Session 12: Body Language
Sex was shiny, no two ways about it. And it left her feeling shiny for hours after the fact, glowing a little. Sometimes she though she was gleaming audibly, twinkling like stars whenever people looked at her.
Well, there were worse ways to be feeling.
She was still humming to herself as she took a seat at the large table near the kitchen. Simon, Inara, and Book were preparing dinner tonight, but Simon kept sneaking her glances and then looking away when she caught his eye. Inara kept glancing their way too, and smirking. Kaylee grinned back.
Well, someone had to be in a good mood, way this table was looking.
Mal and Jayne both looked like they'd swallowed something that was trying to fight its way out of their throats. Mal kept looking every which way but the scantily-clad gorgeous woman sitting at the table's far end. Jayne kept alternating between glaring at the woman and glaring at her tits. Hard to blame him, though. They were right there.
The only positive part of all this was River, Ed, and Ein, skittering around and under the table and surfacing only briefly all across the room. But based on the way Zoe's eyes kept darting after them, Kaylee suspected she might be the only one who thought it was that funny. Except for Wash, who kept giggling whenever River or Ed's head slowly emerged from between someone's legs or at the side of the table.
"So," Faye mused, eating cheerfully from the bowl of gruel in front of her. "Persephone."
"Yeah, why exactly are we headed back there?" Wash asked. "I have these dim memories of us getting shot at. Anyone else remember that?"
"In all fairness, honey, that's a long list of planets," Zoe said.
"Seems to be a theme on the ships I ride on," Faye said.
"Feel free to get off anytime," Mal said.
"Was that an offer?" Faye asked. Back by the bar, Inara blanched, and Kaylee couldn't help but grin wider.
"Come again?" Mal said, blinking.
"Seriously, Mr. Reynolds," Faye said. "Control yourself."
Kaylee giggled. Faye's eyes flickered her way, and her smirk widened a bit.
"Lotta places we could drop you between here and Persephone," Jayne growled. "Lotta space out there. Plenty of room."
"You're welcome to try, Jayne," she said, smirking. "It went so well for you last time." Jayne grimaced, and Faye's smirk widened still further. "But I was thinking of something else, actually. I assume you had help from some Soryev officials in robbing from the Geppetto?"
The room went silent, and even Kaylee's inner shine dulled a little. All eyes were fixed on Faye.
"That's quite an assumption to make," Mal said.
"It's correct," Faye said. "I've played too many casinos in my day. I know how the game works."
"What's your point?" Zoe asked.
"My point is that they can't he happy, either," Faye said. "No one made any money off that deal. Not them, not you, not me. I think we can fix that."
A ripple stirred through the room. Even Jayne's glare softened, as he lifted his eyes back to Faye's face.
"How do you figure that?" Mal asked.
"Peresphone's got more than a couple Soryev casinos," Faye said. "Even if you're not welcome there, they don't know much about me. Let Ed and me get in, make you some money. The Soryev officials can catch us, crack down on us, confiscate some of our wealth...and then you guys show up, guns blazing, and whisk us away. Everyone gets their money."
Zoe's eyes were fixed on Faye as she said, "Could that work, sir?"
Mal rubbed his chin. "Normally I'd say no," he said. "But we've seen what Ed can do."
"Take a chance, computers dance!" Ed squeaked from the kitchen, startling a yell out of Simon. Kaylee giggled in spite of herself.
"You don't seem the type to go helping others," Zoe said, fixing her cold glare on Faye, but her voice wasn't quite so icy.
"I'm not," Faye agreed, shrugging. "But there's literally no way of me doing this without you. Besides, you did me the favor of giving me a ride. I don't like being in debt."
Zoe studied Faye a moment longer, then turned her eyes back to the Captain. "What do you think, sir?"
Mal rubbed at his chin. "I think we've pushed our luck plenty these past few days," he grunted. "And I think it's a dumb animal that goes back to the same watering hole it's nearly been shot at."
No one said anything for a moment. Faye's glittering eyes were fixed on the Captain.
"Then again," Mal said. "We ain't animals, and this ain't the same watering hole." A smile twitched across his face, and there was a collective rattle of anticipation from all the people nearby. "We won't be able to talk our friends at Soryev for at least a day or two, so no telling if this is a good plan or not," he mused. "But it's an idea."
He nodded gratefully at Faye, whose smile widened in turn.
"Glad we got that settled," Jayne muttered. "Can we get to the gorram food?"
"Not if you're going to ask like that," Inara huffed, sweeping into the room with a bowl stuffed with creamy white that wafted deliciously beneath Kaylee's nose. She almost didn't see the sidelong glances Inara shot at Mal and Faye, or how quickly she returned to the kitchen.
Idiots, both of them. Wasting time on games and shadows. She'd never seen either of'em look at anyone the way they looked at each other, but somehow they kept not getting it. Kept not quite saying what they should.
Well, she'd tried her best. Tried to tell Inara. If she didn't want to take the hint, so be it. Kaylee had her own business to worry about. And plenty of fruit to reap from just saying what was on her mind.
She flashed a smile at Simon, who caught her eye and gave a tenuous grin. Yeah. Probably time for a few more distractions as the night wore on.
