BLUE SUN ROOM FAN FICTION - GENERAL

GA1661

Trials and Redemptions: Chapter 7 - Storytime
Monday, May 26, 2008

Apologies for taking so long to update this! See profile for explanatory note if you like... In which Jayne and River each find attentive audiences...


CATEGORY: FICTION    TIMES READ: 1631    RATING: 9    SERIES: FIREFLY

Firefly, Serenity, and all related proprietary characters are the intellectual property of Joss Whedon and corporations with whom I have no affiliation. Said property does not belong to me, and the fictional story below is of my own creation. (I don’t own ‘em, just like to play with ‘em!)

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Jayne lumbered into the kitchen the next morning, only half awake and starving for breakfast. So it was much to his dismay to find Mal waiting at the table, indicating that he should sit. No one else was up yet apparently, so Jayne grudgingly acquiesced. “What’s up, Mal?” “How’d things go last night?” Jayne’s slightly confused expression prompted Mal to clarify his question. “You were supposed to see how the girls were doing? Sit with ‘em for a bit, make sure all was well?” Gŏu shĭ, knew I forget something… “Umm… sorry, Mal. Kinda didn’t do it.” Mal snapped to attention. “There better be a gorram good reason you didn’t, ‘cause you’re already on thin ice. Don’t think I’ve forgotten we need to be havin’ a conversation concerning li’l Albatross.” But luck seemed to be on Jayne’s side today, as Inara glided into the kitchen. “Of course there is a good reason, Mal. I invited Zoë and Kaylee to my shuttle after putting River to bed. She seemed fine for the night, and I told Jayne it wasn’t necessary to join us if he didn’t want to.” “Well… alright then. I’ll be on the bridge… captain-y things to do.” Mal shot Jayne a quick glare before retreating with his coffee. Checking to make sure Mal was out of ear-shot, Jayne got up and wandered over to Inara, who was standing at the stove preparing tea. “What’d ya lie to him for? I passed out in my bunk on my way to check on ya… not on purpose mind you, did mean to come, but still.” Inara turned to Jayne with a wan smile. “I have to start being nicer to my personal savior. Besides, I won’t let Mal make things any more tense or awkward over something so ridiculous.” Pouring the now prepared tea, Inara offered a cup to Jayne, but he declined with a polite shake of his head as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I think River would like to talk to you when she gets up. I must admit I was initially a little confused, but after speaking with her yesterday, I was very pleased to find the two of you are becoming closer.” Jayne wasn’t quite sure what to say, so he took a large swallow of his coffee to buy a few seconds. “Thanks, ‘Nara. To tell the truth, figured you wouldn’t be too happy ‘bout that. She’s like your daughter an’ all, wouldn’t want her bein’ friends with somebody like me.” Inara almost choked on her tea. Carefully setting the cup down, Inara had to turn away from Jayne for a moment to gather herself. “I will admit that in the past, I said some things that would likely lead you to that conclusion. However, I now realize that was a serious error, and I must apologize. I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am, but I hope we can put that behind us.” That was not what Jayne was expecting to hear at all. “Thinkin’ yer not the only one said some bad things. But like I said yesterday, I’m sorry ‘bout that. Think it would be good if we got along better though.” Inara turned back to Jayne, nodding in agreement. “I do not wish to interfere with whatever arrangement you’ve made with River. But she did say last night that the incident in the cargo bay was related to something in your past. She said it was private, so neither Zoë nor I pressed her for any more information. However, she seemed to think you might like to talk about it with someone, but she was afraid she would be too upset.” Jayne tensed at the reminder of the prior evening, but strained to keep his focus on Inara, and away from the imagery that had caused River so much hurt. “Thanks for the offer, but I should talk to her first. Think the reason she went nuts last night was seein’ in my head what happened back then. Kinda hard for me to talk ‘bout it without thinkin’ on that, an’ I don’t want her seein’ that again.” Kaylee and Zoë’s simultaneous entrance into the kitchen caught Jayne’s eye. “Think I need to be goin’ now. Thanks, ‘Nara.” Inara nodded as Jayne left in the direction of the cargo bay. That was something new… strange, but somehow it seems things will work out. The rest of that day and the