Dear Folks At The Southdown Abby,

I write with heavy heart that one of your own, Derriel Book, has passed on. It has been near four months since his death, and I thought that it was only proper to alert his monastery. I can't say much, but he died doing good works and protecting his flock....

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Zoe looked up from the all too familiar handwriting and grabbed the com on her belt. Hitting the button, she spoke in a calm that was soft yet held tension. "Kaylee, I think I need you back over here."

"Why?" her voice buzzed over the end.

"Because there's a bunch of preachers standin' next to me holdin' a letter with your handwriting?"

"Oh."

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Inara lay Meilin down for a nap.

She drew the little curtain over the mouth of the bassinet shut to keep the babe in darkness. It had been an eventful day for such a little baby, and Meilin needed to recover. They were already up in the air, a process that had been effortless for the ship and soundless for their cabin.

Mal sidled up and wrapped his arms around her from the back, his hands resting gingerly on her flat torso as his nose took a minute to admire her scalp and it’s perfumed scent. “Hey.”

Inara listened to his low whisper, closed her eyes at how his lips brushed against her ear. Smiling fondly, she put a hand on his arm and rocked her body back against his. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothin’…”

“Xingbie?”

Mal grinned mischieviously, though he tried earnestly to act stunned and slightly appalled. “You have a very salacious mind…”

“Well I’m sorry. I assumed you weren’t thinking of any of my other talents…”

“Got me there.” He kissed her shoulder and neck. “We haven’t had any alone time for a few weeks, she’s out likea light, and there’s this overly swanky suite with all these rather… curious surfaces…”

Inara smiled, turning around she placed her arms over his shoulders and around his neck. Staring at his eyes. “Quite the amazing concept, love making in the middle of the day without people nor a ranch to interrupt us.”

“Glad ta know you’re just as pent up as I am.“ He breathed into her mouth before teasing it with a kiss, as he found the zipper to her dress and pulled it down.

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Kaylee’s eyes widened when she saw the passel of shepherds.

“Oh.” She went over to the group, standing next to Zoe as Wren and Pike came down the ramp to go to the ship they were to take to Antilles.

Wren studied the white collared men. “Do you guys buy preachers in bulk too?”

“I don’t think so.” Zoe countered. “At least I didn’t, Kaylee?”

She gave her meek get-out-of-trouble smile. “Was just doin’ the right thing.. the Christian thing?”

“I hate to enter into this conversation uninvited,” Shepherd Kouros began “However you did do the right thing. Knowing that Brother Book passed and you have his things in possession allows us to take what is left and give his spirit a proper service.”

The first mate arched a brow. “I take it you have some’a Book’s stuff?”

The mechanic pressed her lips tight, nodding her head just a touch.

Zoe sighed, and turned to the Shepherds. “You’re gonna haveta wait here or come along.”

“Do you object to us coming along?”

“No we don’t.” Kaylee pressed, getting a look from Zoe who had been cut off. She gave the one in charge round, innocent eyes and a much tighter sheepish smile. “We got plenty a room… and it ain’t like we’re all sinful.”

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“O aiya.” Inara panted.

The room was a dim golden light, the sheets were the finest one thousand thread count Harvest cotton sheets, the sound filtering through the room was a light symphony, and it was just them in the moment. They moved together, glistening with the film of sweat from their passion, Mal holding Inara, his hands wandering her back as her hands roamed his hair and cupped his face, their kisses hot and lustful, yet short as they frequently came up for air.

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Zoe quirked her mouth, for Kaylee’s announcement just dared a rebuttle regarding... well... Zoe was too nice for that. “Well, if you say we ain’t sinful…”

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“Oh god…. Yes… oh…. My… god…”

“Nothin’… godly about this.”

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The brethren of the South Down Abby filed in, bowing their heads in respect towards Zoe, thanking her for the welcome.

Zoe turned to Kaylee. “So, what exactly do you have of Book’s?”

She twisted her grease stained hands together. “Just his bible…. And his collar and hair tie… few pictures… sermon journal…. Little box the strawberries came in.” Her head sank in her shoulders, and she gave a tight smile. “Weren’t gonna let it collect dust on Haven. Thought it was the right thing, when we cleaned up Haven after we buried ‘im with…” Wash was on the tip of her tongue, yet she caught herself, not wanting to bring any pain to her friend. ”With the others.”

Zoe gave a warm and partially exasperated smile, understanding the care Kaylee had taken to preserving what was left of Book, as well as contacting who needed to know of his passing. “Reckon that was the right thing.” Her eyes glanced down to a sack the girl had set in front of her. “Off subject, but what do ya have there?”

“Oh, well just a few things I managed ta buy for myself.” She picked the recycled floe sack up opened it.

“Yuletide gifts?” the first mate quizzed.

“I ain’t gonna buy gifts, I’m makin’ them.” She smiled back.

