Fools Joke, Big [Redacted] Disability, Love at First Fight, Cheerleader Outfit, Pregnancy Test, Bubble Tea Challenge, I Am Twisted in Love and Madness, I'm Now Offically Moronsexual, Hi Whatcha Doin'?, Crossover Crack Ship

[rainestorm-days]

May or may not be inspired by Someone New by Hozier

-

Chloe sighed, tilting her head slightly. “What about over a cup of coffee?”

“I like chai better.” The natural reply startled Shin a little, most people weren’t easy to talk to. She copied Chloe’s confident demeanor, facing her as the elevator door opened and she walked backwards out of it. “Tomorrow maybe?” She felt a little odd doing something so…normal and exciting after what had happened, yet maybe that was a necessary distraction from it all. Some way to heal.

“Chai tomorrow it is then. Could I get your number? So that we actually know where and when to meet.” Bold, upfront. A calm but bubbly energy to her request that made Shin’s cheeks warm.

“Sure, I can put it in your phone, and you can put yours in mine. A fair exchange.” She took her phone out, handing it to Chloe as she took the phone from her hand. The clear case on the phone had a piece of a polaroid under it, a beautiful smile on one of the pictures, then an adorably silly face on the other, Shin smiled as she put in her contact info, “Shin <3” as the name.

When Chloe handed the phone back, the contact name she had put was “New Best Friend (Chloe Jones).” A small laugh bubbled up from both of them as they examined the names. “A bit presumptuous, calling yourself my best friend only minutes after meeting.”

“Well we’re going to be, so might as well have it in there already. To put it to the test, favorite Studio Ghibli movie?”

Shin smirked, a little surprised she’d already guessed one thing about her. “Howl’s Moving Castle. How’d you know I like the films?”

“Because I do. See? Best friends already.” They both stood by the doors of the building. “I hope I’m not being weird or anything,” Chloe spoke after a small silent moment, a quiet anxiety in her eyes. 

“Not at all.” She tried to keep her gaze, a soft smile on her face, but the car she’d been waiting for pulled up. She didn’t want to keep them waiting as well. “It’s nice to have another friend. I have to go, but I’ll text you! Okay?” She paused in the door as she pushed it open, cold already seeping through her clothes.

Chloe nodded, “See you tomorrow.”

Shin couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she climbed into the passenger seat of Hera’s car, double checking the seat belt as she buckled it. “You seem happier now than when you called me.”

“I made a friend.”

-

Read it all on Ao3!

[mvndrvke]

independent selective multimuse written by luna ( 29 ; they/he )

other blogs. pomegrvnvtes ( edits ) other links. carrd & muses & starter memes main focus muses rn. meg & shmi & rickon & shireen current writing level. low

muses

literature.

mythology. menelaus & orpheus & penelope of ithaca & neoptolemus & hades & poseidon pjo. nico di angelo & cecil markowitz & annabeth chase & grover underwood & paul blofis & may mai castellan affiliated with @infernocte & @nosestealer thg. haymitch abernathy & johanna mason & effie trinket twilight (anti-smeyer). carlisle cullen & bella swan

television / film-based.

doctor who. martha jones got. shireen baratheon & rickon stark hotd. marin royce & harwin strong & theldry strong marvel/mcu. peter parker the phantom of the opera. meg giry shadow & bone. harij ghafa & inej ghafa star wars. satine kryze & seril jinn & shmi skywalker & ahsoka tano

current test muses. primrose everdeen (thg) & edwina sharma (bridgerton)

[ofluminance-a]

good afternoon lovely friends in my phone! 🌞 i saw a few things like this going around on the dash and thought i would share my private / request & testing muses also!

• ASUNA YUUKI (SWORD ART ONLINE).

REQUEST MUSES ! 

• ANN TAKAMAKI (PERSONA 5).

• FENNEC SHANND (STAR WARS).

• KIKYOU (INUYASHA).

• WENDY MARVELL (FAIRY TAIL).

• WINRY ROCKBELL (FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST).

• KAGOME HIGURASHI (INUYASHA).

• MIROKU (INUYASHA).

• LUNA (SAILOR MOON).

• ATSUSHI NAKAJIMA (BUNGOU STRAY DOGS).

• MOMO YAOYOROZU (BNHA).

• ROGUE CHENEY ( FAIRY TAIL).

• GAJEEL REDFOX (FAIRY TAIL).

• AHSOKA TANO (STAR WARS).

• CATELYN STARK (GOT).

• PADME AMIDALA (STAR WARS).

TEST MUSES ! 

• MISTY / KASUMI (POKEMON). 

• MICHIRU KAGEMORI (BNA).

• CHRISSY CUNNINGHAM ( STRANGER THINGS. )

• KAMISATO AYATO ( GENSHIN IMPACT. )

• KAMISATO AYAKA ( GENSHIN IMPACT. )

• CAPTAIN BEIDOU. ( GENSHIN IMPACT. )

• YUZUHA SHIBA. ( TOKYO REVENGERS. )

• HINATA TACHIBANA. ( TOKYO REVENGERS. )

* these muses are always able to be requested! there are probably more i cannot think of at the moment too! 😆

[timeguardians]

Closed captioning on YOUTUBE, what are you DOING???!!!! The line is supposed to be "I won't fight you." But I can't stop laughing at the idea of Ahsoka going "I won't bite you, Master." XDDD Cold comfort, I guess. XDD

[storyventure]

#STORYVENTURE  ——  an  independent  multimuse  blog  with  muses  from  various  games ,  animanga ,  webcomics ,  and  animated  movies  and  shows currently  low-activity  due  to  life.

mobile - accessible  links :

Carrd (under construction)

Rules (check “read more”

Muses (check “read more”)

Memes

Docs Page (under construction)

Interest Tracker (under construction)

CURRENTLY WATCHING

Steven Universe: 150 ep left

Invader Zim: 21 ep left

Retold by Salem

FULL MUSE LIST & RULES UNDER THE “Read More”

Muse Count: 53

PRIMARY

Adora (Shera)

Entrapta (Shera)

Hordak (Shera)

Horde Prime (Shera)

Amity Blight (The Owl House)

King Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Willow Park (The Owl House)

Vash the Stampede (Trigun Stampede)

Million Knives (Trigun Stampede)

Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler)

Yang Xiao Long (RWBY)

Qrow Branwen (RWBY)

Weiss Schnee (RWBY)

Salem (RWBY)

Roman Torchwick (RWBY)

Adam Taurus (RWBY)

Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars Rebels)

Cal Kestis (Star Wars Fallen Order & Survivor)

Darth Maul (Star Wars Rebels)

Miguel O'Hara (Spider-Verse)

SECONDARY

Drew Anubis (Dislyte)

Triki Loki (Dislyte)

Xiao Yin (Dislyte)

Trevor Sphinx (Dislyte)

Lucifer Morningstar (Obey Me)

Leviathan (Obey Me)

Belphagor (Obey Me)

Diavolo (Obey Me)

Death the Kid (Soul Eater)

Crona (Soul Eater)

TERTIARY (On hiatus, but will write upon request only)

Alucard (Castlevania)

Dracula (Castlevania)

John Morris (Castlevania)

Maru Mori (Blue Period)

Haruka Hashida (Blue Period)

Yatora Yaguchi (Blue Period)

Luz Noceda (The Owl House)

Gus Porter (The Owl House)

Vee Noceda (The Owl House)

Hunter Wittebane (The Owl House)

TEST MUSES

Zim (Invader Zim)

Tallest Red (Invader Zim)

Dib (Invader Zim)

Amethyst (Steven Universe)

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

REQUEST ONLY

Eda Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Lilith Clawthorne (The Owl House)

Hooty (The Owl House)

Legoshi (Beastars)

Louis (Beastars)

Haru (Beastars)

Rezaren Ammosine (Dragon Age: Absolution)

Fairbanks (Dragon Age: Absolution)

Qwydion (Dragon Age: Absolution)

Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler)

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

------------------------------------------------------------

GUILDLINES

------------------------------------------------------------

BASIC RP ETIQUETTE: No God-modding or power-playing allowed. Trim your replies please. Do not force ships. Just don't be a jerk.

SHIPPING: I love all kinds of ships. Romantic, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love, Familial Bonds, Platonic. I am open to developing relationships with all of my characters as long as there's chemistry. And both muses are of the same age. & as stated before. Please do not force ships on me if I'm not interested in the idea of it.

ACTIVITY: Due to life. I am very low-activity. But I try to spend my time here as much as I can. Please be patient with me.

MEMES & THREADS: Memes do not expire. So, please go ahead and send me memes from months ago or years ago. I don't mind at all. Always feel free to turn any meme response into a thread. I am a huge fan of multiple threads with my writing partners. Never hesitate to start something new with me even if we have a lot of other threads already. If sending memes isn't your thing, I would love to plot something out with you, don't hesitate to pop into my ims. If I spam you with memes please do not ever feel obligated to respond to them.

TRIGGERS & THEMES: Please note that there may be dark or sensitive themes present on this blog from time to time. If there is something i’ve neglected to tag, please kindly let me know.

