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Kyle [ Kyle XY ] ([info]not_an_alien) wrote in [info]indarkness_logs,
@ 2010-08-21 23:12:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Entry tags:!complete, 2032 08, faith lehane, jaime davies, kyle trager, malcolm reynolds, parker, river tam, simon tam

RP: I want to help
Characters: Kyle, Simon, Jaime, Parker, River, Mal, Faith
Time/Date: evening/night August 21
Location: Infirmary
Warnings/Rating: none?
Summary: Kyle wants to feel useful
Status: Complete



Kyle wanted to be useful, he just didn't know how. He wasn't a leader, he felt like he was in the way when people were cleaning up, he wasn't very good at trying to comfort people - the services for the fallen had mostly confused him. He didn't know what to do, or what he would be good at. He wandered through the lobby, gazing at some of the broken out windows, the boards torn loose, the glass scattered on the floor. He couldn't clean that up, but he was sure someone would eventually.

The lobby med area wasn't as busy as it had been last night and even early this morning, but maybe he could help with the people who didn't need immediate care.

He wandered to the second floor and peeked into the only open infirmary room. What had happened to the other one, he wasn't sure, but it was closed up now, and he wondered if there'd been things in the room, or if it had been cleaned out. When? Today? How? Sometimes, Kyle wondered how they did the things they did here. His mind flicked along different tangents and he let his thoughts play around in the back of his mind as he stepped into the one room.

Blue-green eyes rested first on Jaime, who was curled up in a chair next to a bed, holding onto Mal's hand. He watched her for a moment as her blue eyes focused on the older man, but she didn't seem to notice him here. He looked instead to the doctor who was busy sorting something on the desk. "I want to help," he said softly.

Simon half turned, enough to glance over his shoulder. He parted his lips, but he didn't even know what to say just then. There wasn't really much to do right now. The worst of the injuries had been tended to, and it was just ... recovery for the most part right now. Simon looked around and gestured to Jaime. "See if you can get her upstairs to bed," he suggested.

"He can't," Jaime informed Simon, her jaw setting stubbornly. "I'll go to sleep when Mal wakes up." The odds, actually, were pretty decent she'd beat a retreat once Mal did wake up, to save herself from the mortifying knowledge that he'd know she'd been here, waiting for him to wake up.

"I can't," Kyle dutifully reported to Simon.

Simon was tired, and Simon was edgy, and Simon wanted to both take care of his patients and to take care of his sister, and doing both was proving to be an impossibility, as evidenced by the fact he had no idea where River was just then. "Then ..." He spied a pile of laundered towels, and he gestured. "See if you can ... fold those up." If the boy really wanted to help ...

Kyle smiled as he started over to the pile of laundry to start folding it, happy to be able to do something, even if it was menial and simply busywork.


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[info]shinytomato
2010-08-22 06:37 pm UTC (link)
A few beds over a pale blonde was starting to come around after passing out in one of the safe rooms.

Parker would basically have no clue what had happened but the bruises and the bruised rib would be physical proof. She would have no idea it was from running on near fumes since the dreams of her brother almost 3 weeks before along with 2 back to back raids (those actually were the one thing hat helped) and a very revealing dress not helping matters. But her having slept more than maybe 20 minutes did help and it showed. She was a little less shaky but just as pale and out of it as before.

But at that moment she was able to turn in spite of the pain and royally cough, she had not been eating so great either and it showed.

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[info]can_swear
2010-08-22 07:00 pm UTC (link)
The coughing caught his attention and he turned to regard Parker. He hadn't been exactly sure what was wrong with her when she was brought in. To him, it had simply seemed to be exhaustion. Her blood test had indicated a low blood sugar, and he could assume she hadn't been eating well - but who had been, this past week? So he'd given her a glucagon injection to raise her blood sugar, and a fluid drip to keep her hydrated, and that was about all he'd been able to do until he knew if there was something more severe wrong with her.

Abandoning his task at hand, he moved closer to Parker. He didn't know her, though someone had given her name. When he asked if it was a first or last, they'd shrugged and said it was the only name they'd heard. "Hi," he said gently. "Parker, right? I'm Dr. Simon Tam. Do you know what happened? Do you have any injuries, were you attacked? Anything like that?"

He made a gesture to her arm where the IV was, so she'd be aware of its presence. "I've got you on fluids right now, and I gave you an injection to help with your low blood sugar levels, but anything else you could tell me would really help me treat you."

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[info]shinytomato
2010-08-22 07:22 pm UTC (link)
Parker nodded, she was still hazy but not as bad as it had been pre crashing. "Was on early patrol, stealth is a thief's best weapon. Remember seeing some Reavers on a different floor and dove for cover, blanked out soon after." having a feeling she was not making a bit of sense and not really caring. She knew from past experience that she may have a bruised rib,"Beyond a possible bruised rib I'm not sure." and she was being honest for once. But beyond that she had basically stopped eating post dreams and it showed along with not exactly sleeping till a short time ago.

She spotted the IV and shuddered, she knew something had happened and this felt more like a job gone sideways than her not taking care of herself. That was when she realized she had a decision to make, does she come clean or hide the demons inside her soul a little longer?

But the logical side sort of took over,"Things happened, pre Reavers. Dreams of the one thing only 5 people know about." meaning the team and Tara. "Add in more video and a dress worthy of a bachelor party and well here I am."

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[info]can_swear
2010-08-22 07:35 pm UTC (link)
Half of her later explanation made very little sense to him. No one had enlightened him to the great costume debacle, though he'd seen the warnings about the video - though not the video itself. So he filed those notes away in the back of his mind before he started to check her. Taking her pulse, making sure her pupils were responding properly to light, testing her basic reflexes.

"All right. I'll administer some pain killers for the rib and the bruises," he offered as he tucked away his stethoscope to ensure it didn't fall while he was moving around.

"You were suffering from low blood sugar, and you are displaying evidence of operating on very little sleep, am I correct?" There was evidence enough in the dark marks under her eyes, other evidence in her bloodwork that were signs of a body not functioning properly. "And you thought ... it was a good idea to go out patrolling while there were killers loose?"

It wasn't his place to lecture, he knew, and lord knew he'd seen Jayne pull enough dumb stunts in his time, but at the same time, he was thinking of all the ways it could have been worse. She could have been killed, if she'd fallen in their path. Or shot herself. Or shot one of the other captives. He shook his head and tried to wave off the question. It didn't matter. Not now. Hopefully she'd learned her lesson and wouldn't do it again.

"Once you feel you're ready to get up, move around, we'll have someone escort you back up to your room," he continued. He was interested in clearing out the infirmary of the non-emergencies as soon as he could, though he knew he'd be doing rounds to check on the injured parties.

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[info]shinytomato
2010-08-22 07:50 pm UTC (link)
"Had to do something, had to be useful somehow." Parker almost hissed but the rib changed her mind. "But if it helps I'm already hearing the lectures my own team would be giving right about now. Otherwise you basically nailed it." since in spite of things her sense of humor was still somewhat intact.

"Otherwise I'll just get out of the way, there's bigger problems than me." she reached for her device and hopefully her stun gun as she spoke. The thief in her hand taken over and all she wanted was to be able to lick her wounds alone and on her own terms. But at the same time she realized something: she needed something like the team was and it showed.

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[info]can_swear
2010-08-22 08:23 pm UTC (link)
It took a fair deal of self restraint not to point out that if she'd gotten killed, how would that have been useful. Still, he was new here. He didn't know her. Maybe this was simply how she operated. She at least acknowledged that people would have been lecturing her.

Since she was awake and he didn't think she was suffering from anything a sound sleep and good food wouldn't cure, he moved over to slip the IV out of her arm, taping the cotton ball over the puncture wound. "If you feel dizzy, or nauseated, or if you think you need any other medical assistance, don't hesitate to come find me, or put out a notice on the network."

