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I couldn’t wait for the outing I was about to have with Fennec, Boba and Mando, after spending time with the two of them, Boba and Fennec both learned that Mando really didn’t have a lot of experience with ‘the ladies’ according to Boba. Aside from some crazy twi’lek and one other woman.
“All right, Mando, this is what we’re going to do, we’re going to start small, we’re in no rush, so just wait till you feel comfortable, okay.”
“Great Boba” We all turned to look at the woman who came over with a drink for Boba, “I thought you might be thirsty, this is for you.”
I couldn’t stop the smirk that appeared on my lips, so I took a drink from my spotchka.
“Thank you, sweetheart” Boba grazed her arm, “Maybe, once I’m done helping my friend, I can return the favour”
I rolled my eyes at Fennec, we both grinned into our drinks, I leaned over to Fenn, “How is it so easy for guys?”
Mando leaned over, “It’s not easy”
“Yes, it is. You don’t have to even look good, you basically just show up, and boom you can get a date. Whereas we have to do our hair, our makeup, make sure our outfit catches the eye, and not to mention we still have to keep our eyes open to make sure no one hurts us. So yes, guys have it easy.”
Mando leaned back, “Good point.”
Boba looked over to us, “Okay, can we begin please?”
“Hey, you’re the one who got distracted by big boobs over there,” Fennec teased.
“Jealous she picked me?”
“You wish”
“Okay, moving on, guys” I looked between Boba and Fenn, “We’re here to help Mando right”
“Right. Okay, Mando, as I was saying you are going to just walk up to a woman and talk”
“Talk?” Mando’a voice cut across the table
“Yes, talk” Boba emphasized
Mando’s head moved from Boba’s face to mine.
“Listen, Mando, out of all the people here, take your time and look around and find one you want to talk to” I offered.
“What if I don’t find someone?”
“Then you can take turns practicing on Fennec here” I patted Fennec’s back, she turned to look at me, her eyes glaring into my head. “Come on Fenn, it’s a worst case scenario”
Fennec let out a long sigh, “Fine.”
“All right, so Mando, is there anyone here that you may want to talk to?”
Din looked around the room, the only person he wanted to talk to was already sitting at the table. Boba figured the best way to get him to admit his feelings was to help realize it wasn’t that difficult to talk to women and open up.
“Found someone?” Boba asked, looking over his shoulder to where Mando’s gaze fell, there was a twi’lek hanging out at the bar.
“What about her?”
We all looked over to this gorgeous twi’lek hanging out at the bar, “Hey Mando, if you don’t talk to her, I will” Fennec stated.
“What do I say?”
“Just go up and offer to buy her a drink first” I offered
“What if she says no?”
Boba let out a sigh, “Then ask her something else, ask her if this is her first time on Tatooine, or if this is her first time at my palace?”
“All right” Din let out a sigh, oh this was going to be bad.
We all watched as Mando walked over, “Okay 20 credits say he chokes” Boba offers.
“30” Fennec countered
“Have a little faith, I think he’ll do it” after all who wouldn’t want to talk to Mando, or get a drink with him, or …
“You have a crush on him, that’s the only reason you think he’s going to pull this off”
I turned to look at Fennec, “Come again?”
“Oh please, I see the way your eyes linger”
“Fennec, how many have you had?” I motioned to her drink
“Enough”
“She’s not wrong” I looked over to Boba
“Boba, I …”
“Little one, even I can tell, the only one who doesn’t know is the tall tin fool, who can’t even pick up the twi’lek”
We all looked over to Mando, he looked like he was about to pass out. I assume as much, because he was gripping the bar like his life depended on it.
“Should we go help him?” I offered
Fennec turned to look at me, “Are you kidding? I’m paying good money for this”
“What does that mean?”
Fennec nodded her head to Boba, “I may have given him some of the worst pick up lines”
“Why would you do that?”
“You have to work your way up to the good lines” Boba leaned over, his forefinger hooked under my chin, “Sweetheart, the only thing you need to worry about, is what you’re going to have for breakfast?”