FORMATTING: If you need any adjustments to the way I format my replies please do not hesitate to ask! I am using the legacy editor.

ICONS & THREADS: as a friendly reminder. Some of muses like Dislyte and Blue Period maybe iconless for awhile. Until I can commission someone for icons. If you choose to use icons in your own replies. That is fine with me. If you don't. That's also fine. I don't really have a preference on icons in threads.

[hearts-hunger]

aay’han mar’eyce (bittersweet discovery): chapter four || din djarin x reader

Read on AO3 || Masterlist

chapter one || chapter two || chapter three

Series Summary: In search of the Jedi you’ve been tasked to find, you and Din wrestle with the bittersweet discovery of your little one’s past and destined future. || Part Three of Jate’kara (Lucky Stars)

Chapter Summary: Grogu shows Ahsoka his powers, and Din makes a decision that rocks your little family.

Pairings: Din Djarin x Wife!Reader

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff | Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Mentions of canon-typical violence, pregnant reader, brief morning sickness

A/N: Hello!!! Bet y’all wondered if I’d ever come back to this series! Of course, I could never abandon Mr. and Mrs. Djarin - I merely needed to let my muse gather her thoughts. I’m very excited to be writing for this series again, and I hope it’s worth the wait!

Kriff, you’d forgotten how uncomfortable it was to sleep on the ground.

Your little one seemed no worse for wear; after a last snuggle in the cradle of your arms, he toddled off of your lap and happily chased a lizard across the ground. 

You and Din indulged in a few minutes of commiseration as you set to making a simple breakfast of portion bread, sharing a few bites with your little one whenever he could be coaxed away from chasing the critters he found. Din sat next to you, lifting the bottom of his helmet to eat; it was too risky to take it off when he wasn’t absolutely assured it was only you and your baby watching. 

“You don’t ever sleep with your helmet on anymore,” you observed. You knew he must have many times while on a hunt, but most nights found him asleep in your bunk with no armor on.

“No, thank the Maker,” he agreed. His morning voice was impossibly deep through his vocoder. “It’s fine to have on during the day, but it’s a little annoying to sleep in. It’s like sleeping with your boots on.”

You stroked your fingers over the shiny beskar; it would be smudged with dust by the time you got back to the Crest, and it would need a good polishing.

“At least your morning voice is even deeper,” you teased.

He chuckled, and the sound was so gravelly that you flushed. 

“You like it, hm?” he asked, knowing full well the effect he had on you. You gave his shoulder a light shove, and he laughed; you drank in the sound of it and the feel of him next to you.

“Ad’ika,” Din called when your baby had wandered a little too far. Grogu responded to the nickname as easily as he had his own name the night before, and you felt a bit of relief and comfort that he was just as familiar with your name for him as his given name.

“Come back over here,” Din said, crooking a finger. “You know better than to wander off.”

With a slightly disgruntled coo, your baby came back closer to you and contented himself with collecting as many little rocks and pebbles as he could fit in his tiny hands. One would tumble out as soon as he found another one, and you smiled at his diligence in collecting them.

Din stood, stretching a little as he did, a soft groan coming through the modulator. "I’m too old for this.”

He offered his hand and helped you to your feet, and you suddenly felt a twinge of morning sickness. 

“I’m too pregnant for this,” you said with a weak laugh.

Din’s whole demeanor changed as he stepped closer and hovered around you. “Are you alright? What’s wrong?”

You huffed a laugh and closed your eyes. “I’m fine, honey,” you said patiently. You would never have characterized your husband as a nervous man, but this pregnancy had brought out a fair bit of anxiety in him, and he fussed at every little thing.

“Morning sickness?” he asked, offering you his arm to lean on.

You nodded and steadied yourself against him. “It’ll pass.”

“Hey,” he said suddenly. You heard him rifle through something, probably the pocket on his belt. “I have some of those Kismet biscuits you liked on Nevarro. Would that help?”

You opened your eyes to see a slightly crumpled packet of honey-colored cookies in his outstretched hand.

“You... you got more of those?” you asked. Cara and Greef had given you the grand tour of the city, and you’d had morning sickness then too - at Cara’s suggestion, you got Kismet biscuits and nibbled on them until your rocky stomach settled. 

Din shrugged. “I thought they might be good to keep handy. I talked to a nurse droid at the school, and she said there wasn’t much you could do for morning sickness, but maybe these will help.”

You softened. “You talked to a nurse droid for me?”

He cocked his head. “Yeah.” He seemed to think it was a little thing, but it wasn’t a little thing to you. You knew how uneasy it must have made him to talk to a droid, even a nurse droid, but he’d done it for you. He’d also cared enough to pay attention to what helped and what didn’t, and to keep it on hand. You could just imagine your tough Mandalorian husband double-checking everything before you left the Crest - rifle, blaster, vibroblade, cookies for his wife’s morning sickness. You smiled at the thought.

“What?” he asked, amused.

You shook your head. “Nothing.” You took the packet from his outstretched hand and gave him an intentional smile. “Thank you for getting these for me, love.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well.”

“You know what else would make me feel better?” you asked.

You could almost see his smile. “What’s that?”

You tapped your forehead. “A kiss, please.”

He chuckled and obliged you, resting his helm against your head for a moment. The beskar was nice and cool against your skin and helped ease your headache.

“Take it easy for a bit, ok?” he said when he pulled back from you. “I’m going to try and find Ahsoka and ask her what kind of tests she has in mind.”

He sounded a little uneasy at the thought, and you didn’t blame him. You weren’t sure what kinds of tests would be necessary to determine the extent of your son’s powers or previous training, and you resolutely refused to let him do anything that would hurt him.

But, it was early yet, and you were determined to make the best of this. You gave Din’s chest plate a comforting pat before you fished out one of the Kismet biscuits and broke off a piece of it, popping it in your mouth.

“Is that helping at all?” he asked.

Actually, it was - the sharp, bittersweet taste made the morning sickness fade to a dull racket.

“Yeah, it is,” you said. “And they’re good, too. Thank you again.”

He chuckled. “You’re welcome, again.” He touched a few fingers to your cheek in parting as he stepped around you to hunker down to your son’s level. Grogu abandoned his collection of rocks and gave his daddy uppy arms, cooing happily.

“Hi, buddy,” Din said sweetly, and you could hear his smile. He took Grogu in his arms and stood. “Be good for mama, ok? I’ll be back in a little bit with the nice lady, and then you can show her your powers.”

Grogu’s ears perked up, and he babbled a response.

“I know, it’s exciting,” Din said. “You need to be on your best behavior, and mind your manners.”

You smiled. That was your husband’s go-to philosophy for raising kids - before anything else, teach them to be respectful and to mind their manners. You liked it, and the admonition had become part of your parenting vocabulary as soon as Grogu came to be with you.

Your little one gave an affirmative coo, and Din gently rubbed the tip of your baby’s ear between his gloved fingers.

“Okay. Go see mama.” Din handed your baby to you. “Be right back, cyare.”

You and Grogu waved to him as he left; even though Din would be back shortly, your baby always waved bye if someone put so much as two feet of distance between them. Din secretly loved it, and always made a point to wave back whether he was really leaving or not.

You sat on a fallen tree trunk and held your baby in your lap, and he gave a happy babble when you took another cookie from the packet for him. You put the rest in your pocket, hoping you wouldn’t need them later; you were feeling better with the cool breeze on your face. Most of the smog from the city was cleared away this far into the woods, and the forest was a little greener too; you wished you could have seen it in all its glory, before the magistrate had ordered it destroyed.

Grogu looked up at you, giving a soft chirp as he cocked his head. You smiled.

“Hi, my love,” you cooed. “You like your cookie?”

He held up his treat and grinned; you gave an affectionate laugh and brushed your fingers over his ear.

“I love you, Grogu,” you said. “And daddy loves you. And no matter what happens with these tests, your daddy and I are so proud of you.”

You hoped he understood you; if he didn’t understand the words, you hoped the tone of your voice told him how much you loved him. Ashoka wanted to test his powers, to see how much he remembered of his Jedi training - would she be disappointed if he didn’t know enough? You knew your little one was never more upset than when you or Din expressed disappointment when he got into mischief or disobeyed. It was especially noticeable with Din: your husband could scold from sunup to sundown and it wouldn’t really make a difference to your baby, but as soon as Grogu heard that shift from frustrated to disappointed in Din’s voice, he was immediately chastised and apologetic, and wanted assurances that Din loved him. 

Your husband would scoop your little one up and remind him he was loved despite the trouble he’d gotten into. Din had told you that his father had dealt with him the same way when he was a youngling, and he had always been thankful for the compassion that accompanied the chastisement. You never got the chance to meet Din’s Mandalorian father; he died before you knew Din, but Din spoke of him with great affection and respect and often said he would have loved you and the baby. You wished you could have known him and told him how proud you were of the man he’d raised.

