"Evolution." Chapter Five.
Story: Evolution
Chapter: A Full Revolution (5/10)
Character(s)/Pairing: Crew
Prompt: 1: Orange; 2: “By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; it yearns me not if men my garments wear; such outward things dwell not in my desires: but if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive.” -King/Henry V; Henry V (IV.3.25-30)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2675
Disclaimer: Not mine.
-Author's Notes: For my second claim @ 2by2fics. Finally! At long, long last I finished this chapter. Oh, huzzah. I had a little trouble working in the second prompt, but I think it's in the chapter enough to count. Heh. And if you get confused about the letter, a link to the whole thing is here. Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy it.
Evolution
Five: A Full Revolution
“We there yet?”
River stuck her tongue out in response to Jayne’s rather stupid question, not looking away from the expanse of space in front of her.
Jayne leaned closer, one big hand on the back of her seat. He surveyed the console intently, his brow wrinkling as he tried to make sense of it all. River shot him a glare out of the corner of her eye, not at all appreciative of his sudden proximity. The faint smell of his woody soap still clung to him from his shower and his cheek was unusually smooth from the shave that had accompanied it.
She sighed as he asked again, “We there yet?” His hand radiated warmth and his fingertips nearly touched her shoulder. The man was enormous, with arms the size of small trees. River tried to pretend it wasn’t there.
“Yes, man-called-Jayne,” she answered flatly. “We are there.”
He frowned and leaned a little closer; involuntarily, she twitched. “We’s still in the Black, ni zi.”
“Then why did you ask?”
He straightened up; River rolled her shoulders a little, much more comfortable once he wasn’t so close. He shot her a quick glance of annoyance and said “What I meant was are we gonna be gettin’ there any time soon?”
“If that is what you meant, that is what you should have said.” Jayne glowered at her; River just stuck her tongue out at him again. “We will arrive in reasonable time - approximately forty minutes and twenty-two seconds.”
“Aww, forty minutes? For real?” He shook his head in disgust. “Then I’m goin’ back to my bunk.”
River sighed as he walked out of the bridge. The man was probably one of the most aggravating creatures in the entire Verse; but if he wasn’t around to get in her way, then she certainly wasn’t going to complain.
Serenity was headed for one of the big stations - for shopping, resupply and mail pick-up. They’d had a run of surprisingly successful jobs, nearly all planned by their resident genius and then orchestrated and carried out down to the letter by a proud captain daddy. That meant a sudden increase in coin, and they were all feeling the new, welcome weight in their pockets.
River had to stay at the docking station with the ship and, in their typical overprotective fashion, most of the others chose to stay there with her. Only Jayne and Inara went on ahead. She felt so grown-up, telling the men what to do, exactly how to treat Serenity. Kaylee and Captain Daddy trusted her. They had faith in her to do what was right by their girl - and she did. She was re-assembling, learning what to do, what to say, how to interact with the others without seeming crazy. Which she was, of course - but it wouldn’t do to broadcast that fact openly around other people.
“An’ here’s your ticket,” one of the technicians said, wiping an oily hand on the thigh of his coveralls. He handed her a broad, flat tracking chip. “Once you’re ready to get back t’your boat, jus’ put this in the little computer over there an' one o' us'll help get you to it."
"Thank you," River said primly, blinking wide eyes at the young, smiling man.
"Yeah, uh... No problem, miss."
Mal smirked as the technician went back to work. "Looks like you got an admirer, Albatross," the captain said teasingly. He chuckled to himself as they all strolled down the passageway to the main station.
“An admirer? What do you mean?”
“He liked you, River,” Simon said, sounding only a little proud. “He was… he was being shy and overly helpful. He was all short of flirting.”
“Ain’t that sweet, Riv?” Kaylee gushed. “An’ he was cute, too!” She had a spring in her step, clearly excited by the man’s interest in the girl. “Maybe when we get back to the ship, he’ll ask ya for a date!”
River thought that over for a moment, but before she could respond, Mal had spotted Jayne.
“Jayne!” he called. “That you?”
“Well yeah it’s me, Mal,” the big gun-hand yelled back, raising one hand to beckon the crew over. He was standing by the mail depot. “Waitin’ to get mail,” he told the captain, as the crew assembled around him.
The man behind the counter cleared his throat. “You waitin’ on a package for Cobb?” he asked.
“A’right!” Jayne said excitedly, pushing through the others to get up to the counter. He took the box from the man and walked off to take a seat on a low bench off to the side. “Shiny,” he said to himself, his face stretched agreeably into a boyish smile.