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[info]shinytomato
2010-08-22 09:56 pm UTC (link)
"Fair enough." Parker's statement was simple yet honest. She then slipped her stun gun into her pocket and grabbed the device before heading out the door at a slower pace than normal. She whispered,"thanks." since it was the only valid thing she could think of saying but at the same time she was mentally hearing lectures from Nate and Eliot about what could have happened.

"Just let me get upstairs." she whispered under her breath. But she did promise herself a late kitchen raid once she got a few more hours of sleep under her.

Once she got upstairs and into her room Parker crashed onto the bed, fully dressed but at the moment she was so burned out it made more sense to just crash.

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[info]nonexpectations
2010-08-22 08:36 pm UTC (link)
Faith opened her eyes really slowly, and winced at the sudden bright light. She felt beat. When she and Black had come in with Mal earlier, she'd barely let them stitch her up before she'd headed out with him again to slay some more reavers, the consequence being that when it was finally over, she'd all but collapsed against the wall, and only dimly remembered being dragged back here to rest. Now, the lights were way too bright for the splitting headache she had. She groaned softly.

"Man, if I'm going to wake up with this much of a headache, I'd at least want to be partying the night before," she muttered, but turned her head around her to see if there was anyone to grin at. Her eyes fell on Mal, still unconscious, and her grin turned into a frown as her eyes moved over to Jaime. "How's he doing?" she asked gently.

She was starting to become aware of other injuries. A tightness in her legs that was just sore muscles, which she always got after a good night of slayage, tight, and somewhat bloody bandages wrapped over her right arm from where the reavers had been tearing at her, and a couple of other various scratches that were less severe and thus left uncovered that covered her face and neck. Mal just had the one square of bandage over his right eye, and what appeared to Faith to be a cast over his left leg. She wondered if he'd broken or sprained it, in addition to losing a chunk of it, and winced slightly at the memory before turning her gaze back to Jaime.

Part of her wondered if Black had been in to see her, but she doubted it. Not that she cared.

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[info]finder
2010-08-22 08:46 pm UTC (link)
Jaime shrugged, a few choice comments coming to mind. She wasn't a doctor, how the fuck should she know how he was doing. "Still passed out," she pointed out, which was a little like stating the obvious. It was fairly clear he was still passed out, wasn't it?

She also knew she was harboring some irrational dislike of Faith. It wasn't like it was Faith's fault Mal had gone out, and really, Faith had probably kept him from being killed. And yet, in the inner workings of Jaime's decidedly girl mind, she really didn't appreciate Faith's involvement with Mal and fighting.

Still, in the spirit of politeness, Jaime managed to look away from Mal to regard Faith. "How are you holding up?"

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[info]nonexpectations
2010-08-22 10:27 pm UTC (link)
Faith shrugged. "I've had worse," she said vaguely. She thought that she could really use a bit of pain medication, but the nap had done her good, and she thought that she should head out and get something to eat once someone checked her over to make sure she wouldn't do herself any more damage. But she was a slayer. She was built for this sort of shit. She suspected she was already starting to heal.

Which, speaking of, she raised an eyebrow as Mal started to stir, smiling a bit fondly and rolling her eyes as she started to sit up in bed, stretching out what muscles she couldn't from her lying down position.

"Should stick around," she suggested. "When he gets up. He'll want someone to chat with that isn't going to look at him like he's some kind of failure."

Regardless of Jaime's response to that, if there was one, Faith moved to go see Simon and see if she could be dismissed from the infirmary. Hopefully with a handful of pain medication, but she'd deal if there wasn't any.

Mal stirred awake, one eye opening at a time, dimly aware that he was somewhere with bright light, and in a great deal of pain.

"Niska," he muttered, frustrated. "You kuh-ooh duh lao bao jurn," he groaned softly, then said without much enthusiasm. "Nee tzao ss-ma? Nee-yow wuh-kai chang?" before his eyes managed to open entirely.

He clacked his lips together, recognizing how dry they were, and blinked in confusion, not entirely comprehending where he was. "Jaime," he said, still half delirious. "Peow-liang de shaojie, booleetah, goowo..." before he came back to his senses, sort of, and just sort of continued to blink at her. "What's... happened?"

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[info]finder
2010-08-22 10:37 pm UTC (link)
"He's not a failure," Jaime shot back hotly, too stressed and too tired to care about schooling her emotions. So what if Faith figured out what half the fucking hotel knew already? That she was ridiculously harboring some stupid crush on a guy who ... was too old for her and would probably laugh - politely, of course - if he ever found out. She watched Faith walk away, her jaw clenching before she dropped her attention to Mal.

Not a lot of what he said made any sense to her. She caught her name though - or something that sounded like her name - and she shook her head. "Just ... relax," she said. "It's all over." She wanted to push his hair back or just touch him, but she didn't think they really had that kind of relationship. Nevermind she was still gripping one of his hands, which she realized only when she started to move it to stroke his hair.

Flushing, she released his hand and eased back so she wasn't quite so hunched over his bed.

She should probably leave, anyway, right? He was awake, so one of the doctors would come take care of him, and she'd just be in the way ... funny how that wasn't quite enough to motivate her to leave.

Simon exhaled when he saw Faith getting out of bed. He thought he should stop her, tell her to sit back down until he'd had a chance to look at her, but he was also under the impression she wasn't the sort that was really going to listen to him.

So he watched her approach, lifting his brows slightly. "Should you be up yet?" he asked. It was his responsibility to look after his patients, even if he had more patients than hours in the day at the moment.

... well, not quite, but it was starting to feel that way.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-23 02:10 am UTC (link)
Over? It was over? How had it ended? "The girls..." he started to say, sort of half moving to get up and out of bed before he determined that it was way too much effort for him to move his arms right now and stopped leaning up. He was aware of Jaime holding his hand only after she'd released it, and he found that he missed the comfort of her closeness after she moved away. "The fight... what... happened?" he croaked out. Jesus, was that his voice? Really?

"How long...?" had he been here, was the second half of that question, but a new level of pain suddenly hit him, and he had to close his eyes against it. "Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren. Dou gaisi. What did he do to me?"

He was actually referring to Simon with that statement, and didn't give much consideration to how it could be misread.

Faith gave the good doctor a wide smirk, shrugged her shoulder sort of absently and winced at the pain that caused her shoulder. "Hey, come on now doc, it's my arm not my legs that took a beating," which wasn't entirely true, but she was a slayer. "I've been through worse."

She eyed him sort of curiously. He was cute, in that awkward, not really very social, schoolboy way. He reminded her a bit of Xander Harris, except that he seemed smarter. Which wasn't really that tough. "Would it make you feel better to give me the once over before you give me the pain meds and send me on my way? Cause I could stick around for a physical," she winked at him teasingly.

Yeah, all right, she was a bit of a slut. She was okay with that.

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[info]finder
2010-08-23 02:36 am UTC (link)
Jaime really wasn't sure where to start with that. Her lips parted a few times as she fumbled over a couple of beginnings. "We ... three ... four people were killed. We buried them earlier. Susan, Sayuri, and Elizabeth, anyway. We ... there was no body for the fairy. You've ... been out a while," she added as she clasped her hands together in her lap. "Um ... most everyone ... is ... all right. Survived. Injuries and ... things but ..."

She glanced down toward the cast and swallowed. "You ... you lost some toes," she explained, assuming that was what the pained reaction was about. She thought he should have been a little more doped up, but ... she wasn't a doctor. What did she know? Jaime licked her lips and looked away, both wanting to leave and wanting to stay. But it wasn't like anyone else was here to demand his attention, and Simon was busy with Faith, so ... she'd stay.

Simon flushed slightly, though there was no reason to. Except for the fact she was sexualizing something innocent and necessary - though not for her, right now. "No it ... it's fine. If you ... think you can handle your injuries. If you do need any further medical attention, come back here or you can message me on the network."

He was slowly acclimating to the idea that people here really did possess healing powers outside of the realm of his knowledge. People back in the 'verse didn't have accelerated healing or anything like that. Or magic. But people here did.