You knew Din would be crushed when your baby left. Being a father was everything to him, and he was so good at it - he loved Grogu more than anything, and even among Mandalorians he was known for the lengths he’d gone to in order to keep his child safe. Din would let Grogu go with Ahsoka if that was what was best for him, you knew that without a doubt; he would never stand in the way of what his son needed and deserved. 

And yet, the pain of losing him would be unbearable for both of you, a gap that nothing would be able to fill. Your new baby was a blessing and an incredible joy to both of you already, but you sometimes wondered if that joy would be overshadowed by the grief of losing Grogu, or if you would feel guilty loving your new baby when you missed your first so badly.

You brushed crumbs from Grogu’s shirtfront and touched a few fingers to his cheek.

“You’re gonna do great, ad’ika,” you said, trying to infuse your voice with confidence and excitement even if you felt more like crying. “Just... show Ahsoka what you know. Daddy and I are excited to see what you learned at Jedi school.”

He waved his hand in front of him.

“Yeah, that’s right,” you said with a gentle laugh. “The magic hand thing, just like Uncle Greef said.”

He looked pleased that he’d made you laugh and cooed up at you. He babbled something for a moment before he turned and looked towards the direction of Ahsoka’s camp; you’d heard footsteps too, and you saw the telltale shine of beskar through the dense trees.

“Alright,” you said quietly, holding him close as you stood. “Don’t be nervous, okay?”

He looked up at you with an expression that made you question if that reminder had been more for you or for him, and you kissed his head.

“Fine, I’ll try not to be nervous either.”

You followed Din and Ahsoka as they came through the trees and cut through to a raised portion of the clearing. A verdant carpet of moss covered the ground and crept up the stones, springy against the soles of your boots; Din went first up the rise and offered you a hand up.

Ahsoka turned to you and offered you a smile, genuine if not a little crooked, like she hadn’t had occasion to smile in a long time. You returned it and felt a little more at ease, angling Grogu towards her as she came closer.

“Let’s see what knowledge is lurking inside that little mind,” she said, tapping your baby’s nose. He cooed at her and her smile grew wider; your little one had always had the talent of drawing out smiles from people who’d long since forgotten how it felt.

She gestured to a small, flat stone and stepped a few paces from it. You set Grogu down, giving him a little pat of reassurance, and came to stand beside your husband. Both of you were nervous, jittery; Din hid it better than you did, and took your hand in his own to try and steady you with the gentle pressure.

Ahsoka picked a stone from the ground and held it out to Grogu. You watched in fascination as the stone drifted from her palm towards him, landing in his outstretched paws.

“Now return the stone to me, Grogu,” she said, and you were surprised at how gentle she was. He didn’t make a move to send the stone back, though, and you suppressed the urge to say something.

Your husband couldn’t help it. “He doesn’t understand.”

“He does,” she corrected. She looked back at your little one.

“It’s ok,” she said. “The stone, Grogu.”

You bit your lip and waited for your baby to do as she said, wondering if he was nervous, hoping he wasn’t intimidated. Din tilted his head towards Ahsoka in encouragement.

Grogu let the stone fall from his hands, and he looked so discouraged that you knew he hadn’t done it to spite anyone. You hated trying to perform under pressure and always ended up doing a worse job than you would have if no one had been watching you, and you couldn’t help but think your son was feeling the same way. You were all circled around him, after all, watching in silence for him to do something amazing; the pressure had to be uncomfortable, and you wished there was something you could do to ease it. 

You watched as Ahsoka knelt in front of him, taking his little hand in hers. He didn’t meet her eyes.

“I sense much fear in you,” she said softly. A thread of worry pulled taut in you. What was your little one afraid of?

He did look up at her then, and realization flickered across Ahsoka’s face as they communicated in the way only they could understand. You wished you didn’t feel so jealous.

“He’s hidden his abilities to survive over the years,” Ahsoka said, looking up at you and Din. She stood and paced a few steps, thinking; you offered your little one an encouraging smile, hoping to ease whatever fear he felt.

“Let’s try something else,” she said. “Come over here.”

Din nodded towards Ahsoka again, urging your little one to do as she said; when he didn’t, Din shook his head.

“He’s stubborn,” Din said, and you were a little surprised at the hint of affection and amusement in his voice. While disobedience wasn’t a Mandalorian trait, stubbornness most certainly was, and it seemed your husband walked a fine line when it came to your little one’s unwillingness to comply.

 Your little one was like his dad in a lot of ways; he’d picked up certain traits of Din’s, like the questioning tilt of his head, and was very attuned to Din’s moods in a way he wasn’t with yours. You didn’t mind how close they were - in fact, it was one of the things you liked best, seeing how much Grogu loved his dad and wanted to be like him.

Ahsoka seemed to see the bond between them; she looked from Din to his son, reading the communication of fondness and gentle exasperation from one to the other.

“Not him,” she told Din. “You. I want to see if he’ll listen to you.”

Din seemed to close in on himself, suddenly nervous and hesitant.

“That would be a first,” he said, and you knew him well enough to hear the edge of defensiveness and warning to his voice. Din was open and warm and comfortable with you and your baby, but it was very hard for him to be vulnerable around others, and you knew he felt nervous at the thought of his bond with Grogu being the center of attention.

He did as she said, though, and stepped over to her. Ahsoka gave him a soft smile. 

“I like firsts,” she said. “Good or bad, they’re always memorable.”

You watched as she placed the stone in his hand.

“Now hold the stone out in the palm of your hand,” she said. “Tell him to lift it up.”

Din’s body language spoke of his discomfort, and he shifted his weight onto the other foot.

“Alright, kid,” he said. “Lift the stone.” His tone was oddly detached even considering his nervousness, and you felt wanted to tell Ahsoka this wasn’t how Din talked to him normally, to explain that Din was never this uncomfortable with affection. She seemed to understand, and a touch of sympathy softened her expression.

“Grogu,” she reminded him, knowing he knew his baby’s name but hoping to coax out that affection she’d seen earlier. Din set his shoulders and held the stone out again.

“Grogu,” he said, and your little one’s ears perked up. “Come on, take the stone.”

Again, your baby made no move to take it; the set of Din’s shoulders was taut with frustration and something a little like fear.

“You see?” he said to Ahsoka, tossing the stone to the ground. “I told you, he’s stubborn.”

There was no pride or amusement in his voice that time, and you realized with a wave of sympathy that it was more than just Din’s natural shyness that was making this so hard for him. Din knew as well as you did that if your little one did well enough with these tests, Ahsoka might decide to train him.

“Try to connect with him,” she said, and you knew Din would rather do anything else. To have his connection with his son be the very thing that could bring about their separation - you knew it was painful for him, and he was desperate to control it, somehow, even if that meant closing himself off.

“Din,” you said, before you could stop yourself. He looked over at you, tilting his head in question, undoubtedly studying your face. You searched for something to say to encourage him, to offer him comfort in a way that stayed between the two of you.

“Ne chaabar, cyare,” you said. Your Mando’a was rusty as best, but you knew that phrase from how often he’d said it to you - do not be afraid, beloved. You hoped he knew everything you were trying to tell him: I’m sorry, I love you, I’m worried too. It’s okay.

The set of his shoulders relaxed. He didn’t respond to you verbally, but his body language spoke volumes, as it always did: he looked more steady, less hesitant. He sighed as he looked back to your son, both of them tilting their heads at each other.

Din reached into the pocket of his belt and pulled out the gear shift handle, the thing tiny in his big hands. You softened and felt the strangest sort of ache in your chest. Din knew his little boy, and you knew Grogu would finally do as he was told if it meant getting to play with his dad.

“Grogu,” Din said, much gentler and more playful than he had before. He hunkered down and held the ball between two fingers. “Do you want this?”

Your baby’s expression was completely transformed, his eyes wide with wonder and excitement, his ears perked all the way up. He made grabby hands towards the ball, and you couldn’t help a smile.

“Well, go ahead,” Din encouraged. “That’s right, take it. Come on.”

Grogu looked curiously at Din, perhaps trying to puzzle out why he was able to have it now when he hadn’t been allowed to before.

“You can have it,” Din assured him. “Come on.”

So quickly you almost missed it, your baby used his powers to pull the ball from Din’s hand and catch it in his own.  

“Good job!” Din said, genuine excitement and pride in his voice. “Good job, kid!”

He stood and looked over at you. “You see that?”

You nodded and gave him a glowing smile. You were happy, but Din was ecstatic; he was so proud of his little boy, and Grogu beamed when Din knelt in front of him.

“That’s right,” Din said, taking the ball when Grogu offered it to him. “I knew you could do it. Very good.”

Your baby held onto his dad’s finger and cooed happily at him, and you knew Din was smiling under the helm.

You glanced at Ahsoka; she seemed hesitant, of all things, and you felt a sting of worry.

“He’s formed a strong attachment to you,” she said, her tone unreadable. Then, after a moment, “I cannot train him.”

You and Din spoke at the same time. “What?”

Din stood and approached Ahsoka as you moved to pick your baby up, a thousand emotions running through you at what she’d said. I cannot train him. A bigger part of you than you wanted to admit had been hoping for that very answer.

