Disclaimer: See chapter one.

A/N: The 'official' info I managed to dig up about the particulars of Tall Card indicate that two of the six suits are peaches and apricots. I would imagine this makes telling the two suits apart rather difficult, because the two fruit (particularly images of them) aren't all that different. Ergo, I have taken the liberty of changing apricots to cherries, just so y'all know, of course.

This isn't a particularly long chapter, but it still says a lot.

Dominoes

Chapter Eleven: A Friendly Little Game

The game started just after dinner, and was still going strong as midnight came and went. "Yer deal," Jayne passed the deck off to Wash.

"Gonna hafta take five, first – need to enter tonight's course corrections," the pilot sat the deck down and got to his feet. On standing, he yawned. "Or maybe it's time to pack it in for the night."

"I'll deal," Kaylee said, taking the deck. "You should finish your piloty things an' go ta bed."

"Yeah, mate," Paul Robak interjected. "Ya look 'bout done in. An' if I had me a bed-warmer in the shape o'yourn, I wouldn't be lookin' ta spend no more time 'an absolutely necessary outside that bed!"

Wash chuckled in agreement. "Just don't let Zoë hear you talking about her like that – she just might take offense, and I'm not too ashamed to admit that if she wanted to throw you out the airlock for it, I certainly couldn't stop her." He put the chips they were using in lieu of the traditional shipboard chores back into the case, then headed for the bridge.

Kaylee shuffled the deck and handed it off to Greg. Greg Robak cut the deck and handed it back to her. "How's… John? That's your other brother, right?" she asked.

"Passin' fair," Greg replied. "Coulda tol' him not ta go up 'gainst Jayne here, but our bitty bro never was one fer lettin' othern tell him what's what."

"Yeah, always gotta see fer himself," Paul added, shuffling the tall cards.

"Ain't that just the way of younger sibs, though?" Kaylee smiled. "Ante up, gentlemen!"

Everyone tossed a white chip into the pot, and Kaylee dealt everyone five cards. Paul opened with two more white chips. Jayne shifted his cards around and matched the bet, "Call," he said. Greg matched it as well.

Kaylee threw in a pair of chips. "Okay, what'll everyone have?"

"Two, please," Paul said, handing her his discards. Jayne took one. Greg looked agonized for a moment, then traded three of his hand for new cards.

"And dealer takes one," Kaylee switched her six of cherries for the Dragon of plums. "And…" she sat the regular deck down, then flipped the top card off the round stack with a little flourish, "oranges are Tall."

"Oranges are always Tall," River's voice drifted into the galley from a point just beyond the door.

"Hey! No comments from the peanut gallery!" Jayne hollered back.

Paul ignored the byplay and frowned at his hand. "Pass," he said, chewing on his lower lip.

Jayne rolled his eyes. "You ever place a bet ya don't gotta?" he asked, tossing a red chip into the pot.

"Not if I can help it," Paul replied.

Greg smirked and met Jayne's bet, "I see yer five, an' raise ya another five." Another red chip landed on the small pile with a plasticy clatter.

"Call," Kaylee tossed in the right amount, and all eyes landed on Paul. "Bet or fold, buddy."

"Fold," Paul laid his cards face-down on the table. "Ain't got no luck tonight."

Jayne looked at the pot, then at his hand. "Ah, hell. Call," he topped off the pot.

Greg matched it. "Okay, call all around. Let's see 'em."

"Kaylee's got two pair," River said, drifting into the room. Since she entered from the hatchway behind the mechanic, the Robaks simply assumed she spotted the cards over her shoulder.

Jayne glared at River while Kaylee nodded and laid her hand down. "Fives and sevens," she said. "How 'bout you?"

River opened her mouth, but Jayne laid his cards down fast enough she didn't get the chance to say anything. "Full house, sixes an' Dragons."

Greg scowled. "Damn it. An' here I thought I was doin' well." His hand was all bananas.

Jayne collected the pot with a smile. Granted, they weren't really playing for any reason other than to pass the time, but he always had enjoyed winning.

"You gonna join us, girlie?" Paul asked, collecting the cards for his turn to deal.

River shook her head. "Unfair."

"Ah, come on – we'll take it easy on ya iffen ya ain't played afore," Greg pressed the issue.

"Not fair to you," River replied, wandering up to the table. She picked up the round talls and flipped through them. "You shout it all, and tire my head, and…" She froze mid-word.

"River?" Kaylee looked up at her friend. She was standing still as a statue, staring at the top tall card. The mechanic reached up and laid a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "River, honey, you okay?"

"Two by two," she whispered.

"Gorram it! Not that zaogao again!" Jayne abandoned the game and strode over to River. (1. crap)

"Hands of blue, two by two," River kept repeating it, not moving anything more than her lips.

宁静

A wave bounced its way through innumerable middle-men. It took long enough that the caller was about to disconnect before he was finally landed with someone who might actually take his call. A guy who was lost in that ageless quality some folks had between thirty-five and sixty answered with a rather stern face, "You have information for me?"