"You ... you can go," he assured Faith. He should go check on Mal, anyway.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-23 03:58 am UTC (link)
Mal closed his eyes, saying his own inwards prayers for the girls. He hadn't known them, at least not very well, but that didn't matter. There was someone, somewhere, who'd be missing them - whether it was here or back home - and life lost was never acceptable. He would have liked to have been there when they were buried, and cursed himself for falling victim to... whatever he'd fallen victim to. Whatever it was, he had a splitting headache about it. "Wuh tzai chien shr ee-ding ruh dao shuh-muh run luh bah," he muttered briefly before his eyes opened wide as he latched onto something else Jaime had said.

"The doc took my toes?" he said incredulously. He thought that he'd been clear about asking what it was that Simon had done to him, which is where that thought had come from. He could think of no reason the doctor would have for taking his toes off. "He best be planning to put them back on," he added, given Simon a wide-eyed and somewhat panicked stare.

Faith laughed a bit at Simon's awkwardness - he really was too cute for words. "Will do, Doc," she said, in reference to his statement that she could network him if she needed further assistance, which she doubted she would.

Really, she thought that she'd just head back up to her room and get a nice sleep in her own bed. She might stop by the kitchen first though.

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[info]finder
2010-08-23 04:07 am UTC (link)
"No ..." Jaime said as she shot Simon a 'come help me' look. "They ... um."

"Were eaten," Simon said as he came over. There was no way to sugar coat that, and he reasoned Mal would appreciate the upfront truth - as much as anyone could appreciate that particular sort of news. "I'm not precisely clear on the details, aside from ... you and Faith were attacked, and one of them ... ah." He gestured down toward Mal's foot. "One of them started eating your foot before she could get you away. I cleaned your foot as well as I could, but there was nothing to reattach. Maybe ... if we're here long enough, we can fashion some sort of prosthetic toe attachments for ... balance." He really wasn't certain how well Mal would be able to get around, but at least his big toe was attached. It would just be a matter Mal adjusting how he walked.

"It could've been worse," Simon offered as he glanced to Jaime before glancing back to Mal. He should probably do the doctor thing, but he didn't want to chase Jaime out. So he'd just work around her.

"How're you feeling otherwise?" he began.

Jaime wondered if she should leave. Simon was clearly sliding into Doctor Mode, but he hadn't said leave. So she scooted back a little, tilting her head down to stifle a yawn. She wanted - needed - to sleep, but she wasn't ready to leave Mal.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-23 05:19 am UTC (link)
Mal stared for a good long minute at Simon. "Were eaten," he repeated, and he didn't need further explanation than that. He reached up, wincing as the motion hurt him, rubbed at the back of his neck. "Knocked myself out, didn't I doc?" he said quietly, staring sort of absently at his cast.

"Yeah, could've been a lot worse," he agreed somewhat dully. "Thanks Doc, fer... the clean up. Reckon I feel as good as I can, things considerin'. You holdin' off on them pain meds for a particular reason? My head's got one of them aches..."

He was vaguely aware of Jaime trying to pretend like she wasn't tired, and he wanted to be able to tell her to head off and get some sleep, but he also really wanted the company.

River poked her head into the infirmary. Her eyes drifted over to Mal, and she nodded when she noticed he was awake and being cared for, deciding that she didn't need to visit him just now. She had searched everywhere else in the hotel and if Kyle was not here she was going to officially give up.

She sort of really hoped that Kyle was not here. That would make things... very uncomfortable. But when she saw him there, she forgot that part, giggling a bit and easing her way into the infirmary.

"Found you," she said brightly to Kyle, moving over to where he was, and tilting her head slightly, wondering what he was doing.

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[info]not_an_alien
2010-08-23 05:38 am UTC (link)
Kyle turned when he heard River, a beaming smile crossing his lips as he reached out to hug her. "I am folding," he informed her solemnly. "I wanted to help," he continued as he wrapped his arms around River, holding her close against him. He had missed her, though not in a completely conscious way. He had known she was safe, if only because she was not listed among the injured or the buried ... and he imagined there was some sort of connection between them, and he was convinced he would have felt if something bad had happened to her.

Simon glanced over as River came in, and did a double-take when he saw the boy ... hugging her. His mouth worked for a moment before he snapped his attention back to Mal. He was a doctor first, and he had to take care of his patient.

But oh, did he ever hope that they didn't start kissing while he was here. He might have to stop being a doctor to be her brother if that happened where he could see it.

"I ..." he stole one more glance at his sister before he turned back to Mal. "Wanted to make sure you were awake and coherent before I doped you up. If you were comfortable moving to your room, I could give you something to take when you got there. But yes, you ..." his eyes strayed again to River before redirecting to Mal. "You did, hit your head. You'll probably need some therapy for your foot, to figure out your new balance." Unless they could find a way to fix it, and he wondered if the wizards could regrow toes.

They could do so many other things, but was that outside the realm of their powers?

Jaime remained quiet, though she did smile a little to River when she came in. She was listening to Simon talk to Mal, and trying not to think about her poor Mal and his missing toes, and ... trying not to think about how she could go to sleep now because he was awake and clearly all right.

She was also not thinking about volunteering to help him to his room so that maybe he'd invite her to crash with him in case he needed anything else. Sometimes, she felt like she was back in junior high and was crushing on a teacher or something ... without the squicky positions-of-authority subtext to make it dirty.

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[info]lilalbatross
2010-08-23 06:32 am UTC (link)
River beamed, and curled up against Kyle as he hugged her, though she was very aware of Simon's eyes on her, and knew that she'd catch it from him when he was finished with Mal. She was also aware of just how amused by the sudden turn in the situation Mal was, so that could take some time. Likely, she could take Kyle and get out of the infirmary altogether before Simon could break free of Mal... but she supposed that would be mean. And putting off the inevitable was still just that - putting off the inevitable. So she'd hang around here for now.

"Doing a most excellent job," River remarked with a nod of her head. "Require assistance?" She didn't really want to fold things, but she didn't mind doing it if Kyle was also.

Mal... tried very, very hard to hide the smile that crossed his lips when River came in and headed over to Kyle. He'd left... Kaylee in charge of being the big sister with that, unable to handle keeping a watchful eye on how the two of them were going. So long as Kaylee didn't have an issue, he didn't, and the boy seemed nice enough really to Mal. But from Simon's expression? He'd given the boy a job over in the corner folding... whatever he was folding... and hadn't even known the connection, which Mal found just... delicious.

There was a very small part of him that wanted to tell Simon to go ahead, that he was fine, and Simon could deal with River and her boyfriend. But most of him was feeling a bit devious.

"Oh... I... I just don't know Doc," he said, trying his best to keep a straight face, but there was a curve to his lips that Simon would probably recognize. "I think I gotta hear about these therapy options."

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[info]not_an_alien
2010-08-23 02:13 pm UTC (link)
"I was almost done," Kyle assured her. There wasn't much more to fold, but he grinned anyway. "May assist if you wish," he teased her a little before he unwrapped his arms from around her and turned back to the considerably smaller pile of towels.

He was contently oblivious to any of Simon's attention, or Mal's amusement. He was just happy to be helping, and to have River safe beside him.

"I ... what?" Simon stared at Mal, because Mal could not possibly be ... serious. No, he wasn't. "It's not funny," he objected as he saw the look on Mal's face. He wondered if Mal would think it was so funny if it was Mal's sister, then reasoned he probably would. Or he just wouldn't care. But this was River, not just any girl, not just any sister.

So Simon shook his head, and exhaled. "If you're serious, about hearing the options, it's ... there aren't really a lot. If you can figure out how to adjust your stride to walk properly once it's healed, then you'll be fine. If you can't, then we'll have to look into adding some sort of support to your foot, or into your boots to help compensate for the lost appendages. But, you shouldn't be walking on it until it is healed. We don't ... really have any crutches, so unless they decide to gift us with some just ... be very careful."

