There was fire in the air.
It had been a long time since the two warriors had stood in the presence of one another. Longer still since they had stood together on Mandalorian soil. Yet here they were, after decades, about to take part in the shaping of young lives. They stood within one of the arena's many staging rooms. It was a cool, dark place, with every manner of weapon within arm's reach. Isley, known today as Mand'alor the Reclaimer, reached for a beskad.
His gaze then fell upon his counterpart, Mia, known today as Mand'alor the Liberator.
"No rest for us relics, eh?" he asked, amusement weaved into his voice.
Mia let out a soft chuckle, fingers tightening the vambrace on her left arm before she lifted her sapphire gaze to him. "I'd say I'll rest when I'm dead, but that didn't work out so well for me."
Isley's sulfuric gaze met sapphire as he rested beskad upon his shoulder. A smile graced his lips as she spoke. "You know damn well that you'd be restless even in death. Never known you to sit still for long."
She rose from the bench, rolling her shoulders as she stepped up to the weapon rack beside him. "I heard someone finally tied you down." The corner of her mouth twitched.
His offhand claimed a kal knife and slid it into a waiting sheathe. "You heard right. Married life is incredible." He then motioned towards her. "I hear you've got a mini-me who’s charmed the hell outta my boys. How long until we're related?"
She gave a derisive snort. "Yeah, she didn't get that from me. That's her father all over." Mia shook her head, running a thumb along the blade of a beskad, testing its edge before slipping it into the sheath at her back "As for how long? Well, that's up to your boys. She's not an easy one to pin down. That, she gets from me."
He chuckled at the thought as the crowd's cheers began to swell beyond the staging room doors. The moment was fast approaching. Soon, they'd stride into the field of battle and test the next generation of Mandalorians. They would be the crucible which forged new warriors.
"It's about that time...let's show them what a couple old timers can do."
She lifted an axe from the rack, testing its weight in her hand before setting in at her hip, before stepping up beside him.
"Watch out for the Jedi, black armour, blue accents. She's in Aether's inner circle...and I'm pretty sure she's caught Aselia's attention."
A flicker of a smile passed her lips as they stepped out into the arena into a wall of noise, Reclaimer and Liberator moving forward as one like they had a lifetime ago, when youth had made things seem all the simpler.
