Crouching down so they're more or less eye level with one another you'd figure that Melanie would be bit easier to get a proper read on. Typically Mal knows when folks are on the level or when there's something off. Shouldn't matter too much whether the person's hundred and nine or rather new and fresh to the 'verse, should it?
At the same time, can't help feeling he's at something of a disadvantage here considering his lack of properly understanding children and the likes. Don't so much as allow them on the ship most of the time seeing as the crew's line of work ain't exactly one where you want a mess of little ones running under foot. Hell, even back when he wasn't more than a babe himself Mal spent most of his days at the ranch with his ma and the forty or so ranch hands that lived with them. Unless it's a case of a liúlàng'ér making for his pockets or knowing when an extra check is needed before taking off in order to ensure no stowaways have snuck on figuring themselves small enough to pass unnoticed, Mal lacks any real experience on the subject. Be easy if kids weren't nothing more than tiny versions of full grown humans, though seems likely that's not the case. Kinda confuses the whole matter of being able to tell what all is normal behavior and when catching onto the queer little hints that something ain't quite right.
Then again, even if he knew whole bundles of younglings, Mal suspects that it wouldn't be too terribly helpful right at this moment. Melanie don't seem like she'd be so easy to read even with all the baby-raising experience in the 'verse on his side. For starters, she's got a near eerie sense of calm to her, which could be nothing more than her being plenty mature for her age but Mal's not certain... This whole place gives him something of the creeps, if he's being truthsome, which he very well could be effecting his impression. Or it could be he's just gotten so use to River that he's making quick assumptions even if he's never met anyone quite like River and Melanie don't really have too much in common with her from the outset. 'Xcept it's got a very River flavor of weirdness how she just coolly makes such a strange statement when most sane folks wouldn't be nearly so composed about saying such things. Most sane folks wouldn't say those sorts of things at all.
Probably best to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, up until now... Actually, suppose she has been acting sort of strange well before this, but she'd mostly been speaking sense. "You mean dream as in zuòmèng or just that it's a yuánmèng?" He asks, trying to suss out her precise meaning, making sure he's fully understanding what she's saying. For all Mal knows could just be that she's so excited about the prospect of seeing a ship in real life and Mal just misunderstood, what with the way he said it right together with pointing out that she ain't here and all in a way that didn't exactly express all too much excitement, but then how much emotion of that type had Mal really seen from her to compare it against?
On the other hand, sure hope she ain't trying to say the first one because, well, that makes it sound just damn near impossible to find your way out of this forest and that's not something Mal is ready to accept. Or she figures it wouldn't matter seeing as Serenity has already departed because, well, might be that she's use to folks just up an abandoning her but Mal's certain that wouldn't be the case. He'd willingly bet his life on that and in lots of ways very much has, and she hasn't failed him yet.
"A ship can't leave without her captain," Mal explains, just in case that's what she's assuming, that Serenity has already long gone leaving Mal stranded back on this world with no way of finding her again. "Just like a captain wouldn't leave without his crew." Well, there are times... But that's a rather confusing concept to go bringing up to such a youngling, even Mal understands as much. Besides, she don't need to know about every decision Mal's ever made, just that in the end it's kept the crew safe and together. "It's the rule of the sky." That might not always prove true, less so not within a certain class of crews of which Mal and Serenity would have definitely found themselves included among but there ain't a job in all the 'verse filled with only honorable men, and just because some folks have no trouble acting like traitors and cowards don't make the idea behind what he says any less true. "Sides, Zoe would very much sīhuǐ xuèlínlín de kuài jīròu anyone who tried pulling that sort of stunt with my ship. So you don't worry none about that. Trust me, second I get out of this place, she'll be there waiting." Even the slightly over exaggerated violence (though not by too much, he'd imagine, not if it were someone like Jayne pulling such a stunt) that, if he'd really thought on it properly, wasn't something necessary to go describing to a small child Mal only had the best of intentions. It's all about reassuring her that her efforts wouldn't be a waste ending in a broken dream and abandonment. Serenity would be there and all Mal needs is a bit of help finding her, that's all he's asking.
