hannah abbott. (determinedly) wrote in freedomtownic, @ 2020-03-02 16:28:00 |
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Entry tags: | din djarin (mando_warrior), ~hannah abbott (determinedly) |
WHO: Hannah & Din.
WHERE: New London / The Leaky Cauldron.
WHEN: Backdated to shortly after this.
WHAT: Din lets Hannah see his face.
RATING: Low.
STATUS: log; complete.
Anyone who happened to glance at Hannah could see that she was a bit...flustered. The Leaky had been closed up a bit earlier than usual that evening, so for the moment at least, she had no one to bear witness to her behavior. Hannah was a truly gentle soul who would always offer warmth and kindness to anyone who crossed her path. That was how things had started with Din and his tiny, adorable little ward. She wanted nothing more than to offer them a safe space to eat and rest. The more time they spent together, however, the more attached she became. The minutes her mind wasn't occupied with work or Dash and Pippa, were spent thinking about him. She'd never seen Din's face, but she didn't need that to understand that she cared about him. The quick intensity of her feelings startled her quite a bit, and she was beginning to allow herself to admit that the feelings had moved far beyond that of just friendship. So when she saw his message that night- the one where he said he wanted to reveal his face to her- it sent her into a bit of a tizzy. She'd closed up the pub and sent her employees home early. She cleaned frantically for a bit, then realized she'd rather not meet with him in her work clothes. She dashed up to her office where a wardrobe contained a few changes of clothes for her. She changed into a light blue dress that matched her eyes, and pulled her hair out of its ponytail. Mostly satisfied with her appearance, she ducked back down to the first floor to wait. Nerves kept her from sitting still, so she passed the time until his arrival by compulsively straightening things that were already straight and wiping up nonexistent spills. Merlin help her. Much in the same fashion as it had happened for Hannah, Din Djarin had had no intention of anything other than finding a safe place for himself and The Child to rest and get something to eat and drink upon their arrival on Galador. Hannah had been kind, and felt instantly trustworthy, something the Mandalorian had never felt before. But after talking to the woman, after seeing how she was with the little one... while he wasn't exactly someone who tended to put a priority on things like relationships, he knew his attraction to her was becoming far more than only physical. What had really shaken him was the post Rachelle had made on the network. While he tended to mostly ignore the incessant small-talk banded about on there, the fact that she so clearly knew about him, and knew about the kid... it rattled him badly. It changed how he thought about everything here. His entire way of life literally did not exist here. Everything he knew was merely a story to these people. But if people were going to know him? Know his life? His secrets? Then dammit, they were gonna know it on HIS terms. But before he showed his face to the masses here... he felt Hannah deserved to be the first to see it. She'd earned that. He still hadn't bothered getting himself any kind of wardrobe yet, so he showed up as usual, in full armor, as he walked in. He'd left the kid with Cara, knowing he could trust her with him, so he could deal with this situation with no distractions. If his face were visible? She would see an amused grin spreading across his face. She was so charming, so... almost impossibly sweet, that she felt almost too good to exist. Turning to make certain they were the only ones there, he took a deep breath. He wasn't the type to make grand gestures, so rather than lead into anything, he merely reached up, and carefully removed his helmet. His hair was lightly ruffled from being under the helmet, but the honest, sincere grin on his rugged features more than distracted from that. "Hello, Hannah. It's... nice to finally see you face-to-face." She couldn't see his smile, but somehow Hannah still sensed it. There was a certain shift away from the heavy burden he seemed to always carry with him. She liked that feeling. Knowing that she could help make him feel a little lighter, even if it was just for the briefest of moments. As he reached up to remove his helmet, she found herself holding her breath. She'd spent so much time wondering just what he looked like under there. She knew that no matter what, it wouldn't change how she felt, but there was still a flutter of excitement in her stomach regardless. Now free from obstruction, Hannah's blue eyes took in his features. He was a bit older than she expected, but the eyes, she decided, were just as she'd imagined them. Warm, but a little guarded. There was kindness there behind those walls. She couldn't deny that he was extremely handsome, and his smile warmed her right down to her toes. Her cheeks grew pink with a slight blush. "Hello, Din. It is wonderful, in fact." She had a sudden impulse to throw her arms around him. She was feeling emotional from the weight that of everyone on this planet he'd chosen her for this moment first. Being chosen first wasn't something Hannah had experienced much throughout her life. "Would you..." she stumbled over her words a little, "I mean, would it be terribly inappropriate of me to give you a hug?" The question made him both chuckle and pause. She was utterly adorable, yet at the same time it made him realize how little affection he'd ever really given or let himself receive. Any relationship he'd had, had been more about camaraderie and physicality than real adoration or emotion. He found himself wanting to change that. No matter how awkward it might feel at first. "I... think I would like that very much, Hannah." Hannah