Chapter 4
The clock in her bunk said it was nearly midnight, but Buffy was having trouble sleeping. She supposed it was best they had their secret out in the open, but her slayer senses were twitching and she had a bad feeling about this. With a sigh, she gave up on sleep, grabbed her book and headed for the lounge area by the kitchen, hoping the cheerful scenery would help her relax. She had barely gotten through half a chapter when she heard a voice behind her.
"Buffy?"
The little mechanic, Kaylee, leaned hesitantly against the doorjamb. "Can I..."
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Kaylee nodded, then sat down beside her. "Sorry I told on ya."
Buffy looked up from her reading. "What's that?
"Heard you got yelled at. That was on account of me, and I'm sorry. Just...Cap had a right to know is all. We've had people before, they had secrets...that's never good."
"Look, Kaylee..."
"Shoulda just told us is all," the girl said. "Been truthful."
"Oh?" Buffy paused mid-page-turn. "Hi, we're from another dimension, and we want to rent your spaceship to hunt down our magic crystal. You would've just said oh, that's nice?"
"Well, you don't know!" Kaylee said, voice shrilling up a little. "You talk to River for 5 minutes, you'd see we're a boat that's used to things sounding odd. And you talk to the captain, you'd see he don't much care what the bauble is or why you want to have it, so long as you pay your fare up front and don't run us afoul of nobody. You shoulda...shoulda told us is all..."
Buffy put down her book with a faintly bemused smile. "Fair enough. Now if I might ask you to look at it from my point of view?"
Kaylee sighed. "I know, I know..."
"No, you don't. Do you know what a hellmouth is?"
"A...hellmouth...?"
"I used to live on one. And it's...look, you've been out here awhile, what's the scariest thing you've seen?"
"Reavers," Kaylee said at once. "Only I ain't...well, I ain't seem 'em, so much as...seen what they leave behind..."
"Okay. Now, picture a spaceship ten times the size of Serenity. And it's filled with Reavers. And then your captain tells you that you have to go in there, to the engine room, the heart of the ship. You have to go in there alone. And you have to come out again."
The girl paled so much that Buffy was afraid she had over-done it, but she pressed on. "That's what we're facing if we don't get the gem, Kaylee. I've seen it before---seen things go wrong, seen friends die. I don't want to know who we're gonna lose if we don't pull it off this time."
Kaylee closed her eyes, clearly living the image she had conjured.
"I couldn't take any chances here, you understand? I didn't know what you...this isn't my world!"
Kaylee swallowed and bit her lip, clearly fighting back tears. "I got it," she snuffled. "I got it, all right?"
"And I got it too," Buffy said, nudging the girl with an encouraging smile. "Okay?"
Kaylee sniffled again, and took a deep breath. "Okay. If you don't mind, I think I'll head on back to my bunk. Got me some nightmares about ships full of Reavers to have..."
Buffy winced. "There's no need for that. Guess I probably should have mentioned the bit about where I've been doing this since I was 15 first, huh? Kaylee, me versus Reavers? Reavers go down. You understand?"
Kaylee nodded, then sniffled again. "Night, Buffy."
"Night, Kaylee."
She returned to her book, wondering if she had done the right thing.
Their first morning on Serenity was a subdued affair. Kaylee arrived for breakfast arm in arm with Inara, who ushered her to her seat with almost maternal attentiveness. The young mechanic looked pale and twitchy, as if she hadn't slept.
"Here, -mei-mei,-" Inara cooed, pouring a mug of tea for her friend. "Drink this." She nodded good mornings to Jayne, Zoe, and Wash, who traded confused glances before wordlessly appointing Zoe to ask the requisite "Is everything okay?"
Inara's posture did not give up an inch of its controlled self-possession, but the quick, resentful glance she cast at Buffy did not go unnoticed. "Of course it is. Tea?" She held up the kettle. "There are still a few cups..."
Zoe trained her eyes one at a time on Inara, on Kaylee, on Buffy. "So I am guessing word got around about the visitors."
Kaylee attempted a brave smile. "Kinda exciting, isn't it? People from another world...probably have lots of neat stories you can tell about what things are like where you're from..."
A flat, clipped voice answered for her. "No. You've heard enough stories."
Giles turned to the new arrival with a welcoming smile. "And this must be River."
The girl looked to be about 17, and she had long, brown hair and a creepily vacant smile.
"Two by two," she said. "Shiny. It gets into you."
Buffy and Giles traded glances. Simon hustled in behind his sister, looking tense and attentive, as he always did where she was concerned. He gratefully accepted a mug of tea from Inara, then joined the growing crowd at the table. "Stories about what?"
"Kaylee was just trying to pretend our new guests aren't freaking her out," Zoe explained with a smile.
Kaylee blushed, then met Zoe's eyes with a defiant pout. "Well, she didn't keep YOU up all night with stories about Reavers!"
Even Jayne shuddered at the word, and Zoe turned her attention once again to Inara. "And you?"
"Found her awake when I came out to get tea," Inara confessed. "I let her spend the night with me. She's fine."
"Anybody else's mind just go to a fun place?" said Jayne.
