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*:･ﾟ✧
"Well, so what do we do?" Toro asks, grimly.
Mando scans the terrain of sand, beyond the mound of hill they're stowed away behind. "You see where that shot came from?. . ."
"Yeah, it came from that ridge." Toro points straight ahead to a specific point by the mountain range. Nothing is happening for now as the calm remains intact and it seems somewhat eerie: a heavy breeze sweeps over the three of them — the glistening dunes.
"Okay. We're gonna wait until dark."
"Well, what if she escapes?"
"She won't," Gaia assures. "Fennec thrives in this type of situation, and right now she has no clear estimate of who she's up against — it makes her think of us as hurdles in the road. A nuisance she needs to get off her back."
"Exactly," Mando adds with a confident bob of his head. "She's got the high ground. She'll wait for us to make the first move." He slides down the small hill afterward, seemingly still out of breath even after so long. "I'm gonna rest. You take the first watch. Stay low."
Toro says nothing but yields to Mando's order nonetheless. Gaia watches him settle down by his speeder bike, a certain fatigue in his sagged step. Her gaze is lowered. It has crossed her mind if joining him would be appropriate despite not feeling tired, yet she decides against it and stays put, instead glancing at Toro as an alternative. He looks back at her in return, throwing her a very forced smile which she sees right through.
She's regretting her decision already.
▲▽▲
The sky darkens as they lie in wait.
The baby blue is switched out for a pale red fused together with a slight hue of orange and purple, creating a most graceful path for the delicate haul of stars to come. It reminds Gaia of the many afternoons she would spend out on the porch of her home before the Galactic Empire clashed with her people, the sweet smell of food still lingering in the air as she was joined by her parents. They would gather and watch the night sky together, tracing the elusive patterns of stars and making all types of images come to life with their storytelling.
Gaia finally separates from Toro, swallowing her stubbornness. As she comes to stand almost shyly before Mando, he peers up at her, his helmet tilted upon her approach and careful, blunt words. "Sorry, did I wake you?"
". . .No."
Gaia bites the inside of her cheek, gingerly. "Mind if I keep you company?" she appeals.
