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pandorafallz · 7 months

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Vampire AU | Investigation of truths

Quaritch thumbed once again through the reports he had from evidence collection though very aware he was bothering the science crew in the lab sorting through and putting through a possible DNA and fingerprint into the system against almost all of the available staff. In regards to both Augustine and…Paz, he had signed off on any evidence flags for now; both had handled the weapon and victim to stabilise them from getting worse.

Seeing Paz burst into his office had been a surprise. Her covered in blood was a horrible shock because for a moment…he had thought the worst had happened to her. But he had been relieved it wasn’t her that was hurt. But… now he knew he had to see this through. His issues aside here in regards to their—her son—he didn’t want her to get hurt. The fact she had come to him as a witness put a target on her back. He didn’t want that. She had a…baby to worry about. Not an attempted murderer on her case.

So here he was.

He knew Dr. Sloan well, despite being SciOps and a researcher, she worked out with the SecOps on a few morning drills and even had weapons training. Fantastic with aiming; she’d be a perfect sniper in SecOps. If Augustine wasn’t such a hardass in keeping her in SciOps, he would have had her part of his unit; her avatar certainly could have given them an edge in the field. Parker wasn’t one for wasting avatars in the field before they had thought Sully would play ball with them.

The fact Sloan had her personal blade wedge into her own neck said enough; someone in SecOps or someone with military training, most likely someone she knew and he had seen her belt had been undone which meant someone had sexual interest in her regardless of her consent. He had collected together a list of people who had known crushes on her on top of that.

The list was not short.

Not that’d stop him of course. He’d check all the names. He was head of security. Attempted murder. On his watch?

Someone had clearly gotten far too comfortable around here and he was sure as hell going to make them sweat until he found them then shit was going to look pretty after he was done.

Quaritch’s head rose, glad to see Mansk stroll in with more evidence. “Anything of use?”

“A half-print was recovered, thankfully it seems neither Dr Augustine nor Socorro left any fingerprints on the weapon or any DNA about.”

“Half-print?”

“Dr Sloan’s print was also on it, but its position looks like in attempts to stabilise it herself, perhaps even keeping her assailant from removing it but doing so wiped most of the viable prints.”

Quaritch winced but he knew her survival chances had hinged on its placement plugging the hole. She was still alive. But…it was still a loss of critical evidence to condemn the slippery bastard.

“I’ve ruled out any females, the medics believe the angle of entry to come from someone of six feet or higher and with great force.” Mansk continued, setting the box and holding out the report to him.

“That doesn’t rule out many of the women.” Quaritch reminded, taking it from him. A strong woman was capable of a lot. Hell, Augustine herself was six foot herself. A good portion of his guys were females. “But, given the motivational nature of the attack… male seems likely.” That he could admit.

“I...I have a few suggestions on who to look at first, Sir.” Mansk suggested.

“Go on.”

“Dr. Henson, Corporal Minks and Corporal Gretty. All three have been disciplined for inappropriate behaviour towards female staff within the last six weeks. Two of these I came across personally and another friend of mine into a questionable situation. All three potential victims filed complaints in following the incidents. Some moved into different sectors or had their shifts change to avoid crossing paths.”

Quaritch frowned but he immediately took the data pad to see the faces. “I wasn’t aware of this.” But he felt a flush of anger wash as he opened up the reports that came with the files. He should have known this. Sure, he had people under him to handle the mediocre bullshit but this? Active reports of abuse or potential risks? He needed to know this shit yesterday.

“I sent it to your inbox.” Mansk’s voice was laced with surprise, eyebrows shooting up. “I thought you had it handled, sir?”

Quaritch inhaled deeply. “Fuck’s sake…” He’d check into that. There were very few people who had access to his files and let alone authorised to delete or move anything. He wasn’t stupid to think everyone here was innocent. The first eighteen years had seen a flood of reports of both abuse in physical and sexual and he had damn done his best to get those fuckers off this planet and back to earth. This place may be called Hell’s Gate but he wasn’t gonna make it hell for his people inside.

Thankfully, in the last twelve years, there had been a sudden and massive drop to near nothing which Quaritch had been initially suspicious of but there had been a soft change in how people worked once his team was finalised with Mansk; no one looked like they were hiding anything in terms of that sort of trauma but now he was wondering…

“I will look into those three.” Quaritch decided. “Anyone got a guard on Sloan?”

“Yes, Corporal Harper’s taken it upon herself to stay with her.” Mansk answered, “I know Harper; she’ll keep her safe and is using a basis to keep away unfamiliar people from her bedside. She writes down the name of everyone and time stamp for reference, sir.”

Quaritch raised his eyebrow but he appreciated the woman’s efficiency and paranoia there. “Is there a guard on the avatar as well?”

“No, Sir. Did you want me to put someone onto that?”

Quaritch pondered so a moment, vaguely going back through what he knew of the Avatar’s compound and their security. “No, let’s hold off on that for now. Avatars tend to be secured at this time of night.” He’d need to talk to Augustine about new security arrangements anyway. He knew for certain if he didn’t go to her, she would find him and he wasn’t for that.

He dismissed the man for him to properly get the evidence into place; logged and saved for the report but his eyes turned to the live camera feed of Paz walking with Augustine, chatting but he couldn’t see their faces. He recognised the sleeping bundle in Paz’s arm by the baby sling around her back.

Another reminder.

“Mansk, Socorro’s got a full shift tomorrow, hasn’t she?”

“Aye, sir.”

“Who’s…babysitting?” Quaritch’s head turned away from the monitor, missing the disgruntled look Paz through the camera before Grace prodded her shoulder and both moved out of frame. Gone before he looked back.

“Typically… she leaves the baby with a few of her friends that have different shift patterns; if not them then Dr. Maze in SciOps or even Dr. Augustine when she’s not linked up.”

Augustine? He never could picture her happily looking after a human baby. Sure, she loved the children of the aliens but… he reasoned that those ones he met were grown enough to not be an immediate demand of attention. Still, he was not one for raising a child…even if he had one.

But, he was still head of security. Nothing needed more protection than a valuable, tiny human baby who could barely lift his head up in the care of his mother.

“Mansk, you know kids?” he didn’t trust Wainfleet in handling a three-month-old, not that he couldn’t be trusted but more worried about the fact Wainfleet was most likely to drop him on his head upon seeing the kid.

“Sir?”

“You know how to look after a baby?” He reiterated.

Mansk paused a little, “I…helped my sister for a while before I left for Pandora with her kid.” He said slowly, “Not well, I wound up covered in baby shit and puke then I couldn’t change or burp them fast enough.”

Which was more experience than him. Good. He had options.

“Okay. Tomorrow, go or find someone you trust to hang around with the babysitter or be at a distance. I’ll assign Walker with Paz while she’s running ship.” Both secured then and he wouldn’t have to worry. Walker was stern and a hardass with most people but… he trusted Walker far more until Sloan’s attacker was identified.

Mo’at remained in quiet contemplation as the evening drew on. Her mind alight with worry and…sadness. Jakesully had passed on a new worry for the clan and she understood enough and quiet meditation had not offered any wisdom from Eywa in regards to this… development that they were now aware of.

The…concept of predators wasn’t what worried Mo’at. Not when they lived within a balance of predator and prey as part of their life. Palulukan’s lifestyle was terrifying for anyone in its way and even they had to eat. They could respect the way of the Palulukan. Predator species with Sight of Eywa, the Na’vi were guilty of such actions to feed the people. Again, a familiar concept. The concept of a Predator of sight of Eywa actively hunting on prey with also with sight… was uncomfortable.

Vampires.

An alien word. Another alien species on their world. The Sky-people’s predator species. A species that apparently thrived best by being unnoticed by their prey. Jakesully had mentioned the stories and she had seen the collection of drawings of how this species was depicted by Sky-people.

The pictures most common were showing a near-human face morphed by a mouth of sharpened, bloody teeth with unnaturally coloured eyes that were either red or black. Yet, when hiding as a human, they looked to blend in. Eye coverings, mouth closed and in a natural, posture; you’d only think they were tired.

It drew a line between their cultures; Stories for the People were for education, to pass on their history and.. of course, fun. The sky people's stories seemed to be a good portion between entertainment and education. But, from what she understood; these pictures were made from a distant belief of the truth of these creatures but the belief had faded; yet there were still pictures and stories around the species that looked more…present; by how the creatures were dressed in similar clothing as the sky-people she had seen somewhat recently.

It was brilliant, by Mo’at’s pondering, that the stories were made to remove the fear. Remove the belief. Jakesully had mentioned that himself. She knew the scientists of the sky-people relied on physical items to attain truth; to study and to see. A story was not enough for them. It played perfectly into the sky-people’s culture that seemingly made the truth look false. Something to consider as ‘nothing’.

Very unsettling, but brilliant.

“<Eytukan,>” Mo’at spoke, glad to see his return, though she rose to her feet to greet him, glad for his touch. “<How is our daughter?>”

Eytukan raised his chin, lips pursing for a moment. “<Upset, if what Jakesully says is to be believed.>”

Mo’at did not sense deceit from Jakesully in how he spoke of this and she understood how deeply rooted this fear was for him. To go back to the sky people’s village put him back as prey. No one willingly would go to a Palulukan den.

But…there was also the matter of Graceaugustine. An old friend.

Mo’at gently led him to crouch comfortably. “<You’re worried he is lying? I do not sense deceit. His fear is genuine.>”

“<I...the concept of these creatures are still…lost on me. A dead species that feeds upon the living?>” He scoffed. “<Dead is…to be with Eywa. The body remains behind and the spirit moves on. We know this.>”

“<Sky people do not view death as we do, Eytukan.>” Mo’at spoke wisely, “<I do not understand the concept of living with a silent heart either but… just because we do not understand it, it does not mean it’s impossible. The sky people create life out of nothing to create their Dreamwalkers. I do not know how but…they do exist. They are still alien to us and do not conform to our understandings of nature.>”

Eytukan nodded after a moment. “” He didn’t sound content. “<What…are your thoughts concerning….Graceaugustine? If what he said is true about her. I knew you were allied with her before I exiled her. I worry for you.>”

Mo’at paused a little, his hand coming to her cheek in concern. “<I…am saddened. How Jakesully phrased what happened…it deeply unsettles me.” She admitted, “<That said, I don’t…know enough of these creatures to feel any particular way. I do not know if living with a silent heart has changed who she is or not. That…unknown is troubling to me as well.>”

She simply didn’t know enough but…again her mind kept reflecting on his phrasing of how she was ‘killed and converted’. It did not sound like a pleasant experience and one she would never wish upon anyone. That phrasing was what set the notion of sadness that… if Graceaugustine had truly died. She had either been prey to start off with or they had needed more of their own kind. Either way, something terrible had happened.

“<Then…we shall have to learn more but…at a distance for now. The vampires clearly stay close to their prey.>” Eytukan decided. “We should not offer temptation.”

“” Mo’at let out a shallow breath, “<I shall continue to read about them through the device Jakesully has given. He may not know what is true and what is not from their stories but he knows more than us regardless of having grown up on those stories.>”

As expected, Eytukan gave a displeased look towards the thin device that she had beside her. “<Must that be necessary? It is made of metals from the earth.>”

“” Mo’at said, “”

That seemed to barely appease him but he was wise enough to know that the information had enough worth for its presence. It wasn’t like he could read; he simply didn’t wish to learn more than he had to. Mo’at had taken it upon herself to be taught both to understand the sky people. Graceaugustine’s colleague, Reneharper had been a good teacher before his death.

“<We also must consider what happens if other sky-people find out about their predators among them. They may do what Jakesully and Nadinereza do and simply leave. Our territory surrounds their village for some distance. They will certainly settle within our lands.>” Eytukan remarked with distaste at such a notion.

“<They have the right to flee those who hurt and consume them.>” Mo’at pointed out, “<Any clan will accept any lost member of another clan to spare them from death. Integrate them if they so desire. Uturu. Perhap we should consider them? Learn from them more…directly than through Dreamwalker.”

Eytukan looked at her sharply, “Uturu? For Sky people?>”

“<By essence is that not what the agreement we had with the mated Dreamwalkers?>” Mo’at gave her mate a raised brow. “”

“<Even if Uturu is fully accepted, we cannot protect them against these Vampires. If that species is so dangerous as was told.>”

She wasn’t stupid here and she knew that they had to be careful with this. “<It would be unwise to make Omatikaya enemies of the sky people’s demons, husband.”

Eytukan paused at that though considered her words with subtle signs of trepidation with how his tail swished across her mats. “<But if they seek us out as prey? The Na’vi are bigger than the Sky people. Much more blood in our veins. More of us in number?>”

Mo’at gave her mate a soft look though she had no words to comfort those fears. If these vampires had adapted to break through or suppose even sky people technology, then they were already at an immediate disadvantage that they couldn’t ever catch up to. They couldn’t….stop them. Unless they found ways in the stories the sky people had to aid them.

There was another angle that…seemed most likely to work in their favour. “<If Graceaugustine’s retained her sense of self, then I’m sure we have a chance to gain peace with them.>” She gave him a soft look, well aware of his sharp look

“<Her?>” His tone sceptical.

“<She’s well known to the people. She knows us and, despite circumstances that lead to her exile from the clan, she may want to make contact.>” Mo’at clarified, “<She is…an opportunity. We should consider it.>”

“<Unless she died with a bitter heart with resentment for her exile. I was not kind.>” Eytukan remarked, “<Much like the other two Dreamwalkers, they are bitter for just as long>”

“<We broke Uturu with them, husband.>” Mo’at reminded, “<Peace will need to be brokered between us for bonds to return.>”

“<Neytiri has already told me as such. I understand what needs to be done.>” Eytukan huffed, “<We are not talking about them just yet.>” He reached for her again, taking her hand tightly. “”

Mo’at knelt closer, pulling his hand close to her chest. “<I will listen to the word of Eywa for guidance in this new time. The vampires may have been here a while in our ignorance. Our awareness doesn’t change that stance. We have lived then and we will now. They are not aware that we know and that must remain as such.>”

Ruby Carr eyed the report with relief. Glad for one that Dr Augustine had a good fucking memory to get together the location of Site 36 and 37. Site 36 was another one that had recovered as well recently which suited their needs very well.

They had time to get both set up and prepped ready.

“We got the approval?”

“Site thirty six.” Ruby spoke, her eyes drawing up to Zane’s tall blue form with a smile, though he winced as the slight of the sun flashed across his gaze. “It’s a good area; it’s a big shack. Tomorrow’s the earliest we can go. We’ll just need to make a few trips to fully stock it up.” She already had a list compiled for the manufacturing rig but their first trip would verify that they had and needed to stock up on before they’d consider anything else. Plus, the area had some good plants to study as well and Ruby was hoping for more medical plants to look for.

Zane bent down, patting her shoulder lightly though his ears were perked up happily. “That’s good.”

“Hodge will be our third wheel,” Ruby added. “Just like he asked, he’s just got his piloting licence so I think he’s good to navigate the forests there in one piece but he’ll love the lab space.”

Zane nodded, “That’s good. It’ll be good for him. But…” his ears dropped. “We’ll have to be prepared for the lows. He’ll be jealous once he’s settled in.”

Ruby sighed. “I know.” It was rare to lose an avatar in the field. Hedger was the first and lost his mind. Hodge was a rarity given he had retained his mind and sanity given he had the mercy of a quick death. It was now well known, especially given Dr Augustine’s near-death experiences of getting shot, that the drivers can’t unlink from a dying avatar until death. With Hodge, it had been six months and there hadn’t yet been word of approval from Selfridge to authorise a new avatar for the guy. Seeing both her and Zane in their avatars was going to stir up new emotions but… it had to be done for what they wanted. “Still, he’ll get a chance and enjoy science for…the science of it.” She hoped.

Zane spared a look around the compound before he yanked up her hat and kissed the top of her head before he straightened up as if nothing had happened. Thankfully, no one saw as she stole a glance around as well.

Ruby laughed, watching the grin on his face turn smug though she winked up. “Tonight, my quarters.” She shifted her head back a little, giving him enough of a view to spare a peek into her cleavage from his tall avatar height that would typically be covered by the rim of her mask from his vector of view. The switch of his tail was a dead giveaway before she parted ways to pack. Very aware of his stare which made her smirk the entire way back into the building.

The masterlist

#avatar #avatar au #avatar james cameron #grace augustine #avatar the way of water #jake sully #mo'at #neytiri #neytiri te tskaha mo'at'ite #eytukan #tsu'tey #vampire #vampire au #vampire grace #avatar rda #miles quaritch #avatar mansk #miles socorro

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andrewmoocow · 6 months

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Steven Universe Snake Eyes chapter 10: Crossroads (originally posted on October 30, 2023)

AN: And now, the moment I've wanted to write for so long ever since I first started conceiving of this grand finale: the redemption of Black Rutile. Normally, trying to turn a proud psychopath who was not ashamed to say she regretted nothing good would be a very hard thing to do, but after all the emotional beatdowns she suffered throughout this story, Black Rutile might as well need one. But while many might say Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender had the best redemption arc, I'm actually taking a different route for Black Rutile's that is heavily based off of Megatron's portrayal in the twilight years of the original Transformers IDW comics. Anyone who read those comics should be very excited to see what I have in store for Black Rutile. Otherwise, prepare to feel a lot.

Synopsis: After Nosiop throws her out, Black Rutile starts rethinking her views.

Cast:

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Zach Callison as Steven

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl, Yellow Pearl, Blue Pearl, Volleyball, The Black Pearl Brigade

Grace Rolek as Connie

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Laz, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Dalmatian Jasper

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Patti LuPone as Yellow Diamond

Lisa Hannigan as Blue Diamond

Christine Ebersole as White Diamond

Sarah Stiles as Spinel

Christine Baranski as Hessonite

Olivia Olson as Citrine

Avi Roque as Cinnabar

Della Saba as Aquamarine

Charlyne Yi as Eyeball

Christine Pedi as Holly Blue Agate

Casey Lee Williams as Cat's Eye

Jinkx Monsoon as Emerald

Kari Wahlgren as Pyrope

Melissa Fahn as Demantoid

Hayley Kiyoko as Morganite

Idina Menzel as Amazonite

Halsey as Tanzanite

Mia Barron as Apatite

Awkwafina as Kyanite

Allison Janney as Pyrite

Zehra Fazal as Zoisite

Lena Hall as Bloodstone

Jodie Whittaker as Xenotime

Gina Torres as Andesine

Barbara Dunkelman as Amber

Kristen Schaal as Howlite

Catherine Tate as Lepidolite

Cissy Jones as Princess Naja Jormagundr

Henry Rollins as Captain Boa

Neil Flynn as Aescul

Samantha Newark as The Lapidarist

"Okay, how long do we have until Squamata leaves Serpentes and devours the rest of the universe?" Pearl asked as she, Garnet, Hessonite, Citrine, Aquamarine, Cinnabar, Andesine, Captain Boa, and Aescul watched a holographic image of Squamata continuing his rampage against the Slytherophidians.