"Not like that," Inara snapped. "Honestly, Jayne..." Then she adopted a sickeningly sweet smile, turned to Buffy and said "Do you have plans for the day? I know you are on restricted cortex access, but if you want to look into alternative travel off of Antigone, I would be happy to supervise a session for you."
"How generous," said Buffy, trading glances with Giles. "But actually, we're still waiting on some information. We might not need to leave this ship at all if it comes through."
Inara looked like she was about to say something when the captain slipped in behind her. "Well, then. Everyone getting along okay?"
"Yes, Captain," Kaylee said.
"Zoe?"
The first mate shrugged. "I guess."
"Shiny. Let's get on with it, then."
Giles pulled her out of the dining area as soon as the others dispersed. "Do you mind telling me what that was about?"
Buffy shrugged. "She cornered me, Giles. Guess she heard everything the captain did. Small ship, word travels fast. And she...just didn't get it, I guess. So I tried to explain it to her, you know, why we were here, why this is so important..."
"I suppose it would be futile of me to hope that perhaps this incident has finally made you see the wisdom behind the 'secret' part of the secret identity concept the council has always futilely encouraged you to understand?"
"Giles, while I am in a spaceship in another dimension tracking down a magic crystal because the council LOST it is probably not the best time to be lecturing me about the wisdom of their policies."
He sighed. "Look, I know this is...well, inter-dimensional travel makes even the best of us a trifle irritable, and it's perfectly understandable if you're feeling..."
"I am feeling like somebody pulled me out of bed at four in the morning to go on a wild goose chase. Giles, I miss my room. I miss my shower. I miss my coffee. Xander's only going to be in town for three days, and now I'm missing that too. I thought...I thought I had put the hellmouth behind me. I thought I had put the stupid council behind me."
"And me? Had you put me behind you also?"
"Oh, Giles!" She blew out an impatient breath. "Do we have to have this conversation right now? Look, you and I are good, you know we are. That's not what this is about! Just...I want to get this done, you know? And I wasn't in the mood to be challenged by a naïve little kid who has no idea what she's talking about."
"That naïve little kid is keeping this spaceship in the sky, Buffy. You might be mindful of just how much sleep you deprive her of. We'd best lie low until we reach Antigone, stick to our quarters as much as possible. Do you feel up to a little research?"
"I should have known there would be some of that. Sure, fine, I'll research."
"Very well. I shall leave Kadaari's diaries in your capable hands while I coordinate efforts on other fronts with our good friend Shepherd Book."
He walked her back to their quarters and left her to her work.
To be continued.
Chinese translations:
mei-mei (little sister)
The clock in her bunk said it was nearly midnight, but Buffy was having trouble sleeping. She supposed it was best they had their secret out in the open, but her slayer senses were twitching and she had a bad feeling about this. With a sigh, she gave up on sleep, grabbed her book and headed for the lounge area by the kitchen, hoping the cheerful scenery would help her relax. She had barely gotten through half a chapter when she heard a voice behind her.
"Buffy?"
The little mechanic, Kaylee, leaned hesitantly against the doorjamb. "Can I..."
"Huh? Oh, sure."
Kaylee nodded, then sat down beside her. "Sorry I told on ya."
Buffy looked up from her reading. "What's that?
"Heard you got yelled at. That was on account of me, and I'm sorry. Just...Cap had a right to know is all. We've had people before, they had secrets...that's never good."
"Look, Kaylee..."
"Shoulda just told us is all," the girl said. "Been truthful."
"Oh?" Buffy paused mid-page-turn. "Hi, we're from another dimension, and we want to rent your spaceship to hunt down our magic crystal. You would've just said oh, that's nice?"
"Well, you don't know!" Kaylee said, voice shrilling up a little. "You talk to River for 5 minutes, you'd see we're a boat that's used to things sounding odd. And you talk to the captain, you'd see he don't much care what the bauble is or why you want to have it, so long as you pay your fare up front and don't run us afoul of nobody. You shoulda...shoulda told us is all..."
Buffy put down her book with a faintly bemused smile. "Fair enough. Now if I might ask you to look at it from my point of view?"
Kaylee sighed. "I know, I know..."
"No, you don't. Do you know what a hellmouth is?"
"A...hellmouth...?"
"I used to live on one. And it's...look, you've been out here awhile, what's the scariest thing you've seen?"
"Reavers," Kaylee said at once. "Only I ain't...well, I ain't seem 'em, so much as...seen what they leave behind..."
"Okay. Now, picture a spaceship ten times the size of Serenity. And it's filled with Reavers. And then your captain tells you that you have to go in there, to the engine room, the heart of the ship. You have to go in there alone. And you have to come out again."
The girl paled so much that Buffy was afraid she had over-done it, but she pressed on. "That's what we're facing if we don't get the gem, Kaylee. I've seen it before---seen things go wrong, seen friends die. I don't want to know who we're gonna lose if we don't pull it off this time."
Kaylee closed her eyes, clearly living the image she had conjured.
"I couldn't take any chances here, you understand? I didn't know what you...this isn't my world!"
Kaylee swallowed and bit her lip, clearly fighting back tears. "I got it," she snuffled. "I got it, all right?"
