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rivendellroseAs promised, it's another requested fic! This time, it's for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gurny, who asked for "Mal doing something nice for Inara." This one gave me a heck of a lot of trouble, but in the end I sparked off something I found while I was researching for the last fic I posted, and ended up with something that, while perhaps not entirely something Mal would do, is still amusing and, I think, rather fitting. So here it is.
Fandom: Firefly
Pairings: Teensy bit of Mal-->Inara, hints of Simon/Kaylee and Zoe/Wash.
Warnings: None.
Title: The Seventh Day
“River?”
The girl didn’t look up from her drawing. “Yes, Captain?”
“I, uh... what’s that?” Mal Reynolds leaned over her shoulder. “Are those... Those are Serenity’s engines!”
“Kaylee knows them inside and out. Every rivet and screw.”
“And you’ve been doing that... mind thing of yours, again. Drawing my engines.”
“They’re not yours. They’re Serenity’s.” River finished the flowing line of a conduit and set aside her pen, then looked up at him with an expression of resigned patience far beyond her years. “You wanted something from me.”
“I can’t just--”
“You don’t talk to me unless I’ve done something wrong, which I haven’t, or unless you want something. And you shift your feet when you’re nervous. Also, your thoughts are all messy. It’s about Inara, and you--”
“I just need to know when Qi Qiao Jie falls in comparison to the ship’s calendar.”
River smirked. “Simon sent red bean sweets to a girl for Qi Qiao Jie when he was fourteen. She went out with him for two days, and then he said something silly and she wouldn’t talk to him again for a year.”
“Well, at least now I know it’s not a recent thing. You mind givin’ me that date, now?”
“Inara would know. She’ll be up in an hour, you could ask her when she comes down to the kitchen for her tea.” River’s eyes sparkled with mirth, what Mal’s mama would’ve called a Cheshire-cat grin plastered all over her face.
“I ain’t askin’ Inara, I’m askin’ you.”
“I need the magic word.”
Mal gritted his teeth and tried to count to ten, but only made it as far as seven before hearing the sound of footsteps headed toward the kitchen. “Please.”
“August thirteenth by the Alliance calendar, five days from now in ship’s time.” River turned back to her drawing. “You owe me, Captain.”
Mal snorted. “I’m bussing you and your brother all over the ‘verse, keepin’ up all this trouble on your account, and you say I owe you? I don’t see how that figures.”
“It wouldn’t, but you don’t want me telling Simon about this, do you? Or Jayne? Or... maybe Inara?”
Mal stared, a newfound respect for the seemingly innocent crazy girl brewing in his heart. “You’re a hell of a lot more devious than that brother of yours gives you credit.”
“He still thinks I’m fourteen, I think. And he’s not the best with people, anyway.”
Well, that was the truth at least. Mal shook his head and walked out of the kitchen just in time to avoid Inara. He had a lot of work to do, and only five days to do it in.
* * *
“What the gorram... ‘Nara, your shuttle’s takin’ over the gorram ship!”
Jayne’s shouts quickly drew the rest of the crew out to the kitchen, where, piled all over the table, was a collection of slightly sad-looking flowers cut and folded out of red paper, and a pile of small oranges. One stick of incense stuck out of a tea-cup at the center of the amalgamation.
“Well?”
“None of it’s mine.” Inara ignored the merc as he rolled his eyes. “Kaylee?”
“Not me. River?”
“I don’t have any idea at all.”
Everyone paused for a moment at the strange weight in River’s words. But, really, was anything all that strange coming from her?
“Simon?” Kaylee sounded a bit hopeful, now.
“No, I don’t know why... Oh. It’s Qi Qiao Jie today, isn’t it? I’m sorry, Kaylee, I didn’t even--”
“Don’t worry about it. I just wonder... Oh! Wash and Zoe, of course! Wash must’ve made them!”
“Must’ve what? Whatever it was, I didn’t--” Wash paused just inside the doorway, taking in the spectacle. “On second thought, yes, I did. It was all me. Real thoughtful of me, too.”
Zoe swatted carelessly at him. “You’ve been sleepin’ all morning, I’d have noticed if you’d gotten up to do something like this. So that leaves...”
“A real gorram mystery,” Mal put in. “Alright, people, let’s quit rubberneckin’ and get back to work. Boats to be run, crime to be done... move it!”
With a few grumbles, the rest of the crew moved out to their usual jobs, leaving Inara standing beside the table, gazing speculatively at Mal. “I’d never have taken you for a romantic, Mal. Offerings to the spirits of love?”
“Offerings?” Mal picked up an orange, bit part of the rind off and spat it into the recycler before beginning to peel the rest. “Just trying to find good use for a bit of abandoned cargo ‘fore it goes bad.” He picked up second orange and tossed it at her, then turned and left for the bridge.
Inara shook her head, picked up a single paper flower, and headed back to her shuttle. Behind her, the incense burned steadily on, curls of smoke reaching out toward the stars.
Oh, and no, I'm not making stuff up. ;)
gurny, who asked for "Mal doing something nice for Inara." This one gave me a heck of a lot of trouble, but in the end I sparked off something I found while I was researching for the last fic I posted, and ended up with something that, while perhaps not entirely something Mal would do, is still amusing and, I think, rather fitting. So here it is. Fandom: Firefly
Pairings: Teensy bit of Mal-->Inara, hints of Simon/Kaylee and Zoe/Wash.
