trans_9 | Free Hugs, anyone~?

Entry tags:

Free Hugs, anyone~?

Too much doom and gloom on the ship? Easily fixed, if you ask this mechanic.

There is a table in the mess hall, carefully set up just inside one of the doors, with a small sign on top reading, "Free Hugs!" Next to the sign, looking as smiley as she possibly can, sits Kaylee, ready to hug anyone and everyone who walks through the door.

Non-huggers beware, even you are in danger of some cheering up today.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She's glad he's at least got it in him to accept the chat. It's a bold move for anyone, to sit down at a table and talk to a stranger. Even more so when they were offering you a free hug or five only moments before.

"Y'know, I thought it smelled better'n normal when I walked in, and the first bit was...just as bad as it is every other day." She laughs. "'Least we're gettin' the right vitamins."

Jamie's still a little leery, but for now it won't hurt to sit and commiserate over the food, right? If things get too weird he can always stammer an excuse about needing to do something boring and make a break for it. This has been his approach to most of his interactions with strangers over the past four years, and he's sticking to it.

He grins cautiously, breaking off a piece of his bowl to poke at the foodlike substance within. "Yeah, well. The worse it tastes, the better it's supposed to be for you, right? I don't think this can get any more nutritious without triggering spontaneous dry-heaves."

Kaylee is actually pretty used to people who are constantly On Edge. Some, like River, were a little crazier than others, and were harder to keep stable. Simon would be the quiet end of that spectrum, like Jamie. Quiet unless he's shooting his mouth of, at least.

"That's the idea of healthy food, yeah. Some of it ain't so bad, but most of if I could do without a thousand times over." She gives him a knowing smile. "Still manages to trigger the need to be sick on occasion."

Jamie's just glad the woman seems content to talk for now, rather than trying to invade his personal space. And she actually seems pretty sane so far, which is a definite plus. The cautious grin relaxes, just a little. "You'd think that as advanced as this ship is it would've found a way to make something that's healthy and not-disgusting. I mean, something like that's gotta exist somewhere out there in the multiverse."

"I know a lot of folks take theirs to the Sensoriums, see if they can't at least imagine it's somethin' different." She did it herself, more often than not. "One of these days they'll figure out how to make it better, though. I hope."

"The sensoriums, yeah. 's what I've heard." Jamie nods, stirring around his bowlful of glop. "Never actually tried it myself, though. Is it worth it?"

"Sometimes," she laughs. "You still get the aftertaste once you've left, and the textures don't always come out right, since it's by memory 'n all, but it's worth at least one shot to see if it's your thing."

"Hn. Might have to try it sometime, then." He pauses to scoop up some of the slop. "So when you eat it in the sensoriums, what d'you imagine it tasting like?"

"Don't hurt to try." She doesn't even really have to think about the answer to that question. "Fresh fruit--strawberries 'n mangoes 'n apples 'n the like--or ma's cornbread, or a good steak. Stuff from home."

Jamie listens and nods while he gulps down a mouthful of food-substitute, and can't help but smile a little wistfully. Her response reminds him of - well, a lot of people, really, all of whom he misses. "You seem pretty enthusiastic about food," he comments. "Couple of my teammates back home, I think eating was their second-favorite thing in the world."

"Don't get to eat the real thing all that often," she says matter-of-factly. "It's all protein packs 'n freeze dried somethin' or other. When fresh food comes our way it's hard not to jump at it like it's the first food you've seen in six months." She manages a laugh through a mouthful of slop, and swallows quick to avoid choking. "Sound like my kinda teammates."

Jamie's both abashed and sort of amused that he made her nearly snort slop out her nose and chuckles, maybe a little nervously. He takes another swallow of glop before spilling more dirt on his friends from home. "They could get really annoying about it when they wanted to, though. They used to sit at the table yelling FEED ME while I was fixing dinner sometimes. Used to drive me nuts." He's grinning despite his words, mushing around his bowlful of slop in an aimless manner as he rambles.

A laugh is a laugh, even if it's a chuckle, and it means the kid's starting to loosen up some. That's good enough for her, really. "Definitely soundin' like my crew," she agrees. "We don't have big family-type meals often, but when we do it's like tryin' to control a pack of wild dogs. Table manners ain't much better for some of 'em."

Oh, Jamie can sympathize. "Wild dogs at least have a kind of hierarchy, right? Bit and Leena both thought they were in charge. They fought over food all the time. Who got the first waffle, who got the last chicken wing... They're like a force of nature when they go at it. Or a natural disaster, maybe. Inevitable and uncontrollable." He's definitely a little more relaxed now, and kind of enjoying the chance to talk about home, even if the enjoyment is a little bittersweet.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, 'specially when it comes to Jayne and his food. Don't even try gettin' in the way, he'll tear ya limb from limb if you do." The conversation has already done wonders for Kaylee. She misses home, misses her crew, and reliving the little moments with someone is relaxing and relieving. "I'd hate to see both crews in the same room. Now that'd be a force not even Mother Nature could handle."

Jamie grins a little at the thought. "Yeah, that sounds like it'd be something to remember, all right," he comments. "Like a trainwreck. Gruesome and horrifying, but you can't help but be fascinated by the carnage. And you'll never be able to unsee it." He gulps down another quick mouthful of slop. "I'm betting Leena'd give your Jayne a run for his money in the end, though. She's got a way about her."

"That about describes it, yeah." Funny, how no matter what 'verse you came from, there were always people who shared strange little ticks and traits. "With Jayne? I might not doubt it so much. If it's between women and food, I got a feelin' he'd focus a bit more on tryin' to bed the woman than beat her in an eatin' contest."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Free Hugs, anyone~?

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject