Inara's Shuttle

[Lady Lee-o]

"She's learned to hide from her own self." River nodded, Inara was almost impossible to read. Yet, it was very clear that she had feelings for The Captain. The feeling was strong and not just from inara but from Mal. Neither would admit and it was unclear if it would ever come- perhaps it did and it wasn't something she could gleam.

"Now, what shall we do to pass the time? A card game? Maybe take advantage of the quiet and catch a nap? Try on her fancy clothes?" River grinned and went right for Inara's wardrobe, opening the trunk and pulling out one of her favorite's.

"I like this one, it's so pretty." It had been so long since she wore anything so beautiful and fine. Sometimes she missed her old life but then she remembered everything that came with it- this was better. Being with people who cared about her and Simon, they were a family.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy chuckled as River went straight for Inara's wardrobe without hesitation. She couldn't blame her. It wasn't often Wendy got to wear a dress but the times she did, it was for work, ever for her own pleasure. Rarely anything in her life has been for her own pleasure.


"I like this one, it's so pretty."

Wendy smiled fondly as River held a dress up to herself. "And I'm sure it'll be even prettier on you," she said, giving River's nose an affectionate tap. Wendy studied the girl and the dress she held and nodded with approval. "Red suits you. It flatters your complexion and brings out the bit of red highlighting in your brown hair."

Wendy eyed the contents of the chest with longing but held back. The fine clothes belonged to someone she barely knew. Someone who'd already shown her so much kindness and generosity. Come to think of it, she seemed the type of person who would gladly allow her to try on a dress or two if she asked, so why the gorram hell shouldn't she, for once, do something she wanted to do for her own enjoyment? If the doctor they were on their way to grab couldn't perform the miracle needed to fix her, this might be her last chance. This was harmless. One of those 'better to ask forgiveness than permission' moments.

With a childlike grin matching River's, Wendy knelt down and gingerly shuffled through the fine garments until a blue number caught her eye. She pulled it free and stood, holding it out to inspect the design. "Oh, this one is beautiful. Blue's a good color on me. It brings out my eyes." She sent River a wink.

[Lady Lee-o]

"And I'm sure it'll be even prettier on you," Childlike wonderment, she couldn't help but place the fabric to her face and run it along her cheek. She would slip it on over her clothes, much like a child would when playing dress up. She smiled as Wendy picked out her own dress, blue, and it did match her perfectly.

"Yes, you should try it on." She knew Inara wouldn't mind, no one understood dress up more then a companion. always pretending to be something for someone...

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy chuckled as River began working the dress over the clothes she wore. Like Inara, Wendy was full figured so getting this form fitting dress on over her clothes was not an option. She walked over to the bed and gently laid the beautiful dress down then sat to untie and remove her boots and socks, working quickly in her excitement to don such a beautiful dress and make the most of it during this uncharateristic calm in the storm.

After changing out of her blouse and pants, she unzipped the back of the dress then pulled it over her head, only able to zip it halfway on her own. She looked down, pulling the snug material here and there to smooth out any bits of gathered material.

Wendy looked over to see how River was fairing, seeing her struggle to pull the dress down over her head. "Here, let me help," she said on a chuckle as she padded over barefoot. Trying to pull clothing over existing clothing didn't make for an easy task. Wendy found where the hem had gotten rolled up and caught and pulled it free, adjusting and pulling until the dress settled into place. She stood back and assessed, a fond smile forming on her face. "You look stunning, double layer and all. Could you give me a hand?" she asked, turning so that River could pull the zipper the rest of the way up.

[Lady Lee-o]

River was glad when Wendy came over and helped her get the dress on. She wasn't sure how she got so tangled up but that was quickly fixed. "You look stunning, double layer and all. Could you give me a hand?" River grinned and nodded her head, helping to zip up Wendy. After, River stood back and twirled around. She loved how she looked in the dress and she hoped to one day own a dress so fine- again.

"You look very nice, it's nice to have fine things."

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy found herself nearly giggling with childlike glee as River twirled. This must be what it was like to have a sister.


"You look very nice, it's nice to have fine things."

"Thank you, and yes, it is." Wendy turned toward a mirror, not recognizing who was staring back for a moment. It wasn't the dress but the look of real happiness on her face that was foreign to her own eyes.

