milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Faith comes into the bar in high spirits, dressed casually - she's been training - but still wearing that somewhat ridiculous circlet in her hair. It comes off as soon as she's in the bar, and she goes up to Bar to get a cup of coffee.

This procured, she goes over to read the notice board, and sees Kaylee's note.

The coffee cup drops from suddenly-nerveless fingers, and Faith, staring in pale, wide-eyed horror, doesn't even notice the waitrats that scamper to clean up the mess.

River and Simon. Taken. Her friends - her good friends - in terrible danger.

The horror gives way, slowly, to the cold, killing fury of a very angry Slayer, and she turns on her heel and stalks over to Bar, acquiring paper and pen and writing a very brief note, which will be delivered to whichever member of Serenity's crew happens to come into the bar next.

If I can help, I will. - Faith

Then she gets another drink - whiskey this time - and stalks over to a table with a carefully blank expression on her face.

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"A guy named Walter Peck did it because I refused to work for his half-assed Secret Service-wannabe cheesemonkey organization and because he was still smarting over the time he failed to get us shut down back when he was an EPA inspector and we were just starting, and you don't get to disembowel him because I already led a whole buttload of people back to his headquarters and trashed the place good," Ray says. "I have videotapes."

".....I don't get to disembowel him?"

Faith pouts sadly.

"Awww, but it would have been fun. And then you could wear his ribcage as a hat!"

"A, that would get in the way of my goggles, and b, I really can't let you disembowel him. The Justice Department woman has the first claim to his innards." Ray smiles. "And the lawyers, although the lawyers are gonna be working with Ms. Sarkisian on that. They're good lawyers. George Lucas recommended them himself. The guy from the Times is just gonna document it all."

ONe of these days Ray is going to learn that just because he knows how to fill in the blanks, does not mean everyone else does.

".....George Lucas?"

Faith may be largely oblivious to Star Wars, but she's not so far gone as all that.

"What the Hell, Ray?"

Ray detaches his 'saber from his belt and puts it on the table.

"I got caught on camera using this. Lucas sent me a letter amounting to 'look, Dr. Stantz, even if you built it yourself it's still my copyright we're talking here and I have to defend it, so how about you build me a working one too and I won't sue your pants off'. So I did- training strength, naturally, a real 'saber would've left Lucasparts all over the floor- and he was so happy with the results that he recommended the lawyers in a fit of pure gratitude."

Faith stares at the lightsaber for a second.

"......................I want one."

"You're going to have to talk to one of the senior Jedi about that," Ray says, returning his to his belt. "I didn't start building that one until I got permission from the ranking in-bar master of the time, which was Anakin Skywalker- this was a while back. I had to go through a lot of official training under Master Qui-Gon before I got to the point of actually getting this one built, so's you know."

Faith pouts for a second, then brightens.

"I'm training Luke Skywalker's kid. I'll make puppy eyes at his mother."

Ray nods. "Good luck, then. She might make you build your own. I don't know. Mine was.... kind of an interesting project, since I have slightly less Force sensitivity than your average cantaloupe."

This makes Faith blink a bit.

"...I have no idea how to build one. Crap."

"That would be why you'd be working with a teacher," Ray says. "I had a head start. I first tried when I was like seven. If she says you have to build your own, you'll have to do it with a teacher's help, probably one of her assigning. Fair warning."

Faith considers this.

"I haven't seen the movies. Are they that dangerous really?"

"They're an energy blade a good meter or so long with all the mass and wind resistance of a state trooper's maglight," Ray points out. "Unless you're Force-sensitive enough to know instinctively when to stop moving, you have to train the bejeezus out of your muscles to get them to understand where to stop. Otherwise you really do wind up with parts all over the floor. I practiced with a flashlight and a suit covered in photoresistors and a buzz packet until I had the hang of not swinging the millimeter too far and cutting off my own limbs."

"Oh," Faith says, considering this.

"I don't know about Force-sensitive, but.....Slayer. I used to train blindfolded."

"Take it up with the Jedi Masters, then," Ray says. "You might be able to pull it off for all I know. I only got in because I swore up and down that I'd be pursuing the Jedi ideals and code and stuff if I pulled it off, and since I did, Master Qui-Gon accepted me as an official apprentice and everything. It took me most of a year to get to the point where I was safe, but you probably have a leg up."

"Andrew would shit a brick," Faith says, with a slight grin. "I might do this."

"Yeah, Andrew did some serious brick-shitting when I told him Master Qui-Gon accepted my survival of Andrew's war with the demons as the Jedi Trials and gave me the full title despite the Force blindness schtick," Ray says. "So if you can pull it off, more power to you."

Faith blinks at him.

"...you're a Jedi? Why didn't I know that?"

Ray blinks. "Um... be... cause I kind of thought I'd told you or Andrew'd told you or something? It's not really something I advertise, but I could've sworn I said something to you about it.... I guess not, huh?"

Faith snorts quietly.

"Well, if you did, I don't remember. Which is possible. Either way, congratulations."

"Thank you," Ray says. "I appreciate it."

"...I should see those movies. But having met Luke, and Leia, I'm not sure my brain could take it."

"I've seen my own movie," Ray says. "Twice. It's kind of strange."

Pause.

"In the way that the Dead Sea is kind of salty."

Faith snorts.

"I've seen one season of the TV show I'm apparently from, but it wasn't one I was in. Didn't have the guts to watch myself."

"I didn't have a choice the first time," Ray confesses. "I was in one of the alternate universes I keep winding up in. The animated one. And they were filming a movie based on our story, and they called us in to check over the script and the set, and then to bust a ghost trying to break up the shoot... and then, bam, tickets to the New York premiere, and next thing I know I'm sitting in the front row watching myself on screen. Only since I'm in the animated continuum, the movie is live action me, while I'm stuck with the animated me's .... face.... uh, I did tell you about the animated continuum, right?"