To Mal's mind, whoever this stranger is, he's acting downright rude.
First off, you don't just going showing up out of nowhere. Well, not unless you're looking to get yourself shot. In this case the fellow had been lucky enough seeing as Mal had just something of a misfire and his brain was taking it's sweet time catching up with the whole mess of a situation. Add to that being rightly preoccupied with the kid and, well, who goes and uses that as an excuse to go sneaking up on a man? 'Specially seeing as right at the moment time is not on their side.
It's hard to get a god look at Melanie, what with as small a creature as she is and seeing as Mal has a pair of wings, dog, and for some gorram reason a ruttin' snake now wrapped around her blocking his view. Mal might not be the most educated of folks but he's pretty certain that snakes can't sniff out blood like some kind of creeping coyote, and the large ones can rarely move all that fast or where it even came from....
But, no, of course Mal is the dangerous one here, not the giant snake that looks to be easily able to swallow that girl whole if it took to the idea. Yet here is this niǎo rén is trying to hold Mal back when he seems to be the only one around the least bit concerned about the girl lying there on the ground bleeding out, and without a proper look at her wounds Mal can't tell if the bullet is still lodged in there or not, causing even more damage. They need to get that out soon as possible, but suppose it's more important this guy show off whatever tricks he's got up his sleeves. Seems this whole gorram world is full of folks training to swindle hardworking types out of their well-earned coins. Probably doesn't even care about the poor kid, just looking for a way to show off is all.
Whoever he is, sure is protective for someone who couldn't be all that close to Melanie. After all, what sort of responsible adult lets a child go wandering through dark forests talking with strangers carrying guns and luring them out of trees? She all but told him she don't have no one to rely on, so he couldn't be anyone who looked in on her all that often. Also, seemed to understand language well enough. Sort of hùsheng knows well enough how to speak in both languages of this 'verse and then goes and only teaches a youngster one of them? Keeps her rather grounded, no wondered the poor thing don't know anything about ships.
Not that alone it's enough to end a man's life over, Mal reminds himself as he pulls his pistol out to make his point a little more clear. Just saying that he's accumulating reasons awful quick-like for a man he's just met.
At the same, Melanie seems to be familiar with the stranger, but suppose that's a given seeing as must be they come from the same backward circus show. So Mal figures whoever he is, he ain't nearly as important as saving someone never seen meant to get shooting the first place, who certainly don't deserve to loose an arm about it never mind worse. If Mal goes and kills someone Melanie knows don't seem likely she'll be very open to letting Mal get a look at that wound even if it's all in the name of trying to help. But hell if he ain't going to help her, and no niǎo-nǎo de guàiwu is about to stand in his way.
"Now, I'm telling you to back down," Mal growls, the end of his pistol pointed square in between his eyes. He shot her he'd damn well make it right, well, if he could just get this asshole out of his way. "Or else I'm going to have to-"
It's all done in one quick, sharp movement. Mal tosses the gun up just enough to grab it by the barrel, slamming the heavy butt of his pistol right into the angel's ear without hesitating that comes with a good conscious but plenty of practice pulling much the same trick on more than a handful of occasions. Good for knocking folks out so long as you ain't too worried about causing brain-damage.
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First off, you don't just going showing up out of nowhere. Well, not unless you're looking to get yourself shot. In this case the fellow had been lucky enough seeing as Mal had just something of a misfire and his brain was taking it's sweet time catching up with the whole mess of a situation. Add to that being rightly preoccupied with the kid and, well, who goes and uses that as an excuse to go sneaking up on a man? 'Specially seeing as right at the moment time is not on their side.
It's hard to get a god look at Melanie, what with as small a creature as she is and seeing as Mal has a pair of wings, dog, and for some gorram reason a ruttin' snake now wrapped around her blocking his view. Mal might not be the most educated of folks but he's pretty certain that snakes can't sniff out blood like some kind of creeping coyote, and the large ones can rarely move all that fast or where it even came from....
But, no, of course Mal is the dangerous one here, not the giant snake that looks to be easily able to swallow that girl whole if it took to the idea. Yet here is this niǎo rén is trying to hold Mal back when he seems to be the only one around the least bit concerned about the girl lying there on the ground bleeding out, and without a proper look at her wounds Mal can't tell if the bullet is still lodged in there or not, causing even more damage. They need to get that out soon as possible, but suppose it's more important this guy show off whatever tricks he's got up his sleeves. Seems this whole gorram world is full of folks training to swindle hardworking types out of their well-earned coins. Probably doesn't even care about the poor kid, just looking for a way to show off is all.
Whoever he is, sure is protective for someone who couldn't be all that close to Melanie. After all, what sort of responsible adult lets a child go wandering through dark forests talking with strangers carrying guns and luring them out of trees? She all but told him she don't have no one to rely on, so he couldn't be anyone who looked in on her all that often. Also, seemed to understand language well enough. Sort of hùsheng knows well enough how to speak in both languages of this 'verse and then goes and only teaches a youngster one of them? Keeps her rather grounded, no wondered the poor thing don't know anything about ships.
Not that alone it's enough to end a man's life over, Mal reminds himself as he pulls his pistol out to make his point a little more clear. Just saying that he's accumulating reasons awful quick-like for a man he's just met.
At the same, Melanie seems to be familiar with the stranger, but suppose that's a given seeing as must be they come from the same backward circus show. So Mal figures whoever he is, he ain't nearly as important as saving someone never seen meant to get shooting the first place, who certainly don't deserve to loose an arm about it never mind worse. If Mal goes and kills someone Melanie knows don't seem likely she'll be very open to letting Mal get a look at that wound even if it's all in the name of trying to help. But hell if he ain't going to help her, and no niǎo-nǎo de guàiwu is about to stand in his way.
"Now, I'm telling you to back down," Mal growls, the end of his pistol pointed square in between his eyes. He shot her he'd damn well make it right, well, if he could just get this asshole out of his way. "Or else I'm going to have to-"
It's all done in one quick, sharp movement. Mal tosses the gun up just enough to grab it by the barrel, slamming the heavy butt of his pistol right into the angel's ear without hesitating that comes with a good conscious but plenty of practice pulling much the same trick on more than a handful of occasions. Good for knocking folks out so long as you ain't too worried about causing brain-damage.