Wendy assessed the dress, smoothing out wrinkles, adjusting the thick straps on her shoulders then the loose, decorative straps that draped over her upper arms. The royal blue fabric with small flowers embroidered throughout in a lighter blue was stunning, the material of the finest quality and as she'd hoped, it complimented the blue of her eyes. She'd never had such finery of her own as a small child. Her parents had been poor before selling her off to the Alliance and the finery she'd been able to wear on certain missions later on in life had belonged to the Alliance. She'd never truly felt joy in wearing them as they'd served as merely equipment; a fancy casing on the human tool in the Alliance's arsenal. Compliments had only made her feel disgusted and dirty. But not right now. For once, she actually felt good about being complimented in a fine dress.

Brushing aside the past before it could creep up on her, Wendy turned back to River and steered her toward the mirror, beaming from behind her. "Look at that beautiful young lady," Wendy said, pulling River's hair out of her eyes and back over her shoulders. "Would you like me to do your hair?"

[Ariel]

Dex tread carefully down the corridors of the ship, taking in every detail. He had been on ships like this before, yet the reasons for entering were not friendly, mutual exchanges like this one had been thus far. Everything had went according to plan, only Dex had known that the coordinates he had slipped to Captain Madison would have put Shadowheart into Serenity's path - the very ship the Alliance had heard rumor of that Wendy Carter would be seeking out an ex-Alliance doctor on. Although he had only meant to cause a delay in the ship leaving the Shadowheart crew with no choice but to seek help of a passing ship, he never meant any real harm to come to these people and was alarmed to hear that the crew had almost died. Dex had rushed to board this ship that they called Serenity as soon as their quirky mechanic filled him in on the life threatening breakdown of Shadowheart to find Sally, Madison and Jeb conversing with the rest of the misfit crew - their captain Malcolm Reynolds appearing to be a Browncoat of all things. In regards to where he had been the past few weeks, Dex had his alibi down to perfection. Though, if this war veteran of the Independents had the slightest hunch as to what Dex had truly been up to...well, it would be a damn shame for Dex to have to kill him.

Dex's gaze came across the hatch to the Shuttle in the exact spot that the captain of Serenity said it would be, the Shuttle that they said that Wendy and River would be in. He remembered how sick to his stomach he felt when he returned to board Shadowheart, only to learn the crew almost lost their lives. Dex had convinced himself that the dread that had risen within his stomach was due to the fact that he didn't want to fail his mission in tracking down Wendy Carter, the Alliance spy that might not be as faithful as she should be and for him to be thrown back in prison. Yet, the bounty hunter had a past for allowing himself to become emotionally attached and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but to think of the Shadowheart as his family. As Dex's feet brought him to the entrance of the Shuttle, he heard a woman's voice from within accompanied by the voice of a young girl. River and Wendy, he just hoped that this was the Wendy he was looking for. His lips pursed into a grin as he heard the two girls immersed in , and paused for a brief moment to listen to their conversation before entering.

"Look at that beautiful young lady,""Would you like me to do you hair?"

Dex took his first steps into the shuttle, yet it wasn't the luxurious qualities and comfortable appeal that he first noticed. He froze completely as his gaze lay upon Wendy Carter in the flesh. She was his ticket to becoming a free man, and now here she was just as the Alliance had predicted. "Wow," Dex let his words uncontrollably slip as the spy before him made him nervous, looking drop dead gorgeous in the blue dress that complimented her in all the right ways. He knew this behavior wasn't right, he shouldn't be getting distracted from the objective and admiring the target in such a way that could compromise not only the job but his whole life. But he simply couldn't help himself. "I-I mean hey," Dex stammered to grasp hold of his words as he tried to remold himself from the putty which he had become for a split second, "You must be Wendy...and River," Breaking his gaze from Wendy Carter, Dex nodded and acknowledged the other young woman in the room, "Mal sent me. The name's Dex. I'm apart of Mad's crew on Shadowheart, I just got back from a side mission and couldn't help but notice shit hit the fan pretty damn hard for my friends. You ladies doing alright in here?” Dex reached his hand up to scratch the back of his head as he was still is disbelief that he would be so close to handing her over to the Alliance and completing the job. In due time...

