June 1st
2:00 AM
2:00 AM
ooc
off to bed
i spend too much time on the internet
see you tomorrow, folks!
Tea and conversations—Inara & Kaylee…
Inara had been so absorbed in her own thoughts, blankly staring at the now screeching kettle, that she hadn’t heard Kaylee approach. “Oh, hey you,” she said, glancing at the mechanic before turning back to the kettle to take it off the heat. She pulled two cups out of an overhead cupboard, a much more cheery number than one, and filled them with the rich, fruity beverage. The heat wafting off the cups was welcome; her hands always seemed to be chilled these days.
“No, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to meet everyone.” Setting the cups down across from each other at the lovingly worn table, Inara sat down and gestured for Kaylee to do the same. “My clients have kept me occupied. Have you made friends with them all yet?” She grinned at her friend, almost as though it were some kind of inside joke between them. In all honesty, she would have been surprised if Kaylee hadn’t made the newcomers adore her. She had such a kind heart, and it drew people to her. It was part of why Inara was so fond of her and took such pleasure in the time they spent together.
“I hear there are a quite a few of this time. More than when we took on the shepherd and Simon and River, anyway.” Elegant fingers wrapped themselves around the mug, soaking up the heat until the tea was cool enough to actually drink.
“Thanks,” Kaylee took the cup with a smile for her friend, inhaling the steam deeply. Truth was, Kaylee didn’t really like the way Inara’s tea tasted so much as it smelled. It smelled real good, but something about the taste wasn’t Kaylee’s favorite thing. Still, she wasn’t going to turn down something so nice and warm. She wrapped her hands around the cup, fingers decidedly less elegant than Inara’s perfectly scrubbed and manicured ones, and coated in a fine layer of grease and sweat.
“There’s a whole bunch of ‘em. I met a few, and Jayne nearly started a fight with one of them, but I don’t think any harm was done,” Kaylee said. She took a sip of tea. “You been awful busy, huh?” She leaned forward in her seat. “Have any good stories to share?”
Kaylee loved listening to Inara talk. The way her voice sounded was just divine, and when Inara shared some of her companion stories, well, Kaylee could just listen all night. Besides, Inara’s life had a touch of glamour and romance that Kaylee’s own life was sorely lacking, especially these days.
Tea and conversations—open
Fragrant smoke coiled up from the incense sticks perched around the shuttle Inara had transformed into her haven. The smell was earthy and thick, and it filled her senses as well as the air. Each scent had a purpose, a reason for being used—this one was for meditation and relaxation, though she was having a difficult time doing either, despite the incense and chant-like music filtering in through her com system. Clear your mind, she told herself as she took a deep breath, trying to focus for what felt like the hundredth time. Let thought slip away.
Except her memory refused to comply. The last three times, just as she felt her whole body and being start to relax, Mal’s face would flash across her consciousness. Or his goofy smile, so disarming…The first time, she could have sworn she heard his voice. She’d opened her eyes then, just to be sure he hadn’t barged in, unannounced as was his frustrating habit. But the shuttle was empty, aside from herself, and she settled down again.
Letting out her breath in a slow, measured stream, the companion nearly jumped off her cushions; instead of Mal’s face, her mind had conjured up the dead visages of the people they’d seen on Miranda. The shrieks of Reavers rang in her ears as she rose in a flurry of perfume and silk to shut off the music; too much noise. The last bit of incense ash fell into the holder as she watched and she let out another breath, this one a little shakier. “Jao go,” she muttered, moving to stand before her mirror.
Her normally serene face looked drawn, tense. She’d lost enough weight recently for it to show in her cheeks—a barrage of stress over leaving Serenity, realizing it was her true home, then coming back only to face Miranda and all the horrors within had taken a small toll on her body. No wrinkles, only a few pounds and occasional nightmares. She stared back at herself for a long moment, unblinking. Dark curls were pulled back, accenting the low, round neckline of her peach colored dress, almost Greek in style. Gold trim around the waist and hem matched the long necklace and few bracelets that jingled on her wrists. But even her fine dresses and jewels couldn’t hide the changes she had gone through.
