A Chunk of "String Theory" Chapter 5.
Firefly first bit of chp. 5 "Reflection"
Mal, Simon, Jayne, River, and sort of Mike
River quickly became acclimated to the two new presences aboard Serenity. She did not trust them, but almost against her will she seemed to slowly grow to like them.
“Look at them,” Simon said, pointing towards River and Michael playing chess on the floor of the hold. He shook his head incredulously.
“What?” Mal peered out to where Simon pointed, but he didn’t seem to see whatever the doctor found to be so odd. “Looks like River’s teachin’ ‘im to play chess. Why’s that so peculiar?”
“Because,” Simon explained, exasperated with the imperceptive captain, “she was so adamantly against him. And now… Now, it’s almost like they’re friends.” He sighed, watching as his sister swiped a knight off the board with thin, deft fingers.
Mal shrugged, not half as concerned as Simon. “Maybe she’s tryin’ to lull him into a false sense of security. Could be as how she’s just watchin’ to keep him from tryin’ anything on us.”
Simon looked at the captain, his face scrunched up in incredulity. “You can’t really believe that.”
Mal grinned. “Just a theory, doc. Nothin’ but a theory.”
“Well.” Simon shook his head. “I just… I’m worried, naturally. But i-it could be good for her to have a friend. They’re the same age - though they’re clearly vastly different in every other area…”
The two men watched the game for a few moments longer, before suddenly two big hands clapped down on their shoulders.
“Hey.”
Simon whirled around, surprised to see Jayne standing there, an expression of defeated impatience on his face.
“Y’all seen my socks?”
Mal scowled a little, not at all eager to deal with the large man’s whining. “Socks, Jayne? What the hell d’you mean by socks?”
“Well socks, Mal, I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout nothin’ but socks. You seen ‘em?”
Simon shook his head, blinking a few times in disbelief. “Socks, Jayne? No, I-I haven’t seen your socks.”
“That’s what I figured,” the merc muttered. He peered over Simon’s head to watch River and Michael’s chess game. “Your sister,” he growled. “I bet you anything that ruttin’ feng le little moonbrain stole ‘em right out from under my nose. Gorram little thief.”
“Why would River steal socks, Jayne?” Simon asked flatly.
“Hell if I know - she’s the crazy one, not me. But she likes playin’ jokes on me. Fillin’ my bunk with them weird smellin’ burny sticks, stealin’ the hat my mother made… She must ‘a’ stole the socks she made me, too.”
He quickly made to move towards the two teenagers, but Mal stopped him with an arm across his chest. “Not jus’ yet, Jayne. You ain’t got no call to be interruptin’. Look. Our little witch is makin’ a friend.”
“Puh.” Jayne glared at Mal for half a second before turning back to stare at River. Michael had gone and the girl was staring down at the chessboard, her hair brushing the pieces with soft, ghosting strokes. “Sure, Mal. Friends.”
Some time later, when dinner was over and the ship was switching to night-cycle, River watched Michael, Simon, Mal and book play a game of tall card. She stood at the doorway, peering in at cards being shuffled about.
“There you are,” Jayne growled suddenly, his deep voice rumbling like an earthquake through her. River shivered and bounced a little on the balls of her feet. Jayne looked down.
River grinned to herself. “Oh look,” she whispered. “He has found me out!”
“Them’s my socks, ni zi.” Jayne crossed his arms over his wide chest, glaring fiercely at the back of her head. “You best take ‘em off.”
She shrugged, half-ignoring him, still staring at the game.
“Hey.” She didn’t answer. “Hey.” Jayne poked her hard in the arm. “Hey!”
“What is it, man-ape-gone-wrong?”
“Well first off I want my ruttin’ socks.” She rolled her eyes. “But what’re you starin’ at?”
“Our newest male passenger.”
Jayne nodded, shuffling closer to stare, as well. “Yeah. Somethin’ ain’t right ‘bout him. You don’t trust him neither, right?”
River nodded slowly. Her hair tickled his hand; with a grunt, Jayne shook it off. “Correct. Too many secrets, too much buzzing in his brainpan.” She shook her head, tugging lightly on a lock of her straggly hair. “He continues to hide.”
“Heh.” Jayne snorted. “Man an’ that hun dan brother o’ yours think y’all are gettin’ friendly. Saw you playin’ a game in the hold ‘round lunch time.”
“Yes. We were playing chess.”
Jayne shot an annoyed look down at the top of her head. “Am I s’posed to care?”
She nodded again, turning to stare at him with wet, lucid eyes and an enigmatic smile. “You should,” she said simply. “Because he beat me.”
~~~
Is poorly written, but cannot bring self to care right now. Heh.
Plans! Here's the rest of chapter 5:
Scene 1: see above
Scene 2: Bonny and Mike on Beaumonde, "looking" for their ship
Scene 3: Kaylee asks Bonny about their crew, asks Mal to let her and Mike stay. And is that Inara I see there?