[Lady Lee-o]

River got a huge grin on her face as she looked in the mirror. Wendy's words made her feel good, no one had ever called her a beautiful lady before. She was getting older but she still felt and acted like a child- no one ever saw her as a grown up.

"Please," She nodded.

"Wow, I-I mean hey," River watched him, she had feelings- unsure feelings. Who was this man? "You must be Wendy...and River, Mal sent me. The name's Dex. I'm apart of Mad's crew on Shadowheart, I just got back from a side mission and couldn't help but notice shit hit the fan pretty damn hard for my friends. You ladies doing alright in here?” River looked to Wendy before looking back at the man-

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Please,"

Grinning, Wendy stepped around River to grab the brush from the vanity when a foreign, yet deep and pleasing voice popped into their dress-up play surprising her. Normally she sensed when someone entered a room but Wendy's signals and heightened senses were all scattered.


"Wow, I-I mean hey,"

Not used to being surprised, Wendy's heart had kicked up a notch. She raised her head from the vanity top to glance via mirror at their visitor and her heart kept up the kicked-up speed at the vision of the tall, handsome man who set his admiring gaze on her. She turned to get a better look, leaning casually against the vanity and doing some admiring of her own. "Hey yourself," she said with the same amount of admiration his 'wow' had held.


"You must be Wendy...and River, Mal sent me.

Wendy nodded her confirmation of their names. She saw River's unease and continued with what she'd set to do. Sticking to the expected and carrying on casually was the best form of ease. The soothing feeling of having your hair brushed was an added bonus. Wendy started to gently brush the tangles from River's hair, glancing every now and again at the man as he continued.


The name's Dex. I'm apart of Mad's crew on Shadowheart, I just got back from a side mission and couldn't help but notice shit hit the fan pretty damn hard for my friends. You ladies doing alright in here?”

"Everything's shiny in here, Dex." She said, soaking up this rare moment of what a normal life might be like. "Things got pretty intense for awhile there, but we reached your friends just in time. It's lucky we were in the right place at the right time." She glanced at him again, still not quite having gotten her fill of the rugged, manly features offset by gentle eyes that drew you in. The slightly longer hair that fell forward added a playful, easygoing air and set a woman's fingers itching to run through it. And that deep, smooth voice. She'd happily listen to him read the manual of a Capissen 38 engine. It all came together in a very pleasing package.

"How is your injured crewmember?" she asked, trying to set her thoughts and emotions to a less intense place. Poor River dealt with enough intense sexual intension on a daily basis with Inara and the Captain. Even Wendy, with her long practiced and perfected control, had been nearly bowled over by those two.

[Ariel]

"Everything's shiny in here, Dex." "Things got pretty intense for awhile there, but we reached your friends just in time. It's lucky we were in the right place at the right time." 

"Yeah, lucky...," Dex nodded his head gratefully as he spoke in a tone of relief, yet guilt kicked him slightly as he remembered that his crew almost died by his hands. Though, he was able to shake the remorse quite easily as he grew bewitched by the pair of dreamy, blue eyes that would take a break from monitoring the hair brushing job and flutter up to meet his gaze every now and then.

"How is your injured crewmember?"

"On the mend, thanks to your Doc on board," Dex confirmed responsively, as he didn't know what he would have done with himself if they had lost Sally. He was just thankful that everyone was alive and well. And although the circumstances had been turned from a very grave point, Dex was relieved that the plan had succeeded. Even more so with Wendy Carter finally in his grasp. He would converse with her, find the evidence needed to charge her and finally gain his freedom back. And being in her company surely wasn't a chore for Dex, for the sake of the mission, he thought to himself. Dex was a gentleman, but being smitten with his target he feared that he would have a difficult time keeping things professional. Dex stood there for a moment as he attempted to recollect the reason as to why he had been sent to the shuttle in the first place, "Oh yeah," and then the light bulb went off in his head suddenly, "I'm sorry to break up all the fun you both have been having in here. Your Captain is calling a meeting down at the gallery, I'm guessing he thinks it'd be a good idea for everyone to talk things over. He didn't want you ladies to miss out." Dex offered suggestively, shedding a halfhearted grin as he explained himself.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"On the mend, thanks to your Doc on board,"

"Ah, yes. Simon. The man's a saint," Wendy said, offering her genuine complimentary smile to the sister of said saint. "I wouldn't be standing here brushing this beautiful hair of yours if it weren't for him," she said to River, extending her vast appreciation for River's brother. She'd most likely still be curled up in agony in the infirmary rather than the manageable pain he'd brought her aching head to. Come to think of it, River wouldn't be standing here, either, if it weren't for Simon.