The others were chattering or getting their own bits of mail; surreptitiously, River edged closer to Jayne. She was curious - letters from the Cobb matriarch were always good learning experiences. With an exclamation of joy, he pulled out a big, wooly orange blanket. He held it up, surveying it with proud eyes. River itched to touch it, to feel the warmth of a mother’s love woven into it like another thread.
He put the blanket down, the fabric clutched in one large, meaty fist. He took out the letter that accompanied it, cleared his throat and began to read.
“My dear son, I thank you very much for your last letter. We were all very pleased to rec… receive it. Mattie was very cheered when we sat down to read it. I think it worked almost as well as the medicine.”
They were all only half listening to Jayne; for whatever reason, he could never just read quietly to himself - it was custom for him to read all the contents out loud, where everyone could hear them. River, interested despite herself, was paying avid attention.
“The length of your letter made me very happy. Your letters are us-u-ally short so I was surprised that you had filled up so many pages. I hope you are doing better after the very traum… atic exper-i-ence you mentioned in your letter. It sounds like your crew went through a very rough time and I hope you will all be all right. It made me very sad to hear that Shepherd Book was killed. I know he was your only friend on the boat and it must be very difficult for you without him. I am also very sorry to hear that the pilot Mr. Washburne did not make it. Please be kind to his widow - it is very difficult to lose your husband, I know.” Jayne cleared his throat, remembering - River Read - the death of his father.
By that time, the rest of the crew’s attention had shifted over to Jayne. He was reading loudly, it was true, though River assumed that was unintentional. Zoë was tightening up, trying to batten down the emotional response rising at the mention of her deceased husband.
“She is no doubt going through hard times. An’ I know that…” he paused briefly, readjusting the paper in his hands. “I know that she does not re-spect you now, but if you show her that you are worthy of that respect, I am sure her attitude will change.” Mal and Zoë exchanged a quick look; River couldn’t hear what they were thinking. “After all, it sounds like this crew is all some of you have; you all need to learn to trust and rely on each other. An’ don’t cause too much trouble for your captain. I have doubts that he is quite as self-righteous as you have described.” At that statement, Mal spiked a fierce, indignant maroon. “At least pretend to listen to him; I think it will make things easier for you.”
Jayne nodded to himself as he thought about his mother’s advice. And the others, growing more interested with every sentence, moved even closer.
“I also think you should be nicer to the mechanic. She sounds like a very sweet girl and I am sure that you tease her. That is not nice. An’ I know how much you care for your sisters, so you should treat Ms. Frye with just as much respect. If she has taken up with that Core doctor then I say good for her; even though you do not seem to like him much, a doctor is very useful and if he is from the Core then he is probably still getting used to the way of life out here. Cut him some slack. However, if he calls you an ape again, then I give you permission to hit him because you are cer-tainly no ape. Anyway, he sounds much better than the Ms. Serra you have written about. I do not care if she is the most beau-ti-ful woman you know, she should not treat you like that. From what you have said, it sounds like she thinks she is better than you and does not mind letting you know. There is no reason for such dis… dis-dain, and you can tell her I said so.”
Inara’s face burned red with shame and anger and the rest of the crew kept their eyes away from her.
“I wish you had written more about the doctor’s sister,” Jayne continued. “You said that she was the one who brought down the trouble on your crew, but you said that you were glad to save her. I imagine she has had a hard life and I am curious about her story. Tell her if she ever needs a hat or blanket, I will be happy to make her one. I love you very much son, and I want to thank you again for all the money you have sent us. It helps a lot and we all want you to know how much it means. You are a very good boy, Jayne. Take care… your mother.”
Everyone else watched with bated breath as he carefully folded the letter and stuck it in the pocket of his cargo pants. He was smiling. River stood up as he did, her shrewd eyes darting back and forth between Jayne and the rest of the crew. “Your mother writes kind letters,” she said, her voice low. “She loves you. And she is very perceptive.”
Jayne tilted his head up, smiling even more broadly with pride. He had not yet fallen from the high that came with the letter. “Tha’s right, crazy. My Ma’s just about the nicest, smartest lady you could ever meet.”
She couldn’t help but stare at his new blanket with envy; did the Cobb matriarch really mean the offer she’d made? “And her knitting skills are paramount.”
“Huh?”
“Your new warmth is exceptional. And very orange.” She scuttled from behind him and leaned close, one thin hand ghosting over the material. “The girl wishes she had someone to sew love for her.”
