Disclaimer: I don't own Firefly.

Prompt #2: Tests - Handing over the completed quiz, she couldn't help smirking.

Words: 500

As soon as the test unfolded on the screen of her desk, River Tam went to work.

She was almost insulted by how easy the questions were, but River knew better than to voice her irritation. The last time she had, it had resulted in a wave being sent to her parents and her teacher taking personal time.

Her pen flew across the screen, selecting the answers with ease. The computer could barely keep up with the speed of her selections, each ping barely audible from the one following it. She was done within a minute.

River had a huge smile on her face when she delivered the completed disk to her teacher. She didn't even stay to hear the teacher's remarks. With a light skip and a smug smile on her lips, she danced out of the classroom and headed for the school conservatory.

Once she figured out that nobody else accessed it during class time, River would come in after a test and tend her own private patch of flowers. Flowers didn't judge her intellect, or make snide remarks about being a smarty-pants, or give her odd looks when she said something somewhat strange. The conservatory was her haven.

"Silly tests, simple tests, test and test away," she said in a singsong voice as she watered the violets and azaleas and primroses. "They try and try to stump me, but I keep blowing them away."

It was incredibly infuriating. Even Simon's medical texts were as simple as coloring books to River. It was like her mind was operating on a totally different level than everyone else's, seeing patterns before others did and understanding more than any of her classmates.

River longed for stimulation. A challenge. Something interesting, for Pete's sake.

Two years later...

Adjusting the burn rate for Serenity's descent was a calculation she could do in her sleep, but River made sure to do each step with deliberate care. The old Firefly-class had her quirks, and rushing her sometimes resulted in something semi-important breaking off during landing.

This wasn't challenging by a long shot, but River Tam wasn't the precocious child she'd once been. On the contrary, she loved the procedure, the regularity, and the sameness. It served as a routine to calm her still-turbulent thoughts and keep her wandering mind focused.

"Simple and smart, simple and smart. Plenty of math and plenty of heart," she mumbled under her breath as her fingers skipped across several display screens and keyboards. "Math and heart so we don't fall apart. Ship don't fly, we all die."

"It's mighty eerie what comes outta your mouth sometimes, lil' albatross," came the lazy drawl of the Captain.

River smiled at the console. "Just passin' time as I keep us flyin'," she said in a perfect Rimworld accent.

"Can you be less creepifyin' for a spell?"

A challenge. "Maybe," she said impishly. "Won't make promises."

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