"I'm betting not long." Hessonite proclaimed. "He'll eventually get bored and move onto another planet. Worst case scenario; he'll consume Earth or Homeworld next just to spite us."

"We need to act quickly." Garnet proclaimed stoically. "If Squamata succeeds in destroying this universe, there's no telling what kind of destruction he'll wreak upon other universes as well."

"It truly pains me to see Nosiop fall this far," Boa said mournfully of his prince's status. "I wish I could've informed Cobralan of this earlier."

"It's okay, Boa, we all didn't know," Aescul responded comfortingly before he turned around to find Black Rutile standing behind him. "Oh hey, I forgot you were still here!"

"Oh, hello, Black Rutile." Pearl greeted the Rutile. "Don't mind us. We're busy thinking of a way to save the known universe and beyond here. Just run along and play while we work here."

"But I can help!" Black Rutile continued urging the group. "Nosiop told me everything there is to know about Squamata, so unless you all want to die, I suggest you listen to me if you want to live!"

"Black Rutile, dear." White Diamond said calmly as she suddenly appeared behind her former subordinate. "They're making it clear that they're not interested in your help right now. So please, go run along and play by yourself while we sort things out."

"What are you, my mom?" Black Rutile scoffed as she stormed off in a huff. "Fine, but don't come crying to me once heads start rolling!"

"Someone needs an attitude adjustment," Aescul murmured at Black Rutile while watching her walk away.

"I think it's because we refused to believe her about Squamata," Garnet replied. "Perhaps she has been telling the truth and wants to change, but we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'll go talk to her." Cinnabar offered herself up and began following Black Rutile. "I've been her apprentice for centuries; I know her more than anyone else in this room."

Elsewhere in the castle, Black Rutile gazed out a window as she watched Squamata and his heralds start draining Serpentes of its energy, causing the land around them to decay. Black Rutile sighed nostalgically as she reminisced on how the Diamonds would cause the planets they colonized to die after draining them of their resources. But those days were long gone, just like what the universe will soon be once Squamata gets bored with Serpentes and moves onto another planet.

"Hello, Black Rutile." Cinnabar said as she walked up to Black Rutile and stood next to her, the two Gems now staring out the same window. "I'd like to talk to you about everything happening recently."

"Oh yes, about me betraying you all and unleashing Squamata only to get stabbed in the back as well?" Black Rutile asked.

"Exactly." Cinnabar answered.

"I know you and everyone else must hate me now for wanting to use the Lapidarist to push the reset button on all Gemkind," Black Rutile said. "But there's no harm in talking one last time before you disown your old mentor, huh?"

Cinnabar only responded by pulling out her broadsword and attempting to strike Black Rutile down. "You betrayed us! You betrayed me!" she screamed angrily as Black Rutile halfheartedly blocked the strike with her bowie knife. "What happened to you?! What have the Crystal Gems done to you?!"

"Enough." Black Rutile quietly commanded her former apprentice to stand down, which she obeyed.

"Did Steven finally corrupt you into his slave?" Cinnabar kept yelling. "Tell me, did he?!"

"No, it's not Steven's fault," Black Rutile sorrowfully revealed. "And I'm sorry if that disappoints you."

"But we believed in you. We dedicated our gems to you." Cinnabar cried in betrayal. "And this is how you treat us?!"

"Not just to me. Black Rutile declared. "But to your own twisted ego and selfishness as well that you used to serve my cause."

"But our cause was what you thought was best for all Gems!" Cinnabar exclaimed. "At least, I thought it was."

"You got that right." Black Rutile agreed dourly.

"I came here to tell you that we're teaming up with the Crystal Gems to stop Squamata from destroying the universe." Cinnabar revealed to her old mentor.

"Wait, seriously?" Black Rutile scoffed dryly. "And here you are, getting on my case for betraying you."

"Steven can be selfish and narrow-minded, sure, but he still accepted us despite what we've done because we have nowhere else left to go." Cinnabar added.

"Well then, off you go!" Black Rutile snapped at Cinnabar. "Go ahead and abandon your lives, your identities, the very reason you were created, all for his twisted ideals and principles!" The two Gems were silent for a few pregnant moments before Cinnabar sat down next to Black Rutile.

"The moment you tell me that this was all a trick, that you're going to kill the royal family and use their armada to conquer the universe, then Steven really did lie to us." Cinnabar stated, hoping what she just said would be true. "He doesn't care that we're without identity; he'll force a new one onto us."

"Ah yes, identity. I've forgotten how toxic that can sometimes be." Black Rutile declared calmly. "Speaking of identity, you're still falling for all the lies about how Pink Diamond didn't mean any harm in starting the rebellion, right?"

"Not entirely." Cinnabar answered. "She didn't care that so many lives were lost in her crusade against the Diamonds, but she still cared deeply for life."

"Organic life, I know." Black Rutile sighed. "So, what do you plan on doing with me now?"

"If you refuse to admit your flaws, I have no choice but to leave you here." Cinnabar declared coldly.

"And you found Aquamarine and the others?" Black Rutile then asked.

"A test. And you failed." Cinnabar replied. "I've been watching you for our entire sentence to Revanche 666. You've just sat in your cell with your eyes closed, doing nothing but think and think and think. And do you want to know what I think? I think for the first time in your life, you feel like you have no identity. You've been many things. An eager Rutile with big dreams, a confidant to White Diamond, a rebel leader. And now what?"

"A selfish fool." Black Rutile responded before turning her knife into a sword and gazing into her reflection on the blade.

"But why? If you did change sides, you'd become a Crystal Gem in all but name." Cinnabar wondered. "No more, no less. Why rethink your entire life now?"

"I once told Steven that the Rutile Rebels came together to seek retribution by any means necessary. I wanted to make him hurt, to make him feel the same pain that he unknowingly brought upon us with his blissful naïveté and optimism." Black Rutile explained to Cinnabar. "And the thing is, at the end of the day, I'm feeling the same pain I brought Steven, only far worse than I thought. If the universe sees you as a monster, what does it matter? The universe is filled with monsters. But when you start thinking that you're the monster."

Black Rutile let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "I came to hate what I've turned myself into. A cunning, devious, opportunistic, sociopathic monster that even Steven believed was beyond redemption. I thought the only way to restore my old legacy and set everything back to what it was before Pink even came into existence, probably the easiest way, was to gain the Lapidarist's godlike powers so I could rejuvenate the entire Gem race."

"You're not a monster. Well, you're not the monster that you think you are now." Cinnabar assured Black Rutile. "As humans would often say, nobody's perfect. We're all like Off-Colors in a way. We can't fit in with society, and that causes us to feel like we're alone in the world. It's why we formed the Rutile Rebels; we felt alone in Era 3, and you were the only one who could give us a purpose. Maybe in a couple of hundred years, we'll remember this conversation and laugh about how ridiculous it was for you to consider changing your ways."

"Consider, you say?" Black Rutile said, gazing down at her hands, calloused from years on the battlefield and years of plotting her grand uprising. "Look at me, Cinnabar. I'm a hopeless, bigoted shell of my former self. Ignorant and proud of it, too." She gently moved one of her hands to her face. "Would you still follow a Gem like me? My spirit now flickers when it once flared, but these days, all I am is nothing but bark without a single bite."

"I don't particularly appreciate hearing you say this." Cinnabar said nervously.

"Why not?" Black Rutile asked.

"Because this isn't you!" Cinnabar answered while taking her master's hands in her own. "Whatever happened to the Black Rutile I looked up to who bravely fought in the Rebellion, dared to challenge the Crystal Gems' tyranny, and basically conquered the Earth by turning the humans against them! The Black Rutile we followed, that we loved. What happened to her?"

I don't know." Black Rutile responded grimly. "I think she's dead."

"Dead?" Cinnabar asked sympathetically. "Or just resting?" The two fell silent once again, neither of them knowing the right words to say next.

"Just recently, I finally saw fit to talk with the Lapidarist." Black Rutile said. "But instead of asking her to rejuvenate the entire Gem race, I asked her what my purpose was now that I've lost everything because of Steven."

"And what did she say?" Cinnabar asked.

"She said that my true destiny won't be realized until I am at peace with myself or something like that." Black Rutile revealed. "She then showed me a vision of a possible future where I fought with Steven to save the universe. As a Crystal Gem. As a hero. As his friend."

"You're kidding. His friend?" Cinnabar gasped in shock. "But this is only a possible future, right?"

"Perhaps if I play my cards right, this could be my future right now." Black Rutile added with a slight smile. "Do you think there's any chance for me to make amends with everybody? Not just the Crystal Gems, but the Diamonds and all the other Rutile Rebels as well?"

"Destiny works in mysterious ways, I guess." Cinnabar realized what Black Rutile was planning to do and accepted it with a smile. "Go, change yourself for the better. You've already won me over."

"Thank you, Cinnabar, for listening to me." Black Rutile said and then suddenly hugged her old apprentice. "This is what is necessary to be forgiven, right?"

"Well, at least you're learning." Cinnabar laughed awkwardly. "Now, can you please let me go?"

"Wait, you're saying the ultimate fusion could be what now?" White Diamond gasped as she, Yellow, Blue, Spinel, and the Pearls stood before Princess Naja and the Lapidarist in the latter's secret chamber.

"Indeed, I believe it must be our only option." The Lapidarist stated. "Unless Steven has any other options."

"Well, there is the fusion with his human girlfriend, and I've also discovered he can fuse with his father," Blue replied. "But I think he might also be able to fuse with the pink boy and the fry boys, too."

"Ooh, ooh, can he fuse with me?!" Spinel asked while fluttering a pair of large eyelashes.

"Don't get too excited, Spinel." Yellow bluntly replied, much to the jester's dismay. "Anyone else he can fuse with?"

"Last I checked, he can fuse with Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, or even all three at once." Blue Pearl replied. "I wonder how he'd fuse with some of the other Crystal Gems?"

As the Diamonds continued conversing, Black Rutile crept into the Lapidarist's chambers, hoping that she would take them all by surprise with her revelation. Still, there was just one factor she didn't consider. "I can see you, Black Rutile."

"No, you can't!" Black Rutile yelled as she tried to hide from the Lapidarist, no matter how omniscient Rebeuger was. "Okay, I give up! I just want to talk!"

"What is it this time, Black Rutile?" Yellow said with a roll of her eyes. "Here to bluster about the injustice wrought upon you again till the heat death of the universe."

"No, that's not it." Black Rutile said firmly. "I came here to apologize for what I've done to you."

"Could you please repeat that? I think I might need my hearing checked." Yellow Pearl snarked in surprise. "Surely this is another one of her lies, right?"

"No, I am simply baring my soul to you all." Black Rutile declared as she got on her knees and begged for forgiveness. "I ask of you, grand Diamonds, to accept my apology for all the horrible, selfish things I did to our people in the name of my delusional crusade for justice against those who have wronged me! My experiences here have finally humbled me and taught me that my actions have consequences!"

"Are you serious this time, Black Rutile?" Volleyball asked the repentant Rutile. "Are you not just lying to us again?"

"Why is everyone assuming that I'm lying?!" Black Rutile complained. "I'm being serious this time. I've been convinced that to be at peace with myself, I must make amends with everyone! Don't believe me? Ask the Lapidarist!"

"It's true." The Lapidarist proclaimed. "I told Black Rutile that she had a grand destiny, but it won't be realized until she is at peace. To calm such a troubled mind, she must reconnect with everyone she's hurt."

"Well, this is interesting," Naja said with an eyebrow arched. "What do you think, Diamonds?"

"Come to think of it, we are at fault for Black Rutile's descent," White said mournfully. "After allowing her to rise to such power because I thought it was funny, I didn't expect such a joke would go so far."

"So, we'll give you a shot, Black Rutile." Yellow added. "But make no mistake, if you really are lying, then we'll make sure to have your head on a wall."

"Oh, thank you, thank you, my Diamonds!" Black Rutile cheered as she crawled over to White Diamond's feet and began kissing them. "You are so kind!"

"Zip it." White bluntly responded.

Next on Black Rutile's itinerary was trying to reconnect with her ex-minions, who she found were already preparing for the coming final battle against Squamata and his heralds. Naturally, Pyrite's keen business acumen had helped the former Rutile Rebels acquire some weapons generously donated to them from the various competitors and Slytherophidians willing to lend a hand. All she needed to do now was to talk to them. Hopefully, Cinnabar would help them hear her out.

"Hey, everybody." Black Rutile greeted her former subordinates, only to be greeted with knives surrounding her in all directions. "Well, not my idea of a warm welcome, isn't it?"

"You know what you did, Black Rutile!" Dalmatian Jasper snarled angrily.

"Trying to sell us all out for power and using the Lapidarist to rejuvenate us!" Tanzanite added, just as furious.

"Making everything we did completely pointless since a godlike being can just do all the heavy lifting for us!" Amazonite proclaimed dramatically. "What was even the point of the Rutile Rebels to begin with in that regard?!"

"Okay, everyone, calm down. No need to antagonize her." Cinnabar stated, much to Black Rutile's relief. "Black Rutile here came to apologize to you all."

"Apologize?!" Eyeball shouted in alarm. "Surely you jest! Black Rutile has never regretted anything in her life!"

"Until now, that is." Black Rutile declared, which was met with gasping in surprise. "Yes, I know, I actually regret something for once. Let me explain."

"Someone pinch me; I must be dreaming." Cat's Eye muttered to herself while scratching her hair.

"This has to be a bad comedy." Pyrite added curiously.

"Earlier, Cinnabar and I talked with each other about my recent emotions and how I've grown to hate myself for what my constant failures have turned me into." Black Rutile explained. "Cinnabar tells me that we are all like Off-Colors in a way; we can't fit in with society, which causes us to feel like we're alone in the world. And I've realized that fits me in more ways than one."

"So does that mean you are, how do you say, repenting now?" Holly Blue asked. "I'm not sure I like this."

"Well, I'm not sure if I like you guys betraying me for the Crystal Gems either." Black Rutile responded curtly. "Nobody's perfect."

"Are you sure we can still trust you, my Rutile?" Andesine asked hopefully.

"I swear on my life." Black Rutile replied proudly. "Unless anyone threatens my life. In which case, you're out of luck."

"Eh, I'm fine with it if you are." Apatite said with a shrug.

"Not going to lie, I was getting kind of lonely without you yelling at us." Zoisite added.

"But make no mistake, just because you're showing remorse for how you've treated us doesn't mean we're just going to totally forgive you." Xenotime declared with a blade to her old boss's gem. "You'll have to work to earn our forgiveness. Otherwise, you will be executed for one wrong move."

"Calm down, Xeno, no need to be such a terminator and all that." Howlite tried calming Xenotime down by lowering her arm. "So, what do you plan on doing now, Black Rutile?"

"I bet she's gonna talk to the Crystal Gems next!" Kyanite proposed.

"Why yes, that is exactly what I was going to do." Black Rutile replied. "I'm already on shaky ground with them as is. I do not want to know how they'll react when they find out I'm telling the truth."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck." Bloodstone said with hope for her old master.

"Famous last words, as they always say." Amber added wryly before Black Rutile turned away and left.

"I never figured Black Rutile for an atoner." Emerald shook her head in surprise.

"Me neither," Morganite added, just as alarmed as the former pilot.

"But maybe this could be a fresh start for her." Pyrope suggested. "For all of us."

"It better." Demantoid responded sourly.

"Any updates, guys?" Lapis asked Laz and Zuli as the Crystal Gems gathered one last time before the inevitable final battle with Squamata.

"Those Universal Lords are really holding the line, but I'm not sure for how long." Laz declared.

"Only a matter of time before we're forced to fight." Zuli added.

"The combined powers of the Universal Lords are extraordinary, but it won't be long until they're forced to retreat." Squaridot added. "By the way, I can see Black Rutile approaching behind you." At that moment, the Crystal Gems turned around and stared menacingly at Black Rutile, fearing that she had nothing good to say.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back to us." Jasper frowned at Black Rutile.

"You have a lot of nerve being alive." Black Rutile responded just as harshly. "I suppose you're all going to act super suspicious about what I have planned, but I'm here to prove you wrong by saying I'm sorry." The Crystal Gems were dead silent in shock in response to this. "Hello, anyone? Bueller, Bueller, Bueller?" Nobody answered. "Stop ignoring me."

"I should've known this was coming." Garnet said coolly. "Please tell us you're sure you're not lying to us this time."

"No, I'm being serious, for crying out loud!" Black Rutile yelled. "I'm trying to repent for my sins here, so please hear me out!"

"A likely story, Black Rutile!" Bismuth threatened Black Rutile with her hammer dangerously close to the Rutile's gem. "It's gonna take more than just 'I'm sorry' to compensate for what you've done to us!"

"Yeah!" Peridot and Squaridot added.

"No, I've discovered that I'm more like you than I realized!" Black Rutile cried in desperation. "I'm just as much of an Off-Color as all of you because I never quite fit into the society you created, so I decided to take matters into my own hands!"

"I still don't believe this," Amethyst replied. "As Bismuth said, it's gonna take way more than a simple apology to make us completely forget what you've done."

"But that's literally what you've done to every foe you've encountered, even Emerald!" Black Rutile complained while angrily stomping her foot. "You, Steven, you and your friend can vouch for me, right?!"

"Okay, I'll only accept that you've changed on one condition." Connie stated while crossing her arms.

"What's that?" Black Rutile asked.

"Say my name," Connie suggested. "Can you say it?"

"Of course I can!" Black Rutile chuckled before she immediately lost track. "You're, uh, Connie Steven's-Annoying-Human-Friend!"

"You don't even know my name." Connie groaned in disgust.

"I certainly do!" Black Rutile claimed. "It's Meeska-Mooska-Mickey Mouse-svetlana!"

"Sometimes, it feels like you're not even trying to bother." Connie grimaced. "It's Maheswaran, Connie Maheswaran. Can you say it?"

"Connie Maheswaran." Black Rutile repeated.

"Now say, "I'm sorry that I've tried to kill you and your friends and destroy the planet all the time, Connie Maheswaran." Connie asked Black Rutile.

"I'm sorry that I've tried to kill you and your friends and destroy the planet all the time, Connie Maheswaran." Black Rutile said reluctantly. "There, are you happy now for once in your pathetic, unbelievably short, organic life?"

"Hey, everybody, calm down!" Steven shouted as he got between Black Rutile and Connie. "How about I talk things out with Black Rutile, and maybe we can reach an understanding? White Topaz, you can join too."

"Sure!" White Topaz exclaimed brightly. "Be back soon, guys!"

"I got a bad feeling about this." Jasper frowned as she watched her girlfriend leave with Steven and Black Rutile.

Outside the castle, Steven, Black Rutile, and White Topaz all sat together at the front steps as they watched the sunset on a doomed Serpentes, where Squamata continued wreaking havoc while his heralds laughed maniacally. "So, what inspired this, Black Rutile?" Steven asked his archnemesis. "What made you now want to change your ways after all you've done to me?"

