Disclaimer: I don't own Firefly.
Prompt #2: Core - It was hard to measure up to the prim and dignified girls he was so used to seeing. But she didn't stop trying.
Words: 853
Elbow on the console, her hand cradling her chin, Kaylee lazily swiped through the Core dress catalog she'd found on the Cortex. She'd never have half as many credits needed to buy any of them, but she enjoyed looking at the pretty designs. Her eyes followed the seams of the latest slinky dress up to the model's beautiful face, and she couldn't help sighing.
Core-bred girls are awful pretty, 'specially the dress-wearin' kind, she thought. All dressed up and painted pretty like Inara is when she goes out for romance, and they don't even hafta sleep with men. They can just look pretty...
The hand supporting her chin moved to rub the rough fabric of her overalls. She couldn't help fantasizing herself in one of the lovely dresses she had seen, wearing wonderfully shiny jewels like the ones Inara owned, her hair done up fancy and wearing elegant perfume. Just like how she'd been when she'd gone with the Captain to Persephone's shindig...
The fantasy was suddenly derailed by the unpleasant memory of the socialites she'd met. She'd looked just as pretty as they had, but they still made fun of her rough, uncultured ways. If that older gentleman hadn't come to her rescue so gallantly, she might've passed the entire party stuffing her face at the buffet table in misery.
Frowning slightly, Kaylee stood up and pulled out the pair of high heeled shoes she'd borrowed from Inara. She shucked off her boots, rolled up her pant legs, and slipped the pretty silver shoes on. Her feet protested when she tried to stand like the model in the catalog. It felt stiff and unnatural, put strain on her shoulders and hurt her lower back, and made her knees wobble and bend as she fought to stay erect. She gave up and leaned against Serenity's engine, heaving an exasperated sigh.
"Wou duh tian ah," she gasped. "How the hell do they stand like that in heels?"
A small chuckle drew her attention to the doorway of the engine room where Inara, dressed in her red silk Chinese house robe, was leaning. "Many girls your age have been walking in heels for almost a decade," she said. "It's really about balance and practice."
"Great," Kaylee groaned again. "Wo cao."
"I wouldn't go that far. May I ask what you're trying to do?"
"I..." It sounded stupid, but the mechanic knew Inara would never laugh at her. In many ways the Companion was like mother and sister to her, not to mention an invaluable friend when it came to female things. "Them Core models looked so graceful in the catalog in heels, so I thought..."
Inara nodded in understanding. "Well, I don't think the engine room is the proper place to wear those shoes, Kaylee. You need a flat, stable area to practice walking in heels, not the inside of a spaceship where your heel can get stuck in a grate."
"But I hafta practice before we get to Ceres!" The look in her eye made Kaylee stammer nervously, "Wh-What?"
"Oh, just that Ceres is renowned for being a popular place for, shall we say, romantic outings. There is a lovely soirée that I'm attending once we - Ah." Inara's eyebrow rose as her smile grew. "Tell me, does this sudden fascination with wearing high heels have something to do with the good doctor?"
"Wh-What makes you say that?"
A patter of bare feet on metal signaled the arrival of River. She leaned around the doorway and said, "Happy as a clam, humming and grinning wider than disappearing cats. Excited for Ceres. Even he loves a good party." Those mad-touched eyes blinked comically. "Can't wait to show you Ceres."
Unfortunately, her words didn't make Kaylee feel any better. Manners really hadn't been a big part of her formal education. Sure, she could say "please" and "thank you" and be polite enough when needed, but poise and graceful posture hadn't been necessary for a gearhead girl living on a backworld moon, and you couldn't really worry about having soft hands or light footsteps when you're tromping through the engine room to fix any number of problems with a touchy system like Serenity. She wasn't the type of girl someone could show off at a party on a respectable Core planet like Ceres.
"Doesn't want you to change for him," River stated. "Doesn't want polished china. He loves you, engine grease and all."
"I know." Gods, did she know Simon loved her. "But I still wanna try, River."
"Well then," said Inara as she clapped her hands decisively. "Why don't we go to my shuttle? Carpet is a much better practice floor than the grated floor of the engine room. I'm sure Serenity can behave herself for a time."
River nodded. "Wanna come too. We'll both learn to wobble pretty."
Kaylee smiled brightly at both her female crewmates. "Thank you."
Wou duh tian ah - "Oh my God."
Wo cao - "I'm f*cked."
Some female bonding aboard Serenity!
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