Ask Mired Beliefs

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale knew what she was doing. You didn’t punch a Solus without expecting two punches back. Even if a Solus knew they were wrong, they wouldn’t admit mistakes lying down. No, they’d fight back till they couldn’t like the most stubborn bantha. The wind knocked out of her as Nox flew at her with his jetpack activated. She was lifted into the air before he slammed down with him atop her, shoving her to the ground. She coughed a few times, seeing him rear up his arm.

However, as the forearm came at her, she reached up to catch it. She gripped his arm to yank him down towards herself, using her free fist to sock him in the face once more, hard enough to make him see stars. She could hardly breathe, but she was way too fired up to quit now. Shale grunted as she physically pushed him off herself with all her might, attempting to follow up with a solid kick to the gut if she got an opening.

“That’s right, take on someone your own size, bastard!” She called out during her attacks, her voice strained but as fiery as always. It also revealed that she was enraged at him for shooting the civilians. And enraged because he tried to suddenly act like their hero right after doing it. It was despicable. If you did something awful like that, you owned up to it. You had blood on your hands. There were no take backs. No do overs. This was war.

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox's body harshly collided with Shales' as she was unprepared for him to close the distance between the two of them so quickly. They slammed into the dirt and he threw his forearm into her face until she caught it with her own arm and sent another blow straight into his cheek as he was pulled down. He saw spots in his vision before he felt the sensation of hitting the dirt.

His eyes blinked underneath his helmet, the spots clearing just in time for him to be able to react to her next move. Instead of remaining where he was, he rolled away and let her foot only collide with the dirt, a few feet formed between them. As he rolled, fiery pain shot through the entire right side of his torso while he put weight on it. But adrenaline, rage, and a handful of over emotions were fueling him for this brawl. The cherry on top was her choice words for him to take on somebody his own size.

With such a simple sentence, Nox completely saw red as she had just openly ripped a bag of salt and poured it onto his wound. She knew exactly what she was doing with the death of kids and it twisted his heart even more, the sting lingering. Both of them were angry with each other, more him but still just adding to the chaos. Fuck you! He spat out with venom before his free hand dug into the dirt. Quickly propping himself onto one knee, the Solus threw a whole fistful combination of mud and dirt right at her. Even though she wore a helmet, it would be enough to block her vision for a little bit if hit its mark.

If it worked, Nox would have gotten up and rushed over to her, as he fell forward with his right arm brought back. With his weight coming down, she would be struck right in the cheek while she would be trying to wipe off the guck from her visor. Whatever the result was, the Solus would fall down onto his knees afterward and grip onto his side as he breathed heavily too. Where he held had an agonizing pain to it and he quickly shook his head, a heavy grunt escaping him before he stood up again.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale hissed as Nox chucked a glob of mud and sand at her visor, “Seriously?!” She cried out incredulously at the low and dirty trick. As expected, she was temporarily delayed as she wiped the gunk from her visor, preparing to jetpack away once she had a better angle. However, she was too slow as his fist collided with her face. It sent everything ringing and she felt her vision go blank for just a moment. Her entire body lurched to the side from the blow of the punch, copper exploding in her mouth, and she knew her face would carry a nasty bruise. She likely had a small fracture from that, but she didn’t feel the full effects just yet.

Dazed, she looked over at him as he slowly moved to his knees, likely feeling the awful pain from when she barreled into him in the air. Shale didn’t give him that chance to catch his breath, abruptly extending one of her long legs to plant it against his chest and make him topple right back on his back on the ground. It wasn’t a particularly painful move because she was still dazed, but it was certainly enough to make him plop back and stare at the stars.

Shale got to her feet, half stumbling over to collapse right on top of him to sit on his abdomen. She made sure to apply her full weight so it was right on the glorious bruise she already gave him. Shale moved to pin his arms and jerked her head down to slam her helmet against his.

