xix

Emil heads back to the base first to make sure that Medeia is occupied with something else and won't notice us sneaking the child inside. He's tucked safely in my arms, Din walking slightly in front of us, partially to conceal the child and partially to protect us. It's less guaranteed that some of these people won't try to attack with me holding a baby in my arms, despite my reputation here. Thankfully, we make it to the base unharmed and Medeia is nowhere to be found.

We enter my room and I pass the child off to Din. We talk for a moment about how the hell we're going to tell my family, before I leave to gather them. In minutes, we re-enter my room to see Din sitting anxiously on my bed with the child on his lap.

As soon as she sees him in all his adorable glory, Daechi gasps. I walk over to Din, who readily hands him back to me, and then turn to face the group.

"No way," Daechi breathes.

"This is the child. Unfortunately we haven't come up with a name yet, but we've been taking care of him for a couple months now." I pause, biting my lip. What are they thinking right now? Damn it, why are they so good at hiding their emotions? "It wasn't safe for him to stay on the ship, and it's not very safe here either. I don't trust Medeia. So, the child will stay in here. If anyone sees Medeia trying to come in here, I'm asking that you please keep her away."

"Don't tell me you made that?" Ignacio is the first to speak up, breaking the shocked silence as he gestures between Din and I, repeating Emil's earlier question.

I roll my eyes. "Iggy, tell me. Does he look like me at all?"

"I was just wondering. Why else would you take on a child? I mean, considering you don't even have your old ship anymore, it doesn't seem like you're in a good place financially. You had to come back here for work." he reasons, his tone hard. I knit my brows. Why is he acting like this? I've hardly ever seen him mad.

"Oh, forget that, Ignacio. Look at how cute he is!" Daechi comes over, looking to me for permission. I hand the child to her willingly. She's probably the one I trust most with the child. After all, she's an experienced mother and also my best friend.

Din shifts his weight behind me anxiously. I look back to him. "He's fine." I reassure him. "It's like Sorgan. These people won't hurt him."

"I only trusted those villagers around him because I knew they weren't dangerous." He says lowly. "And even then, I was still careful. You know that."

I nod. "I do. But you have to trust me. He's okay." I stress the word, trying to communicate with him that he's safe here. They won't hurt him, especially because they know how angry I'd be and they're not fond of my angry side. Osak even admitted to being afraid of me when I'm mad, and he's easily the most intimidating one here.

"Alright." Din steps down, still watching the child warily. He's passed around the group, cooing and babbling with wonder at all the new friendly faces. He radiates happiness and innocence that I fiercely need to keep alive.

"So, if he isn't yours, then how did you find him?" Iggy asks, still with an attitude. I sigh, turning to Din.

"I'm gonna talk to Ignacio a minute. Are you okay to stay here?" he nods reluctantly, tensing. "Thanks. I'll be right back. And relax, please."

Then, turning on my heel, I grab Iggy and drag him out of the room and into his room. "Alright, what's up with you?"

He scoffs. "'What's up with me'? What's up is that you come here after almost five years with your new friend who is, by the way, extremely sketchy, and a child for kriff's sake! And then you expect all of us to just be okay with it and accept you like the old days! Well guess what, Nova, it's not the old days! Nothing is the same anymore. You've changed and I don't like it."

"If I've changed, it's been for the better. And I don't expect you to be okay with anything. I know everything's different. What I do expect is that you talk to me about what you're not okay with. I don't want to fight with you, Ignacio." I try to remain the calm one in the situation until he regains control of his temper.

"Alright, fine. Where's your ship?" I'm a bit surprised he went with that question first, but I don't argue. We're taking steps toward a civil conversation.

"Dantooine, same place it's been for months unless somebody stole it."

"So you've been riding around with a Mandalorian and a baby for months? How's you're financial situation? Am I right by guessing it's not good?" His arms are crossed and his tone, while lowered, is still harsh.

