Despite working at the bar on Coruscant for the past four years, (Y/N) had done her fair share of traveling prior to that. It's not like she had the time to actually enjoy the traveling considering the Empire was hunting her down though.

Now, she hoped she could see everything through a different lens. Granted, there were people still after her, but this time around she wasn't alone.

She had Din.

She had the kid.

When Din visited her at the bar, he took the time to tell her about his travels. He didn't discuss clients or the bounties much, but enough for (Y/N) to paint somewhat of a clear picture of where he went.

Then, the pendant...there were a few reasons why she cherished it. Of course, the fact that he had been thinking of her was one of the reasons. The other reason was it was from somewhere green, a place with lush, green fields and trees which climbed so high they nearly touched the clouds.

There were many places (Y/N) traveled to, but nowhere as green as the place Din described.

She mentioned how lovely it sounded, and that's when he had given her the pendant. Now, instead of imagining traveling with him, she was living it, sitting near him in the co-pilot seat.

Tatooine wouldn't have been her first choice of destination but traveling with the two of them seemed to make any destination more exciting.

The child was sitting in the third seat, babbling to himself about something in front of him. (Y/N) followed his gaze until it landed on a metal ball on one of the levers. He reached his hand out, and she watched as the ball began to unscrew from the lever.

(Y/N) glanced at Din and then back at the kid, trying her best not to laugh in the silence of the cockpit.

The ball eventually flew into the kid's grasp, and he squeaked with delight. The action made Din flinch slightly, and he glanced over at (Y/N), who was hiding her face in her hands to keep from laughing.

"What?" he asked.

(Y/N) took a deep breath before sitting up again.

"Nothing," she said, biting her bottom lip in an attempt to hide her smile. "Never thought I'd look forward to heading to Tatooine."

"Never thought you would either," Din muttered. "What happened last time you were there?"

(Y/N)'s nose scrunched. "Don't remind me."

"Something to do with sand."

"Alright, listen here tin-can," (Y/N) hissed, making Din chuckle slightly. "I'm starting to regret telling you that story."

The story went a little something like this:

It was hot.

It was sunny.

It was sandy.

All wonderful attributes of Tatooine (the term wonderful, of course, was used loosely).

After a close call with the Empire, (Y/N) managed to safely land her stolen X-Wing. Technically, it belonged to her, but the people of the rebellion had insisted she return it after the one and only mission she had been on. Who were they to take away her X-Wing after sending them on a dangerous mission?

Anyway, she had figured she'd be safe for the time being and decided to take a break near her X-Wing. She needed to find food, water, and shade perhaps.

In short, she had ended up with a mouthful of sand that day, and sometimes, she could still imagine the gritty texture of the sand in her teeth. She shuddered.

Gross.

"Look, I don't plan on letting that happen again," (Y/N) concluded.

The Razor Crest eventually touched down on Tatooine, Mos Eisley to be specific, and the kid babbled excitedly when he realized where they were. (Y/N), on the other hand, had no clue as to where they were.

She hopped down from the ladder, smiling at the kid from where he sat in the satchel over Din's shoulder.

"You won't need your cloak...yet," Din said as the door opened. He lowered his helmet so it was at the same level with (Y/N)'s ear. "Just try not to eat any sand this time."

(Y/N)'s lips pulled into a tight line as she looked up at Din.

"I'd watch your back, tin-can. You might be the one eating sand this time."

"Is that a threat, mesh'la?" Din asked.

"If that's what you want it to be," (Y/N) teased. "Anyway, come on, let's go!"

A sudden rush of heat hit (Y/N)'s face as they walked down the ramp. Oh yeah, they were definitely on Tatooine. She shielded her eyes to get a better view of various pieces of equipment and tools in the hangar.

A woman with wild curls who was slightly taller than (Y/N) was calling out to a few droids near the ship.

"Sorry gang. Come on, you know he doesn't like droids."

(Y/N)'s eyebrows knitted together. She didn't know that. Din never mentioned it.

"May as well have at it. The Crest needs a good once over."

(Y/N) watched as the droids began heading toward the ship. The woman made her way over to the two of them.

"I guess a lot has changed since you were last in Mos—Oh! Thank the Force!" she exclaimed when her eyes landed on the kid in the satchel.

The child cooed in response, reaching out to her.

"Come here, you little womp rat!"