"You think maybe she's finally understanding where you come from?" White Topaz wondered before Black Rutile calmed her down.

"Don't get too excited, Topaz," Black Rutile said. "I'm not necessarily changing my ways; I'm just finally realizing how toxic my worldview has been to both myself and others, and I've been apologizing to everyone I hurt, hoping that we can all move on together. I finally accepted that I'm just as flawed as any other living creature, human, Gem, or otherwise alike."

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from." Steven replied. "My dad once told me that if every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn't have hot dogs. In this case, you need to stop thinking of yourself as a porkchop by building this entire cult on the image of how perfect you think you are and blend in with all the other hot dogs in the universe, like me."

"I have no idea what your human food has to do with this, but you are indeed correct." Black Rutile said. "I said to Cinnabar that the only way I thought I could restore my reputation was to simply just erase everyone's memories of my actions through using the Lapidarist to rejuvenate all Gemkind, but after being abandoned by my minions and Nosiop's betrayal, I've realized that my glory days are long gone, so all that's left for me is just to accept the here and now and hopefully put my life back together." She then dropped to her knees with tears in her eyes. "Please, Steven, I know I'm asking for a little much, but would you please accept me as your friend?"

Steven was quiet for a moment as if trying to process Black Rutile's response, so the best he could do was give her a pat on the back that Black Rutile quickly turned into a hug.

"Whoo, group hug!" White Topaz cheered as she wrapped her arms around Steven and Black Rutile and picked them up in a big bear hug. However, their embrace would soon receive an unexpected visitor.

"Oh, what a touching scene." Nosiop hissed evilly as he towered over the three Gems. "Too bad I'll have to end it all once I assassinate Steven."

"Not on our watch!" Black Rutile exclaimed fiercely. "If you want to kill Steven, you'll have to go through me first, you scaly devil!" She then reached for White Topaz's hand. "Topaz, fuse with me!"

"Whoa, already?" White Topaz replied before she realized what Black Rutile had planned. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"No time!" Black Rutile yelled before the two did an impromptu tango dance, causing them to fuse into Lepidolite.

"HAHAHAHA, HEEEEERE'S LEPPY!" Lepidolite cackled as she embraced her grand return and pulled out her clawed gloves to use against Nosiop.

"A fusion, you say?" Nosiop chuckled. "This should be easy." Using the powers blessed upon him by Squamata, Nosiop made quick work of Lepidolite in their grand battle, but Lepidolite thought quickly and used her might to keep the evil prince at bay while making sure Steven was unharmed.

"Wait, let me help!" Steven yelled at Lepidolite.

"No, get out of here at once!" Lepidolite commanded. "This could be my last battle, and I intend to make it count!" With one last battle cry, Lepidolite charged at Nosiop and prepared to land the finishing blow, but Nosiop quickly dodged the attack and stabbed Lepidolite in the face, causing her form to destabilize.

"BLACK RUTILE, NO!" Steven cried in shock.

"This is goodbye to you all." Lepidolite monologued to herself in her final moments of consciousness. "To my Rutile Rebels, to my fellow Gems. And yes, even you, Steven Universe."

In a brilliant explosion of black and white smoke, a mighty fusion was eliminated, and her components were reduced to their gems lying at Steven's feet. Once known as menaces to the entire Gem race, they made the ultimate sacrifice to defend the boy they called their greatest foe. They were Black Rutile and White Topaz, partners in crime turned Crystal Gems at heart.

"In their last moments, people show you who they really are," Nosiop said with a smirk before slithering away in disgust. However, he felt a strange presence behind him as he turned around to discover that Steven was turning pink with rage at the prince's lack of empathy. "What?!"

"Okay, Inner Steven, don't fail me now," Steven muttered as he charged at Nosiop and threw a punch of pure serene fury. To Nosiop's surprise, Steven's current state meant that he was outmatched in every way imaginable. "I'm going to break you and throw you to the wind!"

"I need to get out of here!" Nosiop cried like a coward before flying away, knowing how outmatched he was. As Steven de-transformed and let out a sigh of relief, he heard Black Rutile and White Topaz's gems shimmering behind him, signifying they were about to gain new forms once they were reformed.

Once the pair's physical bodies were restored, White Topaz discovered that her white diamond symbol was replaced with a Crystal Gem star. Similarly, Black Rutile found that she had a star as well, where her white diamond symbol once was.

"You're back!" Steven laughed in delight as he raced up to hug them both. "And look, you're Crystal Gems now too!"

"Took me long enough to get one of these." White Topaz chuckled with pride while Black Rutile frantically tried to pull her star off.

"Get it off me, get it off me, get it off me!" Black Rutile yelled in terror before Steven put a comforting hand on her arm, telling her that things would be okay once she got used to things. "Uh, is there a way I can move this somewhere else?"

"Not that I know of," Steven replied just as he heard the Diamonds and the Crystal Gems step outside. "Hey guys, check it out! Black Rutile and White Topaz are Crystal Gems!"

"Babe!" Jasper yelled in delight before tackling White Topaz to the ground and kissing her. "I knew you'd get one someday!"

"Yeah, me too, honey!" White Topaz laughed.

"Okay, this is definitely going to need some getting used to." Pearl muttered. "Steven, as much as we'd like you to explain what happened, that will have to wait because White has something to say." She then turned to the Diamond and gave her a nod.

"Thank you, Pearl, for that marvelous introduction." White Diamond declared before turning to Steven. "Steven, we must fuse with you to stand a chance against Squamata." Steven then gasped in response. As much as he was happy to see that Black Rutile was starting on the path of forgiveness, there were still some things he needed to forgive as well.

Yep, White Diamond just went there! But with Black Rutile finally starting to redeem herself, fate could have other plans in store, and I don't think I have enough time to get everything I want in these final chapters as well. Go ahead, talk about how rushed Black Rutile's story here is and how she got off a little too easy, I'm on a tight schedule here! But now that I finally finished this really long-ass chapter, it's time we prepare for the coming conclusion of Snake Eyes and the end of Steven and Black Rutile's story. Happy Halloween everybody, and take care.

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bambeebirdie · 1 year

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So I just finished the Mandalorian and I have some thoughts. Not many positive thoughts, you could say this is actually just a list of complaints and suggestions of how to improve. Obviously this post will have spoilers up to season 3. I feel like it was close to being good but I have a lot of issues with that last episode especially. (This post is going to be long so for your convenience I’m cutting it here)

Genuinely there were so many things about season three that could have been good but also just as many things that annoyed the crap out of me. My only feeling after finishing it is aggravation.

I feel like everything with Moff right at the end could have been so much more impactful if Grogu was more of a proper Jedi (I know he is kind of a Jedi but like come on, he barely counts). Or like if there was a Jedi who began to travel with them so Grogu could be trained in both. I feel like there isn’t anyone who could really start to be on the team full time because the closest is Luke and I can’t see Disney doing that ever. But like imagine having a mandalorian, a clone and a Jedi getting to be there while Moff just steals their cultures. The actual reaction of someone properly trained in the Force getting to see it be created artificially. Chef kiss. I feel like for a Clones it’s a little more complicated, but just like Star Wars needs a droid revolution they need more respect for Clones. Having a clone there who gets to also be horrified by Moffs fucked up clones would be nice to see. I just feel like the addition of two characters like that would have packed a bigger punch. Also Star Wars has established Clones as individuals. Even with Moffs DNA as their base they wouldn’t have necessarily been evil. I get killing them, but having a clone there to get to have feelings about that would have just been nice to see. (I suppose the scene was technically fine on it own. Gross to see the mandalorian rip offed in such a way so like way to write your villain well. But i just feel like it would hit harder with a more established Jedi on the team and a clone on the team. If you want the clone could have even been a Mandalorian and that could have fleshed out on of the background guys. The force is so important to Jedi’s too, right next to lightsabers, I just need to know their reaction to Moff. There was wasted potential in just making the Mandalorians be allowed to react to Moffs fucked up experiments. I refuse acknowledge otherwise.)

The big mando guy, Paz Vizsla, dying is literally so upsetting, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t expect it. Paz just deserved better. Leave it to Disney to kill off the only guy with a distinct body type.

THE FUCKING DARK SABER BREAKING!! AND IT JUST GETS BRUSHED OVER?!? WHO THE HELL OKAYED THAT!?! It can supposedly cut through anything, kinda it’s whole thing. That fight should have ended with Bo-Katan just decapitating Moff after at least a few minutes of proper fighting. That time could even be a stretch for how long sword fights should take irl, but since it’s the final stand it should take a while for Drama™. Even with the argument of “it can’t cut through beskar”, Moff’s weapon shouldn’t have lasted that long. Also the Saber is basically a lightsaber and with some work those can technically cut through beskar. Mainly Moff just dying to fire too is literally the worst. Genuinely any Mandalorian killing him would have been better. I don’t care who. Just any of them!

I also feel like Din didn’t really have to be there. Even if he was affected by Moff all the Mandalorians technically were. I feel like Bo should have been allowed to let that be a solo fight or just allow more Mandalorians to assist. Though, if for whatever reason just Din assistance was really required, it should have been because the red guys started to invade the fight. I refuse to just let Moff just be so cool and strong he can reck both Din and Bo easily by himself.

Back to the Darksaber. That saber was so important for so long it shouldn’t have broken so unceremoniously. Especially not by fucking Moff. Now look I can understand a world where the Saber gets destroyed. It’s kind of obvious that Bo-Katan thinks that’s the only reason people follower her (let’s just ignore Din’s reassurance of otherwise for now. Or just say one guy isn’t really enough to convince her which is valid imo). I could totally understand the Saber getting removed being a cool character moment. Bo fears that without the saber she cannot lead but she still has to let it go for Plot™ and then like instantly gets assured by Din and the Armorer and then everyone else. That could have been cool. But Moff just fucking breaking it fills me with rage.

Consider this instead if you really want Moff to be the reason it’s gone: The ship is crashing and Bo and Moff are fighting near the edge. Bo sees an opportunity to push him fully under the ship but struggles to get him to fall. She realizes the best way would be to stab the Saber into him. She does so sending him off the edge and the Saber in the process before needing to fucking run as to not get consumed by flames. She can still try to protect Din and Grogu only for Grogu to save them both. Then we have a little moment with her and all the Mandos and Bo is like “We won. He’s dead, but I lost the Saber so I understand if you won’t follow me.” Then literally everyone expresses their support of her leadership even with no Saber. That would have been so much better than just it BREAKING AND INSTANTLY GETTING BRUSHED OVER!!

Anyways

The Armorer shouldn’t have had to fight with her smithing tools. That’s so dumb for so many reasons. What if they get damaged or deformed during a battle? How are you gonna fix them?? With your fucking broken ass tools?? She should have gotten a battle hammer, giant laser axes, a mallet, idk but not just her fucking tools!?! There is so much stuff you could do with a blacksmith themed character but they didn’t do shit! It just feels jarring. Like they couldn't bother to give her a weapon? This stupid when SHE'S LITERALLY THE HEART OF THE COVERT! Haven’t we already established weapons are a key part of Mandalorian culture! Why doesn’t she have any?!? She’s the forge master, a key character in a culture that is all about weapons and armor, SHE SHOULD HAVE WEAPONS!!! They dropped the ball hard is all I’m saying.

Why must everything Din ask for just not happen and he’s not even allowed to be upset about it? He wants the Razor Crest and he gets the equivalent of a motorcycle. He wants his buddy back and he gets an astromech. He once again tries to get his robot buddy back and baby yoda gets a robot he can control. All of this happens and he just goes along with it! No issues at all expect mild annoyance of the baby’s new mech since he commits crimes with it (on brand ngl). He better get something Razor Crest adjacent next season I swear. (If there even if a next season. Id assume but idk.) I don’t need him to get everything he asks for, that’s just unrealistic, but I’d at least like for him to be allowed to get annoyed and stand up for himself. It’s getting ridiculous.

My pitch for a new ship would be something his speedy ship can like attach to the bottom or the top of. Then it can detach when needed. That way he can still have a ship he can transport people in and a speedy thing to use for necessary missions. (I kind of feel like the speedy ship now feels a little too important to just sell, but also they just broke the dark saber so what do I know.)

I don’t like how often Mando takes Grogu to battle fields. I know that’s his baby who needs him and I wouldn’t be surprised if they both have attachment issues. But seriously? Why you gotta take the baby to the epic last stand? That’s so not safe. And then they just validate it by making Grogu the one who saves his life?? Alright I see how it is. (Another issues that might be solved with a Jedi being part of main cast. I’m not super implying anything because it could easily be changed to not require a Force user in that fight, but it would fix the current child soldier problem)

One last thing that’s mostly unrelated but I’m very annoyed that Din getting Grogu back happened in a different show. I’d be fine (at least I’d pretend to be) with something plot relevant happening to Din in a different show but like an extremely important event for Din and Grogu happening in Boba Fett is absolutely ridiculous!! It’s such an obvious ploy to make more people watch Boba Fett but that show is about Fucking Boba Fett! I can 100% guarantee you people would watch the show without any Mando references!

I guess that’s all I have to say. I dunno I feel like more annoyed me but I spent too long festering about the Darksaber I kinda forgot my other points. There’s just so much here and I feel like a lot of it isn’t terrible, but so much of it is just bad. It pains me. I just don’t like finishing a show and just getting upset. Every Star Wars thing is just “Good concept. Bad execution.” Why must it be one of my favorite series?

I don’t try to be so ranty but specifically the death of the darksaber really brought it out in me. I apologize (not completely but I do a tiny bit). I will apologize for my constant forgetting of people and things names. A constant problem I have and could fix by looking names up but I simply didn’t feel like it <3

SHIT WAIT I JUST REMEMBERED MY LAST THING

That one kid, Ragnar, finally got to finish his ceremony after that whole bird snatching incident, on Mandalore no less, which is certainly swag. I’d say good for him except that HIS DAD WASN’T THERE BECAUSE HIS DAD FUCKING DIED!! And then that green baby who kicked his ass in a trial battle stole his thunder by also being requested to be added to the Song! And then he just gets adopted right before his very eyes AFTER HIS DAD JUST DIED!! The tragedy! That’s poor kid!! His dad didn’t even need to die! It’s upsetting. Why must their jet packs only work when it’s plot relevant because there’s no fucking reason big man had to try to fight the red robed guys. He could have flown away! Maybe they pick him up and he’s injured or something! Idk!?! Why’d they kill the poor kids dad, steal his thunder, and not even properly addresses his dad’s death?!?

Okay that’s everything (I’m sad now)

#the mandalorian #mandalorian #grogu #mando #din djaren #bo katan #the mandalorion spoilers #mandalorian season 3 #okay that should be enough tags for me to talk more about spolierly things #ngl Bo and The Armorer #gay #those bitches gay #I’m sorry. i can feel something between them and it isn’t just gals being pals #i don’t want to say Luke should become a main character here but I am saying a main Jedi character would slot in well #obviously some things would need to change but like I feel like I brought up enough points to validate at least one becoming more important #don’t get me wrong I love Luke I just don’t know how I would feel about him becoming more important without just retconning 7-9 #i would like them to retcon 7-9 #please #just don’t make them canon anymore because my boy Luke wouldn’t make a school that would just flop like that 😭#i have been enjoying all the mando lore drops #those have been nice #same with the adoption #that was very cute. I’m a fan #I’m just also upset #i can’t decide how I feel about Din’s behavior with all the battle driods in that one episode #like I know he hates droids but I feel like after watching everyone you love dying to them you’d be a bit more hesitant to just start #kicking them #but idk maybe he’s just dumber than I think he is #i don’t like how it seems all the girls have one vision shape while the guys have another #i just hate that. can’t explain it but I do <3

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enbycarp · 8 months

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Got this in a newsletter for a podcast called RadioLab, and I thought it was interesting (and the episode they mention is really good):

Do We Really Have to Choose Between Safety and Freedom?

By Anna Rascouët-Paz Remember Section 230, the U.S. law that shields internet platforms from responsibility for the content their users post, sometimes to disastrous effect? We dropped an episode about it earlier this month, so if you haven’t heard it yet, do it now. I’ll wait. Section 230 is credited for allowing the internet to be what it is; cases were brought against it, and everyone worried that the U.S. Supreme Court would strike it down. This, experts argued, would break the world wide web as we know it. There was a collective sigh of relief when the Justices left it in place. Case closed, right? Wrong. Unlike U.S. law, the world wide web is… worldwide. Sites we use in the U.S. serve billions of people across the globe. Guess who else uses Facebook, Twitter (sorry, X), TikTok, Grindr, Amazon: Europeans. And Europe really, really cares about keeping its people safe. The group of 27 countries is a pioneer of internet regulation—a phrase that, to U.S. ears, can sound like an oxymoron. But following their rules can force such huge changes, the vast majority of sites just implement them globally. You know how you have to approve which cookies can spy on you when you get on a new site? That’s the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By giving Europeans more control over their privacy, they gave it to the rest of the world, too. And here comes another round of EU Laws That Protect Humans On The Internet: the Digital Services Act (DSA) rollout began last week, with full implementation by 2024. Fun fact: it’s trying to address many of the issues of Section 230. And like GDPR, it’s already affecting U.S. users. The DSA holds internet platforms accountable for the content users post on them. The EU believes that all “intermediaries”—sites that provide goods, content and services—should foster an environment that respects the rights of users. This law has created an obligation to moderate. Break the rules and companies will face fines of six percent of their global revenue, or even EU-wide bans. Platforms must facilitate reports of harmful content, and act on them. They must allow their users, not the algorithms, to rule their feeds (Facebook brought back its chronological feed last month, for everyone , to get a head start). By the way, they’ll have to share said algos with EU authorities. Kids will no longer be exposed to suggested content based on their activity. Once a year, companies will assess the risk on their platforms and share how effective their safety tools are. They’re also obligated to let researchers and internet watchdogs access their data—I’m eager to see all the science this will yield. The law is going after the usual suspects: fake news, child pornography, racist attacks, harassment. Sites will need to crack down on content that gets in the way of public health, electoral processes, and fundamental rights. The EU promises that they won’t be gentle if platforms mess up. Europe’s approach suggests that they don’t see freedom and safety as opposing forces. They insist that the law will target what is already illegal, so the internet won’t be less free than real life. Also, if you disagree about a content removal decision, you’ll be able to challenge it more easily. Giants like Google, TikTok, and Meta are complying. Amazon is suing the EU . Elon Musk’s Twitter—sorry, X—was procrastinating, but the EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton warned that they’d better get in line before Europe’s election season begins, or else. Musk swore they’d be ready. If these announcements are anything to go by, adapting to the new rules represents a large enough operational shift that the companies might apply them wholesale rather than by location. Long term, many believe the DSA will be a model for other countries to follow and fine-tune. Who knows. I, for one, can’t wait to see how it’s going to play out for Section 230. Next: the EU takes on artificial intelligence. Stay tuned.