"We're managing and yes, I've been traveling with them for a few months. Why are you asking these questions?" I raise a brow skeptically.

"We're talking about what I'm not okay with. That man is a bad influence on you and I'm worried. Why'd you take on a child?"

I hold a hand up. "Hang on. Mando isn't a bad influence."

"Oh, yeah? Because you don't have your ship, you've been kicked out of the Guild, and you aren't doing great financially. There's probably other evidence, too." he counts off on his fingers as he speaks. "Are you going to answer my question?"

"Okay, look. All of those things are my fault, not his. And yes, I'll answer your question. I'm taking care of that child because he needs me. I've known him far longer than Mando, so don't blame anything on him." I take a breath after I'm done speaking, trying to calm myself. It's strange to be arguing with Iggy; he's normally the most level-headed person I know.

"How'd you find him?" he repeats his question from earlier.

I shake my head. "That's not a question I'm answering. Why are you being so harsh right now?"

"I'm not being harsh. What have you been doing with Mando? What trouble has he caused you?!" He takes a few steps toward me, trying to get me to talk to him, although he's going about it completely wrong. I won't talk to him while he's acting like this.

"No, stop it!" I order, yelling. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so angry at me?"

He ignores me. "What have you been doing with him? Why won't you-"

My back hits the wall, and I realize I've been backing away from him. He's scaring me. This isn't the Ignacio I know. "Will you stop it with your questions?!" I practically scream. "Just... stop, Iggy, for one minute."

"Why? Is there something you won't tell me about him?" he demands.

"Ignacio!" I shout. He seems to notice as if for the first time that I'm pressed up against the wall, almost cowering.

His gaze softens. "Did he hurt you?"

I scoff. "No, he didn't."

Realization dawns in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, I just worry about you. I don't trust him."

"Is that what you call worrying?" he looks down, guilt evident on his features. I found that after spending time trying to figure out Din, reading people is a lot easier now. "Look, Iggy, I appreciate that you care, but I'm fine. He's not giving me any trouble. And I think you should trust him, at least enough to let him watch your back at the gala."

Iggy shrugs. "I don't know if I can trust a Mandalorian."

"I do. Emil does." At that, his head shoots up.

"He does?" I nod. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry, Nova." I dip my chin, accepting his apology silently before leaving the room. Once I'm out of there, I sigh. That was a bit of a roller coaster.

Upon returning to my room, I find that the only people still inside are Osak and Din. The latter jumps to his feet when the door opens, rushing over and grabbing my shoulders gently. "Are you okay? We heard yelling."

"Yeah, I'm fine. You guys getting along okay?" I glance over Din's shoulder at Osak, playing on the floor with the child.

Din nods, drawing my attention back to him. "He's... nice. I don't know if I trust him yet, though."

"Aw, well, that just means you get to spend more time together." I grin, brushing lightly past him to greet Osak with a fist bump. As I walk past, he pulls me down by my waist so that I'm next to him, causing me to let out a surprised yelp and a laugh. The child watches curiously.

Din comes back over to sit across from us, with the child in the middle. Osak slings an arm around my shoulders with a grin. "How are you, little sister?"

I glance at the child and Din. "Good, actually. The past few months have been a little crazy, but good." I smile cheekily up at Osak. "What about you?"

"I am okay. Everybody has been on edge lately because of Detre. I don't know what I would do without Aola." I smile at the way he talks about her. He's happy with her. "Ignacio has been... having a rough time. He has nobody, and he missed you. I am sorry about your fight."

I think about that for a moment. "What do you mean, rough time?"

"He is not the same. He is unfocused now, his temper shorter. He told me once that he was worried you died and that we would not know because you insisted we cut off communication." Osak explains. I notice Din tensing, uncomfortable with the conversation though I'm not really sure why. "I worry for him sometimes, but he is getting better."

