milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Kaylee's been in Milliways most of the day, working in the garage on her and the captain's project. She did promise. And she can try to keep her promises.

She's still exhausted. That's why it's a cup of coffee in front of her, and at the bar, her chin's in her hand.

[miniscule tag: ~~cameron "i'm a creepy damn robot" phillips~~ THE WORLD ALMANAC AND BOOK OF FACTS, Heavy Weapons Guy]

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And not getting any less creepy as time progresses.

"...I guess... whatever you think's polite." But if the girl gets fresh (or violent), there's going to be a cup of coffee in her face. "I mean. Good to be polite and all."

"Yes," Cameron agrees, very seriously. "Courtesy is important."

Her gaze moves from Kaylee's eyes to her nose; extended eye contact can also appear aggressive. "My name is Cameron."

"Gāoxìng jìandào nĭ," Kaylee says -- a little tentatively. "I'm Kaylee."

Her head cocks.

"Gāoxìng jìandào nĭ." It's an uncertain, questioning echo, but she mimics the tones and the consonants almost flawlessly.

"...yeah?" says Kaylee.

It sounded like a question. " -- oh, means 'pleased to meet you'. That's all."

"Oh." The tension in her forehead relaxes, and her mouth curves a little -- not quite a smile, but close. "Thank you for explaining."

"Sorry, that's my fault -- "

Maybe Cameron is not creepy after all!

" -- just that I ain't been in for a while, and I forget, sometimes. Normally I just try to keep it to English in here."

She tips her head to the other side, to express interest. "What language were you speaking?"

"Mandarin? I don't know -- do they have it where you come from?"

"Chinese is the third most spoken language in the United States," she says, in expressionless answer. "Although Cantonese native speakers outnumber Mandarin native speakers, Mandarin is a common secondary dialect. Do you live in China?"

"No," Kaylee tells the World Almanac and Book of Facts. "It's... gone."

The World Almanac and Book of Facts blinks at her again.

"What happened to it?"

Kaylee peers at her. "You sure you really want to know the answer to that?"

Lots of people don't. Or they think they do when they really oughtn't, because it's very depressing.

"Yes," says Cameron. She's making eye contact again, steady and unblinking. "I'm sure."

"Folks was awful to the earth," Kaylee says, "and... now nobody's left on it. Includin' China."

Cameron absorbs this news without any change of expression.

"Are you from the year 2521?"

"...2522." Now Cameron gets eyed with suspicion. "Who else you know's from then?"

"Mal Reynolds," she says; she's mimicking the rise and fall of his voice as he told her, and it sounds a little off. "Spaceship captain." A beat. "He tells jokes."

Cameron does not think they are funny jokes.

"And they're bad ones," Kaylee says, relaxing a little. "Real bad."

"Yes," Cameron agrees, in the same clear, precise tones. She sounds more like she's announcing the subject of a presentation than insulting Mal's sense of humor. "Real bad."

"...he didn't tell you the dirty one about the duck and the snake, did he?"

She cocks her head again: a short, sharp gesture, like a startled cat.

"No. He didn't." After a moment's pause -- "What is it?"

"It ain't somethin' I repeat in polite company," Kaylee says firmly. "Or in public."

Her head tilts further.

"I don't understand. Ducks and snakes aren't sexually compatible."

"That's part of the punch line. Which I'm not gonna give."