Chapter 9: Catch the Crook

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Oz stopped a few feet from his room. He only need turn the corner and he would be at his door. Except the 'girl-man' scent was coming from right in front of his door and he could hear muttering.

"Gorram door. Why won't you open? It ain't like there some kind science to opening a door."

Oz smiled, 'Definitely going to be taking all of River's advice in the future.' He waited a few minutes before doing anything. In that time Jayne proved his knowledge of curses both in the English as well as Chinese language.

Oz stepped around the corner and leaned against the wall, "Door stuck?" Oz asked.

Jayne immediately took two steps back from the door, "I was just, uh… I was…"

"Trying to steal my stuff." Oz tilted his head slightly.

"No." Jayne said.

"Mmmhmm." Oz nodded his head.

"I was making sure you were all settled in but the door won't open." Jayne said and tried to give a sincere smile.

"Locked." Oz said.

"There ain't no locks on guest rooms. How'd you lock it?" Jayne asked.

"With a lock." Oz said with a straight face.

Oz and Jayne stood at a sort of a stand still. The older man trying to intimidate the younger. But Oz merely regarded him with an amused look in his eyes.

Jayne, after a moment, shoved past Oz. When Jayne was out of a normal person's range he muttered, "Probably didn't have anything worth stealing anyway. Wait a minute… Course he has something, why else would he have a lock. I'll try again tomorrow."

Oz shook his head and was about to go into his room when he heard the Captain, who was chewing on an apple, stop Jayne. "Did you just say what I think you said?"

"Uh… no?" was Jayne's uncertain reply.

"It better not had been because what I heard had something to do with robbing our new passenger." Mal sounded slightly angry.

"I wasn't really gonna take any of his stuff."

"Jayne…"

"I was just gonna see if anything was worth taking."

"Jay—"

"I'll give you a twenty percent cut."

"Stay away from the kid's room." Oz heard Mal start to walk away from the former mercenary.

"Forty?" Jayne asked then almost immediately yelled, "Oww!"

Oz smiled, he was pretty sure Mal had thrown his apple at Jayne and hit him square in the face.