"And I got it too," Buffy said, nudging the girl with an encouraging smile. "Okay?"
Kaylee sniffled again, and took a deep breath. "Okay. If you don't mind, I think I'll head on back to my bunk. Got me some nightmares about ships full of Reavers to have..."
Buffy winced. "There's no need for that. Guess I probably should have mentioned the bit about where I've been doing this since I was 15 first, huh? Kaylee, me versus Reavers? Reavers go down. You understand?"
Kaylee nodded, then sniffled again. "Night, Buffy."
"Night, Kaylee."
She returned to her book, wondering if she had done the right thing.
Their first morning on Serenity was a subdued affair. Kaylee arrived for breakfast arm in arm with Inara, who ushered her to her seat with almost maternal attentiveness. The young mechanic looked pale and twitchy, as if she hadn't slept.
"Here, -mei-mei,-" Inara cooed, pouring a mug of tea for her friend. "Drink this." She nodded good mornings to Jayne, Zoe, and Wash, who traded confused glances before wordlessly appointing Zoe to ask the requisite "Is everything okay?"
Inara's posture did not give up an inch of its controlled self-possession, but the quick, resentful glance she cast at Buffy did not go unnoticed. "Of course it is. Tea?" She held up the kettle. "There are still a few cups..."
Zoe trained her eyes one at a time on Inara, on Kaylee, on Buffy. "So I am guessing word got around about the visitors."
Kaylee attempted a brave smile. "Kinda exciting, isn't it? People from another world...probably have lots of neat stories you can tell about what things are like where you're from..."
A flat, clipped voice answered for her. "No. You've heard enough stories."
Giles turned to the new arrival with a welcoming smile. "And this must be River."
The girl looked to be about 17, and she had long, brown hair and a creepily vacant smile.
"Two by two," she said. "Shiny. It gets into you."
Buffy and Giles traded glances. Simon hustled in behind his sister, looking tense and attentive, as he always did where she was concerned. He gratefully accepted a mug of tea from Inara, then joined the growing crowd at the table. "Stories about what?"
"Kaylee was just trying to pretend our new guests aren't freaking her out," Zoe explained with a smile.
Kaylee blushed, then met Zoe's eyes with a defiant pout. "Well, she didn't keep YOU up all night with stories about Reavers!"
Even Jayne shuddered at the word, and Zoe turned her attention once again to Inara. "And you?"
"Found her awake when I came out to get tea," Inara confessed. "I let her spend the night with me. She's fine."
"Anybody else's mind just go to a fun place?" said Jayne.
"Not like that," Inara snapped. "Honestly, Jayne..." Then she adopted a sickeningly sweet smile, turned to Buffy and said "Do you have plans for the day? I know you are on restricted cortex access, but if you want to look into alternative travel off of Antigone, I would be happy to supervise a session for you."
"How generous," said Buffy, trading glances with Giles. "But actually, we're still waiting on some information. We might not need to leave this ship at all if it comes through."
Inara looked like she was about to say something when the captain slipped in behind her. "Well, then. Everyone getting along okay?"
"Yes, Captain," Kaylee said.
"Zoe?"
The first mate shrugged. "I guess."
"Shiny. Let's get on with it, then."
Giles pulled her out of the dining area as soon as the others dispersed. "Do you mind telling me what that was about?"
Buffy shrugged. "She cornered me, Giles. Guess she heard everything the captain did. Small ship, word travels fast. And she...just didn't get it, I guess. So I tried to explain it to her, you know, why we were here, why this is so important..."
"I suppose it would be futile of me to hope that perhaps this incident has finally made you see the wisdom behind the 'secret' part of the secret identity concept the council has always futilely encouraged you to understand?"
"Giles, while I am in a spaceship in another dimension tracking down a magic crystal because the council LOST it is probably not the best time to be lecturing me about the wisdom of their policies."
He sighed. "Look, I know this is...well, inter-dimensional travel makes even the best of us a trifle irritable, and it's perfectly understandable if you're feeling..."
"I am feeling like somebody pulled me out of bed at four in the morning to go on a wild goose chase. Giles, I miss my room. I miss my shower. I miss my coffee. Xander's only going to be in town for three days, and now I'm missing that too. I thought...I thought I had put the hellmouth behind me. I thought I had put the stupid council behind me."
"And me? Had you put me behind you also?"
"Oh, Giles!" She blew out an impatient breath. "Do we have to have this conversation right now? Look, you and I are good, you know we are. That's not what this is about! Just...I want to get this done, you know? And I wasn't in the mood to be challenged by a naïve little kid who has no idea what she's talking about."
"That naïve little kid is keeping this spaceship in the sky, Buffy. You might be mindful of just how much sleep you deprive her of. We'd best lie low until we reach Antigone, stick to our quarters as much as possible. Do you feel up to a little research?"
"I should have known there would be some of that. Sure, fine, I'll research."
"Very well. I shall leave Kadaari's diaries in your capable hands while I coordinate efforts on other fronts with our good friend Shepherd Book."
He walked her back to their quarters and left her to her work.
To be continued.
Chinese translations:
mei-mei (little sister)