Dex's voice brought Wendy out of her thoughts.


"Oh yeah," "I'm sorry to break up all the fun you both have been having in here. Your Captain is calling a meeting down at the gallery, I'm guessing he thinks it'd be a good idea for everyone to talk things over. He didn't want you ladies to miss out."

With the mention of Mal calling a meeting, the brush stilled and her full attention went to Dex to take in the rest of what he had to say. Like the flick of a switch, Wendy went from her playful, laid back mood straight to business. She and River exchanged a look that said they knew what the meeting would be about. "To be continued," she said to River as she returned the brush to the dresser.

Wendy began to rush around, fueled by nervous energy. "Kind of important for me to be in on that one," she said on a nervous laugh. She helped River remove Inara's dress from over her own dress then turned for River's assistance with the zipper on the dress she wore. She was doing her best to reign in her whirlwind of emotions for River's sake, at least until she could get the girl out of the room. "Thanks, baobei. Why don't you run ahead and let them know I'm on my way."

As soon as River was out the door, Wendy let out her pent up emotions on a ragged sigh and hurried to Inara's bed where her own clothes were laid out. "Were they already heading there?" she asked, quickly changing out of Inara's fancy dress and back into her own clothes. She didn't think anything about changing in front of a person, didn't even think about registering a person's reaction. Privacy wasn't something she'd had in life. Besides, she was too caught up in the anxiety, fear, panic, and shred of hope that took turns bouncing around her insides that she hadn't even registered his answer to her question.

She was dressed in record time, tying one boot while she searched the ground for the other. "I hope they're not waiting on me," she said, getting to her feet with eyes still searching the ground while she wandered the area. She dropped to her hands and knees to peer under the bed. "Gos se," where's my other gorram shoe?" came the muffled question. She could hear the slight panic lacing her voice and knew she sounded ridiculous, seemingly panicking about a shoe.



________________
baobei = sweetheart
gos se = crap

[Ariel]

"Were they already heading there?" 

Still standing in the doorway like a lost puppy, Dex's jaw dropped at the unexpected sight as Wendy began changing right in the middle of the room at a rapid pace. His entire face turned into a tomato as flustering panic arose within him. "Uh, I uh," Dex took his gaze up to the ceiling, then to the wall beside him, literally anywhere but on Wendy. Not that she appeared to care about changing in front of him, he had simply been caught by surprise.

"I hope they're not waiting on me,"

As Wendy began moving about the shuttle, Dex braced himself as he bravely removed one eyeball from the wall his gaze had been occupying to discover Wendy fully clothed, to his relief, "I wouldn't worry, I'm sure they're all keepin' themselves entertained." Dex shrugged, as he knew that everyone was gearing up to start the meeting quite shortly but he didn't want to be too blunt as to hurry her along.

"Gos se," where's my other gorram shoe?"

"What does it look like?" Dex's eyes scanned the floor, figuring Wendy could use some assistance as she grew alarmed about her missing shoe. As she searched in a bit of a frenzy, Dex began to carefully walk around the shuttle, his eyes still glued to the floor as he scanned every detail. Taking note of a lump underneath an article of clothing that the girls had tried on, Dex bent his knees to stoop down to the material and removed it from the floor with his hands. "Is this it?" Scooping up a single shoe in his hand, Dex stood straight upward and zoomed around in place, "I think I found-whoops!" Turning around rather fast, Dex had grown unaware of his surroundings and bumped right into Wendy herself.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"What does it look like?"

"Standard, practical brown boot," came her muffled reply as she shuffled along on her hands and knees down the length of the bed, peering under and around. She lifted her booted foot for him to see what it looked like but at her vantage point couldn't see that he was facing a different direction. All around, not very helpful.


"Is this it?"

Wendy's head popped up from the side of the bed and she saw him crouching to pick something up. Far more promising than the absolute nothing she was finding out of place where she searched. "Lemme see," she said, scrambling to her feet and rushing over to where he stooped.