next were oddly quiet. Communal eating times were subdued events, with very little of the chatter that typically permeated the crew’s meals. Mal spent a lot of time on the bridge, occasionally joined by Zoë, who otherwise was staying in her bunk or chatting in Inara’s shuttle. Inara kept almost exclusively to said shuttle, but Kaylee and River did visit her as well. Kaylee found a leak in the engine’s cooling unit, and thus spent most of her time trying to fashion a temporary patch. River planted herself in her seat at the table in the kitchen with one of her drawing pads, and barely left it at all, except to sleep for a couple hours at a time. Simon locked himself in the infirmary, determined to find some new research that he thought could help River, but was largely unsuccessful. Jayne spent almost the entire two days in the cargo bay, alternating between cleaning his various firearms and lifting weights. The following morning, River slept in, which was unusual enough for her. She was normally was the first one up each day, as her years in the Academy had trained her to function on significantly less sleep. Combined with the fact that she hated the nightmares that typically came when she slept, there was very little reason for River to want to sleep any more than absolutely necessary. But when she awoke, River was dismayed to find she had a pounding headache, and she was also suffering from stomach cramps, these last two symptoms having also greeted her the previous three mornings. Slowly dressing herself, an odd thought passed through her mind. Not possible, told me I wasn’t normal… But just to be sure, River decided to seek out a second opinion. After exiting her room, River walked slowly to the lounge, where Kaylee sat reading one of her books, and the nervousness she felt was transferred into her voice. “Kaylee, can you please… umm… help me?” But before Kaylee could answer, Simon had looked up from his hand-held, and had covered the distance from his seat at the dinner table to his sister instantaneously, and stood between her and Kaylee. “What’s wrong, mèi mei, do you need something?” River frowned. “Go back to your reading.” Pushing Simon aside, River sat down on the floor in front of Kaylee’s chair and leaned against it. “It can… umm… wait if you are occupied. But… I wish to enlist your assistance, if you are willing.” Kaylee reached down and ran her fingers through River’s tangled hair as she set her reading aside. “Sure, sweetie, you know I’ll help if I can. Maybe we can ask ‘Nara if I can’t, sure she’ll help too.” Simon remained standing next to the chair, watching River with a look of contemplation. River’s fingers were drumming against the floor and her leg was twitching slightly. Kneeling slightly and reaching over, he attempted to take River’s hand, but River snatched it away. “River, maybe we should take a walk, leave Kaylee alone for a bit. You’re twitching, I’m sure I’ve got something in the lab that can help.” River snapped her head around to stare at her brother, causing Kaylee’s fingers to become entangled. “She told him to go back to his reading. Does he not understand?” River turned back to Kaylee, her mood softened again. “She thanks you. The girl is grateful. Compensation will be made.” Kaylee shook her head. “No need, River. Glad I can help. Simon, maybe you ought to––” But Simon had already reached down to take River’s hand. “Come on, River, won’t take long. You can play with Kaylee later.” When River did not turn to face him, Simon took River’s wrist in his hand. “Already told him to leave the girl alone. If he persists, he will be unhappy.” River’s voice was icy, not unlike Mal’s. But Simon ignored River, and tugged at her wrist. “River, stop being difficult.” The words were barely out of his mouth before Simon found himself being launched headfirst towards a bulkhead on the opposite end of the lounge, which missed his skull by inches before crashing into his shoulder, the popping sound audible as it was dislocated. Crew came running as the crashing sounds reverberated through the ship, and all skidded to a halt as they reached the various entrances to the lounge. Kaylee was staring at River from her seat, paralyzed. River walked over to where Simon lay against the wall and rolled him over onto his back with her foot. “THE GIRL TOLD YOU TO LEAVE HER ALONE! SHE IS NOT A GORRAM DOLL, AND SHE ISN’T BROKEN! THE GIRL DOES NOT WANT TO BE TOUCHED WITHOUT PERMISSION, AND WHEN THE GIRL WANTS HIS GORRAM OPINION OR HIS FAULTY ATTEMPTS TO CURE HER WITH SEDATIVES, THE GIRL WILL ASK FOR IT!” River kicked Simon viciously in the leg, and turned away, expecting to be able to run