Private One for the Road

[Rin Taal]

Rin watched the exchange with Tavi from where she stood, quietly allowing the moment to belong entirely to the two of them. The little carving was crude, its shape only becoming recognizable once the blue markings caught the light, but that only seemed to make it more precious. It had been carved by small hands with enormous sincerity. When Tavi wrapped his arms around Muad a second time, she felt her heart tighten in a way she hadn't expected. She had already seen his kindness, his patience, and the quiet gentleness that seemed to emerge whenever he forgot to hide behind wit or bravado, but watching him kneel so naturally before the boy, making promises he fully intended to keep, revealed something deeper still. It was easy to understand why children trusted him. It was far more difficult not to imagine, however briefly, what a life built around moments like that might look like. Tavi's innocent declaration about marriage drew a faint warmth to her cheeks, though she wisely left the child uncorrected. Children had a habit of speaking possibilities aloud long before adults were ready to admit they had considered them.

By the time Muad wandered back to her side, the blush had almost disappeared. Almost. It returned with remarkable efficiency the moment he accepted her company with enough innuendo to make her ears warm. She let out a long, patient sigh that was entirely for show, though the tips of her ears betrayed her all the same.

"Fine," she conceded, unable to keep the smile from tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I'll bring the panties."

She refused to give him the satisfaction of anything more than that, despite the dangerous little thought that quietly crossed her mind. *I might not be smarter than that. *Fortunately, some thoughts were far better left exactly where they belonged, and she hoped it hadn't crossed through their connection.

As the last buckets hissed against the dying fire and the caravan slowly began to snake back onto the road, Rin watched familiar faces disappear one by one into the morning's work before turning her attention back to Muad. Kaio already had everyone moving with practiced efficiency, and the route ahead would unfold exactly as they had planned without her. She slipped her satchel over one shoulder, gave the wagon train one final glance, then met Muad's eyes with the same quiet certainty that had carried her through the morning.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." The smile that followed was warm, almost teasing. "Besides..." She nodded toward the waiting speeder. "You're still riding shotgun."

Muad Dib

 

[Muad Dib]

"I'll bring the panties." The view of more cheek than panty flowed through his thoughts, and he couldn't shake the mental image. Or the mortified expression on her face. Both were tantalizing. He shook his head, the knowledge that the image could have very easily slipped between the two. Just as he considered this, he felt her unguarded words.

I might not be smarter than that.

There was a whole helluva lot to unpack there. The idea that their journey through the forest could require another sleepover that could prove more intimate than the cot. Before he entertained the path of thought any further, he shook his head and stalked Rin back to where she stood near her door. He invaded her space and leaned in, fury in his eyes.

"Just so we're clear. I'm not the good guy. I'm going to kill every single person who stands in my way. Collateral damage is a real concept that I accept in due course. If it meant letting the caravan die to get to Haymitch, I would. Death is the only currency I deal in. You've seen my scars. One day I will die, not gently in a bed surrounded by loved ones. My end is bad and bloody, surrounded by those unlucky enough to find me before my end."

His right hand raised and caught her chin, gently yet firmly, to raise her face and eyes to meet his. "You are smarter than that. Our flirting is fun, but there is no future here. My future is what I do. I came here to kill. Your future is life. I've seen the life of the caravan, due in large part to your light. There is no light in me. Accept that, and then we can move on." His thumb brushed her chin lightly before he released her. "It isn't that the idea doesn't have an appeal. But it's only a fool's dream."

His feet led him to the passenger door, which he opened and reached in to grab his satchel. He spoke without looking up at her. "How do you plan on driving your speeder through the thick of the forest?" From what he could tell, the treeline only deepened, and the space between grew infinitely smaller. Unless she knew a path through, it would be hazardous driving. Then there was the fact of the Corvette, most likely hovering somewhere on the horizon. Two people on foot would be inconspicuous. A speeder might draw unwanted attention. And undesired cannon fire. His bow was stowed within the satchel as he awaited Rin's plan.

Rin Taal