42) And Their Grass Is Getting Greener Each Day
Simon, however reluctantly, had allowed Mal to leave the infirmary. He had the grand choice of resting in one of the passenger dorms or on the couch in the lounge. Climbing up and down the ladder to this bunk was beyond his capabilities at the moment, though at least he was allowed to sit upright. He expected by dinner time that Simon would allow him to climb stairs and hopefully partake of the meal like a normal person instead of an invalid.
It didn't improve his mood much to see Rick walking about as if he'd never gotten a hole shot straight through his side. Though that could be as much pride as it was health. Rick struck Mal as a man who knew the value of acting unharmed even when he was hurting.
River had given Rick a look that suggested he might want to take it easy but the only concession that man had made that Mal could see was he walked a touch slower, and he hadn't done any of his hanging from the catwalk exercises. Which he guessed for Rick was a pretty big concession.
Simon had stitched the man up once he was done with Mal, some of the fancy new dissolving stitches that wouldn't have to be removed after. Weaves, Simon had called them. He'd used the same on Mal which the Captain found a comfort. It wasn't that he disliked the infirmary, or his ship's doctor. But it seemed more often than not when something went sideways, the infirmary was where they ended up.
Mal looked up from his book as Carolyn stalked, that was really the only word for it, out of the passenger dorms, Jack following her. "Jack, I said no," She managed to make her point without shouting. "Whatever issue you've got with River, I'm not gonna try to convince Rick that he should teach you to fight."
Well, he wasn't going to be able to read with that going on. And even as he had the thought Jack turned to him. "Cap'n doncha think I'd learn better from Rick? I ain't learnin' anything useful from River."
Carolyn gave him an apologetic look, "I've gotta get up to the bridge." She aimed a narrow-eyed glare at Jack but forbore from commenting any further as she headed up the stairs.
Jack regarded him expectantly and Mal sighed. He'd known Jack didn't like River; it wasn't hard to miss for all that Jack seemed to think it was some sort of secret. She hadn't been exactly enthusiastic about his Little Albatross from the first and ever since Rick had taken a crew bunk and moved out of the passenger dorms Jack had been positively sulky. Which was sayin' something as she hadn't exactly been a ray of sunshine about River before.
"Jackie girl," Mal pointed at the ottoman in front of the couch. "Have a seat." She sat, albeit with a deliberate (or so it seemed) lack of grace and looked at him. The girl wore her attitude like a flak jacket. "Now I thought we'd talked about why it was needful for you to learn from River way back after we first took ya'll on as crew?" He rubbed his chin, "Or am I misremembering?"
"No, we talked about it," She wasn't quite grumping at him, but she wasn't exactly worrying about offending him with her tone either. "I'm not learning anything useful."
"Because she's not teachin' you anything useful or because you don't want her teaching you at all," He was pretty sure it was the latter and not the former but getting Jack to admit it would be the tough part.
"I liked learning with Inara," Jack gave half an answer. "I understood what she was trying to do."
"Well, we're a little thin on the ground as far as Companions go," Mal shook his head. "I can see you not wanting to learn. Nobody's put a gun in Kaylee's hand and forced her to use it, nor thrown her into a fist fight. She don't like violence an' she don't deal with it well and that's fine. That's Kaylee." He regarded his youngest quasi-crew member, "But you ain't Kaylee. You want to fight, practically spoilin' for one it seems."
"I want Rick to teach me, I've seen what he can do," Jack burst out as he looked at her, trying to figure out where to go with this conversation.
"And what'd he say when you proposed that notion," Mal wondered when this conversation had taken place and vaguely remembered something of the sort while he'd been waiting for the drugs Simon had doped him with to take effect (well, more of an effect since his memory was a bit dim on the subject).
"He said he wasn't a teacher and that it was a rotten idea," Jack sulked.
"And did he say why that was?"
"I believe I said it was because I don't pull my punches," Rick walked into the lounge on those silent feet of his and aimed a cold glare at Jack. "I also said you'd better not try to convince Mal it was a good idea, so that he'd order me to do it. Because you'd end up getting beat to hell and back just so he'd see what a sōu zhǔ yi it is."