(Y/N) couldn't help but smile at the exchange happening in front of her. In that moment, she knew she could trust the woman in front of her, and she hadn't even introduced herself yet. The woman's eyes eventually landed on (Y/N).

"And who is this?"

Din beat (Y/N) to responding.

"This is my—" He paused, causing (Y/N) to raise her eyebrows in question. "This is my—friend. She's from Coruscant."

The woman glanced between the two of them, and then smiled, holding out a hand for (Y/N) to shake.

"A friend, huh?" she asked while shaking (Y/N)'s hand.

(Y/N) smiled in return. "Name's (Y/N). It's nice to meet you."

"Peli," the woman replied. "Happy to meet a friend of Mando's. Glad someone's around to keep an eye on him."

A slight scoff escaped Din's helmet before he cleared his throat.

"There was a situation. (Y/N) needed to leave Coruscant for the time being."

While Din and Peli continued to discuss matters regarding the Razor Crest and related to business, (Y/N) decided to look around the hangar. There were so many pieces of equipment and tools, and half of them were unfamiliar to her, but regardless, she still thought all of it was neat.

She gazed down at various maps and blueprints. A hand suddenly grabbed (Y/N)'s shoulder and she nearly shrieked, spinning around to face Din.

"Sorry," they both said.

"Didn't realize you were there. I was—"

"Distracted?" Din offered.

(Y/N) smiled sheepishly. "Uh—yeah. It seems to becoming a bit of a habit."

"We're leaving the ship here and heading to Mos Pelgo by speeder. Do you know how to drive one?"

(Y/N) nodded. "Sure I do."

If (Y/N) could see Din's expression, she assumed he would be raising his eyebrows at her.

"You can?"

"I mean, considering I used to fly an X-Wing, surely a speeder would be pretty easy."

Turns out, it was not "pretty easy".

(Y/N) sat on the seat of the speeder before Din climbed on behind her, his chest pressed into her back. She took a deep breath and her hands hovered over the speeder's handles.

"You don't know how to drive one, do you?" Din asked.

(Y/N) glanced over her shoulder. "It turns out, I do not."

A huff that sounded similar to a laugh escaped Din's helmet.

"Put the goggles on," Din said.

"Yes sir," (Y/N) teased, pulling on the goggles that Peli had loaned to her.

"Ready?"

(Y/N) nodded.

"Alright," he whispered. "Hold on."

***

Din had opted to place his hands over hers to drive. That way, she could learn how to drive a speeder. And, once again, (Y/N) found herself completely distracted. Din had relaxed against her, and his hands placed over hers were not helping...for some reason.

Despite how warm it was, the breeze as they flew across the desert seemed to balance it out. So far, the trip had been much better than the last one.

Though, Din's lesson on driving a speeder was completely going to waste.

She wasn't paying attention at all. Or at least, she wasn't paying attention to the lesson, but rather, Din's hands covering her own.

Later that afternoon, they reached the town of Mos Pelgo. Once they stopped, (Y/N) could hear the kid giggling from his spot on the speeder. She pulled the goggles off, wavy hair slightly wild from the ride.

"Well, that was fun," she hummed, stretching her arms and legs.

The town itself was rather small, and there didn't seem to be too many people around. It was awfully quiet, but (Y/N) felt that similar, dreaded sensation in the pit of her stomach. Din pulled (Y/N)'s cloak over her head again, and this time she flinched slightly.

"What is it?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

She glanced around the town again before facing Din again. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm not sure," she answered. "Something just doesn't feel right."

She could tell he was observing her through his visor, though he didn't say anything. Instead, his attention turned toward the dreary looking cantina.

"What's the plan?" (Y/N) asked.

Din looked back at her. "I'm going to go into the cantina. I'll see if I can get any info."

(Y/N) nodded. "And let me guess, I'll stay out here?"

Din tilted his head down at her.

"Can you watch the kid?"

"I can," (Y/N) replied. "But if you take too long, we're coming in."

"Fine."

He turned around once again and headed inside of the cantina. (Y/N) sat on the steps, gently placing the kid down next to her. She sighed, glancing out at the houses of Mos Pelgo.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, kid," she muttered, glancing over to look at him, only to realize he had already made his way to the cantina doorway. "Hey! Where are you going?"

Then, she felt it again...that dreaded sensation, but it was stronger this time, and made her heartrate pick up. She glanced over her shoulder at the vast sea of sand but saw nothing. She wasn't sure what the warning was for this time, but she knew something was out there.

