Barrow Fields And under mountains in the moon

The kid reacted to each of them with the same disdain and malaise, regardless of what they said. Firefly was quiet as he watched the others try to get a rise out of the kid — first the dragedan, then Caiaphas (whom he would've expected to be a bit harsher, but maybe she was still smarting after her loss of rank), and finally they moved to depart and it was down to the kid and himself. He was actually pretty comfortable where he was. Settled on the ridge, looking every part like a rough-hewn sphynx, merely minding his own business.

There hadn't been much of a response to what Firefly offered. He watched the boy - studied him as best he could from the distance, with his poor vision, and contemplated what the hell his deal was. Maybe he wasn't hungry? Maybe he hated the smell of the coast. Or people. People could be a bit much, and it was hard to trust the majority of them. Firefly glanced at the retreating figures of the adults and let a small frown slip across his face; they were giving up so easily, which is probably what the kid wanted. That didn't sit right with him for some reason -- he was a person, not just a piece of driftwood worth squabbling over until interest wore off.

Since the others had quit, Firefly didn't know what he wanted to do. He could return with Caiaphas but that would've been an awkward walk home - a quiet one, most likely. They could entertain one another by toying with the fool from Drageda except that might've caused their already damaged relationship to strain further and he had to think about the safety of the future generation. So, he would wait for Caiaphas to get a head-start. That meant he'd need something - or someone - to keep him entertained, thus leading to the sphynx standing on the ledge and finding his way down towards the boy.

He didn't get super close, but it was clear by the purposeful way he carried himself he wasn't going to let Mal get far (even if he wanted to be rid of his company). When he was within conversation distance he gave the boy a very obvious up-and-down look with his eyes, checking for illness or issues, and then said: Look, kid, I'm not going to drag you back with us, or fatten you up for eating, or any of that bullshit. But see, I royally pissed off that lady you met earlier - that old one, he tossed his head towards the path Caiaphas had taken, and I don't fancy the hike back home with her, you know? She's pretty bitchy to begin with and -- well, fuck, you won't care about the specifics. So I'm going to hang out with you for a minute.

One thing was clear by the authoritative tone in his voice, he wasn't asking permission. But before the silence could really settle in around them, he asked: I assume you have a name, kid. Or should I invent one for you?