[Santo - Serenity]

[walk_ins]

[ master post]

This is where the magic happens.

Most people will come in through Milliways and exit out the cargo bay to go have some fun. But some might need to take detours. And of course, some people live here.

Some people work here, too -- especially if they're working on repairs.

Comments

[gonna_live]

As she opens the cabinet: "Thank you. I mean it." Rummaging through the contents. "Just -- it's been a real xī niú yuānsŏu tryin' to do all this on my lonesome."

One leather glove goes sailing in Dean's direction. It's aiming for his head. Kaylee doesn't look up.

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean doesn't roll his eyes, just snags the glove and starts puttin' it on.

"I'm guessin' you have another one somewhere?"

He does not rock the Michael Jackson look, thank you very much.

"And hey--ain't like it's some burden on me getting to mess around with an engine."

An engine in a spaceship.

Dude, that's never gonna get old.

[gonna_live]

"Just hang on a tick, I'm lookin' for it -- stuff gets messed up when this is all you been doin' for the better part of a week. Ow -- "

And then something clanks to the floor. "Lièzhì qīngwā cào de liúmáng -- I swear -- "

Kaylee emerges from the depths of the cabinet, one hand on her hip, the other rubbing at her forehead.

Then her expression gets very, very fixed.

She withdraws, delicately, the other glove from its (appropriate) place, hanging on the door -- and rather than throw it over, she carries it over to where he's standing.

And says, calm, as she holds it out, "Please tell me that when I say we need to go get real drunk and raise at least tiny amounts of hell or play darts or somethin' after we're done here, you're on board with that. I'm buyin'."

[hopeitsworthit]

Dean just raises his eyebrows as he looks at her.

"Dude, like I'm gonna say no."

Please. Does she know him at all?

He smirks a little.

"You hittin' that stir-crazy part of fixing shit up?"

Because Dean totally hasn't, back with the Impala.

Nope. He has no idea what it's like.

[gonna_live]

"When's the last time you tried to replace half the processes comin' off a reactor without any help but the kind you got to watch all the time so nobody blows you all up?" Wry, as she turns back to the casing. "We are gonna get drunk, and I'm gonna blame it on you if you don't mind, so that way I can sleep in tomorrow and maybe I'll be all kinds of hung over but it's gonna be ruttin' worth it."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Long as no one comes after me with a knife, a shotgun, or another goddamn spaceship, I'm pretty sure I can take it."

He grins.

"And if you're real nice, maybe I'll spot you a beer or two at Milliways next time."

He'd buy rounds now, but--wrong money. He ain't that stupid.

[gonna_live]

"Worst you'd probably get -- assumin' you got anything at all -- that'd be a tongue-lashing. But I'm not sure nobody'd care that much, to be honest." She pulls back the casing -- and looks up. "What's that gonna take?"

[hopeitsworthit]

"Uh."

Well, shit.

"I'll get back to you on that. Trust me."

[gonna_live]

"You better."

She beckons him over. "Come on, and I'll get you the rundown of what's goin' on."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Sounds good."

He heads toward her, head bent down a little.

"You got a checklist or anything?"

[gonna_live]

Kaylee shakes her head. "No, just -- "

She wipes her forehead with her arm. "Okay, it's like this. What fuels the ship gets -- reacted. In the reactor. We got fuel lines leadin' in and out, and that's what powers her processes. Every single one of 'em. Problem is -- sometimes it's gonna sneak up on you that there's a problem with one, when it's the reactor. Fuel's not put out right. Didn't process right. So now we got the output comin' -- "

She taps one of the fuel lines on the casing, and follows it out toward Dean.

" -- and it's gummin' up the whole works. All the works. So every process has got to be checked, and rechecked. Lot of rewirin'. Some replacement parts. The reactor shields never went down, which is good, 'cause then we'd all be fried to death, but I don't even want to think about how close we was to losin' the ship entirely."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Yeah. Okay. I don't really wanna think about that, either. So, uh."

He's already studying the reactor and the fuel lines, thinking about how it all fits together, or how it could.

"Where d'you want me?"

[gonna_live]

"Catch." Dean gets a small box with wires coming off tossed at him. "I'm gonna show you where the EC box is -- that's the environmental controls -- and how to take it off-line, and I want you testin' the wiring. What don't work needs replacin', and there's a spool or six of what's appropriate lyin' around somewhere. Once all that's done, I need you to test the rest of the works with the process -- if somethin' smells off, starts spittin' sparks, you probably know the deal. You up for it?"

[hopeitsworthit]

"Blah blah blah, yeah, gotcha."

He grins, attention turning toward the box and studying the dials.

Just to make sure everything looks familiar.

"Can't say I could do it in my sleep, but that'd be dumb anyway. So. Guess that means take me to the EC?"

[gonna_live]

Kaylee circles around the casing, and crouches by what looks like a small wall of metal boxes. She flips the lid off one of them.

Inside is a jumble of wires out of somebody's nightmares.

"Two boxes up this way -- " She jerks a thumb toward the back wall. " -- is the off switch. You work with that, while I let anybody aboard know that they need to start up the fans, 'cause it's about to get real, real hot."

[hopeitsworthit]

"Could just tell 'em to get the hell out of here," he says, heading down toward the off switch.

"Might be easier'n having people in here bitching when they can't take it anymore."

Not that Dean speaks from any kind of experience or anything.