Mandoslore

Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin

@mandoslore @ithinkwehitametaphor

Ellia sat back in Din’s new ship, a refurbished N1 Naboo star fighter. Surprisingly, Pelli managed to fit an extra seat without sacrificing anything mechanical or speed wise. It wasn’t spacious like the Razor Crest, but there was a place for her to store her bag, and it got you to your destination faster. Ellia didn’t know what Din would do if he had to pick up a bounty for credits.

Oh, Din. Even though he had the helmet on, she could tell he was surprised that both she and Grogu came back from training with Luke. While learning from another teacher was beneficial in her eyes, she could see that they weren’t going to agree when it came to lesson plans. Luke was trained by members of the old Jedi Council, including their faults, while she had learned of the Gray Jedi, which was a freer path to follow. She would figure things out on her own, and maybe even pass on what she knew to Grogu.

The little green guy was fast asleep in the refurbished droid carrier, with a whole ceiling of stars above him. For the first time, since she and Grogu left Din to train with Skywalker, Ellia felt at peace. And she wanted to stay this way.

There was a slight pause as he picked his brain what to tell Ellia. Oh he had found the remnants of his covert alright. Only - they considered him an outcast. One who had broken the rules. Din Djarin was no longer welcome. In a sense, he was only now a true outcast. Not even his own people wanted him around. There were rules and understood that he had broken the most important one. He hadn't done it lightly, thought, but to safe the life of the child he had sworn to protect. It didn't seem to make any difference. So what was he supposed to tell Ellia? The truth... always the truth.

"I am no longer welcome with the covert," Din said. Even through the helmet he could hear his own voice shaking slightly. "The rules cannot be changed. This is the way."

She remembered hearing the hiss of his helmet as Din took it off to say goodbye to Grogu. Ellia kept her head down the entire time. She knew that that moment was not meant for her. It was for Grogu. Trying to sneak a look wasn’t fair to Din or to his religion. And yet she felt guilty for not looking at him again as she left with Luke. She kept her eyes down the entire time. Ellia couldn’t imagine what pain and emotions Din had felt.

Suddenly, she felt selfish for feeling angry that Din didn’t say hi when he stopped by Luke’s to drop off the shirt for Grogu.

She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, “For what it’s worth… they didn’t deserve you, Din.”

Ellia took her hand away and looked out at the starfield.

“I… I’m sorry for leaving you. And for letting Luke take Grogu too. If I had known then what I know now… I wouldn’t have left.”

She blinked to hide the tears and tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

Din turned his head as far as he could in the confined space. "Of course you'll stay with us. If - that's what you want."