-ILB
***
Mal, Simon, Jayne, River, and sort of Mike
River quickly became acclimated to the two new presences aboard Serenity. She did not trust them, but almost against her will she seemed to slowly grow to like them.
“Look at them,” Simon said, pointing towards River and Michael playing chess on the floor of the hold. He shook his head incredulously.
“What?” Mal peered out to where Simon pointed, but he didn’t seem to see whatever the doctor found to be so odd. “Looks like River’s teachin’ ‘im to play chess. Why’s that so peculiar?”
“Because,” Simon explained, exasperated with the imperceptive captain, “she was so adamantly against him. And now… Now, it’s almost like they’re friends.” He sighed, watching as his sister swiped a knight off the board with thin, deft fingers.
Mal shrugged, not half as concerned as Simon. “Maybe she’s tryin’ to lull him into a false sense of security. Could be as how she’s just watchin’ to keep him from tryin’ anything on us.”
Simon looked at the captain, his face scrunched up in incredulity. “You can’t really believe that.”
Mal grinned. “Just a theory, doc. Nothin’ but a theory.”
“Well.” Simon shook his head. “I just… I’m worried, naturally. But i-it could be good for her to have a friend. They’re the same age - though they’re clearly vastly different in every other area…”
The two men watched the game for a few moments longer, before suddenly two big hands clapped down on their shoulders.
“Hey.”
Simon whirled around, surprised to see Jayne standing there, an expression of defeated impatience on his face.
“Y’all seen my socks?”
Mal scowled a little, not at all eager to deal with the large man’s whining. “Socks, Jayne? What the hell d’you mean by socks?”
“Well socks, Mal, I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout nothin’ but socks. You seen ‘em?”
Simon shook his head, blinking a few times in disbelief. “Socks, Jayne? No, I-I haven’t seen your socks.”
“That’s what I figured,” the merc muttered. He peered over Simon’s head to watch River and Michael’s chess game. “Your sister,” he growled. “I bet you anything that ruttin’ feng le little moonbrain stole ‘em right out from under my nose. Gorram little thief.”
“Why would River steal socks, Jayne?” Simon asked flatly.
“Hell if I know - she’s the crazy one, not me. But she likes playin’ jokes on me. Fillin’ my bunk with them weird smellin’ burny sticks, stealin’ the hat my mother made… She must ‘a’ stole the socks she made me, too.”
He quickly made to move towards the two teenagers, but Mal stopped him with an arm across his chest. “Not jus’ yet, Jayne. You ain’t got no call to be interruptin’. Look. Our little witch is makin’ a friend.”
“Puh.” Jayne glared at Mal for half a second before turning back to stare at River. Michael had gone and the girl was staring down at the chessboard, her hair brushing the pieces with soft, ghosting strokes. “Sure, Mal. Friends.”
Some time later, when dinner was over and the ship was switching to night-cycle, River watched Michael, Simon, Mal and book play a game of tall card. She stood at the doorway, peering in at cards being shuffled about.
“There you are,” Jayne growled suddenly, his deep voice rumbling like an earthquake through her. River shivered and bounced a little on the balls of her feet. Jayne looked down.
River grinned to herself. “Oh look,” she whispered. “He has found me out!”
“Them’s my socks, ni zi.” Jayne crossed his arms over his wide chest, glaring fiercely at the back of her head. “You best take ‘em off.”
She shrugged, half-ignoring him, still staring at the game.
“Hey.” She didn’t answer. “Hey.” Jayne poked her hard in the arm. “Hey!”
“What is it, man-ape-gone-wrong?”
“Well first off I want my ruttin’ socks.” She rolled her eyes. “But what’re you starin’ at?”
“Our newest male passenger.”
Jayne nodded, shuffling closer to stare, as well. “Yeah. Somethin’ ain’t right ‘bout him. You don’t trust him neither, right?”
River nodded slowly. Her hair tickled his hand; with a grunt, Jayne shook it off. “Correct. Too many secrets, too much buzzing in his brainpan.” She shook her head, tugging lightly on a lock of her straggly hair. “He continues to hide.”
“Heh.” Jayne snorted. “Man an’ that hun dan brother o’ yours think y’all are gettin’ friendly. Saw you playin’ a game in the hold ‘round lunch time.”
“Yes. We were playing chess.”
Jayne shot an annoyed look down at the top of her head. “Am I s’posed to care?”
She nodded again, turning to stare at him with wet, lucid eyes and an enigmatic smile. “You should,” she said simply. “Because he beat me.”
~~~
Is poorly written, but cannot bring self to care right now. Heh.
Plans! Here's the rest of chapter 5:
Scene 1: see above
Scene 2: Bonny and Mike on Beaumonde, "looking" for their ship
Scene 3: Kaylee asks Bonny about their crew, asks Mal to let her and Mike stay. And is that Inara I see there?
-ILB
***