(Untitled)

[belongtonobody]

Inara had endured six months on the island of Tabula Rasa, bearing witness to a season of snow and a day of Reavers. She had moved from Serenity to separate herself and still spent time with the crew regularly. She had made plans to start a school, a Companion house of her own, and found herself unable to start so complex a project, one that would

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[crazyspacegirl]

River did not like to dwell on the past, either. Nor the future for that matter, when it was so unpredictable. The present was all she felt she could count on, and today the present was good. She was running, not from anything or even really to, though she was glad to be nearing home. She was just running on the beach because she liked to run, the burn in her muscles and her lungs, and her dog beside her as they raced flat out through the sand.

She saw Inara and stopped, because crew was crew no matter where they lived and she didn't see Inara nearly as much as she felt she ought to.

"Ni hao," she said, catching her breath and laughing at Simon Chicago's confusion when he found himself running alone.

[belongtonobody]

"Ni hao," Inara said, a genuine smile growing on her lips at the sight of River. "It looks as if you've worn him out."

It was good to see River looking happy, content even, after the scare with the wanted posters she had heard about. Every time she saw her or Simon, she remembered all over again how much pleasure she found in spending time with her, as if the realization slipped away when she wasn't around. It had, at one time, seemed exactly the reason to stay away. These days, she wondered.

[crazyspacegirl]

"The plan is to wear us both out, really. Though I do tend to not need to do so as much as I used to." River didn't have nearly as much trouble sleeping as she had before she had taken to sleeping in Mal's bed, but she figured that went without saying. "Just... lately..." She shrugged, because that went without saying, too, when she'd made such a fuss over the poster surely everyone had heard about it.

"What brings you all the way out here?" she teased, just a little bit. "I was starting to think you were liking being away from all this." She indicated Serenity, shining in the sunset, and wondered why anyone would ever want to leave her.

[belongtonobody]

"Well," Inara said with a soft laugh, "it certainly is more peaceful, not living on board." It was her turn to tease, stepping forward to kneel down and stroke Simon Chicago's fur. "But a little chaos now and then doesn't hurt."

Although, in some ways, it had, hadn't it? There was more than a little chaos in her life, and much of it could be traced to this ship and her crew -- or, at least, much of what had been there before this island. She had always kept a neat life, an orderly one, until she had gone seeking somewhere off Sihnon and found Serenity. She'd never counted on taking mysterious islands into the bargain. "And how have the two of you been? Other than worn out."

[crazyspacegirl]

"We've got about as much peace as we can stand around here. As long as Simon and Mal behave themselves around each other," River amended, because while she herself found her greatest calm in the ship that had become her home, she was not unaware of the thinness of the thread of civility between her brother and her new husband.

"The island gives us plenty of chaos. Keeps us from getting bored, I suppose, though really I wouldn't mind a little boredom once in a while." She smiled down at her dog, who wagged his tail and otherwise showed his appreciation for Inara's attention. "We're all right, all things considered. Mostly shiny. How are you?"

[belongtonobody]

"I've been well," Inara said, looking up at River with a smile. "Although I think I might have boredom enough to spare. There's not much happening here, except when too much is happening." The thought of Mal and Simon being civil to each other now seemed sadly laughable, but she could only hope for River's sake that the two could pull it off. There had been times before when they had very nearly gotten along, but the marriage of his baby sister to the captain had never sat well with Simon, so far as she could see.

She engaged herself in showering his canine counterpart with affection, her head tilted to the side. "He's more sociable than his namesake," she teased.

[crazyspacegirl]

"He really is." River laughed when the canine Simon flopped over onto his back, in order to make it easier to adore him, she was sure. "You would think they'd rub off on each other eventually, but the human rarely relaxes and the dog is never going to learn any decorum."

She knew her brother didn't much like being compared to a dog, but River found endless amusement there.

"Maybe you should get a pet," she suggested, thinking that might help Inara with her boredom. "They're nice company. If Simon Chicago ever meets the right girl dog and there are puppies, you can have one."

[belongtonobody]

Inara's smiled broadened at the suggestion. "I'll hold you to that," she said warmly. "Be sure of it. Maybe a dog would be just the thing. Although I'm not sure Simon Chicago could stand to lose the attention."

What River had to say about the human Simon made her think, back beneath the smiles, of how she ought to go and see him sometime soon and see what he was up to, how he was handling everything. The dog might not have needed any decorum, but the man needed to unwind sooner or later.

[crazyspacegirl]

"He does enjoy the attention an awful lot, but he can learn to share. Would be good for his character." He might only be a dog, but River believed that it was still important that he learn things that would make him a productive member of society. "Everyone ought to have a pet, if they want one. I didn't think about it much before, and I wouldn't have thought to ask for Simon, but I'm glad he was given to me. He's a very good addition to the crew."

[belongtonobody]

"Sweet and sociable," Inara said. "I'd imagine he would make a good addition, if only to balance things out." She smiled fondly all the same. Things on board Serenity had to have been more peaceful of late, Mal and Simon aside. The crew had dwindled down to River, Kaylee and Book, and none of the three had ever been willfully troublesome. "I'll keep an eye out for anyone with pets available. The company might be nice."

[crazyspacegirl]

"Good luck. I hope you get one as good as Simon. He has very good breeding." It was hard to tell when he was shaking off enough sand to coat several smaller dogs, but River figured Simon was from pretty good stock from what she knew of his parents. "It would be good to have a dog to look out for you, since you live by yourself. Safer."

River didn't like to be alone, after all. She figured everyone was probably better off with someone around, even if it was just a good guard dog.

[belongtonobody]

"And in a place like this one, I could probably use the protection," Inara said with a nod. She rose to her feet, dusting her hands against the silk of her skirt. It clung to her in places in the island humidity, but she paid it no mind. The fact of the matter was that she had an excellent gun in her trunk and a great deal of training behind her; she was confident in her ability to protect herself. The company would be nice, though, and she got the sense it would make River feel better about things, which was reason enough.

"You never know when or if the dinosaurs will break through again." Or Reavers, as on Halloween, but that much, she didn't care to remember.

[crazyspacegirl]

"Exactly. You never know." River shuddered and went quiet at the memory of the last dinosaur attack, when she had very nearly lost Mal. She didn't like to think about it if she could help it, but once set down a path it was always a struggle to hold back her thoughts. "Everyone could use some protection."

[belongtonobody]

"What have you been doing to occupy yourself lately?" Inara smiled, turning her gaze out to the horizon. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun, taking in the variety of rich colors against the ocean. It seemed the appropriate time to change the subject.