"I can help," Jaime offered quietly. "I mean. I can ... get you up to your room at least," she said to Mal with a glance to Simon. Which meant using the elevators, and she'd sort of adopted Lily's paranoia in regard to using them. Even if none of them had stopped working ever since the thunderstorms went away.

"If you want," she added, well aware he might not want.

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[info]lilalbatross
2010-08-24 05:00 am UTC (link)
River's beaming smile slipped into a more normal one as Kyle unwrapped himself from her, and she wondered for a moment how much it would hinder his progress if she stayed wrapped around him herself before she decided that it was probably for the best if she did not. Simon was already going to be very confused and bewildered and need all sorts of explanations, and she didn't need to give him more questions to ask, so she simply nodded her head and moved to assist Kyle with folding.

"Hate t'burst yer bubble there Doc, but it is funny," Mal said with a grin. He knew it wasn't funny for Simon, but he got a great deal of amusement out of razzing his doctor. Perhaps because Simon usually had everything so together - Mal liked watching River knock a few of those things out of place. Sometimes he wondered if she did it on purpose, actually. "Kid over there's probably better'n anythin' the 'verse'd throw at her, matter've fact."

He didn't really know why he was saying anything - Simon would draw his own conclusions about the situation regardless of anything he had to say on the subject - so he focused his attention on the less funny subject of his rehabilitation. "Right," he said, trying not to laugh at the idea of having to improve his shoes in order to be able to walk - it wasn't funny because it was a very real possibility. "So I gotta walk back t'my room without walkin'? Piece of cake, that."

He glanced over at Jaime when she piped up, and nodded a bit before he said, "Wouldn' wan' t'impose, there darlin'but if y'offering, sounds like I could sure use the help," before he turned his gaze back to Simon. "So that all righ' then? You give me some of them tasty pills t'make the hurt go away, and Jaime'll help me back t'my room, and then you can handle teachin' them tykes 'bout the birds and the bees?"

He was really going to have some fun with this.

River glanced up when Mal stopped finding amusement in tormenting Simon, suddenly finding herself worried again for how this conversation was going to go, the flee instinct building in her to the point where she almost asked Kyle to hurry up with the last few so that they could go help somewhere else. But she supposed that would not end any better, and managed to bite her tongue.

She had to refold the same towel a few times though.

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[info]can_swear
2010-08-24 08:57 am UTC (link)
Simon knew it would be a waste of breath to attempt to argue that it was not, in fact, amusing at all. "Not without ... walking. Just ... walk carefully," he muttered. He was aware he was not on his game, and his eyes strayed again to his sister and ... ... the boy she was with who she was not with and who was not her boyfriend.

Instead, he turned away to strike a few pills into a small vial before he handed it to Jaime. "See that he takes two of these when he gets to his room, and," he turned his attention back to Mal. "No more than four a day. I'd give you an injection, but apparently they're putting us back into primitive practices. So pills it is."

Jaime took the vial and nodded slightly as she stood up. She winced before she did her best to stretch the kinks out of cramped muscles, and she was glad she and Mal were at least on the same floor, even if they were on opposite ends. One set of stairs, then a trek down the hallway. She could handle this.

"Whenever you're ready," she said to Mal.

Once the towels were folded, Kyle smiled to River. "What do you want to do now?" Now that he'd found River - or she'd found him - his pressing need to be 'helpful' had abated somewhat, and he was more interested in just spending time with her.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-24 11:12 am UTC (link)
"Of course," he muttered, but he was already half swinging himself out of the bed, not being nearly as careful as he should and a sudden wave of nausea took him and he had to brace himself against the bed for a moment, half threatening to topple forward, but he managed to balance okay, sitting up properly in time to receive his pills. "Doc. Really. Four a day? How's that gonna help at all? I do not think you are understandin' the poundin' sound in my ears. Your top three percent there didn' prepare y'for this kind of headache, lemme tell you. And hey," he blinked as Simon handed the pills to Jaime. "Why's she get them? I'm the one with the missin' toes."

He was being an infant, and he knew it, but it was really starting to sink in that he was going to have to walk somewhere and it was probably going to be awkward and embarrassing because he was missing toes from a reaver attack. And toes. Of all the things to be missing, he was missing toes. It just seemed so... ridiculous.

"M'ready," he grunted. Though he wasn't really. It was another few seconds, and likely waiting for her to get settled and ready to support his weight when he inevitably tumbled over, before he did manage to start pulling himself to his feet, bracing himself against the bed to be sure that he could actually move.

The foot would be okay to support his weight, he figured, so long as he kept the majority of it on his heel instead of the whole foot. It might cause some extra pain, cause of the nerve endings or whatever, he didn't know, he wasn't a doctor, but at the very least he should be able to walk okay without too much support. He hoped.

River was focused on watching Mal get up and off the bed, and remarking somewhere in the back of her mind that Jaime was small compared to Mal, and that if suitable crutches were required they should enlist the services of one of the taller men. Perhaps sending out an alert over the network? Perhaps set to urgent so that it received the most attention? She practically had her device in her hand before her thoughts were interrupted by Kyle's question.

"Hm?" she said, suitably distracted. She glanced briefly back over to Mal before she decided that he would be all right - a few bruises, mostly to his pride, and the beginnings of a connection that would be vital to his survival here. She did not need to intervene.

Her eyes drifted over to Simon before moving back to Kyle. "I... do not know," she replied awkwardly to Kyle. "Are you... adequately prepared to meet Big Brother? He is always watching."

She suspected the reference would be lost on Kyle, and part of her really just wanted to get the whole thing over with at this point. Like ripping off a bandaid. So she reached for his hand, and started to guide him towards Simon. Likely to meet in the middle. She'd let him go first, though.

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[info]can_swear
2010-08-24 08:05 pm UTC (link)
"Because," Simon said. "I'm not sure I trust you not to take all of them in one gulp and I don't have anything to pump your stomach with." He glanced to Jaime to make sure she understood; he wasn't completely certain that he trusted her not to give in to Mal if the captain started to ... well, whine. He hadn't been here long, but he'd been here long enough to have caught a little better to what River had meant when she'd said Jaime was Mal's.

"Once you get him settled somewhere comfortable, he can have two," Simon emphasized. "He'll probably get a little drowsy, and you ... should get yourself some rest, too," he pointed out to her.

"Okay," Jaime agreed before she pocketed the thing of pills. She knew she should sleep, but she was still unwilling to leave Mal. But ... maybe once he was asleep, she'd go. It was just down the hall, right?

She eased an arm around his middle, suddenly aware of how much bigger than her he was, and what happened if he did fall over? She wasn't strong enough to pick him up, she didn't think, but she guessed she'd just see how it went. Maybe they'd be okay.

Assuming he was ready, she started to lead him toward the door, trying to find a pace that was comfortable for him to match, but not so incredibly slow as to be compared to a snail.

Kyle smiled to River before he glanced to Simon. "I am ready," he assured River. "If you are ready?" He tilted his head curiously to her before turning his gaze again to Simon.

Simon watched Mal and Jaime, catching sight of River and Kyle, and he wondered if he was ready for this. "River," he said, putting on a smile. "Introduce me to your friend."

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-25 03:59 am UTC (link)
Mal kind of half looked at Jaime expectantly, wanting two of the pills now, but she seemed to be waiting for him to give moving a shot, so he sighed a bit dramatically, getting up and putting the majority of his weight on his good foot, growling slightly at the way his muscles contracted - he'd been down longer than he thought, and after all the running and tension he'd put on them the last couple of days, they weren't exactly in the mood to be flexing that way.

"Ta ma de," he snarled out, and if it earned him a scowl he'd scowl right back - it hurt. "Don't ever get old," he muttered to Jaime briefly before he braced himself to put weight on his other foot.