By the time she turned back, the kid had gone inside. When she reached the doorway herself, she peered inside. Her eyes landed on Din, who was currently staring down a man on the other side of the table. In the middle of table sat a Mandalorian helmet.

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows, eyes widening slightly at the scene playing out in front of her. So much so, that she hadn't realized the hood of her cloak had fallen down. Fortunately, her lightsaber was clipped to her belt and was safely tucked away.

"We're gonna do this in front of the kid?" the stranger asked.

Interestingly enough, (Y/N) sensed no sort of threat when she glanced at the man.

"He's seen worse," Din replied calmly.

The man glanced over in (Y/N)'s direction and winked slyly. "What about your lady in the corner?"

Despite the sudden blush on (Y/N)'s face, she opted to lean against the wall, arms folded and a small smirk on her face.

"I've seen worse," she said.

The man turned back to Din. "Right here then?"

"Right here."

(Y/N) watched as the two of them rose to their feet, their hands hovering over their blasters. She rolled her eyes, about to interject, and that's when the feeling hit again.

When the ground began to tremble, (Y/N) was the first one outside, followed by Din and the stranger. Din grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him, but she still managed to peer outside from behind his back. She watched as the sand rumbled beneath the town and watched as it trailed over to where an unsuspecting Bantha stood.

"Oh no," (Y/N) whispered, not realizing she had grabbed Din's hand in the process.

Then, it happened. A creature emerged from the sand and devoured the Bantha whole before disappearing under the sand. After that, everything went still once again. (Y/N) let go of Din's hand and both of them glanced at the stranger.

He grimaced. "Maybe we can work something out."

(Y/N) walked away from the two of them, the child cooing as she lifted him from his hiding spot.

"Alright, buddy," she whispered. "Looks like we're going on another adventure."

***

So, in order for Din to take the armor back from the man, who had introduced himself as Cobb Vanth (the Marshal of Mos Pelgo), they needed to defeat the krayt dragon.

Easy enough, right?

Din took him up on the offer without a single ounce of hesitation. Unfortunately, when he brought up the idea of using the Razor Crest to kill it, Vanth quickly shot down that idea.

"I know where it lives," Vanth said.

"How far?" Din asked.

"Not far," he replied, staring up at the sky. "Should probably wait until tomorrow. Suns are beginning to set."

"Guess we're spending the night here," (Y/N) said, still holding the kid in her arms.

Vanth walked them to an available hut.

"Wasn't sure if you two were—" He paused, glancing at both of them. "Didn't want to assume."

Leaving (Y/N) and Din to stare at each other in confusion, he left them alone for the evening. Din had insisted he could carry everything, so she had agreed to carry the kid instead. She set him down before glancing around the room, eyes landing on the two cots provided.

She sighed as the two of them finished unpacking their things for the night. The kid reached out for the ration packets.

"Someone's hungry," (Y/N) said.

After (Y/N) and the kid finished their dinner, (Y/N) took the time to step outside with the child so Din would have the chance to eat as well. She sat down next to him, staring at the sand and then back on the sunset, the waning light of the day.

About half an hour passed by, and both the kid and (Y/N) turned around at the sound of the door opening. She looked up at Din.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Come on."

(Y/N) raised her eyebrows. "Come on? What are we doing?"

"You don't know how to shoot a blaster," he replied. "I'll teach you."

In one hand, he was carrying his own blaster, and in the other one, a spare. The two of them made their way out to the open area of sand, clear of any houses. A day ago, (Y/N) would have confidently said she wanted to be taught, but now she just felt nervous.

Even though she needed more training, there was a certain level of effortlessness when it came to wielding her lightsaber. She didn't have to dwell on it nearly as much. But here, she didn't know how to use a blaster, and Din was good at it.

Obviously, he was only trying to help, and she shouldn't have felt nervous, but she felt like the stakes were high.

"Alright," he said after setting up the target. "You ready?"

"No."

The answer was short, blunt, but Din glanced at her in mild amusement.

"I'll show you," he said, and for the first time in a while, (Y/N) was not distracted.

She watched as he hit the target multiple times, something she felt like she could only dream of doing. She glanced at him, wondering if she should just call it night and save herself the embarrassment. But then again, he was being patient and showing her how to do it, so that wasn't fair.

