Kaylee can never remember exactly where the bathrooms are in Milliways. She's getting exasperated. One last try this way, and then she'll go back to Serenity.
It's really pretty ridiculous, and next time she sees Bernard she's going to comment on how hard they are to find. Surely she's not the only one inconvenienced by such a thing...
There is one door that might catch her attention as she walks. It provides something of a break for the eye from the monotony of doors, lining either side of the corridor like row upon row of closed eyes.
The one door is on her right.
It is slightly ajar, enough so that the lock-plate glints dull golden, in a flash of brass.
And hanging on the doorknob is a little sign, made of paper, with three kanji clearly printed on it.
She will not see the light switch, if she happened to look over at it. It is no longer there.
(Had it been there in the first place?)
There are no light switches in this little room. The walls are of flat grey metal, and the entire room is barely one-and-a-half metres by one-and-a-half metres square. But there is a chair in the very centre of the dull grey floor.
And on the wall, behind glass and in a simple wooden frame, is a small insect on display, pinioned behind the glass.
It might be a trick of the light, but it almost seems as if the little insect has a little light of its own, flickering weakly from its lower body.
There is a brief pause, and then the voice drifts into the room once again. the path before you 'Very well. Please begin.' Talk. Just...talk. Four quiet words.
"Begin what? I -- I don't understand." Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind The insect glows. It fascinates. Cannot bear very much reality. "What am I supposed to begin?" Time past and time future
There is a sharp rattling noise, like metal protesting as it rubs against metal, and the little room shudders from the force of it. sometimes a thing that's broke And Kaylee might feel her stomach drop a bit as the little room down down down (elevator) down down down begins to...descend.
Kaylee bows her head. Footfalls echo in the memory "They're home and they're family, all of 'em. And it's good havin' River on board -- good havin' somebody to talk to 'bout stuff, even if she don't always answer. But -- she scares me, with what she does. The fightin'. And...somethin' 'bout that girl she's engaged to -- what -- it ain't right, fightin' for somebody you're engaged to. Or to be engaged to her. And Simon -- " Down the passage which we did not take
The rasp of metal on metal is very faint as the elevator continues its slow and, for the most part, steady descent. o dark dark dark A whisper of music, of voices entwined in a single line of unbroken notes, tugs at half-forgotten corners of memory. they all go into the dark
A sigh; her voice softens. Towards the door we never opened "I know Simon worries about her, and he don't need to worry, because they're all they have. Just the two of 'em. And Mal could decide to put 'em off any day and then that'd be the end of 'em. And here's River doin' weird things, bein' a gunslinger and whatnot and gettin' engaged and bein' half crazy...it ain't right. It just ain't right." Into the rose-garden. My words echo The light flickers, bringing the insect into sharp relief. Thus, in your mind. "And River's the one who needs help, and they look at me like I'm the one who's gonna break -- but why couldn't I help? Why shouldn't I be the one to help this time? It ain't like anybody else sees it...and if this girl's out of the way, then -- then River can stop fightin', and Simon won't have to worry about her, and he can relax a little and be happier..."
A sudden ka-chunk, and the elevator shudders again. descend lower, descend only And still continues its inexorable descent. into the world of perpetual solitude The voice from above drifts through the intercom -- and yet perhaps not through the intercom, or through anything mechanical -- and sinks into her, permeating the crevices of back corners and the miniscule, thread-like cracks in the twisting corridors of Kaylee's memory, mind, heart, soul.... world not world, but that which is not world 'Deeper. Go...deeper.' internal darkness, deprivation
Kaylee can never remember exactly where the bathrooms are in Milliways. She's getting exasperated. One last try this way, and then she'll go back to Serenity.
It's really pretty ridiculous, and next time she sees Bernard she's going to comment on how hard they are to find. Surely she's not the only one inconvenienced by such a thing...
Footfalls echo
(in the memory)
down the corridor as Kaylee explores.
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The one door is on her right.
It is slightly ajar, enough so that the lock-plate glints dull golden, in a flash of brass.
And hanging on the doorknob is a little sign, made of paper, with three kanji clearly printed on it.
使用室
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She sticks her head in. "Hello? Anybody in here?"
And Kaylee slips inside the door, fumbling along the wall for a light switch.
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And clicks shut.
The little paper sign flutters slightly, then stills.
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Her hand explores the wall...
...and finds the switch.
Click.
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(Had it been there in the first place?)
There are no light switches in this little room. The walls are of flat grey metal, and the entire room is barely one-and-a-half metres by one-and-a-half metres square. But there is a chair in the very centre of the dull grey floor.
And on the wall, behind glass and in a simple wooden frame, is a small insect on display, pinioned behind the glass.
It might be a trick of the light, but it almost seems as if the little insect has a little light of its own, flickering weakly from its lower body.
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No response.
She looks at the insect on the wall and lifts a hand to the case, not quite touching it --
-- and, then, near transfixed, she sits in the chair, never taking her eyes from the insect.
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'Please state your name and class.'
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Firefly.
Midbulk transport.
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the path before you
'Very well. Please begin.'
Talk. Just...talk.
Four quiet words.
Reply
Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind
The insect glows. It fascinates.
Cannot bear very much reality.
"What am I supposed to begin?"
Time past and time future
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sometimes a thing that's broke
And Kaylee might feel her stomach drop a bit as the little room
down down down
(elevator)
down down down
begins to...descend.
The little light flickers, dimly.
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Footfalls echo in the memory
"They're home and they're family, all of 'em. And it's good havin' River on board -- good havin' somebody to talk to 'bout stuff, even if she don't always answer. But -- she scares me, with what she does. The fightin'. And...somethin' 'bout that girl she's engaged to -- what -- it ain't right, fightin' for somebody you're engaged to. Or to be engaged to her. And Simon -- "
Down the passage which we did not take
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o dark dark dark
A whisper of music, of voices entwined in a single line of unbroken notes, tugs at half-forgotten corners of memory.
they all go into the dark
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Towards the door we never opened
"I know Simon worries about her, and he don't need to worry, because they're all they have. Just the two of 'em. And Mal could decide to put 'em off any day and then that'd be the end of 'em. And here's River doin' weird things, bein' a gunslinger and whatnot and gettin' engaged and bein' half crazy...it ain't right. It just ain't right."
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
The light flickers, bringing the insect into sharp relief.
Thus, in your mind.
"And River's the one who needs help, and they look at me like I'm the one who's gonna break -- but why couldn't I help? Why shouldn't I be the one to help this time? It ain't like anybody else sees it...and if this girl's out of the way, then -- then River can stop fightin', and Simon won't have to worry about her, and he can relax a little and be happier..."
Reply
descend lower, descend only
And still continues its inexorable descent.
into the world of perpetual solitude
The voice from above drifts through the intercom -- and yet perhaps not through the intercom, or through anything mechanical -- and sinks into her, permeating the crevices of back corners and the miniscule, thread-like cracks in the twisting corridors of Kaylee's memory, mind, heart, soul....
world not world, but that which is not world
'Deeper. Go...deeper.'
internal darkness, deprivation
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