I couldn't ignore my stomach rumbling forever. Usually I was eating two or three times a day. And here I was, almost a full day without so much as a drop of a water. I suppose helmet man knew it was time to call it a night when he finally stopped in the middle of nowhere. He sat down and turned to face me. I frowned at him.
"So….?" "What?" "So, how does this work?" I asked a bit impatiently; I was more than a little hangry. "How does what work?" Helmet man finally inquired, setting his gun down at his side. "Well…. not to sound ignorant on the whole kidnapping thing but aren't you at least supposed to feed me or something?" "You're not a child." "No, I'm a woman you abducted from her home. I have no idea how to find food out here; and don't get me started on water."
Helmet man sighed like he was exhausted. He's tired? "If you're hungry, you must fend for yourself," he then told me in an exasperated tone. I rolled my eyes. I mean I'm not sure what's even edible around here; if I can find anything, that is. Realizing that food wasn't part of this kidnapping deal, I went to search for some berries or something. I didn't go far, though I could feel his eyes on me from time to time. It took me a long time to find some water in the dark; forget about food.
After a while of combing and finding nothing but a few mouth-fulls of water, I returned to the fire helmet man had now built. I got back just in time to catch him doing something to his arm; there was apparently a scratch on it I'd never seen over. I don't know what he was trying to do- whatever it was, it looked and sounded painful. Realizing that he was injured, however, set my healing instincts into drive. He paused for a moment as I approached him gazing down at his arm.
"What are you doing?" He asked as I knelt down beside him. "You're hurt," I stated matter-of-factly. His eye train rolled down to the bloody wound. "It's nothing. Go find yourself some food," he tried to shoo me away. Too bad I was too concentrated on his arm. I raised my right hand up without thinking, ready to touch it when all of a sudden, my brain stopped me dead in my tracks.
Wait, what am I doing? I can't use my Force healing; he doesn't know what the Force is, and I'm not supposed to tell him. How could explain myself if I healed his wound right now? Still, I can't do nothing….. He's hurt; I can't not help him in some way or form. That's when I got an idea.
Helmet man merely observed perplexed as I proceeded to tear off the bottom end of my shirt. "Here," I wrapped it around the wound on his arm. Now, we both knew that wouldn't do much, but it was better than nothing. It would have to do until I could consult Master or Yoda about which herbal remedies to mix up and apply. Nugh, life would be so much easier if he only knew about the Force and its healing abilities.
Of course, he didn't appear at all impressed by this. "That won't do anything," he said in his classic stoic voice. "It'll have to do until I find something better," I shrugged, leaning back from him. "I don't need your help," helmet man then claimed. A small smile grew across my lips as I continued looking at him. "I know…."
This seemed to fluster helmet man momentarily as he glanced at the light in a thoughtful manner. "Did you eat anything?" He eventually asked me. "No, I couldn't find anything. Just some water," I let out a sigh. When he didn't reply, I turned to face him again. "What about you? Are you hungry or thirsty?" A pregnant pause proceeded. "I'll eat later." "Ok," I peered at the light as well. If he says so….
Ok, the silence was starting to get to me. He didn't have to talk about himself, so long as he spoke about anything. I stole a peak at helmet man through the corner of my eyes once more. What a resigned fellow…. "Can I ask you something?" I inquired. "No." Yeah right; like that's gonna stop me. "Can you at least tell me where we're going?" "You'll find out soon enough." Ugh. "Is it far from here?" "A ways." "Will it take us long to get there?" "No more questions." "But you literally haven't told me anything. Do you even have a ship?" "Not yet." I huffed and threw up my hands. He was going to tell me diddly squat. Some balancing act this was.
Things only got worse and more awkward when my stomach thought now was the perfect time to rumble again- loudly. This time helmet man heard it and he glanced my way; I silently stared back at him while holding my stomach. It was as if he was contemplating the situation to himself at the moment. To my mild surprise, he peered down at the bandage on his arm briefly. He sighed to himself, glancing out into nowhere. Then, to my greater shock, he got up and rolled his hands into fists. I blinked up at him puzzled but didn't say anything.
"Stay here. I'll find you something to eat." "Y-you will?!" I gasped startled. "Just stay put. I won't go far," he instructed before setting off into the night. True to his word, he remained close enough for me to watch him, or at least the outline of his person. All the while, I stayed close to the flames while hugging my knees into my chest. He's an odd one, this helmet man. One moment he's telling me to fend for myself, and the next he's forging for food. I guess I'm his precious target and it would be bad if I starved on his hands. The world's smallest grin rolled naturally across my lips as I continued to passively observe. Still….. There's always a "still" when it comes to him I'm slowlys discovering.