“Stubborn..fucking..…Rat…” She grumbled, unsure who the headbutt hurt more. Him or her.

 

[Nox Solus]

It was a dirty trick but Nox couldn't give any damn after what she said. While the move had worked, he wasn't able to enjoy his newfound success for very long. As he was about halfway through standing up, one of Shale's legs slithered past his chest, Whoa! It was the only word he was able to get out before he was pushed back down and had his back slammed into the dirt. His head also roughly collided with the ground and made him groan painfully as it took his breath away.

Nox barely had time to react when Shale stood over him as he was able to get one hand planted on the ground. No... He started to say but it was too late as she slammed her weight right into his abdomen, his legs and top half of his body lurching upward for a moment before he came back down. The Solus closed his eyes as pain flashed everywhere across his body, the move simply taking the energy and air out of him as he was planted into the ground.

Another pained groan came slowly came out of him and when he opened his eyes, he tried his last move but found she wasn't done yet either. His hand went up to her hip, gripping onto it tightly in order to throw her off but her head would interrupt the process, it brought down right on top of his forehead with all her weight. The move completely did Nox in as his head went back and into the mud, his eyes closed once more as it felt like his skull was splitting down the middle. Shale was easily able to pin both his arms back afterward.

The headbutt didn't just hurt him as she wasn't able to lift her head up, instead leaving it on his as their visors pressed together. At her comment, Nox flicked the bottom tip of his helmet up to touch hers before he returned it to the previous position, Says the one... with the fucking hard head. There was no doubt they were both concussed and the Solus simply had no energy to move away or get her off.

After a couple of seconds, Nox tilted his head to the right, allowing Shale's to fall in the crook of his neck and let him rest his cheek on hers. It removed the pressure for both and allowed them to just lay there. Even with her resting on his bruised abdomen and what just transpired between them, he still somehow found a slight comfort with her on top of him. Shale would be able to feel his chest rise and fall slowly before he murmured out softly, There were kids Shale...

It was the pressing point for him. The faces he didn't even recognize but couldn't remove from his mind. They were etched in his memories, permanently and he hoped somehow Shale had been able to beat them out of him but he doubted it.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale groaned after the headbutt, her entire head throbbing. She still tasted coppery blood in her mouth as her head slid over towards the crook of Nox’s neck. With his hands on her hips and her laying atop him, this would almost be romantic if not for the sick feeling they were left with in the aftermath of the engagement earlier. Shale’s breath came in labored half gasps, and it was clear he had done some damage to her ribs from trucking her with his jetpack activated.

She was silent even after he spoke, lingering where she was for a few moments to catch her breath. Eventually, she finally moved off him, rolling to the side to heavily plop down on the ground beside him on her back. She vacantly stared up at the skies, watching the stars lining the pitch black for miles. Every now and then she could see an Imperial ship whizz by above.

“And there will be more,” She said calmly after a while in between her labored breathing, “If you kill them, even by accident, don’t insult them further by trying to play hero. You have to own up to what you did,” She explained her thought process behind why she was infuriated by his actions, “Jedi are usually near civilians. This is not the first, nor last time, we will face this. This is war,” She reminded him, “We have forgotten what war means with over a century of inactivity. But all of this is a reality check.”

Shale tilted her head slightly to look at him, “We’re allied with Sith. We can’t pretend we’re the good guys anymore.”

 

[Nox Solus]

Both just laid there quietly after he spoke, each of them gratefully just accepting the time that they weren't being punched by the other. The two of them had difficulty breathing and it was clear they did a number on each other. After a handful of seconds however, Shale eventually rolled off of him, the simple movement making him grunt softly in pain as her knee would strike his side momentarily.

Nox was ready to just shut his eyes there and let the sounds of the forest drown out everything else but that's when one of the damn imperial ships flew on by with their screech. Shale spoke shortly after and he listened with his gaze on the stars, each word hitting his skull like her headbutt from moments ago.

