10 Employment
Thaïs found herself in the engine room with Kaylee the last few days before reaching Epsilom Prime. Working alongside her, talking but mostly Thaïs listened to Kaylee reminisce. She liked the red head, liked the easy manner she had and the way Kaylee made her feel at ease, as if she belonged…
"So, where all have you been?" Kaylee peeked through the wires at Thaïs who was busily re-wiring their secondary panel to save some fuel; it helped the engine run smoother and used less energy. That would give Serenity a much needed rest, her engine wouldn't have to work so hard to meet the boats needs and the captain's demands.
"Here and there." Thaïs murmured uncomfortably. "No place in particular."
"You had to 'ave seen some nice places. 'Specially growing up with Simon and River-."
"I didn't grow up with them." At least that much was true. "I lived next door for two years and caused so much trouble my parents decided it was time I went to school. I lost touch with them soon after." She hoped that was enough to satisfy the curious red head. In some ways, Thaïs thought talking to Kaylee was worse than talking to Inara. Both women had this knack of getting information out of people but where Inara used her Companion techniques Kaylee just plied her sweet charm.
"And your parents?" Kaylee turned back to her work listening. All she had were some childhood stories she managed to pry out of Simon but that didn't paint a complete picture of Thaïs and she was mighty curious about the woman.
"I have two." Thaïs replied blandly, still lying on her back and working on the wires. Kaylee laughed giving her head a little shake at the obvious reluctance Thaïs was showing in talking about her past. It only made her more curious.
"So do I but I meant where are they? Don't you ever talk to them?"
Thaïs heaved a sigh and dropped her hands to her chest. Her eyes wandered over the lazily turning engine through the holes between wires and panels, up to the metal gratings above their heads. Today was turning out to be a bad day for helping Kaylee and she regretted acting on the impulse she'd had that morning.
"No." Thaïs murmured. "I don't and they don't ask…" the words might not make sense but the feeling in her voice did and Kaylee stopped what she was doing. She cast a look in the direction of Thaïs where she lay just under the engine. Kaylee could see part of her body still clad in the dark grays and blues of Alliance but so was Simon. Maybe it was something they'd never get rid of, part of their past lives that made them who they were but no one really knew who Thaïs was.
"I'm almost done here, Kaylee." Thaïs' voice cut into her musings and Kaylee once again went back to work. They continued in silence, neither noticing the Capt. walk away.
Between Kaylee and Inara he had a vague picture of the young woman, from Simon he got childhood anecdotes and though not particularly helpful they still painted a picture of who Thaïs Fillion was or more accurately of who she had been. Mal couldn't help but be confused by the girl. From the moment she'd set foot on his boat she kept to herself and out of any ones way. She followed his rules, didn't complain and then the pirates-. He shook his head aware that she'd startled him, showing up with that traitor hog tied the way she had 'im. No, the girl was Alliance trained and maybe they'd done more than that…? Still, both her record and her said she wasn't Alliance any more but papers could be faked and what if she was there for them? Hadn't she had plenty of opportunity to kill them already? Wouldn't River had said so by now?
"Twice." That's how many times Thaïs had helped save their hides but that had only been helping herself as well. Letting her work in the engine room with Kaylee had him on edge, he kept waiting for her to sabotage them though Kaylee was careful to go over any thing Thaïs did but so far she'd found nothing out of the ordinary. Kaylee only spoke good of the young woman and Thaïs' actions re-enforced her words.
"Capt." Zoë called. The dark curls peeked out of her bunk bouncing around her shoulders as she stepped out and towards him. Mal continued to walk with Zoë falling in step. "Any ideas on how you're going to keep her on board when we reach Epsilom?"
"Not a one." he admitted with a smile. Zoë's sole response was a slight arching of her eyebrow. She heaved a silent sigh and followed Mal into the bridge.
"Still, playing it by ear, I see." She knew that him smiling meant nothing good was going to come of whatever he had in mind.