“Okay, that’s a good line” I giggled pulling back, “Damn, that was a good line” I felt my face heat up.
“Now, do you think that would come across just as well, if Mando was saying it?” Boba pulled back, chuckling.
“Okay, fair point”
Din felt like his head was spinning, “So um … do … do you come here often?”
“Really? That’s your line?”
“Umm … no, I’m just asking.”
“Okay, look hun, I’m sure you’re a nice person, but I’m not here for small talk.”
“Oh, okay, have a good one”
Mando walked over to us, “So… how did it go?”
“Um … she didn’t want to talk”
Fennec looked from the twi’lek to Mando, “Seriously, you couldn’t get anywhere with her” Fennec pointed.
“Yeah, why?” Din didn’t understand her point.
“Mando, she’s always good to go. I should know.” Fennec started wiggling her eyebrows.
“Okay, let’s review, what did you start with” I offered
“I asked her if she … um … if she came her often”
“Mando, that’s not even one of the lines I gave you” Boba put his head in his hand. He rubbed his head, “Okay, new plan” Boba turned to look at me, “little one, you go to the bar”
“What? Why?”
“Just please go and wait at the bar”
“Fine”
Din watched as she got up and headed to the bar, he could watch her walk all day.
“Hey focus” Boba called Mando out of his trance, “Okay, you are going to go up to the little one, and this is what you’re going to say …”
I watched as Boba and Fennec were whispering to Mando, I had a bad feeling about this, this was going to be bad. I just knew they were going to tease me.
“You want something?” I looked over to the bartender.
“Sure, a Corelian whiskey”
“Coming right up”
“Did it hurt when you fell?” Din was going to kill Boba and Fennec when he had the chance, they wanted to tease him because of his crush.
I turned to the modulated voice that came up beside me, Mando looked so uncomfortable. But I guess this was the best way for him to start feeling comfortable, and to show Boba and Fennec that they weren’t going to break me, “When?”
“When you fell from heaven, angel?”
I had to stifle a laugh, “I’m sorry, hun, but I’m not from Iego’s moon. I do believe you meant to talk to that woman over there” I pointed to a lady in the corner.
“Um… I mean, are you tired?”
I put my hand on my chest, looking offended, “You saying I look haggard?”
“What? No. That’s not. No, no … sorry … cause you’ve been in my mind … I mean running from me … no … running through my mind …” Din dropped his head, letting out an exasperated sigh.
Boba’s laugh filtered over from his seat, we both looked over to see him keeling over in laughter. His head dropping into his hand, as his laughter didn’t dissipate, just kept echoing through the room.
“I suck at this” Din wanted to get to know her better, wanted to tell her that he was enchanted by her beauty, but it just didn’t come out right. With Xi’an it was all physical and they barely spoke.
“All right sweetie, listen, try not to get into your own head okay. So first things first, breathe”
“Okay”
“No seriously, breathe, come on” I motioned with my hands, “In through the nose out through the mouth”
Din copied her movements, following her advice, he was already feeling better.
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah”
“Good, now I’m going to give you two pick up lines that’s going to work, almost 80% of the time.”
“What if I don’t want to use a pickup line?”
“Well, you don’t have to but sometimes a pickup line is more to break the ice, just to put you both at ease.”
“Okay”
“Have you used a pickup line at all?”
“Not necessarily a pickup line, just my bounty hunter line”
“Which is?”
“I can bring you in warm or I can bring you in cold”
I felt my face heat up, okay that was a good line, “Okay, good line. Really good line, but you’ll have to figure out how to continue that; anyway…”
“Here you go sweetheart” I looked over to the bartender leaving the whiskey.
“Thanks”
He leaned over, looking into my eyes, “You know, I’m done with my shift soon, maybe you and I can go somewhere and enjoy each other’s company, what do you say sweetheart?”
“She’s talking to me,” Mando chimed in. I looked at Mando. I was surprised by how he stepped in, not that he wasn’t protective, but I’d never seen it up close.