As a test, he put the whole foot flat on the ground before he started to ease weight into his heel. It was sort of all right at first. There was the dull throbbing pain he was growing used to that was his missing toes, but as the muscles started to work in his foot, it became apparent why the Doc had told him to be careful.

"Ahhhhh gao yang jong duh goo yang," he growled out, easing the weight back off it. Tilting his foot upright, he placed the entirety of his weight on his heel, and tried that out. It still hurt, but it was significantly more bearable. Felt like his toes were broken, rather than missing, and he didn't mind keeping his thoughts on that particular train for the moment. At least until the cast came off.

Which reminded him he'd meant to ask about that, but a glance over his shoulder told him that now was... really not the time, and he was liable to lose a head in addition to toes if he asked. He'd network Simon later and see about removing the bandages. Or just take them off as he saw fit, whichever worked.

"Not too heavy f'you, I hope," he grunted sort of absently. He was walking a bit strangely, yes, hobbling on his heel in a very awkward fashion, and he hoped Jaime was doing okay. He didn't think he was putting too much of his weight on her. In all honesty, he rather thought he should be putting more, but he could handle walking on his own. It was just for appearances that he let Jaime help him.

That and... he really didn't want to deal with this on his own. Even if he didn't admit it to himself, he'd always appreciated that there was someone around to vent to on Serenity. Here... he'd have to ask if he wanted that, particularly since it was difficult to hobble his way down to the kitchen or someone else's room in this state. And he didn't really know how to ask. So he was just pleased that she'd offered to help out.

River wasn't ready, not really, but she was fairly certain that she would never be ready for this conversation, and with that thought in mind she was close enough. She nodded when Kyle mentioned she was ready, and put on an entirely false smile of enthusiasm that Simon was sure to see through, and clung to Kyle's arm.

"Simon, this is Kyle," she said in the calmest voice she could manage. "Kyle is my friend and I speak of him fondly," she nudged him gently with her side. She did not want to get into repeating how smart and quick Kyle was here in front of him - she was trusted Simon would remember their earlier conversation. "Kyle, this is Simon," she added after a moment. "Simon is my brother and I usually speak of him fondly as well."

Unless he was being a boob. Then she didn't speak of him as fondly.

She stared at Simon intently, a whole host of comments flashing through her brain. She wanted to explain to Simon that Kyle was not the Jaime to her Mal, except that it was possible that Kyle would become that to her. And if that was the case, then they really were - in their own way - essentially at the same place that Jaime and Mal were, but that would just send Simon down the entirely wrong line of thinking and there was no sense getting him all concerned about that sort of thing right now before anything had even happened.

"I am not sure what else is necessary for introductions," she said instead. "You should shake hands," she decided, easing her grip on Kyle's arm so that it would be easier for him to do so.

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[info]finder
2010-08-25 04:27 am UTC (link)
"You're not old," she protested softly. Her fingers gripped at the side of his shirt to hang on while she supported him out of the room. She did glance back once, but ... well. She had the pills and he just needed to rest, and they could deal with the rest of it ... later. Whatever the rest of it was.

"Guess we're heading to the elevator?" She wouldn't make him take the stairs. He might fall and that would be disastrous. Besides, she had nothing against being stuck in an elevator with Mal. Nothing at all. "And you're fine," she added belatedly to his question. "I'm a little stronger than I look," she teased slightly.

She hadn't missed the winces and whatnot earlier, and she wanted to offer him a massage - purely to make him feel better, no ulterior motives - but she wasn't sure how that would go over. Even if she pointed out she had training.

Kyle smiled broadly to Simon, extending his hand. "Hello, Simon. I am Kyle," he introduced himself - even if River just had. "It is nice to meet you, Simon."

Simon gazed at River, and for a moment, he had no idea what to say. It seemed surreal and mundane to simply be ... introducing himself ... to River's ... not-boyfriend. "Hello," he said carefully. "It's nice to meet you, as well," he continued before he glanced again at River.

There wasn't a lot for him to say or do while River was there; he'd rather talk to the boy - young man - alone, without his sister running any sort of interference.

"Just ... behave," he said to River. He wasn't up to dealing with anything else tonight. Especially nothing else with his sister.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-25 05:27 am UTC (link)
"My ol' muscles beg t'differ with you," Mal grunted absently. There was really no sense sugarcoating the fact that he was getting on in years. His body certainly wasn't. Sure, he wasn't that old, but still. His muscles just weren't responding the way they used to.

"Elevator," he repeated, somewhat confusedly, glancing up and down the hall. "What... floor are we on?" he asked suddenly. He'd been thinking up to this point that they were in... the lobby... or... something. He really didn't know, and now he suddenly found himself completely disoriented.

In his focus to find the numbers on the door plates to see what floor they were on, he forgot that he was supposed to be keeping weight off his foot. He crashed down flat footed, and both swore violently in Mandarin at the pain, and lost his balance, half falling against Jaime, but mostly crashing into the wall, wincing as his shoulder hit it.

"Ta ma de," he muttered. "I am no good at this whole infirmed thing. May have bit off more'n you can chew there, darlin'." He tried to ease off the wall. "Did I... hope I didn't..." hurt her? Crush her? Break her toes? That'd be something else.

River blinked. That was it? Really? This was what she had been fearing? No. This was not the talk she had been fearing, the talk she had been fearing must be the one to come after this. The one where Simon spoke to her alone about stupid things. Or the one where Simon spoke to Kyle alone where she could not supervise to make sure neither of them said something she didn't want the other having to listen to.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. That was just... unfair.

"Behave," she repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Understood. No kissing while under your supervision. Only behind closed doors."

She didn't really have any intentions of kissing Kyle, but since that seemed to be one of the worries foremost in Simon's mind, she went with it. She was a brat, yes, but he was manipulating her out of a conversation that while she didn't want to be a part of, she hated being excluded from more.

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[info]finder
2010-08-25 05:41 am UTC (link)
"Second," Jaime replied. "We have to go up one." She wondered if he was disoriented or ... if there was something more seriously medically wrong with him and he should have stayed in the infirmary.

She flinched and tried to both move out of the way and support him when he started to fall, which worked about as well as one would think something like that would work. "It's fine," she assured him. If Jayne hadn't been injured himself, she would have recruited the other man to at least help get Mal upstairs. "I mean, once I get you in bed, it'll be fine," Jaime continued before she realized what she'd said.

Well, maybe he wouldn't catch it. Or he'd take it how she meant it on the surface and not how she really meant it. Not that she really meant it that way in that context, but ... oh hell.

"Anyway. Once we've got you comfortable, I can ... run and get you things." After she'd had a nap, anyway, because she didn't think she should or could be doing much running before she had a chance to recharge. So she pressed bravely on with him toward the elevators.

Simon gaped. There was no good way to answer that. He couldn't really forbid his adult sister from kissing. Kissing was relatively innocent, after all; it was what it led to that wasn't. He didn't want to watch it happen. He didn't want to know it was happening behind closed doors.

So his mouth worked, and no words came out. He shook his head slightly and pointed at the door. "You. Both of you, I ... will talk to you later. When I'm not busy. Tending to patients." Not that he had a lot of patients just then, but he'd clean up, organize, stick around here for a little while.

Kyle smiled to River. "You wish to kiss me?" he inquired, bright blue-green eyes focusing on her. It was something he'd been thinking about in an abstract sort of way, but he was never quite sure with her where the boundary lines were. He wasn't in a rush, so he'd been content to simply cuddle her and hold her and nuzzle at her without involving his lips with her lips.

"I would like to kiss you," he continued.

Simon closed his eyes. Kyle couldn't have saved at last that last part until they were out of the room? He turned to at least gauge River's reaction, hoping very much it was a reaction of her leaving the room and preferably parting ways from Kyle.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-25 07:56 am UTC (link)
He grinned a bit when she said that she wanted to get him into bed, but wasn't entirely sure if that slip was appropriate to comment on. "Elevator then," he agreed. "Can't say I feel up to tacklin' them stairs jus' yet."

