Crawl Home to Her | Mandalorian x OC

chapter one

"It'll take a few days to finish all the repairs, especially since you don't want no droids working on it," the hangar engineer said as Din walked down the platform, the closed pod holding the child floating close behind him.

He supposes that shouldn't be too bad, being stuck on Tatooine a few extra days whilst he tries to find a place to hide with the child. The only problem was he slept on the Razor Crest. If the engineer was to be working on it the whole time,where would he and the child stay?

As if she'd seemingly read his mind, she offered a solution. "There's an inn not too far from here, tell 'em Peli sent you and you'll probably get a good deal." She winked at him.

Din simply nodded and followed the engineer, Peli's, instructions out of the hangar and towards the inn. It wasn't too hard to find. He'd been to Mos Eisley a handful of times by now, in fact, when he reaches the inn, he's sure he's walked past it before. But never did he think he would be staying there.

Glancing around the entry hall as he walked up to the desk, everything was very orderly and strategically placed. Nothing out of place. Admittedly, he didn't think he'd ever seen such a well organized inn, on any planet he's been to. They always had some sort of randomly placed objects or cultural items, but here it was seemingly blank. He would almost assume it was militaristic but here was something just off the way everything was ordered, despite its organization.

After a few moments and the innkeeper was still nowhere to be found, he rang the small bell that was on the front.

"Coming!" A soft voice was heard from the hallway beyond the desk. A few more moments passed and a young woman with dark curly hair came out. Her skin was a golden color, tanned from the twin suns that blazed above the sky. She was objectively beautiful, but there was something slightly off about her body language. When she stood in front of him at the desk, she did not tilt her head up in an attempt to meet his eyes through his visor. She kept her face forward, staring directly at his chest plate. "How may I help you?"

At first, Din thought she was merely intimidated by the armor. Mandalorians not being seen often and their reputation preceding them. But as he surveyed her closer, it was only then he noticed her eyes. They didn't move to look at any further details of his armor, just continued right on ahead. She wasn't staring at him, she was looking right through him; as if she couldn't see him at all.

"Hello?"

Din shook his head, remembering the reason why he was here. "Sorry. Peli sent me."

"Ah, Peli," she sighed, humor lacing in her voice. "I don't know what she's told you but the best I can do is lower the rate to 150 credits a night."

"That'll be fine."

"One room, I'm assuming?" She asked as she fiddled with something beneath the desk.

"Yes."

"Alright. Breakfast is also offered in the morning, if you're interested." She pulled her hands out from beneath, a key card in hand.

"No, that'll be all."

"Okay. How many days will you be staying?"

"Few days, until my ship is done at least."

The Innkeeper tisked, clearly not happy with an actual answer. "I'll put you down for three. If Peli finishes sooner than that, let me know," she said as she held out her free hand, waiting patiently for the payment. Din pulled the correct amount of credits out from his pack, placing them in her extended palm. Bringing her hand closer to her, she ran her fingers over the currency, smiling. "You actually gave the proper amount! For some reason, people suddenly forget how to count when a blind woman is at the front desk," she joked as she put them in her pocket.

Despite her joke, Din frowned at the fact that people would try to scam this poor woman, taking advantage of her disability. But it didn't seem to affect her much, seeing as she was comfortable making jokes about it.

Walking past the desk, she reached her hand out until it touched arch way down a hall. "Follow me," was all she said as she began walking down the hall. Her hand trailing in front of her, her fingertips dragging along the stone. Din did as she said, quietly following after the Innkeeper, the pod following after him.

For a small amount of time, Din appreciated the fact that the woman ahead of him couldn't see. Often he would feel constantly stared at, or questioned because of his culture so for once to have someone not know or ask, he felt a bit of relief.

The Innkeeper finally stopped in front of a door. Unlocking it, the door slid open, revealing a small room. Inside was a bed, a bit bigger than his bunk on the Razor Crest, a door probably leading to a refresher, and a window. It was simple, just enough of what was needed.

"Room 6," she said, turning to him, extending the key card out towards him. "Now I will need a name for my records."

Din was quiet, normally on appearance alone innkeepers would simply put down 'Mando' or 'Mandalorian'. Never giving his name. He looked down at the Innkeeper, still looking through him, an expectant look on her face. "Mandalorian."

"Ah!" Her face lit up as she tapped the tip of her ear. "I thought your footsteps were a bit heavier than a normal man's, I wasn't sure though. Well, if you need anything, Mandalorian, ring for me at the front."

And like that, she turned to the other wall, her hand guiding her back down the way they came. Din noticed the oils of her hand had eroded a bit of the stone walls, revealing her trail. Traces of where she'd been repeatedly. Before Din could think anymore on it, a cry from the child's pod pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Alright, let's feed you," he murmured as he walked into the room, the door sliding shut after the pod followed him inside.