"I think I found-whoops!"

She'd reached his side in a flash and just as quickly, he'd shot back to his tall height, turning at the same time in the process. She saw an item in his hand whipping around toward her and she hopped back to avoid being knocked out by her own missing shoe. Unfortunately, the article of clothing he'd just retrieved it from under was right in the path of her socked foot which found no traction against the silk material. Socked foot sliding right out from under her, Wendy felt herself pitching backward, arm automatically shooting forward in a fruitless attempt to counterbalance. But instead of her back hitting the solid ground, she found her front hitting solid male.

It took her mind a moment to catch up to the present and figure how her person came to be safely and steadily held against his person. Dex had gotten hold of her arm just in the nick of time and had reeled her in. Drawing on the sense of the safe and comfortable feeling she found herself wrapped in, she took in a steadying breath. "Damn, and you smell good, too," she said on a chuckle, shaky with adrenaline, nerves, embarrassment, and a whole mess of other feelings firing off throughout her system.

Finally, Wendy managed to pull her head from where it had so perfectly been tucked beneath his chin so that she could get a better look at the shoe still in his other hand. "You found it." She started to reach for it while turning her head to address him. "Tha--" Looking up at him from so close, more feelings flooded her and she forgot words. He was even better looking up close and those eyes. They pulled her right in. She was suddenly overwhelmed when everything she was feeling doubled in an instant. The intensity of it had her quickly pulling away with the realization that at their close proximity, she was feeling what he was feeling on top of her own feelings. Her system couldn't take it in her weakened state, nor did she have full control of her system in order to block out the emotions of others when in this state. It was a double-edged sword.

She stepped back and plucked the shoe from his hand. "Thank you," she finally managed, careful to step around the dress on her way to the nearest seat. Wendy sat and pulled on her boot, avoiding eye contact and doing her best to block out her surroundings so she could try to sort through which feelings were hers and which needed to be filtered out of her system. She was cursing her shaky fingers under her breath while frustratingly making a third attempt at tying her shoe.

[Ariel]

A subconscious reflex kicked in as Dex quickly grasped onto Wendy's arm in time before she took an embarrassing tumble to the ground. He had no time to think about what was happening before she was reeled into his chest like a magnetic force. A sharp breath had been drawn into his chest as he froze momentarily, his thoughts finally catching up to him in realization of the beautiful woman in his current embrace. 

 "Damn, and you smell good, too,"

"You like? I call it...essence of shuttle grease," Dex narrowed his brow slightly before chuckling at her cute remark, releasing his breath as he realized that she was safe. Then realizing that she was still Wendy Carter.

"You found it." "Tha--" 

As soon as those piercing eyes of hers came into Dex's view once more, he was captivated. He knew that he had to cut it out while he still could, she was his ticket to freedom after all. If he messed the operation up, Dex knew that he would never see living daylight again. Although he had only just met Wendy Carter, a slight tug that grew in his heart couldn't help but to wonder...no, he couldn't let his emotions sway the mission. Not again.

Dex dropped his embrace just as Wendy had broken up the tension between them and stepped away.

"Thank you,"

"Don't mention it," Dex finally found his words again, still sporting a side grin as his gaze peered halfway to the floor before pointing in the direction of the exit, "We should get going. Don't want to keep the Captain waiting on us."

[Hollywood Heidi]

Putting a little distance between them helped. Apparently with Dex as well. She could feel both her own and his emotions being neatly tucked away and it allowed her to center herself. Wendy's fingers finally began to cooperate. Shoe tied, she got to her feet and adopted the same friendly, yet business-like demeanor as Dex.

"Of course not. Every second counts," she said, giving him an easy smile despite the semi-grim air that usually surrounded a proclamation involving the importance of time.

Wendy caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and cringed. The fast change had made her braid a mess, her clothes were askew from the crawling around in search of her boot and the dive into Dex--well, she wouldn't let herself linger on that one. She needed to be on her game, not getting lost in dreamland. Point was, she was a bit of a mess but wasn't going to waste any more time. She'd straighten herself up on the walk over.

"Shall we?" she said, her hands already beginning to realign and smooth out wrinkles as she headed for the door.