“This ain’t sewin’, girl, it’s knittin’.” He looked down at her with a petulant scowl, raising his big fist up so she couldn’t reach his new treasure. “An’ don’t get no ideas about thievin’ cause this one’s mine.”
“Would never take it, man-called-Jayne.”
“Well good.” He seemed to soften some and after staring at her a moment he cleared his throat. “Y’know… My Ma feels sorry for you, on account o’ you bein’ small an’ crazy an’all. And I sure as hell didn’t ask her to! But, uh… she says that if’n you want ‘er to, she could… make you your own blanket ‘r somethin’.”
River glowed inwardly, feeling happy and knowing that it was a feeling all her own - she could even pinpoint the external cause. “That would be very nice,” she said, her voice somber. “I will save my allowance and - “
“No.” Jayne shook his head, the weight of his word as heavy as stone. “No, there ain’t no way she’s gonna take none o’ your money.”
“Insist. If she does the girl a service, then - “
“No. Moonbrain, ya don’t get it. It’ll mean more to ‘er if you just… if you jus’ let her do it. Dong ma?”
River did not understand, but she nodded anyway and filed the incident away for later contemplation. The rest of the crew still felt very awkward - most of them, at least - and River did not want to deal with the inevitable confrontations they would have with Jayne. Already the captain felt blue and swirly, proud and - he thought stubbornly - not self-righteous at all. The first whorls of bad idea were in his mind and there was a sixty-six point seven percent chance that he would make Jayne angry with whatever he said. She had originally planned to make her request to Simon, but Jayne’s mother had offered to make her a blanket.
She poked the mercenary. “I would like an ice planet.”
Jayne frowned at her and she could hear the rusty wheels in his head turn. “And… ?”
“Let us go get ice planets.”
He grunted. “No. Make your brother take you.”
“Simon wishes to spend time with Kaylee.” Knowing that her presence was a strong deterrent, she said, “The girl will pay. For both.”
He perked up immediately. “Hey Mal,” he called, oblivious to the tension in Serenity’s crew, “crazy said she’d buy me an ice planet if I walk over there with ‘er. Y’need me for anything?”
“Ahh… no.” Mal shook his head. “No. Must admit, I’m a bit surprised you’re volunteerin’ to spend time with River, but long as there ain’t no stabbin’ or sellin’ of folks, I ain’t opposed.”
Simon cleared his throat, his over-protective instincts blaring like a klaxon. “I, uh… Just be careful, River, all right? A-are you sure you wouldn’t like me or… or Kaylee to - “
“I can only afford two, ge ge. And you do not like ice planets, anyway.”
Simon wrinkled his nose a little, but did not dispute his sister’s claim. She giggled a little and waved at him.
“Well if we’re goin’, come on,” Jayne told her impatiently, gesturing towards the rest of the station.
“Very well.”
“Oh, uh, Jayne?”
The mercenary sighed and turned back. “Yeah, what is it, Mal?”
“Just thought it might… Well, in case you didn’t know, you got… You got more friends than just the Shepherd on the boat.”
Jayne laughed a little, obviously confused. “Uh… Yeah, sure, Mal, whatever you say.” He shook his head, thinking ‘What the hell’s he on about now?’ as he and River turned and headed towards the ice planet stall.
They didn’t talk on the way there, just striding along - at Jayne’s pace - in silence. River watched the other spacefolk around them, trying not to catch any unpleasant stray thoughts. Occasionally Jayne would pat the pocket his letter was in; he was still carrying his blanket.
When they arrived, River paid the merchant and eagerly grabbed the two sticks, handing the marginally larger one to Jayne. The man selling them grinned at her enthusiasm, wondering if she was Jayne’s niece or daughter, or if they were on a date. River sniffed at him and did not bother qualifying.
“Pretty good,” Jayne said, managing to take a bite out of his.
River did not have quite the talent he did for ice planets and still found hers to be as problematic as ever. When finally she did manage one quick lick, she was startled by a sudden surge of feeling from Jayne. It was so quick she didn’t register anything but a flash of purple, and then… guilt. Whatever he had felt had inspired guilt afterwards. River looked over at him, but his eyes were as far away as he could focus them. Surprisingly, he didn’t say a word about how much trouble she was having with her ice planet.
The merchant had wondered if they were on a date; River had never been on a real date before. Kaylee had postulated that the attractive young mechanic might ask her on a date, but suddenly - just in that moment - River was glad that she was with Jayne instead.
~~~
Feedback and reviews always appreciated!
