Wrest Pin | The Mandalorian

Chapter Twenty-One: The Adventure

It wasn't difficult to get back into the swing of things.

Hunting came as second nature and even though it had been quite some time since he had done any work for the Guild, he fell back into step easily. The only noticeable difference that was apparent was that he wasn't used to being completely sleepless anymore. He had grown accustomed to the quiet, and sharing a bed with Evangeline and her warm body beside his own. But hunting meant many sleepless nights, being there was always a time crunch, trying to get to the bounty before they could move again. Before they could realize that someone was on planet, hunting for them. Close to finding them.

Truthfully, he had missed the way it made him feel...Which was almost a terrible thought, one he knew Evangeline would frown upon. But it was like an outlet, for all of the anger and frustration that had been pent up, especially ever since Gideon. That feeling had been mounting for some time now...He was borderline obsessive over keeping Evangeline and Grogu safe. A frustration that only mounted with Evangeline's refusal to cooperate. Hunting, finding bounties and capturing them – it gave him back a sense of control he felt he had lost. But it made him acutely aware of how Evangeline must have felt.

Mando was trying not to think about her or Grogu. He didn't know if that was right or not. He didn't know if he was cruel for pushing them from his mind, but there was a certain place he usually went when he had back to back hunts such as currently. Sometimes he took one at a time, but he wanted to get as much as he could. And the several he had on his plate currently were plenty, which was how he had ended up on some backwater moon crawling with undesirables.

It reminded him a bit of Tatooine if he was being honest, the more crime ridden portions at least. But it seemed the entire moon was just a place for smugglers, pirates, and others to kick their feet up and drink and gamble for a few days. A layover location, and he figured that was what his quarry was doing.

Mando hadn't been surprised when he had found him in bed with two prostitutes though.

Even if he had been anticipating him to be in a cantina or something, it wasn't the first time he had caught a quarry in a compromising situation. He had a Twi'lek and a human, both female and nude on top of him when he had kicked the door in, his blaster already drawn. The women screamed, both falling away from the man and leaving him exposed on the motel bed, as they ducked behind it. Mando barely glanced at them as the man sat up, grabbing his own blaster from the bedside table, however, before he could fire – Mando shot his own. The blast hit the man's hand, causing his own blaster to explode and he screamed, holding the assaulted limb. Mando continued forward, seeing some clothes on one of the chairs. He grabbed them, and tossed them over the bed towards the women who poked their heads up and Mando ordered roughly...

"Get out."

Both women scurried to their feet, covering themselves with the clothes as they ran out the open door. The naked man continued to wallow on the bed as his hand was burned and bleeding, his face red with rage. Mando knew he was an arms dealer who had taken from too many people without delivering the merch they asked for. Sometimes he wondered why people like that didn't try harder to hide when they knew they had bounties on their heads. Mando then directed his attention to him, saying, "Get up and get dressed."

"Fuck you!" The man snapped, still holding his wrist and hand close to his chest, "Who the hell do you think you are!? Coming in here like that –"

Mando replied bluntly, interrupting, "I'm the guy bringing you in. Get up."

"Bringing..." He paused, as if his mind was linking the fact that Mando was a Mandalorian and that he probably had a bounty out for his head. He paused, clearly thinking deeply and his attitude seemed to shift completely, his head shaking back and forth, "Now listen...Whatever Erot has on me, I can double that."