***Wendy and Dex exit to Cargo Bay***

[Hollywood Heidi]

***Inara enters from Cargo Bay***


Inara had been kneeling at her alter in meditative prayer for Wendy's mission. Not only did she feel that it helped a worthy cause, but meditation also helped clear the mind of certain troubles and distractions. But it only lasted so long. He always managed to find his way back into her thoughts again.

When she could no longer push the latest event from the dining area out of her thoughts in that manner, Inara sighed and opened her eyes. She leaned forward, gently blowing out the candles, then got to her feet, quickly preparing herself for the next distraction of assisting Kaylee with repairs on the Shadowheart.

Changing into something more casual, Inara stood in front of her mirror and arranged her hair in a more practical manner for labor. If you could call handing Kaylee tools and following instructions to 'turn this' or 'switch that' labor. She pinned up the sides of her hair so that it cascaded down her back and freed her face, then assessed. Her "casual" attire was still on the fine side for the task of repairs, but she didn't own anything more casual than this.

To think, just a bit ago, she'd been toying with the idea of a drastic career change and had made a mental note to purchase more appropriate attire so that she could transition into duties more fitting for the type of jobs done by the Serenity crew. And now she was back to privately making mental plans to leave the ship once again. Inara was getting mental whiplash.


'It'll be cold on the Shadowheart,' she thought, distracting herself with the reminder that life support was still offline and the only heat and oxygen the ship would be getting was the meager amount that would flow over from its open connection to Serenity.

Inara bustled around her shuttle, trying to locate her shawl whilst mentally recalling when she'd last had it. She'd just been wearing it earlier that day, when they'd welcomed their guests. In the common area, she pictured it around her shoulders while embracing Madison. Then a bit later, they'd sat and talked, the warmth of the company of an old friend enveloping her... and that was when she'd removed it and folded it neatly over the back of the couch, Inara finally recalled.



***Inara exits to Infirmary and Common Area***

[Hollywood Heidi]

(Via ship-wide comms)


The speakers momentarily crackled to life with Inara's usual serenely toned voice following. "Kaylee, I could use your assistance in the Common Area, please."

[Hollywood Heidi]

***Inara enters from Bridge***


Inara had made quick work of changing, not wanting to keep Kaylee waiting on her. It was rare to find her in something other than a dress, but she'd purchased the pants she now wore in order to assist in things such as ship repairs or participating in certain types of jobs with the crew. She'd envisioned this becoming more of a commonplace when she'd allowed silly, fanciful notions to enter her head of a dramatic life change that involved leaving the occupation she'd known and loved for most of her life. She hadn't thought of them as silly or fanciful until Mal's actions earlier. 'Shǎguā', she mentally called herself.

Sitting in front of her mirror making the final adjustment of piling her hair up and out of her face, Inara's eyes wandered down to her face, catching sight of the look of annoyed disappointment she was feeling toward herself, which only served to further fuel her annoyance toward Mal. "Shǎguā," she said aloud and aimed at Mal this time.

She got to her feet in determination. What had happened in the kitchen had been the final straw. She was done being a fool and would remove herself from the company of the person who'd made her into one.


***Inara exits to Kaylee's Bunk***



______________________________________
shǎguā = damned fool, an idiot

[Hollywood Heidi]

***Inara enters from Ship - Shadowheart - Engineering Room after a stop somewhere else in the Shadowheart on her way***


Inara had filled in Madison on Kaylee's findings on the Shadowheart's engine and spoken with her shortly on the possibility of one of her crew being an infiltrator. On whose behalf, she had no idea, nor could Madison immediately think who might have made the effort. As far as Madison was concerned, she was confident in her trust for each of her crewmembers. She was more convinced that someone may have stolen onboard last they were planetside and had tampered with the engine in a manner that wouldn't have fully taken affect until later, when they would be left stranded dead in the air.

Still though, Inara couldn't shake the niggling coincidence of Madison's ship conveniently dying just where Serenity was heading. What were the odds, in all the vastness of space?


Putting that thought aside, Inara settled herself in front of her screen to check in with River. She pressed a couple buttons and the screen came to life, hailing the away shuttle.

"River, are you there, bao bei?" Inara kept her voice light and cheery as she secretly held her breath and hoped that River's face would soon fill the screen; that nobody had been lying in wait and had taken the shuttle and its occupants into custody.