Nox knew she was right, there would be more, whether on purpose or on accident, there would be more. Death never bothered him but when it was by his own, especially against the young with no way to defend themselves, it stung deep this time. A fleeting and short burst of anger went through when she pointed out rightly again that their people had forgotten the definition of war over the years, the stubbornness in him just wanting himself to be right.

Before the invasion, the Solus had been a simple bounty hunter, one that remained mostly by himself with his clan's nomadic lifestyle. In a short span of time, he had become a crusader, one that participated on the front lines and led wings of Mandalorians into combat. Nox had been swept in the wave and had transitioned roughly to their new era but he was finally accepting that he had to swim with it.

Even though a majority of him agreed, a small part of him didn't, couldn't. While it was insulting to put them in peril and then to save them, he still managed to rescue three out of the fire and that had to be worth something. Just because they were in a war, it did not mean he had to lose what made him who he was. Nox tilted his head so that he could look back at Shale as well, his gaze remaining on her for a moment as he inspected the details of her helmet.

It doesn't mean we have to become like them though. It was his only response to her words but it was clear through his tone that he relented and accepted the fact that there would be unwanted death. But when it came to the Sith, the Solus flared within him and showed his hard-headed nature as well. Nox never imagined himself as a good guy but he wouldn't lose what made him what he was just because he was allied with the sorcerers.

Nox flipped over onto his stomach with a groan before he pushed himself up onto his knees. Immediately, one hand went to his head and then one to his side, each area pulsating. Dropping one of them after, he offered it to Shale to help her sit up before he spoke, We need to find somewhere to rest. We can't fly home, we'll both pass out mid-air. They were still in dangerous territory and had to be wary.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale remained on the ground as Nox turned on his belly and slowly got up. Her head was throbbing and she was dazed. She kept looking up at the sky, staring at the stars. She thought of simpler times, carefree days of running around playing make believe with other kids. Gett’se was the older kid that came around now and then, the cool but serious kid. She had been someone else back then, someone she no longer recognized. While it took her years to finally embrace who she was since then, she couldn’t help but fondly recall the memories of the people and the life around her.

When Nox extended a hand, Shale groaned, “I can’t see or breathe straight,” She complained, “I’m just…gonna take a nap right here. If some Jedi comes over here to take a leak, I’ll shoot his dick right off,” She waved him away with a hand, “Go tell the camp I’ll be back by dawn,” She despised the taste of blood each time she spoke.

Shale exhaled slowly and closed her eyes right there, fully expecting him to march his ass away. This was far from the first time she randomly lied down somewhere to take a snooze.

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox expected Shale to have been on the same page as him. While they had just liberated a camp, it did only just happen and there were still likely patrols in the area. Instead of taking his hand, however, she decided out of the blue to remain right where she was and take a nap in the mud. When he heard the rest of the plan, he simply just stared at her in silence and disbelief, his hand still offered to her as he just forgot it was left there in his stunned state.

That's your great plan? To sleep in the mud and surprise a Jedi? With the words leaving his mouth, the utter ridiculousness of it truly hit him. Nox stood up with a scoff and shake of his head, expecting Shale to join him after a moment to end the joke but she remained still as a statue, her chest falling and rising at a slow and restful place. She was actually serious. Really Shale, Nox couldn't help but only say in his mind, the dismay dripping from his inner voice as he started to walk away to let her sleep.

Nox only made it a few steps though, his mind crafting a brilliant idea as he turned slightly to find her still just laying there. With a quiet sniff, he turned back around but walked to her flanked, a good amount of feet between them. The Solus crouched down to slowly and silently grab another full handful of mud and packed it tighter a little bit so it was morphed more into a ball.

