Enter Mal Reynolds.

[badinlatin]

The hatch opens and Mal rights himself, somewhere in the back of his mind double-checking that his gun is still on his hip. The corridor wasn't a corridor anymore, and instead of seeing anyone he recognized he saw a wide expanse of people, and...rats? Blinking, wondering if he had kissed anyone lately, Mal came to the realization that he was perfectly capable of eloquently explaining his confusion at this particular juncture.

"Huh."

If he recognized nothing else, he recognized a bar in the corner opposite to the door he had just walked through. At least this place has one. Find a stool, figure out where you are. Good plan.

[OOC: First ever intro post for mun. >.O; Gentleness appreciated?]

[[Summary: Snow gives Mal all the necessary information, Mal chats up Richard and tries Scotch, enters into a bit of a still ongoing dancing around with Ace, and begins a convo with Raph. And then there is River, Roland, and the bit where Mal finds out what gunslingers are and all that. Yeah.]]

Comments

[lastgunslinger]

"She's a gunslinger." Peaceful. "As am I. We met here."

It's kind of scary how much Roland and River sound alike, sometimes.

Also with the lack of useful information.

[badinlatin]

"[Hold on a second here.] What is a gunslinger? You mean what the Alliance did to her?"

[river_meimei]

See River. See River flinch.

She pulls back a little, looking at the bar. Her hair hangs over her face.

"Not relevant. It's an unrelated subject."

[lastgunslinger]

Quietly, almost soothing, "She says true." He looks at Mal. "You know what knights are?"

[badinlatin]

"Yeah, Earth legend, lotsa armor, be nice to women, all the stuff that you hear stories about but never see, that?"

[lastgunslinger]

"That," Roland agrees. "Gunslingers are like that. A code of honor." Pause. "No armor, though. Guns."

[river_meimei]

"The armor would clank. It's impractical. Doesn't wear well in a bar."

She's slowly relaxing, but still looking away from them.

[badinlatin]

"Ok." Mal can handle that. "Honor is good." All this new information, River, gunslingers, bar at the end of the universe, all is well and good, if not all at once.

[lastgunslinger]

Something perilously close to a smirk.

"It is." Pause. "You're taking this better than sai Wash said you would, sai Mal."

Roland is a tricksy old man.

[badinlatin]

"Oh Wash had words with you about me? Happy to know I exceeded expectations."

A slight relaxing of the shoulders...Mal should be okay with everything. At least, ok for now.

[lastgunslinger]

"Said you wouldn't like the idea of an eighteen-year-old getting in swordfights and winning."

A small smile at River.

[river_meimei]

River eyes him.

"You lost your tact," she informs him. "Check the couch cushions."

[badinlatin]

Memories of past sort-of swordfights. "I never heard nothing about River gettin' in swordfights. When was she in a sword fight?"

[lastgunslinger]

"Month or so ago. With me."

He'll leave Anthy out of it, for now. It's the man's first night after all.

[badinlatin]

A bit of furrowing of the brow. The image of River with a real sword in her hand makes Mal wonder exactly how many drinks he's had tonight. "Not exactly sure I'm needing all of those details at the moment, but I might be after 'em later."

Wariness is finally beginning to sink into Mal in earnest at this point.

[lastgunslinger]

"Come find me, then. I'm Bound here."

He almost says and Simon Tam knows most of what there is to know -- but Mal can find that out for himself when he goes back, can't he.

"Room 99, upstairs."

[badinlatin]

"I'll remember that." A slight tilt of the head. "Thank you for the drink."

[river_meimei]

"He talks," River says helpfully. "Tells tales. Not always the ones you think you hear. Gotta pay attention."

She's probably talking to Mal. Possibly to both of them. Possibly to the bar.

[lastgunslinger]

Roland looks at River for a moment, but then says, "Not me. The bar."

Pause.

"Nice coat."

[badinlatin]

He had never seen a coat that matched so closely in color to his own. "Had it 'round for awhile. Xiexie."

Mal tried to keep what River had just said at the front of his mind. Months of her bein' cryptic around his ship gave him practice in understanding what she meant. He hoped, anyway.

[river_meimei]

Oh, we all hope that. And then she goes all whimsical in the brainpan again.

"It was on sale," she tells Roland earnestly.

Maybe a little mock-earnestly. It's hard to tell, with River.

[lastgunslinger]

"Do you say so." A touch of dryness.

Then Roland looks at Mal for a moment --

-- and then he drinks his graf, saying idly, "Sai Mal, my name is Roland Deschain, and I'd not harm you and yours. Nor would any of my tet. River is a friend of mine."

The undercurrent: And we protect our own.

[badinlatin]

"Good to know, Roland Deschain. Any friend of River's is an acquaintance of mine."

[river_meimei]

"Just did," she tells Roland. Duh.

Then, "They roll on together. It's what the engine does. Keeps turning."