"All the time." Mal quipped sitting back in the pilots chair. He looked out into the black, where stars winked at him as they passed by lazily. It was quiet out in space and sometimes a bit lonely but he liked it, yearned for peace…
"Figure its time we got us a pilot."
Serenity would be putting down in Epsilom Prime by the end of the day and then the only passenger left on board would want to leave. Mal had a plan. Mal was hoping it would work. Mal had no idea how to broach the subject and that was the current problem.
"You want me to throw her in the brig?" Jayne asked with an evil twinkle in his eyes.
"What?" Mal questioned confused.
"The girl." Jayne replied with a scowl.
"We don't have a brig." Mal retorted. "And no, just leave her be." He threw a curious glance over his shoulder at Jayne but continued down to the cargo hold where he was sure to find Thaïs. The girl had no doubt packed up her stuff and was ready to hightail it out of there.
'To tell the Alliance?' he wondered. His forehead furrowed until his features were set in a scowl.
Thaïs did her best to stay out of the Capt's way and Zoë and Jayne… pretty much everyone aside from Kaylee because Kaylee tended to rope her into helping with repairs. Thaïs didn't mind, it just helped her stay busy, helped keep the memories at bay because lately she hadn't been able to stop the dreams. Their faces intruded, at times accusing, mostly just accusing but there was the rare smile from one of them. She liked to think they'd forgiven her-.
'No. Don't think of them. Not now.'
It wouldn't be long before they put down and once on the planet she'd be able to leave Serenity and her crew behind, screw everything else. She would look for somewhere to settle down, some where far away from the Alliance. Was there even a place like that left in the verse?
"Gods above I hope so." She whispered pulling the ties closed on her duffel then set it beside the door.
Thaïs stepped out leaving her belongings ready just inside her bunk. All she had to do now was wait to land. Once again she'd donned the fitted black trousers and polished tall boots. The leather belt looped around twice resting comfortably on her hips with the weight of her guns. The black leather vest fit snugly and comfortably over the dark gray long sleeved shirt. Thaïs opted for the short army jacket instead of her long coat.
Mal watched the young woman close the door to her bunk slipping on a pair of cut off gloves. He couldn't help noticing how much she looked like the girl in the Alliance picture with her hair pinned up.
'She could be lying. She could very well be Alliance and here I am about to make her stay. I must be out of my mind.'
Thaïs stopped short seeing Mal in the cargo hold. His face was set in harsh lines, she glanced over her shoulder wondering if there were someone else about but it was just her. She faced Mal, squaring her shoulders as he walked towards her wondering what fault he'd found with her now. She refused to give in to the sudden urge to turn and run forcing her feet to stay firmly planted on the metal grates. If any thing she seemed relaxed as Mal approached, Thaïs hooked her thumbs in the leather belt tilting her head slightly in curiosity.
"I hear you've been helping with repairs." Mal stated stopping in front of her.
"Yes." She replied quietly. She didn't say any thing about his spying or having Kaylee re-check all her work. It didn't leave the red head with much time to do repairs on her own. She knew he still didn't trust her.
'And why should he? Why should any of them trust me?'
Because it wasn't as if she'd saved or helped save their lives at least once.
"Kaylee tells me your some kind of genius-."
"Capt." Thaïs cut in with a sigh. She looked down at the grates before speaking again. "I'm sure we'll be landing soon and if you're worried I'll want to book passage be assured I won't impose on you." Thaïs let her eyes wander over the cargo hold unsure how she felt. "I'll go my way-."
"No." Mal almost shouted. He smiled uncomfortably and shook his head. "No, no, that's not- what I mean to say is we could do with a pilot." He blurted. He could've smacked himself. He hadn't planned on just throwing the offer out there but he hadn't thought of how to approach her either. He'd just assumed the girl would jump at the job offer. If she was Alliance he was giving her the perfect opportunity to take them down. If she wasn't then she was getting a good job, sort of.
"Shen me?" Thaïs frowned. "I think I misunderstood." She shook her head in disbelief a slight smile playing about her dusky lips. "Did you just offer me a job?"
