note: i really hope y'all like this, as i am rather attached to it (figuratively, not literally). please comment, even to tell me you think it's lame!

~

“Jayney. Why do you swear so much?”

“Aw hell, Seph, I dunno. Probably ‘cos my old man did. Not the only unfortunate quality I inherited from that bum, neither.”

Sephoria was slung onto the mercenary’s back like a rifle, her arms wound around his broad neck. His whiskers tickled her as he talked, but she didn’t complain. She liked feeling close to him. He had been walking close to an hour under the midday sun and his muscles twinkled with sweat. She could feel his warm dampness against her body.

“What do you think I inherited from my Daddy?”

Jayne squirmed beneath her. “A bad sense of humour?”

“Mammy says he was very funny,” Sephoria protested.

Jayne grunted. “’E was. Funny lookin’, mainly.”

“You were probably just to dumb to understand, you big dummy.” She kicked out with her heavily booted feet.

“Jayne ain’t stupid!” He growled. “He just ain’t schooled like you.”

Sephora smiled. “Anta’nara teaches me things, but I prefer your lessons.”

“Well just make sure you keep them lessons to yourself, alright? If your Mam or "Unca’mal" got wind-”

“I know, no guns ‘till I’m fourteen. ‘N no wings, neither.”

“’N no crime.”

“Then they shouldn’t learn how we got the presents, right Jayney?”

“Well, that weren’t crime in the strictest sense… Just used your childish charm to our advantage. Ain’t our fault they’re suckers.” Jayne frowned. “Best not to tell ‘em anyhow.”

“Do you think they’ll like them?”

“What?”

“Our presents!” Sephoria could feel the weight of them in her front pocket. She loved buying people things, perhaps more than receiving them. She could almost picture her families’ response now.

“They ain’t from me!”

“You bought ‘em.”

“That’s no matter. They’re from you.”

After a moments pause, Sephoria buried her head into Jayne’s neck, holding him tight. “Thank you, Jayney.”

The mercenary cleared his throat. “You got ‘em at a bargain anyhow.”

Sephoria grinned, lifting her head high in the air, letting the searing sun beat down on her. “Look!” She pointed at the horizon. “I see Serenity! We’re almost home.”

To be continued...