“Why not?” Din demanded. His tone was tight with frustration and confusion, vastly different from his earlier expression of happiness; Grogu read the change easily and gave a quiet, distressed coo.

“Shh, ad’ika,” you said softly. “Daddy’s not angry with you.”

“You’ve seen what he can do,” Din said to Ahsoka, gesturing to his son. Grogu cuddled closer to you.

“His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears,” Ahsoka said firmly. “His anger.”

Nothing could have been more distinct from the Mandalorian way of life, where family bonds were a source of strength. Though you could tell it had taken Din off guard too, he merely shook his head, unwilling to argue.

“All the more reason to train him,” he insisted.

“No,” Ahsoka said, her expression wide with unease and hurt like a wounded thing. “I’ve seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi knight. To the best of us.”

Her pain was raw, but your sympathy struggled to overcome the concern her words elicited in you. What feelings? Affection? Love? You balked at the idea of sending your son to train with people who considered a child’s bond with their parent to be dangerous, something that inevitably led to ruin and loss.

“I will not start this child down that path,” she said, and despite everything, you felt it was out of some curious sense of concern for Grogu’s well-being. You wondered if she ever questioned Jedi teaching. “Better to let his abilities fade.”

You wanted to protest, to challenge her supposed responsibility to her vow - didn’t Jedi take care of their own? And yet, you knew nothing of the Jedi way of life; your notions about honor and accountability came from your own upbringing and the Mandalorian Way. She may not be bound to help your little one at all.

Besides, you didn’t want her to train him. You’d known from the moment you set foot on this planet that you didn’t want him taken from you to train, and this new understanding of the Jedi way rooted that even more deeply in your heart.

“I’ve delayed too long,” she said, cutting off any further debate. “I must get back to the village.”

She walked to the edge of the  rise, intending to leave without another word; your baby gave a sad coo as he watched her go. You looked over to your husband, wordlessly asking what you should do.

He looked to Ahsoka. “The Magistrate sent me to kill you.”

Your eyes widened and Ahsoka stilled, his words having the intended effect. He stepped towards her. 

“I didn’t agree to anything,” he said as she turned to face him. “And I’ll help you with your problem, if you see to it that Grogu is properly trained.”

You flushed with surprise and anger.

“Din,” you said sharply. He kept his gaze on her but held a hand out your way, and you couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be placating or silencing. Either way, you had to bite your tongue from yelling every curse you knew in Basic and Mando’a at your husband.

Ahsoka looked from Din to you, undoubtedly reading the tension between you.

“Very well,” she said after a moment, her need for assistance outweighing her apprehension in training your son. “I cannot train him. I will not. But, in exchange for your help, I will try and find someone who will.”

“Thank you,” Din said, and you couldn’t believe how relieved he sounded. “We’ll need to return to my ship. I need supplies, and I’m not taking my wife and child back into that city.”

Any other day you might have thought his protectiveness was endearing, but all you felt at the moment was the distinct, infuriating sense of being completely ignored. It was so unlike Din that you were almost concerned, but anger and incredulity outweighed any other feeling. You would have bet your life you and Din had come to the same conclusion about letting your son train with the Jedi after hearing her refusal and the reason behind it. That you hadn’t - obviously - left you reeling.

No matter. Ahsoka and Din would have to go through you to get Grogu and ship him off to train with the Jedi, and if nothing else brought them pause, surely that would.

Ahsoka nodded. “Lead the way.”

Din looked to you then, his body language clearly hesitant. Good, you thought bitterly. Let him fear the worst about what was going on in your head. You certainly weren’t of any mind to ease his discomfort, not when he’d so blatantly ignored you earlier. You weren’t going to confront him, at least not now - the last thing you wanted was to have a fight with your husband in front of Ahsoka, and both of you made it a point not to argue in front of your baby.

“Let’s go,” you said curtly.

A quiet sigh slipped through his modulator, and you could just imagine the downward pull of his brow as he frowned. He started in the direction of the Crest, and Ahsoka quickly followed.

As you walked, you kept some distance between you and your husband as Ahsoka drew him into a conversation of strategy for their attack on the city. Despite yourself, you missed his steady presence beside you; not even your anger with him could erase your desire to have him near. You held Grogu close and drew in on yourself, bitter and hurt, tuning out most of what they said as your own thoughts gnawed at you.

How could Din want your son to train with her, or with any other Jedi? How could he offer to risk his life to secure it? If your son’s powers came at the cost of his ability and freedom to love, you’d gladly let them fade. You couldn’t believe Din thought otherwise. Even more than your anger with him was your confusion, a desperate need to ask him what in the galaxy he could be thinking. 

Your husband wasn’t a foolish man. He had never been given to thoughtless, reckless decisions, and in your marriage, he had never made a habit of making decisions without asking for your input. That he had now, especially about something as important as your son’s future and his own life, was a stunning blow. You were hurt and dismayed at how disconnected you felt from him; by his own actions, he’d separated himself from you, and you had rarely felt a deeper wound.

So consumed were you with your own thoughts that you didn’t notice Din had stopped walking until you nearly crashed into him. You instinctively put a hand to his back to steady yourself; when he looked back at you, you snatched your hand back like you’d been burned.

“Don’t underestimate the Magistrate either,” Ahsoka was saying. You’d failed to follow the first part of their conversation and couldn’t say you were sorry to have missed it.

Din tore his gaze from you and looked back at Ahsoka. “Who is she? She offered me a staff of pure beskar to kill you.”

Ahsoka crossed her arms over her chest, an almost smug expression crossing her features at the high death-price she warranted. 

“Morgan Elsbeth,” she said. “During the Clone Wars, her people were massacred. She survived and let her anger fuel an industry which helped build the Imperial Starfleet. She plundered worlds, destroying them in the process.”

Din looked around you at the barren forest. “Yeah, it looks like she’s still in business.”

Ahsoka fixed Din with a questioning gaze. “When you were in the city, did you see any prisoners?”

Din nodded. “We saw three villagers strung up just outside the inner gate.”

Despite your own turmoil, you shuddered at the memory and held Grogu closer.

“We must find a way to free them,” Ahsoka said. You knew it had already occurred to your husband that those prisoners needed to be saved; he had probably already planned out how they should do it.

All three of you stood in silence for a moment, thinking about the upcoming attack on the city.

“A Mandalorian and a Jedi?” Din mused. “They’ll never see it coming.”

You resisted the urge to say something childish along the lines of No, how could they? Not even your own wife could have seen it coming. You still had a long way to go before you reached the Crest, and you weren’t keen to make the tension in your party any more difficult to bear than it already was. 

You dutifully trudged along behind them as they started fine-tuning their strategy, the steady rhythm of your walking eventually lulling your baby to sleep. You had to accept Din’s help every so often as the terrain grew unwieldy; as soon as you were steady again, he let you go. Part of you was glad his touch didn’t linger. The other part of you wanted him to keep your hand in his even when you didn’t need his help; maybe then you could have been a way of being close to you, loving you, instead of just being a responsibility he felt obliged to uphold.

You felt as though the forest threatened to swallow you without your husband by your side, and you couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt so terribly lonely.

Read chapter five!

pedro pascal character taglist: @punkgeekcryptid​​, @tv-saved-the-teenage-girl​​, @stardust-galaxies​​, @theorganasolo​​, @qhbr2013​​, @willowtheewisp​​​ ♡

series taglist: @kyjoraven​​​, @sarahjkl82-blog​​​, @remmysbounty​​​, @bitchin-beskar​​​, @cosmicbreathe​​​, @prettyboyskywalker​​​, @happyxdayxbitch​​​, @radiowallet​​​​ ♡

please send me an ask if you’d like to be added to either taglist! ♡

[tanyawritesstories]

Frozen Possibilities | The Mandalorian x Reader pt.4

The next chapter in the Frozen Series! This is the longest fic I've ever written to date. It's starting to pick up now. Spoiler for next chapter: y'all are in for it 😎

Word count: 6.7K

Warnings: fluff, so much yearning!!!, the usual violence, Din has feelings???

•••

Corvus was finally in sight after the long detour they had taken. Y/N had been flying and woken Din up when the planet was in sight. It appeared to be a dull forest planet from space but it could be a whole different story on the surface.

You never told me what we’re doing here.

Din watched her sign and considered her question. She’d already been shot at and chased because of him, might as well let her in on the rest too. “There’s supposed to be a Jedi here that I need to find,” he said. She looked inquisitive.

Which Jedi?

He turned his chair slightly to look at her. The child playing on the control panel next to him. "Do you know of more?"

Only by name. My mother told me stories about them.

"What do you know?" He asked. He wanted any information he could get. She made sure she had his full attention before signing away.

They were peacekeepers. During the Clone Wars they were soldiers, when the Empire took over they were slaughtered. She told me they used powers like our children have and carried colored laser swords for weapons. Apparently she knew a couple of them.

"Who was your mother? How did she know all this?" Din asked. She looked insecure and shy after he asked the question, he would go so far as to say she looked uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-” She smiled dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

It’s alright, it just upsets me to talk about her.