Mal was very glad he hadn't said anything to indicate he agreed with Jack's insane notion, "Did he say that Jack?"
"Yeah," How she could contrive to fill one word with enough attitude for a rant of epic proportions Mal had no notion.
"Then I ain't gonna force him to teach you, not that I was entertaining the notion anyway," Mal added with a glance at his huge pilot/gunhand. "You don't wanna learn from River that's fine. Don't. Nobody's forcin' you to learn to fight." Jack's face lightened marginally, and he sighed knowing the anger would be coming back with his next words, "But I told you before, no point in having a gun or a knife if it just gets taken away because you can't fight hand to hand."
Rick nodded semi-respectfully (though a helluva lot more than Jayne ever had) to Mal and continued on towards the passenger dorms. He was holding something, Mal could see it now, several of River's books and a pair of her shoes. Where he'd found them, Mal had no clue but when the man came back out empty handed the Captain figured he'd put them in River's dorm. Another nod and an irritated glance at Jack and Rick headed for parts elsewhere from the lounge.
"I get that makes you mighty displeased," Mal told the girl in front of him. "But you knew that already. That you needed to learn to defend yourself without weapons before you could learn to fight with them." She nodded, though reluctantly, and he continued, "Now I get that you don't like River. Haven't from that first dinner from what I could see. You mind tellin' me what the problem is Jackie girl?" He tilted his head, "She remind you of someone you didn't like back before you met Carolyn and Rick?"
She didn't deny disliking his little pilot straight off, at least she gave him that much. But she wasn't giving him any sort of explanation either and saying her name might prod her a bit in that direction (maybe). "Jack?"
"She ain't much older than me but everybody treats her like she's an adult," Jack finally admitted. "She's Core all the way through and all manners an' stuff. You listen to her like you listen to Zoë or Simon or Kaylee. Even Rick and Carolyn. Everyone listens to her." She rolled her eyes, "But she has to have time off every week and nobody else gets that. She doesn't talk straight, half the time nobody can understand her…"
She trailed off with a frown and Mal nodded his understanding before she continued, "And Rick looks at her. He watched Inara. And he teased Kaylee and Inara some. He was having sex with Carolyn, but he couldn't stop looking at River. Even when he first met her, he just kept watching her. And she knew what he meant about the cherry trees and beautiful things."
The teenager frowned (scowled really), "Everybody acts like she's better than me. Like she's twice my age. An adult. And she's not."
Mal nodded again, "That about it?" She practically pouted, looking extremely uncomfortable and he shrugged with his good shoulder (just barely remembered not to move the wounded one but he'd keep that to himself). "Jack, first of all, what we talk about, unless it's somethin' affects the ship and all the crew, I don't generally go repeatin' it. Not specifics even if there is somethin' I should be passing on to Carolyn, seein' as she's the closest you've got to a mama on the boat."
It was Jack's turn to nod, and he continued, "That bein' said, there's reasons, gorram good reasons why River is the way she is. Why she needs a rest every week or so. Why she's as respected aboard this ship as Zoë or me or any of the rest of my crew. And I am not obliged to tell you any of them." He let his expression stiffen into the stern protectiveness he'd felt for his Little Albatross since he'd let her out of her box, "Just like I don't have to explain to you why Zoë is respected aboard this ship."
He leaned forward a bit to emphasize his point, "What I will say is that the respect we accord River, that has been earned. With blood and sweat and fear. River earned her place aboard this ship. Earned her place as crew. Proved to all of us that she might look like a little girl in a lot of ways, not the least of which is she's kinda short, but she's fully capable and able to protect every single one of us. And she has. From some of the worst monsters in the 'verse."
Jack appeared about to object and Mal held up his hand to stop her, "I will tell you right now. I can see that Rick is a dangerous man. Dangerous in a way that very few people are. But he's my crew and he's used that quality of his to keep the rest of us alive more'n once. The last bein' just the other day."
He deliberately kept his tone mild even with his stiff and stern expression, "That bein' said, River is every bit as dangerous as Rick, if not more." Jack's expression was an interesting mix of disbelief, annoyance and denial and Mal sighed, "I can see you don't really believe that. An' it ain't my place to prove it to you Jack. But you don't wanna learn from River then don't." He regarded her thoughtfully, "Once Zoë's had the baby and she's up and around, I'll speak with her about teaching you. She's a damn sight more patient than I am and you might have just sprouted enough by then that you'll be close to equals in height. Closer anyway."
