The man breezily waved off the help, in oddly good spirits despite his circumstances. He hummed to himself, walking with a slight limp. His face was gaunt and he barely had enough to eat, but he was not breaking down like the others. It wasn’t long before the local authorities were on the scene to pick up the injured bandits.
Sevrin purposely did not tell Shaw he was proud even if he was. Because Shaw needed this moment to be proud of himself. Sevrin wanted Shaw to bask in the merits of his own efforts and, for the first time, seek validation from no one other than himself. Because no one was a harsher critic.
When the two Jedi walked back into town with the liberated prisoners, the rows of merchants cheered and clapped, heralding the arrival of heroes. The Jedi influence on the planet lingered before, but seeing it in action changed a lot of perceptions today. The released prisoners ran to their loved ones, sobbing and crying while they embraced.
The man hobbling next to Shaw came to a stop as he stared ahead of him. He simply smiled through cracked lips, tilting his head, “Hey little shark,” He said casually as if he was returning from a morning walk and not from a dungeon. If Shaw followed his line of sight, he would immediately understand why the man looked familiar - because a moody girl was staring back at the man, the fish girl from earlier.
The girl broke into a run towards the man and skidded to a halt. She glared at him, first shoving him back in anger, “YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T GO PAST THE DUNES! WHY DID YOU! WHY DID YOU DO IT, PA?!” She shrieked, clearly furious, “YOU JUST LEFT ME! I WAS STUCK OUT HERE BY MYSELF!”
The man took all the blows from the tiny fists, not bothering to dodge any of them. In the end, he managed a sad smile, “I learned my lesson, little shark, but I never worried about you for one second,” He said with a wink, tapping the knife at her side, “No one’s ever messin’ with my little girl.”
The girl scowled some more before finally launching herself into a hug. The man held her tight, “I won’t wander off again looking for other work, I promise,” He said, “I knew I’d make it back. We got them Jedi watching over us,” He drew back, smiling widely at Shaw standing next to him.
The girl turned to regard Shaw, the glare slowly fading. She studied him for a long moment. She met his gaze, noted the way he stood, took in his profile, saw the saber at his hip, the way he carried himself. This was a Jedi. This was the Jedi that saved her pa. She reached towards her neck and gingerly removed the kyber necklace, holding it out for Shaw without more than a silent nod.
“C’mon Pa, lemme show you all the fish I pulled from the underground rivers,” She said as she yanked her father away.
Sevrin, who silently watched the entire interaction, observed her leave. His gaze then flicked back to Shaw and then the kyber now in his hands.
The one that found its way to him after all.
@throwitintothefire