With a glance at the ball and then at Shale's head, Nox took a few seconds to aim his shot with his other hand. After he found his spot, the Mandalorian would lift his leg up and assume a sort of baseball stance. It would be held for a few moments before he stepped forward and hurled the mud right at her cheek. The target was easy, she was laying down and not moving, leaving the mud to strike true and completely splatter across her helmet, covering her T-visor and preventing her from being able to see. The force of the throw most likely would have knocked her head to the side a little bit too and fully wake her up, as well as the smell.

If she glanced to her right, she would find Nox dusting off his hands as he couldn't contain his chuckle, Wanted to have you fully camouflaged, just to make sure your plan is foolproof for the Jedi. That obviously wasn't it at all, the real reason was that she had dealt the finishing blow in the brawl. Solus would always get the final blow. It was childish of him but so was parking right in the mud to shoot the dick off a Jedi. Plus, the idea of leaving her there didn't appeal to him, especially near the enemy. With a slow turn on his heel, Nox would start to basically limp off, knowing exactly what he was doing with her, Enjoy your nap!

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale was having a great time just easing into a nap. She had no desire to walk or hobble her ass over to camp. In fact, they had an entire hike back to the site and lots of climbing to do. If she napped for a bit, she would feel well enough to just jetpack back and plop down in camp and pass out. She closed her eyes and was breathing peacefully, entirely ignoring Nox and his incredulous commentary. She believed he would give up eventually and just wander off.

Thwack!

The mud hit her helmet with full force, causing her to bolt upright. She knew right away what happened as she frantically wiped it.

“You fucker!” She screeched at him as she wiped off her visor, angrily getting to her feet as she watched him saunter off nonchalantly in the opposite direction. Utterly fuming, she aimed her wrist and launched her whipcord thrower. The cord wrapped right around both his legs as it had for her many bounties. She pressed a switch to retract, causing Nox drop face down and get dragged across the ground towards her. Shale applied her own strength to it, snickering to herself as she yanked him towards herself and pulled him.

“Eat shit!” She called out gleefully as she quite literally dragged him through the mud face down. This meant he would drag right along the puddle of mud he had used for his ammo. Shale moved closer to him, using her boot to flip him over onto his back, standing over him with a foot on each side. With his visor completely blocked, he would hear nothing but a rare laugh before more mud splattered down full force directly across his helmet to add another layer as she finally detached the cord.

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox limped off, not exactly happy to let her stay there after his assistance to her hiding spot. If she wanted to remain there and be captured, that was up to her, he had at least gotten his final piece out. As he walked away and not that very far, he would hear a sort of Thwrrp before he felt something cold quickly wrap around his legs. With a snap of his head, he looked down and saw the wire wrapped around him, You... His sentence wouldn't be able to be finished as he pulled from his legs and faceplanted right into the dirt.

With the whipcord thrower retracting him, he slid across the ground with barely any resistance, his head bobbing up a couple of times as it struck branches and a few small rocks. The surface would then chance to mud as it completely covered his visor and the front half of his body in brown guck, the smell assaulting his noise and nearly making him gag. Each little collision got a soft grunt out of him. Even during all this, his hands subtly came together as he was being dragged on the ground.

As he came to an abrupt halt, a soft groan left his lips as his torso was on fire but he waited. Shale's boot went into his armpit to flip him over but instead of finding him waiting there to receive another layer of mud, he had his repulsor aimed right at her. Nox's helmet was completely covered in thick mud and he couldn't see shit but she exposed herself with the laughter. It being one of the few times he heard it, Nox found it pleasing and liked how it hit against his ears but this time it was to a line a shot.

The repulsor was half-charged as she would hear it whirr and power up, it toned down to not cause any damage. Gotcha, he murmured before he pushed the button. Shale would be hit with a concussive blast of energy to the upper half of her torso and her face, the laugh his target. If it worked, the pile of mud she collected would be sent straight back right into her helmet again to infuriate her as she would be lifted off her feet and into the air backward.