The whole crew, really, had changed. She could feel it as much as see changes in behavior. Even Mal wasn’t exactly the same man. Though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, she’d been giving it a lot of thought, not all of it voluntary. The captain intruded into her thoughts like her shuttle…but she didn’t always mind. There was something about Mal that she couldn’t escape, and she’d tried. More than once. She just wasn’t ready yet to meditate on why.
That could come later. At the moment, meditation was over.
If she couldn’t feed her mind, feeding her body was an acceptable alternative, and tea was calming, more often than not. Making sure the incense was fully done burning, Inara slipped out of her shuttle and toward the kitchen. There were unfamiliar noises echoing around the ship, sounds of the new passengers and crew that she had yet to be accustomed to, but they were welcome. They were the sounds of the alive, and she smiled at that. Life was everywhere.
The kitchen was empty, however, and she filled the kettle and put it on the stove with fluid, practiced motions. She didn’t have to look to find the compartment that held her own private stash of tea. Occasionally she would share the aromatic beverage—with Kaylee, or Simon, usually—but it was hers and she intended to enjoy it fully, right now, in this moment. Hopefully it would ward off the lingering images plaguing her mind.
Kaylee was heading back to her bunk from the engine room for the night. She figured she might sleep in an actual bed for the night, instead of the hammock she had rigged right near the engine. The hammock was comfortable enough most nights - heck, she loved the way the engine hummed and how warm it was down there - but she spent most of the day contorted around various engine bits, and she could use a real pillow under her head for once.
As she neared the kitchen, Kaylee sniffed the air. She could smell Inara’s fragrant tea, one of her favorite smells. She never smelled anything so pretty until Inara introduced her to the luxury. Her mood brightened considerably when she saw Inara sitting at the kitchen table.
“Hi ‘nara,” Kaylee said brightly. She loved the companion like a sister, even though sometimes she felt terribly out of place standing next to her. But Inara was unendingly kind to her, and sometimes she even let Kaylee borrow that fancy soap that smelled like roses. “Whatcha up to? Meet any of the new folks yet?”
OOC
Hey Kaylee, I think we should just wait for Emi tomorrow, unless you wanna keep interacting~
Good call :) I think we left it at a good place anyway
you better start swimming // emi & kaylee & jayne!
Jayne was halfway to the door when Kaylee’s arm blocked him by waving a piece of orange at him. His expression softened somewhat at Kaylee’s words. She had that effect on people, even him. “Well I guess,” he growled and made a face and mussed up her hair again, but he took the proffered orange bit and decided to sit back down. Only this time he sat in the chair next to Kaylee.
This orange is damn tasty, he thought as he leaned back again. Next job pays better’n the last one maybe I’ll buy more fruit…
Kaylee smiled as Jayne sat back down. He was a big softie under all the gruffness and the ripe smell. At least he was with her.
Kaylee turned her smile back on Emi. “Simon’s a good one, really,” she said. “He grew up real proper like, on an Alliance planet and everything, and went to fancy doctorin’ school at one of the best places in the ‘verse. He’s real smart and he’s saved all our lives more ‘n once. He still ain’t too good with all the Rim stuff, and sometimes he just about puts his foot in his mouth every other word, but he tries.”
Simon did try. Kaylee just wished he’d try a little more when it came to romancing her. She repressed a sigh and popped another section of orange into her mouth, savoring the burst of tart flavor on her tongue. It was a bright, happy flavor, and it helped to push her mild doubts about Simon back into the corner of her mind.
you better start swimming // emi & kaylee & jayne!
She glowered at Jayne, stopping eating what was in her mouth. If he was gonna play like that, she would be more than happy to fight back. She opened her mouth to retort, her expression saying more than words probably ever could, but Kaylee berated Jayne before the first vowel was sounded. It seemed this was a regular thing with the man, as Kaylee didn’t seem all that surprised. Hesitating, she looked back at her bowl and dropped the spoon into the empty bowl.
“Rude, I can deal with.” she nodded, now deciding to act like Jayne wasn’t even in the room, “But if he does come at me with that gorram knife, you should be gettin’ your boyfriend up ‘cause it will get real messy real fast.”
A warning glare went to Jayne again before looking back at Kaylee and she leaned back, swinging on her chair gently. Deciding that an argument was not a good thing when trying to make friends with the crew. She linked her fingers and continued to crack them, pursing her dry lips. “Speakin’ of the Doc, guess you’re the best to ask. What’s he like?”
