What's a Mandalorian? || Din Djarin

12|Saber|

Mando and I have gotten into the habit of sleeping next to each other in the tent. For the past few days we've spent on Teth, we've created a nice schedule with each other. Specifically at night, we eat some supper back-to-back and then curl up in the tent. He tends to sleep curled up facing the opposite direction from me with his armor on. It's a nice change from sleeping in the ship in the dark void of space. 

Mando tends to wake up before me every day. By the time I'm awake, he's already up and at 'em doing whatever task he has for the day. Though, he's always careful not to wake me when he's leaving the tent. Today is no different.

Last night, we enjoyed a nice supper of a roasted bird Mando hunted. It was a nice to relax and have a nice meal after the shooting lesson. We chatted for a while, too. Mando has really begun opening up more. It's nice.  Once the sky went dark, we packed it up for the night and went to sleep. I must say, the tent on the sand is much comfier than the seat in the ship.

When I open my eyes, the sun is just starting to peak above the horizon across the pink lake in front of me. The air is still crisp and fresh, not yet reaching a scorching hot temperature. Like usual, Mando is  already up and out of the tent. He doesn't sleep with a blanket or anything, so I lay here alone in an empty tent.

I rub my eyes and push myself up from the ground. Now outside the tent, I see Mando's armor pieces all laid out on the big rock by the shore. He must have washed the pieces this morning. On the ground by my feet is a small brown sack. I bend down and pick it up. It's filled with a ton of nuts and berries from the forest.

He got me breakfast.

A wide smile paints itself across my cheeks. I survey the forest line for my breakfast deliverer. Far away in the same field we had our shooting lesson yesterday I see him swinging around his dark saber. Even from this far away, I can still tell he's struggling to wield the weapon. Each swing is accompanied by a stumble and some angry grumbles and curses.

We have a lot of work to do today.

*

"Alright noodle arms, let's get workin'," I call to Mando as I step into the field. I've got my saber strapped to its holster around my hips.

"Noodle arms?" he says, clearly offended. His saber deactivates and his arms fall to his sides. His chest heaves, trying to catch his breath. 

"You can barely hold the saber up, Mando," I tell him. He looks like he's already defeated. "We're gonna fix that, don't worry."

He stands in place, looking like a pouting child. He looks like he's ready to throw the saber in the lake and leave the planet.

"Drop your saber," I direct him to do, "A big part of wielding a saber correctly is knowing your own body. Sit down, criss cross."

"Sit down?" he counters, clearly confused. I nod at the grassy ground between us. He follows my commands and plops himself down in the grass with a painful groan.

"Great, now you're going to sit and meditate until I come back."

"HUH?" he nearly shouts at me. His arms raise from his sides in a what-do-you-mean kind of attitude-y way.

"Mando, you're strong. I know it and you do too. But you can't lift your saber for more than two swings," I pause, "You need to become more in touch with your body."

"No, no, this is ridiculous, Koda. Sitting in the grass isn't going to-" He starts to pick himself up off the ground, but I push his shoulders down until he's sitting again.

"Meditate. I want you to sit here and think about how your body feels. Feel each muscle, each vein, the blood coursing through them. Everything."