Blaster fire rang out, red beams splitting through the otherwise still night.
"I'm pinned down," the woman called to her partner. "Mando, where are you?!"
With her blaster clutched tightly in her hands Ayva carefully peeked around the door frame. One of the bandits pointed his gun at her before and fired again, the bolt zooming just past her face. Her ears rang and her anxiety of getting captured grew by the minute. She gasped and fired a stray shot through the door, hoping to discourage their descent down the hall before she began to shout again, her voice frantic now. "Mando?!"
"Ayva!" The modulated voice wrapped around her, forcing her back toward the door. She peeked around the door frame again, watching as Mando took the guards down the hall out in a matter of seconds.
Heat pooled in her stomach at the confident way he strode over to her, despite the fear that steadily pumped through her veins, the blaster still pointed as he scanned the rooms around them.
Before she knew what was happening Mando grasped her shoulders, his hands tight on her shoulders, as his helmet searched for any injuries. He sighed, his soft voice a stark contrast from the way he held himself. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm okay."
A crash sounded from downstairs as another wave of bandits swarmed the building, their footsteps thundering up the stairs toward them. The woman turned to her companion, her eyes wide with worry. "What are we doing, here, Mando?"
The Mandalorian glanced around the room, the modulator accentuating just how hard his breath was leaving him. His shoulders rose and fell with exertion and as he stalked carefully around the room, looking for an escape route. "There's too many to fight off," he admitted quietly, his gaze trained on the door. "We have to go."
Ayva nodded her head quickly and moved past the doorway to the other side of the room. She peeked her head out of the window, flinching when she saw just how far the drop was. "Jumping isn't going to be an option for us here."
Mando grunted and pointed his blaster toward the door as he moved, coming to look at just how far they'd need to fall. "We can do it."
"Stars," she gasped. "Mando, I don't know, that's -"
"Do you trust me?" He asked quickly, already snaking his arm around her waist. One of his hands locked her tightly to his side while the other steadily fired shots down the hallway when the first few bandits began to fill it.
She stood stock-still, her heart racing painfully in her chest. "I-I -"
"Do you trust me," he asked again, his voice barely louder than a whisper. It was soft, comforting - tender. "Ayva?"
"Yes." She nodded. The adrenaline that pumped through her veins emboldened her and she leaned further onto him and whispered, "I trust you. Mando I adore yo-"
Mando grunted, cutting her off as he shoved his blaster into the holster. He gave her a quick, final, nod and flung himself out the window - the screaming woman tucked tightly against the beskar on his chest.