He pushed himself off the wall, securing his arm around Jaime before starting to hobble again in the direction of the elevator.

"You gonna take off once you get me into bed, then?" he asked. "Or you gonna stick around for a bit."

He wasn't sure how else to phrase the question, but he was a bit sad at the prospect of being left alone. He knew that he'd be tormented by thoughts and dreams of the girls who had died, of the reavers still attacking and hurting people he cared about here, and he selfishly wanted someone nearby to chase those off.

"I mean, you... nevermind," he said awkwardly. "You... probably need your sleep, right?"

He didn't want to make her sleep on a chair or the floor or anything, just because he wanted company, and she probably wouldn't let him sleep on a chair or the floor in her room, so unless they were sharing a bed - which he thought was an awkward platonic statement to make - he'd have to accept that they were going to part ways for the time being.

River grinned wickedly, and had turned to face Kyle to see if he was ready to go when he asked his question. The words floored her, and her face reflected her shock quite plainly. She had said the phrase in jest, and opened her mouth to inform Kyle of this when he continued on, indicating that he would like to kiss her.

Her breath caught in her throat in surprise. She had thought about it, of course, because it was the natural conclusion of their relationship, much like Mal and Jaime, but she had not realized that they had reached that point yet. Though now that she thought about it how would she know when it was time? Was in like in the movies, where a great swell of music was the indicator? Or video games, when suddenly your movements were governed by a higher power in a cutscene? She highly doubted their pupils would turn to hearts to indicate that it was Time. So how then? Was it just something you knew because it was something you wanted?

Kyle wanted to kiss her. Just the thought of it alone sent shivers through her entire body. Ignoring Simon's presence entirely, River nodded her head eagerly to give her assent, moving to wrap her arms around Kyle's waist to pull them closer together.

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[info]finder
2010-08-25 02:07 pm UTC (link)
Jaime wanted to say she'd stay. That she'd crawl into bed with him and sleep there, but ... that probably wasn't at all appropriate. So she'd give him his drugs, and ... head to her own bed.

He was fine, after all. He was awake, and that was all she'd been staying there for. To make sure he woke up.

"Probably should. I didn't ... sleep, most of the time you were out," she admitted. She might've caught a nap or two in the chair, but that was about it. "You'll be asleep anyway," she pointed out. She wondered if he'd dream, and she hoped not. Not about the fight, anyway. Maybe he could dream about her. She smiled faintly to that thought as she led him to the elevator, punching the call button.

"No," Simon said as he turned to regard his sister, who was now embracing a boy who wanted to kiss her. Now? Did they have to do this now? "River ..." he began.

But what could he say? 'I'm not comfortable with the idea of you growing up'? That was essentially what it boiled down to, and he rubbed his forehead before he shook his head. "Just ... go," he encouraged. If he didn't have to see it, he could pretend it was not happening.

Kyle was sort of confused now. River was hanging onto him, but Simon seemed distressed and wanted them to leave. "He is distressed?" He eased his arms around River, but was gazing with some concern toward Simon.

"I don't think he likes this idea," he deduced as he glanced down to River, curious how she meant for them to proceed now.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-26 12:29 am UTC (link)
"Right," he said, trying to hide his disappointment. "Sleep's important, anyway. The Doc'd have more'n my toes if I wound you up in the infirmary, f'r not sleepin' right." He paused, hesitating before he said, "Don't suppose..." and cut himself off. Don't suppose you have an extra bed, couch, chair, sleeping bag I could curl up in? He was taking joking too far. He was a big boy. He could stay by himself and suffer the dreams.

"Why didn't you catch a nap like the rest of my crew?" he asked curiously. He figured Kaylee had stopped in maybe, once - probably with more of a priority of seeing the good doctor, even if it wasn't to hook up with him. Which made him suddenly wonder if Simon knew Wash was dead - Kaylee didn't, or hadn't at least - and he craned his neck backwards for as though he expected Simon to be sticking his head out of the infirmary so that he could ask him if he knew about Wash.

... He... may have hit his head harder than he thought he did.

"I mean, I 'preciate the gesture an' all, but... you could've slept. I wouldn't have mind. Was kind of sleepin' myself," he grinned a bit.

River exhaled in frustration, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Simon had to go and make her feel guilty, ruining what could have been a very nice moment for her and Kyle. She gave him a look of annoyance, but she'd... give in to his protective nature this time. She eased out of Kyle's embrace slowly. "He does not," she agreed. "He is my brother, and he worries," she added, because it was the easiest explanation for right now. "Sometimes needlessly," she added for Simon's benefit.

"We should continue this another time," she decided, looking at Simon pointedly, daring him to hear how the second part of that statement was 'like in 30 seconds when we get out of the infirmary', and also in part asking if that was a suitable compromise. She then glanced to Kyle to see if he was agreeable to that before reaching for his hand to steer him out of the infirmary quickly. Her room was just down the hall.

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[info]finder
2010-08-26 12:44 am UTC (link)
For a moment, Jaime resembled a deer in the headlights. Or would have, if she were a deer and there were headlights. There wasn't exactly any excuse, was there? While she'd known this moment was distinctly possible, she'd done a really great job of ... ignoring it.

So she shrugged. "I just ... wanted to be there when you woke up." She was, unfortunately, distracted from prompting him to continue whatever he'd just cut himself off from saying.

Once they'd navigated the elevator, Jaime started to lead him down toward his room, trying not to think how she was going to leave his room and not join him in bed. Even if she'd like to. Even if it was just to sleep.

When they reached his room, Jaime glanced to him expectantly for the key.

Kyle followed River out of the infirmary. He was a little perplexed by the unspoken words between her and her brother, but he could see the looks and expressions, even if he did not completely understand them.

"When is another time?" he inquired as he laced their joined fingers together, squeezing her hand softly as he gazed at her.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-26 08:39 am UTC (link)
Her response confused him for a good little bit. Like the duration of the elevator ride and the hobble back down the hall to his room. He sort of opened his mouth on more than one occasion to remark that she'd have been there when he got up, she just wouldn't have been awake, but he figured she knew that, and he really thought that he was just misunderstanding the whole situation.

Or maybe it was a girl thing. Something about wanting to be their for your friends.

He was still pondering over it when they got to his room and were looking for the room key. He didn't realize why, exactly, they had stopped, but then, "Oh! Right!" he fumbled in his pockets for a moment, looking for the key to his room, but the only thing he came out with was his communication device (which, he remarked in mild annoyance, had a couple of sizable scratches in it. He wondered if the big wigs up in the offices would repair that for him or if they'd let him deal with it). "Go se," he muttered in annoyance, before he glanced to Jaime. "I've... got a bad habit of... lockin' myself out," he muttered. "Gave my extra key t'Kaylee, hang on, I'll jus'..." he started fumbling a bit, trying to get a good enough handle on his device to try and send Kaylee a note asking her to get over and unlock his door for him.

If he'd thought about it, he may have used this as an opportunity to ask Jaime if he could bunk with her. But he was a bit embarrassed about being locked out, and didn't really think of it.

"Now is another time," River remarked casually, as though she were just observing a true statement, turning her head to grin at Kyle as she continued to lead him down the hall. "As is now, and now, and now." She paused in her movements, to lean up and whisper in Kyle's ear. "Must attempt discretion in this matter. Walls have ears and eyes, but Big Brother does not have access to all," she leaned back and shrugged a bit. "Knows, but prefers to ignore. Worries about things not relevant to the situation; screaming toddler, empty promises..." she paused, quiet before she added, "... broken hearts..." She was lost in that thought for a moment before she returned to the present with a grin.

"Closed doors are this way," she indicated with a nod of her head. "Big Brother cannot see inside and can continue to live in fear of the independents cutting off access to rations using dinosaurs."

She grinned a bit at the memory, pulling out her key (which after some thought by those who knew better had been converted into a necklace she could wear) so that she could unlock the door when they got there.

