THE ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Two– A Friendly Ship
Panting, Simon– with Kaylee at his heels– found his way to the door of seedy-looking saloon that River had disappeared through just a moment before. He hesitated, and raised his hand to knock. Laughing, Kaylee pushed him through the swinging wooden door and into the dimly lit room.
"River?" he asked tentatively, unwilling to move into the thick of things where men lay passed out over tables or belched loudly as women on their laps giggled. "River?"
Rolling her eyes, Kaylee grabbed Simon's arm and pulled him through the room to the back, where too young women sat– one of them leaning forward, eyes wide in amazement, the other River Tam.
"River!" Simon said, relief filling and smoothing every wrinkle across his face. "Run-tse duh fwotzoo! Oh thank you, thank you!"
River sat up straight, smiling placidly, and gestured to the girl across the table. She was hardly so calm. Her reddish-brown hair had fallen mostly out of a long plait winding like a crown around the top of her head, and her clothes– though of relatively good quality– looked like they'd serviced her for quite a long time without much of a rest. And her eyes, locked on River's face like a laser sighting, were astonished.
But in just another second, she shook her head and plastered on a smile for Simon and Kaylee. "Mornin' to you," she said with a nod. And glancing at River– "Is she... with you?"
"Yes, yes– River is my little sister. I sincerely apologize if she frightened you, or startled you. River's just very–"
"Oh no!" the girl exclaimed, standing. "It's not that at all! She just came right in here and straight to my table and said she knew a ship what'd take me to Beylix, like she'd read my very mind. Amazing. I've been tryin' to get off Santo for a month now, but there hasn't been too much traffic. Is it true? Can you take me off?"
"Why, yes– we have been looking for passengers," Simon said, nodding. "A spot recently opened up on the ship– our ship. I'm sure you'll be welcome."
"Oh, of course she'll be welcome Simon!" Kaylee interjected, taking the bemused girl's arm kindly as the young woman picked up a canvas bag, probably holding clothing and other personal effects, as well as a small crate she'd been using as a footstool. "We'll just go on back right now and talk to the Captain, and I just know he'll take you on." Kaylee turned to Simon, beaming. "Now isn't that just like River?"
Simon shrugged, but taking River's hand, he was hardly so thrilled. First, his sister had run off spouting off lines from old revolutionary rhetoric, and next, she'd picked up this poor, disheveled young local woman. It hardly seemed to fit. And yet, walking docilely beside him, River appeared completely satisfied with whatever she had accomplished during that strange excursion.
"Kaylee! Simon!"
Simon looked up sharply. It was Mal's voice, coming from just a few yards away. He and Zoë, fully armed, merged onto their path from a side street. They looked flushed, as though they'd been walking for a while under the hot Santo sun.
"Hi Captain!" Kaylee exclaimed. "Guess what we found? Passenger!" She smiled. "Well, actually, River found 'er. And she needs to get to Beylix too, just like us. Isn't it perfect?"
They had reached the blessed shade of Serenity's cargo bay by now, and River danced over to stand before the hidden compartment holding the illegal books the crew had just retrieved. Joining the conversation, she pointed happily at the girl: "Here's the rest of the cargo," she said pleasantly.
The young woman looked a little unnerved by that statement, but did her best not to balk under the captain's hard stare.
"Mornin' sir," she said. "If you're really goin' where I've been told y'are, then I'd be right thrilled to come along. I can't pay– yet– but I can promise you I'll be able to get my hands on some funds at Beylix. And if that's not enough, I can make myself useful. I can cook, clean– and I'm a good seamstress if need calls for it."
Mal looked at her carefully for a moment, then asked: "Have a name, kid?"
"Yes, sir!" she said eagerly. "My name's–"
"Wu de ma," Jayne interrupted, jumping down from his perch on top of the mule. "You're that girl from the book! The one with all the flies!"
"Sir, I'm sure you're mistaken. I only–" she tried to say, but Jayne wouldn't have it.
He pulled the small volume from his jacket pocket and opened to the first page, where the hologram girl emerged from the white paper to introduce herself.
"Jiuyang," the tinny voice said. "My name is Elizabeth Arnold. I am publishing this in support of the Independent Army..."
The image continued to flicker and speak from the book as Mal leaned closer for a better look, glancing up occasionally to compare the hologram with the flesh-and-blood girl that stood before them,
"Does look pretty similar," he pronounced finally. "May be you're right, Jayne."
Simon shook his head, incredulous. "Never thought I'd hear those words in that particular order," he muttered.
Mal took a step closer to the prospective passenger. "Hard to tell– hologram's kinda grainy-lookin'."
Jayne shook his head vehemently. "Hair's the same color," he said firmly, as if that fact made everything final.
"Yeah, but she sounds like us," Kaylee noted. "Wouldn't'cha think some famous writer'd talk real proper, like Simon and River?"
Simon seemed to emerge from his thoughts at the sound of his name. "That's it," he said, turning to the presumed Elizabeth Arnold. "That's how River found you!" In less than a minute, he'd related for the crew the story of River's strange quotations and how she'd been drawn to the lone girl in the back of the saloon. "She was quoting you because she could feel you were here," he ended, beaming at the newcomer with all the excitement of a child who had just put together an especially difficult puzzle.
"Now that makes some sense," Mal said, nodding. He glanced down at the girl. "But is it true?" You really Elizabeth Arnold? The one and only?"
The young woman glanced fearfully around the cargo bay– taking in everything from the enormous man who'd first identified her to the grim captain staring down at her. And with the most confident smile she could manage–
"Yes, sir. I am," she said. "Miss Kaylee, I am very sorry to have deceived you, but I couldn't really be myself until I was sure this Serenity you spoke of was a friendly ship– I'm not exactly on the best terms with the Alliance, as you might guess. But now, I suppose, I can speak plainly. I am Elizabeth Arnold. I have nothing now, but my previous promise stands. I can pay you when we get to Beylix... if you'll have me."
Mal smiled wryly. "'Course we'll have you. You're the famous orator. We'd be honored to take you aboard."
And as the girl smiled with relief, dropping her crate to the floor, Mal turned and beckoned to Zoë.
"What is it, Captain?" she asked.
"Give her a bunk, and get that crate stowed away," he said quietly, glancing back at Elizabeth, who stood conversing with Simon and Kaylee quite happily. "I've got a feeling she'll be a whole lot more useful to us when we get to Beylix than she even knows."