Partners | The Mandalorian

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The only thing Calidora didn't like about the Razor Crest was where she had to sleep. The Mandalorian had a small room where he kept a cot on the floor - his 'bedroom'. Calidora was able to drag another cot before they left the planet, and it fit the two cots with the child's pram in between, but it was a tight space. And dark too. Even when she was last on this ship, the handcuffs didn't bug her, but she just didn't like this space. At least, she wasn't used to it.

The first night she couldn't fall asleep that easily. Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she heard the gentle snores of the Mandalorian, along with the cooing of the child, who, like Calidora, was struggling to sleep.

Staring at the ceiling, Calidora thought of Juna, and her room. It was so much like that. But her nights on Juna's floor were a thousand times more comfortable because she had Juna in her arms. She doubted the Mandalorian wanted to cuddle, so turning on her side - her back to the child and Mandalorian - she closed her eyes and forced sleep upon her.

She knew him well enough by now to know that he woke up early. She also knew that he deliberately wasn't the quietest person when he wanted Calidora awake.

So she begrudgingly pressed the button to slide the door open and climbed the ladder to find the Mandalorian and the child. A random piece of metal in the child's clutch that he was banging around was only taken away from him when the Mandalorian noticed that Calidora was up. He tossed it aside and looked at her.

"Tired?"

Calidora pouted and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Next time," she said, "please just wake me up yourself. I don't like the banging."

"I'll keep that in mind." The Mandalorian crossed the cockpit to sit in the pilot chair and Calidora took a seat next to the kid. "We need gas."

"Do you have enough credits?" Calidora yawned.

"Just enough." He scanned the map and caught onto a planet where they could stop. The landing was much smoother than the last time, he did get his landing gear fixed.

"Let me come along." Calidora said, standing up.

"No, stay with the child."

"I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can but the child can't."

Calidora looked at him and he sighed.

"Please, Calidora." He asked and she nodded. If he just asked more often she wouldn't be difficult, he usually had smart ideas, she just didn't like how he told her what to do.

But now she stayed in the ship with the child. They tried a few cognitive exercises that she used to do with Qe'in's kids. He picked them up quickly and Calidora, despite taking care of him for a good couple of months already, was continuously impressed with him.

She cooked them some food and took him outside the ship to walk around it. Not too far, just around so he could stretch his legs. Then they went back inside and she spoke to him, telling him all kinds of stories, real and fake, until the Mandalorian finally came back as night started to fall.

"Finally." Calidora said as she lowered the ramp to meet him outside. "Have you eaten anything today?"

The Mandalorian looked at her.

"I don't think so."

Calidora threw her hands up in the air.

"Well shit, man, you can be piloting if you pass out from starvation! I'll make you some dinner, then you spend some time with the kid, okay?" But it wasn't a question, and the Mandalorian just laughed at her before agreeing.

And Calidora walked back into the Crest as he filled the ship with gas. When he finally came back in she had food ready for him, that he took into another room so he could eat, and she stayed with the kid. When he came back he started up the engine and they took off. The Mandalorian told them they couldn't stay on the planet for the night cause it wasn't safe, and was glad that he told Calidora and the child to stay on the ship. Calidora told him that she took him for a walk around the Razor Crest and the Mandalorian looked at her with what she could only assume was 'seriously?'

After a couple hours of flying, Calidora felt her eyes become heavy, and the Mandalorian noticed.

"You should go to sleep." He said. "I won't wake you up."

"You sure?" She asked, not being convinced.

"I just don't know what to do with the kid."

"Well you don't have to do much, just watch him to make sure he doesn't do anything dangerous." She looked at the child. "How old is he? Do you know?"

"50." He said and Calidora's eyebrows furrowed.

"50? So is his mental progression hindered by his physical development?" The child just babbled at her.

"I don't know." The Mandalorian flicked the switch for autopilot and turned his chair to face her. "Go to bed."

Calidora sighed.

"I don't suppose you like to cuddle, do you?" She asked with a hint of teasing and the Mandalorian shook his head.

"Ask the kid."

She turned to the child once again, "you like to cuddle?"

The child raised his arms to her and she grinned before picking him up.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes." She stood up to walk out before saying to the Mandalorian. "Don't stay up so late."

He nodded his head and she left.

He stayed up for a while in the silence, something he didn't get a lot of now. He watched the stars and distant planets pass as the Razor Crest flew, out of reach and in silence.

Then he got bored of it - the silence - and missed Calidora and the child talking. So he went to bed, and found Calidora cuddled with the child, half on his mattress and half on hers, both dead asleep. He just shook his head and took off his armour before laying down on what free space was left on his cot and turned his back to Calidora.

Then he fell asleep.