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Maddie Cobb sighed as she disembarked the rickety freighter that had brought her to Persephone. The trip from Lilac, her home, had not been a pleasant one. She had spent the week long trip in cramped quarters, trying to convince the crew to keep their hands to themselves. She wondered if her wave for her brother had ever gotten to him. She had never gotten a response, so she doubted it. Sometimes they weren't as reliable as they could be.
The Eavesdown Docks should have been enough to send a girl from the backwoods scurrying in terror, but Maddigan Cobb was not the most ordinary of girls. At 19 she stood at 5'10, taller than most young women. Despite hard years and prolonged illness, she was a strapping woman, corded with lean muscle. She walked with her head held high, her close cropped auburn hair held away from her face, under a battered brown Ivy Cap. Her blue green eyes were cold as she made her way toward Southdown Abbey.
That was her plan. Get to the Abbey and see if they could send a wave to the Serenity and her wayward brother. Maybe they would know somewhere she could find work. Beyond that…..getting off Lilac had been her main priority.
She made her way through the crowd, avoiding pickpockets and letches alike, making her way to the Temple District. Behind her, there was a sudden clamor and she winced, ducking into an alley as someone yelled for the police. While she wasn't exactly on the top of anyone's most wanted list, Maddie thought it prudent to avoid the authorities. The narrow alley she was in was twisty and dim. She slid a hand into her jacket, finding the handle of a knife. She felt better with it in her hand.
She continued on her way, sending her best cold glare at any one who gave her a second look, sending most of them scurrying on their way. Still, she began to make her way back to the main street. No reason to tempt fate.
"…give us your pretties and maybe we'll let you walk out of here." She heard someone grumble ahead of her. She froze for half a second before ducking low and peaking around the corner of the alley. There, at a junction some way ahead of her, between her and the main street, far enough back to not get attention from passerby, was a small group of people.
Small being a relative term in this instance. With her back to Maddie was a very well dressed woman with masses of dark curly hair. She was quite a bit shorter than either Maddie or the three men blocking the exit to the alley.
"Or hobble, at least." One of the them said, earning a guffaw from his companions.
Maddie had heard enough, more then. She yanked her knife out of the hidden hostler and threw it, sending it deep into the wall above one of the thugs heads, making him jump and swear.
"Now that ain't nice." She said, sliding around the corner. "I was tol' they taught purty manners on core worlds. Yer Ma's must been awful teachers." She said, pulling another knife from inside her jacket. She flipped into the air as she spoke, catching it by the hilt and twirling it around her finger. All of the men were bigger than her, but she wasn't worried. They weren't anything compared to her brothers.
"This ain't no deal of yours, little girl. Us and the whore are conducting business."
The woman had yet to say anything, she seemed to be analyzing the situation, looking for an out.
Maddie gave her best border world bumpkin shrug. "Seems she ain't innerested." She drawled, fishing another knife out and tossing it high in the air to join the other. The blades whirled brightly as she juggled the knives. "Might be better for ya'll ta move on." She continued conversationally as she stalked forward, all of her attention seemingly on her knives. A quick pause and a third was added the silver and black oval in front of her. She drew even to the woman and then in front, putting her body between the thugs and the woman.
"This wasn't smart." The woman said in a quiet voice.
"Nobody ever accused me of being smart." Maddie sang back, just as one of the thugs lunged at her. Her hand shot out, knife slicing through his dirty shirt and flesh alike. With her other hand, she threw another knife, sending it flying toward the one she assumed was the leader. He wasn't fast enough, letting the knife wedge itself deeply into his shoulder. She spun, letting her momentum carry her toward the last, unscathed man, sliding behind him to press the blade against adams apple.
He froze.
"Now." She began, all humor gone. "Let's make us a deal. Ya'll clear off and none of us need ta see what color yer insides are."
Her captive scrambled at his belt, but Maddie was too quick for him, yanking the gun from his hostler and leveling it at the two opposite her. "Only chance." She said in a low voice, "I start firing on the count of ten. One…." She pulled the hammer back.
"Bitch!" The one she stuck snarled, "This won't end well for you!"
"Two…." Maddie continued, furling her knee and kicking her captive toward his friends. He stumbled and nearly fell, but managed to catch himself.
"Five…."
Apparently, they decided to find less threatening prey and they bolted, shoving the woman down.
Maddie followed their retreat with the sight of the gun, only lowering the weapon when they were out of sight. She carefully put the hammer back in place and tucked the gun in her waist band, under the back of her jacket.
"I must thank you, I suppose." The woman said stiffly as she got to her feet.
Maddie shrugged and reached up, yanking her knife out of the wall. She examined the blade while she spoke. "Thank me or not, no skin off my nose. Though I'd take it as a kindness if you could point me toward Southdown Abbey, ma'am." She said, tucking her knives away and hoisting her rucksack back up her shoulder.