“Well, if you have any useful information on the Jedi, feel free to share..if you want,” he said, swiveling his chair back. “I’m going to start the landing sequence, you should buckle up." Y/N nodded and plucked the child off the control panel, sitting him in his seat and buckling him up. She sat in the other seat and secured herself in. Mandi was secure in Din’s bunk, sound asleep.

Din was pleased with his landing this time, just as smooth as usual. He descended into the hull with the kid and thought about his plan of attack. He decided not to take his jetpack and bring his pulse rifle instead, slinging it onto his back. He opened the ramp and took his first step on Corvus. The forest planet looked more like a wasteland than anything and was eerily quiet except for the low bellows of animals off in the distance.

He turned around at the sound of footsteps, seeing the child and Y/N walking down the ramp. He sighed. “You should stay here, I don’t know what’s out there,” he told her.

I’ll be fine.

She signed to him and he sighed again. He didn’t want to argue with her but he didn’t want her to get hurt.

Jedi are peaceful, they won’t hurt us.

“Fine, but stay close to me,” he said. The child plopped down on the ramp and Din noticed he had the metal sphere from one of his levers in his hands. “What did I say about that,” he said, bending down to take it from him. “This needs to stay in the ship.” He tucked the sphere into his belt and looked around, bending down to pick up the child and place him in his carry bag. “Let’s go into town and see if we can pick up a lead.”

Y/N followed close to Din looking around in wonder, Mandi was once again slung across her chest in her wrap. Din had flown over the town on the way in, the entire thing was surrounded by a large wall. It would be intimidating to a normal person, but for Din it just raised questions. Why did they need it? Were they keeping something in or keeping something out? He saw the guards on the top of the wall, he didn’t know what they were but a normal human man stood with them.

“State your business,” he called down from the wall. Din kept the child tucked out of sight behind his arm and Y/N held Mandi close. “Been tracking for a few days, looking for a layover,” Din announced. The man complimented Din’s armor, asking if he was a hunter. Din confirmed his guild allegiance and the man huffed, seemingly finding something funny. “Haven’t known many with families,” he mused. Din wanted to roll his eyes this time. How many times were people going to assume the same thing? He heard her shuffle beside him. “My assistant, she’s the bait when I need her to be,” Din replied. The man looked unamused and Din heard Y/N stifle a laugh from next to him.

“Open the gate.”

Inside the walls, villagers silently milled around going about their daily tasks, seemingly with little to no interaction with each other. He looked to Y/N as they walked, the expression on her face gave away her thoughts.

Something isn’t right here.

Din saw a vendor nearby and decided to ask the woman if she knew anything. He only got a couple of words out before she unexplainably walked away without a word. He turned and looked at Y/N and saw she was as confused as he was. He spotted a man in a nearby alley, helping two children with something. Din approached him instead, asking for information. The man looked between Din and Y/N, noticing their children. “Please, don’t speak to them, or to any of us,” he pleaded. Din tried to persist but was cut off by two guards behind him. “The Magistrate wants to see you,” one of them said. Their voices sounded mechanical to Y/N but they moved too fluidly to be droids. Din ushered her to follow him.

“The Magistrate only asks to see the hunter,” the guard clarified. Din squared his shoulders and stood firm. “Wherever I go, they go,” he said firmly. “Affirmative,” the guards acquiesced. Din motioned for her to follow and she glued herself to his side. The guards escorted them to the inner gate. There were electric cages standing with three unfortunate villagers trapped inside. Din looked to one who pleaded for help, he knew there was nothing he could do. He felt something touch his hand and realized that Y/N had taken his hand in hers. He looked over at her and saw the fearful look in her eyes, her hand was shaking as he held it.

She was scared.

He squeezed her hand and held it tightly in his, reassuring her that she was safe and he would protect her. The gates opened and the duo walked in. Inside the inner gate was a stark contrast to the rest of the town. It was peaceful, a wide walkway separated two ponds and trees grew throughout the area. A woman in a maroon garb stood halfway down, a small bowl in her hand as she tossed food to some creatures in the water. The gates closed behind them, causing Y/N to flinch.

“Come forward,” the woman spoke. Din looked to his companion. “Wait here,” he whispered. He walked out to meet the Magistrate, Y/N not letting go of his hand until he was too far away. She watched as the woman asked about him, giving him an offer. Din countered, not knowing what she might be asking him to do.

“A Jedi plagues me, I want you to kill her.”

Y/N was taken aback by the Magistrate’s words. Kill a Jedi? Why? “That’s a difficult task,” Din stated. She seemed to have faith in him, probably because he was all she had at the moment. Din disregarded her words about the Jedi and Mandalore, instead restating that he required high payment. The woman reached her arm out behind her and a droid approached, holding a metal staff which it placed in her hands.

“What do you make of this?” She said, holding it out for Din to inspect. He walked closer and took the spear from her hands, looking it over. It looked awfully familiar. He tested his theory and knocked it against his vambrace. The resounding noise was a pleasant and loud, but not ear piercing, ring. It was more like music than anything. “Beskar,” He confirmed out loud. “Pure Beskar,” she added, “like your armor.” She then went on to promise it to him if he could kill the offending Jedi. Din knew something wasn’t right, he had to choose his words carefully, he didn’t want to secure a deal he wasn’t sure he could commit to.

“Where do I find this Jedi?” He asked, handing the spear back to her. The woman looked pleased with his answer and told him the last known location of their enemy. The man they had seen on top of the wall earlier led them out to the gate. “What is that thing?” The man asked, looking at the child in his bag near Din's hip. He blurted whatever he thought of first. “I keep it around for luck,” he said. “You’re gonna need it where you’re headed,” the man assured. Din looked around before he and Y/N began walking to their new destination.

~~~~

They trudged through the deforested, barren land looking for any clues. Din had unshouldered his pulse rifle and held it in his right hand, ready for anything to happen at any moment as they approached the coordinates the Magistrate had given them. “This is it,” Din announced, “keep your eyes open.” She nodded and continued looking around while making sure she didn’t trip over the occasional tree root sticking out of the ground.

So far they hadn’t found anything. A noise in the distance alerted the both of them and they froze. “You hear that?” She nodded, keeping still. “Stay right here, let me see what’s out there,” he said, raising his scope up to his helmet and surveying their surroundings. He found only animals in the distance to be the source of the ruckus. “False alarm,” he said. The second after he said that a figure jumped down from behind him, attacking him with two glowing swords of light. He vaguely heard Y/N let out a noise akin to a scream.

He parried several of her strikes, her laser swords deflected easily by his Beskar vambraces. Din panicked and activated his flamethrower, sending her back a bit, and tying her with his whipcord after. That was a mistake. She leaped into the air and over a tree branch, lifting him into the air. Din cut the cord quick before the Jedi got free and landed on the ground, pulling his blaster on the woman just as she cut herself free and turned to face him.

“Ahsoka Tano!” He shouted, holding his other hand up, hoping to deter her. “Bo-Katan sent me,” he said, taking a few wary steps back. “We need to talk.” She looked from him to the woman and child behind him a bit. Y/N was standing partially in front of his little one, shielding him with her body, she looked terrified. “I hope it’s about him.” She said, deactivating her swords. She seemed to be friendly once she saw the child, and Y/N slowly moved aside as Ahsoka and Din walked over. She wanted a few minutes with the child and Y/N and Din stood several feet away watching as the sun set and darkness enveloped the planet.

~~~~

It felt like hours that Ahsoka was sat with the child while Din and Y/N waited. She could tell Mando was nervous by his non-stop pacing back and forth. Mandi had grown tired of the action and fallen asleep in her wrap. Y/N watched the pacing Mandalorian, wondering what he was thinking. Ahsoka hadn’t spoken a single word and the child hadn’t made much noise, yet they sat facing each other as if they were having an entire conversation. Was it something to do with their unique powers? If so, could Mandi hear them?

After a while Ahsoka picked the little one up and brought him closer, meeting Din halfway between them. She set her lantern on the ground and the child on a rock before taking a seat herself. Y/N stayed a few feet behind Din and watched as Ahsoka nodded, as if she was agreeing with something the child had said.

“Is he speaking? Do you understand him?” Din asked, his voice laced with curiosity. Ahsoka folded her hands under her cloak. “In a way,” she said, “Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts.” Y/N cocked her head and Din repeated the name. The child instantly perked up, hearing his father say his name for the first time. “That’s his name,” she confirmed. Din tried out the name again, his child having the same response immediately, cooing up at his father.

Ahsoka began telling them of Grogu’s life, that he was raised and trained by other Jedi on Coruscant, and when the Empire took over that he was taken and hidden away. Somebody protected him. His memories were dark after that, he couldn’t remember much. Din had taken a seat on a rock opposite Ahsoka, listening to every word. Y/N leaned against the same rock, listening and trying to make sense of what she was telling them.

“Can he still wield the Force?” Ahsoka asked. “You mean his powers?” Din questioned. “The Force is what gives him his powers,” she clarified. “It is an energy field, created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training, and discipline.” That made Y/N confused. Grogu had training in the past so it made sense that he could use his powers so well. Mandi was only a few weeks old, how was she able to use the same power? Did Mandi even know she was doing it? Evidently Y/N wasn’t the only one wondering about it.