It was probably easier to get a description from someone else than talking with them and all that go shi. It might turn out she wouldn’t even like the doc, so it was probably for the best she just got it from these two now and put it out the way.
Jayne sat up and looked at Kaylee in disbelief. “Well what about her?!”, he exclaimed. “She weren’t exactly bein’ nice, neither.” The hell with this, he thought, getting up to leave. Better go work this out on some weights. He didn’t want to start any fights, mostly because he would get into another argument the Cap’n.
He decided to go find that doctor, see if he wanted to work out with him. Maybe he can do a set this time. Doctor’s too ruttin’ scrawny…
Kaylee huffed out a little sigh. “You didn’t gotta bring a knife inta it,” she said, looking up at Jayne as he stood up. She really, really didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of a fight involving Jayne. Kaylee wasn’t a fighter by any stretch, and she wasn’t keen to be under Simon’s knife again any time soon. Even though Simon was a real good doctor.
Kaylee held out a section of orange to Jayne as he went past. “Cap’n said we oughta be accomodatin’ to the new folks. ‘specially when they’re payin’ their way,” she nodded. Looking back to Emi, she said, “We didn’t used to have a bunch of new people on board, but I think it’s nice meetin’ new people. Some people just don’t feel the same way, don’t mean they gotta be all mean for no reason.” Kaylee gave Jayne a pointed look, still waving the piece of orange in offering.
you better start swimming // emi & kaylee & jayne!
Emi nodded, listening to Kaylee with vague disinterest. Hoop ball? She had seen the beginnings of said game, but never hung around to play… She pursed her lips as she thought about the chances of joining in at one point. The woman was particularly competitive when it came down to it, but at the same time she wasn’t up for much socialising. Gorram, she definitely needed to check that.
She smirked at the mention of Kaylee and Simon having sex, looking back down at her food to avoid eye contact with the girl. Sex and relationships were nothing Emilija couldn’t handle, and she was fine talking about them. Other people, herself… It was open on the table. Well, with people she knew. Around Kaylee and Jayne, she definitely wouldn’t openly discuss the last time she had sex.
Upon receiving a glare from Jayne, she narrowed her eyes a little and returned it. Hostility from Emilija was no surprise, and she had a feeling it was just about the same for Jayne. She looked back at her meal and continued to eat, happy with the length she waited.
”You keep makin’ faces like that, the wind’ll change and your face’ll stick.” she mumbled, aiming it at Jayne. She continued to eat, scooping her spoon around the edge of the bowl, “Then again, could be an improvement.”If someone was going to give her a look, she would be damned if she wouldn’t retaliate.
Jayne barked out a laugh at Kaylee’s words and said, “And the Doc said I was the crude one.” In truth he was more than a little glad that Kaylee wasn’t mopin’ around anymore. Didn’t want her sexin’ problems mucking up the engine. He caught the glare from the mystery woman and when he finished his non-food he took out his knife. Whistling his Hero of Canton song, he started to spit shine and sharpen his knife. Sure, he could buy one of them fancy knife oils or cleaners out there, but he had little enough coin as it was, and spit did the job perfectly well.
Mystery woman finally spoke up. ”You keep makin’ faces like that, the wind’ll change and your face’ll stick. Then again, could be an improvement.”
“Well, you keep makin’ comments like that I figure I might just take this here knife and change your face too, little girl”, Jayne growled. He made one last pass over the edge of his knife with the whetstone for emphasis. Who the ruttin’ hell does she think she is?
“Jayne!” Kaylee exclaimed. There really wasn’t any accounting for Jayne’s manners, and Kaylee couldn’t say she was surprised exactly at Jayne’s behavior. She sure was used to it, but it wasn’t a good face to put on for new passengers. “You oughta be nice to the new folks, there ain’t no reason for you to be nasty.”
Popping a section of orange into her mouth, Kaylee gave Jayne a warning look. He was often like a big brother to her - crass, rude, annoying, but he had his moments. New passengers like Emi just weren’t gonna see that if he kept behaving like that.
