milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Serenity's got about another 32 hours before they hit Ezra.

The waiting before a job is usually the worst part, and today Mal is feeling it more so than others. He's checking in with the bar when he receives an eyepatch and a watergun the likes of which he hasn't seen since that ridiculous Assassin game in April.

There's a smirk when he shoves the eyepatch into his pocket, hopping behind the bar and scrawling out a sign before asking Bar for a 3' by 5' cloth.

Mal walks out the door to the lake, damn near whistling.

[ooc: I'm on gchat for any coordinating that might want to happen. Uh. It's not a huge boat, but it'll do. I'll put up an organizing post somewhere if this gets people involved.

ETA: This thread is for any arrivals if you are participating in shenanigans.

ETA AGAIN: OOC COMMUNICATIONS.

And it continues: The Battle Thread. Onlookers welcome.

And food for the spectators. And the winner, obviously.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"If I can manage it," Mal smirks.

"You're welcome to see if you can keep up with us."

[ooc: incoming elizabeth tag]

"I imagine she doesn't want to be kept 'in line,' but I'm happy to meet her," Elizabeth announces, coming aboard. Her eyes land on Inara, after a quick, surprised look at Gibbs. "Hello."

It hasn't, of course, escaped her notice that Will is here. This is all very interesting.

Gibbs smiles. "Captain...it's been a while. For me at least." Yes, he's gone back in time. Or sideways. Or something. He really hates that sometimes.

"Hello," Inara replies smiling as she comes aboard. "You must be Elizabeth. I'm Inara."

As she catches what Gibbs says, she shakes her head slightly. Milliways. "Well, you are looking very well, Mister Gibbs. I'm glad to see you."

Mal leaves the new crew to their introductions.

He's got more important business to attend to, as another, much larger ship arrives in the inlet of the lake.

[ooc: Feel free to keep chatting however you please. I will ping and orchestrate people into the thread below. *keeps you on toes*]

"Do you have any plans for just we might do, Captain? Seein' as how Will's a skilled seaman now and how he's got more guns than nearly any ship at sea and we don't have any?" Not that he thinks those are reasons not to try something.

"Think we could manage somethin', shi a. We're certainly not the only ships in these waters."

Mal turns away from the others on the boat, leaning inward conspiratorially. "Way I figure is our best shot to board would be straight from the water. We got to find somethin' for hooks; maybe we can climb up?"

"Aye, that would be possible. And the closer we get, the less of a target we'd be for anything he has. There are advantages to bein' small.

"And unless he's changed his methods, he maintains but a small crew and won't really seek to harm us." In truth, both assumptions are not based on anything Gibbs knows for certain. But he truly thinks he has Will's measure (merely from how Elizabeth talked of him).

Mal nods, looking back up at Gibbs.

Then over at Ed.

"I have a plan."

"Ah." Gibbs waits to hear it, letting a bit of suspense build, as might anyone who ever sailed under Jack Sparrow.

All he has to do is not tell Gibbs that Ed gave her the idea.

"We're faster in the lake. Let's moon 'em."

"If you say so." He's not quite sure what Mal means, but seeing as it's Mal's boat, he'll follow the orders ~~and the thread~~.

Elizabeth nods, smiling slightly.

"I am." Then, "Your husband has been of great assistance to me, but I assure you we never meant for him to be trapped in our world."

It's an apology, of sorts. Notice how she made no mention of Singapore.

Inara's expression doesn't change from one of pleasantness. "I'm sure you didn't. I'm sure I should have knew what I was getting into when I married him."

"Probably," Elizabeth agrees. "They likely say the same of us."

A nod.

"At least it's not boring."

Inara smiles. "That is certainly true."

She holds up her water gun. "I have to say that I like these sort of weapons better than the ones we normally carry." She tilts her head. "I'm more of a swordsman than a marksman, though."

Interest registers on Elizabeth's features. Its sudden appearance might suggest she wasn't fully engaged in the conversation before now. Elizabeth isn't very good at conversing with other women, save for Tonks.

"As am I. Pistols make useful clubs when necessary, but I will always prefer my blade. Will made mine," she says proudly.

Thoughtful, Elizabeth eyes him again.

"Has it? I was momentarily concerned I'd been working you too hard."

"Since when has any pirate ever worked too hard?" The respect he has for her is still there, but his smile might say that he doesn't regard her as quite being his captain today.

"I seem to be back in a time a bit. Bar magic, no doubt. And I do seem to recall that someone did once tell that happened. I suppose it should bother me, but after all the things we've seen, I guess I'm used to it." Or good at pretending he is.

The change is noted. Whatever strangeness this is, she breezes right past it and asks, "Where are you now?"

Her heart speeds up a bit at the thought that he knows what lies in store for them.

"Kingston. Still putting to sea from time to time, since we can never get it out of our blood, but Kingston is kind to me, and if I want to act as just another aging gentleman author, I can do that." He smiles with something he rarely shows...pride.

"Author?" she blurts out, not at all apologetic for her shock. Of all the things she expected him to say, that was far from the list.

"That's how you reacted the first time I told you, too." Or pretended to? "Someone in a place called Charleston, in the Carolina colonies, had the fool notion that my tales of sailing with Jack would be something people would want to read in his newspaper. And before long, he was payin' me to tell not just the tales but the Code itself.

"Or that part of it that the Code permits to be told to landlubbers."

Elizabeth's eyes narrow.

"Sailing," she drawls, "with Jack."

This bodes ill for her future successes.

"No offense, Captain, but his legend will only grow. Not that yours won't, but Jack is...Captain Jack Sparrow." He pauses. "Not that I've seen much of him all these years." That much he can say, but feels that he'd be ill advised to add more.