“Ohhh… So, how were the vendors?”

“Alliance is threatening to take over the farmin’ moon, so prices are up for food, prices are up for everythin’ actually.”

“The Alliance wants to take over the Ag Moon?” She repeated, astonished and disgusted.

“Yep.” She sighed sadly. “All of Gansu, they gotta feed themselves and the government folk, farmers are rebelling so they want to take over.”

“That hurts a lot of people.” Zoe noted in a slow anger. “Not to mention the strain on us if/when they take control, we’ll be back to eatin’ protein.”

“Nah, there’s a lot we can do on the ranch, there’s always wild grains for flour and wild berries, melons and the like. Got game, could grow a few things in a greenhouse. Reckon I can make one outta somethin’, so we won’t have empty bellies when the time comes.”

“Seems you’ve got some resourceful plans to keep us outta straights.”

“Just gotta be resourceful is all. I have a whole notebook of ideas for the ranch that are all pretty cheap. Learn that from working with our yan quianbao lingdui.”

Zoe laughed through her lips. “Don’t doubt that for a second. Anything else of general excitement?”

Kaylee reached down into the sack and pulled out a stack of envelopes and two boxes. “Post before Yuletide.” She smiled, which fell to a frown. “Nothin’ from River though.”

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River, had a grueling schedule.

She was up before dawn, for an exclusive five mile hike to the Basin Of Luminous Lotus Blossoms with Grand Master. After warming up, swimming a quarter of a mile across the phosphorescent lake and back again, there was deep meditation where she worked hard at fragmented thoughts and calming the chaos of what was internal, before hiking back down. Upon back at the temple, breakfast was consumed, morning prayer to any and all deities commenced next. Classes filed out, she went to the various advanced classes, but was pulled out after lunch for more extensive training with grand Master which ended at sundown. Chores were fit in sometime during the day, between classes, training and dinner. After dinner, there was general yoga and meditation before everyone went to bed. She excelled in everything, passing through classes in weeks instead of years, mastering techinique that took the ordinary a lifetime, and growing exponentially in strength and knowledge.

Cans… cans.. beans…. Blood… blood in the beans. Grey matter in the beans, still alive…. The brains in the beans were still pulsating.

Water… fish…. Piranhas… Purple piranhas eating their faces, eating their brains.

The Osiris building ate her brain. The powder wigged bureaucrats ate her brain and put something inside.

River bolted up in her bunk and screamed.

The entire bunk room shuddered, many waking up to her noise. The bunk room was a long building, with rows of wood frame bunks, homemade mattresses, pillows and sheets, filled with sleeping students. Boy and girl alike as the monks believed separation was not the key.

“Not again.” Someone pulled their pillow over their head. For River gasped and kept screaming.

Fiyero, in the bunk above her, jerked awake in his sleep and nearly fell off. However his feet caught a post, as his hand caught a rail. “River?”

“They’re still there!” She heaved, sweat clumping her hair together and soaking through her plain undergarments. “They’re around… they still operate.. they still feed.”

“Yero, what’s she yapping about?” A voice grumbled sleepily.

“Brain eaters.” Said someone.

“Brain eaters? He Tai Shifu jiao zhi Shao Long?” Another scoffed drowsily.

Fiyero swung down out of his bunk and into hers. “Hey, hey it’s ok.” He rubbed her back. “You gotta breathe.” Her nightmares were now frequent, and as a loyal friend he had become adept and helping her through them. “River, it was just another dream.”

Boston hurried from his place by her pillow and climbed to rest against her chest, yaowling worriedly.

River’s head whirled around as her chest pounded. Seeing his face, her oxygen intake steadied, and her eyes focused. Ashamed, pale face flushed, and head bowed down so the dark, damp hair hid the embarrassed face. Wiping her face clean, she gazed up at his features. “Sorry.” The timid whispered, sliding out of bed and gathering her pile of clothes that rested on a small wooden trunk. Dressing quickly, she fled the bunk room, the cat hot on her heels.

Fiyero put on most of his his uniform (she was moving too fast to grab shoes)and followed out as well, shutting the door as the chill of the cold morning made his skin prickle. It was Sunday, the day of rest and meditation, and he could see through the dim early morning lantern light that those that had chores were off to complete them before the morning meal, which was the official beginning of Seventh Day Rest. His eyes strained for River. Someone was off to feed and milk the livestock, a monk returning from the rice patty town three days away came in through the gates atop a well trained domestic elephant, another was sweeping the temple steps, and Master Cho was off with a platter of fruit to give his statue of Buddha the morning offering for protection and serenity.

Boston yaowled.