Previous ♥ Next
Full tables HERE
Chapter: A Full Revolution (5/10)
Character(s)/Pairing: Crew
Prompt: 1: Orange; 2: “By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; it yearns me not if men my garments wear; such outward things dwell not in my desires: but if it be a sin to covet honor, I am the most offending soul alive.” -King/Henry V; Henry V (IV.3.25-30)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2675
Disclaimer: Not mine.
-Author's Notes: For my second claim @ 2by2fics. Finally! At long, long last I finished this chapter. Oh, huzzah. I had a little trouble working in the second prompt, but I think it's in the chapter enough to count. Heh. And if you get confused about the letter, a link to the whole thing is here. Thanks for reading; I hope you enjoy it.
Evolution
Five: A Full Revolution
“We there yet?”
River stuck her tongue out in response to Jayne’s rather stupid question, not looking away from the expanse of space in front of her.
Jayne leaned closer, one big hand on the back of her seat. He surveyed the console intently, his brow wrinkling as he tried to make sense of it all. River shot him a glare out of the corner of her eye, not at all appreciative of his sudden proximity. The faint smell of his woody soap still clung to him from his shower and his cheek was unusually smooth from the shave that had accompanied it.
She sighed as he asked again, “We there yet?” His hand radiated warmth and his fingertips nearly touched her shoulder. The man was enormous, with arms the size of small trees. River tried to pretend it wasn’t there.
“Yes, man-called-Jayne,” she answered flatly. “We are there.”
He frowned and leaned a little closer; involuntarily, she twitched. “We’s still in the Black, ni zi.”
“Then why did you ask?”
He straightened up; River rolled her shoulders a little, much more comfortable once he wasn’t so close. He shot her a quick glance of annoyance and said “What I meant was are we gonna be gettin’ there any time soon?”
“If that is what you meant, that is what you should have said.” Jayne glowered at her; River just stuck her tongue out at him again. “We will arrive in reasonable time - approximately forty minutes and twenty-two seconds.”
“Aww, forty minutes? For real?” He shook his head in disgust. “Then I’m goin’ back to my bunk.”
River sighed as he walked out of the bridge. The man was probably one of the most aggravating creatures in the entire Verse; but if he wasn’t around to get in her way, then she certainly wasn’t going to complain.
Serenity was headed for one of the big stations - for shopping, resupply and mail pick-up. They’d had a run of surprisingly successful jobs, nearly all planned by their resident genius and then orchestrated and carried out down to the letter by a proud captain daddy. That meant a sudden increase in coin, and they were all feeling the new, welcome weight in their pockets.
River had to stay at the docking station with the ship and, in their typical overprotective fashion, most of the others chose to stay there with her. Only Jayne and Inara went on ahead. She felt so grown-up, telling the men what to do, exactly how to treat Serenity. Kaylee and Captain Daddy trusted her. They had faith in her to do what was right by their girl - and she did. She was re-assembling, learning what to do, what to say, how to interact with the others without seeming crazy. Which she was, of course - but it wouldn’t do to broadcast that fact openly around other people.
“An’ here’s your ticket,” one of the technicians said, wiping an oily hand on the thigh of his coveralls. He handed her a broad, flat tracking chip. “Once you’re ready to get back t’your boat, jus’ put this in the little computer over there an' one o' us'll help get you to it."
"Thank you," River said primly, blinking wide eyes at the young, smiling man.
"Yeah, uh... No problem, miss."
Mal smirked as the technician went back to work. "Looks like you got an admirer, Albatross," the captain said teasingly. He chuckled to himself as they all strolled down the passageway to the main station.
“An admirer? What do you mean?”
“He liked you, River,” Simon said, sounding only a little proud. “He was… he was being shy and overly helpful. He was all short of flirting.”
“Ain’t that sweet, Riv?” Kaylee gushed. “An’ he was cute, too!” She had a spring in her step, clearly excited by the man’s interest in the girl. “Maybe when we get back to the ship, he’ll ask ya for a date!”
River thought that over for a moment, but before she could respond, Mal had spotted Jayne.
“Jayne!” he called. “That you?”
“Well yeah it’s me, Mal,” the big gun-hand yelled back, raising one hand to beckon the crew over. He was standing by the mail depot. “Waitin’ to get mail,” he told the captain, as the crew assembled around him.
The man behind the counter cleared his throat. “You waitin’ on a package for Cobb?” he asked.
“A’right!” Jayne said excitedly, pushing through the others to get up to the counter. He took the box from the man and walked off to take a seat on a low bench off to the side. “Shiny,” he said to himself, his face stretched agreeably into a boyish smile.