Unfortunately for Nox, he completely forgot they were both tied together and when she went flying, he went with her, Wha! The Solus went up as Shale would start to come down, the line growing taunt as they distanced themselves before it stopped both of them mid-air and snapped, resulting in the two of them dropping like a sack of bricks with their weight right into the mud again and completely covering them both.

The Solus seethed loudly, his bruised flank most likely swollen more as it felt like small blades stabbed into his ribs. He rolled onto his side as he grumbled to himself, Fucking... With push off the ground, wiping his visor he struggled to get to his two feet before his attention snapped to Shale and he jutted a chin as he nearly slipped, Nah, looks like you got it covered. In fact, you wanted to sleep here, you should be enjoying it! Nox would gesture to the mud and other shit that infested it all around them. At that point, the two were brown despite their clan colors.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale couldn’t have seen the abrupt repulsor blast coming. As expected, the entire glob of mud in her hands splattered back on her. However, she felt the push of the repulse blast sending her back, dragging Nox as well. She flailed her arms a bit to try and reorient, but in the end they both landed with a heavy thud right back in that same puddle of mud. Shale groaned from the pain, rolling over and retracting the whipcord back into her wrist.

“Okay okay…” She half moaned in pain, “We’ll call it a tie,” She said, voice betraying that she was grinning. Shale looked up at the stars again, trying to ignore the nasty stench of everything they were covered in. The journey back sounded even more miserable now and for whatever reason Nox refused to let her have her damn nap.

“You’re all right, Solus,” Shale said after a long moment of silence. She tilted her mud covered helmet to look at him, “Don’t forget me when you become some bigshot Alor.”

Shale followed it up by slapping him upside the head with a gloved hand. She groaned as she got to her feet, half stumbling and almost slipping. With that, she began to slowly make the trek back towards the campsite.

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox was barely standing but he was ready to go at it again if she was. Despite the bruises and other wounds he suffered, giving in was not an option for him. Thankfully, Shale put a stop to it all and offered the solution of calling it a tie. The Solus let out a loud sigh of relief before he just simply fell onto his knees and back into his heels, his legs barely able to stand at the time. A tie could be accepted and it was the quickest out for their little mud fight.

His visor tilted up towards the sky as well and while he would be able to hear the grin, she would be able to hear his laugh. It was coarse from his exhaustion and recent little skirmish but there was still humor laced within it. Despite the sensations rocking his body, he actually had fun and it took his mind away from what happened earlier on the road.

Shale gave him a compliment before telling him not to forget about her when he became some Alor. Nox scoffed at the word, not exactly believing that. He planned to call council once he was off Lothal but it was still up to his peers through an election. But he did appreciate the thought.

She slapped him upside the head and he groaned loudly, seeing spots appear in his vision as he was undoubtedly concussed from her. It made him lightheaded for a moment but he still didn't miss his opportunity to quip back, I already said my tattoo's twin was on a great ass. It would be hard to forget. The words came out as she tried to steady herself to get out of the mud, a shit-eating grin in his words, and this hilarious sight. It was probably rare for him to see her struggle like this again

But with a grunt, Nox leaned back before he pushed off the ground and onto his feet. He wiped the thickest globs of mud off his helmet and back to the pool before he began to follow after her. The Solus' gaze drifted down to her rear and reaffirmed his statement, a smile cracking underneath the helmet. More than that, however, she was finally moving but he didn't say anything.

The two weren't going very fast and weren't going that far, both of them basically just limping and dragging themselves forward as they grunted or groaned in pain. Nox would just shake his head before turning to glance at her, This is pathetic. We look like dying banthas trying to catch back up with the herd. As if on cue to show their situation, the both of them could hear the engines of both Imperial and FWA fighters. We should find a pitstop somewhere.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale was once again caught off guard by the quip about her behind. He would hear that familiar breezy laughter again, “Shut up..” She barely managed to mutter, the shyness bleeding into her tone. For a moment, Shale simply gazed his way, her helmet tilted slightly to the side. She quickly cleared her throat before turning to keep walking. It took her a while to wipe off some of the mud, every nook and cranny caked in globs of mud, dirt and animal feces.

