Cordelia sits next to Din on the cart, the Child sitting between them. Cara sits across from them.
"So we're basically running off a band of Raiders for lunch money?" Cara asks after he explains what's going on.
"They're quartering us in the middle of nowhere." Din says.
"That's a pretty great deal for somebody in your position." Cordelia adds.
"Worst case scenario, you tune up your blaster. Best case, we're a deterrent. I can't imagine there's anything living in these trees that an ex-shock trooper couldn't handle." He says.
He leans back, resting his arms on the edge of the cart. Cordelia tries not to react to the cold metal pressing against her shoulders. After a few minutes, Cordelia adjusts her legs and hisses in pain.
"It's about time I rebandaged your leg." Din says, gesturing for her to bring it closer. She sighs and grabs the first-aid kit from its crate before setting her leg in his lap. He gently rolls her pantleg up and removes the bandage. Cara whistles.
"How'd you get that?" She asks.
"The man who put the bounty on my head. Wanted information I didn't have." She explains. She gasps and grabs Din's arm. "I forgot to tell you! Apparently, I have a brother. He must be pretty important because that's all he wanted to know about." Cara and Din both chuckle at her excitement.
"Do you remember anything about him now?" Din asks. She sighs and shakes her head with a frown on her face. She watches as he finishes bandaging her leg.
"Thanks." She says, moving back to her seat next to him. The Child climbs into her lap, curling up against her stomach. She smiles down at him and rubs his back until he falls asleep. She feels herself starting to grow tired, too, relaxing against the side of the cart.
"Sleep. You're safe." Din says quietly. She nods and lets her eyes close, quickly drifting off.
***
When Cordelia wakes up in the morning, she feels a heavy weight across her waist and something hard and cold against her back. She opens her eyes and sees Din's arm around her waist. She had shifted in her sleep until her back was pressed into his side and he must've moved his arm in his sleep.
A throat clears across from her and she sees Cara staring. She blushes and quickly moves away, being careful not to wake him or the Child. Cordelia points a finger at the other woman.
"Not a word." She says. Cara nods, grinning. They look around as the cart comes to a stop, waking Din. Children run towards, yelling happily to each other. Cordelia smiles at them, waving.
"Well, looks like they're happy to see us." Din says. The Child coos at the children, who talk excitedly about him.
"Give us some space so we can get down and then he can go play with you, all right?" Cordelia tells them. The kids yell excitedly and move back, pushing each other to move faster. She laughs and climbs out of the cart. She grabs the Child and sets him on the ground, kneeling next to him. "Go on and play. Mando and I will be close by." She tells him. He coos excitedly and walks towards the other kids.
Once everything is moved off the cart, one of the villagers points Cordelia and Din towards the building they will be staying in with the Child. Din carries the crate, as he told Cordelia she still wasn't allowed to carry anything heavy. They reach it and see a woman, Omera, inside.
"Please come in." She says. They move inside and Din sets the crate down. "I hope this is comfortable for you. Sorry that all we have is the barn." Cordelia hears the Child cooing behind them and turns to see him walking in after them.
"This will do fine." Din tells the woman.
"I stacked some blankets over here." She says.
"Thank you." Cordelia says. She watches as a child moves into the doorway. Din quickly spins around, ready to attack. "Mando!" She says, moving in front of him and grabbing his arms. "It's all right, she's just a child." She says. Omera pulls the girl to her side, standing in the doorway.
"This is my daughter, Winta. We don't get a lot of villagers around here. She's not used to strangers." She explains. She looks down at her daughter. "This nice man and his wife are going to help protect us from the bad ones." Cordelia blushes at the use of the word wife, but neither she nor Din correct her.
"Thank you." Winta says quietly. Din nods and Cordelia smiles at the girl.
"Come on, Winta. Let's give our guests some room." Omera says, taking Winta's hand and leading her away. Cordelia scoops the Child up and sets him down in the crib left in the room. She and Din get to work unpacking. After a while, there's a voice at the doorway.
"Knock, knock." Omera says.
"Come in." Din says. Cordelia turns to see Omera entering with a tray filled with food. She sets it down and Winta joins her, looking at the Child. She looks up at her mother, who nods.
"Can I feed him?" She asks. Cordelia and Din look at each other.
"Sure." He says. Cordelia smiles as she watches the girl kneel in front of the Child, holding up a piece of food.
"Are you hungry?" She asks him.
"He's always hungry." Cordelia tells her. The Child opens his mouth and Winta giggles as he eats the food. She looks up at Cordelia.
"Can I play with him?" She asks.
"Of course." She says. She lifts him out of the crib and sets him on the ground.
"Come on." Winta giggles, running out of the barn. The Child follows after her and Din moves to follow.
"I don't think-" He starts to say. Cordelia stops him with a hand on his chest.
"I'll keep an eye on them. Eat." She says, pointing to the food Omera brought. She leaves the barn and moves closer to the group of kids playing with the Child. Winta runs up and grabs her hand.
"Come play!" The girl says. Cordelia laughs and lets her pull her into the circle of kids dancing around the Child. Cordelia is completely unaware of the man in the barn watching her affectionately as she entertains the children. They play all sorts of games until it starts to get dark and they return to their homes.
Cordelia enters the barn with the Child in her arms. Her hair is wild and face flushed from playing with the kids all afternoon. She sets the Child in the crib and he almost instantly falls asleep.
"Have fun?" A voice asks. She jumps, having forgotten that Din was inside.
"You scared me!" She says, turning towards his voice. She spots him sitting on the bed, only in his black base layer of clothes and helmet. "Yes, I did have fun. Children have very active imaginations." She says. She looks around for the other bed, but can't find one. "Um, Din?" She says. He sighs.
"There was only one bed available. I'll move to the floor." He says, starting to move.
"No!" She says quickly, louder than she intended. She blushes. "I mean, I don't mind sharing if you don't. We're both adults, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable." She says. He doesn't say anything, just lifts the blanket. She strips off her top layers until she's just in her shirt and pants.
She slips into the bed next to him, being careful to leave space between them. Din settles the blanket over them and lays down.
"Goodnight, Din." She whispers, closing her eyes.
"Goodnight, Delia." He whispers back. She smiles at the new nickname as she quickly falls asleep.