"Really," Jack's smile was a sight to behold. "You promise?"
"I do," Mal nodded. "I won't order her to do it, no more than I would Rick, but I'll ask her."
"That's… thanks Mal," Jack nodded.
"Rules still hold true though Jackie girl," He reminded her. "No guns, no knives, no weapons, not until you can fight without them. I ain't sayin' you gotta be brilliant but you need some knowledge, so you're prepared for folks to try and take those weapons from you."
Jack had taken off to her dorm after he'd discussed with her the things she could do to get ready for lessons. Looking on the cortex for simple exercises to increase her strength and stamina was one of them and she'd taken to that with alacrity.
Carolyn looked up as he came into the galley and gave him a tired smile, "Sorry. I meant to tell you about her 'big idea' before she got to you but work and…" She gestured at the ship around them, and Mal smiled.
"No harm done Carolyn," He smiled at her. "I told her she don't gotta train with River anymore." He filled her in on the promise he'd made and added, "I'd say the biggest problem Jack has with River is that Rick looks at River and doesn't see Jack the same way."
"She's jealous," Carolyn summarized. He got the impression his pretty blonde pilot was damn near out of patience with Jack and her little (or not so little) obsession with Rick.
"In a nutshell," He agreed. "Even if that ain't it, or all of it, Jack's not learnin' anything from River. Out of sheer stubbornness I'd say."
"I had the idea that she'd get over it if Rick 'friend-zoned' her enough," Carolyn sighed as she began to set the table. "But that idea went up in smoke after Jack invaded Rick's room at midnight."
"Give me a little time to get this shoulder up to speed again and I'll see about helping Jack with her exercises," Mal stood and began to help her with the dishes. "Had a mind to pick up some soft rubber balls. Play a game of dodgeball in the bay. It's good practice for learning to duck and evade."
"Sounds like a good idea," She nodded. "Zoë can referee."
"And River can fly the ship," Mal half smiled. "I gotta ask, you're all right with River, Carolyn?"
"I'm fine with her," She gave him a startled look. "She's probably a better pilot than I am."
"Of all of us I'd say Rick's likely the best in a pinch, most of that edge coming from experience, with River a close second," Mal agreed. "You're damn good and I'm dead last. But at least I know it. And the more you get to know Serenity the better you're getting." He rubbed a hand over her shoulder, "Ain't nothin' to go from cryo ships to live ones. Take time."
"Yeah, trust me Mal, so long as you don't fire me, I'm fine," Her smile was both humorous and (dare he think it) affectionate. "You need River and Rick on the job more, so I get plenty of practice. Though I was thinking we ought to invest in some weights, or I start doing more exercises. Holding Serenity steady during the barn swallow was not easy and I'm not exactly a ninety pound weakling."
"I'll tell Kaylee to keep a lookout for some weights and a bench," Mal nodded. It was a good notion. The weights they'd had before had been Jayne's and so was the bench (which hadn't survived Miranda and getting thrown around the hold anyway) and he'd taken them with him when he left. They might could even make a bench with a little effort. In the meantime, he'd be willing to bet River and Kaylee could come up with something workable.
Carolyn smiled, sweet and sunny, "I love my Captain." She kissed his cheek, imitating Kaylee and Mal grinned. He'd never say no to a kiss on the cheek from the pretty blonde.
Author's Note: Well Mal has put his foot down. So I guess we'll see if things improve when Jack doesn't have to have lessons with River. I mean, I understand Jack's point of view, River's looks are elegant and delicate, nothing to indicate she's more dangerous than the rest of the crew combined (with Riddick being the obvious exception there). And those looks were probably part of why the Academy wanted her in the first place. And Jack's life, at least in my mind, has been all about practicality and survival. Until she sees first hand what River is capable of doing she's never going to understand how the two of them aren't the same and thus can't be treated the same.
Chinese Translations:
sōu zhǔ yi (rotten idea)
