Broken Soul | Din Djarin

chapter twenty-two: miscreant

Din makes a beeline for the Crest, not even glancing over the work that Peli had done on the hangar as he walks up the ramp.

You stay on the bay grounds, glancing around for any sign of Peli and her droids. The outline of Peli's bouncy brown hair can be seen through the glass windows of her office and you make your way over to greet her.

"Hey, Peli-"

You pause as you turn the corner. Warmth floods your chest at the wholesome sight that's before you and a small smile flickers over your lips. The child is nestled in Peli's lap and the two of them are sound asleep. Peli is slouched in her seat, head lolled forward, and her bushy hair falling over her face.

The kid must've gotten out of the compartment while she was working.

You make a mental note to tip her for her kindness and care in watching the kid and continue to watch them for a few moments.

"HEY!" Din stomps down the ramp of the ship, anger filling the air around him. You jump in surprise, staring back at him with wide eyes.

Peli's head shoots up, her eyes just as wide as your own, and looks around frantically.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

She starts to comfort the child when he starts to cry from the ruckus.

"Where is he?" Din growls as he stalks toward the office

"Din...," you murmur.

"You woke it up!" Peli rocks the baby as she stands to meet Din in the hangar and you step out alongside her. "Do you have any idea how long it took me to get it to sleep?"

"Give him to me." Din towers over the woman and you step in between them, hand pressing against Din's chest to keep him at bay.

"Mando, please, calm down," you say in exasperation.

Din ignores you, his visor boring a hole into Peli as she looks up at him defiantly.

"You can't just leave a child all alone like that. You two have an awful lot to learn about raisin' a young one. I'm assuming that you're new parents." Her eyes dart between the two of you, eyebrows raised.

"Wait... Wait... No, Peli-," you stammer, mind racking as you realize the assumption that she had made about you and your associate.

Din's not phased by the insinuation and his growl continues.

"Give...me...the kid."

"Hey!" You shove Din back lightly, glaring up at him. "Cut it out. If she was gonna hurt the kid, she would have done it already."

Din's gaze switches from Peli to you and his stomach turns at the sight of your anger towards him.

"She's harmless," you say as your eyes soften slightly. You can feel Din's anger fade and it's replaced with embarrassment. Whether it's because you're scolding him or because he realized he was in the wrong... you're not sure.

Peli is drinking in the interaction, making a mental list of suspicions about the two of you. She continues to analyze the dynamic that's happening in front of her.

"Anyway, I started the repair on the fuel leak." Peli makes her way over to her workspace and adjusts some of the switches and levers. "There you go. I had a couple of setbacks I want to talk to you about. You know, I didn't use any droids," she glances over at Din with an exasperated expression. "As requested. So it took me a lot longer than I expected. But I figured that the two of you were good for the money since you have an extra mouth to feed."

Peli makes a point to glance at you when she commented on the kid as Din walks into the ship to grab a bag. You shoot her a look and your head inclines in confusion to her statement.