_______________________
Bao bei = sweetheart

[DarkSideCookie]

***River via video screen***


"This is River." River's voice and expression spoke of the usual childlike manner, at least to those without mental abilities able to read the girl's worries.

[Hollywood Heidi]

River's sweet, innocent face filled her screen and the smile on it put Inara at ease, making her task of appearing calm as if the discovery of sabotage never happened much easier. Everything appeared to be going smoothly, at least in the vicinity of the away shuttle.

Inara's smile warmed even further at River's child-like response. Her sweet innocence was always refreshing amongst the ragtag group that made up the rest of the crew. "Well, hello. I have a little free time until Kaylee is ready for me, so I thought I'd give you an update. Mostly, I just wanted to see your sweet face." Inara smiled lovingly as she touched the screen as if actually placing a gentle hand on River's cheek. Inara's easy mood and calm nature gave the air of this simply being a routine check-in, just as she'd stated. "Everyone here has been keeping busy with repairs on the Shadowheart. I've been helping Kaylee in their engine room. We just popped back to Serenity for parts and supplies. How are you holding up, Bao bei?" There was a touch of worry now as Inara knew River was all on her own for the first time in a long time.


_______________________
Bao bei = sweetheart

[DarkSideCookie]

***River via video screen***


River smiled some more at Inara placing her hand on the screen, coming closer a little herself. As soon as Inara grew with worry, her face was reflecting that. "It's a lot of waiting," River replied the question with nervous movements of her fingers.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Inara could see that her show of concern was upsetting River, so she reeled it back and smiled warmly. "Waiting is never fun. I have a little free time still. Why don't we think of something we can do?" Inara looked thoughtful a moment. "Stories," she said with an excited lift of her voice. "They're a great way to pass the time. I'd love to hear about yours and Simon's childhood. What did you two like to play together?" she leaned closer and spoke conspiratorially. "Bonus points if it's something I can tease Simon about later," she said with a wink.

[DarkSideCookie]

***River via video screen***

River relaxed and smiled a bit again, widening some more at Inara's suggestion of spending time together by thinking of stories. She nodded happily before visibly started on coming up with a reply to the question.

"We were used to playing 'when am I?'," she spoke up again after a while, still smiling, obviously due to upcoming memories of Simon's and hers early childhood.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"That sounds intriguing," she said, sitting forward more with interest. "How does it work?"

She could guess the general idea of the game by the title, but wanted to give River a blank canvas to fill in the details as she pleased. The girl was more the silent, observing type, so Inara grasped at any opportunity to hear her talk and watch her light up with a bit of vibrant life that the young held; a light that Blue Sun had dimmed but had not managed to completely snuff out.

[DarkSideCookie]

(via video screen)


River's smile widened just some more, obviously happy to see Inara being intrigued to hear more about this game she had brought up. "One of us thinks of a day in history. The other asks for occurrences, episodes, or inventions to guess when they are." she starts explaining then, sitting forward as well and with her eyes shining from the memories this brought up in her.

[Hollywood Heidi]

The explanation of the game was as she'd guessed. Inara couldn't help but chuckle lovingly at the image of a young River and young Simon playing a game that would leave a majority of adults stunned and in the dust. Observing the two of them now, as young adults, was most impressive but as children, it must have been awe inspiring.

"And I'm guessing you've tallied up more wins than Simon?" she asked with knowing grin.

[DarkSideCookie]

(River via video screen)


River reflected the smile, obviously well distracted from her former worries. "Yes, of course," she replied the question in a matter-of-fact tone and with a nod, not arrogant but like it simply was out of question.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"I don't doubt it for a minute," Inara said on a chuckle at her matter-of-fact answer, glad that River was able to hold onto a healthy confidence despite all she'd been through. She may appear to be broken at times, but they had not broken her spirit.

"And what else? You have a gift for seeing the world with such richness. That must have made for some epic play pretend scenarios?" Inara grinned, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she wondered what kind of worlds little River liked to pretend to be in and what kinds of roles she saw herself playing in them.

[DarkSideCookie]

(River via video screen)


River smiled back at her, then closed her eyes for some moments, obviously experiencing memories of happy past times, when, all of a sudden, she burst into screaming and moving as if someone would be holding her against her will, turning this video chat situation completely around.