We all need help to feel fine... [ Semi-Closed to Billy, open to others in a separate thread ]

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

Kaylee doesn’t want to be here anymore. Her eyes had been closed for the majority of Big Zero’s Punishment, her face buried into Kang’s side and shielded by his wing, but the screams were harder to block out. They rang out in her head as Kang had walked her back to Serenity, helped her make it to the infirmary, just in time for her to hurl up her last meal into the nearest sink. He stayed until she had her cup of tea and had assured him for what must have been the hundredth time that it was okay, he could go back and do what he needed to.

After the hundred-and-first reassurance, Kang finally leaves, and Kaylee finds herself alone with her ship. Where Wash and Jayne are, she doesn’t know, but she’s somewhat happy that they aren’t here at the moment. They’ve seen her through worse before, but she would rather sit quietly and think things over than have to talk about anything right now.

She’s not sure how to feel about Stacy at this point, a feeling that has slowly grown from the sound of screams still playing through her head. That she’s been lending a hand for all this time to help fix a ship that was capable of something so awful... Stacy might as well be a Reaver ship at this rate.

Serenity’s engine room has been a place of comfort since Kaylee joined the crew, and she holds her cup of tea close as she starts the engine up. The ship shudders to life, and the low hum alone is enough to calm her. She curls up in her hammock, closing her eyes and concentrating on the sounds of Serenity.

Comments

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie's glad that Kaylee seems to be relaxing as well. She's right though, it is...shiny. "Ye know, Kaylee, I'd not have thought that I'd ever understand what ye meant by 'shiny', but..." He's beginning to believe that he might be getting the idea, just a little.

As for the biscuits, he supposes that they wouldn't last, come to think of it. And even with a chance to pick up the odd foodstuff here and there, he knows Kaylee would go for fruit over just about anything else.

She's mentioned how bad the protein packs are in the past, but how bad could they really be? Hey...maybe he can use that to try and take her mind off of things. It was worth a shot, at least. "I'm sure I've had worse than those protein packs. I bet ye I could eat one with no problems."

There's just a hint of smugness to his voice when he says the last two words. It's deliberately done - and he wonders if she'll pick up on it.

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

It's always nice when people finally understand something you've been talking about or saying for an extended period of time, and she can't help but grin as he trails off. "But you do now, and that's what counts."

Kaylee catches that bit of smugness in his voice, and it's an obvious attempt at teasing her into cheering up. The mechanic smirks right back, and leans toward Jamie.

"You really think you could? They're pretty awful, straight protein. Taste like the insides of my gramma's leather shoes, I'd imagine..."

[bonnypiperlad]

"Of course I could," Jamie replies, full of confidence. Or, well, overconfidence, which is what he's aiming for. "I'm sure I've eaten worse than some wee bitty protein bar."

Like that bar of nutri-whatever Cully gave him on Dulkis. It was this pasty nougat-like thing which you could supposedly live on for years. Jamie can still remember the aftertaste quite vividly, and there's a faint look of distaste on his face just off of the memory.

He shakes it off, however. That won't do if he's going to convince Kaylee he actually wants to try one of the things. "Look, I'm telling ye, it'll be no problem for me at all."