The kid – he was barely twenty-two – on the other side of the screen smiled brightly. "If y'all're still lookin' for a Firefly named Serenity, I just might. I happened on this earlier today during my lunch break," he hit a button and the warrants for Simon and River Tam popped up on the screen; the most recent additions to them stated last known whereabouts: Firefly-class transport ship 'Serenity', captained by Malcolm Reynolds. Another button hit and the images disappeared revealing the youth. "I work for the Port Authority here on Persephone. Reynold's ship was here not even two days ago."

"You are certain it was Serenity?"

The kid nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Ain't many o'them Fireflies what land regularly in Eavesdown, and of them what do, only Serenity ever takes on passengers."

"They took on passengers?" the stern-faced man asked, and the kid on the other side of the screen swallowed hard.

"Yeah. Bunch of 'em, but I dunno why. Usually, they're here to repair and fuel."

"When did they depart and did they file their destination with Port Authority?"

The kid checked something on a capture film, then wrinkled his forehead. "They set out about forty hours ago, headed for Ita. If y'all's got a fast enough ship, you might could catch 'em."

"Do you know if the people we seek, the girl in particular, are still aboard?"

"Uh, sorry, but I dunno if they're still on board or not. If they are, they ain't on Reynold's manifest as either passengers or crew."

"Have you a copy of his manifest?"

The kid shook his head, "Nuh-huh! Ain't worth m'job to get caught with stuff that's s'posed to stay in the office!"

The man smiled, and it was not a comforting expression. "Thank you for your assistance," he said, reaching for the disconnect button.

"Hey! What about the rewar–" the screen went dark.

宁静

"River," Kaylee pleaded with the girl, repeating her name several times. River either couldn't hear her or wouldn't respond, she kept on with the rhyme instead. Jayne pried the cards out of the girl's hands, badly bending the top one – the plum – and tossed them on the table. "Come on, River, please!" Kaylee looked up at Jayne. "Should I go get Simon?" she stood. "I'm gonna go get Simon."

"Wait a sec," Jayne said, heading to the sink. He filled a tin cup with some cold water – which was very cold indeed, kept barely above freezing – and carried it over to where River was still doing her statue impersonation, with hands holding cards that were no longer there.

"Whacha gonna do –" Kaylee started to ask, then stopped as Jayne tossed the icy water in River's face.

River stopped speaking, coughed once, and relaxed. "Oranges are always Tall," she said once more, then dashed out of the room.

"Huh," Jayne commented, looking from the empty cup to the direction in which River had fled and back. "Iffen I'da knowed that woulda shocked her outta crazytown like that, I woulda started doin' it months ago." He tossed the cup into the sink, where it landed with a noisy rattle, then sat back down. "We gonna play or not?" he asked when three pairs of eyes landed on him.

The Robaks exchanged a look and simultaneously shook their heads. "Naw," Paul said. "Think it's time ta turn in."

As they got up from the table, Jayne looked at Kaylee, who was still standing behind her chair. "How 'bout it, Kaylee-girl? Ya tired, too?"

Kaylee shook her head, then nodded, then shrugged. "I wasn't, but now…" she slumped back into her chair and began collecting the poker chips. "How'd ya know that'd work?"

Jayne shrugged and shoved the rest of the chips on the table closer to her while he set about collecting the cards. "Didn't. Just figured iffen she was stuck in 'er own head, it couldn't hurt none."

"It was a good idea," Kaylee said, settling the chips into their case.

"It was either that or slappin' her, an' I ain't never held wi' slappin' girlfolk 'thout a damn good reason," Jayne stacked the cards and handed them over, then picked up the badly bent plum tall and tried to fold it back into shape. "Think this'un's a loss. Gonna hafta pick up a new tall deck, else plums're always gonna be too easy ta pick as Tall."

宁静

Agent 17A checked a Whirlwind out of the motor pool, while 17B gathered their field kit. Meeting at the door to the transport, they entered and lifted off, leaving word with their superiors on their latest acquisition of a possible target for River Tam. She was the priority. Her brother was slated for neutralization; having infiltrated and retrieved his sister in the manner he'd used, he couldn't be allowed to live. As it was, it would take several years to track down all his acquaintances to make sure the information on how he'd done it hadn't been spread.

They were only an hour out when they received updated orders from their higher-ups. Simon Tam – status unchanged. River Tam – capture if possible, neutralize if necessary, retrieval of intact cranium paramount. All other standing orders remain unchanged.

"Good," 17B said. "No witnesses makes retrieval easier."

"Yes," 17A replied. He patted the pocket where the neutralizer was kept. "It certainly does."

A small computer screen flashed a red-lettered display in Chinese characters. If translated to English, it would have read Time to Intercept: 23h 19m.

宁静

After saying 'goodnight' to Kaylee, Jayne headed for his own bunk. His exercise from earlier was starting to settle in his bones and sleep sounded like a pretty good idea. He pushed the hatch open and slid down the ladder.