"That's good. I'll talk to him once he's calmed down." I decide. Din lets out a small yawn beneath his helmet, one so quiet that I barely hear it. "How long until sunset on this planet?" I ask Osak, stealing a glance at the tired Mandalorian.

"A couple hours at most. How long has it been since you last slept well?" he answers.

"I slept... maybe six-ish hours ago. I don't know about Mando."

"I haven't had a good sleep since before our last job. I slept after the whole thing with Toro." At this, my mouth drops open. If yesterday was the jailbreak with Ran's crew and the two days before were our days to figure everything out, this is his fourth day without sleep.

"How are you not tired?" I'm on my feet quickly, pulling him up.

"I doze a bit here and there. I had to fly the ship." he reasons, only slightly stumbling as he gets to his feet.

"No, I could've flown. Maker, Mando, you need sleep." I shake my head, beginning to lead him to the door. He isn't alone anymore, he has help, so why does he continue to do this?

"I don't want to be in that room." he mumbles. "It's too big. Not familiar. I'll never sleep in there."

"Then you can sleep in here. I'll stay with the child, and Osak can help if he isn't doing anything." I shove him lightly towards my bed. He begins to protest, but I quickly shut him down. "You sleep. Everything will be fine. I'll be here when you wake up. But you can't do this to yourself anymore, understand?" He hums, the fatigue evident in his voice and his movements. I curse myself for not noticing sooner. He's incredible at pretending everything is fine.

He lays down on my bed, and in moments his breath steadies and I assume he's asleep. "Do you think he is uncomfortable?" I jump, not having noticed Osak quietly standing beside me. The Twi'lek continues, "You know, with all of his armor. I would be, if I had to sleep in that."

"I think he's used to it. Although, you do have a point. It's pretty damn heavy." I remove each piece of Beskar one by one to make him more comfortable so that hopefully he sleeps a bit longer. I'm careful not to wake him, knowing that he can be quite a light sleeper. I hope he won't be mad that I took his Beskar off, especially with Osak in the room, but he did say that only seeing his face was forbidden and I left the helmet on.

I then remove his boots and, just for good measure, throw a light blanket over him. I turn to Osak when I'm done, who has a faint smile on his face. "You really like him?"

I flush, not used to talking about this topic. "I do. Sometimes it's hard, and I don't know what to do or how to fix things because I've never done this before. But it's all worth it, at the end of the day. What about you and Aola? I mean, she is living here. That's big."

He smiles. "Yeah. She is... what do you call it? My rock. She helps a lot around the base, too. She is ma sareen." I smile at the nickname. It's the language from his childhood, Ryl, a phrase meaning 'my sweet'.

The child waddles over, tapping at Osak's ankles. He laughs, picking the child up. The child giggles at being so far from the ground, as Osak is taller than either me or Din. "So, little one, am I to be your uncle?"

"I suppose, if you wanted to." I smile at the pure joy on both of their faces. He whirls the child around in a circle.

"Detre may be my favorite niece but you, little one, are my favorite nephew." I laugh, liking his nickname for the child. He sets the child down, beckoning for the both of us to sit across the room so we have less chance of waking up Din. He makes himself comfortable up against the wall, playing with the small child on the floor. "You must tell me when you have a name."

"Of course." I grin, handing the little child a ball of light since his metal ball is back on the ship still.

"So, has Mando told you anything about himself yet?" Osak asks, lowering his voice a tad below speaking volume to keep the armored hunter asleep.

I confirm with a nod. "He's told me about his past. And just yesterday he told me his name." I smile as I remember the moment.

"Oh? That is a big step for a Mandalorian, no?"

"It is."

He pulls me into his side in a brotherly hug. "He likes you. I could tell when I talked to him about you, he is very fond of you."

"You guys talked about me?" I ask, looking up at his sky-blue face.

He nods. "I gave him the talk that you always told me not to give anybody. He took it very well." I scoff, hitting his chest and drawing a laugh from him. "I am sorry, but if he hurts you he will answer to all of us, especially me." I shake my head. He's quieter than the rest of us, yes, but Osak is fiercely protective of his family.

