river_meimei | (no subject)

(no subject)

Earlier today, River went to Milliways and spent half the afternoon meandering out by the lake in the early-autumn sunshine.

Now, it's a different kind of outdoors she's looking at: curled up on the ship's bridge, head tipped back and coattails spreading around her, she's watching the stars through Serenity's wide front windows.

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River's face shifts: the same expression, in part, but more of a crooked smile, now.

"I know it," she says again.

"Good."

Now all I need is for Kaylee to know it, and a million platinum. Shiny.

The smile, faint though it is, slides away after a moment, and River turns her face back to the stars.

For a few slow breaths, the only sound is two people breathing, and the quiet background noises of Serenity.

"Kaylee doesn't."

"Used to. Now she doesn't listen. Gets mad."

"She don't understand, you mean?"

In that tone of I better have heard it that way.

River's hands tighten on her shins, and slowly spread against skin and fabric.

"She used to try." Down deep, there's something like pleading in there.

What's at the heart of this: Being psychic doesn't make you perfect, and doesn't make you understand everything, and doesn't make you able to fix every problem. And what's at the heart of this: River misses her friend.

There's not many people on the ship that see Mal upset in a way that isn't also in the category of 'gun-wieldy'.

Nobody understands anybody anymore, and Mal can't fix it. He holds his right hand in his left and twists outward, cracking his wrist with a satisfying pop. The left gets taken care of too.

"I tried to tell her...I tried to say that having issue with folk who don't give you cause to your face ain't the best way to go about things. I don't know what she took from that."

River's in front of Mal, and to the side; he may or may not be able to see her face soften in a rueful half-smile down at the floor.

Okay, says her expression. And, maybe.

(It'd be nice. And -- maybe.)

It's hard to see through the hair.

He can imagine.

"Can't see how to do much elsewise."

River glances up; hair falls across her face, but not enough to obscure her expression when she's looking right at him.

"You do."

The direct gaze catches Mal's own, and the eye contact lingers before a smirk lets Mal get out of it.

"At least I got a way."
Sure as ruttin' hell ain't ever got a plan
Mal rights himself again, adjusting; probably headed back out off the bridge. "Think we got a game still goin' somewhere, 'less Jayne messed with the board."

Edited 2008-10-08 03:50 (UTC)

"He's meddlesome," River agrees solemnly, following the subject shift.

Think we're all gettin' that way.

A hand hesitantly lifts and drops again onto River's shoulder, not even linger long enough for heat transfer before Mal pulls back.

"Come find me later; Inara won't play fair."

River's eyes flick to the air where Mal's hand was, a second too late, and then back up to his face.

The smile's smaller, this time, but the affection's clearer. "It's a deal."

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