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[info]finder
2010-08-26 03:33 pm UTC (link)
If her room hadn't been all the way at the other end of the hall, she would have suggested he come down there. But he'd already sent his message to Kaylee, so there was nothing to do but wait.

She did spend a great deal of that waiting period not looking at him. After all, her shoes were kind of fascinating, except for the fact looking at them put his cast foot in her line of view, and she didn't want to think about that. Simon hadn't let her see the damage, but ... she had an idea, all the same.

So she looked up instead, which wasn't any better. There were chips blasted out of the doorframes, bullet holes in the wall. On the carpet, when she glanced down again, there were scorch marks. From bullets, she assumed, though maybe there'd been some fire in play.

Jaime settled on staring instead toward some neutral point in the general direction of the stairwell.

"I would not break your heart," Kyle said very sincerely. "Figurative or literal," he amended in case she thought he meant only the one beating so strongly in her chest.

He followed along with her, his head tipping curiously to one side as he considered the idea of using dinosaurs in combat. "Dinosaur are extinct," he said, confusion evident in his voice. "Are they alive in your world?"

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-27 03:07 am UTC (link)
Mal tapped his good foot sort of impatiently as he waited for Kaylee to respond to his message, his eyes wandering much like Jaime's were, but not settling on anything in particular until they lighted upon Jaime herself. He watched as she tried to find something to look at, his expression softening. He hated this, more than he wanted to admit, the way they were exposing young things like her to the gruesomeness of war. She shouldn't have to be dealing with this sort of thing. Not at her age. Hopefully, not ever, but especially...

"You okay, darlin'?" he murmured gently, a hand reaching back to play with the ends of her hair on her back and he gently patted her in what he hoped was a soothing matter.

Kaylee ambled her way along to Mal's room cheerfully enough, happy that her captain was at least awake now, even if he was prone to locking himself out of his room. She thought that she might try suggesting again that he wear his key around his neck, like River did, so that he would remember it, but she didn't think he'd take that well. When she saw Jaime and Mal standing close together, talking, she eased back a bit, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything. When it seemed approrpriate, she stepped forward to hand Mal the key so he could get into his room.

"Reckon you should prob'ly hold onto the spare," Kaylee remarked to Jaime as Mal got the door open. "Y'know. Since y'r closer an' all." She did wink, though, to convey her true intentions when she was sure Mal's back was turned. "Good t'see you up an' about, Cap'n. Was that all y'needed? Should I head back?"

Her eyes did dart down the hall towards the infirmary, and she wondered if she should go visit Simon, while she was down here. But she suspected he'd be busy with patients at this point, and wouldn't really have time to chat anyway.

River's face melted into a warm, pleased smile. "Am glad," she told Kyle. "Would not break yours either," she added, because she felt it was important for him to know that. When he asked for clarification about her comment about dinosaurs, she fiddled with her lock as she tried to come up with a good way to explain what she meant.

"Passing of seasons builds quickly," she murmured. "Before the heart is truly away, it discovers years have passed, and the seeds they planted what seems like yesterday have fully bloomed into flowers, ready to... make way for their own seeds," she doubted very much that Simon would be impressed with her choice of metaphor, but there it was. "His heart... still plays games played in youth, with dinosaurs and famines. A reality that was easier to accept, perhaps, than an improperly sourced research paper," she smiled faintly at the memory.

The door clicked open, and she turned to face Kyle, walking backwards into it. "Always took care of me before. Confused, now, when I can take care of myself."

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[info]finder
2010-08-27 04:11 am UTC (link)
Jaime jumped a little when she felt him playing with her hair, and she shrugged. "Fine," she agreed. "Just ... tired, I guess."

She offered Kaylee a smile when she appeared, and she shrugged. She didn't think she really trusted herself with Mal's spare key, but he couldn't really get up and get downstairs easily until his foot was in better shape. So she'd probably be running him food and things like that, so it would just be ...easier. So she took the key, sliding it into the pocket of her jeans once it had been surrendered.

She also pretended to have no idea what the wink was about.

Once Mal had the door open, Jaime shifted to help him inside, flashing Kaylee a little smile.

Kyle followed the idea of her explanation only because he knew her and had developed a method of translating her spoken words with the intended concepts. He didn't know exactly how it worked, nor would he be able to explain it to anyone else, but it was something distinctly River.

"I take care of you, too," Kyle objected softly as he followed River into her room, his brow furrowing slightly. Well, he liked to think that he took care of her. He wanted her to be happy, and well. Didn't that count as taking care of her?

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-27 07:45 am UTC (link)
He realized what he was doing when he felt her flinch, and he felt guilty about it, removing his hand from her rather quickly. "Sorry," he muttered. "I... sorry."

Kaylee rolled her eyes, wondering briefly with an affectionate smile how long it was going to take before the two of them got a clue.

Jaime looked like she was pretty close to being dead on her feet from exhaustion, so Kaylee slipped her shoulder under Mal's other arm, giving him someone else to lean on while they hobbled him over to the bed, at which point she'd say her goodbyes and duck out. Not because she didn't want to stick around and make sure that Mal was okay, but she didn't want to take away from their opportunity to spend time together.

"Don' let him bully you now, mei mei," Kaylee teased Jaime on her way out.

"Hey now, I resent that," Mal called after her, shifting his weight from his seated position on the bed, trying out his shoulders and bit and flexing the other muscles in his leg. He was trying to figure out if he'd sprained something in his ankle in addition to losing some toes, but it was hard to say - there was just a dull, throbbing almost numb pain that wasn't dissipating.

"Well, let's see what the Doc ordered then, shall we?" Mal said, glancing at Jaime lightly and waiting for the pills he was supposed to take now.

River giggled slightly. "Was not an exclusive statement," she told Kyle, moving closer to him and wrapping her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest and listening to the sound of his heart beating. She wondered if she needed to clarify more... or if it wasn't necessary. Kyle would learn in time, she knew - particularly if Simon followed through on his word that he wanted to talk to them later. Once he'd had time to process what he was going to say to them, likely.

"You take care of me," she agreed softly, pulling away from his chest to gaze up at his face, lifting one of her hands to ghost her fingers over the side of his face, tracing his features with a newfound curiosity, two fingers coming to rest against his lips.

She could feel her heart racing for a moment before she moved her hand to cup his cheek instead, not certain that she had the courage anymore to initiate anything.

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[info]finder
2010-08-27 03:14 pm UTC (link)
"S'all right," Jaime murmured to his apology. She waved as Kaylee left, and blinked a little as Mal apparently wanted ... oh right.

She pulled the pill vial out of her pocket and studied the pills inside before she retreated to the kitchenette to get him a cup of water for the pills. "If I leave these here, will you follow the doctor's instructions and not chug them all?" She arched a brow as she held out the cup for him before tipping two of the pills into one hand. "Or do I have to take them with me?"

Kyle smiled to River as he looped his arms easily around her waist. When she pressed her fingertips to his mouth, he kissed them and grinned at her, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

He tipped his head slightly to lean into her hand before he brought his forehead down to touch hers. "Should I kiss you now?" he inquired as he gazed into her eyes from this close angle, rubbing her back gently with his thumbs as he held his River close to him.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-28 05:34 am UTC (link)
"I make no promises," Mal said with a grin. "You leave 'em here, they may be gone in the morning. You leave 'em over their on the counter they'll be less likely to disappear though, you don't feel like stoppin' back in to check on the old and infirmed. Your call entirely, darlin'."

If he'd known Jaime a little better, or trusted that she knew him well enough to know when he wasn't being serious, he'd have said that it would be her fault if he died from overdose, and Simon would blame her. He may have gone on to say that Simon was always looking to increase his cadaver supply. But he didn't trust her to not take him seriously, and that might be the statement that would cause her to take the pills away with her. And maybe she wasn't interested in coming back in the morning to make sure he took the next batch.

"Really, darlin', I'll be fine," he assured her. "You go get some sleep an' don't worry 'bout a mean ol' man like myself. I've lived through worse."