The others were chattering or getting their own bits of mail; surreptitiously, River edged closer to Jayne. She was curious - letters from the Cobb matriarch were always good learning experiences. With an exclamation of joy, he pulled out a big, wooly orange blanket. He held it up, surveying it with proud eyes. River itched to touch it, to feel the warmth of a mother’s love woven into it like another thread.
He put the blanket down, the fabric clutched in one large, meaty fist. He took out the letter that accompanied it, cleared his throat and began to read.
“My dear son, I thank you very much for your last letter. We were all very pleased to rec… receive it. Mattie was very cheered when we sat down to read it. I think it worked almost as well as the medicine.”
They were all only half listening to Jayne; for whatever reason, he could never just read quietly to himself - it was custom for him to read all the contents out loud, where everyone could hear them. River, interested despite herself, was paying avid attention.
“The length of your letter made me very happy. Your letters are us-u-ally short so I was surprised that you had filled up so many pages. I hope you are doing better after the very traum… atic exper-i-ence you mentioned in your letter. It sounds like your crew went through a very rough time and I hope you will all be all right. It made me very sad to hear that Shepherd Book was killed. I know he was your only friend on the boat and it must be very difficult for you without him. I am also very sorry to hear that the pilot Mr. Washburne did not make it. Please be kind to his widow - it is very difficult to lose your husband, I know.” Jayne cleared his throat, remembering - River Read - the death of his father.
By that time, the rest of the crew’s attention had shifted over to Jayne. He was reading loudly, it was true, though River assumed that was unintentional. Zoë was tightening up, trying to batten down the emotional response rising at the mention of her deceased husband.
“She is no doubt going through hard times. An’ I know that…” he paused briefly, readjusting the paper in his hands. “I know that she does not re-spect you now, but if you show her that you are worthy of that respect, I am sure her attitude will change.” Mal and Zoë exchanged a quick look; River couldn’t hear what they were thinking. “After all, it sounds like this crew is all some of you have; you all need to learn to trust and rely on each other. An’ don’t cause too much trouble for your captain. I have doubts that he is quite as self-righteous as you have described.” At that statement, Mal spiked a fierce, indignant maroon. “At least pretend to listen to him; I think it will make things easier for you.”
Jayne nodded to himself as he thought about his mother’s advice. And the others, growing more interested with every sentence, moved even closer.
“I also think you should be nicer to the mechanic. She sounds like a very sweet girl and I am sure that you tease her. That is not nice. An’ I know how much you care for your sisters, so you should treat Ms. Frye with just as much respect. If she has taken up with that Core doctor then I say good for her; even though you do not seem to like him much, a doctor is very useful and if he is from the Core then he is probably still getting used to the way of life out here. Cut him some slack. However, if he calls you an ape again, then I give you permission to hit him because you are cer-tainly no ape. Anyway, he sounds much better than the Ms. Serra you have written about. I do not care if she is the most beau-ti-ful woman you know, she should not treat you like that. From what you have said, it sounds like she thinks she is better than you and does not mind letting you know. There is no reason for such dis… dis-dain, and you can tell her I said so.”
Inara’s face burned red with shame and anger and the rest of the crew kept their eyes away from her.
“I wish you had written more about the doctor’s sister,” Jayne continued. “You said that she was the one who brought down the trouble on your crew, but you said that you were glad to save her. I imagine she has had a hard life and I am curious about her story. Tell her if she ever needs a hat or blanket, I will be happy to make her one. I love you very much son, and I want to thank you again for all the money you have sent us. It helps a lot and we all want you to know how much it means. You are a very good boy, Jayne. Take care… your mother.”
Everyone else watched with bated breath as he carefully folded the letter and stuck it in the pocket of his cargo pants. He was smiling. River stood up as he did, her shrewd eyes darting back and forth between Jayne and the rest of the crew. “Your mother writes kind letters,” she said, her voice low. “She loves you. And she is very perceptive.”
Jayne tilted his head up, smiling even more broadly with pride. He had not yet fallen from the high that came with the letter. “Tha’s right, crazy. My Ma’s just about the nicest, smartest lady you could ever meet.”
She couldn’t help but stare at his new blanket with envy; did the Cobb matriarch really mean the offer she’d made? “And her knitting skills are paramount.”
“Huh?”
“Your new warmth is exceptional. And very orange.” She scuttled from behind him and leaned close, one thin hand ghosting over the material. “The girl wishes she had someone to sew love for her.”
