[For Simon]

[gorramcheerful]

Wasn’t fair. Wasn’t any use in being sullen about it either, wouldn’t change anything and wouldn’t heal her leg up so as she could go for at least a little while. Kaylee loved any excuse to dress up, that proper shindig back home had been one in a million; she of all people had got the chance to go, and to wear that dress. The pink one that still

Comments

[aint_weak]

Simon had thought little of telling Kaylee that she could not attend the party at first. The plain and simple fact remained that her ankle was by no means healed enough to risk such an event. He only thought of the possibility of re-injury during the walk to the boarding house, and then of the even greater threat of the same during the dance, when Kaylee would surely not be resting and both exhaustion and merriment could have disastrous results.

It was only later that he thought of her disappointment. He could not take back what he had said. He was her doctor before her friend, and as both doctor and friend it was his duty to make sure that she did not endanger her recovery. But he could try to make the evening pass a little more enjoyably.

He did not have high hopes for success, but he came to her door with a tray balanced in one hand, holding a vast assortment of things including tea, fruit, mahjong and cards. Something would have to work.

"Kaylee," he called gently outside the paper-like screen door, then tapped it with his knuckles. "May I come in?" he asked. "It's Simon."

Of course it's you, bèn dàn, he thought, and winced at himself.

[gorramcheerful]

She felt foolish for having climbed a tree of all things, of wandering the Jungle when there were more dangerous creatures than ever present, now this was proper punishment for it. Despite trying not to sulk, the girl was now bundled up in her pyjamas and robe having given in to being stuck here, be less trouble for whoever stayed behind if she kept to her room.

Kaylee lifted her head quickly as she heard Simon at other side of the door, asking if he could come in. Again she felt a slight turn of guilt, like visits to her were no longer an option but duty for folk on Serenity at the moment. She was about to tell him to come in, but -- It’s Simon? She gave the door a weary look; his completely unnecessary statement had coaxed the beginnings of a fond smile from her in spite of the weighty disappointment and she wiped her eyes on the silk sleeve of her robe. “That’s a relief. Though it coulda been the law out there.” Kaylee called back in a slightly teasing tone, though she hoped she wasn’t any responsible for Simon not going to even look in on the ball, seeing as he’d had to tell her to stay and all. “’Course. Come on in."

[aint_weak]

Simon grinned faintly at himself as he slid open the door, but he still felt foolish, and that showed in the way the smile did not quite reach his eyes and his movements somewhat overly careful. "It might have been a very polite lawman," he said, as if to justify himself, even though he knew full well that it was silly.

He shut the door behind him smoothly, balancing the tray on one hand. "I thought I might keep you company," he explained, moving closer to where Kaylee was settled on the bed. "I brought tea and fruit.. and some games. If you'd like."

[gorramcheerful]

"Reckon th’ most polite one I happen t'know." Well, a bit different on the Island, but out in th'Black he'd been so polite it was near frustrating.

Kaylee looked genuinely surprised. Happily surprised at that as he stepped in, he carried a tray all set out, clearly to share with her, games even!. "Oh, that's awful thoughtful of you Simon. But you ain't gotta stay." Her voice turning a little quiet, though her smile was impossible to miss. "Xièxie --" The smile grew wider as she inspected the tray he held, and with a slightly awkward shifting in minding her healing leg, she shuffled back gingerly toward her pillows; offering up plenty of room for him to sit with her. "Now I'm willin' t'bet no one at any party’s gettin’ this sorta service. " She said and with a genuine cheer, suddenly feeling proper spoiled rather than waited on.

[aint_weak]

"That's their misfortune," Simon replied, setting the tray down on the flat bed first and with great care, then seated himself on the very edge of the bed, not wanting to crowd Kaylee. "They have to please everyone else in the room, and you only have to be concerned with yourself. It's better this way."

At least that was Simon's thinking. Parties could be fun, but they could also be strenuous, depending upon the host.

[gorramcheerful]

Kaylee smiled , watching Simon set down the tray admiringly. “Yeah. Their misfortune.” Though she thought more for whom was here, rather than for being spoiled. Simon kept to his space, and she sent him a look, as if to say he was acting foolish. “There’s plenty room, I ain’t gonna bite. ‘sides if I did, you’ve gotta be a whole lot quicker than me at th’moment.” She noted, looking to her mending leg.