Truth was, things with Simon weren’t all sunshine and rainbows. Sure they had sex, lots of good sex, but it was getting awful regular and expected. It wasn’t as exciting as it was, but Kaylee figured Simon had plenty on his mind with looking after his sister and the med bay all.
Kaylee looked at Emi. “He’s just bein’ rude. Don’t pay him any mind. He ain’t got no manners no matter how much we try to teach him.”
you better start swimming // emi & kaylee & open!
She glanced up at the sound of footsteps, nodding a little in greeting to Kaylee. She was… Perky for an engineer, but she clearly knew her stuff. Emi would be damned if she tried to take on the girl’s job, so she would do her best to keep her mouth shut and not insult her on it. She looked back at her bowl, poking at it and then glanced back at her. And then she spoke. Her bright attitude was quite nice, and it matched the ship definitely. At least now Emilija knew who had painted the flowers around the dining area.
“Uh, just some cereal. I think.” she added doubtfully, taking another bite. Her lips twitched and she put the spoon down again, unsatisfied. There was silence, and she crackled her fingers against the edge of the table. Her free hand rubbed the back of the neck and then rested there, allowing herself to relax and put most of her head weight on said hand, the elbow on the table, “So what the heck do you do for fun ‘round here?”
Not that she was too fussed about joining in the fun. But the silence was nearly unbearable, and she would prefer to start a conversation than let Kaylee choose it. No offense to the girl, but she didn’t seem the type to exactly have the same topic interests as Emi.
It’s gettin’ awful crowded in here, Jayne thought as he made his way through to the kitchen. They had taken off from Beaumonde with about 3 new people. Couldn’t rightly remember their names. He’s been buttin’ heads with Mal over it, but who can argue with Mal?
Anyway, it seemed the only time Jayne could do anything without bein’ bothered was during the ship’s night cycle, but even now he noticed Kaylee and one of the new passengers sitting at the table. As he walked over to the cupboards to look for a snack he reached out and mussed up Kaylee’s hair. “How come you ain’t with the Doc tonight? Bet his sexin’ ain’t as good as you thought”, he said with a leery grin.
He thought about eating the last of the canned peaches, but he decided to leave them for Kaylee. Gonna rot them teeth out, all the sweet things she likes to eat. In the end, Jayne just got the leftover protein non-food, plunked himself down on the table and ate, giving the new passenger his signature Jayne glare.
Kaylee pulled one of her last pieces of fruit out of her locker - an orange, not her favorite but fruit was fruit. She glanced at Emilija in the little silence that followed, wondering if maybe Emilija wanted to keep to herself. But she spoke again, so Kaylee set herself down at the table across from the other woman. Leaning on her elbows, Kaylee peeled her orange carefully.
“It depends. Sometimes we get a game of hoop ball goin’ on down in the hangar if we’re feelin’ particularly restless, and other times we play cards. Inara sometimes lends me some of them romance novels, but I ain’t much of a reader,” Kaylee shrugged, dropping little sections of orange peel on the wooden table. “I dunno, I never find myself wantin’ for something to do, but I guess it’s different for everyone. Not everyone can tinker with Serenity all day long.”
Kaylee scrunched up her face at Jayne as he went by. “Ain’t none of your business, Jayne. ‘Sides, Simon’s probably busy in the med bay or something, I’ll find him later and we’ll keep you up all night long, you’ll see,” she nodded, giving him a look like Be nice to the new passenger, now. There was never any accounting for Jayne’s behavior.
you better start swimming // open!
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.
Kaylee really liked having all these new folks around. It was like a village, practically, with all sorts of interesting people walking around. They all had a story to tell, and Kaylee never got tired of listening. Even if she did, she could always hide away with the engine. Nobody came down there.
She was coming up from the engine room now, coated in her usual layer of sweat and engine grease. The aft alternator was giving her problems again, even if she swore up and down to Mal that it had a few more good runs in it, but she was feeling a bit peckish. Kaylee trotted into the kitchen, coveralls hanging around her waist, hoping that there was still something fresh for her to nibble on.
Emilija was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of something. Kaylee hadn’t talked to Emilija much since she came aboard, and it seemed like Emilija kept to herself mostly. But that didn’t mean she weren’t friendly.
“Hiya,” Kaylee chirped brightly, moving to pull some food out of her locker. “Whatcha eatin’?”