“What about her?” Din asked motioning back to Y/N and the baby. “She’s only a few weeks old, but wields the same powers.” Ahsoka turned her attention to the mother and child and Y/N took a few steps closer. “May I see her?” Ahsoka asked. Y/N was hesitant, but walked over and gently took Mandi out of her wrap, placing her in Ahsoka’s arms. She held the little girl, watching Mandi's face morph into complete calm. Ahsoka just stared at the baby for several minutes, Din wondered if she was having the same conversation as she had with his son.

"Her brain is developing much faster than a normal human's," Ahsoka finally said. "Beyond that, she's perfectly normal. You've been good parents." Din held back the urge to sigh. "I'm, I'm not her father.." he said. Ahsoka looked over at him with a knowing glance, as if she held information he didn't. "She says you are."

Din's eyes widened under his helmet and he was at a loss for words. Mandi thought he was her dad? Perhaps he had been right before, the one time she saw him without the helmet he had imprinted on her. It was simply how her little mind worked. She hadn’t known her real father, Din was that man for now.

“Her husband was killed a few months ago, I’m merely her transportation.” Din explained, motioning to where he knew Y/N was standing behind him. Ahsoka could feel more than see the sadness that washed over Y/N at his words. She clearly didn’t agree with his words, or she wished they were different.

Ahsoka held Mandi out and Y/N took her back into her arms. She studied her child, barely hearing the conversation Din was having with Ahsoka. What could have prompted her to be born with such powers? No one in Y/N’s family had ever wielded powers like that before, she’d only seen a Force sensitive once. He appeared a normal human being, nothing about him had set him apart from the others. She only found out later that he was known as a Jedi, a powerful user of a rare mystical power which she had never seen manifested. Now her own daughter held that same power, as well as the child of the man she was slowly falling for…

~~~~

Ahsoka had told Din that she would “test” the kid today, whatever that implied. She led the rest of them to a spot in the forest, Din carrying Grogu and Y/N carrying Mandi. Ahsoka instructed Din to set his child down on a rock while she thought up a challenge. Y/N knew she had no reason to be involved and hoisted herself up on a large rock to observe. Din stood off to the side, knowing it was up to the kid now.

Ahsoka chose a small stone from the ground and held it out for the child to see, she turned her palm out and the stone floated through the air towards the child. The other three in the group watched in awe as the stone moved fluidly through the air with nothing supporting it, levitating into the child’s awaiting hands. Ahsoka smiled softly and asked for the stone back. The child seemed confused, or shy. It was hard to tell. Did he actually know what he was doing?

“He doesn’t understand,” Din assumed. “He does,” Ahsoka corrected. The child still looked apprehensive, as if Ahsoka was asking him to do something unfathomable. Was it simply that difficult to use this strange power? Din tried to provide encouragement by jerking his head in Ahsoka’s direction, but it did no good. Grogu dropped the stone and Din sighed, of all the times he had used his power, this was the one time he was refusing to use it.

Ahsoka strode over and crouched in front of the child, taking his hand and closing her eyes. She appeared to be searching for something. “I sense much fear in you..” she said. Y/N watched with curiosity as the Jedi called Din over to stand by her and asked him to try the same thing. Din’s first attempt was laughable and Y/N let out a snort of laughter that had Ahsoka smirking in the other woman’s direction. Ahsoka leaned closer, reminding him to use the child’s name before giving them space and leaning against a rock.

Din tried again, this time calling Grogu by his name. Din had his attention, but Grogu wasn’t buying this whole rock-moving gig. He only asked once and immediately gave up, it was no use. The kid was more stubborn than even Din, perhaps he’d picked up a few bad habits from traveling with the Mandalorian.. He looked over at Ahsoka who urged him to try and be more understanding, to connect with the child. He noticed Y/N signing from behind Ahsoka.

Be patient, level with him.

He concentrated, a thought popping into his head. He retrieved the metal sphere that the child had tried to bring with from his belt, twisting it in his hand. “Grogu,” he called softly. “Do you want this?” He crouched down, holding the sphere out in front of him. He certainly had Grogu’s attention now, he knew the child loved the ball and would do almost anything to get it. Grogu had his hand held out in front of him, his little face scrunched up with effort as his father encouraged him.

The ball suddenly flew from Din’s hand straight into the child’s tiny palm. Enthusiastic words of praise spilled from Din’s mouth as he strode over to the child, elated with how well he did, and proud too. Despite the positive result of her test, Ahsoka seemed put down, noting Grogu’s apparent attachment. “I cannot train him,” she finally declared. The ensuing argument between Ahsoka and the Mandalorian had Y/N becoming concerned. What feelings was Ahsoka speaking of? Were Jedi that powerful that simple emotions could destroy them? Most importantly, what was the option now?

Y/N had always been told there were two sides to everything: good and bad, light and dark, the Republic and the Empire. She’d always been forced to choose a side, she was sure it was even more forceful for the Jedi. While Y/N had always chosen the better option, the light and freedom, what about others? What was it like to be in the middle, to not have a side, to not have to worry about who ruled the galaxy? Truth be told she had never known that life until she had met her husband and settled on Tatooine, but there she felt like she was missing out. Like she had been stuck in a corner, albeit a lovely corner, and forced to watch as the action and interest passed by. She wanted to be like Mando, a drifter in between the light and dark. Y/N didn’t want a life of black and white anymore, she wanted grey. Currently the grey she was seeking, happened to be gleaming a Beskar silver.

~~~~

Din had agreed to help Ahsoka with freeing the village as long as she would train Grogu. The Jedi had found it a fair trade and Din informed her of what he had seen beyond the gates, with Y/N filling in essential details that he missed. They strategized on the walk back to the Razor Crest, Din intending on leaving Y/N and the children in the ship while he and Ahsoka freed the village from the vengeful Magistrate. Y/N tried adding her own input into their plans, which Din didn’t seem too interested in. They formed a plan and Ahsoka headed back to her camp to wait until nightfall, while Din and Y/N continued back to the ship.

I can help, you know.

“No,” Din immediately shot her down, “I need you to stay here with the kids.” She scoffed.

I can handle myself, please let me help.

Din slung his rifle off his back and leaned it against the wall of the ship, he would need his jetpack for this mission. “I said no,” he shot her down again. “I can’t have you getting hurt out there. Ahsoka and I can handle it.”

But I want to help. She signed desperately. Din turned to her, pointing his finger in her face. “No!” She recoiled from his harsh tone as if he had hit her, a scowl crossed her face and she signed furiously.

I know a lot more about combat than you think, don’t underestimate me. I know what I’m doing!

She was aggravating him now, couldn’t she just be happy with staying on the ship? Why now was she all of a sudden so interested in being target practice for the inhuman looking beings that guarded the city. “You’re not going anywhere, end of discussion.” He walked towards his bunk and set Grogu down in his hammock. His arm was yanked as Y/N forced him to turn around and look at her. She had set Mandi down comfortably on the floor before confronting him. He saw how angry she was as she began signing to him.

The discussion isn’t over until I say it is! You don’t know who you’re dealing with, I have-

Din grabbed her hands to stop her signing and backed her against the wall of his ship. The position he just forced them both into left her almost no room to move as they were, once again, within inches of each other. “You have no power here,” he growled, “this is my ship, I call the shots.” Y/N squirmed in his tight grip, trying to communicate but only managing to annoy him more with the defiant look on her face. “Do I have to remind you that I hired you? You’re only here because of me and I can change that at any time I want to,” he said darkly.

A look of hurt crossed her face before it was replaced with anger once more. She wanted to slap him, she would if he didn’t have that helmet on. Instead, she used all her might to plant her hands on his chest plate and shove him off of her. Din let her go and watched and she huffed and walked towards the ladder to the cockpit. “You’re acting like a child,” he sneered. Why couldn’t she understand he was just looking out for her! She paused halfway up and glared at him, signing a firm and snappy two words.

Fuck you.

Din sighed tensely. Why was she acting like this? He just wanted to protect her, he couldn’t lose her, he just couldn’t. He wanted her to be safe, he would never forgive himself if she sustained so much as a scratch at this point. What was worse was that he couldn’t give her an explanation as to why he was being so protective. It wasn’t as if he could just tell her he didn’t want her leaving the ship because he was in love with her and his heart couldn’t bear to see her in pain. Maker, was that even what he was feeling? Love? He didn’t know, but he did know he didn’t like it. It made him feel strange, and now it was seeping into his actions.