She shivered a bit, feeling electricity in the air like it was a touchable thing, and she let it surround her, not certain how much of it she was imagining, and how much of it was actually real. Her breath left her in a bit of a quiver, and her stomach was in knots. She wasn't certain, exactly, why she was nervous, knowing on a purely logic level that the thoughts surrounding the nerves were foolish. What if she was a bad kisser? What if she did it wrong, and Kyle did not like her afterwards? What if she was wrong, and this... wasn't what was supposed to happen?

But the strength of the desire building in her did a good job of erasing those worries from her mind, and she nodded quickly a few times before she closed her eyes and leaned up to press her lips against his.

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[info]finder
2010-08-28 05:45 am UTC (link)
Jaime nodded and set the pills on the counter. "You're not mean," she pointed out as she glanced over to him. But really ... he was going to be crashed, and she needed to sleep, and as nice as it would be to curl up in bed beside him ... it just wasn't where they were just then.

"So ... I'll see you. Text me if you need anything." She hesitated, lifting one hand before she turned toward the door to let herself out. "Sweet dreams," she added before she drew the door open and slipped into the hall.

Kyle rubbed her back gently as she seemed to hesitate. He had never kissed anyone before, though he had seen it on TV and understood the idea behind it. He smiled when she nodded, and he closed his eyes - which resulted in a slight mis-aim before his lips found hers.

He tightened his arms around her gently as he returned the kiss softly, sweetly, and tenderly.

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[info]accordingtoplan
2010-08-28 08:48 am UTC (link)
"Am too," he said, trying to joke but the words sort of slurred. Oh, but Simon always had the best stuff to share - he was already feeling better. Maybe. Or at the very least the pain in his head was making way for a really awesome feeling instead. Who had said that? He was reminded of a blond guy with strange hair and a weird way of talking...

"'Night darlin'," he said, vaguely aware that Jaime was leaving and unable to hide the pouty face that came with that realization. But he didn't think it mattered - at this rate, he'd barely get his boots off before he'd be asleep. He just hoped that he landed on the bed when he inevitably toppled over.

She tilted her head, seeking his lips as he sought hers, and found nothing odd about it, or wrong. And when their lips touched, she felt nothing wrong about that, either. She felt all sorts of emotions bubbling inside of her, in all shapes and sizes. She let out a soft noise of contentment, hands reaching up to brush through his hair, to run down his back. She had an overwhelming amount of energy all of a sudden that she needed to do something with, and moving her arms, touching him, moving herself so that she was more flush against him, all seemed to be ways to help with it.

Her lips parted against her, and she breathed, "More," against his lips before she returned to kissing him, relying on instincts she wasn't aware she had as she pressed her lips more firmly against his, parting them slightly as she deepened the kiss.

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[info]not_an_alien
2010-08-28 10:23 am UTC (link)
"More?" Kyle echoed as he drew his head back, a grin on his lips as he regarded River. He wasn't precisely certain what she meant by 'more', though he was getting an idea as she returned to kissing him. Deciding that was likely what she'd meant, he returned her kiss.

It took him a few tries to work out the proper amount of pressure and suction to make it feel best (though all of them felt varying degrees of good), and once he thought he had a handle on the kissing part, he started to rub her back gently, holding her body close to his.

"How much is more?" he mumbled against her mouth as he opened his eyes to gaze at her, blinking slightly as he smiled to her. Kissing was nice.

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[info]lilalbatross
2010-08-29 08:33 am UTC (link)
She whimpered softly against his kisses, her breath still coming out in soft shudders, clinging to him desperately as he kissed her and held her.

"Am not certain," she murmured as a response to his questions. She had an ache somewhere around her middle, and she wasn't sure if it was in her heart or her stomach or somewhere else entirely. There was also a tingle moving through her entire body that she couldn't quite place or determine what it was doing. She was going to have to read up on the subject, and oh - wouldn't that please Simon to hear about. She thought that kissing Kyle was helping the ache, but there was definitely an element of making it worse. It was... good though? The feelings were new and confusing, and River wanted more of them, but was also shying away from it because it was so different than anything she'd experienced before. The only thing she could equate it to was feelings that she'd had second hand, from Simon and Kaylee, or Inara, or even Jayne, and experiencing these sorts of things second hand and feeling them for yourself were entirely different situations.

She broke the kiss for a moment to think it over, pressing a series of almost rapid kissing along the line of Kyle's jaw, feeling especially sensitive to the movements of their bodies against each other. She was hyper-aware of everywhere Kyle was touching her right now, and it was both not enough and too much in the same instant.

"Overstimulation," she moaned softly into his neck, just below his ear. "Don't want to stop." She in fact was contemplating the possibility of breaking the laws of physics so that - in a truly innocent way - two objects could inhabit the same space at the same time so that she could be closer to him, but she didn't think she had the right tools to attempt such a feat, and like hell she was putting any distance between herself and Kyle so that she could get them.

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[info]not_an_alien
2010-08-29 08:53 am UTC (link)
"Overstimulation can be bad," Kyle pointed out as he tipped his chin down to gaze at her. He smiled at the kisses to his jaw though, and he stilled his hands on her back. Should they stop? Would they accidentally go too far if they didn't?

River didn't want to stop, but was it right to go ahead? He lifted his hand, stroking her hair gently as he peered at her. "Perhaps should dance slowly first to learn the steps well," he suggested. She would learn the steps quickly, he knew, but he wanted to take time to explore everything.

He did hold her close against him, but he gazed over to her bed as well. "Perhaps we should sleep on it?" he suggested. "I will not leave if you do not wish me to," he continued with a soft smile to him, bright eyes gazing at her innocently.

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[info]lilalbatross
2010-08-29 11:01 am UTC (link)
She wanted to point out that she didn't need to dance slowly to learn the steps, but she understood what he meant when he said it, and part of her agreed with the meaning behind it. So she pouted a bit, but nodded her head.

"Sleep," she agreed, somewhat hesitantly, wondering how realistic that idea was. She didn't think it was possible to get calmed down enough to actually sleep in this state, but maybe just lying together would be enough to ease the confusing thoughts boiling around inside her. She nodded to her own thoughts before she gazed up at Kyle hopefully. "Stay?" she phrased it as a question, even though he had just said he would. It felt less like she was ordering it that way, and she didn't feel as guilty for needing him there.

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[info]not_an_alien
2010-08-29 11:25 am UTC (link)
"I will stay," he promised her. It had been a long couple of days, and he really thought they could both benefit from a sound night's sleep. He released her and stripped out of his shirt because he'd discovered some time ago he didn't like sleeping in it.

"On the floor or in the bed?" he inquired. Normally, he'd simply assume that he should take the floor, but now that they had kissed, perhaps the rules of where he was to sleep had changed? He had a feeling she wanted him to remain closer to her, and he saw no reason to protest this.

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[info]lilalbatross
2010-08-29 11:58 am UTC (link)
She watched as he stripped out of his shirt, swallowing hard for a moment, and her fingers reached out to trace the lines of his chest briefly if only because she could not help it. But she did manage to force her thoughts into a more coherent pattern so that she could respond to his question.

"Irrelevant," she murmured with a shrug of her shoulders. "Bed is of more comfort should we wish it, though if floor is more fitting, I would not protest. Would sleep with you there."

She assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that he would just be sleeping with her. It didn't matter whether that was on the bed or the floor to her, as long as he was with her.

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[info]not_an_alien
2010-08-29 12:02 pm UTC (link)
Kyle nodded. "In the bed," he agreed as he started toward it, slipping off his shoes as he went. He climbed in beneath the covers and smiled over to her. "Will not tell Big Brother," he assured her with a smile. In his naivety, he did not think Simon was going to ask any questions to which Kyle would have to reply that yes, he did sleep with River sometimes.

He reached out his arm for her with a little smile, his eyes already half-closed. It had been a stressful few days, and he was glad it was over, and they were safe.

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