Sunrise
It’s dark.
Inara says that Shinon is the most beautiful place out there, like an ocean of light or some such go se, but right now, it’s just an ocean of black with the occasional speckle of light from a house or somethin’.
You don’t see why everyone’s so impressed by this stupid core planet, anyhow. Ain’t nothin’ here you ain’t seen elsewhere. Kaylee’s been buggin’ Mal to come down here, let her see where ‘Nara grew up, see this ocean of light. Stupid girl thinks she’s found salvation or somethin’ in this place.
Stabbing your knife into a nearby stack of apples---ruttin’ core people got piles of the fruit jus’ sittin’ around, goin’ bad, like there ain’t people on rim planets just dyin’ for a bite of some of that red fruit---and you gaze out ‘cross Shinon City. Rest of the crew’s sleepin’, well, ‘cept Mal, he don’t sleep on Core planets. Not you, ‘course. You’re still up, tryin’ to wrap your head around why the Core is supposed to be so impressive.
“Still up?”
Ain’t easy to mistake them real calculated and smooth tones o’ Serenity’s resident companion. She’s all wrapped up in some golden red silk slip thing, lookin’ like a slice of heaven in all the dark o’ the world.
You don’t say that, ‘course. You bite into your apple and try not to give her more than a sideways glance. “Obviously.” Words are a little gruffer than normal, mostly cause you’ve been sittin’ up on the rooftop to the companion house for a good couplea hours now, talkin’ to nobody an’ eatin’ apples.
The words slip off her back like water, and she moves to kneel next to you, all that fluid smoothness that ain’t ‘xactly normal but entirely to beautiful. She picks an apple out of the pile and runs her dark fingernails over the shiny surface.
“I never did ask why you like apples so much,” she says, “Every time we land on a core planet, you always purchase them.”
“Don’t got ‘em nowheres on the rim planets,” you say, chomping noisily on your own apple, “Ain’t exactly a delicacy or nothin’, but if you ain’t had it in a while, always tastes hella good when you do.”
This is where you, naturally, toss a leer in her direction and a nasty smirk. You’re implyin’ things, an’ she don’t like it when she’s been implied about. Part of a plan, you see, to get her to go away, leave you on the roof alone, and quit stealin’ your apples.
Ruttin’ woman, though, she just stares back at you with a calm, unimpressed look. “Well, it’s completely understandable, of course. I found it difficult to cope with the changes in food when I first started traveling on Serenity, the fruit is a welcome treat.” She bites delicately into the flesh of the apple, and you refuse to stare at her mouth as she chews.
Silence for a moment, and you look back out over the city, “Ain’t an ocean of light or nothin’,” you say.
“You sound almost disappointed.”
“Not like I care, jus’ sayin’. Gonna be disappointin’ Kaylee, when she wakes up to see it an’ all.” You do care, of course. But you’ll be damned if you’re going to tell Inara that.
Then that sun rises. S’like a waterfall of white ‘cross the whole world. Thing starts out pinkish in tinge, then goes all light and sun. S’like you’re bathin’ in it.
Somethin’ to be impressed about, that’s for sure.
“Think Kaylee will like it?” she asks, her voice a bit too knowin’ for your likin’.
You shrug, “Guess so.”
After all, you do.
Muse: Jayne Cobb
Fandom: Firefly / Serenity
Word Count: 654
Inara says that Shinon is the most beautiful place out there, like an ocean of light or some such go se, but right now, it’s just an ocean of black with the occasional speckle of light from a house or somethin’.
You don’t see why everyone’s so impressed by this stupid core planet, anyhow. Ain’t nothin’ here you ain’t seen elsewhere. Kaylee’s been buggin’ Mal to come down here, let her see where ‘Nara grew up, see this ocean of light. Stupid girl thinks she’s found salvation or somethin’ in this place.
Stabbing your knife into a nearby stack of apples---ruttin’ core people got piles of the fruit jus’ sittin’ around, goin’ bad, like there ain’t people on rim planets just dyin’ for a bite of some of that red fruit---and you gaze out ‘cross Shinon City. Rest of the crew’s sleepin’, well, ‘cept Mal, he don’t sleep on Core planets. Not you, ‘course. You’re still up, tryin’ to wrap your head around why the Core is supposed to be so impressive.
“Still up?”
Ain’t easy to mistake them real calculated and smooth tones o’ Serenity’s resident companion. She’s all wrapped up in some golden red silk slip thing, lookin’ like a slice of heaven in all the dark o’ the world.
You don’t say that, ‘course. You bite into your apple and try not to give her more than a sideways glance. “Obviously.” Words are a little gruffer than normal, mostly cause you’ve been sittin’ up on the rooftop to the companion house for a good couplea hours now, talkin’ to nobody an’ eatin’ apples.
The words slip off her back like water, and she moves to kneel next to you, all that fluid smoothness that ain’t ‘xactly normal but entirely to beautiful. She picks an apple out of the pile and runs her dark fingernails over the shiny surface.
“I never did ask why you like apples so much,” she says, “Every time we land on a core planet, you always purchase them.”
“Don’t got ‘em nowheres on the rim planets,” you say, chomping noisily on your own apple, “Ain’t exactly a delicacy or nothin’, but if you ain’t had it in a while, always tastes hella good when you do.”
This is where you, naturally, toss a leer in her direction and a nasty smirk. You’re implyin’ things, an’ she don’t like it when she’s been implied about. Part of a plan, you see, to get her to go away, leave you on the roof alone, and quit stealin’ your apples.
Ruttin’ woman, though, she just stares back at you with a calm, unimpressed look. “Well, it’s completely understandable, of course. I found it difficult to cope with the changes in food when I first started traveling on Serenity, the fruit is a welcome treat.” She bites delicately into the flesh of the apple, and you refuse to stare at her mouth as she chews.
Silence for a moment, and you look back out over the city, “Ain’t an ocean of light or nothin’,” you say.
“You sound almost disappointed.”
“Not like I care, jus’ sayin’. Gonna be disappointin’ Kaylee, when she wakes up to see it an’ all.” You do care, of course. But you’ll be damned if you’re going to tell Inara that.
Then that sun rises. S’like a waterfall of white ‘cross the whole world. Thing starts out pinkish in tinge, then goes all light and sun. S’like you’re bathin’ in it.
Somethin’ to be impressed about, that’s for sure.
“Think Kaylee will like it?” she asks, her voice a bit too knowin’ for your likin’.
You shrug, “Guess so.”
After all, you do.
Muse: Jayne Cobb
Fandom: Firefly / Serenity
Word Count: 654