Talkin'

[Jayne Cobb]

Jayne took a moment to absorb what Michelle had told him about what happened when he left. The fact that Eva had died because of some damn disease made him almost sick. If he had been there, he could've given her money for the vaccine and she would still be alive. And their daughter wouldn't be living on the streets of Persephone.

He looked over at the boy and the girl that she had called her family. They looked like good kids, though the boy looked like a bit of a smartass. Jayne could tell that just by looking at him.

"How long have you known 'em?" he asked her, folding his arms across his broad chest. "And is that boy good t'ya?"

He was acting like a father already, and it was a bit disconcerting how fast he had slipped into that role.

[Mikey Cobb]

Mikey shot a glance over at Lex and Murray. She had almost forgotten they were still there, what with everything that had just happened. A small blush came over her cheeks when her father mentioned Lex.

"I'm not with him, Dad," she said. The word 'Dad' was pretty foreign to her, as she hadn't had occasion to use it, not since she was a child anyway. "I'd like to be, but I'm not." She hid her crush on Lex quite well, though it was bad of him to always flirt with her and Murray like he did. "I've known Lex and Murray since I was fourteen and sixteen, respectively."

"We have a flat in the city," she added, waving at them to come over. "Murray and I share a room and Lex sleeps out in the "living room". It's small but it beats living on the streets." Mikey had done that for about seven years and she hoped to never do it again.

[Lex Sutherland]

Lex nudged Murray. "She's waving for us to come over. I think everything's alright." He grabbed the girl by the arm and pulled her along with him as he moved over to where Mikey was standing.

The man next to her gave off a vibe. A big "Don't fuck with me" vibe that was very clear. If you couldn't tell from his brawn, the look on his face made it apparent.

"Mikey," he began, looking back and forth between her and the man. "What's going on?"

[Murray Archer]

*Murray immediatly frowned. She wasn't so sure if it was their place to go over there...it seemed like it was something Mikey had to do on her own.

But she allowed Lex to yank her in that general direction. Once they were standing infront of the two, she stepped closer to Lex, as if using him as a possible shield. Her gaze was on the ground...a shy gaze, like she was afaraid to look the man in the eyes.

Just from looking at her, She didn't seem to have been no more then sixteen*

[Jayne Cobb]

A wave of relief passed over Jayne at the fact that his daughter was not burdened with living on the streets. He had done so at one point when he had left his home, before coming to Persephone, before he had even met Eva. And it was an experience. One he never wanted to relive, but would never forget. He remembered being cold and hungry a lot. And Jayne wasn't the burly man he currently was back then. He was a muscular kid, but he was just that; a kid. It was by the skin of his teeth, a bit of luck and more than a bit of dishonest work that he was able to make it.

He looked over the two kids in front of him. 'Lex' was eyeing his daughter with a quizzical look and 'Murray' seemed to be avoiding the situation altogether.

"You wanna tell 'em, kiddo, or should I?" he asked her, a small smirk appearing on his face.

[Mikey Cobb]

Mikey smirked back at him. "I'll do it."

"Lex, Murray," she began, an unsure look crossing her face momentarily. "This...is my father."

Saying it out loud still seemed a bit odd to her, but she was already getting used to it.

[Lex Sutherland]

Lex blinked. And then blinked again. He had heard what she said but for some reason they weren't registering. He tried again in his mind and that time they jumped right at him.

"This man," he gestured to Jayne at that, "is your father?"

His voice was rising and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. As far as he knew, both of Mikey's parents were dead. And had been since she was seven.

'This guy could be tricking her,' he thought and that made him angry. That could be what this was and he would be damned if someone would put one over on his best friend. "How do you know?" he asked, a bit sharper than he intended.

[Murray Archer]

*Murray glanced up, immediatly tilting her head. She had been under the impression that Mikey's parents were long dead...

...and he sure wasn't a dead man standing infront of her.

She bit down on the inside of her lip, giving a small smile to the two, accompanying it with a small wave* Nice to meet you, sir *She said in a small, shy voice*

[Jayne Cobb]

Jayne narrowed his eyes and looked at the boy. 'This niao se duh doo-gway is pushing his luck.' It took all Jayne had not to punch the kid right there. He held back because of Michelle, but if the kid kept testing him, he wouldn't be able to stop himself.

"'Course I'm her father," he said, a hint of malice in his voice. "Why would I make up a story like that?"

[Mikey Cobb]

Mikey was somewhat taken aback at Lex's brashness.

"Tah mah duh hwoon dahn" she muttered under her breath. "Lex, I think I would know my own father. That picture I have of him and Mom for one, plus this is his jacket. Not to mention the fact that we resemble one another, you know?"

She took a breath and calmed down. "Why would he lie to me in any case?"

[Lex Sutherland]

Lex looked at both Mikey and her father. Now that he paid attention, he did see the similarities between them. The nose, the hair, the eyes. But as to her question, did he really have to tell her? She was an attractive girl and still a little naive when it came to worldly things.

Lex kept his mouth shut and just shrugged. He wasn't in the mood to get punched by Mikey today, so he resolved to play nice for awhile and keep an eye on this man, just in case he was not telling the truth.

He didn't want to see her get hurt.

[Murray Archer]

*Murray gave Lex a look and nudged him with her elbow, muttering under her breath* Be nice...

*She took in a breath, then stepped towards Mikey and Jayne, smiling at them both* We were on our way to dinner, Mr.Cobb...well we were planning on it soon atleast. *She glanced to Mikey as she talked* Would you maybe...like to come with us?

[Jayne Cobb]

Jayne smirked at the other girl, Murray, her name was. 'I like her,' he thought. 'She has spunk.'

At her invitation, Jayne balked a bit. He didn't know if it would be his place to intrude on their dinner, but he did still want to talk to his daughter. It would be a good place to start repairing what little relationship they had.

"I'd like to, darlin'," he said, "but I don' know if my daughter wants me buttin' into her conversations with her friends."

"You all could eat here, if you'd like. We have some food stuffs in the pantry and if Kaylee's around, she could fix you somethin' nice."

[Mikey Cobb]

Mikey was pleased that her father was getting along with her friends. She cast a quick glare at Lex. 'For the most part,' she thought.

At his suggestion, she smiled. "That would be great, though I know Murr had her heart set on eatin' some carrots t'night. We haven't had any in a very long time, y'see."

"Who's Kaylee?"

[Lex Sutherland]

Lex grumbled to himself at the way Murray nudged him and the look Mikey shot him. Though he still didn't totally trust this man, he resolved to be a bit nicer.

And a free meal was one he would never pass up.

"That sounds nice," he said, "though Mikey's right about Murr wantin' carrots." He laughed a bit. "So it's up to her. We fear her, cause though she's tiny, she packs a mighty wallop."