Shale ran her hand over her torso where she felt jolts of pain, wincing beneath the helmet. She still tasted coppery blood in her mouth, and her head was throbbing. Shale chuckled at his words, shaking her head, “The only place I can think of is another outpost we cleared recently,” Shale explained, “I flagged it for the clans to raid for supplies, but they may not have gotten to it yet.”

They kept walking and a distant rumbling could be heard. Shale glanced up at the sky and confirmed that it was lightning, not Sith ships making the noise. She sighed in relief, “Thank Manda! Rain!” She said excitedly, glancing up as the first few drops began to fall on her helmet.

Shale kept half stumbling for a while till she could see the encampment ahead of them. From the looks of it, the clans didn’t empty it out just yet. Rain splattered against her armor and she used it to clean it off. The Imperial and FWA engines still echoed in the distance, but the camp provided temporary shelter.

“I was perfectly fine napping in the old spot,” Shale complained after a while, “You could’ve just gone back to camp, you know. Wouldn’t be covered in shit.”

 

[Nox Solus]

Nox couldn't help a loud smirk that wouldn't have left him surprised if she could see through his helmet. With her quick retort, he knew his words had an effect and he took that victory with stride. At their little recent scene in the mud, mainly because of her, he found a lot of enjoyment in seeing her squirm from him.

Thankfully, Shale at least agreed to this decision without a fight and the Solus would just shrug his shoulders at the fact it would be another outpost. If it had four walls to cover them, there wouldn't be any complaints from him. I'll take anything over us crawling on all fours back to camp. If they just kept walking, Nox would definitely have lost the use of his legs from injuries and pure exhaustion.

When it rumbled, both of them would freeze for a second as he was practically expecting a spotlight to light them up. Instead, it was the crack of lightning and he couldn't have been more thankful for mother nature. It also seemed she had taken pity on the pair as the first handful of drops would rain from the clouds and splatter onto the both of them.

Nox's attention was drawn back to Shale when she celebrated the weather, her voice jubilant and gaze locked upward. With a shake of his head and a quiet laugh, a few steps would be taken to close the distance before she would feel a light smack on the back of her helmet. It wasn't hard but it had enough force to tilt her head back slightly to her front and to the camp. She would find him walking past her, Nox offering a glance back before a cock of his head to the viewable encampment, Let's go Mudpie. Try not to tell everyone where we are. There was a teasing and satisfied tone to his voice as he had finally found a worthy name to call her after she had titled him Rat. Even with the rain, there were still many stains of brown on her armor.

As they entered, they would find the camp completely empty. Burnt down tents and other wreckage littered the field as it was clear the Mandos had gotten the drop on them. There was a sort of control tower still standing in the center of the encampment, scorch marks on the walls but still solid, enough so to block out rain. As Nox headed that way with a point to it for her, he couldn't help but peer over to Shale after and slowly as she brought up her nap, opening his mouth to counter he had succeeded in getting her to move but paused before covering, And I was perfectly happy to help keep you hidden for the random Jedi to stumble upon you. Technically, I was going back to the camp, you didn't let me leave with your whipcord... Nox had been walking away when it happened.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale groaned to herself as she realized the camp was scrubbed clean despite how it appeared at first. She continued to wipe off all the mud, feeling better about her appearance as the rain got heavier. This also meant they would have some nice reprieve from any scouting parties.

She followed Nox over to the control tower, inspecting the damages that showed clear signs of a struggle. Shale actually stopped in her tracks when Nox casually dropped a new moniker for her, “Mudpie?!” She retorted incredulously as if she was absolutely scandalized by the suggestion, “That’s..I… whatever,” She huffed moodily, but couldn’t find a good enough quip back.

Shale stepped into the shelter, getting a brief break from the rain. She decided to take a seat on the ground, simply watching the storm for a moment. Shale glanced over at Nox, tilting her head.

