(no subject)

[gonna_live]

Kaylee's humming something -- fairly in-tune, though with a tendency to skew sharp. She's still got a scarf tied around her neck, a bit of blue cotton twisted and tied to the side, ends hanging down. One hand rises up absently to toy with an end, twisting it loosely around her finger.

It's just a beer, tonight. She's a little preoccupied, and not particularly hungry. Last night was fun; tonight she's a little given over to thinking.

Comments

[gavemea_45]

It doesn't take him too long to spot her.

"Hey, Kaylee."

Sam's smile is easy and open, despite the horned hat that he's shoved into a pocket.

"How's it going?"

[gonna_live]

She glances up, looking almost surprised. Almost.

"Hey, Sam." With mild startlement. "Been a while."

It's not that she's not pleased to see him; it's just that she doesn't necessarily look it.

[gavemea_45]

Well, that wasn't quite the reaction he was expecting.

"Um, yeah."

Easy and open has altered to a bit more caution now.

"... everything okay?"

[gonna_live]

"Shi a." She waves a hand at an empty chair. "You want to sit? I'll buy you a drink."

Socializing seems to have worked well last night, after all, and Sam's somebody she knows and likes.

[gavemea_45]

"Sure."

Maybe it'll give him time to figure out how to ask her about the hat. He settles into the chair.

"Thanks."

[gonna_live]

"What've you got in mind?" she asks, flagging down a rat.

[gavemea_45]

"Just a beer'll be fine," Sam replies.

[gonna_live]

Kaylee eyes him.

"Specific." It's kind of dry. "One of what I got, please," she says to the rat. To Sam: "You only got yourself to blame if you don't like it."

[gavemea_45]

"I wouldn't worry, if I were you."

He shrugs and gives her a quick grin.

"You should see some of the stuff we run into on the road. Or maybe not -- some of it tastes awful."

[aj_crawley]

"You know," says a familiar voice, just as the strong scent of coffee wafts over Kaylee's shoulder, "you may not get much sun in space, but I bet you at least don't have to deal with constant bloody rain."

[gonna_live]

Just like that, she's sitting bolt upright.



Slowly, she turns around, pale.

(He doesn't have a scar.)



Shaky:

"You want to put that down for a second? Just as a favor to me?" She nods at the table.

[aj_crawley]

"Er."

Confused (and a mite paranoid), Crowley reaches out and sets his coffee down on the table, a careful distance from Kaylee's elbow.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you're not looking so good."

[gonna_live]

"Well, you're lookin' fine."

Beat.

Beat.




It is to be hoped that Crowley will not be too embarrassed by getting a very thorough, very emotional hug in the middle of the bar.

[aj_crawley]

"Uh. Um. Wow, okay."

Crowley, obviously, is in one of his more eloquent moods tonight, which can be clearly seen in the way he awkwardly pats Kaylee's shoulder.

Pat pat.

(Stiffly, yes, but not without concern.)

Pat.

"Is everything alright?" Suspiciously: "You don't look alright."

[gonna_live]

"You shouldn't ask me that question." Muffled, as she steps away. "Sorry. Just -- forget that happened."

[aj_crawley]

"I shouldn't - oh," he says. "Oh."

Forget that happened, Kaylee said, after a teary hug. And for a moment as she steps away, something nervous and unnameable flickers across Crowley's face, vanishing then behind the flat black lenses searching Kaylee's face.




"Alright," he says, the furrow between his eyebrows smoothing carefully away. "Consider it forgotten."

[gonna_live]

Kaylee's still not quite looking at him. "You wanna get drunk and I'll tell you all about some sort of subject? Or you can do the tellin', whatever."

[un_fallen]

Hey, someone he knows! Kinda.

"Evening," he says amiably. He's been in London for a couple of days, and is in a more sociable mood than usual. It seems to have that effect.

"Kaylee, isn't it?"

[gonna_live]

Maybe this one's less creepy than the one from the future.

(Who knows Crowley.)

He sure as hell seemed upset enough the night she and Mal were visiting Gabriel Tam.

Her regard is sober. She nods. "And you're Raguel."

[un_fallen]

"Yeah," he says, a little more brightly. "Haven't seen you in a while. Did everything work out okay?"

She was restless, drinking, worried about - something. She didn't get specific.

[gonna_live]

Things don't tend to work out okay.

"Yep," she says, and puts on a smile. "Pretty much."

(She doesn't remember what it was she was upset about.)

"How's things been for you?"

[un_fallen]

"Okay, really, since the summer started. Probably means I should start looking over my shoulder."

Er.

"Didn't mean for that to come out as pessimistic as it did," he adds, "but you know how it is."

[gonna_live]

"...not like you're gonna get any disagreement from this quarter." Wry, as she reaches for her glass. "Buy you a drink?"

[un_fallen]

"Oh, uh." Really, he should get back to LA. Really, he doesn't want to.

"Thanks," he says instead, with a hint of a pleased smile. "I'll just have what you've got. Favorite of yours?" he asks, nodding toward her glass.

[gonna_live]

Kaylee shrugs. "Gets the job done and it don't taste awful." She flags down a rat and makes her request. "Hope you like amber."