61) For I'm Afraid Of What I Will Discover Inside
That Bea didn't quite know what to make of Serenity and her crew was about as gorram obvious as wings on a pig. Jayne had done his best to give her some idea about Mal and the rest but really, nothin' he could say would be enough. Mal bein' a mass of contradictions who'd sooner cut off his nose to spite his face than do what someone told him (sensible or not) kinda defied explanation. Serenity's crew couldn't rightly be explained. He'd flat out told Bea she likely wouldn't understand until she'd met them.
Zoë'd been grimmer'n winter on St. Albans and deadly as a rattlesnake without the warnin' of the rattle. Not that he blamed her much, Alliance an' Mal an' the Reavers combined'd done more to screw up her life than the war had. Wash gettin' killed on a Reaver's spear before she'd even gotten to tell him about the baby (he guessed it was before she even knew about the baby) soured her some.
It weren't easy to explain a Companion. Inara, snooty and beautiful, lookin' down her nose at Mal like she was better'n him. Jayne didn't give a good gorram how she made her living, but a kind word wouldn't come amiss now an' then. She'd been good with River though, who he'd mentioned was cracked worse'n a dropped crate a eggs. Crazy killer woman (not that he mentioned the killer part, he wasn't completely stupid).
Sayin' Kaylee were the cheerfullest, sweetest girl that ever was or could be weren't inaccurate. But explainin' 'bout Kaylee an' engines an' sex… And that'd lead to talkin' 'bout Simon. Jayne knew he wasn't the brightest star in the Black but even he could see Bea didn't like anything Core much. Doc was as Core as they came, even if he had pulled the stick out of his pì gu long enough to remove his head an' pay attention to Kaylee. Jayne didn't figure he an' Simon'd ever really get along, but the Doc was good people; kept his word, or he'd've told Mal what he knew 'bout Ariel.
Six people on the boat an' all of 'em strange an' dif'rent as they came. An' no one'd give a quick look an' think they had a chance in hell of workin' together. But they managed. He'd done his best to give Bea the lay of the land but there really weren't any explainin' the ship an' crew. Die-cot-o-mee, he'd heard River call it. Bea had looked more'n some shocked when he'd used that word. He guessed five credit words didn't usually come outa the mouths of cheap mercs like him.
It'd been somethin' of a shock to finally catch up to Serenity and find Zoë not there, even if the baby was. Inara'd taken off again an' Jayne was pretty sure ev'rybody but Mal an' Kaylee had seen that comin'. He sure had. And River wasn't completely crazy no more. (An' thank Book an' God for that since she was flyin' the ship a quarter of the time.) But three other people he'd had no clue about were also on Serenity. Baby Emma he'd at least been expecting.
There was a blonde pilot woman, strong enough to handle Serenity, and Mal from the looks of things. An' that were a shame because the blonde was a fine armful of woman Jayne wouldn't mind havin' rub up against him. He wouldn't turn down a chance to watch Carolyn walkin' away from him either. Least Mal seemed to have sense enough to pay some nice attention to this one, even if the Cap'n did seem to think he was foolin' ev'rybody into thinkin' he wasn't. He looked at Carolyn all soft-eyed, softer'n he'd ever looked at Inara.
Mal'd picked up another gunhand/pilot in the huge hún dàn everyone called Rick. Jayne hadn't ever figured to see someone made him feel puny, but Rick managed. Big, fast an' gorram dangerous, he got the impression Mal was lucky Rick was on his side. Shined eyes and named for one of Deadwood's mines (an' it weren't the nicest of mines neither), Rick wasn't anyone Jayne wanted to meet in a dark alley an' he were smart enough to admit it.
Weirdest of all, Mal'd picked up a stray. A kid who couldn't be over eighteen, hair short like it'd been shaved off in a fever an' was only now startin' to grow out, wasn't more than three to four inches all over her head. Was startin' to curl a bit though. Turned out she'd come along with Carolyn an' Rick, least that made more sense than Mal adoptin' her or whatever. Called herself Jack. Ran errands and did little chores all over the ship an' gorram near worshipped Rick. She had a good healthy amount of respect for Carolyn too though. She'd do gorram near anythin' Carolyn, Rick or Mal told her an' ask how high as she did frog imitations.
