NIA'S POV

The evening was long and tiresome. Storms rolled in from the west as heavy rain and thunderstorms poured down onto the streets of the partially damaged village. The clinic was packed with injured residents. Several broken noses, some lacerations, a few puncture wounds, and many others with burnt skin, bruises and cuts. Maya and Caid did their best with those who had minor injuries, while Nia focuses on the more critical treatments.

However, being a skilled Force-healer doesn't change the fact that it still drains her energy. Her master's healing crystal has definitely helped speed things up, but it's still very exhausting. Today, sons are left without fathers, and mothers are left without a sons. Several residents have died and homes were damaged, but still, the battle could've ended very differently. The whole town would have been destroyed if Mando wasn't here to help her, which she is utterly grateful for.

When she walks out of the clinic for a quick break away from the mayhem, she is surprised to see the Mandalorian helping to lift up a large pillar of lumber with a group of men. He's clearly not used to manual work, but he's reliable and a fast learner as he helps repair one of the mangled homes. Nia couldn't help but snicker to herself after seeing him curse while he keeps having to redo the same wall over and over again. He has to be very uncomfortable out there in the rain, especially with all that armor on, but he gets it done. She has to admire his honesty and warm heart. He was a good partner today, had her back even though she is literally his bounty. He is an honorable man and compassionate in the right moments. However, she didn't realize she was staring when Maya walked up from behind, starling her and making her jump.

"Hey, is there something going on between you two?" She asked with a huge grin on her face.

"I don't know what you mean," Nia snapped back, wanting to prevent the older woman from questioning her further.

"Oh come on Asra. I'm 75 years old. I see how you look at him and how you two behave around each other. I don't think I've ever seen you like this before."

"He was a big help today, that's all. Could not have saved the town without him, and of course Max and the others."

"I think it's more than that, isn't it?" Maya says as she nudged her shoulder.

"Oh don't be ridiculous," Nia rolled her eyes as she headed back inside.

DIN'S POV

This sucks. Why does it have to rain right now? It's been a rough few hours for Din as he was asked to assist with the repairs on one of the homes from the battle. He's not used to this type of work, although he's used to rough conditions and can withstand intense high and low temperatures, but this is not the same thing. Last time he had to go through manual labor like this was when he got punished as a young teenager during his days in the Fighting Corps.

He's never actually put up an entire wall on a house before and it's really frustrating him. He has used tools many times before whenever he's repairing his ship, but not trying to keep a wall up from falling over! The rain is making everything slippery and difficult. The residents are in a hurry to get this up to avoid further water damage. After several hours, the house is finally covered from the rain and safe for the family to move back in. There's more work to be done in the town tomorrow, as well as his ship, but at least he's not stuck inside that clinic all day doing nothing.

Thinking of the clinic, he wonders how Nia is doing with all those injured people. They way she interacts with people, the way she waits until the right moment to say the right thing. How well she reads people and makes them feel at ease. He knows all too well how her presence can soothe a lonely heart. She is thoughtful and trustworthy at her core. She healed a reluctant and hostile man, a fierce bounty hunter who she knew was looking for her, and she did it without question or hesitation. She is dedicated to her values and he respects her tremendously as a capable fighter, a devoted healer, and as a woman. What more could he ask for?

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As nightfall came, Nia finally got an opportunity to break away from her duties as she walks into the cantina and sits at the bar. The entire place is empty, except for Max of course, who is ecstatic and sorrowful with everything that had happened.

"Poor Daslan. He didn't stand a chance out there. All he had was a bed post, ya know?! I tried to help him but I'm the only one in town who had an actual weapon, apart from you and the Mandalorian of course. I told you he would help if you'd ask! Good thing too, not sure how the village would have survived without you and him. The three of us made a good team today," Max says as he pours a blue-colored alcoholic beverage, then sets its down in front of her. "Here Asra, anything you want is on the house."

"Thank you, Max. I never thought you knew how to shoot. It was great to have you with us," Nia says as she takes a sip of the drink.

"Yeah. Most bartenders keep a gun under the table. You never know what riff-raff you'll meet, particularly those who wander in from off world," Max explains as the door suddenly opens and a wall of shimmering beskar steps inside.

"And there he is! Whatever you want is on the house, Mando! Drinks, food, a room upstairs, anything you want is yours!" Max shouted as Mando walks in, his thick flight suit and armor is dripping wet as he sits down next to Nia at the bar.

"Thank you," he says gently as Max tosses him a glass of the same blue liquor.

"How about a toast!" Max cries out as he lifts up his own glass of spotka.

"Oh, he's probably not going to - " Nia begins to say but Mando grabs his glass and lifts it up but says nothing.

"To the two rescuers!" Max continues as Nia lifts up her glass as well, slightly confused with Mando's behavior. Is he really going to drink in front of them?