He heard the cockpit doors close, he hoped she was mad enough at him that she would stay up there the entire time. He grabbed his jetpack and secured it onto the back of his armor, sealing the ship and heading out to meet up with Ahsoka.

~~~~

Y/N sat frustrated and still somewhat angry in the pilot’s seat, staring out at the deforested landscape. What was Mando’s problem, why had he been so opposed to her coming with? The kids would be fine in the Crest, sleeping while the adults were out and about. His words had upset her, especially when he said she was basically just a babysitter. She had thought they were at least friends by now, what with all they had been through and all the times they had helped each other. She also wanted to provide him backup.

She didn’t want to admit it, but she had been scared when he left on mission with Karga and Cara on Navarro. She had been frightened that he wouldn’t come back. She hadn’t noticed until recently that she had been tensing up whenever he went out of sight, always relieved to see him when he came back, even if it was just to a different part of the ship. She was afraid that another person she loved would leave to do a normal task and end up disappearing, just like her husband. She furrowed her brow and looked down.

Had she really just used that word? Love? She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind. It had to be a part of her grieving process, her husband had died only seven months ago, there was no way she was in love again. Just thinking about it nearly brought her to tears. She cared for the Mandalorian and his child deeply, so much so she would willingly put her own life on the line. But there was a voice scorning her in the back of her mind, saying she should be ashamed and how dare she care for another man. Y/N just wanted to be happy again, she had spent every day since her husband’s death in agony until she met this Mandalorian.

She so desperately wanted the freedom and adventure he had. She sat up in the seat as an idea came to her. If he didn’t believe she was as tough and hardened as she actually was, she would have to prove it to him. A huge wave of confidence washed over her and she dashed down into the hull. Both children were asleep and she placed Mandi on Din’s bunk beneath Grogu. She turned off the lights and closed the door to his bunk. Time to get ready.

Only now did she realize that she hadn’t changed clothes since she left Tatooine. Gross. She stripped down to her underclothes and searched around for some extra clothing of Mando’s. He would probably get mad at her for wearing his things but she didn’t care at the moment, she was on a mission. Y/N managed to find a spare black, long sleeved shirt and pants that were much too big, but she could work with it. She tucked the shirt into the pants before pulling the trousers as far up on her waist as she could, tying a leather string around her waist a few times to keep them up.

With more rummaging she came upon an old cloak, either a spare or one Mando had given up on wearing it was so full of holes. She wrapped it around her neck and let it drape down to her knees behind her, taking her own head cloth and wrapping it into a hood over her head. She slipped her boots back on and began looking for weapons. She found a holster to put her DT-22 in and buckled it onto her hips, it also helped to keep the pants on her. She grabbed a spare vibroblade and stuffed it into her boot. Just as she was about to leave she spotted his pulse rifle, leaning against the wall where he had left it.

Her husband had owned a pulse rifle back on their farm on Tatooine, he had taught her how to use it until she became an expert. Y/N tore a length of strong cloth from her old skirt, tying one end to the long barrel of the rifle, the other end to the stock just in front of the trigger. Making sure the knots were secure she slung the rifle over her shoulders, grabbed several extra bullets for it, and exited the Crest. She passed a very reflective surface on her way out, spying her appearance, she looked kind of like Mando. All dark clothes, cloak and weapons; only with a hood instead of a helmet, and no armor of course.

She programmed the Crest’s security protocols to engage once the ramp closed, and made sure that it closed and that the children were safe inside. She remembered the way to the village and began jogging in that direction.

~~~~

Din helped the last of the three villagers out of the cages and motioned for them to take shelter inside. The militarian man whom he assumed was some sort of mercenary now was approaching him head on, calmly walking down the center of the road. The man’s eyes looked behind Din and he assumed the man saw Ahsoka. “So you threw in with the Jedi,” he accused. “Looks that way,” Din replied. The man slowly stalked towards him, the sounds of Ahsoka and the Magistrate locked in combat echoing from the inner gates.

The man continued to talk as he walked forwards, either trying to distract Din or stall something else. Din stood firm, unmoving and unintimidated. “That’s far enough,” he warned when the man had gotten too close. Din’s hand hovered over his blaster, his spilt-second reflexes ready to engage. Through the noise of the fighting behind them, Din could swear he heard blaster fire somewhere off in the distance. He found it odd, perhaps there were reinforcements coming. Is that what the man was stalling for?

Meanwhile, Y/N had been jogging to the city and wagered she was about halfway there when she heard a twig snap off to her left. The woman skidded to a stop and listened, she heard the quiet crunching of footsteps on the hard dirt. She knew how to play this game. Y/N waited until they sounded within range. In the blink of an eye, she had drawn her blaster and fired. One of the masked guards fell dead onto the ground, her shot had hit him directly in the chest. Reinforcements. Seconds later more guards emerged from the trees and pursued her.

Y/N ran, breaking into a full sprint, firing behind her. All her memories and skills were coming back. She saw the city come into view and ducked behind a tree stump for cover shooting out from behind it, taking down guard after guard. She made it look easy. There were three guards left, she shot one and aimed at the next pulling the trigger on her blaster. Nothing. She pulled it a few more times, still nothing. Of course she had bought a blaster with only half ammo. She holstered the weapon and drew her stolen vibroblade, hiding until she heard the guards stop running and start looking for her.

She listened to their footsteps, closing her eyes to better picture where one of them was around her. Once she heard his steps stop, she stood, and threw. The vibroblade flew through the air and stuck itself into the guards neck, killing him. Y/N had been aiming for his head but clearly she was out of practice. A blaster bolt whizzed by her head and she slung the pulse rifle off her shoulders, swinging it backwards and knocking away the guard’s blaster. He had been charging her and he pulled his own vibroblade, swinging at her trying to get a strike. She blocked him easily with the barrel of the rifle.

He was a clumsy and graceless opponent and Y/N soon found an opening in his defenses. She seized the moment and jabbed the electric prod end of the rifle into his chest. Surges of electricity went through his body and she shoved him a few feet away, allowing her time to grip the rifle tight and pull the trigger. She watched as the man disintegrated before her very eyes, only his clothes and mask left behind on the ground. She looked over the weapon fondly, the same model her husband had and everything. She looked up as she heard more footsteps coming towards her. She reloaded the rifle and crouched behind a stump, using the top of it to steady the weapon as she fitted the stock tight to her shoulder.