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lindsaystravelblogs2 · 11 months

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Days 26 & 27 - Wednesday/Thursday, 29/30 March Copacabana and Lake Titicaca

Wednesday

Our guide picked us up after breakfast, but we only had a little luggage because we were coming back to the same hotel a couple of nights later. We had packed everything up but left our big bags in the room for the staff to put into the storeroom until we got back. As it happened, nothing was touched and we were back in the same room with our bags intact when we returned.

It seemed a very long drive through the city and built-up suburbs before we saw anything like the ‘countryside’. My guess would be close to forty kilometres. Ever so slowly, it started to get a little less urban until we finally saw a few small farms, all with very dilapidated buildings, some sparce stock, mainly cattle, and an occasional small crop of quinoa. The urban area was pretty crowded with small shops, warehouses, workshops, small industrial plants of every description (and quite a few very garish casinos) lining both sides of the road for many miles. The traffic was horrendous and there were people everywhere. Some were patronising the many extensive markets, but most seemed to be just standing around waiting for buses or chatting with others standing along the road verges. Many, particularly the more mature women, were in traditional dress (there seems to be two versions, characterised largely by their hats, but all with big bustles and wide skirts, not so attractive to western eyes, but certainly high fashion in Bolivia). There were thousands of small busses heading for every imaginable destination and our progress was often quite slow due to the chaos that seems to be everyday life in and around La Paz.

After about three hours, we arrived at Port de Tiquina on the edge of a narrow strait that separates two parts of Lake Titicaca where we all had to alight from the bus. We had a few minutes to stroll around the colourful port area and then we boarded a ferry that took us across the half kilometre or so to Tiquina La Paz – another colourful little settlement with a small market. All of this was because our bus had to cross on a punt (there were dozens of them plying the strait) and once it was safely on our side, we all reboarded it and set off for Copacabana (not the famous one in Brazil, but its smaller cousin on the shore of Lake Titicaca). Half an hour later, we arrived at Copacabana where we had an hour or more to wait in the very hot sun for our boat to take us to Sun Island.

Port de Tiquina

(A short diversion here….. When Freddie and I had been exploring my favourite little valley and Heather had been photographing her plants and rocks while admiring the llamas, Freddie had become quite quiet for a few minutes. When we met up with Heather again, he said that he had been thinking and felt we needed to change our hotel arrangements on Sun Island. We were booked into a fairly expensive Eco-lodge that he said was high on the hill and Heather would have trouble getting up there. He suggested an alternative hotel, perhaps not quite as salubrious, but at lake level, rather than in the sky. We agreed and he made all the arrangements while we were photographing the birds. He was such a good guide and was really thinking ahead to what issues might arise further along the track. I am so glad he did, because I would have had extreme difficulty in climbing to the Eco-lodge and there is no way Heather could have got there. For a price, we could have hired donkeys to take our luggage up there, but I simply couldn’t have climbed up there myself given the altitude and strenuous activity involved.)

Luggage porters for Eco-Lodge

Our boat took us to a small village where we disembarked and wandered around the foreshore for half an hour waiting for another boat to take us the last short hop to our hotel. The boat arrived in due course and we boarded it for the last kilometre or two to our hotel. It was a lovely place at the foot of a very steep hill with the Eco-lodge towering above us in the far distance. We saw half a dozen or so donkeys over the fence and they transported luggage up the hill for a couple of other people later that day and the following day, but I doubt if we could have climbed the distance, even without our baggage.

It was almost 4pm by the time we arrived, but our hosts were still waiting lunch for us – a banquet of meats, fruits, vegetables, bread and sweets – but no water or other drinks – food was included in our tariff, but not drinks, so we had to purchase all our drinks, including water.

After lunch, we settled into our comfortable little cabin and I went for a walk around the grounds and found a few more birds. The owner of the hotel (it was really more like a mini-motel) and a couple of other guys were checking and organising their fishing nets and related gear after an fruitless overnight fishing foray the night before – they had caught noting. The lake has apparently been overfished for years and it is virtually impossible to make a living from fish any longer – but they had tried and intended going out the following night as well.

Dinner (another big meal) was at 7pm and during dinner, our host disappeared into our room and got the heater working for us. It was wonderfully warm when we got back to our room, but the heater went out soon after and it was fairly chilly by the time we awoke next morning.

Thursday

I think we were the only guests in the hotel so we elected a slightly later breakfast today – 8am, so we could sleep a little later. During the morning, we took a boat trip to a village a few kilometres away. We passed one medium-sized village but went a bit further around a headland and landed at smaller village where we walked around and explored the place. It was very quaint, with very few people around apart from a few guys building a house, but we strolled through the lane, ogling at the crops and donkeys in the backyards of people's tiny houses, and emerged at another beach with a line of (very) slightly better houses fronting the seawall. I found a couple more interesting birds and our guide (for once) seemed happy to chat and impart a little more information to us (although we subsequently found that it was not all quite accurate). We wandered for an hour or so, probably two, and returned to the boat along a different foreshore that took us past what we think was the only shop in the village.

Back at our hotel, we found that the fishermen had enjoyed a little more luck overnight and had a few bags of small fish, some of which they sold directly to the locals who had obviously been watching for the boat, and came down to make a purchase or two. I would not have liked to be dependent on their catch for my living, even at Melbourne prices, but it must have been worth the effort for them as a small supplement to their income. Wherever we went, people complained that they were dependent on tourism for their living and the tourists had almost completely deserted them since the Covid pandemic commenced, with no signs of recovery in the foreseeable future. How many of them survived is a mystery to me (and I suspect to most of them too).

The afternoon was pretty uneventful. I went looking for birds around the property and nearby shoreline, but never saw much. There were some mysterious small birds that I heard many times – a very musical chirrup – and I saw them flashing past on numerous occasions, but I never saw them well enough to guess at their identification at any time. Very frustrating. We spent most of the afternoon snuggling up in our room prior to another huge dinner at night and a nice warm room to retreat to afterwards.

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gobblewanker · 3 years

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I have suggestion on Winged au Pacifica (you don't have to feel inclined to draw it, it's just a thought). How about if she had peacock wings? Not really based on her personality, but off the fact that in the show, her family owns a bunch of them.

I did actually consider this! Partially because of her family owning peacocks, but also because of the stereotype that peacocks are pompous and haughty. But then I remembered only male peacocks have the really interesting feathers :/

(I drew it anyways)

I wasn't sure if it was weird to give her tailfeathers when I didn't do that for anyone else, but those feathers are the most interesting looking one. It might also be a fun idea to have her flare them when startled/trying to look intimidating.

#gravity falls #pacifica northwest #wings au #my art #answers #I do really like this look too #I'm honestly not sure which one i prefer #there were so many good suggestions for paz

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sealwomyn · 2 years

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Separatist Lesbrarian Post

As if my Goddess research book pile isn't big enough.. I've decided to make a post of my work-in-progress separatist booklist; there's essays, feminist sci-fi, lesbian novels, all-female societies, herstories, etc. Some I've read but most are TBR on the Storygraph. If any women know anything that would be a good fit, or praise or criticism of anything here, feel free to add suggestions.

Fiction:

Sultana's Dream by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossein (only 11 pages and I love it so much)

The Wanderground: Stories of the Hill Women by Sally Miller Gearhart

Womonseed by Sunlight

Daughters of a Coral Dawn trilogy by Katherine V. Forrest

Return to Isis trilogy by Jean Stewart

Journey to Zelindar, Hadra Archives series by Diana Rivers

Ammonite by Nicola Griffith (this one made me want to go to the all female planet so much!)

The Demeter Flower by Rochelle Singer

The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper

A Door Into Ocean, Elysium series by Joan Slonczewski

*Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (I read this, cw for shameless racism)

Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light, and Houston, Houston, Do You Read?, by James Tiptree Jr. (pen name of Alice Sheldon)

When Women Were Warriors trilogy by Catherine M. Wilson (too many men in last book, some weird scenes but good otherwise, would reread)

*The Stars Are Legion by Kameron Hurley (read this, overall liked it but for the love of Goddess check reviews for content warnings bc idek how to warn for this)

The Carhullan Army/Daughters of the North by Sarah Hall (read, off-putting scenes esp gross het scene but interesting other aspects)

Banner of Souls by Liz Williams, added by suggestion! This looks interesting.

Sister Light, Sister Dark by Jane Yolen, thanks to @violetssunsets for the addition! unfortunately was warned about het content but also a society of warrior women.

Celaeno series by Jane Fletcher, thanks to @unified-multiversal-theory for the suggestion! Has an all-woman society so I need it in my life.

Herstory and Nonfiction:

Separatism and Women's Community by Dana R. Shugar (got this recently and excited to read this herstory)

Lesbian Land by Joyce Cheney

Sinister Wisdom #98: Landykes of the South: Women's Land Groups and Lesbian Communities in the South (have this, many listed are of the past)

La Luz Journal by Juana Maria Paz (actively seeking this one atm, racism and esp colonization issues wrt women's spaces on occupied land are something I want to see addressed)

Country Lesbians: The Story of the Womanshare Collective by Sue Deevy, Nelly Kaufer, Dian Wagner, Carol Newhouse, and Billie Miracle. (Billie gave me a copy of this when I visited Womanshare a few years back)

Weeding at Dawn: A Lesbian Country Life by Hawk Madrone

Amazon Acres, You Beauty: Stories of Women's Lands, Australia, edited by Sand Hall

Circles of Power: Shifting Dynamics in a Lesbian-Centered Community by La Verne Gagehabib and Barbara Summerhawk

For Lesbians Only: A Separatist Anthology, edited by Sarah Lucia Hoagland and Julia Penelope. (70 essays! I haven't finished it but I'm trying)

Wild Mares: My Lesbian Back-to-the-Land Life by Dianna Hunter

*Herlands: Exploring the Women's Land Movement in the United States by Keridwen N Luis (language in synopsis seems to favor male invasion of Female Sovereign Space so my expectations are low)

If any women here have read any of these please let me know your thoughts! I don't have anon on but I’ll redact asks if you want to write in anonymously, just say the word. Hoping to find more knowledgeable lesbrarians on our beloved hellsite than myself :)

#separatism #lesbian feminism #lesbian separatism #womyn's land #readwomen #lesfem blogging #reading list #thought about posting this on my other blog where I usually talk about my non goddess reading materials but I'm gonna cross post this so #oh yeah males dni or i will block you 😌#feminist scifi #will do the wider feminist sci-fi post on ye other sideblog #if any of these i haven't read contain gratuitous heterosexuality i do apologize in advance.. there's a couple where i'm not sure #the storygraph #trying out alternatives to ye olde corporate-bought book site we all love to hateread #yes i am posting this in the wee hours i have stayed up late adding all these links

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sprout-fics · 2 years

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Happy 500 followers + here’s to so many more !! 🥰

🌱 I can’t stop thinking about Arranged marriage Paz Vizsla and his Riduur from Reverence - it would be so amazing to see some more of them, maybe Fluff or adventure heading back to the covert/covert life in general?

Everything you write sparks an incredible amount of joy I can’t thank you enough - ori’vor entye 🌟🌟

I'm so glad you enjoyed Reverence! I had such a wonderful time indulging in soft Paz who is incredibly tender for his S/O. Have some more!

Note: I invented the term ‘A’lora’ as a way of signifying ‘spouse/partner of the A’lor (Clan Leader), as far as I know this term does not exist in canon.

(Written for reader with she/hers pronouns)

Someway, somehow, you had become A’lora to House Vizsla seemingly overnight.

Well, that somehow being the first out of many nights spent asleep, tucked into your newlywed husband’s strong, warm arms. You swore you hadn’t slept as well as you had for your entire life than when you were cuddled into Paz’s broad, gentle embrace.

Yet those tender nights spent alone with Paz, where he promised he would bring the stars down if you so asked of him, dd nothing to prepare you for the tasks and responsibilities of being the clan leader’s wife.

Your arrival to clan Vizsla had been celebrated, and you swore you felt more at home here than you did in your previous clan. Yet now that original jubilee at you becoming Paz’s wife had faded, you found every moment of every day being peppered with questions that only the A’lora could answer. Where to put the growing children’s creche? Which cadets would be put on cleaning, cooking, and maintenance duty? From clan members seeking your opinion in matchmaking to trying to educate yourself on barrack and warrior assignments, from being asked for name suggestions for unborn clan members to attempting to help Paz keep track of the numerous other clans that clan Vizsla had under its protection…

It was all incredibly overwhelming.

Some days it was all you could do to get through your routine and collapse face first onto your and Paz’s bed. Most evenings Paz arrived back at your rooms later than you, but on this particular evening you found him already waiting for you when you arrived home.

Paz stood near the entrance to the house he had inherited from the previous clan leader, helmet absent, leaning on a wall with his thick arms crossed, and a pleased smile sprawled across his lips.

“Riduur.” He greeted, the sound a warm, low rumble in his chest. You swore it was his favorite word now, as he uttered it at every opportunity regardless of if you were present beside him or not.

“Paz.” You greeted, expression softening at the sight of your husband. Paz’s smile seemed to grow, and wordlessly, he held out his arms in a beckon for you to come closer. After a few steps forward you fell into them willingly, wrapping your arms as far around Paz’s middle as they would go.

“You seem tired, Mesh’la.” Paz remarked, pressing a kiss into your hair. “What troubles you?”

You sighed, feeling your breath glide across Paz’s chest plate and eyes flutter shut within his embrace.

“It’s just…so much.” You confessed. “I try so hard to be a good A’lora, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough.”

Paz chuckled, and you would have been mildly offended were it not for his next words:

“Our people respect you more than you know, Riduur. They see you trying your best despite your lack of experience.” Taking his hands from around you, Paz cupped your face and turned it upwards to his affectionate gaze.

“If only you could see what they see, what I see. My wife, beautiful, compassionate, determined, and gentle.”

Then, Paz bent his head in a gentle kiss against your forehead before continuing: “They see how hard she tries, how much she cares for her new clan, and more importantly: how much I care for her.”

That, at last, brought a smile to your lips, as you gazed up into the beloved gaze of your beloved husband. Linking your hands behind his neck, you brought Paz down to brush his smile against your waiting lips.

#Hope you enjoyed my dear!#I had a lovely time writing this #500 follower celebration #paz x reader #paz vizsla x you #paz vizsla #paz vizsla x reader

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feralsunspotandtincan · 2 years

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DinLuke Ficlet: Outsider Perspective

It was, in hindsight, perhaps a poor idea to suggest to the Jetti that he couldn't handle a Mandalorian in combat without force-pushing them. Paz realized this a little late, his feet sailing over his head, back smacking against the training hall’s wall with a solid, painful ‘thud.’

The Mand’alor had brought the Jetti to Keldabe as the prince’s teacher less than a month ago, and to be honest, many were a little… underwhelmed by him. This was the great Jedi Master? Savior of the galaxy, slayer of despots, favored child of the very forces that stitched the universe together? He barely came up to the king’s collarbone. His soft black robes with its hood permanently pulled up, were good quality but worn, and faded him into the background. And when he spoke, it was pleasant and soft, utterly unassuming. Completely underwhelming. A bit of a disappointment in Paz’s opinion.

The warriors had more than once tried to get him to spar, but the little thing always demurred, escaping to the Mand’alor’s apartments to see his pupil. He got along well with Grogu, so Paz figured he at least made a good babysitter. On occasion, Paz would see him at the king’s side, the child cradled in his arms. It was difficult to pick up the topics of conversation, but he always figured it was generic stuff about Grogu’s schooling.

Today, the royal family and Jetti had been walking past the training grounds, and Paz, as usual, requested a spar, and as usual, was denied. Then, for some gods-forsaken reason had chosen to say: “I guess you don't want anyone to figure out that you need magic to do everything for you, Squirt.”

The hooded figure had paused, then silently handed Grogu to Din, and leapt into the arena with ease. With a twitch of gloved fingers, a training staff appeared in his hand, and he used it to gesture to the Mandalorian. “We’ll see, won’t we?”

Now, less than two minutes later, Paz was sliding to the ground upside down, weight landing on his neck in a way that was gonna hurt like a bitch for the next few days. As he righted himself, Paz saw Grogu cheering in his Buir’s arms. Little traitor.

The Jetti leapt the wall to return to the duo, and to everyone’s shock, knocked back his hood, and shitfuck he was pretty.

Barely out of breath, the little creature cooed to the prince: “Does non-lethal violence make the baby giggle? Should I beat up some more Mandalorians, Sweetie?”

Din handed the giggling toddler to the Jetti, and said in a voice dripping with fondness, “Luke, I know you had fun, but I’d rather you not put all my best warriors out of commission, my Jet’ika.”

The Jetti, Luke, looked down shyly, cheeks pinking. “Yes, Din.”

With a hand on Luke’s lower back, the king steered them back in the direction of his apartments. He said something to Luke, too low to hear, and the fierce, pretty Jetti fucking giggled.

Paz staggered to his feet and tried not to look too winded. At least once the Jetti became consort, he’d have more chances to train against him.

Didn’t hurt that he was cute as shit.

#Paz gets some attention #but also beat up #maybe thats why he lacks braincells #dinluke #din djarin #luke skywalker #paz viszla

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maybege · 2 years

Text

Just A Phone Call Away

Summary: Paz comes to the rescue. (Part 2 of LPOH)

Pairing: biker!Paz Vizsla x fem!teacher!Reader

Wordcount: 3.0k | Rating: E (18+ only!)

Warnings: Modern AU, Biker AU, yearning, Kitten, the usual

I was so in my head last week that I completely forgot to thank the people who helped me with this AU in many different ways back when it was just a small idea on the old blog. A very big shoutout goes to @razzlefrazzum for the insight into Biker culture as well as suggesting that Paz & Co. be a part of BACA! Another big thank you goes to @mostly-megan who, I am sure, at this point has heard at least 35 different versions of the same story and still lets me gush to her about sweet sweet biker!Paz.

Additionally, I will be taking a break from Tumblr for a while. Stories until mid-April have been scheduled (mostly reposts so it will be a bit quieter on AO3). Now onto the chapter: I hope you will enjoy it and, as always, let me know what you think!

masterlist | crossposted on AO3

Paz liked to pretend that he did not think about you all the time.

Sure, he offered to drop Grogu off at school and pick him up more than ever before and yes, he might have a side in his closet that was dedicated to the good flannels he wanted to wear around you. And Boba might have made a snide comment or two about how his bike was cleaner than ever. And his truck, for that matter.

Or how he had trimmed his beard, liking the way your eyes lingered on his face before you looked away like you got caught.

Either way, Paz’s feelings towards you were absolutely nothing more than a professional appreciation.

So, it was completely natural that when he was watching a sports game, a sleeping Kitten in his lap, his thoughts strayed to you and feelings of … professional appreciation warmed his heart. He wondered what you would do on a rainy night like this and remembered how you had mentioned once that you liked to bake.