and hide in her room, but ran straight into a human wall and fell over. Looking up, River saw Jayne and Mal looking down at her. Mal’s face was oddly contorted, as though he was debating what to do. Jayne simply smiled, and offered her his hand to help her stand up. “Where you runnin’ off to, xiăo hè? Thought we had a talk the other day about beatin’ on people.” River accepted Jayne’s hand and stood up, planting her foot directly on Simon’s ankle as she did so, eliciting a moan of pain from her brother. “Sorry, hù wèi zhĕ, no more violence for now. The girl has a headache, too many things in the windows.” River turned and attempted to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. Turning to face Mal, River sighed in exasperation. “Why does he detain her?” Mal swiftly removed his hand, having no wish to end up like Simon. “Now, Albatross, you know better than this. On this boat, we solve our problems with words.” Mal watched River roll her eyes, and present her “you’re being a boob” look. “Ok, maybe not so much with the words, on account of all the people we seem to have to shoot, but we don’t need to go beatin’ on each other. Now do you want to explain why my medic is lying on the floor next to that bulkhead? Way he landed, I’m thinking his head didn’t miss by much, you could’ve paralyzed him, if he hit it head-on. Bad enough you probably broke his shoulder.” “She did not break his shoulder, only dislocated. Probability of paralyzation less than a thousand to one. More likely to cause instant death from fracture of the C1 or C2 vertebrae, probability of less than six hundred and eighty-seven to one. Probability of outcome which did occur was over ninety-nine percent.” River turned back towards the exit to the passenger dorms and began walking away. “The girl is going to her room. Captain Tight-Pants should ask Kaylee-bear why his medic got thrown into a bulkhead if he did not understand what the girl was yelling.” Stopping at the door in front of Inara, River turned back towards Kaylee as Inara stepped aside. “The girl says thank you again, but understands if she no longer wishes to help the girl.” Kaylee could only stare as River walked out of the room. Mal knelt near Simon’s shoulder to assess the damage. Zoë started to follow River, but was stopped by Jayne. “Zoë, you’re gonna wanna stop right there. Give it about… five or ten seconds.” Zoë’s face contorted in scrutiny, her voice dripping with condescension. “Why do you say that, hù wèi zhĕ? You know something I don’t?” Jayne simply smiled and held up five fingers. Lowering them one at a time, he counted back to zero. No sooner did he lower his last finger, the ship resonated with the sounds of River screaming and several loud crashes. Now everyone was staring at Jayne. “What?” Mal was between Zoë and Jayne within seconds, nearly chest to chest with the mercenary. “How is it that you knew that was going to happen? And why exactly did you stop Zoë? Not that I’m complaining, but last I checked, you were all excitable about watching River beating the stuffing out of people at every opportunity, which I find all manner of disturbing.” Jayne chuckled. “Mal, how many sisters do I have? I know you didn’t have none, all boys in your family.” “What does how many sisters you got have to do with this? And I have no idea, you never talk about your family none, except your Ma and Mattie once in a blue moon. And what’s with River callin’ you hù wèi zhĕ and you callin’ her xiăo hè?” Mal was quickly losing his temper. He hated not knowing what was going on, but even more so when his hired gun knew more than he did. Jayne rolled his eyes. “I’m getting to that, my god, you can’t even stay focused on one thing at a time. Every time ya open your mouth, you got another question. Anyhow, I got five sisters, three older, two younger. I learned right quick that when one of them got pissed off by one of the others, ya stay clear ‘til they get it out of their system. But being girls, they ain’t apt to go beating the crap out of their sisters ‘less they harp on ‘em. So you wait ‘til they go to their room, throw some shit around and make a mess, and then after they calm down some, you can go talk to them while they’s cleanin’ up. Zoë, you’re gonna want ta stay put, she ain’t done yet.” Sure enough, seconds later, more crashes ensued. Mal appeared satisfied for the moment, until he remembered Jayne didn’t answer all the questions. “So I’m guessin’ you stopped Zoë because you wouldn’t want to be held accountable if River beat the snot out of her and you didn’t say nothing. That I get… but how exactly did you know River would trash her room? She’s the biggest gorram