Two

Chapter 14

Maul had shown her the things that she needed to practice while he was away. He had fetched some meat for her and shown where there were berry bushes should she run out of meat. They weren’t too far away and she doubted she would get lost, even though they were in the forest.

It seemed lonelier without him there. Even though there had only been the two of them, at least in this part of the unknown world, now she was alone. She didn’t know if there was any other intelligent life on the planet. Even if there was, she doubted she’d be able to understand and communicate with them.

She had the same routine as she had with Maul. She would eat, train, eat more, explore or sit around or bathe while he was gone, and then eat a little more before sleeping. It was only for a few days but they seemed to drag out.

Her nightmares were scarier now she was alone, but she could fend off anything that was small. Anything large or wielding a blaster would be far more difficult to deal with and survive.

Still, nothing happened. No bounty hunters landed and tried to attack. No one at all had found her in the little hut. Nima wondered if Maul had made it himself or if someone long gone had made it and Maul had just found it.

While eating her food, Nima added spices to it and remembered to eat more than she normally would. When she ate more, she was hungry less and she had to remind herself that the food wouldn't be taken away. It wouldn’t be removed or denied as punishment. And Maul had said that she should eat more. It probably wasn’t healthy to eat so little, but she had no desire to eat lots all at once. Maybe that was for the best.

She knew Maul wasn’t fond of the spices and was sure to leave some of the food unspiced. It was eaten last, in case Maul returned while she was eating. She knew it was probably strange to do, but she didn’t care. The least she could do was set some food aside for him in case he came back and it wasn’t wasted either.

Maul returned a few days later in the morning while she was eating a breakfast of berries. She would have offered him some but he only ate meat.

“How was your trip?” she asked as he sat on the stool.
“Dull,” he responded. “I do have something for you again.”
“You do?” she asked, her eyes widening. She liked the gifts he had given her last time and Nima was eager to discover what she had been given this time. “What is it?”
“You’ll find out once you’ve finished eating. They are back at my ship.” Smiling, Nima finished the berries as quickly as she could.

The ship was where it always was, some distance away from the small hut. It was as clean as always and she wondered if he cleaned it or if he paid others to clean it for him. He retrieved something wrapped in a dark blue fabric. Nima thanked him as he handed it to her and she pulled the blue fabric from around it. The soft fabric fell to the floor to reveal a blaster. It was silver in colour and could be easily held in one hand.

“A blaster?” she asked, looking at him. He nodded.
“I said I would teach you how to fight and a blaster is a good weapon. This one is known for its accuracy,” he said. Nima’s smile widened. “But you have missed my other gift for you.” Nima furrowed her brow, her lekku moving and mirroring the confusion she felt.

Looking down at the fabric, she picked it up. There was nothing else it could be since there wasn’t anything else that was new from what she could remember. As she picked up, she realised it had been folded awkwardly into quarters and amongst it was a pin. It fell and suddenly it made more sense. It was a cloak with a silver brooch to fasten it.

“It’s nice,” she said, turning to Maul. “And soft too, thank you.”
“I thought you could do with more clothes,” Maul said. Nima smiled and nodded as she fastened it around her.
“I suppose I could, but thank you.” Maul had the hint of a smile on his face.