She inspected the tray, and instantly went for a piece of fruit. “Were you gonna go?” Kaylee asked, trying to sound perfectly innocent about an inconspicuous question, as she looked at the fruit. “Y’know, to the party?" She tried to make it sound a throwaway question. "‘Spect you must’ve been to loads of them b’fore?” The sort of money he came from perhaps they were every weekend or maybe even his parents held them.

[aint_weak]

He scooted a little closer, but not by much. It was only a gesture, really. No matter what Kaylee said, Simon did not want to make her uncomfortable. And sometimes it was necessary for him to make a hasty retreat after these more private interludes.

"Oh, some," he said, carefully pouring them each a cup of tea. "But I wasn't planning on attending this ball. I'm.. not really a fan of masks. And this isn't someone's birthday or a celebration of anything specific, so there's no obligation to attend."

[gorramcheerful]

There was an encouraging smile as Simon crept a little closer, it wasn’t the first time they’d simply just sat together, she only wanted him to be comfortable .. didn’t mean he had to be miles away either now did it?

Her perhaps too hopeful attempt to figure out what might have been, had she been able to go, finds Kaylee replying with a soft “Oh.” Trying not to sound too disappointed. If he hadn’t wanted to take her to the ball, was him being here now out of obligation too? She took her tea. “Y’mean there’s nothin’ t’like about that sort of thing?” She asked, hoping she might encourage something. Anything and her smile had yet to fade. “Everyone all gussied up proper, lookin’ their finest. Dozens of colours n’all, the food, n’the pretty music.” She smiled at him, remembering the waltz music that party on Persephone she’d been to, was beautiful. “Sharin’ all that with someone special.” She sighed wistfully and took a small, testing sip of tea.

[aint_weak]

"There's plenty to like," Simon said, setting down the pot of tea and taking up his own cup. It was a simple movement, but one so carefully watched in polite society that there was even a sense of formality in how he held the cup. "But only if one is comfortable with the surroundings."

He hesitated, dwelling on Kaylee's words. Someone special. "As for sharing," he continued, "River has the Captain. Inara... might have a dozen suitors already" -- though Simon doubted that, given the general populace -- "and you can't walk," he finished. "Who else is there?" he asked rhetorically and took a small sip of tea.

[gorramcheerful]

Yet something else Kaylee didn’t understand. How could it be uncomfortable, everyone so happy, the atmosphere was enough, wasn’t it! “So what makes y’so uncomfortable ‘bout bein’ there?” She added curiously, the concept so foreign.

Someone special. Indeed. Kaylee sometimes wondered how what she said wasn’t taken as well as she’d hoped, really. “Well- that’s just it.” Kaylee said quickly, trying not to be too quickly troubled by his words. “River’n th’ Cap’n.” A couple Simon. “’Nara ‘n someone proper polite- an’-“ Kaylee paused suddenly, as though she’d caught on a little more slowly. Her. Watching him she saw he’d said it in passing and she was mentioned last, but it was something. “So we coulda gone?” She asked softly, peering over the brim of her cup hopefully, not yet daring to smile. “You an’me? Together?” She sort of hoped it was different that Simon accompanying his sister had Mal not gone too.

[aint_weak]

Simon swallowed his sip of tea slowly before trying to answer. "Making polite conversation with people I don't know is.. difficult for me. It comes so naturally for you," he said, giving her a brief smile, "I know it must sound silly, but I don't know what to say to make people comfortable or to make them like me."

He had been using a somewhat broad definition of special, having assumed that Kaylee was doing the same. But the hope he saw in her eyes made him hesitate and smile in a shy way.

"Well, I couldn't invite anyone else."

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Well, trouble was he was kinda right about that. A lot right. Trouble was, he'd say things ..without even thinking that were nice! But then he started trying too hard and he'd end up saying something wrong. "It ain't silly." Kaylee assured, everyone gave him a tough time of it here, even she did sometimes when he'd made her cross. "You just gotta relax is all." Or ..perhaps have a little to drink. Sometimes. "Who says you gotta make anyone like you anyways?"