“This ain’t sewin’, girl, it’s knittin’.” He looked down at her with a petulant scowl, raising his big fist up so she couldn’t reach his new treasure. “An’ don’t get no ideas about thievin’ cause this one’s mine.”
“Would never take it, man-called-Jayne.”
“Well good.” He seemed to soften some and after staring at her a moment he cleared his throat. “Y’know… My Ma feels sorry for you, on account o’ you bein’ small an’ crazy an’all. And I sure as hell didn’t ask her to! But, uh… she says that if’n you want ‘er to, she could… make you your own blanket ‘r somethin’.”
River glowed inwardly, feeling happy and knowing that it was a feeling all her own - she could even pinpoint the external cause. “That would be very nice,” she said, her voice somber. “I will save my allowance and - “
“No.” Jayne shook his head, the weight of his word as heavy as stone. “No, there ain’t no way she’s gonna take none o’ your money.”
“Insist. If she does the girl a service, then - “
“No. Moonbrain, ya don’t get it. It’ll mean more to ‘er if you just… if you jus’ let her do it. Dong ma?”
River did not understand, but she nodded anyway and filed the incident away for later contemplation. The rest of the crew still felt very awkward - most of them, at least - and River did not want to deal with the inevitable confrontations they would have with Jayne. Already the captain felt blue and swirly, proud and - he thought stubbornly - not self-righteous at all. The first whorls of bad idea were in his mind and there was a sixty-six point seven percent chance that he would make Jayne angry with whatever he said. She had originally planned to make her request to Simon, but Jayne’s mother had offered to make her a blanket.
She poked the mercenary. “I would like an ice planet.”
Jayne frowned at her and she could hear the rusty wheels in his head turn. “And… ?”
“Let us go get ice planets.”
He grunted. “No. Make your brother take you.”
“Simon wishes to spend time with Kaylee.” Knowing that her presence was a strong deterrent, she said, “The girl will pay. For both.”
He perked up immediately. “Hey Mal,” he called, oblivious to the tension in Serenity’s crew, “crazy said she’d buy me an ice planet if I walk over there with ‘er. Y’need me for anything?”
“Ahh… no.” Mal shook his head. “No. Must admit, I’m a bit surprised you’re volunteerin’ to spend time with River, but long as there ain’t no stabbin’ or sellin’ of folks, I ain’t opposed.”
Simon cleared his throat, his over-protective instincts blaring like a klaxon. “I, uh… Just be careful, River, all right? A-are you sure you wouldn’t like me or… or Kaylee to - “
“I can only afford two, ge ge. And you do not like ice planets, anyway.”
Simon wrinkled his nose a little, but did not dispute his sister’s claim. She giggled a little and waved at him.
“Well if we’re goin’, come on,” Jayne told her impatiently, gesturing towards the rest of the station.
“Very well.”
“Oh, uh, Jayne?”
The mercenary sighed and turned back. “Yeah, what is it, Mal?”
“Just thought it might… Well, in case you didn’t know, you got… You got more friends than just the Shepherd on the boat.”
Jayne laughed a little, obviously confused. “Uh… Yeah, sure, Mal, whatever you say.” He shook his head, thinking ‘What the hell’s he on about now?’ as he and River turned and headed towards the ice planet stall.
They didn’t talk on the way there, just striding along - at Jayne’s pace - in silence. River watched the other spacefolk around them, trying not to catch any unpleasant stray thoughts. Occasionally Jayne would pat the pocket his letter was in; he was still carrying his blanket.
When they arrived, River paid the merchant and eagerly grabbed the two sticks, handing the marginally larger one to Jayne. The man selling them grinned at her enthusiasm, wondering if she was Jayne’s niece or daughter, or if they were on a date. River sniffed at him and did not bother qualifying.
“Pretty good,” Jayne said, managing to take a bite out of his.
River did not have quite the talent he did for ice planets and still found hers to be as problematic as ever. When finally she did manage one quick lick, she was startled by a sudden surge of feeling from Jayne. It was so quick she didn’t register anything but a flash of purple, and then… guilt. Whatever he had felt had inspired guilt afterwards. River looked over at him, but his eyes were as far away as he could focus them. Surprisingly, he didn’t say a word about how much trouble she was having with her ice planet.
The merchant had wondered if they were on a date; River had never been on a real date before. Kaylee had postulated that the attractive young mechanic might ask her on a date, but suddenly - just in that moment - River was glad that she was with Jayne instead.
~~~
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Full tables HERE