neat-freak on this boat after her brother. And what’s with the nickname?” “Hell, Mal, I told Zoë to stop ‘cause the girl could’ve hurt her. When she’s in a fit like that, I’d be more scared of the girl than anybody else on this boat. Those other two questions are a bit of a long story, and I’m thinkin’ we oughta help the doc’ here before he goes crazy from the pain and decides his sister needs to be tossed out the airlock. Come on, fancy-pants, I ain’t gonna put yer shoulder back in joint ‘less yer strapped to the table in that infirmary of your’s, I don’t have a death wish.” With that, Jayne pulled Simon up off the floor and started out of the lounge. “Anyone wantin’ to hear that story oughta follow along.” A few moments later, all crew members, save River, had gathered in the infirmary. Mal and Jayne had finished strapping Simon to the exam table, and Mal had injected Simon with a pain killer. After a few seconds, Mal braced Simon’s torso before looking up at Jayne. “Go ahead. He’s not gonna feel it now.” “If you say so, Cap’n.” An auditory “pop” echoed through the small room as Jayne reset Simon’s injured shoulder, the doctor fixing the mercenary with a scowl. “We gonna sit here? Or we goin’ someplace we can sit down?” Mal rolled his eyes in disgust, gesturing out to the cargo bay. “Stay put a minute, Jayne. Rest of you can go.” As the female crew members filed out to take up seats on the numerous empty crates, Mal removed the restraints holding Simon to the table and propped him up into a sitting position. “Grab the sling and the wrap stuff from the top drawer behind you.” After successfully immobilizing Simon’s arm with the sling and securing it against his chest with the wrap, the three males made their way to the bay. Mal and Simon took up seats among the crates, while Jayne claimed a seat on his weight bench. Audibly exhaling, Jayne leaned back against the bar, just as River had done a few nights before. “She came to talk with me again… mornin’ after she got all aggravated…” ***FLASHBACK*** Jayne made his way slowly down the stairs to his weight bench, so lost in thought that the mercenary completely oblivious to the world around him. So when he spotted River sitting on the bench, leaning back against the bar, it took a moment to register. “Hey there…” “Have to talk about it… can’t ignore it or it will drag you into the abyss.” River may have had a small smile on her face, but she looked and sounded completely exhausted. “Can’t be me though, have to find someone else. Not strong enough.” Jayne sat at River’s feet, straddling the bench. “Think both of us know that’s a lie, yer plenty strong. Not yer fault people been playin’ ‘round inside yer head, messin’ with stuff.” Taking both of the young girl’s small hands, Jayne gently pulled her to sit upright. “Ya think I should tell someone ‘bout it? I don’t think they’d understand…” River’s smile faded a little. “Have to trust your friends, make us understand. You’re not the only guard of Serenity, everyone has to help protect. Protection is needed from both external and internal threats.” “Hmm… think maybe yer right. Now I got somethin’ ya might like to hear ‘bout… was thinkin’ ya were tryin’ to think on how to not hurt nobody when yer gorram brother gets ya mad. Whenever my sisters got all upset and wanted to hit somebody, they’d go to their rooms, throw stuff around, make a mess.” River pondered this for a moment. “Relieve stress without use of violence against a sibling by making a mess?” Jayne noted her quizzical expression and chuckled. “When you gotta clean up the mess ya made of yer room, you’ll think twice ‘bout how mad ya really are.” “But I do not wish to damage some of the things in my room, and Chuán zhăng will be angry if I damage Serenity.” Jayne looked off into space for a moment. “That’s alright. Just give me the stuff ya don’t want gettin’ messed up, can put in my storage space, ain’t got nothin’ in there anyways. Don’t worry on Mal neither, I’ll take care of that.” The lithe girl suddenly got to her feet, still holding Jayne’s hands in her own. “Really?” River’s gaze was hard and insistent, and Jayne had no choice but to nod his head in acquiescence. Suddenly the stoic face was gone, and River’s smile was back, brighter than before. Before Jayne could even move, River had embraced him in a hug, leaning to the side to whisper in his ear. “Good.” And with that, River skipped away, leaving a stunned mercenary in her wake. Why don’t I find that all manner of creepifyin’? Must be goin’ soft… Jayne simply shrugged his shoulders and went about his original task, intent on working off some stress with a long session of weight