I gaze at Din's calm, sleeping form. "Thanks, Osak, but I don't think he would."

"Yes, he cares a lot." The Twi'lek agrees. "I had to stop him from running into Ignacio's room at the first sign of yelling. He was worried about you, said that you got anxious in situations like that. I was surprised you told him about that."

It occurs to me that my squad only knows of my slave years and of my time with Aurelia. Everything else- the village, finding the child, killing Isaak and getting taken aboard their ship, everything that happened on that ship, living as an outcast, Din turning us in, all of it- they have no idea about. I should tell them, but what if they overreact? And it wouldn't be easy. Talking about my past requires me to face it, to relive it, and that was something I struggled with even while talking to Din. I suppose it can wait for now.

Instead, I focus back in on the conversation and shrug. "I trust him. He's saved my life many times."

"As do I," Osak admits. I look to him in surprise. "You do not trust easily, and he seems to really care. Also, I've talked to Emil, who says his intentions are good to everyone except Medeia, which I can understand. He is wary, but trustworthy." He explains further. I grin.

"Look at my boys, all getting along. Well, except Iggy, but I'll win him over sooner or later." Osak laughs at my comment. "Speaking of Medeia, the name sounds familiar. I couldn't place it earlier, and I still can't."

"Well, she often spoke of her father. That was the only information she'd ever really give us, to try to make us trust her. I do not know if it is a lie, as I do not trust her, but she said that he was murdered trying to catch a target for the Guild, on a planet called Bakura, in the Outer Rim. Since then she says she has stayed away from Guild work, although nobody believes that part." As he speaks, the pieces fall into place, leaving a heavy weight in my chest. I exhale sharply.

"Osak... you wouldn't happen to know her last name, would you?" The words leave my mouth slowly, and I'm hoping with every fiber of my being that I'm wrong.

"She mentioned it once. Something with a T. Taskal, maybe." he guesses. Oh, no, no. No.

Please be wrong. "Tallav?"

"Yes, that was it." I sigh, putting my head between my knees. This is not happening. "You seem to know that name. What is wrong?" He asks, concerned.

I steel myself. I have to tell him the whole story, or he won't understand. "Osak... Years ago, I met the child because I was supposed to kill him, but I couldn't. I found him in a tiny, isolated village on Bakura. I couldn't go back to the Guild empty-handed, so I deserted and lived in that village for a while. They sent people after me, including the old leader of the Guild, a Chiss named Isaak Tallav. They told me to hand over the child or they'd slaughter the entire village, but I... I couldn't." I take a deep breath, steadying my voice and pushing back my tears. "I killed him. He was going for a little girl, but I couldn't let him kill her, so I... I killed Medeia's father." I bury my face in my hands. She probably knows, too. That's why she hates me, that's why she hates all of the people here, because they're all associated with her father's murderer.

"Is that why you were kicked out of the Guild?" To my surprise, there's no trace of disgust in his voice.

"Yeah. There's a huge bounty on my head, too, although I'm not sure exactly how much. Last I checked, it was about 40,000 credits. I've stayed away for two years, and the number just keeps rising." I pause. "Well, no, actually. I was captured a few months ago, but I got out."

"I am sorry for your pain, little sister." He wipes away a stray tear. I duck my head away from him as I feel more coming. The child hobbles over, resting a small hand on my knee as he sees my emotional state.

"Thank you." I lean into Osak's side, wiping away my tears. "Sorry I got you guys kicked out too."

He chuckles. "It was not your fault. You did what you had to, and we would have gotten kicked sooner or later."

We're silent for a few minutes, until Daechi bursts into the room. I see Din jump, awake now as he sits up quickly. I sigh, standing. "Did knocking get too boring for you, Daechi?" I ask playfully.

