Spare Passenger Dorm

[Hollywood Heidi]

Mal had to go and ruin her logical plan of putting space between them. Inara pushed aside the flutter caused by his moving closer with a slight annoyance that it didn't appear to affect him as much and turned her full concentration to the conversation.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," she said with a little shrug. "You can depend on Madison's discretion, whether she decides to help or not. Though I think she would gladly jump at the opportunity to repay the save of her ship and crew." Her eyes shifted off to the side with the realization that Madison and her crew would most likely have perished if they hadn't come along. "In the whole wide 'verse, it's lucky--" Inara broke off as a sudden realization struck her. Her face took on a look of deep thought as the wheels in her head turned and began putting pieces into place.  Why had Madison's ship been here, of all places?  What were the odds of being in the same place, same time, with both crews in need of the same thing? Inara's eyes went back to Mal. "What if they were here for the same doctor? That would mean Madison or someone on her crew knows him."

[Lady Lee-o]

[Temp-play by Lee-o]

"It wouldn't hurt to ask," True, it wouldn't hurt to ask. "You can depend on Madison's discretion, whether she decides to help or not. Though I think she would gladly jump at the opportunity to repay the save of her ship and crew." That would be appreciated, mums the word.

"You trust her and that is good enough for me. I reckon they'll be with us for a time," Mal smiled.

"In the whole wide 'verse, it's lucky--" When Inara stopped, Mal perked up and prompted her to go on. "What if they were here for the same doctor? That would mean Madison or someone on her crew knows him." Good point, maybe they were heading that way already?

"Guess we should go talk to your friend and see's if she knows somethin'."

[Hollywood Heidi]

"I believe we have a new record for longest civil conversation to date." Inara grinned with amusement over that revelation. "Go on ahead," Inara began, stepping over to the narrow, rectangular mirror. "I just need a moment to make myself presentable." She looked up at the high mirror angled downward and used her handkerchief to clean the lines of her lipstick, which, thanks to the high quality, hadn't been completely kissed away.

Her eyes traveled to Mal's retreating form and she took in his thoroughly mussed hair. "Wait!" she called in quiet alarm, rushing to stand in front of him. Inara inwardly cringed with the thought that she'd nearly let him walk out of here like that. Lipstick wasn't the only telltale sign of something having gone on. "Just one more thing," she said distractedly as she reached up and used her fingers to comb his hair back into order. Assessing her work, she gave a satisfactory nod. "There." Inara stepped aside, unblocking his path to the door.

[Hollywood Heidi]

---

---

About a half hour passes.

During that time, Dex Wilde returned on the Shadowheart away shuttle to reconnect with his crewmates aboard the Serenity and Mal calls for everyone to collect in the Dining Area for a meeting with Dex volunteering to collect Wendy and River for the meeting.

---

---

[Hollywood Heidi]

***Wendy enters from Kitchen, Dining, and Lounge Area***


Wendy had managed to make it to the spare passenger dorm without bumping into anyone. A couple times along the way, she'd discreetly looked around to be sure nobody was near or observing her and dabbed under her nose. Luckily, she hadn't come away with too much blood. The bleeding seemed to be subsiding.

Sliding the door closed behind her, Wendy went to the mirror above the little sink and studied herself. Keeping her head angled downward and pinching her nose, she flipped on the faucet and ran the handkerchief below the water, giving a good, clean swipe beneath her nose, removing any residual evidence of one of the main signs of her deterioration.

With anger and frustration she threw the ruined handkerchief into the sink, then gripped the sides of the counter and glared at that spot above her lip, watching for any sides. After a couple minutes of feeling no tickle and seeing no blood, she finally released her grip on the counter and turned away, the anger melting into a feeling of defeat and exhaustion.

Wendy concentrated on organizing her plans as she looked around the small, sparse room. Everyone was preparing for the mission. First, she would do the same, getting herself ready to go at a moment's notice. Then she would lay down, relax, and wait until they were ready for go. They hadn't formally planned to meet in the cargo bay after a set amount of time, so she was sure there'd be an announcement on the coms or that someone would find her.

