(no subject)

[gonna_live]

Disgustingly sweet and fruity alcoholic concoction? Check.

Catalogue of new makes and models for 2520? Check.

Pencil for marginal notes? Check.

Kaylee is well-established in a booth.

Comments

[badinlatin]

Theoretically, Ng Ka Pe is made of fruit.

Theoretically.

Mal does not invite himself to sit, only exerts some captain's privilege in investigating Kaylee with her nose in a catalogue, saying nothing.

[gonna_live]

Well. Kaylee does have peripheral vision. (And a pencil tucked behind her ear.) "Wei, Mal."

[badinlatin]

"Wèi, Kaylee." Over the edge of his glass, "Lookin' to add to the list you ga' me, I see."

[gonna_live]

"...I don't know, I think we could use one of these." She slides the catalogue over, tapping an ad.

The ad features a bright-pink one-man craft shaped like a needle.

And when we say bright, we mean bright.

"Goes awful fast. It'd come in handy."

[badinlatin]

"...mmmm no," Mal answers succinctly enough. "Couldn't pay me enough to have something that pink on my boat that I bought willin'."

[gonna_live]

A sad sigh. "Girl can dream, can't she?"

[badinlatin]

"Couldn't stop you even if I wanted to," Mal admits, half a smile crawling its way into existence.

He's still standing, staring at the magazine for lack of anything else on which to focus his attentions.

[gonna_live]

Which means he gets eyed in short order.

"You gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna sit and finish that off?"

[badinlatin]

An eyebrow raises momentarily, but Mal sits across from Kaylee.

Not too much to do. Kaylee looks like she's got things she's focusing on, and Mal...not so much.

"You mind if I smoke? Was gonna order a cigar from Bar."

[gonna_live]

"Just so long as you watch where you're blowin' smoke around, it's fine with me." Closing the catalogue.

[badinlatin]

"That I can manage I think. Last decent cigar I had was over Christmas; just...feelin' like something different this evening."

A 2510 Verbena cigar and a 21st-century matchbook is ordered, and Mal clips off the tip, lighting the tobacco away along the side of the table and as far away from Kaylee as possible.

[gonna_live]

Kaylee leans her chin in her hand. "So where we off to next?"

[badinlatin]

"Muir." It's a simple response, but probably the one planet that would put that nice of a smile on his face around the dark tobacco leaves. "Well, one stop to get rid o' the last o' that liquor, but afterwards we got some time for visitin' folk."

[redhorserider.livejournal.com]

Black dress pants, a red silk blouse, red leather boots and a glass of red wine accompanied my flowing auburn hair sit down across from Kaylee.

"What're you reading?"

[gonna_live]

Kaylee looks up. "Catalogue. Parts and whatnot."

She's a little taken aback; most people don't just sit without asking. Or...something.

[redhorserider.livejournal.com]

"Parts float your boat, huh?" She sips her wine; crosses her legs.

[gonna_live]

"...well, yeah." Blank.

Parts do float her boat. Literally.

[redhorserider.livejournal.com]

"Engineer?" She juts her chin out just slightly, indicating that the word is a question directed at Kaylee.

[gonna_live]

"...mechanic." Beat. "You're askin' a lot of questions -- not that that's a bad thing or nothin', it's just..." She trails off.

[redhorserider.livejournal.com]

"Oh," she says, as if just realizing something. "Forgive my manners." She extends a perfectly manicured hand. "I'm Ruby. And you are?"

[gonna_live]

Kaylee has been working all day.

Her hands are clean.

They are not, however, perfectly manicured, or anything close to it.

She shakes. And she's aware of this -- as well as the fact that she's just...not very elegant at all. Never has been. "Kaylee."

A little quietly.

[redhorserider.livejournal.com]

"That's a pretty name," remarks. "And sorry about the questions, I'm naturally inquisitive."

[gonna_live]

"Lots of folks are." Still quietly.

Inquisitive people in Milliways --

Well, they tend to rub Kaylee the wrong way. Is all. Because in her experience, questions tend to lead to badness.

[redhorserider.livejournal.com]

"I guess it's just human nature." She smiles sharp like a knife.

[gonna_live]

Which -- well, that'd make Kaylee unnatural. Wouldn't it.

"Guess so." And then, mustering conversational skills -- because it's bad enough that she's feeling about three years old right now; it won't do to be rude on top of it -- she says, "So...what brings you here?"

As a conversational gambit...well.