"Of course it did. Dramatic entrances are the only entrances." she teases, closing the door behind her. "I came to see my nephew. It is nice, having another little one here."

I place a hand on her shoulder. "You'll have your Detre back soon. And the child's all yours, just don't spoil him too much."

She grins. "No promises, dear."

I laugh, crossing the rest of the short distance to the bed that Din is still on. "You stayed." he sounds a little surprised.

"'Course I did." I sit on the edge of the bed next to him, one leg crossed under me and the other resting on the floor. "You need to go back to sleep. Sorry for waking you."

"I'm okay." He moves to get up, but my hand flies to his wrist and his movements cease.

"Mando, it's been four days since you got a good rest. You'll be no use to us on the mission if you're tired, and I'll make you stay here unless you sleep." I threaten, but only because I care.

He sits back down reluctantly. "You took off the Beskar." he notices the absence of fifty extra pounds of steel on his body.

I wince. "Don't be mad?"

"No, I'm not. I... thanks." he stumbles over his words for a moment, still clearly tired, although the gratitude is there. He lies back down, and I think he's fallen asleep again after a few minutes of silence until he whispers, "Thank you, Nova."

I smile, my fingertips brushing his own for a brief moment. "For?"

"Staying. Taking care of me. You don't... have to." he's still fighting to stay awake, but thankfully, he's losing.

I smile softly, whispering so lowly that the others in the room can't hear me, "Sleep, Din." And kriffing finally, he does.

After a few more minutes of waiting to make sure he's actually asleep, I rise and make my way back over to the three on the other side of the room.

The first thing to leave Daechi's mouth is, of course, "Sorry for waking your boyfriend."

I snort. "It's fine. Though he's asleep again, thank the Maker. He's more difficult to get to sleep than the child is."

Osak raises a brow. "The little one is good for you, then?"

"Oh, no, he's a troublemaker. Tried to fly the ship once. But he's a momma's boy, and occasionally he listens to us." I smile at the child, who climbs into my lap once I'm seated with them.

"Detre's an angel. I cannot wait for you to meet her. She will love you." Daechi has the biggest of smiles on her face as she boasts about her daughter. "We tell her stories about you, you know. She always said she wished her Auntie Nova hadn't left."

"I'm sensing a guilt trip." I comment jokingly although in truth, it hurts my heart a little. There were some days I wished I'd stayed too, but if I had, I wouldn't have met Din or the child.

"Well, maybe. But she always wanted to meet you. I told her about how fearless you were, things like that. She wants to learn to fight like you." I'm touched. Detre looks up to me? Wants to meet me?

"She sounds sweet. I'm thinking it'll take a few days after the mission to plan your wedding, so maybe I'll teach her a couple tricks." I suggest. Daechi's face lights up in excitement.

"She would love that. Thank you." the Zabrak dives forward to give me a huge hug, being careful of the child.

We talk for about an hour more, catching up on the four years we lost before a soft knock echoes throughout the room. I glance to Din who is, thankfully, still sound asleep. Emil opens the door, sticking his head in. "Ma wants us all. It's bonding night."

I grin, remembering the old bonding nights Ma would have when tensions were high. She knew that a bunch of trained fighters in one single building would lead to conflicts, but she didn't want any fights to break out so she held occasional bonding nights to ease any angers that there might be. Believe it or not, they actually ended up helping- most of the time. I can't say that there weren't more than a few fights, though, even with the bonding nights.

"Hey, Emil," I call out before he can leave. I gesture to the peacefully sleeping hunter on my bed. "Can Mando stay in here? He's sleep deprived."

"I'll ask," he assures me before closing the door behind him and leaving quietly.

"Nova, have you picked a dress for the gala yet?" Daechi asks excitedly, turning to me after watching the door shut like the rest of us.

"Dress? Oh, Maker, that's not going to be fun. No, I haven't." I sigh, rolling my eyes at stupid rich people formalities.

