The Beauty Found In Silence

The One Where We Stayed At A Tatooine Inn

I believe that this was the only time I had ever not enjoyed silence.

Staring up at the clay ceiling, the room felt like a prison. It was just me and the child, and we hadn't been bothered since the innkeeper left us this room. There was nothing but dry air and measly furniture between four thick walls, and it was becoming encapsulating.

There was an open window thankfully, but as the towns people went into their homes for the night, the streets became quiet. There was nothing but the sound of the the flapping of loose curtains and the wind outside. The kid slept soundly on my stomach without so much as a snore, and there was nothing to keep me company other than the silence.

The first sun had set, and it was only a matter of moments before the second one did too. Mando hadn't let me know that he was safe yet, and I was beginning to grow restless. The quiet used to drown out my anxieties, but now all I could think about was Mando screaming out for help in the middle of the Tatooine desert. Was it the howling wind, or the Mandalorian crying out in pain?

With bounty hunters on the rise, I couldn't take my eyes of the kid for even a second. Sleep was far from an option, but it wasn't like I'd be able to anyways.

When I couldn't stay still for any longer, I began walking from the window to the far wall as an incessant pacing. If the ground weren't sandstone, I'm sure I would have imbedded my trail into the floor by now.

When I looked to the bed to see if the child was still sleeping, my knees nearly gave out when I didn't see him lying there. I sucked in a breath when I looked down to see the child following me. He tilted his head up curiously as his wide eyes blinked. His feet pattered over in small, hurried steps, and he grabbed the loose hem of my pants with his clawed fingers. I walked slowly, but he kept pace, holding the hem of my pant leg all the while.

When he grew tired of the walking, I picked him up and paced with him in my arms. I needed to find Mando soon. I refused to leave him out there alone and in the dark.

Approaching the window, I covered the kids green head and leaned out. It was dark, but the three moons lit up much of the desert land. There was nothing but clay and sandstone homes, vapor spires shooting out from the ground like stalagmites, and lone candles lighting up empty windows.

A shine of silver caught my eye. Across the way, a silhouette clothed in silver armor watched me in the window. I could notice that beskar helmet from anywhere, and I frowned at it with the tilt of my head.

Was he seriously sitting out on a terrace, watching the room?

It didn't take much thinking—I was tired of too much of that—but I lifted a foot onto the windowsill. With the kid in my arms, I crouched inside of the open window and slid to the terrace a few feet below. I landed with a rough thud. I could see Mando getting to his feet from a few yards away, blatantly annoyed. It took some meandering, but I was able to hop from rooftop to rooftop to get to him.

He grunted through his modulator, "Get back to your room."

"What are you doing out here?" I asked, ignoring his demand and coming to stand in front of him.

"It doesn't matter," he grumbled, reaching for my shoulders to turn me back towards the room. "Get back to the room and take care of the kid."

I dodged his hands with a sidestep and told him, "I can take care of the kid just fine here."

"No, you can't." He stepped closer and glared down at me, obviously frowning beneath the helmet. "Anyone could see you."

"What, like it's alright that they can see you?" I hissed. "You would be safer inside. I'm not going to leave you out here to fend for yourself."

"Yes, you can," he growled back. "Quit being stubborn."

"You quit being stubborn." I poked his chest plate with a stiff finger. "You can have the bed—I don't care—just come back with me so I won't find you dead in the morning."

A low breath escaped from the helmet, and he continued to stare at me, angrily. I didn't let up, squaring my shoulders and looking back at him with a scowl.

Without a word, he shoved my shoulder and grabbed for the small of my back, leading me across the rooftops and back to the open window. The kid made noises up at him from where he perched in my arms, but begrudgingly, Mando kept his gaze ahead.

When we stood beneath the window, he nodded up at it. Sighing, I held the kid in one arm and stepped against the wall to get the other over the window sill. I made a small yelp when I felt a hand on the back of my thigh. Mando used it to push me further through the window, and I used a knee to pull myself the rest of the way through.

I set down the kid and turned back around with a blush, only to see him gripping the windowsill. With a grunt, he hefted himself through the opening. When he stood before me, I smiled.

"Thank you."

He grunted and turned to shut the window shutters behind him. I helped the kid up onto the bed while Mando stood stoically by the window.

"You can take the bed," I said to him. "I can figure something out."

"No," he grumbled. "I'm fine."

I sat on the edge of the bed and let the kid flop against my side. He curled up at my hip and rested his ears as his eyes drifted shut.

"We'll be alright if you sleep for a bit. I don't think anyone would think to look for the 'big-bad-Mandalorian' and his little friend in a Tatooine inn."

What sounded like a low chuckle rumbled out of him. He moved to lean against one of the wooden dressers, crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head to the side.

"Does that ever get tiring?" I asked, speaking lowly to not disturb the kid.

"What?"

"That—helmet," I pointed out. "It's pure beskar, right? Does it ever make your neck hurt?"

He straightened, gaze leveling. "Yes," he rumbled.

"How?"

"How," he repeated, sounding baffled that I would even ask.

"Yeah," I quipped. "You know...like spending too much time looking down at something...or a headache."

He seemed to be gauging me for some sort of beneficial gain I'd be getting out of this conversation. I don't think it was often that people asked him questions about how he was doing.

"You don't have to attempt at small talk to keep me here." He put his arms on either side of him. "You can rest, I wont let anything happen." He paused. "I won't go anywhere."

"Alright," I muttered. "We can alternate."

"Alternate?"

"Yes, so you won't be unbearable in the morning," I joked with a smile. "And so I won't be, either."

He let out a long sigh. "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine," he grunted, stepping away from the dresser and walking past me. "You're first."

I laughed. "And you promise to wake me so you can get a chance to sleep?"

He didn't answer as he settled on the other side of the bed. He leaned against the headboard and sighed as he rested his head against the wall.

"Mando," I grumbled.

"Yes. Promise," he said with a defeated sigh.

"Good." Lifting the kid gently, I moved to sidle up next to Mando on the other side of the bed. I laid on my side and cocooned around the kid. "If you don't, I'll fight you."

He laughed.

"I promise. I will," I grumbled.

He hummed in acknowledgment. Content with his response, I let myself sleep.