"It's that way." The woman said, indicating the direction the men had fled into.
"Huh." Maddie said, rubbing the back of her head. "Magine that."
"Why are you looking for the Abbey?" The woman asked, a trace of suspicion appearing on her face before she added, "Thinking of devoting your life to God?" With a touch of humor in her voice.
Maddie smiled broadly, "No ma'am, I'm looking for a Shepard. Hoped they might let me leave a message for him. Suppose I'll have to look for him another day." She sighed, thinking. How the hell was she supposed to find Jayne now? She shook her head. "Don't you go worrying about me, ma'am." She said brightly, "I'll find him sure enough. And if I can say somethin' with out soundin' to forward, maybe you should be headin' home. N'ain't safe for summun dressed fine as you round here. I could walk yah back to yer place if yeh wanted."
The woman offered her a small smile. "That's very kind of you, Miss…?"
"Lynn, ma'am. Lynn Hobbs." Maddie said, doffing her cap and bowing.
"Miss Hobbs." The woman's smile became more genuine. "I'm Inara Serra. I find that I must take you up on your offer, if you don't mind too much. My ship is docked not too far from here."
"It'd be my pleasure, Miss Serra." Maddie said with another dopey, trust-me-I'm-harmless-smile.
The two woman started off down the crowded street, Inara asking, "Out of curiosity, why are you looking for a Shepard? What did you say his name was?"
Maddie let her grin fall, replaced by a sad look. "Aw, Miss Serra, I'm afraid it's a bit of tale. It's Book, I reckon. Shepard Book. But I ain't exactly clear on that."
"Oh?"
Maddie nodded, hitching her ruck sack up again. "See, I come from Lilac, an' back home, we got these neighbors named the Cobbs. Now me an' the youngest girl, Maddie, we's been best friends since we was little." It was a carefully planned story. Give her just enough of a reason to be looking for Jayne, but not close enough to him for anyone to try to use her against him. Never could be too careful.
"Hobb Goblins, our Mas used to call us, cause we was always up ta somethin'." She smiled fondly, "But see, Maddie's got this brother, named Jayne. He works on a ship called the Serenity from time to time, right? A few weeks ago….well, things went kinda sour for the Cobbs." She shook her head again, looking sorrowful. "And no one could get a hold a Jayne. But Maddie'd told me, towards the end, all about her big brother, an how he was friends with a Shepard at Southdown and a lot of other stuff, though I ain't sure how much of it'as true. Tripps had her bad by then, she wasn't making much sense. But I told her how I'd gotten hired on at a factory on Persephone, and she done begged me to try an' find 'er brother for her….so after the funerals were done, I hopped on a freighter and hoped I'd find this Shepard and that he could get word to Jayne to come home soonest. An' like I said, me'n Maddie was close as could be. Hell, her Ma practically raised me when mine had ta work. Called her Auntie. So, I thought it'd only be fittin' ta try an' tell Jayne in person if I could find him. Figured I owe 'em that."
Inara was looking distinctly worried, "Jayne Cobb?"
"Yes ma'am." Maddie looked at her hopefully, "You don' happen ta know where I could find 'im, do yah?"
Inara hesitated. "No, but I seem to recall the captain of my ship mentioning the name before, and I am somewhat familiar with a Shepard named Book. I could ask about it."
"Oh, really, Miss Serra! That'd just mean th' world ta me! You don't know!"
Lynn politely refused an invitation onto the ship, and told Inara she'd wait. "Seen enough of ships for one lifetime, if yeh don't mind."
So Inara went in search of Serenity's wayward merc on her own. Luckily, she didn't have to look far, he was in the kitchen, sitting at the table, sharpening a knife.
"Hey, 'Nara!" Kaylee said brightly, catching sight of her. Then her face fell. "What's wrong?"
"Jayne, do you know a young woman named Lynn Hobbs?" The Companion asked.
The big merc paused, seeming to need to think about it. "Yeah." He grunted as the rest of Serenity's crew entered the kitchen. "Friend of my sister's. Why?"
"Someone looking for our merc?" Mal asked, leaning against the door jamb.
"A woman named Lynn Hobbs just helped me out of something of an unpleasant situation, and it turns out that she's looking for a Jayne Cobb who works on a ship called Serenity. She didn't want to come aboard, so I left her waiting out on the Docks."
"The girl in the hat?" Wash asked. "Looked uncomfortable."
"Man ape doesn't know, doesn't know, doesn't know." River sang, prancing around the table. "All the Goblins said, Goblins said, Goblins said, said, said."
Jayne only looked at Inara, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Something about a Maddie Cobb and a funeral." Inara continued gently.
It was all the merc needed. He shot up, overturning his chair as he barreled towards the airlock.
"Jayne-" Kaylee called, before hurrying after him.
Everyone else did as well. They had never met any of Jayne's family, but they knew enough about him to know it was one of the only things he considered sacred.