Would you bake cookies? Eat one oven warm chocolate chip cookie while curled up on your couch watching our favourite movie? Or read your favourite book under one of those fancy lamps that have this warm and soft light?

He shifted in his seat, running his hand over his face. “Stars, Kitten,” he mumbled, looking to the little ball of fur happily snoozing away, “What have I gotten into?”

Kitten lazily lifted her head, blinking at him as if to say How am I supposed to know? “Yeah,” he chuckled, giving her scritches under the chin, “You don’t know what’s going on with me either. Pining after some sweet teacher as if I got any part in this suburban mess.”

The wind turned and the rain aggressively splattered against the window panes. “The fuck is that weather about, huh?”

Kitten purred, standing up on small paws and climbing into his lap before curling up again.

He got ripped out of his thoughts by his phone vibrating on the little coffee table.

“Hello?”

A sniffle. “P-Paz?”

He sat up, alarmed when he recognized your voice. Only you didn’t sound like your happy self. You sounded distraught and like you were crying and he was pretty sure there were cars passing you in the background.

“What’s going on? Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked, the words flowing out of his mouth.

“I – my car broke down and I am in the middle of now where and I –“ you sobbed, “No one’s stopping and the fucking car won’t start and I was wondering, if you could, uh –“

The sports game in front of him was completely forgotten at this point. Kitten yelped when he gently deposited her on the couch cushion and before he knew it, he was standing in front of the front door, holding the phone between his shoulder and cheek while he threw on his jacket, “Where are you? I am coming to pick you up.”

“I – I don’t know,” you admitted, sounding absolutely miserable, “It’s raining and I am not in city limits yet and – oh!”

An ice-cold feeling shot through his entire body as he stumbled down the few steps of his porch, already ripping open the truck while calling your name like a madman. He spotted Kitten on the window sill to the kitchen, a tiny silhouette against the cool light of the TV that was still on.

But how could he care when you were in danger?

There was some rustling from the other side and he heard you whimper. “I fell into a ditch,” you mumbled into the phone, “I came back from Glen Valley, I think the car stopped maybe around 30 minutes in?”

“Okay,” he nodded starting the car, “If you can, get back to the car, I’ll be there in 10.”

“But it takes at least –“

“I’ll be there in 10,” he insisted, “Stay on the phone, okay?”

You let out a deep breath, “Okay.”

“Okay, I should be coming up now,” Paz murmured, slowing down. The street was completely abandoned but that was no wonder when the rain was so strong you could hardly see. “I am slowing down, let me know if you see something, okay?”

A few moments of silence and then.

“I see your lights,” you replied, “I – You’re almost there here I can –“

He saw an arm shoot up at the side of the road and just a second later he spotted your car. Without a word he hung up, gripping the steering wheel tightly and taking a deep breath. He did not want to scare you with how scared he was for you.

But stars, had he been scared.

As soon as he opened the door, the rain hit his face and he grimaced, closing the door behind him and rushing up into the direction he had seen you signalling. He called your name, fear spiking again when he did not see you.

“Paz?” you called, “Paz, I am here!”

And there you were, hiding next to your car, looking absolutely miserable.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he said, kneeling down next to you, “it’s okay, okay? It’s okay.”

It was not a conscious decision to pull you into his arms and he only really noticed it when your arms wrapped around his shoulders and your head buried in his chest. Raindrops pearled on his leather jacket and the wind was biting cold. Yet he still felt the heat of your tears soaking his blue shirt and his heart clenched.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his lips pressed against your temple, “Let’s get you outta here, okay?”

“B-But my car,” you looked at him, wide-eyed and scared and so distressed it might as well be him that had heart palpitations because that was certainly what it felt like, “Shouldn’t we –“

“Fuck the car,” he muttered, “We will tow it tomorrow, I promise. But you’re freezing, love, and you need to get somewhere warm and dry, okay?”

You sniffled, nodding quickly, “Okay.”

Your cold hands had snuck under his leather jacket, laying on his back and he smiled when your cheek squished against his chest when you squeezed him a little tighter. Carefully, he pushed your arms away, instead interlacing his fingers with yours when he helped you up. A small voice in the back of his head lamented the fact that you were so far away now (meaning: not pressed completely against his front in a heart-crushing hug).

“Let’s go,” he said, “Do you need something from the car?”

You shook your head. “I, uh, I locked myself out anyways.”

He grunted, gently pulling you with him when the rain got worse. “We will get it tomorrow, okay?”

You both hurried across the road to the truck and he opened the door for you, watching how you tried to shake some mud off your shoes before entering. Even with the rain bearing down, you were the epitome of lovely.

When he closed the door on the driver’s side, he took a deep breath, cranking up the heat at the same time. You smiled at him, a raindrop making its way down the bridge of your nose and he found himself wanting to kiss it away. To kiss you.

Whoa, slow down there. You are just here to help.

He reached for the backseat, finding a spare blanket that he handed to you. “It might be full of cat hair,” he warned you, remembering how Kitten tossed and turned on it whenever she decided to come with him to the garage or back home, “but at least it’s warm.”

“Thank you, Paz,” you said, laying it over your lap, “Truly.”

“Anytime, love,” he replied, starting the car again, “Now let’s get you home.”

“So when will you ask her out?”

“The fuck?”

With a grunt, Paz pulled himself up on the pipe, making sure that his chin was above the metal contraption before he lowered himself again.

Usually, he preferred to go to the local gym. But with the happenings in the last few days, he was not ready to be stared at by a yoga course full of soccer moms. He just wanted to train in peace. Although the in peace part might not be a given in the garage …

Driving you home had been absolutely uneventful while also the most emotionally stressful 30 minutes of his life. He had been panicked and nervous and excited and so kriffing tense with you next to him. Ever since he had he had been terrified of saying something that offended you.

And so, he had hardly said anything at all which also might not have been the greatest choice.

But whenever he had looked over at you (which had been embarrassingly often) you had already looked at him, shyly smiling at him through the shivers. He had tried to ignore how your fingers brushed against his every time he shifted gears until he had turned his palm up and your hand has just fit so perfectly into his and –

Fennec chuckled from beneath the van she was working on. “Boba means the teacher, dumbass,” she clarified the older man’s question. Paz could only see her legs sticking out from the vehicle but he did not need to see her face to know she was grinning from ear to ear.

Just like you had grinned when you had said goodbye to him, making a funny comment about how your elderly neighbours – Mr and Mrs Ruperton – were trying to stay undetected as they looked out of the living room window to find out whom that strange car belonged to. And Paz could bet that they were not happy it was his.

“I – what are you talking about?” he took a deep breath, pulling his chin over the metal pipe, pulling the weight around his hips with him. He had wrapped a chain attached to one of the heavier stones around his middle, creating a simple loop that allowed him to pretend he was carrying more bodyweight than he actually was.

“Miss Every-Day-I-Am-Wearing-A-Bright-Colour-Like-I-Am-In-A-Fucking-Kids-Show,” Boba scoffed, tinkering with a cylinder in his hands. His fingers were stained black with oil but that had never seemed to bother the older man. If you don’t like oil you have the wrong job and the wrong hobby, boy, he had said once and Paz had agreed with him silently.

But he did not agree with him now.

Something about how Boba had teased you … it did not sit right with him. “She does that because the kids like it,” he muttered under his breath, maintaining the tension in his arms. His dog tags felt cool against his chest where already a thin film of sweat had formed, “Not like everyone has to walk around like us.”

“Already defending her, I see,” Boba teased him, clearly happy with how Paz had reacted.

He wanted to disagree, to say something along the lines of Get off my back, she is not interested in me like that anyway, when they were interrupted.

The door jingled open and the summer heat filtered inside. Somewhere in the backroom Din cursed at the creaking sound the air conditioner made.

“Hello?” your head peeked inside, followed by your whole body.

Paz ungraciously lost all tension in his arms and landed on his feet. Suddenly he felt self-conscious. With it being one of the hottest days in the county he had shed his shirt, trying to keep from scratching the wound on his middle. Tano would slap him if he came to her with a scabbed open wound. As you fully stepped into the garage he could see how your eyes lingered on his figure, on his tattoos, on some of the smaller scars and the longest on the purplish bruise that had formed on his side.

Why couldn’t he keep a damn shirt on?

“When speaking of the devil,” Boba grinned wolfishly and you visibly were taken aback. Paz cursed the older man. Boba’s humour was hard to understand for people who did not know him well and to be greeted like that? No one would feel welcomed.

“Only good things I hope,” you smiled, clearly unsure and Paz grabbed a towel from some workbench to rid his hands of the dirt.

“Of course, um, hi,” he rushed, clearing his dry throat, stepping towards you.

You were wearing one of your dresses again. This one was made of some light fabric falling in layers over your body and he wondered if it would feel as soft as it looked to be. It was a light blue, like a summer morning, he thought and smiled. You really were always wearing something colourful.

“I, uh, I brought you some pie,” you said, holding up the towel-covered dish in your hands as if to show evince for your statement, “As a thank you,” you added quieter.

Heat crept up his neck and he was thankful he had done something physical earlier or else Boba would have teased him about his blush later on. “Uh, thank you,” he mumbled, taking the dish from you. It smelled fruity and his stomach grumbled. When was the last time he had eaten something home-baked?

Home-cooked, sure, but baked?

His fingertips brushed against your hands and his heart stood still. Shitshitshit was this normal? Was this okay? He kind of wanted to

“How, uh, how did you get here?” he asked, “

“Oh, I walked,” you shrugged, avoiding his gaze, “I – it's so nice out I thought I could take a walk and see a bit more of the town.”

“Girl, it’s like 250 degrees out there,” Boba commented drily and you shifted on your feet, “That can’t have been a nice walk.”

“Perhaps Paz could show you our kitchen?” Fennec suggested from her place under the car, “You might want something cold to drink?”

“That – that actually sounds really nice,” you admitted with a soft smile, glancing up at him shily, “If you don’t mind of course.”

Dazed he looked at you, somehow managed to move his head up and down in a nod. “Yeah, just, uh, just follow me.”

And you did. You followed him through the garage, past the little reception office to the door that led to the break room that was still of leftover pizza from the lunchbreak and where the stains never quite left the rundown linoleum floor.

The door behind you fell closed, muting the music from the radio outside and he turned to face you. You handed him the pie wordlessly, nervousness in the air and he felt the electricity shoot through his palm when your hands touched.

“Thank you,” he managed to bring out, setting the pie down on the counter before opening the fridge and finding the last bottle of lemonade between six-packs of beer, “You didn’t have to do this, though, I –“

“Oh, but I did,” you protested quietly, standing right next to him, “I – Paz, I don’t want to imagine what could’ve happened if you – if no one …” you swallowed thickly, looking down at your drink but he could still see the tears caught on your eyelashes.

His heart clenched.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” he murmured, his hand coming out to touch your bare shoulder. Your skin was warm from the sun but it was also soft, “I am just happy I was there.”

You relaxed into him and it was a slow and beautiful thing, feeling how you stepped closer, how your chest brushed against his and then you set the drink down next to you on the counter and you looked up at him and –

“I am so glad you gave me your number. I will never be able to thank you enough.”

“Getting to talk to you is reward enough,” he smiled, hardly realizing what he was saying and it did not even matter when the most beautiful smile spread over your lips. You were lighting up the whole room (and his heart) with the way you smiled at him and he felt his heart skip a beat.

“You know,” you teased him, “one day I will ask you how you got that bruise.”

His scoff turned into a smile. “Kitten refused to get out of some car parts and well … I made the mistake of trying to lift one out on my own.”

“Sounds like it must have hurt,” you winced, your hand reaching out, stopping short of his belly and you both froze, sucking in a sharp breath.

He did not know what to do, what to say, how to get the emotions out that were building up in his chest. But it seemed to become a pattern now that you were the one to voice your desires.

“Can I hug you, Paz?” you whispered, “Please?”

He swallowed thickly. He was sure his chest was vibrating with how strong his heart was beating but stars damn it he wanted you close. His hand fell away from your shoulder as he nodded, instead his fingertips brushed against yours as he cluelessly stood there, not knowing if or how to begin.

He really was a fucked-up mess, huh?

Your fingertips brushed over his palms, his wrists, up his forearms until you wrapped your arms around his middle, pulling yourself close to him and resting your ear on his chest. He felt you take a deep breath and allowed himself to relax as well. In the background, he could hear the tinkering from the garage but right now all that mattered was you in his arms.

After a few seconds, he was brave enough to wrap his arms – previously lamely hanging by his side – around your shoulders, settling his hands safely in the middle of your back. As he shifted his face closer to yours, his lips brushed against your temple and you sighed.

He closed his eyes.

#maybege writes #paz vizsla x reader #paz vizsla x fem!reader

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fandom-blackhole · 3 years

Note

Okay you have no idea how excited I was to see that you're open for requests! I love your Mando stories so could I please request my big boi Paz? I'd love to witness you do magic with prompts : 14 (bodyguard AU) and either 49 (fake marriage)/63 (mistaken for couple)/80 (green-eyed epiphany) *can you tell I couldn't decide* *I'm a Libra* *I do apologize*

Im honored that you love my mando fics and that you got excited about me opening requests 🥺💕Also, as a Sagittarius sun and moon, I relate on not being able to make decisions 😔, but I have a great idea for:

14. Bodyguard AU

63. Mistaken for Couple

80. Green-Eyed Epiphany

Pairing: Paz Vizsla x GN!Reader

Words: roughly 2k, woops

Send me some AUs/Tropes??

Note: So I just wanted to start this off with what I'm thinking about this mash-up, like whats going on and the situation. A little backstory/world building, if you will. So, im seeing this as after the tribe on Nervarro scatters after the fight with Grogu, Din, and the Stormtroopers. Paz is by himself and in need of work for credits, to both support himself and save up for when/if he is reunited with his tribe he can help rebuild and contribute. That leads him to a small midrim planet that is pretty divided. You are the head of the government, but there is a group of people who keep trying to kill you and harm your supporters because they want the "true ruler" to be in your place. Said "ruler" is part of a bloodline of radical tyrants that had been controlling the planet until around the same time the empire fell, their downfall resulting from being too involved with the empire. SO, the head of your defense team brings in Paz to protect you, because not only is he a big scary dude covered in big weaponry and armor, but also because you keep insisting that all the soldiers and guards should be protecting the people not you, so bringing in Paz was his little loophole. Now on to the story!

You were not happy with this arrangement, and you had told the head of your guard just as much. You didn't need a protector, it only showed your rivals that you were scared of what they were capable of, that they had the possibility to win this war they were waging. The man- the mandalorian that had been hired was unfazed by your indifference towards him, always just trailing silently behind you look just as menacing as mandalorians were said to be. It was easy to tell that he knew his way around a variety of weapons, it was easy to tell that he had been through battles and suffered their consequences. And it was easy to tell that this job seemed to be a bit boring for him. He didn't have any excitement, most days the mandalorian was stuck following you throughout the capital building, attending meetings that he could care less about, standing guard to your study as you paced around in thought. Nothing much happened, but as time went on and the war worsened and the threat of your rivals loomed over your head you started to notice that the mandalorian would do little things that shaved a little of your stress away, or would brighten you day if only a little. Little treats would show up on your desk, or cups of teas or caf just the way you liked them, walks through the garden would result in a vase of flowers- handpicked and cut with a sharp knife at an angle, delicately- placed in your room. The first time you broke down in front of him, the stress of loosing nearly an entire village not far from where you were to the grievous ways of your enemies broke you to the point of sobbing hysterically and the mandalorian surprised you with his gentleness, as he softly grabbed your arms and made you look up at him, his blue helmet staring down at you as he said, "You will get past this...you...you are a good leader, you care for your people more than yourself, and in the end, that is what will have you coming out on top."

After that night, something changed between the two of you. Instead of following behind you silently, you started walking beside the mandalorian, in meetings instead of letting him stand silently behind you, you started asking his opinions on the battles or if he had any suggestions to help combat. The two of you got closer, and you weren't sure when, but eventually you found yourself calling the mandalorian a friend, and you liked to believe he thought of you as one as well, he at least trusted you enough that he told you his name, which you only used in the private of your quarters or study during your late night talks. When you started to show signs of the stress becoming too much, or that you were nearing another breakdown, he would gently lead you away from whatever you had been doing. More times than not he lead you to the gardens and sat you down as he would tell you stories of his childhood or of his people and culture. One evening, he went as far as to set up a little spot for you to relax and eat a little snack with tea, to give you time away from everything, to give you a break from holding your home on your shoulders. It had been nice, and it helped you clear your thoughts, the gesture had you smiling fully for the first time in months, and it was one that was not quick to fade. As thanks, you had asked Paz what you could do, to which he only replied, "Seeing you smile is enough." So you did, you smiled at him and gently reached out and placed a kiss on the cheek of his helmet.

The smile Paz had gifted you stayed for a few days, your people noticed the happiness and it it seemed to affect all of them, each person growing their own little smiles. Melancholy still hung in the air, but you felt like you had the energy and will power to deal with it now. But as all good things must end, this happiness was ripped from you, when the head of your guard rushed into a meeting with the delegates of the planet, his face was crumpled in worry and he whispered apologies as he reluctantly handed over a letter addressed to you. Your heart pounding, you opened the letter only to freeze at the sight of a photo taken of the moment that had only radiated happiness until now, staring down you only saw yourself pressed close to Paz’s form with lips pressed against his helmet. The moment now felt tainted, and you felt sick to your stomach, the happiness that was shown in the picture gone, only replaced with pure terror. Glancing at the man stood before you, he took the picture and flipped it before handing it back with a somber look. On the back, in deep red ink and scratchy handwriting read:

Now, do you really think courting a mandalorian is going to protect you from your death by my hands? Ill make sure to kill him in front of you so you have to watch as he falls.

Yours loving,

The True King

You hadn't even realized you were shaking, nor breathing heavily, until a gloved had reached into very and took the note away from you. You watched as Paz looked the note over before passing it back to your head guard. He told him something, but you could not hear as your eyes started ringing. Gently Paz helped you stand, before leading you away from the meeting. You didn't care where he was taking you, at that moment you couldn't think straight, couldn't get past the thought of, how did they get so close to take a photo without anyone noticing?

After the letter had been delivered Paz took care to never leave your side, he became more overbearing and involved with planning your schedule. No longer were you allowed in the gardens, or outside for that matter, for the time being, Paz only really allowed you to go to your quarters, your study, and the meeting room. You didn't fight him, too tired from the lasting conflicts and worry over what would happen next. A month went by, and everything quieted, the attacks stopped, and it almost felt like your enemy had gone into hiding. You didn't relax though, the note still whispering in the back of your head. Paz found himself often sleeping in the chair beside your bed, after too many nights of having been awoken to you yelling out his name and finding you rushing to his room to reassure yourself that he was safe.