The young man moved swiftly towards the call of the cat. Into the bamboo forest, nearly colliding with a shoot of the mighty plant, he swerved out of the way, and leapt through a thicket to find River already at the incline of the mountain. With his speed and agility, even he struggled to catch up with the girl the older monks agreed bore the title of Shao Long. Eventually though, his feet found pace alongside her own. The hike to the pools, where he knew she was headed yet didn’t know the way himself, was steep, with mossy rocks and twisted trees embedded in the precipitous of damp dark red soil and leaves. Boston had taken to scaling and leaping the trees to keep up, however Fiyero who had never left the monastery felt his lungs begin to ache after the first two miles. “Are we…. Running… all the way up?”

“Never asked you to come.” She pained out, tears streaming from her eyes and being dried by the wind of her speed.

“When has not being invited ever… been… a factor?” Sarcasm was harder to perform when running up a mountain. “You need to cherish me… nearly everyone else in the student dorm wants Master Cho… have you sleep in the stables.”

“Elephants and donkeys would understand me more.” Children were still children at the monastery, and River’s oddness, even for a reader, had made her into one of the less favorable mates.

“Cats perhaps… doubt pachyderms and jackasses; animal and human.” He groaned. “Seriously… the running… uphill… I’m gonna die and you’re gonna.. haveta… clean it up.”

River stopped on a boulder that jutted out, Boston dropping to her shoulder and panting.

Fiyero clambered into a tree and collapsed in its low fork, heaving for air. “Guaibude tamen kan nishi feng da."

“You’re a baby.”

He slanted his eyes at her and grabbed a piece of red jewel fruit off of a hanging limb, pitching it at her.

River, usually laughing at his antics, caught the fruit and broke it open so the rich, glistening ruby juice of the core oozed out. She drank it, than ate the soft pale meat surrounding the core, offering some to Boston, who readily took it as he hadn’t had his morning mouse. Not even asking if he was fit, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve, grabbed the next piece of rock to climb it and continue.

“Hey.” Fiyero scrambled to his feet. “You know if a Tai Shing Pek Kwar student has trouble catching up there’s a problem!”

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They had ended up in the living room.

The couch was enormous, big enough for the two to stretch out, get another round in after a break. Mal lay there, flat on his back and smiling lazily as she sat straddling him, her fingers tracing wide lazy circles on his chest as the throw spilled over her hips and his legs, shielding their more intimate parts in woven cashmere.

“Feel better?” She asked.

“Much. Can’t say I’ll be of any use now, all mellowed out and overworked.” He smirked, his hands settling on the sides of her waist, a thumb gently petting her navel. “And you?”

“Me?”

“Well I surely hope it wasn’t me just enjoying the recreation.” Malcolm Reynolds explained.

With a content smile, Inara leaned in and gently pressed her mouth to his for a long, thoughtful kiss as her answer. She felt the way his head lifted up, and his muscles flexed and his tongue mused, and she smiled when she pulled away. Her fingers idling through his hair as she studied his partially dazed, but sturdy and loving eyes that had their mysteriousness but also an indefinable amount of affection.

Mal’s mouth pulled to the side. “Only that good?”

Inara smacked his chest.

“Don’t hit me! Here I am, weary from beddin’ ya, vulnerable, and all I get is abuse.” He carped.

“Forgive me.”

“I dunno, I think I might need some persuasion…”

“Now?”

“Well…perhaps not that… now.” He pulled her in for a kiss, the dark satin curls falling and tickling his face in the process. “But you got a dozen other ways of making me feel pretty damn good.”

Inara chortled huskily and kissed him again.

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River reached the lake.

Before Fiyero could even break through the trees, she pulled off her sash and tunic, pants, leggings and shoes, all within seconds, and dove in.

Fiyero, weary from the grueling pace they had kept for the remainder of the three miles, stumbled to the clearing, his chest rising and falling rapidly as cool sweat caked his skin and clothes. There he hopped, one foot propped up as he pulled a thorn out of the pad of a toe before regaining his stance. He gazed down at Boston, perched on a rock with his fur fluffed in response to the water.

Boston hissed at liquid that lapped at him. Water was such a vile thing to a kitty.

“Riv…” Fiyero noticed the pile of clothes, and slowly looked up to see her lying, floating in a lake of glowing green. Her eyes shut, her breathing slow and methodic as she meditated. Watching her, he sat next to the cat and waited. Waited and held his breath, for River’s swimwear left little to the imagination, and he wasn’t like the old or even young monks that were so devout in their training they had all impulses curbed and buried. He was a normal young man, and though he and River were good friends, he thought of her as potentially more than a friend.

There was little for him to do but wait.

*** *** ***

TRANSLATIONS/DEFINITIONS Xingbie: Sex

o aiya: Oh my god

yan quianbao lingdui: Tight wallet captain

He Tai Shifu jiao zhi Shao Long: And Grand Master calls her Young Dragon?

Guaibude tamen kan nishi feng da: No wonder they think you're off beat

****As always, the writer appreciates all comments whether they be positive, negative, or suggestions.**