we were infinite - the mandalorian

f i v e

"HEY."

THE MANDALORIAN KEPT HIS GAZE STEADY ahead, following the designated route to Cantonica all whilst ignoring the pestering girl beside him.

"Hey!"

"What?" He grumbled.

"I'm hungry." she whined.

A sigh before he said, "Under the hatch by the med-kit."

Jumping from her seat, Mia opened the crate to find a wealthy supply of ration packs.

"I knew you were hiding food somewhere." she licked her lips, ripping open a pack as she re-planted herself in her seat.

He shrugged, "You've got a big appetite, and we've got a long journey."

Mia said with a mouthful of dry nuts, "I'm insulted."

Casually, she began picking out the nuts with a green spike sprouting from its centre. Creating a small pile of them, the Mandalorian turned to watch her,  his head titled in question.

"I've always hated these ones." she scrunched her nose.

"Opix nuts?"

She examined one more closely as if having just discovered a new species, "So that's what they're called."

A blanket of silence coated the ship once more as the two proceeded on their journey. Mia lazily watched the passing stars but found herself looking upon the hard mask of Beskar steel beside her. The flickers of star lights bounced off the glass t-shape of the bounty hunter's helmet. It irritated her at how placid he always seemed to look. Spending so much time around droids, she should have been used to it by now.

However, the feeling of knowing there was a fully-functional human behind the steel barrier infuriated her. It was only natural for humans to interact with one another on a physical level, witness emotions flooding their eyes and painted across their features. What features did he have? Did anybody but himself know what he looked like?

"Stop staring." he said without a turn of his head.

Cheek leaning in her hand, she mumbled, "Do you ever smile?

"Do you ever shut up?"

"I mean, does nothing make you smile?" She politely ignored the desire to hit him after his comment, "Are you really that hard-wired?"

"Smiling is an outward display of emotion," his voice as flat as ever, "My helmet removes the need for outward displays of emotion."

Mia couldn't help but feel a swell of pity. She would often find herself smiling in solitude, like when she gazed upon a stunning sunset or recalled a pleasant memory from childhood. Smiling to her released a pulse of happiness within. She began to wonder if he often felt that.

Of course, she had never actually seen him smile, but nor had she heard the slightest hint of it in his words.

"The armor's got to you that much, huh?" She put her feet up on the cockpit dashboard in front, "You don't have to act as robotic as you look."

His hand harshly shoved her feet off before returning to the control sticks.

Although he was looking forward into the abyss, the Mandalorian zoned out into a lonely space in his head. As a child, there was always a smile decorating his face.

When it dawned on him that nobody would ever set eyes on his face again, he felt less inclined to show anything but a straight expression.

Mia sensed an uneasy tension among the pair. She felt as though she may have hit some kind of nerve, but from his lack of words, it was difficult to tell.