It only took her a couple minutes to root through her bag, put a new, neatly folded handkerchief into her pocket, choose her weapons, and any other helpful accessories. A gun, a sheathed knife, and her hat lay in a neat row on the low ledge against the wall. What she wore would be fine. Her boots, also fine, though she placed one foot, then the other on the little chair, checking and tightening the laces. She kept her hair down but gathered the sides and clipped them back so that it would be out of her face.

All set, Wendy stepped up on the small ledge and laid down on the bed, boots and all. Combat ready style, minus the weapons being within reach. With a sigh of relief, she turned to her side and adjusted the pillow, staring at the plain wall before her. She closed her eyes and tried willing herself to at least catch a cat nap.

[Ariel]

(KAYLEE - TEMP PLAYED BY ARIEL)

***Kaylee enters from Kitchen, Dining, and Lounge Area***

Kaylee had remembered the Captain placing Wendy Carter down in the spare passenger dorm. Jayne seemed rather annoyed, but he would just have to sacrifice his makeshift public relations office in the meantime. The gears in her mind turning as sharp as the engines she's worked on, Kaylee was deep in thought as she counted on her fingers and muttered the list of tools she needed to remember to bring over to the Shadowheart later to tinker their engine with. She had convinced herself that she needed to go over this extensive list, but if anyone knew Kaylee they were aware that she was basically an engine whisperer. She never needed to go over anything as the talent she possessed was a true gift. If anything, her list making was an attempt to distract her mind from her heart and what it really wanted.

"Pullers, diagnotics, oh!" Kaylee stopped in her tracks has she had ascended halfway down to Wendy Carter's location. Her doll eyes widened in her epiphany moment as she placed a single finger in the air, "Gotta remember them support bolts...She'll probably be needing the extra help...," Kaylee stopped in the middle of the hallway where her eyes wandered down to the open door of the Infirmary. Frowning slightly, a pang of guilt rose within Kaylee. She hated the way her and Simon left things. Like a magnet, her heart began to gravitate towards the space where Simon could be getting ready. She could make things right, even tell him how she feels. But what if she really wasn't good enough for him? What if when everything was said and done, he would leave Serenity and never come back? Doubt flooded her mind and Kaylee took a few resistant steps backward until she completely ripped herself away from even looking back at the Infirmary as she proceeded to her actual destination.

Whipping around the doorframe of the dorm, Kaylee gave the wall a few light knocks before poking her head in. "Oh, golly," Embarrased, Kaylee placed her hand on her cheeks tinted with red as she realized that Wendy might have been sleeping, "Sorry, Wendy! Didn't know you were rechargin' your batteries. You must be pretty knackered from all the excitement goin' about." Kaylee apologized as she stood in the middle of the doorway.

[Hollywood Heidi]

No matter how many times Wendy closed her eyes, she kept finding herself staring at the wall, unaware of when they'd opened again. Sleep just wasn't possible, no matter how worn out she felt. Doubt was starting to gnaw at her. Nothing would most likely come of this mission. Nothing except for putting more people at risk over her inevitable outcome.


"Oh, golly," "Sorry, Wendy! Didn't know you were rechargin' your batteries. You must be pretty knackered from all the excitement goin' about."

Apparently she was worn out more than she thought, not realizing someone had come to her door until they'd popped their head in. The way her empathic abilities seem to be erratically switching between almost nonexistent to hyper-intensive was only adding to this imbalanced feeling in her head, which did not help the constant ache that had settled into it.

Wendy propped herself up. "Oh, no worries." She waved her free hand dismissively, starting to scoot herself back to a sitting position against the wall as she continued. "I couldn't sleep. Too much excitement on the horizon." She waved Kaylee forward. "Please, come in. I'd love a bit of distraction."

[Ariel]

"Oh, no worries." "I couldn't sleep. Too much excitement on the horizon." "Please, come in. I'd love a bit of distraction."