training. ***END FLASHBACK*** Jayne spent the next hour telling them all of what River had discussed with him, from the reason for her nicknames, to the whole story of his banishment from his home-world, to their most recent meeting. No one dared to interrupt until Jayne finished and got up to stretch. Kaylee felt almost numb. She made her own daughter hurt her son. How could she? “So you can’t go home then? Not ever?” Jayne only shook his head. “Don’t matter no more. Don’t want me there, an’ I don’t wanna be there.” Inara nervously smoothed her hands over her dress, not sure what to say. No wonder he’s the way he is… no family, no home. “Why do you send them money, Jayne? They’ve ostracized you.” “Not Mattie’s fault he’s an invalid, not Jamie’s fault no one will marry her. Don’t care if my ma don’t want me, ain’t gonna have them suffer.” Jayne choked back tears. All my gorram fault… But Jayne’s inner rant broke off when he saw River on the catwalk, carrying something in each of her hands. Suddenly the whole crew was following Jayne’s gaze, falling on the stoic young girl as she walked to the weight bench. Stopping in front of Jayne, she set a coil of chain on the bench, along with a short piece of rope. Extending her arms in front of her, wrists together, River bent her head to stare at the floor, all without saying a word. Everyone but Mal and Jayne only stared, mostly with expressions of curiosity. But the captain and the mercenary simultaneously realized what River wanted them to do, and both rushed to her side. Jayne grasped both wrists gently, pushing them down and to her sides. “No, River. Not gonna do that.” River slowly raised her head, her eyes defiant. “Have to. Was aware of the consequences, but struck him anyway. No choice now.” “NO! Nobody’s gonna do that to ya, even if yer gorram brother wants to, we ain’t doin’ it.” Jayne’s voice may have sounded firm, but on the inside, he was terrified. What have I done? “Li’l Albatross, we ain’t Jayne’s ma. I don’t hold with beating on little girls. No offense to yer ma, Jayne, but it’s wrong, and I ain’t lettin’ nobody do that to you.” Mal’s words finally clicked with the rest of the crew; River believed she should be lashed, as Jamie should have been. Kaylee was the first to react, rushing to River and embracing her tightly, tears flowing freely from the mechanic’s eyes. “Mèi mei, how could you think we would… we wouldn’t do that to you! You just got upset is all, happens to everybody. No call to hurt you.” “Don’t understand. Hit gē ge. Punishment for striking a male is being lashed in public. Policy of equitable treatment, males who strike females are executed. Must not allow females to strike males with no fear of retribution. Brought appropriate materials, rope to bind in place, prevent escape from punishment, chain to substitute for a whip.” River’s voice was steady, the young girl determined not to show any fear of the pain she expected to come. Inara set the rope and chain on the floor underneath the bench and gestured for Kaylee to bring River over. Kaylee reluctantly did so, trying to hold back tears, and when they reached the bench, Kaylee coaxed River to sit down between Inara and herself. Inara ran one of her hands soothingly over River’s shoulders. “Bǎo bèi, just because Jayne’s mother believes in certain things, that doesn’t make them right, nor does it mean everyone should believe in them. I’m sure she’s a wonderful person, but I don’t think anyone here agrees with her views on discipline. What happened to Jayne may be what is expected on his world, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. We all make mistakes, lose our tempers sometimes, but I don’t think any of us believe that hurting you is going to make you a better person.” River turned slightly towards Inara, now facing Simon, who was sitting on a crate and leaning back against the wall with a completely neutral expression. “Sorry, gē ge. Lost temper, overreacted.” It didn’t appear that Simon was going to respond, but a glare from Mal changed his mind. “It’s alright, mèi mei. I’ll be fine in a couple days.” All was quiet for a moment before Zoë decided to speak up. “Sir, perhaps Kaylee could invite River to her bunk for a little while? Thinking we need to talk about some things…” “Good idea, Zoë. Kaylee, you mind takin’ River to yer bunk for a bit?” It may have appeared to be a question, but Mal’s intonation suggested it was anything but. Fortunately Kaylee wasn’t in any mood to argue. “Sure, Cap’n. C’mon River, you can tell me ‘bout what you needed help with.” The two got up from the weight bench and ventured out of the bay, the mechanic with her arm around