She didn't care much for River; Jayne could tell that right off. Oh, she didn't snipe at her, didn't ignore the older girl or refuse to work with her. But she watched the Reader with narrowed eyes and a twist to her mouth that said as loud as a shout to Jayne that if she could, she'd leave River on a rock somewhere and be happy as a clam to have her off the boat.
Jayne figured he had some idea of why that was, since Rick an' River were dancin' 'round each other flirtin' an' all. It were plain enough to see that the big hún dàn Rick was sniffin' 'round River. An' equally obvious River's lookin' right back. Worse'n Kaylee an' Simon really but at least Rick an' River weren't sayin' stupid niú shǐ or makin' each other cry. Time'd tell if it were anythin' more'n regular old stupidity or somethin' like Wash an' Zoë.
He hadn't caught 'em kissin' in a dark corner yet (unlike Simon an' Kaylee who couldn't keep their hands off each other, that much hadn't changed) but he figured it was just a matter of time before it happened. Unless River used her sneaky mind readin' tricks to figure when someone's comin' and hustled 'em both away before they could get caught. Jayne wouldn't put it past her.
He did his best to stay out of the line of fire pertainin' to flirtations an' sexin' (or whatever) since Mal'd made it plain his opinion weren't wanted. None of his never mind really. Funny as hell to watch though. Man like Rick, bigger'n he was, walkin' so soft, stealing up behind the girl like she couldn't hear him comin', slidin' a hand up her spine like he really thought he was takin' her by surprise.
Funnier was River's reaction, tilting her head back to look up at the goggle wearing gǒu niáng yǎng de and smirking like she'd won some sorta game. And she'd lean back 'gainst the big man like he's the wall and she's just loungin' all comfortable.
Or the two of 'em'd be passin' opposite ways through a doorway an' Rick'd deliberately crowd up 'gainst River so she had to press back against him in order to squeeze past. He'd seen Rick pull that trick a coupla times, not that River seemed to mind it overmuch. If her gigglin' were anythin' to judge by, the girl got a kick out of it.
Strangest thing though was when he woke up, middle of the night ship time and couldn't sleep, couldn't place the odd sounds he'd heard. Soft thumps, too soft for Kaylee to be ridin' Simon an' thumping the bed frame to the wall (not that she could in the dorms with the way the beds were fixed to the walls). Occasional muted metallic chimes, like something hitting the grating on the floor. A raspy chuckle that sounded evil enough for a dull shudder to creep up Jayne's spine.
It couldn't be the loony, not quite as loony anymore, girl because she giggled all soft an' sweet soundin' like girl folk tended to. (Though with Rick's flirtin' some of her laughs sounded raunchy, sweet but still sexy somehow.) And maybe he wasn't quite part of the crew because Mal had a bug up his pì gu about Jayne tracking them down for money, but he sure wasn't gonna let any evil laughin' men sneak aboard like that Jubal Early fella had. An' would've again if River hadn't taken care of him before he could pull the same trick.
So, he'd stolen himself outta bed an' bestirred himself to pull on pants and socks before he grabbed one of his favorite guns and headed out to the hold where he heard the noise comin' from.
The lights'd been dim 'nough that his eyes took some time to adjust. When they did, he had to blink a few times to be sure of what he was seein'.
Loony girl and the new gunhand (/pilot too he guessed) were fighting. Like hard kicks, punches and all that spinning stuff he'd seen the girl do since Miranda and that big gǒu niáng yǎng de Rick kept up with her fine. Looked like they were just about equal and usin' gorram near ev'rythin' in the bay as part of their fight, bouncing off walls, stairs and crates.
He'd stood and watched, trying to figure out who was winning for 'bout quarter of an hour 'fore they stopped. Rick caught River 'round the waist and instead of kickin' or punchin' to get away or doin' one of them spinnin' twisty moves ain't anyone could beat, River put her arms around his neck. Then the hún dàn kissed her like he'd earned a prize, one hand on her pì gu and Jayne figured he'd better go back to bed before the two of them decided he'd be a better target for their fists and kicks.
Serenity had gotten stranger than usual since he'd been gone, had been the last thought he had before he went back to sleep.
