"We picked us up a new passenger, preacher. That's probably the biggest news we've got."
Book raised his brows inquisitively.
"Carpenter, goes by the name of Xander. I'll introduce you to him. You got a lot in common."
"Do we?" he asked, a thread of amusement in his voice.
"You both seem to have pasts that don't mesh well with your career choices," Mal stated, cocking his head slightly to one side as he looked at the preacher. "And you won't neither one of you hear of talkin' about those self-same histories."
A shadow passed over the preacher's eyes, but he simply nodded and murmured, "Perhaps he has reasons for not sharing."
"Yeah," Mal muttered. "Unusual upbringing."
Jayne snickered, and Book raised his brows in silent question.
"His excuse for any time he does somethin' don't make no sense," Mal explained. "Been hearin' quite a bit of it."
Book shrugged. "Perhaps it's true."
"Not doubtin' it. Just more than a little curious as to what unusual is. Maybe upbringing too," he said dryly.
Carving Out a Future, Chapter 25