When Max downs his drink, she looks over at Mando and she is astonished by what she sees. He lifts up his helmet just high enough for her to see his golden skin, some facial hair on his jaw, and even some dark stubble on his upper lip. She gasps at the sight and stares at how quickly he tosses the drink down his throat, then rests his glass back down onto the table. It was like a hallucination and she almost forgot where she is.

"Aren't you going to drink, Asra?" Max asked, disrupting her trance. Mando's helmet turns towards her and she realized she was glaring at him.

"Oh, yes...Of course," she mumbled as she downs her drink rather quickly. "Max, do you still have that famous steak dinner?"

"For my two favorite guests, of course I do. I'll be right back," Max says as he walks into the back room towards the kitchen.

"Max makes the best steak, way better than the fancier restaurant down the road," Nia tells Mando but he remains quiet.

Max quickly returns and says, "Two steaks coming right up!"

"I'll take mine upstairs," Mando finally says in a firm voice.

"Of course! Room three is my best one," Max says as he ducks underneath the table and takes out a keycard, then places it on the bar table in front of Mando. "Here's the key. I'll bring your food up to you if you want to go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you," he says shortly as he grabs the keycard, stands up.

"Before you leave, we should sync up our vambraces. In case you need anything," Nia offered.

Mando doesn't respond as he begins punching buttons on his vambrace as Nia does the same on hers. Then he softly says 'Good Night' before spinning around and heading towards the back of the cantina then disappearing up the stairs.

NIA'S POV

He is either annoyed with something, or perhaps he's just exhausted, or maybe it's a little of both. It's probably best to leave him alone. Yet, she knows that one day he will leave and she would never see him again. This makes her sad. She never thought she would ever feel this way, especially about one of her patients. But he's not just any regular patient, she knew him as a child long ago. Whilst they barely spoke as children, she does remember him as a helmetless little boy with dark eyes and brown wavy hair. Perhaps she is more lonely than she thought she was. Din is a temporary existence in her life, this is what she keeps having to remind herself of over and over again. However, she has to push the thoughts away as Max is walking up to her carrying a plate of hot food.

DIN'S POV

It wasn't his intention to be rude, but he is simply too tired and soaked from the rain to spend the evening with them. Besides, it's best to avoid Nia as much as possible. Getting close to her is dangerous, but he kept wanting to be nearer to her, like there's a gravitational force pulling them together. He takes out the silver ball and rolls it in his fingers, contemplating the last time his emotions got in the way of his hunting, and how much it hurt him when the child left. Once Max brought up his food, he quickly ate everything on his plate and removed his wet clothes. It was in fact the best steak he'd ever eaten. In fact, everything here was the best he'd ever experienced. The food, the people, the healer's touch....but he knows he must leave without her. To save himself from further heartbreak. He'll have to come up with a lie. Tell Karga that she died or that he simply could not find her. That'll work, right?

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Midnight arrives as the village turns into a ghost town. A single rancor is still seen north of the settlement, peacefully slumbering under one of the large mushroom trees at the edge of the jungle. The rain had finally stopped, and the smoke is no longer visible through the darkness of the night. The sounds of the usual nocturnal insects are heard chirping, the smell of burnt wood fills the air, and torches are seen lit up by the front doors of homes in this quaint little town.

NIA'S POV

Nia enters her single story studio-sized home, takes off her vambraces, lightsaber and spear, then prepares for a nice long shower. As the hot water runs down her face and body, she is reminded of a song from her childhood. It's strange how someone she's not known for very long can have such an effect on her. She knows he won't hurt her or turn her in. She respects him. It wasn't his responsibility to save the town, but he did anyway. She wants to somehow show him how thankful she is and make him feel good. But he seems so lost, uncertain and emotionally detached. It was meant to be a one-time thing! She keeps having to remind herself of that. A Mandalorian bounty hunter and a wanted Force User are meant to be enemies, nothing more! Revealing to the town that she has a lightsaber was a already a risk and she knows she can't stay here for long. A day will come when she needs to leave this place. But tonight, she still has her home and her nightly tea to relax to.

DIN'S POV

After he took a shower, sleep didn't come to him right away. He stayed up at first, cleaning his armor and weapons. He wonders if she is still awake. He could put his helmet on to check. Her home is literally right next door, and his helmet's sensors are highly sensitive and could easily pick up her sounds or heat signature from this distance. He knows it's an invasion of her privacy, but if he simply wants to hear her voice one more time before he goes to bed. Fuck it! He puts his helmet on and turns up the volume and to his surprise, she is still awake. He then hears her beautiful voice singing like an angel. It's not an ordinary song. She is singing a lullaby in Mando'a. This reminded of him of his childhood. How she was so quiet and never socialized with anyone. Oh maker! He just realized she's in the fucking shower! This was disrespectful. He has to actively force himself to remove his helmet and try to sleep. It seems he was more exhausted than he thought, because the moment his head touched the pillow, he finally fell asleep.