The next day Rain woke early. She lay still for a moment, thinking about her discussion with Mal and Simon. She hadn't been lying when she'd said that she had no problem being a thief. Especially if it meant sticking is to the Alliance, the bastards who had killed her father and her uncle. Rain may not have fought in the war, but she would always consider herself a Browncoat.
Shaking herself out of her reverie, she got up and rummaged through her packs. Pulling out the sack of flour and a few other things, she took them and went to make breakfast.
She was in the middle of mixing ingredients for dough when River came in. "'Morning," Rain called out.
River paused. "Good morning," she finally said.
Rain smiled. "Would you like to learn how to make bread? I realize flour is rare, but occasionally you get lucky."
"Alright." She came behind the counter, watching what Rain did, following her directions. Slowly she began to smile, and even laughed when Rain tossed a bit of flour at her.
"Well ain't that a happy sight Zoë?"
"It's definitely been awhile, sir."
Mal and Zoë walked in together, both sniffing the air. "I can't say I regret hiring you. We've all been missin' real food."
Jade came in next. "You're making bread?" he poured himself a drink before sitting at the table. Rather than take a sip, he watched River's graceful moves about the galley. Seeing this, Rain had to wonder if Jade knew about anything yet. Then she sighed and got back to baking
After everyone was finished with breakfast, Mal had them stay seated while he stood and leaned against the wall. "We're heading toward Persephone. It seems Badger has a job for us. But, being Badger, he refuses to tell what it is by wave."
"Typical Badger," Zoë said with a sigh. "He say how good it pays?"
Mal smiled. "The way her tells, we'll be flying happy for awhile after."
None of the original crew bothered to mention how often it was that things actually went the way they were told.
"How long will it take to get there?" Rain asked.
"'Bout a week," Jade answered. "It's a relatively short, simple trip."
Jayne looked at Mal. "Who we bringin'?"
"I thought we'd bring out new recruit to meet Badger. And depending on the job, we'll probably need River."
Simon tensed in his seat across from Rain, but he stayed silent. She wondered is she should tell Mal her other ability, to save River from being needed. But in the end, she too stayed silent.
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Rain was in the cargo bay again. It was the only place with enough space for her to practice with her sais. Fighting with them was like dancing. Of course, she was unable to actually dance. The only time she had any grace was when she held the gleaming blades in her hands.
From her perch on a railing above, River watched the woman train. The steps were familiar, in a detached sort of way. She wished she could be down there, practicing as well. But she knew what everyone would say, even Rain. Her brother and the others would tell her 'no touching weapons.' And Rain, she'd probably stop what she was doing and look at River strangely.
Knowing she'd let herself go rusty, and worried that it would get someone killed, Rain worked on her moves for over an hour. At one point she lost her footing and fell on her butt. From her new vantage point she could see River, sitting on one of the highest railings. "I guess I'm no the only one who prefers the open space in here."
For a moment River did nothing. Then she slid the ten feet to the floor. "It's nice," she said.
Rain wasn't sure what to do now. It was one thing when they had been in the galley together. She'd known what to do. But now everything Simon had told her the night before came flooding back, and she didn't have a clue what to do about it.
"It's alright," River said quietly. "You don't have to be polite about it. I know Simon told you."
"I thought you couldn't read me."
She nodded. "No, I can't. But I can read my brother. I knew he wouldn't be able to go long without telling the two of you. As much as he tries to protect me with his lies to others, it kills him to do it."
"Jade can be that way too. He's the closest thing I have to a sibling. That's why he tends to brag about me all the time. He has a mostly honest soul, which is why I have to shut him up so often."
River studied her for a moment, then those deep, intelligent brown eyes widened. "Now it comes clear. You're a reader as well."
"Yes, I am. And you've already figured out that that's why you can't read me." She sighed and relaxed against the floor. She closed her eyes, but still knew when River came to sit beside her. "So how often do you do your exercises?"
River cocked her head in confusion. "Exercises?"
"To help control the voices." And then what River had told her the day before repeated in her head. Mad they call her, but they're wrong. Only a little insane. It's the voices that drive her to it. "You never learned how to control them, did you?"
"I never had to. Not until the Academy."
Rain ran it through her mind. What had kept them at bay before control had been stripped from her. "Do you have any idea how it worked before?"
She watched as River thought about it. And it struck her suddenly. She wanted to help this girl that she barely knew.
"I don't know. It was never something I had to think about."
"Maybe that's just it. You had control over your mind so you never had to worry about it. But then they…"
"It's alright. You can say it. They cut my brain open, they messed it up. But there's no way to fix it."
"No, I think there might be. They only took away the natural control you had. You were lucky to have been born with it innately. Most aren't. I had to learn control through exercises and practice and my small store of patience."
"Do you think I can learn?"
Rain thought it through. What she wouldn't give to be even a semblance of a normal girl again. She smiled. "When do we start?"
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