Something [MM5]

[Sacha Ordo]

"That's certainly a way to look at it," she noted, stepping in.

[Daunt]

Daunt scolded himself internally for trying to be too smart because it made no sense to try to advance this point even if it explained some of his thinking. He focused on the road, or rather the lack thereof, as he was guiding the vehicle through wilderness no different from the one they had left behind, up the hills, toward remote areas of the wilderness where his lodge was hidden.

Finally, at the edge of the forest, in the shadow of an escarpment, they found a small hut. The overgrowth and the shade of trees made it difficult to locate so Sacha might have easily missed it even being in the area. Its structure was haphazard, from a variety of composites, layered with dirt and grass.

Daunt stopped the speeder at a nearby spot and wordlessly proceeded to unlock the door. Once he did so, he turned back toward the Mandalorian.

"Let's bring this canvor in."

[Sacha Ordo]

"It's not like a good portion of Death Watch didn't respect him and accept him as their leader," she acknowledged. "They saw what he brought them that we didn't have, and their honor compelled them to follow. I understand their perspective." She finally said it as they drove. She let the silence linger for a while before they arrived.

She followed, carrying the canvor. "Yes.

[Daunt]

He had nodded at the remark, but chose not to elaborate. The deeper they would get on this the more divisive it would be. And he wasn't one to argue for the sake of feeling right. Maybe she was right more.

Many things about how the hut was furnished on the inside were rustic and anachronistic. Wood dominated over steel and plastic, animal furs served as carpets and covers. The odour of tannin berries admixed with the scent of a gamut of herbs being dried upon the mantelpiece and with the smell of smoked venison.

Fireplace still had smoldering embers. There was only one bed, but a wider one. One table. Two chairs. A chest. Some bundles.

"This is it."

[Sacha Ordo]

She looked around, nodding. Something about it was comforting, in a way. She could feel how it could be a little slice of home for someone. But she was an outsider - she wasn't a fit judge of another's home, so she didn't out loud.

"Where would be a good place to put it?"

[Daunt]

"Perhaps by the fire? I'll feed it some meat. It should be a carnivore, no?" He put the zhaboka away and removed his coat, then turned back to her. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

[Sacha Ordo]

Sacha nodded, getting something soft for it to rest in before settling it near the fire, but not too close.

"Thirsty, yes. I'd have to blindfold you or something if I wanted to eat," she replied lightly.

[Daunt]

"I'd do that myself if that's your necessity." He poured some berry juice to a cup and put before her, then moved to grab some of the uncured meat from recent hunts, then began cutting or tearing it into small pieces he could give the convor.

[Sacha Ordo]

She smiled beneath her helmet at that. "I'd say I don't want to cause you trouble, but I already have quite a bit."

[Daunt]

The convor ate slowly, and couldn't eat too much in one go, so Daunt left the rest near it and unfastened the straps that were holding his chitin plates, putting them away as they loosened enough. Once in but a tank top and trousers, he lay down on the bed and pulled a fur onto his face. "Eat to your heart's content, whatever in here is to your liking."

[Sacha Ordo]

The was a moment of silence before he hear shuffling and the tap of something being set down. He feels a warm, bare hand on his arm and an undisguised, slightly higher voice say, "Thank you."

[Daunt]

He unswered with no words for they would be too muffled, but he found the hand with his and squeezed it. He felt vulnerable in this strange situation but the issue with trust, the other point of the story he had told, was that someone had to trust first.

[Sacha Ordo]

Since he didn't seem inclined to conversation, Sacha simply went about getting something to eat. He soon heard the sounds of it, and her moving carefully around the space. Finally, she says, "It feels homey in here."

[Daunt]

He chuckled, pulling the fur just above to be able to speak, especially that he started to wish for oxygen. "Glad you like my hospitality. A pity we cannot eat together. Let me know when I can look at you again."

[Sacha Ordo]

"I can always feed you," she teased with a soft chuckle.

[Daunt]

"If you feel like it." He wet his lips, consulting his stomach whether it was time for a second breakfast.

[Sacha Ordo]

Soon sounds of cooking rise in the direction of the fire, things shifting and moving. Eventually, he found a weight settling back where he was. "Hope you don't mind it spicy."

[Daunt]

"I believe I can take it in any amount." He chuckled, and opened his mouth. His body relaxed as uncertainty was evolving into something fun.

[Sacha Ordo]

She laughed. Without the slight voice modulation, her tone was higher and more distinctively feminine. "Open up and take it, then," she replied, and he felt something warm on his lips.

[Daunt]

He palpated it with lips first, then slowly pushed down, minding not to choke on it, testing the texture with even rows of sharp, dark teeth, drawing out some juice first before biting more decisively.

[Sacha Ordo]

It turns out to be a piece of meat, highly flavored and aggressively spicy in the style favored by traditional Mando cuisine. It's not perfect, but it is good. The juices melt over his tongue a little before he bites in.

[Daunt]

He chewed appreciatively for some time before swallowing, savoring the spice. He felt the burn, but in an enjoyable spectrum. "It's good."

[Sacha Ordo]

He felt a callused thumb wipe his lips where any extra juices had run over before placing another piece. "I'm glad. My people prize vivid flavors."

[Daunt]

More out of instinct than deliberation, he caught the finger into his mouth and licked and sucked it dry from the spicy residue. "Mhmm."

[Sacha Ordo]

"Um." There was a pause and he could hear some combination of embarrassment and more in her voice. "That's, um."