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At the same time, can't help feeling he's at something of a disadvantage here considering his lack of properly understanding children and the likes. Don't so much as allow them on the ship most of the time seeing as the crew's line of work ain't exactly one where you want a mess of little ones running under foot. Hell, even back when he wasn't more than a babe himself Mal spent most of his days at the ranch with his ma and the forty or so ranch hands that lived with them. Unless it's a case of a liúlàng'ér making for his pockets or knowing when an extra check is needed before taking off in order to ensure no stowaways have snuck on figuring themselves small enough to pass unnoticed, Mal lacks any real experience on the subject. Be easy if kids weren't nothing more than tiny versions of full grown humans, though seems likely that's not the case. Kinda confuses the whole matter of being able to tell what all is normal behavior and when catching onto the queer little hints that something ain't quite right.
Then again, even if he knew whole bundles of younglings, Mal suspects that it wouldn't be too terribly helpful right at this moment. Melanie don't seem like she'd be so easy to read even with all the baby-raising experience in the 'verse on his side. For starters, she's got a near eerie sense of calm to her, which could be nothing more than her being plenty mature for her age but Mal's not certain... This whole place gives him something of the creeps, if he's being truthsome, which he very well could be effecting his impression. Or it could be he's just gotten so use to River that he's making quick assumptions even if he's never met anyone quite like River and Melanie don't really have too much in common with her from the outset. 'Xcept it's got a very River flavor of weirdness how she just coolly makes such a strange statement when most sane folks wouldn't be nearly so composed about saying such things. Most sane folks wouldn't say those sorts of things at all.
Probably best to give her the benefit of the doubt. After all, up until now... Actually, suppose she has been acting sort of strange well before this, but she'd mostly been speaking sense. "You mean dream as in zuòmèng or just that it's a yuánmèng?" He asks, trying to suss out her precise meaning, making sure he's fully understanding what she's saying. For all Mal knows could just be that she's so excited about the prospect of seeing a ship in real life and Mal just misunderstood, what with the way he said it right together with pointing out that she ain't here and all in a way that didn't exactly express all too much excitement, but then how much emotion of that type had Mal really seen from her to compare it against?
On the other hand, sure hope she ain't trying to say the first one because, well, that makes it sound just damn near impossible to find your way out of this forest and that's not something Mal is ready to accept. Or she figures it wouldn't matter seeing as Serenity has already departed because, well, might be that she's use to folks just up an abandoning her but Mal's certain that wouldn't be the case. He'd willingly bet his life on that and in lots of ways very much has, and she hasn't failed him yet.
"A ship can't leave without her captain," Mal explains, just in case that's what she's assuming, that Serenity has already long gone leaving Mal stranded back on this world with no way of finding her again. "Just like a captain wouldn't leave without his crew." Well, there are times... But that's a rather confusing concept to go bringing up to such a youngling, even Mal understands as much. Besides, she don't need to know about every decision Mal's ever made, just that in the end it's kept the crew safe and together. "It's the rule of the sky." That might not always prove true, less so not within a certain class of crews of which Mal and Serenity would have definitely found themselves included among but there ain't a job in all the 'verse filled with only honorable men, and just because some folks have no trouble acting like traitors and cowards don't make the idea behind what he says any less true. "Sides, Zoe would very much sīhuǐ xuèlínlín de kuài jīròu anyone who tried pulling that sort of stunt with my ship. So you don't worry none about that. Trust me, second I get out of this place, she'll be there waiting." Even the slightly over exaggerated violence (though not by too much, he'd imagine, not if it were someone like Jayne pulling such a stunt) that, if he'd really thought on it properly, wasn't something necessary to go describing to a small child Mal only had the best of intentions. It's all about reassuring her that her efforts wouldn't be a waste ending in a broken dream and abandonment. Serenity would be there and all Mal needs is a bit of help finding her, that's all he's asking.