Calista smiled softly at the pair and had to remind herself to close her door. Ever since she was able to stop hiding, she liked being able to leave the door open but she didn't want to bother Hawkin…
She took some time to meditate on everything that had happened that day and plan for tomorrow. She would actually have to comm and make an official appointment but she could do that in the morning.
Eventually, she did fall asleep and stayed peacefully asleep all night.
Hawkin slowly opened his eyes after his night of sleep. For a moment he felt panic. He didn't recognize where he was, until he remembered he had gone with Calista to her apartment the night before. He rubbed his eyes and stretched. It had been one of the best nights of sleep that he had had in a while. He gently tapped on Dex's head and the droid began to wake up. He yawned and and quietly spoke to Dex.
"Good morning Dex, how was low power mode?"
Dex got up and walked around.
"It was good. How did you sleep?"
Hawkin smiled and sat up on the couch.
"I slept well. It was a good night. No weird dreams, no bad feelings, and I felt safe for the first time in a while."
Calista had gotten up early, as usual, and silently went out for a quick errand. Though she did put another blanket on Hawkin before she left.
“Well, I’m glad you feel safe here. Good morning.” Calista smiled as she walked, catching Hawkin’s last comment, into the apartment with two cups of caf and a package of still-warm food.
Hawkin got up off the couch and folded the blankets that Calista had given him.
"Good morning to you too. Yeah. It was really nice to just not worry about someone trying to break down my door."
He looked at the caf and the package in Calista's hand.
"Is that breakfast?"
“Believe me, I know that feeling.” Calista nodded, remembering how many restless nights she had worrying that someone was going to find her or kill her in her sleep. Though she pushed those thoughts out of her head with the memory of the relief she felt once she had this apartment and how safe she finally felt. “Yeah, there’s a place not too far from here that I go to pretty often. And I thought since you spent so much time in the lower levels, you might be used to caf.” she smiled as she held out one of the cups for him.
He reached out and took the cup that Calista offered.
"You're telling me. Caf was quite possibly the only thing keeping me going sometimes."
He took a big sip from the cup.
"So what's the schedule for the day?"
Calista chuckled a little but nodded, setting their breakfast on the table. “You're goal-oriented, aren't you? Well, I didn't really have a schedule but I thought we could get you those new clothes we talked about either here or on the upper levels before we go to the Senate.” she suggested. “But don't worry we have time.”
Hawkin laughed a little.
"I guess you can say I'm goal oriented. That's what a mechanic schedule does to you I guess. If you're not early, you're late. I really need to take some time to just smell the roses. And we can get clothes here on the mid levels. There's no way I'm remotely fancy enough to go shop for anything on the upper levels. The air is expensive to even breathe up there. I'm just planning on not looking like a drowned womp-rat before walking in there."
“They don't charge to breathe the air.” Calista laughed, opening the package of food easily. “Help yourself and we can make sure no drowned womp rats show up in front of the Senate.” she grinned, ruffling his hair playfully.
Hawkin waved his hand over his hair and laughed after Calista ruffled it.
"Yeah yeah. The air smells expensive. And who knows? I might clean up nicely, and Dex may end up being the drowned womp-rat."
He looked at the food.
"So what's in here? I will certainly help myself, but what is it?"
Dex piped up.
"I am no drowned womp-rat. Just a damp one."
“Well, they do have better air recyclers up there so the exhaust from the lower levels doesn't bother them.” Calista shrugged. “Alright, I wasn't sure what you like but I got some Ronto morning wraps and some doughnuts.” she told him before smirking at the little droid. “Don't worry, Dex. I’m sure Hawkin can polish you up once we get the right supplies.”
He picked up a doughnut.
"I can tell. It smells so different, even here than down on the lower levels. And this looks absolutely delicious. I'm going to enjoy this breakfast. It's been a while since I've had a legitimate breakfast. This is a nice change of pace. And Dex, once I get some cleaner and access to an oil bath, you'll look so shiny that I'll have to dim you down with some patina. That brings out the detail. You'll look so cool in no time."
Dex whirred.
"It's been a while since I've been polished and I am more than long overdue for an oil bath. I would appreciate that."
Calista smiled, helping herself to a doughnut as well. “I haven't been to the lower levels in a while. But that reminds me, we should talk to your boss today too.” she said thoughtfully. “Would you prefer going first or after we see the Senate?”
She chuckled a little watching Hawkin and Dex interact but since she didn't know enough about droids to add to their conversation.
He thought for a moment.
"Yeah. We can go to my boss first. It's quite close to the senate. You can take a transport from where I worked to get to the front door of the senate. Our primary clients were senatorial and transport ships. With the occasional bounty hunter ship coming in. I would like to go get clothes before that because there's no way that old man is going to recognize me in them. All he's ever seen is womp-rat Hawkin with messy hair, and grease all over his face, and hyperfuel all over his clothes. I don't think he'll even recognize me even with the tattoo across my nose. It's kind of funny. And, he'll be the only person that I'll truly miss on Coruscant. He took care of me when I needed it. But I've gotta move on ya know?"