the teenager. Once they were out of ear-shot, Mal scowled at Simon. “What did I tell you about her? Are you incapable of remembering anything, or did you just completely ignore what I asked you to do?” Simon looked up in alarm. “Mal, I don’t know what you’re—” “I told you once already, you leave her the hell alone if she doesn’t want your help. ‘Cause that’s what you were doing, right? Trying to get her to the infirmary, take some meds?” Simon’s face was almost crimson. “There was something wrong with her, she’s clearly unstable! She was so nervous that she was twitching. I just wanted to give her—” Mal’s exasperation was clear in his voice. “That’s the gorram problem! You can’t fix everything with a pill or a needle, Doc. An’ if River doesn’t want you to give her anything, you’re not going to! We’ve been over this before, so I don’t feel the least bit of sympathy for your messed up shoulder.” Mal stalked over to Simon, his voice suddenly changing to the icy calm that typically indicated his most serious of moods. “You best thank your dear and fluffy lord that scared little girl needs all six of us right now, else you’d be prepping for a walk outside. I will not see her hurt any more than she already has been. So I’m going to ask you one last time, ‘cause there won’t be a next time… nĭ míng bai wŏ ma?” Seeing the speechless Simon could only nod his head in agreement, Mal scowled again before turning his back. “Get out of my cargo bay before I change my mind.” Jayne was relatively sure he’d never seen Simon move so fast, as the young doctor rushed to the safety of his room. This couldn’t possibly get worse, could it? Thinkin’ I ain’t wantin’ to stick around to find out… “Zoë, ‘Nara, Cap’n. Think I’m gonna go look at those offers on the scopes, see if I can’t figure out who we’re best off sellin’ to, if that’s alright.” “Sir, I think I’ll join Jayne actually, if we’re done here.” A nod of Mal’s acceptance was the only indication he was even listening, so Zoë decided it would be opportune to make a strategic retreat, and grabbed the merc by the arm before leaning over to whisper in his ear. “Best clear out, he’s ‘bout to lose it.” Jayne nodded, and the two departed for the bridge and its Coretex link, leaving Mal and Inara alone in the bay. Meanwhile Kaylee was having a difficult time getting anything out of River, who was visibly upset and uncommunicative. “Mèi mei, whatever it is, don’t matter. I’ll help you, promise!” Finally after what seemed like eons, River looked up from the floor to her host. “I don’t understand what’s happening to me. Today, yesterday, day before, woke up, migraine, stomach cramps. No other physical symptoms, no known diseases or toxins which would cause them.” Kaylee’s eyes nearly flew out of her head. “River, sweetie, didn’t nobody ever tell you ‘bout how your baby-makin’ parts work?” River nodded. “Understand the concept of a menstrual cycle and its role in procreation. But…” Kaylee scrutinized her young comrade for a moment. She’s almost eighteen now… no way she ain’t had a period before! “I have never experienced this phenomenon. They told me I was different, told me I would never be like other girls.” Kaylee was so startled she nearly fell off the bed where she was sitting at River’s side. “Sweetie, please don’t do that! Know you can’t help it sometimes, but it scares the pants off people.” A shame-faced River nodded in acquiescence, and Kaylee comfortingly embraced her. “I ain’t no expert, but sounds to me like they was wrong ‘bout you. Think if it’s ok with you, we oughta ask ‘Nara for some advice. She’ll know what to do, she’s almost as smart as you!” That last comment finally brought a tiny smile to River’s face, but it vanished nearly as quickly as it came. “Please don’t tell gē ge, he won’t respond well.” “Course not! He may be a fine doctor, but he ain’t a woman, so he ain’t gonna take it too good. If you don’t want him involved, he won’t be. I’ll be right back!” Sure enough, a few moments later, Kaylee had retrieved Inara from the cargo bay, just as she had been preparing to return to her shuttle. “I’ll wait out in the kitchen for ya, River.” But suddenly as she turned to go, she found herself detained: River had taken her wrist captive. “Would you stay… please?” “Sure, River. I just thought you’d be nervous an’ stuff, didn’ wanna make it worse.” Sitting next to River again on the bed, Kaylee gestured for Inara to sit on the other side. “Now why don’t ya tell ‘Nara what ya told me?” River proceeded to do just that, and Inara was just as stunned as Kaylee had been. “Bǎo bèi, have you started bleeding yet?” Seeing confusion in River’s face, Inara sighed. Talk