"Shiny!" Kaylee didn't have to be asked twice before gleefully accepted the invitation to enter the dorm. Bearing the smile of a wondrous childlike innocence, Kaylee plopped herself down on the bed that Wendy had been seeking rest on. Folding her knees into her chest, Kaylee laid one arm over her knees while the other arm was propped up by her elbow. She sank her chin to rest in the palm of her hand as her gaze pointed at Wendy and gave off a dream like trance, "Lotta' excitement with them newbies, hey? I just love meetin' new people from all sorts of places. Everyone's got stories to tell," Kaylee expressed with a grand smile stretched across her face, before addressing Wendy head on, "What'dya think Dex's story is? With that muscular structure and that hair swoop thing on his forehead, he kinda looks like a rugged fantasy. Haven't quite got him figured out just yet." Kaylee questioned as she placed a pondering finger on her bottom lip, side eyeing Wendy carefully to catch any sort of reaction.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy chuckled over Kaylee's apt description of Dex. 'Rugged fantasy' seemed to perfectly and succinctly define not only what she saw when looking at him, but how she felt in his company. Well practiced in schooling her features and masking her feelings, she didn't give anything away. But she also wasn't shy about speaking plainly.

"He is a mystery," Wendy agreed. "I've found that men who are rugged and manly tend to be rough around the edges. Mostly brawn, sometimes brains, but usually not so much heart," she said, tapping a finger over her own. "A man who possesses all three is a rare gem, indeed. If circumstances were different, I'd snap him right up," she said, snapping along with the word, finishing with a wink to go along with the coy smile. There was no change in her tone with the mention of her dire circumstance. It was just fact in her mind but she wasn't going to let it bring her down and ruin the time she had left.

"I could feel that your captain is one of those rare gems, though he seems to hide that heart of his." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I can understand his reasons. Most mistake having heart as a weakness and any sign of weakness can invite danger upon your crew." Wendy waited for Kaylee's confirmation, pretty sure that though as wonky as her empathic abilities currently were, she was right on that read.

[Ariel]

"I could feel that your captain is one of those rare gems, though he seems to hide that heart of his." "I can understand his reasons. Most mistake having heart as a weakness and any sign of weakness can invite danger upon your crew."

"That's our Captain, all right. He's one of them natural born leaders that'll shoot first and skip the questions," Kaylee grinned to herself, knowing her Captain all too well. She placed her palms on her knees as she gave her attention to Wendy, "But one thing that's set him from the rest - he's got a heart for humanity, which is a rarity among those from the trenches of the war. He'll hide it of course with his rough 'n tough smugglin' jobs, but deep down he got his noble causes and always finds ways to make rights." Shrugging her shoulders in a chipper fashion, Kaylee explained with a sense of proud devotion to her Captain. If anything, Malcolm had taken her under his wing and had protected her at all costs since. He was a Captain first and foremost, yet Kaylee felt that he always had her best interest at heart no matter how he came across at times.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy nodded, fully trusting in the words of the young lady who also had a big heart. It was rare to feel genuine kindness and just a real sense of joy emanating from a person's core. This was another genuinely good person. This little ship seemed to house more genuinely good people than she'd met in her entire life.

'And then there's Jayne...,' she thought for her own private amusement. She could only guess that he'd had some negative interactions with River to have seemingly taken an instant dislike to her. Perhaps she shouldn't stoke that by jibing back. Maybe she should fight his jibes with her wiles. But what did it matter? She wouldn't be around these people for much longer.

Pushing those private thoughts aside, Wendy gave Kaylee a playful, knowing grin. "Your doctor's a good man. Cute, too," she said with a 'well done' wink and pat on Kaylee's knee.

[Ariel]

"Your doctor's a good man. Cute, too,"