Warnings: None.
Title: The Seventh Day
“River?”
The girl didn’t look up from her drawing. “Yes, Captain?”
“I, uh... what’s that?” Mal Reynolds leaned over her shoulder. “Are those... Those are Serenity’s engines!”
“Kaylee knows them inside and out. Every rivet and screw.”
“And you’ve been doing that... mind thing of yours, again. Drawing my engines.”
“They’re not yours. They’re Serenity’s.” River finished the flowing line of a conduit and set aside her pen, then looked up at him with an expression of resigned patience far beyond her years. “You wanted something from me.”
“I can’t just--”
“You don’t talk to me unless I’ve done something wrong, which I haven’t, or unless you want something. And you shift your feet when you’re nervous. Also, your thoughts are all messy. It’s about Inara, and you--”
“I just need to know when Qi Qiao Jie falls in comparison to the ship’s calendar.”
River smirked. “Simon sent red bean sweets to a girl for Qi Qiao Jie when he was fourteen. She went out with him for two days, and then he said something silly and she wouldn’t talk to him again for a year.”
“Well, at least now I know it’s not a recent thing. You mind givin’ me that date, now?”
“Inara would know. She’ll be up in an hour, you could ask her when she comes down to the kitchen for her tea.” River’s eyes sparkled with mirth, what Mal’s mama would’ve called a Cheshire-cat grin plastered all over her face.
“I ain’t askin’ Inara, I’m askin’ you.”
“I need the magic word.”
Mal gritted his teeth and tried to count to ten, but only made it as far as seven before hearing the sound of footsteps headed toward the kitchen. “Please.”
“August thirteenth by the Alliance calendar, five days from now in ship’s time.” River turned back to her drawing. “You owe me, Captain.”
Mal snorted. “I’m bussing you and your brother all over the ‘verse, keepin’ up all this trouble on your account, and you say I owe you? I don’t see how that figures.”
“It wouldn’t, but you don’t want me telling Simon about this, do you? Or Jayne? Or... maybe Inara?”
Mal stared, a newfound respect for the seemingly innocent crazy girl brewing in his heart. “You’re a hell of a lot more devious than that brother of yours gives you credit.”
“He still thinks I’m fourteen, I think. And he’s not the best with people, anyway.”
Well, that was the truth at least. Mal shook his head and walked out of the kitchen just in time to avoid Inara. He had a lot of work to do, and only five days to do it in.
* * *
“What the gorram... ‘Nara, your shuttle’s takin’ over the gorram ship!”
Jayne’s shouts quickly drew the rest of the crew out to the kitchen, where, piled all over the table, was a collection of slightly sad-looking flowers cut and folded out of red paper, and a pile of small oranges. One stick of incense stuck out of a tea-cup at the center of the amalgamation.
“Well?”
“None of it’s mine.” Inara ignored the merc as he rolled his eyes. “Kaylee?”
“Not me. River?”
“I don’t have any idea at all.”
Everyone paused for a moment at the strange weight in River’s words. But, really, was anything all that strange coming from her?
“Simon?” Kaylee sounded a bit hopeful, now.
“No, I don’t know why... Oh. It’s Qi Qiao Jie today, isn’t it? I’m sorry, Kaylee, I didn’t even--”
“Don’t worry about it. I just wonder... Oh! Wash and Zoe, of course! Wash must’ve made them!”
“Must’ve what? Whatever it was, I didn’t--” Wash paused just inside the doorway, taking in the spectacle. “On second thought, yes, I did. It was all me. Real thoughtful of me, too.”
Zoe swatted carelessly at him. “You’ve been sleepin’ all morning, I’d have noticed if you’d gotten up to do something like this. So that leaves...”
“A real gorram mystery,” Mal put in. “Alright, people, let’s quit rubberneckin’ and get back to work. Boats to be run, crime to be done... move it!”
With a few grumbles, the rest of the crew moved out to their usual jobs, leaving Inara standing beside the table, gazing speculatively at Mal. “I’d never have taken you for a romantic, Mal. Offerings to the spirits of love?”
“Offerings?” Mal picked up an orange, bit part of the rind off and spat it into the recycler before beginning to peel the rest. “Just trying to find good use for a bit of abandoned cargo ‘fore it goes bad.” He picked up second orange and tossed it at her, then turned and left for the bridge.
Inara shook her head, picked up a single paper flower, and headed back to her shuttle. Behind her, the incense burned steadily on, curls of smoke reaching out toward the stars.
Oh, and no, I'm not making stuff up. ;)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 05:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 05:25 pm (UTC)Glad you liked it!
no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 06:43 am (UTC)This was cuuuuute♥
no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 05:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 01:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 05:23 pm (UTC)River's my favorite part, myself. She's so devious. *g*
no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 02:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-08 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-10 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-10 01:20 am (UTC)Honestly, I have no idea how one job can be simultaneously so tiring, and so mind-numbing.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-10 05:48 am (UTC)It would be a so much nicer job if there were things you actually NEEDED to talk to the kids about, to explain things, so you could feel like you were relly interacting in a way that helps them, and then you would know what to say instead of floundering around trying to think of things to say. A regular, or science type museum is so much more for you.