Then it happened. You knew the quiet was only leading to something, but you weren't prepared to be a woke in the middle of the night to Paz scream to you. It had been the first night you had been able to fall asleep and stay asleep without nightmares of Paz’s death, but you were only thrown into a different nightmare as your eyes few open and you saw Paz fighting off an attacker. You yelled for you to run, and as you hesitated he only growled your name and told you to go, so with a heavy heart you did, you ran. All around the capital you could seem fires burning and hear your guards fighting with silhouettes your tired eyes could not make out in the low light of night. You did not know where to go, only letting your feet carry you, only stopping when you were out of breath. Looking around, you found yourself in the garden, feet from where you gave Paz the soft kiss, the memory still churning out a small amount of happiness, but quickly turned sour once more when the grinning face of the man you loathed most in the world stood from the bench hidden in the shadows.

"My dear, I was hoping you'd come here. I know you are especially fond of the gardens, most certainly this area."

"What do you want Alun? Why wouldn't you stop this fighting? People, my people, our people are suffering!"

He scoffed and turned to look at the city burning around you both. "The people deserve what they are getting for forgetting their true leaders. And you for forgetting what you once were."

"Stop this. You are doing nothing but destroying the planet!"

Alun turned to look at you, small smile curling onto his hate filled face. Slowly he reached out and placed the rose he had picked behind your ear, the thorns pricking your skin, one digging in enough to make a drop of blood run down your ear.

"When I have control again, and we are again together, things will go back to the way they were. I promise you, love. You just need to stop fighting me."

Disgust formed on your face as you stepped back, "We may have been engaged before you fell, but I never loved you. I was forced into that position by you and your father, and I do not regret being apart of how he and you fell from grace. I will never stop fighting you."

"Oh, but I love you, and I will have you, my love."

"Not if I have any say," a voice growled from behind you. Whipping around, relief flooded you at the sight of Paz marching towards where you stood. He was covered in blood from fighting, but seemed like he was uninjured himself much to your relief. But he seemed angry, livid almost as he pushed you behind him, standing toe-to-toe with Alun. "If you want them, you will have to get through me, and I will not stop fighting until my dying breath for them," Paz’s words settled into your chest, warmth flowing through you as the next few second moved in slow motion. Paz reached out, before Alun even had a chance to grab for his weapon. Paz lifted him like a rag doll to his height, making direct eye contact, before growling out, "because I love them, and you will never have them."

And with that said, Paz simply slammed his forehead into Alun's forcefully knocking him unconscious, then carelessly dropping him to the ground where he laid unmoving buise already forming on his forehead. Paz then turned to you and reached for you, but you simply flung yourself onto him. "You're okay, i was so worried, I didn't want to leave you, I was so scared that something would happen and that Id...."

"That you'd, what cyare," Paz whispered as he held you close, arms wrapped around you as if he'd let go and you'd disappear. Looking up and into his helmet's visor you were quiet for a moment, before speaking up softly, "I love you too... I thought I'd never get to tell you that I loved you."

Gently, Paz pressed his forehead against your own, before whispering, "You don't have to worry. I'll always be around to protect you. And," a teasing note coming out in his voice making you smile, "You can tell me how much you love me anytime you want. As long as you don't have anymore previous fiancés out there professing their love to you. I don't think I could hold back from ripping off their heads like I did just now."

Giggling you shook your head, "No more love professions, I promise. Only yours matter."

Everything Tags: @mysticalgalaxysalad @phoenixhalliwell @moodsare @perpetual-fangirl900 @night-snows00 @dumbass-simp-for-fredweasley @stargazingthenightaway @meabravo @just-here-for-the-moment @masteracewindu @litakino

Paz Tags: @bunny-fairy @elinedjarin @shellyc9 @blackmarketmummy @djarin-junk

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#anon thots #au tropes asks #paz vizsla x reader #paz x reader #paz x gn!reader #14. Bodyguard AU #63. Mistaken for Couple #80. Green-Eyed Epiphany #i hope you liked this!!#i liked the idea but i feel like i kind of just threw it together hap hazardly :/

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pedrosbish · 3 years

Text

the king

summary: the new ruler of Mand’alor, Din Djarin, needs to marry in order to be fully accepted as the king and you happen to catch his eye (*fem!reader)

warnings: fluff, mentions of a hunt, injuries

word count: 1.2k

taglist: @over300books, @mouthymandalorian, @ordinarymom1, @zapsalis-d, @goldielocks2004, @whore-for-anime, @ilikethoseodds, @withasideofmeg, @theamuz, @obsessivelysearching, @bellreads03, @parkjammys, @ajeff855 and thank you to the lovely @callitdreamland for helping me with the plot!

CHAPTER THREE

“How does it feel?”

Wiggling in the throne, a sigh escapes your lips as you lean back, the cold stone making goosebumps spread over your skin. You glance at Din out of the corner of your eye only to find him looking at you, visor focused on the way your feet dangle over the edge of it.

“Maybe we should get a cushion.”

“I haven't even agreed to marry you yet.” You smile shyly at him before glancing out at the empty room, the stone columns looming to meet at the top. “But you are really selling it for me.”

A few days had passed since the king’s proposal of a courtship and in that time he had invited you to the palace in the early morning or in the dead of night. He let you sit in the throne, remaining by your side in his own, and making sure that every one of your requests were being met while you spent time with him.

There had been tours through the palace, Din showing you all the nooks and crannies that nobody had seen but him; there had been meals where the two of you sat in a comfortable silence as you ate; there had been times where the two of you would share past stories as you sat in your thrones; there had been the quiet moments when you could feel his gaze on you but always had been too nervous to look back.

He moves to stand over you, hands placed on either side of you, helmet in your face. You shrink back, cheeks burning as you stare back at the reflection of you in his visor. His breathing is laboured even through the helmet and a warmth settles throughout your body at the closeness.

“This is just the beginning, cyar’ika.” His hand comes up to rest on your cheek softly, a stark contrast to the insinuation in his voice. “I have so much more to show you.” Even though his face is obscured, you can hear the smile in his voice and he chuckles darkly as your throat bobs and you shift in your seat.

“My king.” The interruption startles you and Din moves away as you settle back into your seat, the cold stone a welcome chill to your skin. Paz’s helmet tilts in your direction before he looks back to Din, amusement ringing in his voice. “We are nearly ready to depart for the hunt. I suggest she goes back before others wake.”

With another pointed tilt of his visor, directed at you, he leaves. Din sighs tiredly, fiddling with the furs around his neck and attempting to straighten them out. Smiling, you move to stand and help, hands reaching timidly out to swat away his own and though his visor, you can feel his intent gaze as you clasp the furs tighter, ignoring the tattoos and faint scars littered across his bare chest.

“No matter how many times I wear these, I will never get used to them.” He sounds tired and uncomfortable, the weight of being the ruler of the Mandalorians already beginning to take its toll.

“I like it,” you say softly, offering him a smile and he breathes out a small laugh. “I think it shows that you’re willing to try for your people even if it wasn't something that you wanted.” He rests his hand on yours as it finishes clasping the fur and you look into his visor right where you think his eyes would be. “It’s admirable.”

“Thank you, cyar’ika.” He bends his head down to rest on your forehead and your breath is shaky as your eyes fall closed. “It means more than you would know coming from you.”