"Oh, well, you must! I will help you. You cannot be picking one last-minute, we must be ready!" she exclaims, pulling me to my feet.

My eyes widen. "Wait, now?"

She giggles. "When else?"

"Um, in a while, when I know what's happening and the bonding night isn't just beginning?" I suggest. She deflates, slouching her shoulders in a dramatic display of disappointment.

"Fine," she groans. I offer a hand to help Osak up, and then look to the small child.

I kneel down next to him, stroking his cheek affectionately. "What are we going to do with you?" I wonder. He can't just roam around the room, there's a hundred ways that could go wrong.

"Closet?" Osak points to the sliding doors along the wall that lead to a decently-sized closet.

I turn back to the child. "Would you be alright with that, just for a few hours?" he coos, and I take that as a yes, picking him up and setting him down on the floor of the mini-room. It's pretty empty, so there's plenty of space for his tiny frame. "Now, you can't escape, because there are bad people out there who would hurt you if they knew about you. Specifically Medeia. So please, bubba, stay put for me?"

The child babbles, sticking a hand out to my forehead. I lean my head into his hand, closing my eyes for a moment. "Thank you, darling. I'll be back before you know it." With that, I stand and close the door, the last thing I see being his big brown eyes. I sigh. I hate having to constantly lock him up like that, but it's for his own safety.

The door opens a fraction. It's Emil again. "Ma said everyone needs to be here, especially since Mando's new. Sorry, Nova."

"Oh, that's alright," I offer a smile. He nods, closing the door once more.

Osak and Daechi turn to me. "We'll see you out there." They both offer hugs before exiting the room as well, and now it's just me and Din.

I amble over to my bed, kneeling beside him. Sighing and hating that I have to do this, I grab his shoulder and shake it lightly. "Wake up, Din."

Being a light sleeper, the man jolts awake almost immediately. He glances around, noticing that the room is empty except for me. "The child?"

"In the closet. There was nowhere else to put him." I explain.

He tilts his head. "You going somewhere?"

"Sort of. Ma wants us both out there. It's bonding night. I'm sorry to wake you up, but she refused to let you sleep and nobody says no to her unless they have a death wish."

"I thought you did," Din grumbles. I laugh lightly, helping him to his feet.

"Are you okay to go out there? Not too tired?" I check.

He pulls on his boots. "I'll be fine."

"Right, but you've said that before and then I found out you didn't sleep for four days." I point out, picking up a piece of his armor to help him put it on.

"I know. I'm okay, really." he insists.

"Fine, but you're going right back to sleep as soon as bonding night's over." he begrudgingly agrees. I go to open the door but he pulls me back, turning me toward him once more and wrapping his arms around my waist. His head goes to rest on my shoulder, and I reach up to loop my arms around his neck. He's still tired, I can tell by his sluggish movements.

We stay like that for a few quick heartbeats until another knock on the door can be heard. "Hope you're not planning on staying in there forever." this time, surprisingly, it's Iggy's voice. "We still have a couple mission things to figure out."

"We do? I thought that was done?" I turn my head toward the door to call. Din doesn't change his position, keeping his arms tightly around my waist and his head where it is. His hold restricts me from turning towards the door completely.

"You know how Ma is with her details. Just get out here before you miss it."

I sigh. "Alright, coming." Iggy's footsteps retreat from the door, but Din stays put. I move my hands to his shoulders, and his head lifts as I lean back slightly to look at him. "C'mon, we gotta go."

"Why do I even have to be there?" he whines. I snort at this new behavior.

"You're new. Ma wants you out there and she's the only person I've never said no to because, contrary to what you may think, I do not have a death wish." I rise onto my tiptoes, pressing a light kiss to his 'forehead'. "Come on. It'll be over before you know it."

He finally lets go and follows me out of the door. Everybody else is already out in the main living area, including Medeia. I can't find it in myself to meet her eyes, the information I uncovered earlier weighing heavily on my conscience.