She could try.

No, she could do it.

"Your turn," he said, carefully passing the spare blaster he brought for her.

"Alright, I'm not sure about this though," she answered, switching spots with him. "Don't laugh at me if I miss."

"I won't," he said, reaching out and adjusting (Y/N)'s hands on the blaster. "Aim like that."

"Got it."

She had been able to focus earlier, watch him hit the target each time, but for some reason, she was losing her focus again. She could feel herself becoming slightly frustrated, but she wasn't about to say that out loud.

She pulled the trigger, and completely missed the target, the bolt from the blaster hitting a patch of sand in the distance. Her shoulders slumped. She had expected that to happen, so why did it feel so disappointing?

"Try again," Din said, tone still patient.

(Y/N) sighed, aiming for the target just like Din had showed her. Once again, she completely missed. She glanced over, handing the blaster back to Din. She remained quiet, simply staring at the target in the distance.

"(Y/N)—"

"Hold on," she said. "Sorry, I'm thinking."

She paced back and forth for a couple of steps, and then, she had an idea. She wasn't allowing herself to relax, to let the Force take hold. She had been trying to keep her abilities at bay for a while, but she knew no matter how much she tried, it wouldn't work.

She was fighting it, fighting it too much.

Maybe, if she allowed herself to relax, she'd be able to focus. She'd be able to hit the target.

"I think I have an idea," she said, taking back the blaster. "But it might be a good idea if you stand back."

She glanced at the kid, and he blinked back at her, narrowing his eyes slightly as if he knew what she was about to do. Din took a few steps back. Ultimately, (Y/N) knew doing what she was about to do would be pretty draining. But that's why she was doing it. She needed the practice, and it might help her hit the target too.

Once again, she took the blaster, placing her hands where Din showed her to. Her eyes closed for a moment as she took a deep breath.

"(Y/N), you should really keep your eyes open—"

She was quick to shush him, shooting him an apologetic glance before resuming her focus. Once again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the Force to flow through her as her finger hovered over the trigger.

Then, slowly, she opened her eyes and pulled the trigger.

Not only did it hit the target, but it also hit...dead center.

With wide eyes, (Y/N) slowly lowered the blaster, her gaze shifting to Din. She smiled up at him.

"Did you see that?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I used the Force."

Din's helmet was tilted down at her, and if (Y/N) could see his face, she would have known there was a small smile on his face.

"I did see it," he said softly, a hint of pride in his voice.

The first time she hit the target, she didn't feel the fatigue, the way the Force drained her energy. The second time she did it, she began to feel it a bit more. Din noticed the slight sway of her body, and she took a deep breath. Everything was beginning to spin a bit, but she couldn't stop. She straightened her posture again.

"It's fine, I'm fine," she assured, holding up a hand. "Using the Force can have that affect. It can be draining, requires concentration, which you know I struggle with." She laughed. "But I can't stop, I need to—I need to keep going."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Din replied with the shake of his helmet. "We have an early morning tomorrow and you're—"

"I want to try again."

Her tone was slightly more aggressive than she had meant for it to be, and even Din seemed slightly taken aback by it. She was a fairly gentle, patient person, but sometimes she could feel something stirring in the pit of her stomach, something more sinister. But she never, not once, wanted Din to see that.

"I'll be okay," she said, her tone softer. "I need to push myself a bit more, I need to find balance."

She moved away from him, leaving him in slight confusion. Balance? What balance?

She lined up the blaster once more, pulled the trigger, and hit the target.

She did it a second time.

And a third time.

Through Din's helmet, he watched, eyes focused on (Y/N) and (Y/N) only. Something was slightly different about her. It was her eyes, something to do with her eyes. There was some sort of shift, and he couldn't explain what it was.

Emotions, even strong ones, could be a good thing, strong feelings of happiness, of love, and plenty others. And yet, all (Y/N) felt was frustration as she hit the target for a fourth time.

But at this point, the world was truly spinning, and (Y/N)'s vision went blurry. She stumbled back, lowering the blaster. Din managed to grab her under her arms just as she collapsed, eyes focusing again as she stared up at the stars.

Her eyes then trailed over to Din.

"I'm okay."

Why did that not seem true?

"(Y/N), I think you need to rest," he said.

(Y/N) nodded, letting out a sigh. "Probably." A grin made its way onto her face. "At least I didn't eat any sand."