The New Mandalorian (Cara x Din)

Chapter 1: The Rebel

Cara Dune and Din Djarin were having a time off on Nevarro, enjoying the hot, peaceful day.

"Y'know, I could use more days like this. Keeping the crooks of Nevarro straight is tiring." Cara chuckled, taking a sip of spotchka.

"Yeah, I believe you. Being a marshall of the New Republic is a big responsibility," replied Din.

Cara shot a friendly smirk at him and turned her gaze back to the street in front of the house they were sitting in. Din Djarin was a Mandalorian bounty hunter and Cara had used to be a mercenary, but after clashing onto Din, she'd ventured around the galaxy with him, collecting bounties and destroying imperial warlords.

Grogu was spending some time at the school. Din felt it was best for the child to learn more about the lives of other young ones, even if Grogu's own was far from normal. Din had then met up with Cara, who told him he needed to stop worrying about the child and relax.

"How's the kid?" Cara asked casually.

"Grogu, is doing just fine," Din said, making it an obvious point that the kid had a name. 

She chuckled; "Grogu? That's his name?"

"So they tell. I found out about this from his Jedi master, Ashoka Tano."

Cara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "A Jedi master? Is Grogu a Jedi?"

"He seems to have a rather strong connection to the Force."

"Well, I gotta say that I didn't see that coming," Cara said, then took another sip of her spotchka. They were both silent for a moment. Then she frowned; "But seriously... Grogu? That doesn't sound like him at all."

"What did you think his name would be? Or, what would you name him if you were able to?" Din asked.

Cara scoffed. "I dunno, I guess I was just used to calling him 'kid'. That's what you called him, at least. But seriously, anything is better than Grogu."

Din chuckled. Cara couldn't see his face, but she heard it and laughed too, then gazed back at the street.

"Have you been in contact with Greef lately?" Din inquired. Cara nodded. "How is he?"

"He's good," she responded. "Last week a rogue Guild member broke into his place and took a ton of his Credits. He still hasn't recovered. But he's fine."

"I see. It's annoying when folks don't play by the rules," said Din. He knew that Cara would bring up the following;

"Well, you're the one to talk! You stole an asset and killed a Guild bounty droid! After that, you spent months in exile and then the last Mandos got destroyed!" she exclaimed. "But, you have some nerve, I gotta give you that."

"I appreciate it. But, luckily I got the Guild off my tail. They sometimes are as annoying as Imps," Din replied sarcastically. 

"Hey! Nobody is as annoying and worth of destroying as an Imp!" Cara said indignantly. Even the mention of Imperials made her grit her teeth. She'd lost everything at their hands. She still had the tattoo of the shock troopers on her arm as a permanent reminder of the horrors of the war.

Din tipped his head to the side, as if pondering about her words. "You're probably right," he said.

"I'm always right," said Cara dryly. Inwardly, she felt ashamed about raising her voice, but she knew he understood. Yet, some part of her didn't want him to think she was crazy. She let the thought go as she drained the last drops of spotchka. "So... How are you?" she asked him. "Like, not what's been going on, but how are you?"

"Good," he said so quickly that she got the feeling something was wrong.

"That's good." She hated small talk. She would rather converse about guns or conspiracies about a new Empire which would be their doom in the future, but she stayed silent. And she felt dumb because he was her best friend; of course they had something to talk about.

Deep down she knew there was something she was dying to ask him, but it never seemed like the right moment. Cara glanced up at the road in front of them. Everybody seemed so exposed, so vulnerable because of their faces. Of course they couldn't all wear helmets, but maybe leaving one's identity behind would be a good thing, especially in times of trouble. She pressed her lips tightly together and looked up at the visor of Din's helmet. 

With a slight smirk, she placed her elbow on the table and held out her hand. "Just like old times?"

Din rolled his eyes, even though Cara couldn't see it. He grasped her hand and they started arm wrestling. 

"Come on, Mando! Gimme all you got!" she shouted as she yanked his arm towards the surface of the table. Din huffed as he tried push her arm the other way, but the woman's strength was too much. He almost got their arms back upright, but then his strength collapsed, and his hand crashed onto the table. 

"Ha, I still got it!" Cara exclaimed in triumph as Din panted from adrenaline. 

"Y sure do," he said, grinning up at her. "But I came here for more than just a happy friends' get together and to drop Grogu off to school for a couple of days."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" She folded her arms.

"I've heard from some other Mandalorians on Sorgan. Apparently there are some more Imps causing trouble for them. I've tried finding out more about them, but your help would be appreciated," explained Din.

Cara looked down into her empty cup. "You know I'd say yes, but I have-"

"You have responsibilities," he finished for her. "Please. These may be the very last of my kind. You had the same responsibilities when Grogu was in trouble."

"But that was different," she said slowly. "The kid isn't in trouble now."

"Cara; If you were willing to drop everything you had because you care about Grogu, then you can do it again for something I care about. I can't do this without you," said Din.

Cara grinned, knowing she would never let him hear the end of that phrase. "That's very flattering," she said. "I'll think about it."

"Thank you," he replied.

"When do you leave?" she asked.

"Tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"Mando- I couldn't leave tomorrow if I wanted to. I have a job."

"You could get Greef to take over while you're gone," suggested Din.

Cara stared back into her empty cup. It wasn't a bad idea. And, if she were really being honest with herself, she missed travelling and fighting. She missed Din, too, though she'd never admit it to his face. She didn't want him to leave just yet.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay?"

"Shh, before I change my mind. Is Grogu going too?"

"Wherever I go, he goes," said Din.