had continued to flush pink after asking her question, but at his answer, she immediately brightened. Her face lit up and without another moment's hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him. She'd never hugged anyone wearing armor before. It was new and strange, if not a little awkward. With or without the armor, though, she was still hugging him, and that meant something. She was always the one smiling brightly and offering a kind word to anyone who passed through her place. But that hadn't stopped Hannah from being incredibly lonely during her years here on Galador. Try as she might, she'd made very few meaningful connections. Perhaps that was why she kept her arms around him just a bit longer than necessary. Or maybe she sensed that he needed that touch as well. Either way, she held onto him with a smile and said softly, "I'm so glad you're here. You and the little one both." "Were both glad to be here too." Din admitted, giving her a light squeeze, you show he was as invested in the hug as she was. "This place is so confusing. So..." He hesitated, before letting himself be honest with her. "So scary... but any time we're around you it all just feels... right." His words caused a slight lump of emotion to rise in her throat. She felt right with him too. Unwilling to let him go, she clung to him a few moment longer before finally letting him go. "Well, I certainly hope that doesn't change any time soon. I plan to see a lot more of that face of yours." "Considering you're one of only two people here I trust implicitly with the kid... I'd say you can count on seeing us both a good deal." He held her, a little caught off-guard by the affection, but clearly not opposed to it either. Hannah was a genuine person, and a kind one at that. In his world, he might have scoffed at someone like her, calling her naive or gullible. But somehow.,.. here? It felt more like a good thing. "Hannah..." He said, trying to find the part of himself that was still capable of vulnerability, "We owe you a huge debt of gratitude. You've been... beyond good to us." Without allowing herself to think about it, Hannah impulsively reached out and took his hand. "I know I'll never experience anything like what you've been through. But I do..." her breath caught slightly in her throat. "I do know what it feels like to feel unsafe and alone. Ever since then, I've made it a goal to help others feeling that way whenever I can." She used her free hand to gesture at the building around them. "It's one of the reasons that I've tried so hard to make this place a safe harbor for everyone who needs it. I'm just happy that I could be there for you. Not only because I want to help, but also because I've genuinely grown to care for you." He wanted to change the subject. Or simply pretend he hadn't heard her. He didn't do 'emotion'. Hadn't since he was a kid. It was as good as leaving a bare patch in your armor: merely a weakness to be exploited against you. But he knew things had to change here. For himself and for his little clanmate, who he was now in charge of protecting and keeping safe. So he'd force himself to face the truth... both to himself and aloud. "I... feel exactly the same way, Hannah. The time we've spent together.... I've cherished it." She was good at reading emotions, and it wasn't difficult for her to sense his discomfort with their current level of vulnerability. It just meant that she appreciated his honestly all the more. She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze before letting go. "Thank you for saying so. I know that doesn't come easy to you." "I'm more afraid of saying or doing something that will inevitably mess this up." He said with a low chuckle, as he looked into her eyes. She was beautiful, almost ethereal in a way. "And I'd never want to make things hard on you." Hannah's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. Worrying about messing things up was usually her area of expertise. It caught her off guard that someone like him might be concerned about that too. It actually eased her a little, and she gave him a sweet smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't see that happening any time soon." "Good." He said, a tired yet charming smirk on his face. "Because things like this... peace, kindness, beauty... I'm not used to those even being a possibility. Where I'm from... it's violent. Cruel. Ugly. And I can honesty say that I don't even know where to start when it comes to having a peaceful life." "I hear food is an excellent place to start." She gave him an amused look. "And it just so happens I kept some stew warming on the stove in case you wanted to join me for a late supper." Unable to help himself, he cautiously used a hand to stroke her hair for just a few moments, looking deeply into her eyes. "Hannah... it would my my pleasure to have dinner with you." Butterflies. Hannah was overwhelmed for a moment with the sheer amount of butterflies she could feel dancing through her at that touch. At the way he looked into her eyes. For the moment, she forgot that anything else existed outside the two of them. Giving into her impulses before she could second guess them, Hannah leaned in and kissed him. It was soft and quick, barely more than a peck, but it was bold for her. That kiss. It was unexpected, amazing, and world-changing, all at once. While she was undoubtedly younger than him, he find himself intimidated. He felt as though she were all the things he never thought he could have. "You're a good woman, Hannah Abbott." She couldn't help but blush at the compliment. Then, as her instincts hadn't led her astray yet, she reached a hand up to lightly brush her thumb against his cheek. She wasn't quite sure what any of this meant for them, but she was suddenly excited by the prospect of finding out. "I'll go get our stew. You wait right here, and I'll be right back." |