Jack wasn't all bad, Jayne decided. A little irritatin' in how she thought Rick walked on water with the sun risin' an' settin' on Carolyn, but she had sense enough to do her chores and not fuss about things that couldn't be changed. Mostly. At least she weren't billin' an' cooin' at someone like Kaylee an' the Doc. Even if the Doc still (mostly) had a stick up his ass, Kaylee's cheerfuler'n butterflies an' kittens nature just wasn't bothered by all the Doc's stiff behavior, an' together they're sappier than maple trees in spring.
Jayne wasn't quite clear why there'd been a warrant out for Mal's arrest or Zoë's for that matter. Most of the warrants against them had been cleared up after Miranda. "So what'n the hell happened," He looked at Mal curiously.
Jack brought the coffee mugs and pot over to the table and poured them each a mug before she took her seat and started to work on something on the cortex. Lessons from what Jayne could figure. Good for her if she had the brains for schoolin'. Couldn't hurt to get all the education she could stand.
"We ended up back on Persephone, got a job too good to turn down," Mal sipped his coffee. "Badger weren't in it, so we figured, safe enough to take it."
"Badger was in it though," Jayne thought he knew what had happened.
"No, not as such," The Captain shook his head. "He's involved an' I have no doubt he set the law on us. Though we never saw hide nor hair of him while we were on Persephone."
"You get caught with imprinted goods," He knew Badger was no good.
"We did not," Mal sighed. "No, we were at a hospital ship when a warrant came up on the cortex. Said Zoë an' me were wanted in connection with a robbery. Some second story job. On the residence of one Atherton Wing."
"Oh, that gǒu niáng yǎng de," Jayne groaned. "You shoulda just kilt him Mal."
"Havin' some regrets on that my own self. But since the Feds don't bother to check on such things…an' our alibi is doin' somethin' illegal, ain't like we can just point out we were elsewhere," The Captain shrugged. "River's workin' on it, got a line on gettin' things cleared up. But I am havin' regrets 'bout not puttin' an end to him and Badger while I had the chance."
"Still could," Jack smirked down at her work as she spoke. "Once we get Zoë back."
"It's a thought," Mal nodded. "You finish up your course work Jackie girl, then c'mon up to the bridge. We'll work on the practicalities of pilotin' some."
"Yeah?" The girl looked thrilled, and Jayne guessed that learning to pilot was one of the things she thought so great about Rick an' Carolyn.
"Yep, provided you finish your work here," Mal stood, smoothed a gentle hand over Jack's slightly curling hair and headed up to the bridge.
Jayne sat at the galley table, watched Mal head to his bunk, Carolyn walk up to the bridge and Jack come back to the galley to sit and do some more clicking on her cortex. Getting up to put his mug in the cleaner and wipe the galley down was more habit than anything.
But it did put him directly behind Jack for more than a few minutes and gave him a good look at what she had on her cortex screen. An' old warrant for River Tam. Big eyed skinny girl with tangled hair blowing across her face. Well, that didn't exactly fill him with warmth and comfort.
"Might wanna forget you ever saw that," He advised as he sat down kitty corner from her at the table. Her jolt of surprise spoke volumes, and the big-eyed guilty look at the cortex told him exactly what she'd been thinking. "Won't any good come of it."
"How'd you know," She retorted in a sulky tone that had everything to do with her age and nothing to do with his. God save him from ruttin' teenagers, or teenagers that wanted to be ruttin', ain't neither one had a lick of sense.
"Because River slashed my chest open with a knife once," He shot back. "That's when she weren't doin' well. An' I tried to sell her an' her brother back to them's were lookin' for 'em an' get the reward." Her mulish expression did nothing to encourage him to continue but he was used to ignoring stuff like that. If he let dirty looks discourage him from talkin', he'd never get to say a word. "An' for my trouble I got pinched along with 'em, we all three nearly died from the wèi hǔ zuò chāng come to claim her, an' then Mal gorram near let me get sucked out the airlock when we were headed into the Black."
"He wouldn't do that," Jack obviously didn't know Mal as well as she thought she did.
