You noticed he seemed pretty serious about his job, so you toned your excitement down a bit and put on a neutral expression. "Well, a few days ago this group of bandits raided our village and took some of our weapons and food rations. We've been trying to track them down, but it's nearly impossible." You said, trying to see if he was interested or not. With that stupid helmet covering his head, you couldn't tell if he was intrigued by your offer. So much for that. "So, think you can track them down for us and get our stuff back?"

"That doesn't seem like much of a job. What's the reward?"

Shit. You forgot that he would probably want a reward, as all bounty hunters did in exchange for work. Your serious attitude immediately deflated and you found yourself fumbling for words. "Um.." You tried to come up with something, nervously tugging on the collar of your shirt. "I-I could offer you a safe place to stay.... and.. oh, and some credits!"

"How many credits?"

"The most I can give you is 250 credits." You could almost imagine the scowl that must be overtaking his features right now. How much more did he want?

"That's not enough."

You threw up your hands in dismay, a bit annoyed with him now. "I have to support myself too, y'know! I have a job! And we need those food rations! People can't afford to wait until the next harvest!" You said with a huff, feeling bold as you got all up in his face. The longer he stood there and stared at you, the more anxious you felt. Was he going to do something or was he just thinking? You nervously chewed on your lip for a moment before backing off, crossing your arms over your chest. This guy had some real nerve to be asking for more money. "Fine. I can give you 300 credits, a place to stay, and food. Is that enough for you?"

He slightly tilted his head, your own reflection in the beskar flashing mockingly at you. His armor made a soft clinking noise when he straightened up. "I suppose so." He finally said after a moment of silence. Without another word, he simply nodded and started to leave.

"Wait!" You called out, darting after him as he walked away. He was a surprisingly fast walker. That or your legs were just shorter than his. "You don't even know where to look! Let me come with you!" You exclaimed.

"No." He sharply replied, continuing his pace as if you weren't there.

"But how will you find your way around? You'll get lost!" You pressed, frowning at him. You didn't know why you suddenly felt the need to come with him. Maybe you just wanted to impress him or something. "I can lead you to the last place we saw them!"

You nearly ran into him when he abruptly stopped and swiveled around on his heel. Suddenly feeling rather small in his presence, you quickly took a step back and smiled nervously. His silence only made you more anxious.

After what felt like an eternity of silence, he let out a heavy sigh of what you assumed to be annoyance. "Fine. Just don't get in the way." He muttered firmly, still glaring at you from underneath his helmet. He then turned around and continued forward, not even waiting for you to comprehend what he said.

You bit back a slight squeal of excitement and trotted after him, a wide grin on your face. Finally, some real action! You were going on a bounty hunt with a real bounty hunter! Sure, he was a bit grumpy, but you were beginning to like him!

———

"Sooo... that's a Mandalorian helmet, right? Is it made out of beskar? Does that mean you're a true Mandalorian? Do you really have to wear the helmet all the time?"

"Quiet. I'm trying to track."

You could practically feel the heat of annoyance from his words, which made you shut up pretty quickly. He probably knew how to snap your neck in seven different ways and that alone was intimidating enough to keep you from pushing him over the edge. Still, you couldn't help being curious. You'd never seen a Mandalorian in person before, let alone gone on a hunt with one. You studied every move he made, questioning why he was doing it. Soon it became too much for your brain to handle and you just settled on watching him. He definitely knew what he was doing, that's for sure.

After watching him cautiously advance every few seconds, he suddenly stiffened and instinctively laid one hand on his blaster. That made you nervous and you slipped a dagger out from your belt, gripping it tightly. "What's wrong?" You asked quietly, your eyes shifting back and forth.

He said nothing as he slowly knelt to the ground behind a large bush. You did the same even though that put you right next to him. The bare skin of your arm accidentally brushed against his shoulder plating and the touch sent shivers down your spine. That beskar was absolutely freezing!

You held your breath as you sat there, occasionally glancing at him to see what he was doing. It was so quiet that you could hear him breathing underneath his helmet. You couldn't help but wonder what he looked like, a small blush rising to your cheeks when you imagined him having a handsome face.

Then the crunching of leaves nearby shattered your thoughts.