Bring it on.

~~~~

Din was quite confused as to what he was hearing beyond the wall. The sounds of combat mixed with blaster fire, he forced himself to ignore them and focus on the man in front of him who was still holding his weapon, finger poised to pull the trigger at any second. The sounds of Ahsoka’s laser swords colliding with the Beskar spear Din was certain the Magistrate was using to fight the Jedi suddenly died out. A few seconds after, the blaster fire beyond the wall ceased as well. Who in space had been fighting out there?

“Sounds like you win,” the man said. He held his rifle out in front of him and slowly set it down on the ground. Din relaxed, this had gone more civil than he thought. The moment the man’s blaster was on the ground and Din had drawn his hand away from his blaster, the mercenary pulled a pistol from his belt and aimed at Din. The Mandalorian was much faster and had his blaster drawn and fired within nanoseconds. The man dropped dead on the ground. So much for civility.

The local man who had helped Din free the trapped villagers emerged from his home, his eyes and face asking if it was safe. Din nodded to him and the man came to stand next to him, surveying the damage. The man’s face instantly changed to panic. “Behind you!” Din drew his blaster once more and aimed at the assassin droid. Before he could pull the trigger, the droid's head was blasted clean off, the hunk of metal tumbling down from the roof and landing with a loud crash. Din was confused, he hadn’t shot, so who had?

Both him and the local man followed the trajectory of the powerful bullet to where it had come from. There, on one of the roofs of a home closer to the gates, they could see a crouched figure in all black with a familiar looking pulse rifle in their hands. They moved the weapon into one hand, holding it comfortably. It stood up and slid down the incline of the roof, landing gracefully on their feet in the road. Din could now see who it was. Y/N walked towards them slinging Din’s pulse rifle back onto her shoulders with a makeshift strap she must have fashioned. Din sighed, disappointed that she had left the ship and disobeyed him. At the same time, she was a sight to behold. She looked like a bounty hunter: rugged, dirt on her clothes, weapons from head to toe, and that aura of mystery.

Din swallowed hard as she sauntered forwards a smirk on her face, she was pleased with the job she had done. He didn’t know where she had gotten the clothes from but she looked good in them. They were a bit big but they made her look dangerous, sexy even. Was he really getting turned on by this?

Told you I could handle myself.

“And I told you to stay on the ship,” he replied. The annoyance dissolving the arousal he had briefly felt. She shrugged, finally standing next to him and the other man.

Last I checked you were my employer, not my puppeteer. She signed, a determined but proud look on her face. Are you alright?

Her face had softened as she asked her question. “I’m fine,” he answered, “you?” She smiled, brushing nonexistent dust from her shoulder with a wave of her hand.

Not a scratch.

Din couldn’t help but roll his eyes under the helmet, she might have saved him from a droid but that didn’t give her a reason to be so cocky. The trio stayed and helped the villagers clean and restore the village until dawn came. Finally the gates could stay open. As soon as they were outside, Din was greeted by the unpleasant sight of more than a dozen bodies scattered throughout the clearing along with piles of clothes, which was the work of his pulse rifle. The causes of death included stab wounds, blaster shots to the face or chest and even burn marks from the prod on his rifle.

Din turned his head and gave Y/N a guilty look that she could feel through his helmet. She looked at the ground innocently, poking at the dirt with the toe of her boot. “You did this?” She slowly nodded, still not looking at him. She wasn’t embarrassed, she just didn’t want the attention, she wasn’t one to rub her achievements in other people’s faces. Din, however, was pleasantly impressed. He had thought that she came all that way just to shoot one droid and try to call herself a hero, when in actuality she had taken down about twenty guards all by herself. That had been the blaster fire he was hearing outside the gates.

“Nice work.” He said. Y/N looked over at him, surprised that he would compliment her work. She had thought for sure he would be mad. Ahsoka joined the two of them, the sound of the villagers celebrating behind her. She gifted the Beskar spear to Din, saying it belonged with his people and he reluctantly accepted it. When prompted by Ahsoka, Din went ahead to get the child from the Crest while Y/N and Ahsoka walked that way at a leisurely pace.

Are you really going to take Grogu away from him?

Ahsoka may not have known what the woman was saying with her hands, but she knew her thoughts. She smiled sadly. “I’m not certain I can,” she answered. “They’re too attached to each other, but there are other options.”

And what of my little girl?

Ahsoka smiled kindly at Y/N. “Keep being her mother,” she said. Y/N smiled and nodded and the pair continued walking. They met Din at the Crest just as he came down the ramp with Grogu in his arms. “You’re like a father to him,” Ahsoka called. Y/N went to check on Mandi while she heard Din and Ahsoka talking, she returned to hear the end of their conversation. It sounded like they had a new destination. Tython it was.

[ofgravitation-moved]

in honor of star wars day, i'm bringing fennec shand and ahsoka tano here officially! i'll make the muse list changes when i'm home from work! i'm also thinking about testing padme! we shall see!

may the 4th be with you! 💕

it's been a good year for star wars. 😍

[thefoundationproject]

On my reread of the series, I noticed something in Recurring Event. One line says "If Jesse’d had anything in his trouser back pockets he’s sure they’d have been lifted too, just because" when referring to Kix. I know this was probably just a throwaway line, but it gave me a question. Does Kix know how to pickpocket? He's a medic, so he must have steady hands. Now I want to know if he's ever used it to get revenge, or if there's ever been contests with the handmaidens. Do you have any thoughts?

Aw heck anon you just gonna super casually drop ‘oh don’t mind me just here rereading your fics and making you squee like a porg in a freighter’ on me there?  Dang.  Brb, gotta go squee like a porg in a freighter.

“Larceny.”

“Veto.”

“Grand larceny.”

“Why in all the black,” Kix wonders idly, “did I ever imagine you would be helpful.”

“Every man’s got his flaws, LT.” Coric grins.  “Yours just happens to be a terrible judge of character.”  He shoves his shoulder companionably up against the paneling and eyes the unfolding carnage below with an assessing eye.  Kix doesn’t do this Force business but he can see all the twisted ankles in the near future.  “Terrible, terrible judge,” Coric muses.  “Awful.”

“Thank you Sgt.”

“Garbage.”

“Thank you-”

Jesse does something that’s probably against the rules: some showy roll that gives him line of sight to the backs of one of the Cpl’s knees.  The trooper goes down, takes the vod next to him and Ahsoka doesn’t have time to leap to safety.  Jesse is so, so very smug as he pips a gustbolt right off her forehead.  He flicks the gustblaster in a showy spin and flips it snug into his holster.  It’s an altogether far too flashy a show for Murderball but there’s no denying the skill in it.  He stretches, and leans over to help all three up.  

“I think,” Stitches drawls with a petty sort of snide, “that it’s not his character the LT wants to get -”

“Just how far can I demote someone without needing Captain approval?” Kix wonders.

“-test how well the bunk bolts hold-”

Never mind.  The Captain will approve it if he knows what’s good for him. Right after Kix volunteers this lot for a few rounds of this Murderball nonsense and at least one turn on a Playground course.  Get some manners bashed into them, and the Guard gets themselves a win over Torrent to perk their morale up a bit.  Brilliant.

Glint slips up all cat-like quiet while the other two quibble unaware of Kix’s impending plot.  “It’s not a bad idea,” he mutters, a deep rumble in his chest.  “The larceny.”  Kix gives him his blandest stare but few things ever ruffle Glint.  He shrugs, and tips a chin down towards the field.  “Vod’s using a lot of fancy gunplay.  For a scout.”  And that seems to be about all the words Glint plans to bother with.

Kix had noticed though: Jesse’s swapped weapon types each round and maybe Kix has been watching him long enough to know that he doesn’t usually.  He could be reading too much into it.  Or it could be on purpose.  

Could be that Jesse might take note of an encroachment in kind.  Could be worth thinking about.

“And thus,” Coric narrates mournfully, “began another LT’s descent into moral degeneracy.”

“‘Began’?” Kix wonders so pleasantly every medic takes notice.  “How cute.”

His every move is nonchalance as he fishes a flimsifoil package from an inside pocket of his grays.  Coric purples in rage.  “Are those my-”

Glint, because Glint is now Kix’s favorite, gets handful of choco-covered caff beans, snacks Coric was fool enough to cart around in his hip pouch while mocking his superior.  Actions have consequences.

“Think about it,” Glint says, and crams the entire thing in his mouth before Coric can tackle him.

Jesse glances up at the clang of Kix’s Ssgt’s diaphragm meeting Kix’s elbow and cussing viciously through wheezes.  One corner of his lips tug up in a very flattering smirk.

Well hell, looks like Kix might think about it if it will fetch him another of those.

“This is abuse of authority,” Coric hisses and doesn’t think to protect his pack of caff gum.

[inklesspen]

today I accidentally a sith!obi-wan AU

First, some context: a while back @acaranalogy and I were musing about a Sith creed that actually made sense as something a real person would want to pursue (as opposed to the burn-the-galaxy-down approach Palpatine took), and she came up with this:

Peace is empty without passion. In my passion I find myself. In myself I find my strength. In my strength I find the Force. Thus my power is my own. Thus my power sets me free.

But I was never quite sure what to do with it until now.

So, the Legends Jedi Apprentice thing of "you can age out of the system and get sent off to the AgriCorps" is kinda stupid; the Jedi Order isn't gonna get away with claiming Force-sensitive kids and taking them from their families if they then discard most of them. But you know what does work? Yoda meddling.

We know Yoda sent Ahsoka to Anakin, not because he thought Anakin would be a good teacher for her, but because he thought the experience of teaching Ahsoka would be good for him. And Qui-Gon is his student's student; why shouldn't he try to arrange things so Qui-Gon takes Obi-Wan as a padawan?

So yeah, something like that Bandomeer mission happens. But Qui-Gon doesn't return to the Temple with a Padawan. He doesn't return to the Temple with Obi-Wan at all. Qui-Gon is like "yeah, it was a dangerous mission and the kid didn't make it. next time you send a kid into the field, make sure he's got a master to teach him, mmkay" and Yoda gives a sad head shake and that's that.

Fast forward to the Naboo mission, which Qui-Gon still goes on, but since he doesn't have a padawan, he takes a friend along instead (assuming he has one); maybe Adi Gallia. Things happen more or less the same up through Tatooine, where Qui-Gon does not get jumped by a spiky dude with a red laser sword. And so, without the distraction of telling the Council about the Sith and fighting through their disbelief, Qui-Gon has a slightly better time presenting Anakin, and Yoda is like "hmm, maybe this time work out it will", and they're still contemplating it when the final battle on Naboo happens. Again, there is a conspicuous absence of spiky dude with a red laser sword, but Anakin does have his space podracing adventure, and after that, Yoda gets the Council to go along with letting Qui-Gon take Anakin as padawan.

Fast forward a year or two to when Qui-Gon decides to take his student on an out-of-Temple mission. Qui-Gon, being full of bright ideas, decides he wants to test how well Anakin will handle things on his own. So he gives Anakin the slip, then cuts himself off from the Force so Anakin can't find him that way— and pretty instantly gets fragged by a droid-piloted cargo-speeder or something like that, and good fuckin' riddance.

So now we have Anakin, still a kid, having been trained by Qui-Gon for a couple of years, alone in the field and not knowing why. And that is when he meets someone with a red laser sword. But here's the thing: What with Qui-Gon not having fought Maul, nobody saw fit to tell Anakin that red laser sword means Sith. So he thinks this guy must be another Jedi and approaches him for help.

It is in fact Obi-Wan, having not died on that disastrous mission Yoda sent him on, but having been rescued by someone from a Sith offshoot that follows that creed I gave above. The reason Qui-Gon never met Maul is because Obi-Wan met Maul first, and Obi-Wan's Sith have a well-deserved grudge against Plagueis's Sith.

I don't really know what Obi-Wan and Anakin get up to, beyond a more well-rounded education. Maybe Anakin tries to return to the Temple a few months later and they really don't take it well that his Master is missing-presumed-dead and he's been spending time with a Sith. Maybe he has to then break out of the Temple by himself and get back to Obi-Wan, and the two of them can go to Tatooine and free slaves.