"Well, look who finally made it." Daechi teases, standing up from her spot on the couch and coming to meet us.

I roll my eyes, grinning. "We weren't even gone that long."

"Whatever. Come, sit. We are going to raid the closet in the back later." she laughs as my face scrunches into an expression full of discontentment.

Daechi leads us over to the couches, taking her spot next to Kago and patting the empty one on her other side. It's barely big enough for the both of us, with Iggy sitting on the other side of the spot. I sink into the couch next to Iggy, trying to leave as much room for Din as possible- which isn't that much. He offers no complaint as he lowers himself stiffly to the cushion, looking uncomfortable.

My attention is drawn to Iggy when he puts an arm on the back of the couch, basically hugging me. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier, really. I didn't mean to upset you, and I don't want to fight with you."

"I agree, fighting with you is kind of weird." I laugh. "It's okay, Iggy. Osak told me you've been having a hard time, and I don't blame you. Must've been hard without your best fighter around."

This time, he snorts. "For sure." His gaze, which had been glancing around, now rests on me. "In all seriousness, I missed you, sunshine."

"Me too." I look around the room at all of the separate conversations. Ma looks like she's scolding Emil for something, Osak and Aola are being adorable on their own couch, Kago is sitting on the floor next to where Daechi sits and looks like he's staring at the greatest thing in the galaxy, Medeia is brooding in the corner, and Din is just sitting, silent. I nudge him with a knee, drawing his attention.

"You okay?" I ask when he turns to me. He only offers a nod before looking straight ahead again.

Iggy tugs lightly on a strand of my hair, so I turn to face him again. "You never told me what you've been up to." He pauses, wincing. "I know I didn't ask very nicely before, but I want to know."

I think. What do I even tell him? "Well, a lot happened. Most of it was traumatizing and not very fun, but some of it was good." I begin telling him about my time on Sorgan with all of the peaceful villagers and energetic children.

"That sounds wonderful." Iggy supplies once I'm through. I zone out for a few minutes, thinking about how happy I had been.

"Yeah," I mumble, distracted. "It was."

He snaps his fingers in my face, chuckling when I jump. "You okay there?"

"Yeah. When are we doing the details thing for the mission?" i wonder. It really has been taking a while; almost an hour has passed already.

"Right about now, I think." he gestures to Ma as the woman makes her way to the middle of the couches so that everyone can see her. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice that Iggy has drawn extremely close, his arm now fully around my shoulders and his face only centimeters away from my own. I lean a bit towards Din as Ma begins talking.

"Alright, what else do we have to figure out? Osak and Mando, I think you guys are fine for now, we've done everything for you. But everyone else, we still need cover identities and outfits and all of the fine details, yes?" Everybody nods collectively. "Well, I supposed we'd better get started. The party is in Cloud City, on Bespin which isn't too far from here. Now, it's a less populated part, but still in an area where the people are decently rich and quite a few people are going to be attending."

Ma begins to pass out papers as she continues to speak. "These are your identities. You're all lucky I wasn't busy earlier, or you'd have to make them up yourself. I don't want another Naboo incident." A round of laughs erupt from most of us with the exception of Medeia, Din, Aola, and Kago, as the Naboo incident was something that happened before any of them had known us.

I still remember the mission fondly. It was another undercover mission and Ma had left us to our own devices when it came to creating identities. It was a disaster: most of them were easily identified as fake, and Daechi's was so basic that it matched with another guest's real name. We barely escaped, and back then I had been angry and stressed out at our near-fatal mistakes and lack of creativity. Now, though, it's just hilarious to look back on those simpler times.

Ma hands me my own as she continues to tell everyone that she's already forged the invitations and hacked her way onto the guest list. I look over my identity. Atina Verd, a mechanic from Naboo. Not bad, I suppose. The mechanic part is especially a good cover because some don't want droids and opt for slaves to help them instead, and I'd also be able to prove my skills as a mechanic if tested.

