Desideratum | The Mandalorian

Feel My Wrath and Extreme Self-Doubt Pt.1

A/N I know this part's short but college is kicking my butt. I'll try to have pt. 2 upload by next week. Enjoy and please comment/review!

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A mixture of blood, alcohol, and tears spilled down a young Faye's face, as the glass that was thrown at her shattered against her head. She watched as beads of glass rained down like drops of moonlight and landed on the floor in between her spread fingers. Her arms shook as she crouched on the floor, terrified of what might come next. She could hear the staggering steps of the man that had thrown the glass move closer.

"When will you learn, Faye? The future of this family, our culture, is dependent on you PAYING ATTENTION!" The last words were spit into her face as he crouched next to her. All she had done was loose focus on copying the transcripts for one moment. Faye had been distracted watching the other children out the window. She had never been allowed to play with the others and she wondered what it must feel like to not have a civilization resting on your shoulders. She had been thrown to the ground when she was caught staring out the window, the glass hitting her head not long after. Faye could feel the bruises already forming on her arms.

"Did you hear me girl? Or do you need to be taught another lesson?" The young girl lifted her head slowly and stared into his eyes. She had always been told she had his eyes.

"Yes, Father. I heard you."

Faye's eyes jerked open as the remnants of her dream faded into the recesses of her mind. Why did she have to dream about that? She hadn't thought of her father in years... or at least tried not to think about him. Faye slowly blinked as she took in her surroundings. Memories started to find their way to the front of her brain and she bolted upright as she remembered what had happened. It was for the most part fuzzy, but she remembered the gist. Faye gasped in pain as the sudden movement caused her wounds to scream out. A glance to her body told her that the Mandalorian must have wrapped her cuts, and she briefly wondered if he noticed her old scars. Silvery white scars criss crossed her torso, shoulders, and parts of her upper arms. She bet he noticed them, but she wouldn't bring it up unless he decided to.

Faye carefully turned and dropped her legs over the side of the cot. It took a moment for her to find her balance and she wondered how long she had been asleep. Carefully, she made her way out of the compartment to locate the hunter. He must have heard her stirring, because as soon as she left the door she heard steps depending the ladder from the cockpit. When she turned, Faye was met with the gaze of the metal covered bounty hunter.

"You're awake. Good." Was all he said.

"I guess I have you to thank for these." Faye motioned to the wrappings around her arms. She noticed red starting to peek through some of them. Mando nodded.

"You came back. Why?" This was not the question Mando had been expecting, if he was honest. He expected her to start yelling and possibly throwing things. But as he saw her slightly sway on her feet, he knew she still hadn't regained enough energy for a tantrum yet.

Mando nodded to the ladder and waited as Faye slowly ascended to the cockpit, one of her hands holding her side in pain. She all but collapsed into the copilot's seat and took a moment to catch her breath. A cooing sound reached her ears and she cracked open an eye to see the small, green child in the pilot's seat. Faye let out a relieved sigh and scooped up the child and was met with his giggles. She grinned at him.

"I was worried about you, kid."

"He's fine." Faye turned to see Mando watching her and the child from the doorway. Her lips quirked into a small smile.

"Yeah, Tin Can wouldn't let anything happen to you would he?" She grinned down at the child as he seemed to coo back in response to her question. "Are you going to answer my question?" Mando took his seat and turned slightly towards her.

"I couldn't leave him there." Faye scoffed. "Or you." He added after seeing the look she sent him. "You didn't deserve what they did to you."

"How do you know that? You don't know what I've done." Faye searched the t shaped visor in search of just a glimpse of his eyes. To see what he was feeling. All she saw was her own face reflected back at her.

"No. But I've seen how you are with the kid, how you care about others first instead of yourself, how you treat strangers that have offered you nothing. That's enough for me. " Faye was stunned into silence. But silence never lasts.

"I'll take that as an apology. How long was I asleep and where are we headed?"

"A few hours. I was waiting on you to wake up to set a course. Where do you want to be dropped off?" Faye's head snapped towards him.

"Dropped off?"

" I assume you have a home planned that you'd like to return to. I don't figure you'll want to stay with someone who turned you in." Faye considered this. He had turned her in, that much was true, but he had also come back. He had cleaned her cuts and took care of her when he could have easily dumped her on some planet's medbay. That spoke for itself.

"Well, my planet poofed out of existence, so it'd be a bit hard to leave me there. The Empire will also still send hunters after me. You're the closest thing I have to an acquaintance, so I think I'll just stay here." Faye hopped he wouldn't throw her out anyways.

"You want to stay? With me?" His modulated voice asked her as if she didn't understand what she was asking for. Faye swore she could her an undertone of shock in his voice.

"Yep."

"Okay." That was shockingly easy, Faye thought.

"Besides, if I were to drop you off, you would probably get yourself killed with that mouth of yours or die from infection because you refused to accept help." Faye snorted in a very unladylike manner.

"Was that a joke?"

"It's not a joke if it's true."

"Ooo I'm Mando, and I make fun of injured girls." Faye mocked him. A short puff of air echoed through the modulator, and Faye realized that he had laughed. She grinned in return, glad that he was lightening up around her.

"Alright then, let's see.." Mando typed on the pad to find planet information, " Sorgan. Looks like there is no star port, no industrial centers, no population density. A real backwater skug hole." Faye snorted and she heard another puff of air escape his helmet.

"Which means it's perfect for us." Faye quipped.

"Ready to lay low and stretch your legs for a couple of months, you little womp rat?" Mando stroked one of the kid's large, fuzzy ears.

"Nobody's gonna find us here." Faye only hoped he was right.

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