“Be safe, okay? I’d like for you to come back to me and to come back in one piece.”

~~~

It’s late when the knock sounds at your door and you hesitate before going to answer it, wrapping your tunic tightly as you open it. Din stands there, one arm on the doorframe and the other wrapped around his side, leaning heavily against it as his helmet tilts to the side, visor scanning you. A shiver runs through your body as the two of you don't say a word and just stare at each other.

The silence is broken when he moves slightly, a hiss seeping through his helmet and that's when you notice the blood peeking out from the bandages wrapped around his stomach.

“What happened?” Hands reaching out to grasp at his shoulder, you pull him into your house, immediately moving to retrieve the medical kit and bacta spray. “Is it-is it bad?”

He forces out a chuckle but the movement causes a pained gasp to escape his mouth. “I’m fine. Nothing I can't handle.”

Leading him to sit on your bed, you place the kit on the ground beside you as you kneel in front of him, pushing his legs apart to get closer to him. Fully focused on the wound in front of you, it doesn't click that you're currently in a compromising position with the king but your face begins to heat up when he sighs as the blood-soaked bandage is removed.

It’s a nasty looking wound, a gaping thing that blood slowly pours out of until falling to his trousers, soaking the fabric and turning it a darker colour. Trying to control your worry, you bite your lip as you pick up the bacta spray, giving his leg a squeeze in warning as you hold it up to the wound.

“Kriffing boar,” he grits out as you slowly spray the injury with bacta. He groans and you glance up, stopping, but then he looks down at you and nods, letting you know to continue. “It came out of nowhere. Tusk pierced my side.”

“I thought I told you to be safe.” You smile when he chuckles, bringing a hand up to brush his knuckles against your cheek. “Why didn't you go to the palace doctor? Why come to me?”

He sighs as you sit up to wrap a fresh bandage around his body. “Vizsla said that it would make me appear weak. I did the best I could before coming back to the palace but,” he glances down at his covered wound. “I never was good at treating my injuries.”

Smiling softly at him, you stand up, collecting the kit under your arm and you begin to move away from him until a hand shoots out to gently grab your elbow, dragging you back to stand before him in between his legs. He takes the things out of your hands and places it beside him on the bed before he takes off his gloves, the action causing you to avert your gaze.

“Din-”

“You can look, cyar’ika.” Hand reaching out to take yours, you look back to him, mouth open slightly as a shaky breath leaves you, before glancing down to his hand. Scars cover it and its calloused compared to yours, years of hard work evident on his palms. His thumb caresses your knuckles and you smile down at him. “And, hopefully one day you will be able to see my face. If you would like to.”

His hand lets go of yours and you instantly miss the warmth of him as you stand back. He stares at you and you can imagine the smile on his face as he looks around your home before looking back to you. Nodding his head, you follow him to the door, ready to say goodbye but then he turns around to face you.

“I am leaving for Tattoine in two days and I would like for you to come with.”

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian x y/n #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin #din djarin x reader #din djarin x female reader #din djarin x you #king!din #mandalore!din #the king

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andrewmoocow · 2 years

Text

Little Homeworld Life chapter 5: But Wait, There’s More! (originally posted on September 12, 2022)

AN: At long last, Teal Zircon gets an episode to herself! In fact, she'll be getting two this season, because she's just so much fun to write. Yeah, she can be insensitive and act like an annoying little kid, but at the end of the day, she wouldn't hurt a fly! In fact, the fly would put up more of a fight. In short, get ready for a lot of laughs with Teal around, and maybe a few other surprises here and there too.

Synopsis: Teal Zircon is recruited to star in a commercial for Little Homeschool.

Cast:

Amy Sedaris as Teal Zircon

Estelle as Garnet

Michaela Dietz as Amethyst

Deedee Magno-Hall as Pearl

Atticus Shaffer as Peedee

Shelby Rabara as Peridot, Squaridot

Jennifer Paz as Lapis, Zuli

Uzo Aduba as Bismuth

Kimberly Brooks as Jasper, Rude Commercial Narrator

Lauren Ash as White Topaz

Noël Wells as Black Rutile

Alex Newell as Monazite

"UP YOURS, DELMARVA!" a commercial loudly insulted the viewers as the Crystal Gems watched the taunting advertisement. "If you're dumb enough to buy some refrigerators this weekend, you're stupid enough to come on over to Big Kim's Appliances! Overly expensive products, absolute garbage, fees!" she bellowed while the commercial demonstrated how crummy the store's products were. "We don't care what you think; YOU NEED THESE REFRIGERATORS! We believe that you are so woefully idiotic that you'll buy any piece of trash we'll sell you, GUARANTEED! If you think we're ripping you off, THEN GET OUT YOU HOPELESS, LIFELESS MOTHERF-"

"Okay, I think that's enough of these commercials." Pearl interrupted the announcer by shutting off the TV. "Now, I presented this overly persuasive advertisement to you all today because Little Homeschool has been experiencing a bit of a slump lately." To demonstrate, Pearl then unveiled a graph revealing the growing lack of Gems attending the school, which was far lower than average. "Ever since Steven left us, the school hasn't seen much attendance lately, and it's starting to look very concerning."

"Good, the fewer thralls, the better!" Black Rutile jeered at her archenemies while passing them by with a crate full of machine parts.

"Nobody invited you to this meeting." Garnet coldly told the Rutile. "Now leave."

"I just felt like insulting you anyways." Black Rutile grumbled as she kept walking. "Got better things to do today."

"Anyways, it seems many Gems came here because they were attracted to Steven's kindness and charisma." Pearl continued her speech. "Without him around, we need to find a way to replicate that personality so we can attract more students. Any ideas?"

"We need big signs." Garnet coolly suggested. "Big signs always mean big crowds."

"But we need to attract Gems from all across the universe." Pearl proclaimed. "We need a sign that big for everyone to see!"

"I don't know, maybe an open house or something?" Lapis then added. "I can help make pamphlets, and we can pass them out."

"Hm, that would take a lot of time, though." Pearl pondered. "Any other ideas?"

"Ooh, let's make our own commercial!" Amethyst eagerly replied. "Just like that refrigerator one!"

"I agree with Amethyst here." Jasper concurred with her surrogate sister. "Plus, that lady in the ad sounded awfully familiar."

"But who do we make into our spokes-Gem?" Bismuth asked. "I mean, Lapis and Jasper sure ain't person people, and Peridot would just make the ad all about her."

"I'm standing right here, you know!" Peridot complained. "I think out of all of us, Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl would be the best for our advertisement since they are far more familiar with Earth than any of us could ever hope to be."

"You raise a good point, Peridot, but I have a different Gem in mind." Garnet proclaimed before she looked at White Topaz sitting next to her. "White Topaz, we need Teal Zircon. Have her brought to us ASAP!"

"Yes, ma'am!" White Topaz obediently saluted. "Uh, what for?"

"Ooh, I'm so excited you picked me for your ad!" Teal Zircon cheered gratefully as the Crystal Gems became a film crew with Peridot, White Topaz, and Amethyst on sound, Lapis and Jasper working the lights, Bismuth making props, Garnet holding the clapperboard, and Pearl in the director's seat. "I'll have you know; I was a real mean advertiser before the Rebellion because everyone says I have high energy and an eccentric personality."

"That's exactly what we need for this commercial, Teal!" Pearl replied before turning to the Gems' chosen cameraman. "Okay, Peedee, are you ready?"

"Hang on, Miss Pearl, just need to make sure the camera's just right." Peedee Fryman replied as he took off the lens cap on his video camera and made some final adjustments. "Okay, here goes nothing!"

"Understood." Garnet nodded before bringing out the clapperboard. "New Little Homeworld commercial starring Teal Zircon, take one!" she announced before clapping it shut. "Action!"

"They have brought down an entire regime with words instead of lethal force." Teal Zircon began narrating over a montage of the Crystal Gems in a goofy Spanish accent. "They saved all life, the universe, and everything more times than you can count on your fingers. They're some of the biggest celebrities in the known universe. These are the most interesting Gems in the world."

The scene then transitioned to Teal reclining on a bear skin rug in front of a fireplace while holding a bottle of wine in her hand. "I don't usually hang around on Earth, but when I do, it's learning how to live my life at Little Homeschool." She declared, still with the Spanish accent. "Stay fusing, my friends."

"And cut!" Garnet announced with another clap of the clapperboard, ending the commercial. "Good work there, Teal, though I have no idea where the fireplace came from."

"Yeah, and is that bear rug made from a real bear?" Pearl asked while picking up the rug. "And is that wine?!"

"Yeah, the wine is real. The bear isn't." Teal explained. "I have a knack for pulling out props when the situation calls for it."

"Yeah, but this is totally unlike the vibe we're going for!" Amethyst stated. "We're supposed to teach Gems to abandon their conquering ways, not encourage them to be swingers!"

"Ooh, that reminds me, I think we could use a swingset somewhere around here." Pearl sidetracked the discussion.

"Uh, Pearl, I don't think that's what Amethyst means." Lapis pointed out Pearl's error.

"Ew." Pearl reeled in disgust once she realized what she had just said. "Well, what else can we do?"

"I think I might have a few ideas." Teal declared before pulling a cricket bat out of her gem. "Cricket?"

"Cricket?!" Peridot complained about the idea. "Nobody understands cricket! You must know what a crumpet is to comprehend cricket!"

"Yeah, sounded a lot better in my head." Teal immediately agreed and threw the bat away. "Okay, I got a better idea!"

"New Little Homeworld commercial starring Teal Zircon, take two!" Garnet announced. "Action!"

"Hello, Gems." Teal greeted her audience in a heavy, baritone voice while standing in a bathroom and wearing a towel around her waist. "Look at yourself, now back to me. Now look back at yourself, back to me. The yourself you once knew is gone, and that can be helped at Little Homeschool." She declared. "Look down, back up. Where are you now?" Teal asked while changing her form into sailing attire as the setting changed into a maritime one.

"You're now on a boat with the Gem your gem could look like! Now look at your hand, and what do you see?" she asked again before presenting a box of donuts. "I have it now, and it's a box of donuts from the Big Donut! Now look again; the donuts are now solid gold!" After Teal revealed the golden donuts in the box, the scene then slowly changed to the Zircon riding on Jasper's back on the beach. "Anything is possible when you come on down to Little Homeworld, where you can learn not to be a genocidal conqueror! I'm riding on a Jasper."

"I don't know what just happened, but I hate this." Jasper said in a mix of confusion and quiet outrage as the shooting ended.

"How is she doing this?!" Pearl exclaimed as Teal got off Jasper's back. "One moment she was standing in a bathroom, the next she was on a boat with that box of gold donuts, and finally she was on Jasper's back! Can she warp reality to her whims, or is it all an illusion?!"

"I don't know either, but this is really entertaining." Garnet smiled. "But still not what we're looking for. Maybe we should do a little more wholesome."

"How wholesome are we talking here?" Peedee asked Garnet.

"Maybe loud and inviting, yet still super friendly." Bismuth answered. "What do you think, Teal?"

"I mean, I have good ideas, but I'm willing to try anything once." TZ reluctantly agreed with her fellow Crystal Gems.

"Hi, Teal Zircon for Little Homeschool!" Teal Zircon energetically introduced herself while wearing a blue polo shirt and khakis and having shapeshifted herself a thick beard. "The one-stop place for all Gems to let go of their problematic pasts and make a change for the better! Just look at all the activities we're offering!"

"Good thing Greg happened to have those clothes lying around." Pearl muttered behind the camera as Teal continued her explanation.

"We got all kinds of art classes, like painting and sculpturing!" Teal exclaimed boisterously. "There's also yoga, swimming, fashion, technology, self-defense, and so much more! Just look at all these satisfied Gems!"

"I was a constant threat to the Crystal Gems, but thanks to Little Homeschool, I now have a healthier way of expressing my anger." Jasper said flatly. "Thanks, Little Homeschool."

"For most of my life, I was but a humble servant who had no personality of my own." White Topaz added. "But after going to Little Homeschool, I finally found someone who loves me for me!"

"I was formerly a Peridot in service to the great Hessonite who antagonized the Crystal Gems in their quest for the Light Prism" Squaridot proclaimed. "But after some soul-searching, I became a vigilante sidekick before finding my one true place here!"

"I was forced to come here against my will." Black Rutile grumbled. "Wait, how did I even get in this commercial anyways?! I was just in my house!"

"Another satisfied customer!" Teal exclaimed while showing Black Rutile away from the camera. "If you ever feel like attending, come on down to your local Warp Pad and see all there is to see on this wonderful planet, guaranteed!"

"And that's a wrap!" Pearl exclaimed as Peedee finished recording. "Wonderful job, Teal, I think we finally have our commercial!"

"Aw, that's it?" Teal moaned in disappointment. "I got so much to show you! I got illusion powers, meaning I can create anything, which is why I did so many cool things for all the previous takes!" With a mere snap of her fingers, Teal took off the polo & khakis and reappeared in a bright flash of light dressed in a jester outfit. "Like this, for example, puddin'!"

"Okay, that certainly explains a lot." Amethyst realized. "What else can you make?"

"Oh, like you wouldn't believe!" Teal exclaimed before changing out of her jester getup and transforming the set into a disco club, complete with everyone dressed in appropriate attire. "Come on, everybody, shake your groove things!"

"Oh goody, the seventies." Pearl grimaced at her current attire as Peridot began cackling at the taller Gem.

"Oh my stars, did your hair seriously look like that during that time period?!" Peridot laughed and pointed at Pearl's big afro.

"I was going through a phase!" Pearl yelled at Amethyst as the setting changed to a sinking ship. "Now what?!"

"My friends, it's been an honor playing with you." Teal solemnly said before she pulled out a violin to play while the ship began sinking to the bottom.

"Can ya hold still for a sec?!" Bismuth yelled. "We're excellent as is; no need to keep throwing all this at us!"

"But I got so much more to show off!" Teal declared as she began flipping through even more illusory settings for the Gems to examine, though the speed at which she presented them proved to be very overwhelming very quickly. It wasn't until someone told her to stop that Teal slowed down.

"WE SAID CUT IT OUT!" Jasper roared in Teal's face, sending the Zircon falling over as everything returned to normal. "How about we take five for a bit?"

"Okay, guys, whatever you say." A stunned Teal agreed before picking herself up and walking away, her hair blown back by Jasper's yell before she straightened it back to normal.

"Don't you think you were a little harsh, honey bear?" White Topaz asked Jasper.

"I know. I gotta work on my anger issues." Jasper replied to her girlfriend. "But seriously, that Zircon really gets on my nerves! She's like an annoying little kid who never knows when to shut up!"

"Come on, Jasper, no need to be so callous." Peridot added. "Though you are kind of right, Teal Zircon possesses a rather prepubescent mindset and doesn't know how to read the room. She just needs to learn how to grow up a little."

"Think she'll be back?" Lapis wondered to the others.

"I'll go look for her." Peedee declared and walked away in search of the Zircon.

"I guess that's an actor's life for me." Teal Zircon mused to herself while lying down on a bench. "You think I'm coming off too strong, me? Yeah, me, maybe I should tone it down a bit."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Peedee asked Teal as he found her on the bench and sat beside her. "Don't want to be rude, but you're kinda weird."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Teal replied tonelessly. "I didn't have that many friends before joining the Crystal Gems because everyone thought I was too obnoxious, so I kept acting out, hoping that someone would find me funny."

"Well, did anyone find you funny?" Peedee asked again.

"Rose certainly did, which is how I joined the CGs." Teal answered. "Or was it Pink Diamond that found me funny? Man, learning that my former boss turned out to be a Diamond in disguise makes everything really confusing now." She then sat up next to Peedee. "But even now, I'm not sure if this kind of behavior is winning me any favors, especially with Jasper."

"Well, you tried taking it down a notch?" Peedee suggested. "I mean, I get you want to make yourself known, but maybe you should be a little more subdued in your advertising."

"Yeah, maybe you're right!" Teal declared in realization as she sprung up from the bench. "I should try to be more chill! Thanks, Peepee!"

"Um, it's Peedee!" Peedee corrected for Teal, but she was too busy running towards the film set to hear him. "Then again, I never did tell her my name. Eh, whatevs."

"Guys, I'm ready to start shooting again!" Teal exclaimed to the Crystal Gems as she returned to the set. "And this time, I think I got it!"

"Oh, that's wonderful, Teal!" Pearl cheered with a little clap. "Uh, what do you have anyways?"

"It!" Teal answered. "I just gotta be a little more subdued! You know, it!"

"If we knew what it was exactly, we'd understand what you were talking about." Jasper responded sourly before Lapis smacked her in the head.

"She's saying she wanted to take this in a different direction." Lapis stated. "Didn't she make that clear?"

"Okay, fine." Jasper answered. "But this better not get weird like all the last times!"

The new commercial opened on a wide aerial shot of Little Homeworld with a chintzy logo of Little Homeschool over it. Then it cut to Teal Zircon standing next to a leaking water tank while holding a piece of tape. "Hi, Teal Zircon here for Little Homeschool. The place where you could find inner peace and tape your life back together!" To emphasize her point, Teal slapped the tape onto the leaking tank in slow motion. "In just a few short months, you can become a new Gem, unlike the one you were before!"

The commercial then transitioned to the pasts of some of its students, like Jasper, White Topaz, the Lapis twins, Topaz, and Emerald. "Wow, take a look at all these Gems! Forced fusion, subservient to a sociopathic revolutionary, terraforming, capturing humans, subjugating planets, that's a lot of damage! But now, with Little Homeschool, they've all changed their lives for the better!"

After another montage of the Gems in their current states, it returned to Teal posing by the pool where Zuli was doing laps. "We got all sorts of activities you can do here. In fact, I'm right behind one of them right now!"

"When did you get here?" Zuli asked Teal while emerging from the pool.

"Unimportant!" Teal commented excitedly as Zuli threw a towel over her shoulder. "But what isn't unimportant is the lifelong connections you can make here! Who knows, maybe you could even become part of a fusion for life, like this big missy over here!" She then gestured over to a hologram of Fluorite. "Check this out, six Gems in one giant caterpillar! Isn't that amazing?!"

As the commercial concluded, Teal was then shown sawing a rowboat in half. "I just sawed a boat in half!" she happily declared. "Because it's evocative of the Gem you could become at Little Homeworld! Operators are standing by right now to enroll you today! Call now, and you'll get a free T-shirt with your new schedule!"

"We don't have an operator, or free T-shirts!" Amethyst called from offscreen before the cameras stopped rolling.

"Outstanding Teal, though, is this supposed to be your idea of subdued?" Peridot asked.

"Indeed, she was a little less high energy, but still very upbeat." Garnet added. "I thought you said you wanted to be more subdued."

"But I was being subdued!" Teal complained, offended that she wasn't being respected for trying the best she could. "What, was not doing what you wanted me to do not enough for you guys?!"

"Teal, you don't understand!" Pearl exclaimed before Teal began stomping away in a huff. "Please, come back!"

"You'll be hearing from my agent about this!" Teal bellowed without even turning around.

"You don't even have an agent!" Jasper yelled back. "Geez, she can be so irritating sometimes."

"Well, maybe it's because she wants attention, but doesn't know how to get it without making a scene a lot." Peedee deduced. "I mean, she did tell me that she acted that way because she didn't have many friends on Homeworld."

"Well, if you guys have apparently become friends, then why don't you talk to her?" Lapis suggested to the young Fryman son.

"I'll see what I can do." Peedee declared as he once again walked away in search of Teal.

"I swear, I'm doing what they wanted!" Teal muttered to herself. "Am I just not satisfying enough?"

"Hey, Teal, can I talk to you about what just happened?" Peedee asked the Zircon as she turned to notice him standing behind her. "You doing alright?"

"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine, Deedee!" Teal proclaimed before immediately correcting herself. "Okay, I'm actually lying because I still feel like I barely have any friends here."

"Yeah, I can see where you're coming from." Peedee replied. "Like, Steven was a pretty close friend of mine when he still lived in Beach City, but then we just pretty much drifted apart as he got wrapped up in more crazy adventures while I'm kinda left in the dust. So yeah, I kinda understand you being so lonely."

"Yeah, having to air out all of Rose Quartz and Pink Diamond's dirty laundry can really take up a lot of time." Teal concurred. "So what should I do now? Maybe learn to read the room better so I can make friends?"

"I'm pretty sure that has nothing to do with what I just said, but yeah, maybe you should." Peedee replied. "Let's bring you back so you can make up with them."

"Sure." Teal agreed. "You're a good kid, Deepee."

"You know what, I think I'll let it slide this time." Peedee laughed as the two began walking back to the set.

"So, there goes our lead actor." Pearl mused as the gang began packing up the set while Teal and Peedee were talking. "I suppose we can make do with what we still have, though the question remains which one to use?"

"I like the one where Teal had the beard!" Amethyst exclaimed. "That one made me laugh!"

"I personally found the one with the boat quite entertaining." Garnet provided her opinion on the finished commercials. "It's easy to be taken out of context."

"Hello, Gems." Black Rutile purred as she appeared from behind the camera. "If your leading Gem is out of the picture, then are you in the market for a replacement, perhaps?" she suggested. "I happen to possess many qualities for an ideal spokeswoman, like charisma, energy, a commanding presence, and a pretty face too."

"Are you going to turn this into a propaganda video?" Bismuth asked as Black Rutile began recording herself on Peedee's camera.

"Oh my, how could you possibly have guessed?" Black Rutile chuckled before clearing her throat. "Greetings, Gems of the universe, I am Black Rutile! Former pilot turned right-hand of White Diamond turned freedom fighter against the tyrannical Crystal Gems, and I am here to give you the offer of a lifetime!"

"Called it." Bismuth grumbled as the Gems dumbfoundedly watched Black Rutile's attempt at advertising.

"For too long now have we suffered under the iron-fisted rule of the monstrous Steven Universe and his Crystal Gems hive mind!" Black Rutile continued speaking. "However, I, a humble veteran cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate, saw through the corruption these peace-loving beasts have infected our mighty society with and brainwashed trillions to their cause! Steven has vouchsafed us his twisted, possessive idea of love and tolerance at the expense of many hard-working Gems and every planet under the Diamonds' thumb. Now, it's time we come together right now to fight back against this crystalline threat and restore our species to order with me as your fearless leader!"

"Hey, are you making another commercial without me?!" Teal yelled from offscreen as she zoomed in front of the camera and knocked Black Rutile over. "I got another thing to say!"

"I was in the middle of something, you infernal advertiser!" Black Rutile yelled with a teal foot to her face. "Now get off of me!"

"What do you have to say now?" Pearl asked Teal.

"Well, I just wanna say I'm sorry for how I acted just now." Teal apologized for her behavior. "Thanks to Peedee here, I think I should know better to read the room and be more considerate of others. He's a good kid."

"Thanks, Teal." Peedee replied gratefully. "Now, are we ready to get this going again?!"

"You bet!" Teal proclaimed eagerly. "Make sure to get my good side!"

"Okay, let's do this one last time." Pearl accepted what was going on now. "Places, please!"

"Hi, it's Teal Zircon with Little Homeschool!" Teal introduced herself while wearing a headset and holding an absorbent towel. "Now Little Homeschool is a lot like this absorbent towel here, because they both can drain every drop of your bad side dry and leave nothing behind, like so!"

To demonstrate, Teal dipped the towel into a small bucket of water that seemed to empty the moment the towel went in instantly. "It's like a towel, a sponge, or maybe a school that'll help you get away from your bad self so you can truly make a change for the better!"

As Teal continued speaking, a montage began playing of some of Little Homeschool's various students. "This is for the Rubies, the Lapises, the Jaspers, the Emeralds, the fusions; Little Homeschool was established only a few years ago, but business has been booming since then, and we've been able to provide a home for all of its students too!" she declared. "So come on down to Earth today in the solar system and see how you too can become a student of the one and only Crystal Gems!"

"Or join the Rutile Rebels and fight for freedom for all Gems!" Black Rutile exclaimed as she freed her face from Teal Zircon's foot and hastily got up, but the commercial ended before she could finish.

Once filming had ended, the Gems decided to edit together every commercial they filmed starring Teal Zircon because nobody could choose which to use. Ultimately, business began speeding up again thanks to their new advertisement.

"Hello, Gems. Teal Zircon for Little Homeschool! The place where you could find inner peace and tape your life back together! We got all kinds of art classes, like painting and sculpturing! Little Homeschool was established only a few years ago, but business has been booming since then, and we've been able to provide a home for all of its students too! If you ever feel like attending, then come on down to your local Warp Pad and see all there is to see on this wonderful planet, guaranteed! Stay fusing, my friends."

"Well, guys, it looks like we finally got our commercial!" Pearl exclaimed as their completed ad aired on television across the country and the universe. "And it's all thanks to you, Teal!"

"Please, you're making me blush!" Teal replied nervously. "So, who do you suppose we'll bring in with this?"

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Garnet adjusted her glasses with a grin before the Crystal Gems all heard the Warp Pad hum. "A new student, come on, everyone!"

When the Gems raced to the Warp Pad, they were greeted by a little brown Gem who had her gem replacing her nose and wore brown overalls. "Hey, uh, my name's Monazite. Is this Little Homeschool?"

"Let me guess, did our ad send you here?" Teal Zircon asked. Monazite nodded. "Then welcome to the party!"

Thus brings an end to this chapter. Yet as the title implies, but wait, there's more! We got eight more chapters left til we can end the first season, and I can assure you that you're in for a real treat! As for the next chapter, well to give you a hint, you've seen the Amphibia episode Civil Wart, right? Well, this time, it's a shipping war related to Camp Pining Hearts, plus a reference to a certain incident in the SU fandom from years ago that I've been wanting to do for ages. See you later!