"Simon? Ya think so? I mean, who wouldn't. He's so sweet, you just wanna eat him up!...," Kaylee stared past Wendy, her eyes dazed in a dreamy haze as a gooey smile stretched outwards. Flipping her brown locks over one shoulder, her hand came to rest on the nape of her neck as her mind left the dorm room for a moment to reminisce in the Doctor's gentle smile and intoxicating gaze that Kaylee could sail into and get lost in for days upon end. Simon made her lovesick, and even with the way he made her feel did Kaylee still feel invisible. At this thought, her complexion fell flat as the corners of her lips began to point downwards, "...That is, until he doesn't notice you exist and blasts off someplace, leavin' you to die forever alone." Kaylee sighed as her head drooped down to face the mattress of the bed they sat on, her hair following as it fell over her face and right back into her pity party.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Kaylee was good and smitten. It was obvious on that open and expressive face of hers but even stronger in the emotions that emanated from that big heart of hers. Kaylee lost in thought, Wendy took advantage of her distraction to close her eyes and let her own head fall back against the wall, secretly taking a secondhand bask in the feeling of pure, innocent, genuine love. The last and only time she'd felt this firsthand, she'd been a teenager. With the passing of nearly two decades since, she'd forgotten the magic of this experience. It was like a warm glow made up of giddy joy pulsing out from her heart and filling her entire being.

This was, by far, superior to the feelings Wendy picked up from the others on board, namely Mal and Inara. They chose to torture themselves by denying and rejecting the potential of this feeling. Wendy had been around plenty of people denying their hearts or too scared to take the chance to go for what their hearts want. Both Mal and Inara were such passionate and stubborn people that what they put themselves through in regards to each other was worse than the average person. If they would just--

Wendy's thoughts abruptly ended when she felt a shift in Kaylee's emotions. Opening her eyes and lifting her head from the wall, she masked the sadness that came over her for losing that feeling of the glow.


"...That is, until he doesn't notice you exist and blasts off someplace, leavin' you to die forever alone."

"Aw, sweetie," Wendy said, reaching out to grasp Kaylee's hand. "There's not a second he doesn't notice you. His eyes are always on you but he's careful about makin' sure it's when you won't notice. I've yet to meet a person who isn't afraid of giving into that vulnerability of letting a person know how they feel. Even the toughest of people would more readily go off into battle," Wendy said on a chuckle as she swept her arm out. She shook her head now. "His wanting to go is by no means, due to forgetting you exist. It's just that his heart is so big that he's willing to sacrifice his own happiness to help another."

Suddenly realizing how much time had passed, Wendy regrettably changed the subject. "We should get going." Wendy got to her feet. "They're probably waiting on me and you've got yourself a ship to fix." Wendy momentarily placed an affectionate hand on Kaylee's cheek but with the sudden thought that she might not see her again, found herself pulling Kaylee in for a brief hug. "Go do your magic," Wendy said with a smile before busying herself with final preparations, starting with getting the gun belt fastened around her waist.

[Ariel]

"His wanting to go is by no means, due to forgetting you exist. It's just that his heart is so big that he's willing to sacrifice his own happiness to help another."

Kaylee's complexion fell in awe of the way Wendy spoke. She couldn't quite place exactly what Wendy reminded her of. Perhaps a guru, or someone wise beyond her years that had a lifetime full of advice to share. Kaylee was usually the one who couldn't quite learn how to stop talking, yet she was rendered speechless. It was as if this woman before her could read the very emotions and souls of the people around her. Who is she?

"We should get going." "They're probably waiting on me and you've got yourself a ship to fix."

Kaylee knew that this indicated that break time was over. The pity party was officially being called off and it was time to simmer back down to reality. Kaylee nodded through the brief emotional rollercoaster she had voluntarily sent herself on. Yet, before she could act any further, she found herself smothered in a friendly, affectionate hug. Though, Kaylee was no where near complaining. Physical touch was her weakness, and Kaylee was like putty in Wendy's arms as she wholeheartedly melted in this new found friendship.

"Go do your magic," 

Kaylee squeezed Wendy for a moment more before pulling herself away. She looked at Wendy in the eyes and smiled cheerfully, "Duty calls, I reckon. For the both of us." She gave Wendy a single nod of unspoken gratitude before twirling around to face the exit and floated out of the passenger dorm with higher spirits than she arrived in.

*** Kaylee exits *** 

[Hollywood Heidi]

Wendy smiled at Kaylee's retreating form, so happy to see the joy back on the lively young lady's face.

She took just enough time to finish prepping and gathering her things. Just enough time for Kaylee to have put enough distance between herself and the infirmary, where Simon was busy prepping for the journey himself.

Twirling her Stetson onto her head, Wendy headed for the infirmary.


***Wendy 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."