(Untitled)

[mademighty]

It's been a belief he's held true his whole life - that the devil will find work for idle hands. He can't say he's ever been a pious man, not ever soft in a religious sort of way. He couldn't ever bear the sermons that Book would try to pass, on Haven or off it, but he also knows that he's seen the devil, from time to time, in human form and he

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[crazyspacegirl]

River knew that Zoe was as safe with Mal as she was anywhere, regardless of their actual location. In truth, however, she didn't much like having either of them out of her sight for very long. Neither did she want Mal to think she didn't trust him to look after his own daughter, so she didn't come straight up to them when she found them under the tree.

She kept herself quiet and still, behind a tree of her own, and watched, and found comfort in seeing the two of them peaceful even if she wasn't quite in the shade of it herself.

[mademighty]

The horse is nearly done. He turns it with practised hands, rubbing his thumb along the line of his back. It's not the best, but it's recogniseably what it is, and it'll serve. Like Serenity. Like everything he's ever held in his heart.

"I see you there, little bird," he says, without looking up from the task in hand.

[crazyspacegirl]

River still sometimes got to feeling like she was less real than she ought to be, like she wasn't quite occupying the same world as everyone else. Mal had always had a way of making her feel like he really saw her, and that reminded her that she really was anchored here. She'd missed that, and smiled as she emerged from the trees and into the open.

"My ninja skills must be getting rusty."

[mademighty]

"Must be," he says, glancing up at her with a smile, barely there, but warm all the same. "Everything's different in the verse these days. Guess somethin' else came instead."

[cibosity]

Life might not be anything approaching normal these days, but it tries to ease its way on over there. Sawyer's glad for that much. There are days when he feels like he's crawling in his own skin, waiting for the rest of the island to learn what he already has from day one, that this place won't honestly hold any of them for the rest of their lives. That they should be preparing for the time when all of them are hauled away, without exception, dropped unceremoniously back in the shoes they once wore, without the memory of having walked further in them. There are days when he feels all of that resting on his shoulders, and it feels so damn futile that he can't help but destroy whatever crosses his path. Easier that way, he thinks

[mademighty]

"Not especially," says Mal, glancing up from what he's doing, taking the measure of the man in an easy, measured sort of way. "But there's another knife and more wood if you want to take a rest, for a while. Pleasant enough sort of way to spend an hour."

Zoe squints and points at her what her father's doing.

"S'horse."

[cibosity]

"That it is, ain't it?" he replies in turn to the little girl, a softer smile falling on his features, though Sawyer still doesn't know where the hell he pulls that from. There are days when his own father seems to be nothing more than an idea. Certainly, Sawyer doesn't remember very much in the way of a kinder, gentler hand coming from his father. Kisses in the evening, hugs when he was scared, all of that was his mother, and for all that Sawyer mourns the loss of both, he isn't about to fool himself into thinking that his father was perfect.

He can take all the blame in the world that he likes, but denial still holds out.

But he doesn't dwell greatly on the fact, sitting himself down next to the father with a crooked brow. "Ain't ever tried to make something like that outta wood. How hard d'you think a wooden sword might be?"

[mademighty]

"I think," says Mal, slowly, grazing the object in the hand with his knife. "That you'd want to do in it in pieces, and you might want to try your hand with somethin' smaller first. Less you've got a powerful urge to lose a finger."

[plntfood]

"Zoe!" Sam calls when she sees her friend, then finally gives up the grip she's kept on Mathias's hand since they've left their hut earlier that day. The anger she seemed to feel at her fish trying to eat her has dissipated, but she still doesn't trust her toys and Mathias knows she still isn't entirely comfortable outside in the open. They have to keep going, though. He knows this. He can't let her stay inside forever.

"Hi," she says when she gets close to the two of them. "I'm Sam, I'm Zoe's friend."

For the moment, Mathias only watches and lets her introduce herself.

[mademighty]

"Well, hey there, Sam," says Mal, squinting in the sunlight, the knife in his hands still for a moment as he studies her. "I got to figure that any friend of Zoe's good to be a friend of mine. She's a pretty solid judge of character." He sets down what he's doing and offers her his hand.

"I'm Mal. Please t' meet you, Sam."

[plntfood]

Sam looks at the hand for a moment, then back at Mathias, almost as if she's asking him when to do. When he nods, smiling softly, she turns back to Mal and takes his hand, shaking it firmly like she's seen adults do.

"This is Mathias," she adds. "He takes care of me since my mom and dad and Veronica went back. Lucy takes care of me, too. And Karen. And sometimes River and Zoe."

"Yes," Mathias says, finally coming forward. "Lots of people look out for you." He smiles at Mal. "I'm Mathias, as she says."

[mademighty]

"Good to meet you, Mathias," says Mal, good measure less warm for the father than he was for the child. "Seems Zoe knows you already, but I'm Mal Reynolds."

He brushes his hand on his pant before he offers it.

[little_moons]

"Hi, Zoe!" Flo chirps, she and her sister hurrying over to sit by the little girl. There's a pretty big age difference between them, and the twins still really don't understand why Zoe isn't able to run and do all the things they can do, but they seem almost protective of her, like big sisters.

Luckily, the twins are relatively calm today, and they don't completely shatter the quiet.

"Hey," I say, standing over him, a faint smirk on my face.

[mademighty]

"Hey there," says Mal, not quite smiling, but warm despite it. He liked Neil the last time he met him and the fact that the girls are well loved is obvious. He lifts the horse up the light and studies it for a moment.

"How're you doin', ladies?"

[little_moons]

"We're being quiet today," Flo says, all serious, and I snort out a laugh. They both woke up at the crack of fucking dawn, as usual, and after Mack literally pounced on my head to wake me up, we all had a nice talk about giving me a break, for once.

"They're doing a good job of it, so far, too," I say, dropping into a crouch and ruffling a hand over Mack's hair.

Squinting at piece of wood he's holding, Mack asks, "What's that?"

[mademighty]

"Well, there's a blessing on all of us, little one," says Mal, still smiling as he watches her. He holds up the horse and turns it over in his fingers.

"Half-done horse," he says. "Maybe i can make somethin' for your two once I'm done with mine."