"Uuh, well… yeah?" Mal scowled at his own blundering. "Yes." he stated in his Capt.'s voice and crossed his arms. "Now do you want it or n-."
"As a pilot on your ship?" Thaïs asked. "This ship?" she pointed at the grates beneath her booted feet.
"I don't have another." Mal growled absently tugging on his ear, the ear Simon had reattached to his head after-. Abruptly he let go of his ear and pushed those uncomfortable thoughts aside. He watched the girls face go blank and didn't like it. He couldn't tell what she was thinking but he knew that's' exactly what she was doing.
She kept her violet eyes on Mal's face understanding why he was making such an offer. She couldn't blame him for thinking she was a traitor but didn't you have to belong in order to betray?
He'd seemed anxious to get rid of her, they all did well maybe not the Tam's or Kaylee but Kaylee was… she was… innocent. The little red head just refused to believe the worst of people opting to give them the benefit of the doubt. Something Capt. Reynolds obviously didn't do.
"You want me where you can keep an eye on me." Thaïs stated softly. The violet eyes seemed to frost over. "Because you don't believe me, that I'm not Alliance." She crossed her arms as if daring him to deny the truth.
Mal started to deny just that, opened his mouth and began to stammer his excuse, something along the lines of it not being entirely true because they-he, he really needed a pilot only there hadn't been any one as good as her cross their path.
"You could advertise." Thaïs said in a flat voice. Mal's eyes narrowed on the girl not sure if she was toying with him. He saw her eyebrow rise; the girl knew they couldn't do that, not without putting the Tam's in danger.
"No, no I really can't. Advertising costs mon-."
"Because the Tam's have a bounty on them and you're afraid that as soon as I step foot off your boat I'm going to do jus that." Thaïs cut in harshly. She dropped her relaxed pose leaning towards Mal. "You zhenjun xingliao." Thaïs spat her voice rising though it never lost the husky tone. "What kind of echoude pengyou do you take me for? I used to sneak out just to play with that girl."
Mal could almost believe the girl was actually angry about what he implied but that gave her no right to insult him.
'Fungus fuck?'
"Since we're being honest here…" Mal began, his voice barely controlled. "No, I don't truly believe you aren't lying." He noticed the sharp inhalation and the flashing eyes. "But I do need a pilot and you seem to be wandering the verse. 'Sides I get you for a pilot I get another mechanic. Not a bad deal." Mal finished with tight smile.
"No," Thaïs scoffed crossing her arms once more. "Not a bad deal at all." She looked Mal over once again her brain working furiously. "Least of all for you. I fix your ship, fly her too and I'm somewhere you can keep an eye on me. That's not bad for a day's work, Capt."
Mal was looking smug, Thaïs could practically see him pat his back and it really annoyed her.
"You're right. Taking the jobs means we got one less thing to worry about. Least then if Alliance does catch up to us you're here to send them away." Mal didn't really believe the girl could do that. Alliance didn't leave just because, least of all when they wanted something. No, they left once they had it and everyone else was dead.
"And if I don't there's a bullet waiting for me." Thaïs took his silence as confirmation. She was sure he had his plans all laid out but was it just him or were the others in it as well?
"Or the airlock." Mal threw in with glance over his shoulder. He turned to Thaïs shrugging at her look. "I'll let you choose."
"How thoughtful." She said scathingly.
"I try." Though he was sure Inara would have a different opinion.
Thaïs dropped her arms to her sides straightening, the glint in the violet eyes would have alarmed Mal had he know Thaïs better.
"I'll stay." She said and at Mal's satisfied smile added; "If you can afford me."
"Afford-?" Mal scowled. Was the girl really gonna haggle with him over her pay?
Thaïs nodded once confirming his suspicion and his scowl deepened. The girl obviously hid some brass b- she just had some.
'Trouble. That's what I'm invitin'.' Mal thought but trouble seemed to always find him.
'Always…'