It was a sort of confirmation, almost what she'd wanted to hear and Kaylee smiled only wider to the look on his face, if only he smiled like that more often. "Y'mean it?" She encouraged, watching him almost gleefully. "We'll- y'know maybe ain’t so bad that we ain’t goin’ to this ball." She added softly, taking another piece of fruit from the tray. Simon’s gesture was far nicer than she’d hoped to receive when she was missing out on a party, especially one he would have taken her to. “Nice here.” She sighed softly, gazing about the rather plain room. “Practically got th’place to ourselves.” She said sounding innocently contemplative about it.

[aint_weak]

"I know how," Simon said, hoping to make himself sound less.. hopeless than he had. "With some people. I'm just accustomed to having more common ground with the people I talk to, knowing where to go in a conversation, what to talk about, how to act." He sighed softly and shook his head, biting his bottom lip to keep from smiling too broadly. "You know I do. People don't like me immediately like-- like they do you."

From the smile on Kaylee's face, it seemed Simon had said something right. He allowed himself a small laugh. "Well, the places you can get to with your ankle the way it is."

[gorramcheerful]

“Oh come on, y’make it sound like yer meetin’ th Queen’.” She teased, fondness in her tone, oh he was sweet. Though the factuality of that hadn’t set in, the name Boleyn, as the hostess had not registered to someone not so brushed up on her Earth-that-Was history. He was actually making her giggle softly the effort he was putting in to hide that smile, he really had no idea how. “Stop bein’ so sure they don’t like you fer a start too, I guess.” Though, folk like the Cap’n made that difficult, she knew he didn’t hate Simon. “You don’t gotta be so worried about makin’ sure what to talk about neither, don’t be so sure folk don’t wanna hear.” When he wasn’t thinking so hard. “For instance bein’ named after hamsters- n’the evils of sake.” Kaylee assured innocently, grinning a little, some of the best time they’d spend together and he’d not said a thing wrong either time. Seemed so natural and all.

Simon had said something right, he’d said he’d take her to the ball, perhaps if they’d gone the evening only would have ended being more awkward. But suddenly Kaylee felt proper foolish all over again; a guy couldn’t miss a hint like that, could he? Not even Simon. They were alone, that she liked it here, with him ..surely it weren’t just a matter of being clueless, it was he didn’t want her. Simon had said couldn’t take anyone else. Like she was all that was left over, perhaps that’s what he’d meant. But if she got upset now, she’d just want to be alone and she didn’t really want to be alone. “Don’t spose y’wanted t’play?” Kaylee asked hopefully, not wanting to sit silence and was determined to keep disappointment from her tone, see she could smile still. Setting down her cup, Kaylee was in the unladylike habit of neatly sucking the remnants of any fruit from her fingers. “Májiàng?” She clarified as she decided between that over a card game, reaching for some of the tiles “Reckon we could make it work alright if we took out th’sǔn an diǎn.” Kaylee figured two suits less, since there were only two players, and distraction seemed the best idea yet.

[sǔn = bamboo, diǎn = circles]

[aint_weak]

"The hamster was named after me," Simon felt the need to clarify, grinning at Kaylee. "Not the other way around. And no one wants to hear about hamsters. Besides, you're the only one who wouldn't make mock me for that story."

He was feeling good, as if he had done something right and maybe, just maybe, he would be able to follow through on that right thing and not make a mess. Kaylee still wanted him around, enough to want to play a game with him. So he set aside his tea and began sifting through the tiles, taking out the suits they did not want. "How has your ankle been?" he asked. He checked on her, just in passing, near every day, but he had not had a chance to ask that day.

[gorramcheerful]

Oops. “Sorry.” Kaylee winced, having remembered it wrong. “Oh, that’s right. Th’girl. With the leg.” Kaylee remembered slowly, in the fashion of an evening that had been somewhat lost to a drink addled mind. Oh, but it had been fun til’ they’d woken up. Never with Kaylee.

She’d manage, the thought that he’d come here, to sit with her meant enough, meant in some form at least he wanted to be in her company, even if it wasn’t quite like she’d really hoped, Kaylee helped in removing the tiles too, keeping a grin. He’d checked on her, sure but she wasn’t sure she’d thanked him properly. “I ain’t got no hamsters t’name after you.” Kaylee noted, in a smiling apology. “But it’s feelin’ just fine. 'Cause of you. Can’t say enough how grateful I am. N’hate t’think if you ain’t been there.”