“And why were you fretting over me being seen? Don’t think I can take care of some glowstick hippies?”

 

[Nox Solus]

There was no denying her new name fit her, extremely well. Shale could have countered him on it but she would have died on that hill. It was accepted without much bite back however but it wouldn't have mattered as Nox would still be on the move toward the tower.

After a couple of rams from his shoulder, the door to their shelter was able to be opened as it dragged along the floor. Inside would reveal a uniform hallway with stairs at the end that led to the upper levels. It was all dirty but more importantly, dry. Nox sighed with relief upon feeling the break in the rain, both of them thoroughly drenched at that point with each step of his boots earning an audible squelch.

Picking up on Shale's drift, Nox went to the wall opposite of her and pressed his back against it before sliding all the way down to his ass with a soft grunt. He pulled one knee to rest his arm on top of it while his other leg fully extended out toward her direction. The Solus leaned his back against the wall as his eyes closed temporarily, listening to the beat of the rain as it drummed against the walls. Every part of him ached and the opportunity to just sit was being fully appreciated by him.

Nox's shuteye was cut off when Shale pointed out and asked why he fretted over her being seen. That was a question he didn't know how to answer. He just remembered upon hearing her plan to nap in the mud, he didn't want to leave her side and in the condition she was. At first, his gaze just came back down and rested upon her as he was silent for a moment, I... I should make us a fire. We're soaked, I'd rather not have our death be us shivering and freezing from rain. With a push off the ground, accompanied by a grunt, Nox got back onto his feet. The idea of using his clan as an excuse to disrupt her sleep came across his mind after but he had been surprised by the question and didn't think of it at first.

Walking off toward one of the random rooms, Shale would be able to hear Nox scrounge around for different materials that would be flammable. After a few minutes, he would return back with a few broken pieces of wood or torn-up furniture in his arm. All of it would be dropped in a pile between them as he crouched down and glanced at her, How are your injuries? Nox wouldn't admit it but there was slight concern in his voice.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale didn’t miss how he pointedly avoided the her question. Her eyes narrowed beneath the helmet and she scowled at him through the visor. Hilariously, he would be able to tell this was happening from the way her body grew stiff and her visor was locked into him and tracking his moves. He was on stage and in the spotlight as he fumbled his words and wandered off to get wood. Shale said nothing in the end, shaking her head and glancing over to look at the rain again.

As the wood was gathered, Shale moved forth and arranged it for the best fire possible. After that, she adjusted a few things on her wrist before pointing it at the wood and unleashing a quick stream of controlled fire. It was enough to ignite the flames and get it going. She didn’t even realize she had been cold until she felt the heat of the flames. For a moment Shale stared at it until Nox broke the silence. The concern in his tone caused her to stare at him vacantly for a moment.

She quietly poked at the fire before tilting her head to look at him, “Why, you gonna kiss them better?” She shot at him, clearly amused by his display of concern. Both of them were miserable under the armor and neither could actually tend to their injuries. Her chest was throbbing, and she knew she laid a solid bruise on his entire torso.

“Do you follow the old ways or the new?” Shale asked quietly. It was normally a personal question, but she had been around him enough to venture to ask. Helmet on or off was not a religious choice for her, but she didn’t want to deal with any judgment for her choices either way.

 

[Nox Solus]

Shale took care of the fire and it ignited instantly with her special touch. The warmth blanketed them both immediately and was a reminder of how cold they were and how brutal it had been outside. After he had asked the question and saw how she blatantly looked at him, he realized who he was dealing with and she instantly quipped back at him once she saw blood.

With the quip, it slid back him back into his teasing mood and he gave a quick cock of his head back at her, It's quite effective. Don't knock it until you try it. Even though he played it off, Nox couldn't help the sliver of concern that still managed to sneak by him and interlace with his words. Both of them didn't hold back when they fought, after clearing a camp too, and he certainly remembered the solid hit when he jetpacked right into her.

