the curious happenstance of pedro pascal and din djarin [The Mandalorian]

Peri & Asher

The air is thick.

It's the first thing he notices. The air, then the dirt beneath his feet. He grips Peri's hand tight, as gravity pushes down on him. The air is thick, the dirt is brittle, and everything is heavy.

Peri asks him if he needs to sit down. Asher shakes his head, but he kneels anyway, and Peri never lets go of his hand.

"I know it can be difficult," Peri says, "at first, I—I mean, being on a different planet, and— but you get used to it eventually. Really. It's not always bad."

It's something he never considered before. The mere act of stepping onto a new celestial body and the effects it must have on his skeleton.

And then it sinks in, truly and properly. He's on an alien planet.

With breathable air, blossoming life. The planet is barren and hot, but he sees a town in the distance, and trees even farther beyond it.

"This is the same place from, from when the other me found you. Same planet. I mean." Peri helps him to his feet again, when his legs stop shaking. "We have a base set up here but it's, it's not a good idea to go there."

"We?" Asher echoes. It's difficult to talk and even moreso to breathe the thick atmosphere but he pushes through and preserves with the knowledge that he'll get used to it soon.

"Sorry, I meant— the Imperials." Peri flushes a bright red. "The Imperials have a base here." He looks off into the distance, at the town not too far beyond their reach. "That's where I used to live. I held temporary residence paid for by my superiors. Perhaps— perhaps we can stay there for now. Can you walk?"

Asher looks down at his legs, still wobbly but stable. "Yeah," he says, "but I dunno for how long."

"We can take breaks. My first time off-world was difficult, too. Only, I wasn't allowed to take breaks. I'll carry the bags."

After the first few steps he's not sure he can go on after all, but with Peri's persistence and his warm, soft hand as a comfort around his own, he manages another few, and then another few, until his pace is steady, albeit slow. As the town grows closer, his legs feel stronger, and it's easier to breathe.

"This is where you lived?" Asher asks, mainly to fill the silence, but also out of genuine curiosity. Peri nods, then he sighs.

"I know it's not pretty. I liked travelling, it was part of my job, I had proper transport pilots who would take me places. Nevarro was— it's not my favourite planet."

"Nevarro," Asher echoes. "Nevarro." It rolls off the tongue in a way he wasn't expecting. It feels more human than alien. "What language do they speak here?"

"Oh, lots. But most commonly it's the Galactic Basic Standard—" Just as he says this, they step into the boundaries of the town. Much larger up close. The buildings don't tower, but they go on for a long way, a large grid that stretches for a good few miles. "English, that is." Peri's grip on Asher's hand grows suddenly tighter, as he peers around at the hustle and bustle of street life. "Wow," he breathes.

And wow is the correct description, though Asher suspects for entirely different reasons— as he looks, and examines the people up close, he notices their differences, more distinct than ever before. They're not human. Not in the slightest— some have two horns, some have ten, some don't resemble the shape of a human even a little. But they're not animals, they're sentient, and talking, in a multitude of languages he can't possibly begin to comprehend, making the strangest sounds that he's never heard before in his life.