"No? I'd sailed with him for more than a year, goin' on two before that," Jayne informed her flatly. "An' he told me that if I turn on his crew, I turn on him. Mal'd go through hell and back, an' we damn near did, to try an' keep this crew and this ship safe. His crew's his family. Nothin' he wouldn't do for 'em."
"Says she's dangerous," The kid really had no clue.
"Bet if I looked, I'd find a warrant for Rick said the same gorram thing wouldn't I," He decided to put it into terms she'd understand. "River ain't no more dangerous than him." That got a strange look, maybe Rick was more, or equally dangerous as River. Whatever. "You wouldn't rat Rick out to the Feds, would you?"
"No," The denial came instantly.
"An' neither would Mal," Jayne told her. "He don't take folk on as crew lightly. You an' Rick an' Carolyn, you got a home here. Mal cares about you, treats you like his own." He tapped the cortex screen until it closed down. "Don't do somethin' stupid like I did. Damn near ruined what I had an' I didn't even know it."
"But she's—"
"Oh, for the love a God an' little green apples," Jayne couldn't take it. "I get it, you're jealous. Think I was thrilled when the Doc an' Kaylee started sparkin' on each other? But she weren't ever gonna see me as anythin' but a big brother an' once I made peace with that, I was a lot happier." He tilted his head, "You're a cute kid. But you're still a kid. Thinkin' 'bout somethin' like this…" He tapped the screen again and closed the cortex down, effectively erasing the screen. "That's just gonna cement you as a kid in his eyes if you ain't already."
"You were an adult, and you did it," She sulked.
"Gimme a break," Jayne rolled his eyes. "I was chī shǎ, greedy and mad cause she sliced me open with a knife, and I got even stupider. You're a helluva lot smarter'n me or Mal wouldn't be teachin' you to pilot." He sighed, "You do somethin' like that? Somethin' that stupid? Mal'll never trust you again. An' neither will Rick."
"He thinks I'm just a kid," Jack muttered, slouching in her chair.
"Well, you are one," Jayne shook his head at her. "An' even if she weren't here, that wouldn't make him see you as anythin' else. Don't have anythin' to do with her. It's 'tween him an' you. I ain't too bright an' leastways I know it, but I can tell you're gonna turn heads once you're grown. Just need a coupla years on you." He shrugged, "But doin' somethin' stupid like that? Ain't gonna make him think you're an adult or grown or someone he'd want to sex. Just kinda proves to him you're not."
"Shit," She remarked and that was as succinct a summary as Jayne had ever heard. "This sucks. And I still don't tā mā de like her."
"Well, no one's sayin' you gotta. Cheer up," He gestured at the cortex. "You ain't done anything so completely chǔn bèn yet. An' if you got any brains at all you won't." He smirked as he stood and began to push the chairs around the table in neatly. "Even if you do try somethin' like that, she'd see it comin'. So'd he I bet. Neither of 'em're stupid. An' then you're screwed an' he's pissed, Mal's pissed, an' you still ain't even got what you want."
"What'd you mean she'd see it comin'," Jack frowned at him.
Jayne shrugged. If she didn't know River was a Reader he wasn't gonna tell her. "Girl's a gorram genius. She knows what people are gonna do before they do it half the time. 'S why Mal listens to her more'n anyone 'sides Zoë."
Jack's reaction was to frown harder at the closed cortex and Jayne decided to leave her to it. She'd either follow his advice or she wouldn't. Wasn't like he could do much more. No doubt River had already heard the whole thing anyway.
Author's Note: So Jack hasn't resigned herself to anything it seems. And hopefully Jayne (of all people, such a shock!) talked some sense into her. But if anyone would know about the consequences of that type of stupidity it'd be him.
Chinese Translation:
pì gu (butt)
hún dàn (individual who has at least two biological fathers and one biological mother - bastard / scoundrel / bastard / hoodlum / wretch)
niú shǐ (cow dung)
gǒu niáng yǎng de (son of a bitch (lit. "raised by a dog mother"))
wèi hǔ zuò chāng (to act as accomplice to the tiger / to help a villain do evil - idiom)
chī shǎ (stupid / foolish)
tā mā de (damn it! / fucking) (taboo curse)
chǔn bèn (stupid)
