milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

Kaylee is sitting at the bar with a cookbook and a beer.

Because there's a nice kitchen at her disposal at Southdown Abbey, and no doubt the Shepherds wouldn't mind if she did a little bit of cooking practice. Especially if they got to eat the results.

And if she's a little bit distracted by the whole getting-married-in-a-few-days thing...suppose that's forgivable.

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"Tasty enough," she says warily. "Sometimes."

His gaze wanders the room.

"Warps the mind."

Someone lifts a drink, golden-brown beer clear as sunlight; behind him yellow-white light bends along curve of a spoon. The spoon is what's solid. The glass. The hand.

"Changes things. The way you see things. Way you comprehend them."

"Not if you're careful, it don't."

Her left hand is resting on top of the cookbook, palm down, fingers curled a little.

"Still changes you," he says, swallowing some more rice. "Caution, it only manages how."

"So long as it's managed," says Kaylee, "it's okay."

She's not drinking, though.

Early takes a long drink of water, and wipes his mouth.

Okay.

Time to say it.

Quietly: "Reckon you figured out that messin' with me don't get you anything good."

"This is a place to be cautious in," Early acknowledges.

"So you're not gonna mess with me."

It sounds like a statement.

It's a question.

It sounds like a statement.

Sometimes Kaylee isn't all that smart.

"I'ma be cautious," says Early, "in this place."

"If you do he's gonna come after you."

That is a statement.

"If I'm cautious here?"

He sounds amused.

"Ain't nothing wrong with a little caution."

"No. If you mess with me. 'Spect he'd agree with you on the caution part."

"Good to see we agree," he says, leaning back on his stool. One boot's hooked under the bottom rung. "Got no plans to stir things up, here."

Faintest stress on the word here.

"Then I guess we're fine," says Kaylee, and turns another page.

"That so?"

More water, and a dainty bite of protein.

"Any reason why we ain't?"

Warily.

"The question troubling you?"

"...well, yeah."

Early's not stupid.

Early smiles.

And eats his rice.

Kaylee looks a little exasperated, and then shakes her head.

Jubal Early is never going to be nice.

Early ~~PLOTS HER IMMINENT DEMISE!!!~~ pauses to wash down his food with more water, and says, "How's the doctor doing?"

Aaaaand we're back to wary.

"...fine."

"Did him a favor," Early says reflectively. "Glad it's worked out. Man should know what he's dealing with on the operating table."

He pushes some rice together. "Cap'n doing okay, too?"

"Shiny," says Kaylee.

A little darkly.