"I was beginning to wonder if you planned on sleeping at all tonight," a female voice greeted him.

He looked around the ladder to find Lisette Sawyer, the Qianfeng's communications expert, lounging on his bed in nothing more than her panties. He grinned at her. "Well, I was tired…"

"But no longer?" she smirked.

"Hafta say 'at's a big no on that one."

"You fight like mogui de niren hua. Makes a girl wonder how you do at other physical pursuits." (2. the devil personified)

"'Tain't no need fer wonderin', I'm thinkin'," Jayne replied, pulling off his t-shirt. "Not when all ya need do is ask."

"Consider this my question, then," she gestured to her nearly naked self.

Jayne chuckled.

宁静

The icy water may have snapped her out of the daze she'd been in, but it did nothing to derail her mind's eye from the innumerable permutations of seeing what might come to pass.

Getting boarded. Sonic weapon kills everyone. Her head is removed and taken back to the laboratories.

She almost wished that more people were awake. When this happened, just about the only way to fix it was to drown the images in the thoughts/emotions/colors/sensations of other people who weren't trapped in probabilities.

A blast tears off the starboard engine, ripping the hull where the wing connects to the body of the ship. Explosive decompression takes moments. Everyone dies. Her head is retrieved and taken back to the labs.

Had she been fully capable of here-now thinking, she would have attempted hiding in Jayne's mind. But if she were fully capable of here-now, then she wouldn't be stuck in the might-be-thens.

The ship is bombarded by an EMP. They wait. Everyone dies. They take her frozen skull back to the Academy.

But then again, even hiding in someone else's mind might not be enough to stop the deluge of probabilities. It was entirely possible that her own damaged brain was actually shielding her from being completely lost to the might-bes.

Getting boarded. The Qianfeng don't take kindly to being woken in the middle of the night and kill the intruders, but not before the sonic weapon is engaged. Everyone dies. Her head remains floating in a disabled ship until some desperate scavenger decides to scrap Serenity.

She liked that possibility. Everyone still died, but in that one, the 'everyone' included them. Not to mention, her head stayed right where she wanted it kept.

The ship is hit by an EMP. When hypoxia and hypothermia have everyone on the verge of death, they pipe in sedative fog and restore life-support. They take her back to the chair and needles and fragmentary memories she doesn't want.

She shivered. Sure, everyone lived, but she went back. She didn't ever want to go back. Even if she were promised that she'd never again be bound to that chair, that she could walk in with a bomb and level the place, she wouldn't take it.

They play disabled, send out a distress beacon. Mal insists on investigating. He and Zoë are killed as they board the other ship. Jayne realizes something is wrong and sends a grenade through the airlock. They blow up.

Only if necessary. She liked the captain. She liked Zoë. They were Good People. They didn't deserve death at the hands of them.

A blast rips into the main fusion engine. It triggers a cascade failure of the containment system. Everyone within three million miles dies in a miniature supernova.

A quick, easy death. Stardust, floating in space after. No more worry for needles, for memories that don't belong to her. The probability was tempting, but she rejected it for the same reason she's rejected the rest thus far – everyone she cares about dies.

They are boarded –

A sudden surge of primal emotion shocked her mind the same way the icy water had shocked her body. The probabilities dissolved in the combined emotional/mental lust seeping from Jayne's direction.

River smiled softly, wondering if he accepted the blonde's invitation on purpose, to derail her mind, or if it was just a happy accident.

With everyone else aboard asleep or nearly so, her thinking was about as clear as possible. She climbed out of the ventilation duct and headed to her room.

She settled on her bed and started the rhythmic breathing Jayne taught her.

Moments later, she found herself inside his mental dojo. She was surprised to find that the only indicator of his real-world activities inside the room was a faintly red light streaming through the rice-paper paneling.

"It is purely physical," she realized, speaking out of habit. It didn't surprise her as much as she would have assumed, had she actually mused on Jayne's sex-life before. "His walls block everything from getting in, except for that which he carries himself into this space. And now, what I carry into this space."

She had to stretch out on the floor as even sitting seemed dizzying at her realization of the amount of trust Jayne had given her. "He trusts me not to bring anything in with me that he can't handle. That I can't handle."

She resolved to actually earn that trust in the future.


A/N2: As you might have already guessed, though I plan to take this in a Rayne-direction, they aren't going to get very far, very fast, not this early in the tale. I hope y'all are settled in – it's promising to be one heck of a long story (and far, far more complicated than I had envisioned at first). I now possess nearly thirty pages of notes. You can thank the fact that I was at the plasma place longer than usual this morning for that - they were extraordinarily busy for a Thursday.

Translations are as follows:

1.) Zaogao – 'crap', translation by Browncoats-dot-com.

2.) Mogui de niren hua – 'the devil personified', translation by Google.

Edit 01/30/18: Added in-text translations.