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[singlespacedad]

This is Mando.

[And then a beep.]

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[singlespacedad]

[Indeed, the door does appear to have survived the onslaught. Mando watches Riz hop around for a moment, then reaches out to try and take the bags.]

Give me those before you drop them. Now what do you need help with?

[nightyorb]

[Oh yes. With his arms free of the bags, it's much easier to quickly pull the knots out of his shoelaces and kick his shoes off at the door.]

I need you to help me decorate.

[If Mando cares to glance down, he'll be able to see there are lights, lights and more lights in the bags -- regular string lights, a few lanterns, white lights, coloured lights. It's like Riz raided the Christmas lights bin at the pokemon goodwill, which is actually exactly what he did. There are extension cords too.]

[singlespacedad]

[Mando does indeed check out those bags, and good lord, Riz, the apartment isn't that big! Where are all of these going to go?]

All right.

[He's not opposed to the idea, mind you, just a little baffled at the sudden enthusiasm.]

I didn't realise you liked lights so much.

[nightyorb]

I don't.

[He doesn't mind lights, but the dark is definitely more his style. Especially if it is the kind of moody noir dark.]

It's for Boober. He told me how they celebrate back in his world, and I figured we could decorate the place for him like Fraggles do.

[Riz knows Boober misses his friends. And he isn't good with words or anything, but putting in the work and effort to make the apartment look like Night of the Lights (or what he understands of it, at least) is within his ability.]

[singlespacedad]

Ah, okay.

[So this is for Boober, is it? Mando is definitely smiling under his helmet, Riz, deeply amused and touched by everything they're about to do for their friend.]

We should probably start by untangling these lights. And then decided where we're going to hang them.

[nightyorb]

[Riz nods, plucking the bags from Mando's arms so he can move over to the kitchen table, turning them over. Thankfully, Riz is very familiar with the task of untangling yarn, so this shouldn't be too difficult, right?]

I figure we could put them all over the ceiling. It sounds like that's how Fraggles do it. They don't have a Solstice tree or anything.

[singlespacedad]

[Famous last words.]

The lights on trees look nice. But if you think Boober would rather have them up on the ceiling, we can do it that way.

[We meaning mostly Mando, since there's no way Riz can reach the ceiling. Mando sits down across from Riz and picks up a strand to start working on.]

[nightyorb]

[Riz just nods absently, his tongue poking out just slightly from behind his teeth as he works to unravel the mess of lights.]

I think so yeah. I mean, you saw how tiny he is normally. Fraggles couldn't move a whole tree even if they wanted to.

[Maybe they could decorate a branch or something?]

[singlespacedad]

[Mando is quiet for a few minutes, working on his own tangled string of lights.]

Did you get any nails or anything to hang these?

[Or does he need to make another run to the store?]

[nightyorb]

There's tape in there. And I figured we could use the lamp and stuff. We'd probably lose the security deposit if we started putting nails in the ceiling.

[singlespacedad]

[Mando looks up at the ceiling. Behind his helmet, the wheels are turning. Furious, dad-like wheels.]

I could fix any holes we put up there.

[But no, Riz has tape. There's no need to start a half-cocked mini-construction project. Besides, they don't have that long until Boober gets home.]

[nightyorb]

[Riz's attention isn't on the ceiling. Instead, he's furiously working on getting the lights untangled, his tongue poking out from behind his teeth. It isn't too dissimilar to getting his yarn untangled.]

Yeah, but you know how landlords get sometimes. They've got a second sense for finding something to keep the security deposit over.

[singlespacedad]

Too bad we don't have a place of our own.

[Mando turns his attention back to the lights.]

[nightyorb]

[At that, Riz goes still and quiet, his shoulders hunching a little. Finally he says--]

I don't wanna stay here long enough to start needing our own place.

[Renting is fine, but actually owning real estate feels too permanent. Like he has given up on going home.]

[singlespacedad]

You know, I've never had a place of my own.

[Besides his ships, of course, and it had hurt like hell finding the shattered remains of the Razor Crest. But an actual home? Nah, not since the Empire barrelled into his small town and he became a Mandalorian.]

If Grogu was here... I don't know. I don't know how long I could stay here with him.

[nightyorb]

Even if my mom and all my friends were here, I wouldn't wanna stay here. This world... it's just too weird.

[He hates that he cannot be a goblin, that so much of what he has always considered normal and expected is just completely gone here. The pokemon are nice enough little creatures, but not enough for him to want to stay.]

[singlespacedad]

Yeah.

[It makes sense, on some level. If Mando had to be an Ugnaut or something in this world, he's not too sure how much he'd like it either.]

I miss my ship. And my guns.

[And obviously Grogu, but he already mentioned him.]

But it wouldn't be a bad place to raise a kid. It's peaceful enough, and I wouldn't have to worry about every former Empire goon trying to grab him all the time.

[nightyorb]

[Riz thinks that over for a moment. Safety is nice and all but--]

Yeah, but, he wouldn't be able to be himself, right?

[From how Mando had described him, his kid had sounded... goblin-esque. Who knows, maybe he is too young to care about that sort of stuff, but Riz wouldn't want to give up being who he is just to be safe.

(he also doesn't trust that this place is really safe anyway)]

[singlespacedad]

He'd be turned into a human, yeah. But... that might be easier for him?

[It's hard to describe.]

He's the only one of his race in the entire galaxy, as far as anyone knows. He'll always be different, his entire life. That won't stop him from becoming a Jedi, or a Mandalorian, but...

[Mando shrugs.]

He'll always be on the outside because he's different. Here, he could just be a kid.

[nightyorb]

[Riz scoffs a little.]

That should be his decision though. Other people shouldn't get to decide for you what might make your life easier.

[He looks up at Mando.]

Not saying that's what you are doing, but that's what would happen if he'd live here.

[singlespacedad]

I know. And if he wanted to go home, I'd try to find a way to take him home.

[As opposed to how Mando has pretty much given up on trying to get home and is just vibing in Pokemon world these days. It's much easier to be here and not have to think about uniting Mandalore or whatever it is he's supposed to do with that damn lightsaber. Assuming, of course, Boba Fett doesn't get them both killed over a scrap of a town on a shitty planet.]

But I'd like him to have the option. And for him to get a chance to make that choice.

[nightyorb]

Nobody here gets a choice.

[Riz's hands tighten on the strings of light, his voice edged with a hiss.

Unlike Mando, Riz still desperately wants to go home. He's looked into every vague rumour he heard about going home, but unfortunately none had panned out. More likely than not, he needs to wait until Adaine and the others break him free from this place, and it rankles that he just cannot take care of things himself.]

[singlespacedad]

No, we don't.

[But Mando knows that having that choice taken away is a lot easier for some people than others.]

[He stays quiet for a few minutes, just untangling wires and laying them aside, before pushing back from the table and standing up.]

I'm making some coffee. What size mug do you want?

[Because come on, it's not like Riz doesn't want any.]

[nightyorb]

Like you really gotta ask.

[The biggest one they've got, of course.]

[singlespacedad]

I really don't.

[So yeah, while the coffee is brewing, Mando will rescue Riz's enormous, chipped mug from the bottom of the sink and give it a quick wash.]

Once you've got a string untangled, I can go get started in the hallway.