Charting the Stars - Dinluke AU

Chapter Four: Family

Warnings:
Very minor violence, this is actually quite a wholesome chapter.

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Din ended up sleeping the whole way to the village, only agreeing to settle down into rest when Luke gave him a look. He woke to the sounds of children playing and calling to each other as they raced to the cart, eagerly greeting their traders and the newcomers. Din watched from the cart as Luke jumped over the edge with Grogu, just as excited as the kids to meet some new people. He went around introducing himself and the child, allowing him to walk on his own as the village children peered down at him, cooing over his cuteness.

The adults of the village gathered around the cart and began to unload things, so Din decided to make himself useful and assist them. As he was carrying a sack of what appeared to be some sort of grain, he noticed the two drivers talking with a thin dark-haired woman near the houses, likely about himself, Luke, and Grogu.

He followed the village people to a building that they explained acted as storage and that the food within it could be taken by anyone at any time, including Din's "family" for however long they stayed. He looked out at Luke getting coerced into a game of some sort with the children that involved jumping over a length of rope and decided not to correct them for now.

On his third trip to the storage building, one of the traders came over to him and introduced himself as Stoke. "Omera is one of the women in the village, she's setting up a place for you all right now, I can show you to it."

Din nodded and followed the man out of the building and through the village. They passed the cart again on the way, so he grabbed Luke's bag and his own crate of belongings that he'd taken from the ship. He resolved to let Luke have his fun for now and left him alone as they walked by. The hut they had been given sat more toward the edge of the village, which Din was grateful for. Stoke abandoned him outside, claiming that he had to go store away the cart.

Din walked up the stairs to the open door and waited to be acknowledged before entering. This didn't feel like a space that belonged to him, even if it had been set up with that intention. Eventually, Omera noticed him and encouraged him to enter. "I hope this is to your liking?"

Din nodded. In actuality, he didn't really need much as long as he had food and something to sleep on. "I have credits, how much are you charging?"

She shook her head, "I spoke with my husband, Aticus, and we both decided that it would be better if you paid by working. We have lost a few of our adults to greater ambitions recently. A life like this isn't for everyone." She wrung her hands, "We could use the help."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I'm not familiar with the work you do, but I'm good with repairs for most things."

"And the man who came with you?" she asked.

"I don't think Luke is familiar with any sort of work. You could say that his life has been... sheltered. He's a quick learner though," he tacked on.

Omera smiled, "We might have to recruit him just to keep the kids out of trouble, they seem to like him."

Both of them turned to look out the window, where Luke was sitting on the ground laughing along with the children, his feet tangled in the rope. "He has that effect on people," Din told her.

She hummed, "Well, I'll leave you to your business. I'm sure you're both tired from travel, so we won't worry about finding you jobs until tomorrow." She walked to the door, "I'll come by with lunch for you all in about an hour."

He nodded to her in thanks and went about putting things where he wanted them. There was a bowl of fruit on the table, most of it unfamiliar to Din, but he was able to pick out one that looked like what Luke had given Grogu that first day. He closed the door and picked up the meiloorun and one of the knives from Luke's bag. With no lights on in the room, no one should be able to see in without standing right next to the window, and Din would know before they did, so he unlatched his helmet and placed it on the table beside the fruit bowl. He used the knife to cut a slice and took a bite of it. The skin was tough and unpleasant, so he pulled that bit out of his mouth before continuing to chew. It was soft on the inside, with small seeds scattered throughout the flesh. The taste was citrusy, but still sweeter than anything he had gotten on Concordia.