We all woke up to the sound of people- namely children- running towards the cart. The children first looked at Mando, the Carl, and finally me. "Well, looks like they're happy to see us," Mando sounded a tad relieved. "Looks like," Carl agreed with a side grin.
The village was…. primitive, but in a charming sort of way. One of the farmers led us to a place where we could stay for the night; or at least I think it was only for a night. Mando had neglected to tell me how long we'd be staying here for. The woman who owned the hut made up one of the rooms for us. She was rolling up some blinds when we arrived. "I hope this is comfortable for you. Sorry that all we have is the barn." "This'll do fine," Mando told her. Acknowledging this, she smiled over at me; I was right behind Mando upon entering the small place. I hadn't realized I was still in the door's threshold at the moment.
"I stacked some blankets over here for you, and I have a change of clothes if you'd like," the nice lady said. This caused me smile back at her warmly. "Thank you so much for letting us stay here; I really appreciate it." "It's no trouble, dear. Just let me know if you need anything…. you, or your husband," she tacked on at the end. "Uhhhhhhhh…" I was about to gently correct her, blushing furiously as I did so, before….
We both flinched at Mando's suddenly turning forward in a defensive, ready-to-attack manner. Then we spun around to see one of the young girls reaching out for me; she looked just as startled as we did. The woman frowned a bit and walked over to stand beside her frightened daughter; her arms wrapped around her protectively. "This is my daughter, Winda. We… don't get a lot of visitors here." "Hi, Winda," I bent down so to be at her eye level; I also made sure to flash her a reassuring, brilliant grin. Huh, it just then dawned on me…. This was my first time ever speaking to a child before. I didn't really know how to speak to them, but I already knew that I liked her. From the first moment I saw her, I knew I liked her.
"She's not used to strangers," Winda's mother explained to us before addressing her daughter. "These nice people are going to help protect us from the bad men." "Thank you," Winda said in a small voice. I smiled; of course I smiled. She sounded so cute! Mando's head gave a single, almost uncomfortable nod. "Come on, Winda. Let's give our guests some room," taking her by the hand, Winda and her mother then left us alone. I gazed back to Mando with sincere eyes. "They're nice." "Yes, they are….."
Late, the Mandalorian was busy fiddling with his disintegrator while I was nibbling on some food on the bed beside him. "Knock, knock," we both glanced to see the nice lady, along with Winda, entering the hut again. She had a tray with some food in her hands. "Come in," Mando said. The lady and I smiled at each other. Actually, she's the only other woman I've ever met in my life too. Lots of firsts today.
"Thank you for the food." "It's no trouble. Is there anything else I can bring you?" The mother asked me. I brushed a few stray hairs behind my ear. "Actually, there is something. I would loooooove a bath; I haven't bathed in days. Just some soap would be nice." The mother laughed and even the daughter giggled; Mando didn't seem to get it. "There's a very nice spring just beyond the forest line. It's very private; you'll be able to bathe in peace there." "Really?!" My eyes lit up. By now, Mando was definitely listening as he had stopped playing with his weapon. "I'll bring you some towels," the mother grinned. "Oh, thank you! I can't wait to be clean!" My hands excitedly rolled into fists. "Can I come?" Winda asked me. "Sure! I have no idea where it is anyway." Winda grinned, taking my hand in hers. "Come on! I'll show you the way!" And as we exited the hut, Mando took a worried step forward; his hand reached out in front of him.
"Wait, Saoirse. I don't think…." "She'll be fine," the nice woman cut him off before he could stop us. Thank goodness; nothing was getting between me and cleanliness right now. But Mando wasn't done yet. He looked at the lady, still obviously concerned. "I don't…." "She'll be fine," she reassured him again, gently lowering his raised arm. That was the last time I heard or saw the Mandalorian until I was freshly washed and scrubbed a few hours later. The time in between now and then was interesting, to say the least.