Disclaimer: I don't own Firefly or Serenity.
Prompt #1: Ramble - Speaking was difficult, but they always tried to understand.
Words: 571
River Tam used to speak easily.
Before the Academy, words would flow from her lips like spring water. Her mother used to say that to hear her speak was like listening to poetry. Her father and brother would always smile when they heard her speak of things a girl her age shouldn't know with the authority of a well-versed adult. River was confident. River was clever. River was eloquent.
And now...well, as Mal would say, one out of three ain't bad.
The after-effects of a warped mind meant that her thoughts were disjointed, like shards of a broken mirror glued back into their frame. This also spread to other parts of her being. Her confidence was shot, since she always had to second-guess herself about the validity of seventy-five percent of the world around her. Her once-masterful grip on expressing herself through her words was gone, replaced with the unfiltered ramblings of a troubled girl.
Ironic. A Reader could know what everyone else wanted to hear her say, but she couldn't string a coherent sentence together to save her life.
But despite her shattered psyche, River was still clever. Clever enough to observe and deduce the important things, like the old Earth-That-Was detective she used to have Simon read to her about.
Serenity was good for her. It felt like a home, suffused with peace and love and that spark of something else that turned an outdated ship into a place people wouldn't ever dream of leaving. Better than her old home; her parents would have never understood just how broken she was and sent her away again.
She used to think Simon was all she needed, her big brother who would never abandon her to the wolves of the world, and vice versa. But now she knew that she - they - needed more. Like Kaylee, the fun-loving and mischievous sister she always wanted. Like Inara, who always wanted to help and teach her womanly things that her mother would never speak of. Like Jayne, who kept her on her toes like an irascible big brother in his own way. Like Wash, who showed her how to fly, and Zoe, who showed her how to keep the hurt inside. Like Shepherd Book, who showed her how to believe. Like Mal, who gave her a place in his crew and on his ship.
It was difficult to say what she wanted to say. River tried, she really did. But the words got jumbled together and came out in strings of gibberish, frustrating her further and making it even tougher to get her point across. Worse, it got her uncomfortable looks from the rest of the crew. But despite their discomfort, they always tried to understand her. They never gave up on her (she didn't count Jayne's attempts - fear plus greed was a powerful motivator, and who was she to argue with the human condition?)
Even after clearing her brain of the secret of Miranda, River knew she would never be as eloquent as she'd once been. But sometimes her thoughts and her words managed to make some sense. Sometimes, the crew was even around to hear it.
That's when she made sure to tell them.
Thank you for keeping me. Thank you for never giving up on me. I love you all.
Let's keep flying.
And let's begin our adventure with River! I for one am excited!
Review please!