about awkward… how do you ask a teenager if she’s got blood in her underwear? “Not as of this morning.” River’s voice shook Inara from her internal monologue. Inara distractedly rubbed River’s back. “River, I know it’s hard, but you have to try not to read people, even if you think you’re helping. It’s unnerving to have to constantly monitor your private thoughts. Now why don’t you go over to Kaylee’s wash area behind us and check for me? Kaylee and I won’t look.” River nodded and made her way over to the little alcove. Lowering her panties, she was slightly dismayed to find a few spots of blood. Sighing in resignation, River resituated her clothes before rejoining the ladies on Kaylee’s bed, a frown darkening her face. “Three spots, each less than a centimeter in diameter.” “Aww, don’t be sad, sweetie! Just means yer growin’ up is all.” Kaylee’s cheer was well-intentioned, but inwardly she could understand River’s dejection. Inara sat contemplatively for a moment before turning to River. “Back when you were at the Academy…” River visibly shuddered at the mention of the institution, but Inara pressed on. “Did the doctors ever gather all the girls together to give you injections?” River nodded. “Once a year, always six weeks before my birthday. Said they were injections to help us sleep better and keep from getting sick. Bottles said the injections were decosalyn, but couldn’t find any medicine by that name in the Coretex archives.” Inara rolled her eyes in annoyance. “That’s because decosalyn is the unofficial shorthand for teradecosalynimate, which is a hormone therapy used by Companions to suppress their monthly periods. It’s convenient because it only needs to be administered once per year when a Companion takes their physical. I can’t believe the Guild would allow anyone to buy it from them! It’s supposed to be sold only to private physicians employed by the Guild, and administered only to registered Companions!” Sensing Inara’s indignation and temporary inattentiveness, Kaylee tried to bring the conversation back to River’s current predicament. “Sweetie, I’m kinda embarrassed, but I don’t know when yer birthday is! How long ‘til yer next one?” River frowned slightly. “In thirty five days, thirteen hours and sixteen minutes, I will have achieved eighteen years of existence in the universe. Were I back at the Academy, I would have received the yearly injection six days ago.” Inara nodded in comprehension. “The effects of your last dose would have worn off three days later. Considering you’ve never gone through this before, being without the hormone after almost four years would be similar to withdrawal. It would likely cause you to start your first period immediately, which does coincide with the other information you’ve shared. Do you have any questions, River? I know this must be difficult for you.” River said nothing for a few moments, then suddenly flushed crimson red. Luckily Kaylee understood what River was thinking about. “River, do you need some things to… umm… take care of yourself?” A fervent nod from her young friend almost prompted Kaylee to giggle, but she politely restrained herself. “I’ll get you some of mine, you can get your own when we get to Persephone.” Kaylee bounded off the bed and began to dig through the top drawer of her dresser, which was admittedly a little messy. In the meantime, Inara patted River’s knee and the young girl turned to see the Companion smiling. “You’re going to be an adult soon, bǎo bèi. The all-magical age of eighteen…” This earned a bit of a grin from her younger compatriot. “How long until we get to Persephone?” River smiled as she lay back on the bed. “Thirty-eight hours, twelve minutes. First chance to land Serenity solo!” And anyone who could see River’s face at that moment would know she would be completely content to think of nothing else.

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gŏu shĭ – shit; mèi mei – sister (younger); gē ge – brother (older)

bǎo bèi – precious; nī zi – little girl; Chuán zhăng – Captain

xiăo hè – little lotus; hù wèi zhĕ – bodyguard; Nĭ míng bai wŏ ma? – Do you understand me?

COMMENTS

Tuesday, May 27, 2008 2:58 AM

JANE0904


Nicely done. And Mal's reaction to Simon's meddling was perfect. As was Kaylee and Inara tending to River. No wonder she was concerned!

Thursday, June 5, 2008 5:28 PM

ANGELLEMARCS


Getting caught back up....very good. I agree with Jane. Like the interaction between characters.

Thursday, June 5, 2008 5:32 PM

ANGELLEMARCS


Getting caught back up....very good. I agree with Jane. Like the interaction between characters.


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