“I see. Well, we can get your clothes first then see your boss about your new arrangement.” she agreed, smirking a little at the reaction they could get out from the change in Hawkin. But Calista understood what he was talking about with moving on and how he felt about the old man. “You know we’ll still be on Coruscant most of the time, right? We’ll be able to travel to other planets for whatever reason but we’ll still live here.” she assured.
Hawkin rubbed his head.
"Yeah. I know we'll still be here, but I think that maybe I need to move on from that part of my life now. A new door opened, and an old needs to close. I'll still go visit every once in a while, but that's something I need to move past now. I'll still work on my mechanics, and fix things when it needs to be fixed or when I want to tinker on things, but it's not going to be my lifestyle and the way I live now."
He pointed to his tattoo.
"And now, I've got a reason to try and make myself better. I've got a name to create for myself, and for my future clan line, if I choose to have one."
Calista nodded, respecting his decision… and perhaps a little proud of his maturity for it. "And I'll help you move past that and do the best I can to teach you.” she promised. “Plus, there’s more than one way to make a clan. If you ever take a Padawan, they could be part of your clan too.”
"I'm glad, and grateful for the opportunity. It's not everyday someone comes along and turns your life around and starts to make it for the better, you know?"
He laughed at the idea of taking a padawan, in a joking way.
"Ah yes, I'll do what death watch does. I find an abandoned child, and adopt it."
Dex jumped in.
"Until then, I'll gladly fill that place and annoy you every single day until you die."
Hawkin looked at the droid.
"Then I shall die young, because you will annoy me to death."
Calista shook her head. “Don't… Death Watch was an group of violent extremists. Mandalorians, from what I heard, did adopt orphans but Death Watch kidnapped children from their families and brainwashed them to be their version of fighters.” she explained seriously. “That's not something we should compare to.”
But she smiled a little at Dex’s more endearing comment, preferring that to Hawkin’s misguided understanding but adding that to his future curriculum.
Hawkin frowned.
“Sorry… When they stopped by the shop, they were at least nicer to me because I fixed their ships and stuff. I knew they were a little on the violent side and permanently borrowed kids, but as for brainwashing kids and turning them into soldiers, I didn’t know that.”
Dex stopped and looked at Hawkin.
“Did you say permanently borrowed?”
Hawkin looked back at the droid.
“Yes. I said permanently borrowed because I didn’t think the words forcibly and kidnapping weren’t the best to use in the current situation.”
Dex shook his head.
“I have never in my 200 plus years of existence hear someone say permanently borrowed. That’s a completely new one Hawk. You got me.”
Calista nearly laughed at the… unusual phrasing but nodded. “I guess you wouldn't want to use those words in front of them. But that’s a first for me too.” she admitted. “I’m glad they treated you that way and I won't deny that things may have changed for them from when I last heard about them. I haven’t run into many Mandalorians of any kind recently.” she explained, taking the necklace out from under her robes to show him the Mythosaur skull pendant at the end.
Hawkin scratched his head.
“What in stars name is that? That doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen before. Is it a creature or something?”
Dex hummed in excitement when he saw the pendant.
“That is a mythosaur pendant. Very nice. Very important in Mandalorian culture.”
Hawkin look down at Dex.
“A mytho what now? Listen you gotta remember I come from a sand planet where all we had to watch for were spark dragons and static trees.”
He held his arms up and explained.
“In which, let me make this clear, static trees weren’t actual trees, they were an avian type of creature and they got their name because during the lighting storms on Kiffu. They would absorb the energy from the air and the lightning that would crackle off the crystals on their backs would arc and look like a very dangerous tree. They were snacks for the spark dragons. Now, I’ve never heard of a mytho saurus, dragon, thing. What even is that.”
“Well, those static trees sound very interesting,” Calista smiled, “but, like Dex said, a Mythosuar is an extinct predator from Mandalore. It's considered… well, I want to say it's considered sacred to Mandalorians and may have even been the clan sigil of a Mand’alor at one point.” she shrugged, a little unsure on that part. “But this necklace was a gift to my Master from Syla Varr, the Mandalorian bounty hunter we met… but my Master gave it to me before she… she told me to run and not come back for her. I felt her die that day… not too long after.”
Hawkin didn’t know what to do. He had really never dealt with anyone who had lost someone, so he was unsure how to comfort her.
“Calista, I am sorry for your loss. I really don’t know what it feels like to really lose someone close to me, because I never had anyone close enough to lose. I can give you like a hand shake or a hug? I don’t know. A fist bump? I’m just lost when it comes to comforting someone. But do know that I am here and trying my best and trying to understand. Loss is painful, and I am hoping you are slowly getting through it. If it’s any help, you can think about what your master would say to you if she learned about you having a padawan. I think she’d be very proud of you. Or at least I hope she would be.”
Hawkin stood there kind of awkwardly, waiting to see what Calista would do. He knew that whatever she chose he would try to respond in the best way that he could.
Calista smiled softly, still holding the pendant, and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Hawkin. It's kind of you to say that… but I’m ok. I do miss her but loss and death are a natural part of life. Most Jedi believe that when someone dies, they become one with the Force… and their presence may even still be felt.” she explained. “Now, I haven’t felt my Master recently but I think you’re right. She would be proud that I can finally teach someone. Maybe she even guided us so that we would meet.”