“Listen, I appreciate the offer, but I’m talking to Mando, right now. So thanks but I’m good”
“Next time, Sweetheart” the bartender moved off, but not before his finger grazed the back of my hand. I wiped my hand on my pants, shivering from the contact, ugh, gross.
“You okay?” Din was ready to snap that man’s finger when he saw him trail a line down the back of her hand.
“Yeah, he just creeps me out. He’s always trying to get me to go somewhere with him, thankfully each time I have a valid excuse. Anyway, moving on.”
“Yes, you said you had two lines”
“Right, so the first one ‘you’re so beautiful, you made me forget my pick up line,’ but it all depends on the delivery. I’ve had someone try the line on me once, but he came across creepy. I’ve also had someone try the line and he was so smooth, I ended up dating him for a few months.”
“Why only a few months?”
“He was an idiot, and caught him cheating on me with my best friend”
“What’s his name?”
“Toro Calican”
“Oh”
“What?”
“He … I may have killed him”
That was shocking, “May have? Like you’re not sure?”
“No, I’m sure”
“Why did you kill him?”
“He threatened my son and my friend, trying to kidnap him”
“Well then he got what he got”
“You’re not upset?”
“About a cheating-attempted kidnapper, no. I’m not upset. I’m a bounty hunter, I know life is fleeting.”
“I’m sorry”
I smiled up at Mando, “Nothing to be sorry about, you protected your family. I would expect nothing less from you” I couldn’t keep my eyes focused on his visor, I looked away my face heating up.
Din wanted to caress her face, wanted to tell her, she would never have to worry about idiot men ever again. He would make sure every day she knew she was appreciated and loved.
“Okay, we’re getting side tracked,” I pulled myself back to the point of tonight’s hang, “so the second line that works well, is if you go up to someone, and again, all depends on the delivery. So you say, ‘you owe me a drink’…”
“I’m gonna walk up to someone and demand a drink”
“Well, yes, okay no. Not demand. Okay, here let me show you, okay?”
“Sure”
“All right,” I took two steps back, I put on a coquettish smile, walking up to Mando and leaned on the bar, “Sweetie, you owe me a drink”
Din leaned in, all his previous nervousness went out the window, as he propped his arm on the bar, “Really, why is that?”
“Because the moment I saw you, I dropped my drink”
“The moment I saw you, you stole my breath, and now I feel like you own my heart”
I pulled back to look at him, “Wow, that’s a good line. See you got this.” I patted his shoulder, “Now try to be that smooth when you go and talk to whoever you’re interested in”
Din was thrown off a little, did he just … “Um… yeah. Good”
“Good. Glad I can help” I turned to focus on my drink, sipping the whiskey.
“Mesh’la” Din was going to take a chance, she turned to look at him, “I think I’ve realized something”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“I don’t want to just walk up to random strangers, and use pickup lines, moving from one person to the next”
“Well, then you don’t have to, do what feels right for you.”
“Thank you, mesh’la, for helping”
“Of course” I turned back to my drink sipping my whiskey
Din took in a deep breath, “And what I said before” she turned to look at him again, “it wasn’t a line”
“What wasn’t?”
“That you stole my breath away the moment I saw you” I felt like my heart was beating out of my chest, “and how now I feel like you own my heart,” was he being for real? “The only reason I agreed to Boba teaching me, is because I wanted to be able to have enough confidence to tell you how I really felt, and I understand if you don’t feel the same …”
“Mando, are you …” I swallowed the nervousness that was creeping up, “Are you being for real right now?”
“Yes”
I could feel my lips break into a smile, “I felt the same way the moment I saw you”
Din raised his hand tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he couldn’t help the smile gracing his lips, “Well then mesh’la, you know what you would really look beautiful in?”
I leaned into his hand that was cupping my cheek “What?”
“My arms”
I heard laughter filling the room again, I looked over to see Fennec and Boba both dying of laughter. Fenn was draped over Boba, Boba was wiping his eyes. Mando turned his head to look at the two of them.
I brought my hand up and shifted his helmet to look back at me, “Don’t worry about them, wanna get out of here?”
“Lead the way, mesh’la”