Din looks over my shoulder at the file and snorts. I raise a brow, so he begins speaking. "In Mando'a, Atin is a name that means stubborn. Verd means warrior." he explains quietly.

I laugh at the hidden meaning. Well, Ma isn't wrong, I suppose. It's odd that she chose Mando'a, but maybe it was just so Din would get the joke.

I look over my identity a bit more, but Daechi is in front of me immediately, having barely looked over her own file. "Come, we must look for outfits!" She tries to pull me up.

I roll my eyes. "Do we have to?" I complain, resisting her pull.

"Yes, Nova, we do. This is important." she states seriously.

I shake my head, passing my identity file over to Din and letting Daechi lead me to the back closet. She squeals with excitement.

She pulls out multiple dresses, most of which I know I'm not wearing but I try them on for her sake. "I have not been able to do this since you left. Medeia never lets me help her, that bitch." she explains, excitedly handing me dress after dress. "And Aola never comes on missions."

"How the hell does this even work?" I mumble, holding up one dress that's all straps. I shake my head, throwing it back to Daechi. "I'm not figuring that one out."

The next three hours are nothing but Daechi flinging dresses at me, most of which are too complicated for me to even try to understand. Most of my comments consist of "What the hell?" "How am I going to fight in this?" "How do I even move in this?" and other critiques. One dress is so poofy that it takes up the space of three people and most of the closet.

"Daechi, the point is to be going undercover. This is going to draw nothing but attention." I complain, holding up a multicolored neon dress with straps and layers of clothing everywhere. It hurts my eyes to look at for too long.

She sighs. "Fine. Oh, look, this would fit you perfectly!" She reaches into the very, very back of the closet, making me nervous until she pulls out a white, modest dress that doesn't look too difficult or extravagant.

I breath out a semi-relieved sigh, trying it on. It fits like a glove, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't somewhat like it.

"Oh, it is perfect! You look beautiful!" Daechi compliments.

"Thanks. And finally, that took hours." I look down at the white dress, liking the material. It's not too tight, though, so I'll be able to wear leggings underneath without feeling weird.

She giggles. "Not for me. It only took you so long because you are so picky."

I pull off the dress and follow her back out into the living room. "It's not my fault I don't like dresses, Daechi!"

She smirks. "Yes, actually, it is."

Din stands upon my arrival. "You're wearing a dress?"

I roll my eyes, not at him but at the stupidity of dresses as a whole. "I have to, apparently it's a 'gala thing'." I put the words in air quotes, the sarcasm rolling off of me in waves. Din chuckles tiredly.

I lead him back to my room. "Sorry I took so long, by the way. I know I said we'd be back here soon."

He brushes it off, lowering himself down onto my bed. "It's fine, you and Daechi had time together." I smile at the caring tone of his voice.

He begins taking off his Beskar, hissing when he stresses his shoulder wound. I walk over silently, helping him to take it off and stacking it neatly on the bedside table. He sighs once all the weight of the steel has been lifted, muttering his thanks before flopping back onto the bed. I press a kiss to his helmet, letting him sleep before making my way to the closet.

I open the door to see the child sleeping peacefully on the ground. Smiling, I gather him into my arms and grab his blanket, wrapping him comfortably in it as I try not to wake him. I then take a spare pillow from the closet, setting it on the floor before laying the child on it so he doesn't have to sleep on the coarse carpet. He snores gently through the entire process.

Then, I grab another spare pillow and blanket, stepping out of my boots and lying on the ground next to the bed that Din currently occupies. The child sleeps on my other side. It doesn't take long for me to drift off to sleep, knowing that both of them are near.

{word count: 6,693}

a/n: wowww this was long sjdkskjafh sorry. good news though, i finished season 2 and it was incredible, i absolutely loved it and i'm so excited to put my own little character(s) into it i can't waiit 

so yeah dw i've got big plans ;)