Disclaimer: I don't own.
Prompt: #50 Spade (FF100)
A/N: Written at the request of my RL friend who wanted to see if I could write a fic with all three different uses of the word spade. I was victorious.
River sat at the galley table, pushing her protein around with a pair of chopsticks. She didn't want to eat this. It looked like mud and smelled atrocious. It wasn't natural. River wanted natural food.
She rose to her feet and floated through the hall, down the stairs, and into the cargo bay. She opened the hatch and stepped out onto Greenleaf. Greenleaf was the home to many berries and fruits. Its fertile soil allowed anything and everything to grow. River intended to utilize that knowledge.
River walked through the forest, avoiding stepping on twigs and stones. She had forgotten to wear her boots. She heard birds chirping and bugs humming. It sounded pretty. River looked to her left and saw a doe. She was regal and sleek. River wanted to talk to her, but as she approached, the doe bounded away. River gave chase, but was not fast enough.
When she stopped to regain a normalcy in breathing, she observed a spade on the ground. Why was it here? Had somebody tried to garden the forest floor? River picked up the small tool and rolled it between her fingers.
Still holding the spade in her hand, she wandered back to the ship, wondering who left it there.
River walked into the galley to see everybody was playing an ancient version of Tall Card from Earth-That-Was.
"Mei mei!" Simon ran up to her, embracing her in a hug. "Where were you? What is that?" He grabbed the spade.
"A mystery," she explained.
"You shouldn't play with that, River. You could cut yourself."
"Royal flush!" Jayne hollered, throwing down his cards.
River abandoned her rambling ge ge and walked over to see Jayne's winning hand. Each of the cards were spades. She glanced back at the spade in her brother's hand. It could hardly be a coincidence.
"You are one lucky sumbitch, Jayne," Mal grumbled as he pushed the pot towards the large merc.
"Luck? Hell, it's skill! Got it in spades!"
River froze. Spades. There it was again. That word. Spade. River was sure of it. Jayne had left the miniature shovel in the woods. But why? Why would Jayne be using a spade? He hardly seemed the type to garden. He must have buried something.
What would Jayne bury? Treasure? No. Jayne wasn't the type to bury money. He kept all of his valuables close to him. What else could he bury? A bone? No. Jayne was not a dog. Not technically.
Oh. Oh, no.
A corpse. That had to be it. Jayne had buried someone. In the woods. Where they wouldn't be found.
But, why a spade? It was much more work than a full sized shovel. Unless the grave was small. No! Jayne had killed a baby!
River stormed over to her brother and retrieved the spade. She then hurled it at Jayne.
He roared and jumped to his feet. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YER FENG LE ASS!?"
River just glared. "He forgot the third. Infant slayer!"
And with that, River stormed away, unable to be near the horrible man any longer.