IT HAD BEEN A WHILE SINCE A SMILE had remained on Mia's features for this long. Satisfied after a warm get meal cooked by the villagers, they sat around a crackling fire beneath the stars.
She laughed as the village children caught fireflies sifting through the warm, night air.
The Mandalorian was graciously offered a hut to eat his food in solitude and comfort, but Mia couldn't help but feel a little lost without him by her side.
"I'll go check if he's done." Said the farmer boy, whose name she learned to be Talon.
"No, I'll go if it's okay." Mia stood from her seat on a tree log.
"Sure." Talon smiled.
Approaching the hut, she pressed a small knock on the door. "It's me."
"Come in."
Some small, impossible idea within her pictured him with his helmet off when she opened the door, but she stood staring at the same helmet head she'd grown so used to.
"Food was nice, huh?" She glanced at his empty plate.
"Something doesn't feel right." he paced, "They're being overly nice."
Mia rolled her eyes, "The galaxy is full of nice people. Just because you don't come across them often, doesn't mean you should be suspicious of them."
"I don't trust people, no matter who they are."
"Not even me?" she replied.
"Especially you."
She wasn't sure whether he was joking or not, but a small twang of hurt shot inside her. Mia was beginning to grow comfortable around the Mandalorian, but clearly he didn't feel the same way.
But as always, she intended to brush away her petty feelings with pointless humour.
"Is it because I kicked your ass?" She smirked.
"No, it's because you casually talk about pink Gloover flowers and Dinkle-Berry cakes while you sharpen your knives and soak your stars in poison." he folded his arms. "Your thought process scares me."
"And you think I trust some faceless, nameless man?" She gestured to him.
"I know you do."
Her eyes narrowed. There he was again, acting like he had the upper hand like he knew everything there was to know about her and she knew nothing of him. Which was almost true in its entirety.
"I came to ask if you wanted to sit with us by the fire," She scowled, "To heat up that cold, inhospitable tin-can of yours."
"Only if it warms your glacial heart."
He was amused and she was a second away from beating the shit out of him. But to avoid that, she quickly spun on her heel out of the hut, feeling his presence follow her.
They sat and watched the children capture the glowing creatures in glass jars and look at them in fascination.
The Mandalorian sneaked a glance at Mia, her honey-brown eyes lit with adoration. He could immediately picture her with children of her own, yet he knew it was not a likely path for a bounty hunter.
Perhaps she was like him, trapped in a life of solitude and mercilessness. Even though it was a life they hand-picked to live, it was one with harsh consequences.
The farmer, Talon, interrupted his thoughts.
"So you two are bounty hunters?" He roasted some nuts over the fire.
Mia nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her moment of mesmerisation coming to an end at his words. The Mandalorian despised him for it. The other villagers lulled into their own conversations around the camp.
"What are you after?" he asked.
"Private business." The Mandalorian cut him short. He didn't like this guy and his unnecessary intrusiveness.
"You're carrying Imperial Credits, you fans of the Empire?" His youthful smile masking the seriousness behind the question.
"I despised the Empire." Mia said.
Talon surveyed her with careful eyes, "Good."
"There was talk of Imperial invasion on Sorgan not too long ago." The Mandalorian turned to the farmer.
Talon nodded, "There was, but we eradicated them."
"You did?"
He didn't believe that this group of weaponless, simple farmers drove off an invasion of any kind.
"Yeah." said Talon, a challenging look in his eyes.
Mia didn't believe it either. She began to realise grudgingly that the Mandalorian may have been right, there was something uneasy about this place all of a sudden.
"Dessert?" Tolan grinned, holding out the tin of roasted nuts to the pair.
But before Mia could thank him and help herself, the Mandalorian spoke.
"She doesn't like Opix nuts." said his steely voice.
She blinked in confusion. Since when did the Mandalorian care about what she did and didn't like, let alone remember such a minor detail?
"Oh," Tolan withdrew, "Well, I could make some Jogan tea?"
"That's so kind of you, but—" Mia started.
"We should get some sleep." The bounty hunter rose to his feet.
"Sure, no problem, I'll show you to your huts." Tolan gestured them to follow him.
After following him to the edge of the small village, Tolan stopped between two huts. "These are yours, make yourselves comfortable."
"We'll just need one, thanks." Mando stepped past him into the hut on the right.
Mia stood, lips parted slightly as she turned to Tolan. She would deal with his rudeness later, "Thank you so much, you've been so kind to us."
"No problem," He hung his head in the direction of the hut, "He doesn't seem to happy."
"No," her shoulders fell in a sigh, "He never really does."
His eyes fell on her for a while, in an almost uncomfortably long stare. He stepped closer, his voice but a small whisper, "I'm glad you don't wear a mask."
She began to think that she could see herself settling with this farmer, caring for the land and living in utter carelessness. That idea was a mere fleeting moment; it faded in a flash.
A shiver ran down her spine as he reached up a hand, his fingers tracing her jawline. It wasn't a shiver of pleasure, but rather unease.
"I-I should get some sleep." Her lips forming a straight line.
Talon backed away, appearing to get the memo. "Well, let me know if you need anything." His lips stretched into a warm smile.
"Thanks again." She strained a smile.
The Mandalorian was unfastening his Amban rifle from his back a Mia stormed into the hut. Two single beds, a chair, and a table furnished the interior.
"I can cope with you being an asshole to me," Mia sat on one of the beds, taking her shoes off, "But these people have been nothing but nice to us."
He said nothing as he sat on the other bed, hands in his lap and legs stretched out before him.
"And for the record, I'm a big girl," She slipped under the woven blanket. If she wasn't so angry, she might have sighed in contentment at how comfortable the bed was. "I can sleep in my own hut."
"He could have separated us so that we'd become weaker targets."
"Weaker targets!? You sound ridiculous," She huffed, glancing up at the ceiling, her brown locks sprawled across the pillow. "Maybe he gave you your own hut so that you could sleep comfortably with your helmet off."
"I won't be getting much sleep, one of us has got to stay alert."
She groaned and turned to her side, her back facing him. "Well, I'm sleeping like a baby, because there's nothing to worry about."
"Sweet dreams." He mumbled sarcastically.
The last thing Mia remembered was shoving her middle finger in the air towards him before falling into a soundless, magnificent sleep.