You stared at the floor as you chewed your fingernails. It was a nervous habit you had picked up as a child.

The Mandalorian seemed to notice your uneasiness. You could practically feel his gaze burning into your forehead.

"Nervous?" He finally spoke, breaking the long period of silence.

You jumped, startled by his voice. Your cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as you quickly pulled your hand away from your mouth. "Y-Yeah..." You mumbled in response.

"Why? It should be a simple procedure."

His question caught you by surprise. In the short amount of time you'd known him, he had never been this inquisitive. He usually just nodded his head and didn't prod any further.

He's just curious, don't get all worked up about it . . . "I just... I don't really.. like being touched, y'know?" You said with a slight shrug. "Most of my experiences haven't been all that great... if you know what I mean."

The Mandalorian stared for a moment, processing what you had said to him. He shifted his position so that he was leaning with his back against the wall, his hidden gaze on you. You were almost afraid of what he was going to say.

"I won't let them do anything you aren't comfortable with." He said. You noticed that his hand had come to rest on his holstered blaster.

You were a little intimidated now. "Okay." You barely managed to squeak, all other words dying in your throat. It seemed strange that he was already willing to go to considerable lengths to protect you. Maybe he felt responsible for your safety? Who knows.

A door opened, shattering the silence. You flinched terribly, your gaze immediately shifting from The Mandalorian to the man standing in the doorway. He looked similar to Blaide, only he had curly blond hair and a clean-shaven face.

"Are you Jarren Wykes?" The Mandalorian questioned. His position had changed again. He was now standing upright, his hands gripping his belt. He seemed tense.

"What's it to you?" The man inquired as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"A man named Blaide sent us. Said you were a doctor." The Mandalorian said. He gestured to you with one hand. "She needs medical care."

"You look like a bounty hunter. Why do you have this woman in your possession?"

"I can pay with credits."

"Answer my question." The man pressed. You anxiously watched as his hand slid behind his back but couldn't find your voice to warn The Mandalorian.

The Mandalorian was silent for a moment. An intense staring match ensued between the two men and neither one of them seemed willing to back down.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, you couldn't take the pressure anymore and blurted out "He saved me!"

The man looked at you, a surprised expression on his face. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly pulled his hand back into view. "He did?"

"Y-Yes! I was running away from my master! He helped me escape!"

He frowned, then turned to look at The Mandalorian. "Is this true?"

The Mandalorian nodded.

"Well then." The man said, his tense posture loosening up. "My name is Jarren. I'm sorry for acting like that. My wife was recently taken by bounty hunters and I've been on edge ever since. Damn bastards..." He sighed heavily.

"They took your wife?" You asked, feeling horrible for him.

"Yeah. Snatched her up while she was outside gathering snow for us to boil." Jarren replied sadly. "I've looked everywhere for her. The recent snowfall has made it impossible to find their tracks."

You pursed your lip. "That's terrible! Surely we can do something to help, right?" You glanced expectantly at The Mandalorian, hoping he would have a heart and agree to help Jarren.

The Mandalorian was quiet, then sighed heavily. You could almost imagine him rolling his eyes under that helmet of his. "Fine. If you heal her wound and get her some suitable clothing, I'll help you find your wife."

Jarren's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you sir! You are very kind!" He bowed his head repeatedly in thanks before darting off to fetch some medical supplies.

You smiled, looking over at The Mandalorian. "I knew you had a heart." You said with a chuckle. He didn't seem too pleased. "Hey, since I don't know your name, can I just call you Mando?"

"No." He replied firmly.

"Well I'm going to call you that anyways." You teased. "Unless you tell me your real name!"

"Absolutely not."

"Alright, Mando it is!"

He just sighed and shook his head in dismay.

***

After patching you up, Jarren brought you fur-lined boots, pants, gloves, a nice hat, and a jacket from the local tailor. Everything fit loosely because of your thin figure, but you were just grateful to be warm again. Now you realized how hungry you were after sitting around for a while. It had been at least several hours since you last ate.

Mando agreed to discuss the details of the mission over a hot meal.

You noticed that he hadn't gotten anything for himself to eat. Then again, how was he supposed to with that tin can on his head? Mandalorians were so confusing sometimes.

"Why don't you take that off and eat something?" You asked.

Mando didn't look at you, focusing on getting the child settled and ready to eat. He acted like its father, which amused you. "I cannot remove it while in the presence of any living thing. No one has seen my face since I swore to the Creed."

"Why? What's so special about this Creed?"

He didn't get a chance to answer, not that he was going to anyways. Jarren had walked into the room with a bowl of bread and a folded piece of paper.

"How's the stew?" Jarren asked with a smile, taking a seat in the empty chair.

"Very good, thank you!" You said, nodding your head gleefully. The child cooed in approval, already reaching for the bread.

Mando took a piece of the bread and gave it to the child, his gaze not leaving Jarren. "What's the plan?"

Jarren unfolded the paper and laid it out. "This is a map of the village and the immediate surrounding area, which is about ten miles in each direction." He pointed to a large X that had been scratched onto the surface. "Here is the last place we found traces of the bounty hunters. Since then, a blizzard has swept through the area and covered everything with fresh snow."

"How will we track them? There are no footprints to follow." Mando inquired, leaning on the table.

"There are other ways to track them." Jarren said, smiling as he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small, hand-carved statue of some sort of bird. "This is a statue of a Quoboon. It's only native to this area, nowhere else."

"What's the significance?"

"You see, everything looks the same when it's covered by a blanket of snow. People have left the village to explore the wilderness and never returned. It is very easy to get lost out there, which is why the bounty hunters use these." Jarren explained, pointing to the statue. "They're like little path-markers to help them find their way back home."

"So if we find those statues, we'll find the bounty hunters." You chimed in, putting two and two together.

"Exactly." Jarren confirmed.

Mando didn't seem very convinced. "With no cover, it'll be impossible to sneak up undetected. How will we infiltrate their camp without alerting them?"

"Trust me, with your tracking expertise and my knowledge of the wilderness, they won't see us coming." Jarren replied confidently.

Mando sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then, sounds like a plan."

You were absolutely beaming out of excitement. You couldn't wait to see Mando in action, especially since you weren't really paying attention the first time he was forced into a firefight.