As the fire thoroughly warmed up the hallway and supported itself, Nox once more took up his section of the hallway with another painful grunt as he sat. Unknown to him, his entire side that had been struck by Shale was practically purple and the difficulty to breathe was beginning to build. Even with the question about injuries, none of them made a move at first and just stared into the flames, both knowing their laws and creeds.

Shale broke the silence eventually, asking him which way he followed, the old or new. Nox's answer was practically instant, The old. With his nomadic lifestyle in his early years as a Mandalorian, times were rough back then, and sometimes the only thing that held them together was their religion. But Nox had picked up on the slight clue she made by asking the question and he added, I know who you are and what you mean to me Shale, old way or new. If you take it off, I won't think any different of you. The Solus had this discussion with another of his clan long ago and it had opened his mind on why they followed the new.

Still, he mentioned only her taking off the helmet, Nox unsure but still following the creed as he had never removed his helmet in front of another yet.

 

[Shale Vizsla]

Shale focused back on the fire when he joked back, but she could still hear the concern. She was silent for a moment as she stoked the flames, listening to nothing but the storm all around them. Shale glanced up when he admitted he followed the old ways, and she nodded in response. He went on to express that she was free to remove the helmet, even though he wouldn’t. She wasn’t concerned about removing her own, but for her the reasons were far more personal.

She thought back to when she had been a child and how much she despised what she saw in the rare times she looked into a mirror. It was a constant reminder that she was living in a prison not of her own making. It had taken years to finally look in the mirror again and feel more like herself. However, the step towards that with others remained to be taken. The helmet served as a shield and it allowed others to judge her based on nothing but who she was.

Shale kept her gaze trained towards Nox, reflecting on what he had said earlier. Had he meant to say all of those things or did some things slip out? She leaned back against the support beam behind her. One of her legs was extended out before her, the other drawn up with the knee up. She rested an elbow across the raised knee, staring at Nox across the fire.

“And what do I mean to you, Nox?” Shale said, using his name for the first time since they had met, just as he had done to her.

 

[Nox Solus]

At first, Shale didn't respond to what he said. The decision of whether to remove one's helmet was a highly personal one and he held nothing against her as she thought to herself. It was one their people made when they were truly comfortable with themselves and it was questionable whether he could take his off. Instead of leaving his gaze locked on her and giving the idea he was pressuring her, the Solus adjusted the way he sat given his torso and how much it stung.

With a spin on his ass, he turned so the wall would be on his left and allow him to lay down fully on his back. There would be a sigh of relief that escaped from him as he felt the tension in his ribs dissipate while his muscles finally tried to relax. Nox's gaze would be locked on the ceiling, one of his hands tucked underneath his helmet as he thought to himself. Maybe he shouldn't have broached the subject as he did and just left it at him being a follower of the old.

But, before he could delve too deep into his thoughts, Shale asked what she meant to him and he paused for a second. He hadn't expected to her question him about it and at first, he didn't know how to answer. She was a lot of things to him and he could have easily just teased and called her annoying once again but he discovered that he didn't want to.

After a few seconds of deliberation, he simply turned his head and gazed upon her as the fire reflected in his visor, Something solid to hold onto while everything else is changing. Someone I trust, depend on and confide in. Nox's tone, even with the helmet on, easily told that he was just telling her the plain truth for him.

The entire time they had been on this planet, he immediately spoke to her about Kotii, his reservations with the Mand'Alor and such, happy to listen and offer him advice to straighten his course. Despite him not mentioning it, he felt a pull there and cared about her safety, despite them being Mandalorians. It was the reason he didn't just totally abandon her when she was in the mud.

After his words, Nox gave a simple shrug with an audible smirk underneath. You get my point. I don't just share my ass with anyone. The Solus could already tell he had probably given too much and he expected a slew of quips to hit him.