#steven universe #steven universe future #steven universe alternate future #fanfiction #little homeworld life #teal zircon #garnet #amethyst #pearl #peridot #lapis lazuli #jasper #bismuth #white topaz #peedee fryman

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phandoz · 2 years

Text

Cin Vhetin - Chapter Five

Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (eventually...)

Warnings: Some swears.

Din seeks intel for a job from Boba but is hesitant with the help Boba enlists for him.

See notes at the end for mando'a translations.

Chapter Four > Chapter Six

Chapter Five

True to his word, when Boba had work for him, Din returned to the palace. Splitting his time between there and Nevarro, he got a pick of the best bounties thanks to Greef, and whatever work Boba had going. After deliberating with Fennec, Fett had decided against working with the guild. His explanation to Din was simple.

"My time is better spent dealing with my own interests on this planet, not the petty disputes of whoever has the most credits. How many of our kind have lost their lives for the petty squabbles of others? Too many, and I will not be a part of it. Not anymore."

Din couldn't argue with him there. Bounty hunting was complicated. Morally grey. High rewards meant high risk and the older he got, the longer it took to recover. It was a young man's game, bounty hunters didn't tend to retire, but the covert needed the credits so he would continue to provide until he couldn't any longer.

Karga and Fett had helped keep him busy and, by extension, the covert taken care of for the past few months now. Even though Fett wasn't part of the guild he was still a reliable source of information. When a puck came with few details it was usually worthwhile talking to Fett. He had contacts across multiple systems and that was always a bonus in Din's line of work.

"You might need a hand with this one. They have some big weaponry based on the intel I've got." Boba suggested, sliding the puck across the table where they were tucked away in the corner of the throne room. The ever-present Fennec stood faithfully over his shoulder, eyes scanning the room like second nature.

The bounty seemed simple enough on the surface. Some politicians son had racked up a substantial debt through spice and gambling. Unfortunately, he also knew that there was bounty on his head and as such had surrounded himself with the best guns for hire that he could afford. His pockets were still deep despite the money he owed. He was holed up in a compound on the outskirts of Cantonica.

Of course he was still there, no doubt the very same planet on which he had accrued his debt. It was ballsy, Din had to give him that. Or incredibly stupid. Time would tell.

"Thank you for the information, I'll see if the al'verde can help out."

For all their animosity in the past, Din was relieved to have Paz at his back again. If this bounty had big hitters, he would bring one of his own.

"No need," Boba waved his hand. "Take Verd'ika," he nodded towards Sana where she and a blue twi'lek were huddled closely behind the bar, deep in conversation. "She's doing my head in at the moment. I think she has cabin fever."

"You want me to take Sana?" The hesitation in Din’s voice was clear. His attention was drawn to the woman in question as she threw her head back in laughter, her friend giggling before leaving to clear tables across the room. Watching as Sana busied herself with restocking bottles along the wall, he couldn't help but think she would be a liability. Boba mentioned big fire power. She seemed much too... soft.

"Of course. Is that a problem?"

Din swallowed as he considered his next words. "You think she is up for it?"

It didn't matter that Boba wore his helmet; his smirk was audible. "That's a very diplomatic way of asking whether or not I think she is capable. Perhaps you are more suited to the role of Mandalor than you think."

"Fett..." Din warned, sighing heavily.

"There is nobody I would rather at my six more than her or Fennec. I trust her with my life."

"Alright," He finally conceded. "I'll take your word for it".

"Excellent!" Boba clapped Din on the back as they stood. "You can swing past and give her the good news yourself. Tell her she can have free run of the armoury, that should warm her up to the idea."

He hoped he wouldn't regret this.

When it came to getting bounty pucks Din would deal with either Fennec or Boba. Sana kept to herself, watching the comings and goings of the palace with a keen eye that she disguised as simply manning the bar. He had only seen her in passing since they met on Nal Hutta. Her back was to Din as he approached and he wondered how to even broach the subject of working with her.

"Mando," she greeted without turning around. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

She had a keen eye indeed. Standing on her tip toes she was trying to reach something on one of the taller shelves at the very end of the bar. Clearing his throat awkwardly he reached over her head, plucking the bottle from the wall and holding it out to her. It never occurred to him how much smaller she was, her head coming up to his shoulder. As she took the bottle from him, he could’ve sworn he heard a mumbled “Show off…” under her breath but he said nothing of it. Well, he may as well get straight to the point.

"Boba has volunteered you for a job."

Sana finally turned to him, placing the bottle down on the bar in front of her. "Has he now?" Her brow was arched as she looked over his shoulder to where Boba sat in the distance. "Drink, Mando?"

"Ah, no.” Best to get this over and done with and get out of here as soon as possible. “Thank you." He quickly added.

"Well, you can't blame a girl for trying." She shrugged. Sana was quiet and had spoken as little as possible when they first met. Hesitant to even make eye contact. Now she was... different. "You're really selling it to me, Mando," she drew him from his thoughts. "Are you going to tell me more about this job or are you just going to stand there all day?" Her voice was tinged with amusement as she waited expectantly.

He glanced around the cantina, noting a large number of hunters all in varying states of sobriety. "Not here. Do you have somewhere we could talk? Fett said that you can have free run of the armoury, can we talk there?"

"Ah, he knows the way to my heart.” She held her hand to her chest dramatically, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Give me just a moment." The blue twi'lek she was talking to earlier was only a short distance away and after sharing a brief and hushed conversation, Sana crossed the room back to him.

"Well, Mando, it would seem that you're quite the salesman after all. Julla is kindly going to look after everything here for me. I'm all yours." She held her arm out in the direction of the stairs leading from the cantina. "Let's continue our little chat in the armoury."

Boba watched their interaction with great interest. He and Sana had finally spoken about Din once she had cooled down after Nal Hutta. She did in fact know the Mandalorian. Had known him since they were both younglings. They hadn't seen each other in over five years and longer still without helmets.

She told him of when they were young. Sana was smaller than the others in the Fighting Corps but no less determined to prove herself. Din would help her train outside of their lessons despite him being around five years her senior. He was shy but they found friendship in each other. They were close but then as often happens, circumstance drew them apart. Din became their covert’s beroya in his early twenties and Sana volunteered to make whatever credits she could off world, often away from the covert for months at a time. It would've been around then that Boba and Sana had first crossed paths.

Sana briefly spoke with Julla before sauntering back towards Din with a smirk on her face. Din straightened under her gaze before she led him from the room. It would seem that her initial shock of seeing him once more had worn off. He guessed any fear had as well. She knew that Din was a shy man by nature, so she surely had to know the affect she had on him. Boba never saw her act this way towards anyone else. He suspected that there were feelings deeper than friendship on Sana's part but he was smart enough to keep those thoughts to himself.

Fennec, however, had no such filter, chuckling from where she stood faithfully at his side. "Poor Din won't know what hit him."

“Good luck to him. He’ll need it.” Boba couldn't help but laugh.

In the depths of the Palace, Sana pushed the doors open to the armoury. You could tell a lot about a fighter based on their choice of weapon and Din found himself more interested than he should to see what she selected. He nodded his thanks as she let the doors close softly behind them.

"So, tell me about this job" She prompted over her shoulder. Din's eyes followed her every step as she walked along the wall with her head tilted in thought

"Some rich kid with a debt his father won't pay. He's surrounded himself with some hired heavies. Fett tells me they've got some hefty weaponry."

"Hmm," she acknowledged, finishing her circle of the room and coming to stand before him. "So how do you want to play it? Both go in hot or something with a bit more stealth?" Gone was her light persona from behind the bar. Her head was cocked slightly to the side, and he couldn’t help but find her undivided attention heavy. At least she was asking the right questions.

"I would prefer stealth. At least until the big fire power is out of the picture. Also gives less time for the target to make a run for it."

"Well I'm more than happy to let you take the lead." Nodding in agreement Sana strode towards the far wall that was lined with rifles of varying size. "Best armour in front and all."

Huh, Din thought. Typically, it was a tactic taught to Mandalorians at an early age. Best armour in the front and back to protect the weaker armour in the middle. Boba must have taught her a lot over the years.

After some thought she pocketed a handful of charges and selected a rifle large enough to inflict some decent damage but small enough for someone her size to wield easily. It’s size also allowed it to have a faster rate of fire and it looked like it had some form of silencer. Long range. Quiet. Practical. The perfect weapon to have at your six for a job like this, just like Boba said. Opening the doors Sana gestured into the hallway. "We'll have to stop by my room to grab a couple more things, but this should do it for now."

The simple floor length dress she wore was a stark contrast to the rifle secured to her back as Sana once more lead the way. Walking in silence, he couldn’t help but watch the way the fabric swayed with her hips. From the little he knew of her she seemed to very much be a woman of contrasts.

Once they found their way to the floor where he had first stayed in the palace, Din leaned against the wall in the corridor to wait. After realising he wasn’t following, Sana stood in the doorway and fixed him with a questioning look. “Are you coming in or what?”

“I didn’t want to assume.”

“Maker, you make it sound so scandalous!" Her laugh rang through the corridor. "Don't worry, I trust you to behave yourself. Besides, there’s always the threat that Boba would kill you that I can fall back on. Come on, Mandalorian. Make yourself comfortable, I won't be long." She called to him over her shoulder.

Pushing off the wall Din hesitantly walked into a large open living area, the door clicking shut softly behind them. It felt intrusive for him to be in her quarters, but she clearly thought nothing of it, leaving him standing awkwardly at the edge of the kitchen. Looking around the room there wasn't much in the way of personal touches other than a few scattered belongings. Blaster oil and rags on the low table in front of the couches where she had gently placed her rifle and charges. A datapad on the kitchen counter. A surprisingly well stocked kitchen considering there were people in the palace that would no doubt cook her whatever she wanted.

Most surprising though was a picture on a piece of flimsy almost hidden on the side of the conservator that a child had clearly drawn. Upon closer inspection it was a woman with five children of varying sizes. It looked worn, as if it had been folded and handled over and over.

Not wanting to appear like he was prying, Din turned away from the picture as he heard her walk out of what he assumed was her bedroom. Sana had changed from what she was wearing in the cantina into something a lot more... practical. She now wore a dark grey shirt loosely tucked into fitted black pants. Pulling on a brown jacket, she walked towards the entrance to the room, zipping it up before she bent with her back to him to retrieve a pair of black boots that were next to the door. Din quickly looked away, swallowing and trying his hardest to not think about how Sana had filled out since he last saw her. She looked fit, healthy. She looked good.

There was a soft thunk as she sat on one of the plush chairs in the centre of the room before tugging her boots on. Din watched as her lithe fingers made quick work of the laces and was jolted back to attention as she stood, crossed the room and slapped her palm against a discrete security panel on the wall he hadn't noticed before. A door swung out from the wall and Sana disappeared inside a small room. From his position Din could just see a small collection of weapons over her head. She strapped a holster to her thigh and slid a smaller blaster in once it was fit snug. There was a vibroblade in a sheath slipped into her right boot and finally she placed a small earpiece in her right ear.

"So, your ship or mine?" She broke the silence as she clipped the charges into the belt around her hips and slung the rifle over her shoulder. She looked strong, confident. Looking at her like this he wondered how he ever doubted Boba when he suggested bringing her along.

"Uh, mine." He cringed internally at how he was reduced to one word answers around her. “Carbon freezer” he justified.

"Alright then, captain," she mock saluted as she hoisted her duffel bag over her shoulder. "Let's get this show on the road. I'll stop past the kitchens on our way out too, if you don't mind?"

"Go for it." There. That was three words.

It was early evening by the time the ship broke through Tatooine's atmosphere and Din chartered their course for Cantonica. Once they were in hyperspace, Sana stood from the co-pilots chair.

"I take it you haven't eaten?"

"No. There are ration bars in the top cabinet in the kitchen if you're hungry."

She grimaced. "Thanks but I try to avoid them where I can. Do you mind if I use your kitchen instead? I brought a few things with me."

"Knock yourself out."

"I'll try not to."

Even with the ship in autopilot he stayed staring ahead, trying to not think about the wink he had caught in Sana's reflection in the transparisteel before she left the cockpit. He thought about the covert instead. Supplies he would need to get before he returned. He began listing them in his head to pass the time. He was broken from his line of thought when he heard a "Mando?" from behind him. He checked the controls briefly before making his way to the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to know how spicy you like your food?"

"You, you don't have to prepare anything for me."

"I know." She waved the knife flippantly before steadying it as she sliced some sort of meat. "I enjoy cooking. It helps calm my thoughts before and after a job." Her eyes met his when she paused what she was doing. It was like she knew exactly where his eyes were through his visor. "I've never been very good at cooking for just the one person anyway." She shrugged.

"Thank you. You're very kind." He thought back to the drawing in her kitchen. Maybe she had children. A family out there somewhere. Boba had never mentioned anything and she certainly hadn't.

"So on a scale of 1 to 10?..." she trailed off, suddenly uncertain.

"Uh, maybe an 8. Do you mind?" he gestured to the seat in front of her.

She made eye contact again, shaking her head, and she seemed to regain her confidence as he sat at one of the stools bolted opposite where she stood behind the counter. "Good, I can work with that." She smiled at him somewhat shyly and he couldn't help but return the gesture despite the helmet.

He watched as she finely diced a selection of vegetables. He found it calming. When he was a boy he would watch his mother cook. The dishes he can no longer remember but they were similar in the way she would move about the kitchen like every meal was a choreographed routine.

Sana sprinkled in some dried herbs and gave the large pot a stir before wiping her hands on a cloth as she turned to him. "Shouldn't be long."

"Thank you" He nodded towards the pot. "It smells great"

"Hopefully it tastes the same."

"I'm sure it will"

It was silent as Sana finished tidying up. A lot of their time spent together seemed to be in silence but not in an uncomfortable way. At least not for him. She wasn’t full of invasive questions about his creed or personal life like Mayfeld was so that was a relief.

"So," she broke the silence as she leaned forward with her elbows on the bench, chin resting lightly on her clasped hands. "I've never asked you, Mando. How do you know Boba?" Well, there goes that thought.

How did he answer this one? He tried his best not to think about the circumstances of their meeting. About what happened when they met. How he lost his ship and his armoury. How he lost his son, the most important thing to him in the galaxy. It was… difficult.

"I came into possession of his armour from someone who was not Mandalorian. He tracked me down in search of it." He settled with. Concise. Hopefully it would deflect any questions she might have.

"Wow." Her head cocked to the side, she almost sounded disappointed. "Of all of the scenarios I imagined, I didn't expect that."

"You imagined scenarios?" He said with amusement lacing his voice as he too tilted his head and leaned forward, resting the bottom of his helmet on his arm propped on the counter.

"You're two of the most feared bounty hunters in the galaxy and Mandalorian on top of that. Of course, I imagined. I thought you might have taken down a crime syndicate together in a barrage of blaster fire and violence. The reality just sounds so boring now."

He huffed out a laugh. "We did take out a couple of carriers of storm troopers during our first meeting. Fennec was there too."

"Ha!" Her hand slapped the counter. "I knew it! That sounds far more likely." She let out a genuine laugh, her eyes crinkled as a smile spread across her face and Din thought that he would do anything to get that reaction out of her again.

"Once he got his armour back, he helped me track down and rescue a... friend who the imperials had captured." The words left his mouth involuntarily. Maker, where did that come from? There was something about Sana that had him either stammering one word answers or wanting to bare his soul to her. It made him nervous. Until now he had managed to keep it to as few words as possible.

She couldn't help but notice the awkward way he said the word friend and quirked her eyebrow. "They must be a pretty special friend for you to take on the empire. I take it you got them back?"

"Yes." But not for long enough. "And they were. They are." He corrected.

The ‘were’ did not escape her. Nor did the sadness he tried to hold back from his tone. She wondered if it was his foundling. If so, it was a pain she was familiar with. "It would seem you are a good friend to have then Mando." She smiled softly as she turned back to the pot and Din couldn't help the intensity with which he watched her lips close around the spoon as she tasted whatever was stewing away. She nodded to herself and began to spoon the dishes into the two bowls she had ready and waiting.

She slid one of the bowls across the counter towards him and his hands met hers halfway, fingers just so lightly brushing, his orange tipped leather a stark contrast against her pale skin. Sana quickly looked away, but he could see the blush creeping up her cheeks. Din couldn't help the small smile that crept onto his face behind the helmet. Perhaps he affected her as much as she affected him. He couldn't find it in himself to be disappointed.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'll take mine in my room so you can eat wherever you like." He could see her weapons placed carefully on the side table but her other items dumped carelessly on the floor in the open crew quarters next to his. "I'm going to eat and then hit the sack anyway so it's not a problem." She anticipated his objection before he could even open his mouth.

"Thank you." It had been a long time since he had been around someone who wasn't Mandalorian that was so respectful of his creed. It was refreshingly pleasant.

"Not a problem. Goodnight Mando" she smiled softly as the door closed, slowly obscuring her face from him.

"Goodnight, Sana."

Taking his meal to the cockpit he sealed himself in. It seemed he could trust her, but old habits died hard. He was glad for the privacy when he let out an involuntary groan upon taking his first mouthful, the meat near melted on his tongue.

Even if this job went to shit it would be worth bringing Sana along for the food alone.

When Din woke on their third morning in hyperspace he was surprisingly well rested. The large, soft bed in the captain's quarters always helped but he suspected the good meals and company probably had something to do with it. It had been a long time since there had been someone else travelling with him. Loneliness had never been an issue for Din. He guessed that he had always been lonely before, but it wasn't until Grogu came into his life that he realised it. But then as soon as he was here, his foundling was gone, and he was left craving the company of another to fill the gaping hole the tiny green child left behind.

He took a minute to simply lie there, a rarity for him. Without his armour and helmet, he felt almost weightless, but it was a welcome reprieve. Sometimes he couldn't help but wish that he had gone without his armour during his time with Grogu. The child had deserved more from him, and it was one of his many regrets. His helmet now felt suffocating if he thought about wearing it in the child's presence.

His whole life had been dedicated to his covert and his creed since the day he swore it. Between fighting and weapons and finding people who didn’t want to be found, it was all he knew. A chance to be a buir was not something that Din had ever considered. It was never on the cards for someone is his position, but he could now understand now why someone could turn away from it all. The promise of a family was tempting. Something good in a life that was inherently bad. Something warm and soft in a life that was so cold and violent.

The smell of something delicious wafting under the door made Din finally rise for the day. He had never heard Sana get up, the woman was like a ghost on the ship, but he was glad for the distraction to drag himself from his increasingly depressing thoughts. Stretching until his back gave an audible pop, he pulled on his kute and donned his armour. His body was getting too old for this, but his covert relied on him, and he would not disappoint them. It wasn’t an option; they were all he had left. He ran a hand through his hair before he placed the helmet over his head.

It would take them just under four days to get to Cantonica and they should already be close to the end of their journey. The new ship was not only faster but he didn't have to stop as often for fuel meaning they could make it there without stopping. Still, it was no Crest.

Following his nose he was greeted by the sight of Sana flitting about the small kitchen. Once she had found out how long their journey would take, she had taken to wearing more casual clothing around the ship. This morning it was light tan fitted pants with an oversized beige sweater that crossed over her chest. Seeing her curled up on the co-pilots chair with a steaming mug of caf while looking at her datapad had stopped him in his tracks when he first saw it.

"Comfy?" He had huffed in amusement when he had finally built up the courage to enter the cockpit.

"Mmm" she hummed as she sipped her caf. "Very. I somehow always forget how freezing it is in space."

On the second day she fixed the water heater in the fresher after she refused to have another cold shower.

"Honestly Mando, do you enjoy torturing yourself?!"

Honestly, he had never cared enough to fix it, but a hot shower was a luxury he could quickly get used to now it was on offer again. It did wonders for his back.

After three days he was used to seeing her on his ship. She hummed softly while preparing meals for them in the kitchen but only when she thought he wasn't there. He said nothing but if he turned up the audio in his helmet her could still hear her from the cockpit. It was all strangely domestic and he couldn’t help but lament that it was only temporary.

A plate of steaming eggs with fried meat and toasted bread was slid in front of him with an "Eat up, Mando."

“Good morning to you too.”

"Morning,” she huffed. “I've already eaten and I'm going to use the fresher. Take your time."

She simply nodded at his thanks and the fresher door closed behind her.

He waited until he could hear the water running before removing his helmet and looking down at the plate in front of him. He took a moment to simply inhale and it smelled divine. He hadn't eaten so well in years. Probably since he was in the Fighting Corps. It probably was a good thing this was only a temporary arrangement or he would probably have to start running his drills more regularly.

They had passed the last few days in relative silence. Din planning supply runs for the covert and Sana engrossed in whatever she was doing on her datapad. One thing that he surprisingly enjoyed was what little conversation they had, something that Din was not used to but found easy with Sana. They mainly spoke of jobs in the past. What they thought their strengths were was about as personal as it got.

Din's strengths were his prowess with a blaster and brute strength in hand to hand combat. Sana's lay in her skills with long range weaponry and her stealth. "It's a necessity when you're my size" she had simply shrugged. He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested to see how she would go on this job with him.

An hour out from their arrival the two of them sat at the table in the common area. Din was finishing some minor repairs to his left vambrance and Sana was halfway through wiping down the barrel of her blaster.

"Run me through everything again."

Din could appreciate her need to be prepared. It wasn't something that he usually had in common with people so he happily ran through the job again.

At Sana's insistence she would head out first to scout the area. The moment anyone saw a Mandalorian in full beskar armour they ran the risk of the quarry making a run for it, so he reluctantly agreed. Once they knew the placement of the guards, Sana would return and they would plan their best approach, waiting for the cover of darkness to make their move.

As they were both finishing up an alarm from the cockpit announced their imminent arrival and they both strapped in as Din began their descent to the outskirts of the city. Upon landing Sana quickly sorted refuelling and docking fees before returning to ship.

"I'll be back as soon as I can" she promised as she slipped a small earpiece in her right ear and tugged her scarf over her head.

"Stay in contact. If anything looks suspicious, you get out of there."

"Are you sure you don't have children out there somewhere, Mando?! You fuss like a mother."

"I... No." Fuck.

Her eyes softened, and she rest her hand on his shoulder. "I'll be fine. Just be ready for when I get back."

"I will."

"I'll see you soon, Mando." With a pat to his pauldron, she slipped past him and descended the ramp. The sun was now at its peak, the heat shimmer from the concrete hangar distorting Sana’s silhouette until she disappeared from sight. His mind was racing with what ifs. She seemed to know what she was doing and had Boba’s glowing endorsement. They still had about eight hours until it would be dark enough for them to make a move. Making his way up to the cockpit he settled into the pilot’s chair. There was nothing left to do but hurry up and wait.

Chapter Four > Chapter Six

Notes:

I'm back!

Haven't had a chance to write much more than a few sentences at a time on my phone since the last update. We travelled interstate with a toddler and dog for Christmas and New Years. Throw in covid and it makes for one hectic shit storm. Back at work (which I should be doing now) and hoping to get back into things.

On the off chance that you've made it this far and would like to read more let me know and I'll add you to the taglist for future chapters.

Translations:

Al'verde: Commander. I think of the Armourer as being the Alor (leader) and Paz being her second in command.

Verd'ika: Can mean private as in the military rank or affectionately, often to a child to mean 'little soldier'. Boba's nickname for Sana is him being facetious.

Beroya: Bounty hunter

Buir: Parent. Gender neutral word for both mother and father

Kute: Flight suit worn under armour

Tags:

@tuskens-mando @theewokingdead @littlemisspascal @aliwritesfic @asta-lily

#the mandalorian #din djarin #din djarin x ofc

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