Prompt #21- Satin

Her cheek felt so soft, Jayne thought as he traced the smooth curve with his rough palm. He couldn't quite describe the way it felt and it made his brows knit. Clouds looked more woolly than soft and he'd never been close enough to any fine materials that might have helped him make his verdict.

"What's problematic?" River asked quickly, stepping back with a fearful look on her face.

Jayne shook his head. "What?"

"Jayne was smiling and now he's got," she gestured to his face, "bumpy face."

Jayne scowled, somewhat insulted. "Bumpy face?"

River rubbed at her forehead. "Lines, unhappy lines. Captain gets them when Serenity makes noises he can't hear. Kaylee gets them when she doesn't understand. Simon gets them … all the time."

"Yeah, well, that's cuz your brother ain't too bright, no matter what he thinks."

River sighed and nodded. "He takes so much looking after."

"Anyhow I weren't unhappy, just thinking is all."

"About what?"

Jayne shrugged, not wanting to tell her that he's trying to think of how soft her face is. It makes him sound like some fei fei de pi-yen and he wants to maintain at least a little dignity around her. "Nothin' important."

River twisted her hands in front of her and looked down. "Did she make an erroneous supposition in her clandestine reunion?"

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Should she not have met you here?"

River had thought after breakfast and the way he couldn't take his eyes off her that he wanted to meet again and so she had followed him to the cargo bay, but maybe she made a mistake.

"I'm glad you did, Crazy," he said gruffly, his palm reaching for her cheek again. "But I thought we was all done with the 'she' talk?"

It was River's turn to frown. "Sometimes she forgets … I forget. It's hard when you're used to pretending to be someone else."

Jayne just looked confused and River smiled at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Hell no, in fact," he gave her a wolfish smile. "Here I got me thinking you was doing things all kinda right."

She giggled at his mangling of the English language but started to move back into his arms when the doors to the shuttle opened and raised voices came out; the captain and Inara.

River gave Jayne a swift kiss to the cheek and scuttled away into the shadows as the captain and Inara headed into the cargo bay.

"I'm just saying that you need to be careful," she was saying.

"And I believe I done told you that I don't take orders on my boat!" the captain planted his hands on his hips. "I know what I'm doing, 'Nara."

"That'd be a first," she retorted. "Look, Mal, Niska has a long reach and even out here in the black he has a way of shining a torch and finding you."

"Poetic," Mal allowed her a grin and even Jayne could see her melt a little at that. "But I ain't gonna stop my business just for some cranky old psycho with an ear fixation. I got me some crime to be getting along with."

Inara sighed. "Just be careful."

Mal stepped closer, his eyes peering into hers. "Now that sounds suspiciously like concern."

Inara licked her lips and stepped closer, startling both the captain and Jayne who couldn't stop watching. She smiled, a slow languorous smile and inclined her head. "Isn't it strange how the cargo bay can twist things? Irritation can become concern and senility grows." She laughed at Mal's dumbfounded face. "I'm concerned that I'll have to reply on someone else to get me to my chosen destinations."

Mal's face darkened slightly and he gave a curt bow. "Sorry if I'm keeping you from legitimate business ventures."

He stalked off before Inara could say anything else.

She sighed. "Men!"

Then, as she turned to leave, she saw Jayne standing there. She coloured.

"Jayne, I didn't see you standing there."

He shrugged. "Don't mind me."

She waited for him to make some kind of crude comment and was surprised when that was all he said. She gave him a small smile and swept away towards the stairs, her elegant Chinese gown sweeping behind her. It fell in waves around her legs and Jayne frowned.

"Uh, Inara?"

She paused on the stairs, arching a look over her shoulder. "Yes?"

He pointed at her. "What's that stuff?"

She glanced down quickly, wondering if she'd spilt something down her gown. There was nothing there and she looked back at him. "What is what?"

"Your fancy dress, what's it made out of?"

Inara was more puzzled than ever. "Satin, it's an expensive import from Sihnon. A delicate material culminated from Earth-that-was. Why?"

Jayne shrugged, his hands going back to his weights. "Looks soft is all. S'nice."

Inara opened and closed her mouth twice but couldn't think of anything to say to that. She walked away, certain that she would never understand men ever.