Inara

Inara walked aboard the ship and waited for someone to greet her. She was dressed in white with a white viel covering her face and eyes. She was here to do business but first she needed to see the man in charge.

So, she'd wait. As long as that took.
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Mal

Captain Malcolm Reynolds, captain of the Serenity, took the last steps up from the passenger hold to the rear cargo bay. He saw his first 'passenger' was waiting.

He stopped for a moment, mouth agape when he saw who it was. She was even more beautiful than he'd heard.

"You must be the Companion. I'm Malcolm Reynolds. Welcome aboard the Serenity."
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Kaylee

Kaylee walked on the Serenity and looked around she had her bag in one hand and her arm on her hip one the other side. She didn't know what to say or do when she was Mal and Inara. She stared for a moment before walking over to them.

" I was told you might need some one to fix this ship up for you, I can do that. My name is Kaylee" she said to them both.
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Mal

Before the Companion could respond, Mal was approached by another lithe figure - and quite young, by his account.

"Are you old enough ta' sign on a frigate like this, little lady?" he asked her, brow knitted with concern. "I certainly can understand the desire to fly free, but takin' you from your momma and daddy could net me a heap of trouble..."
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Inara

Inara watched the new girl walk in. She smiled politely and nodded her head.

"Good afternoon. I'm Inara. The Companion. I'm trying to get passage on Serenity, if possible.... Captain?" she asked, in form of a question to the muscular man before her who had spoken to the newcomer. She raised her white veil, revealing her sparkling eyes.
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Kaylee

Kaylee smiled to Mal " I can almost fix anything and what I don't know I can learn fast. My father taught me everything I know", she as she smiled and nodded to Inara.

"You will not get into trouble, I promise," she said innocently. "I'm a quiet girl and a good Mechanic."

She looked around. "What do you say? Can I come aboard and help you out?" she asked sweetly.

Mal

Taken aback for a moment when Inara showed her eyes, he finally got his composure up to speed.

"Um... yeah... if you can fix anything, then I got a job for you. Git yourself on to the engine room." From Kaylee he looked over to Wash. "Can you handle something like this?" he asked him, motioning with his hand at the Firefly itself.

Kaylee smiled and thanked Mal, before heading towards the engire room, She put her stuff down and looked at the engire and smiled " we will become good friends" she said as she started to look over the engire and noted in her mind what need to be looked at later, She then picked up her tools and started to fix it. She would have it up, and working as good as new. She wondered how long she had before the caption wanted to leave.

OOC: This is a joint Simon/River post from me and Darkprincess. BIC:

"They're coming," she whispered, smiling. "Traipsing down the rabbit's trail... going to fall down the hole." River began laughing wildly, head straining against the strap holding it down. "Shut her up," the doctor ordered. One of the orderlies quickly backhanded her, temporarily quieting the noise. The smile was still fixed on her face, crazy and trembling, matching her eyes. "They're coming."

Simon was stood in one of the many darkened, back alleys of the Academy. He was nervous and it was showing greatly, but he couldn't help himself. He was awaiting the delivery of a very special thing: his sister. He was disallowed any involvement in her actual removal and he hated it: relying on others in a plan that could fail at any moment. He kept nervously tapping his foot and looking around for signs of anyone. It was quiet, too quiet for his liking. Surely, there would be someone around soon. He just had to hope it wasn't somebody who worked in the Academy that turned up. He looked around the alley for something to do. There was nothing. The alley was too bare and he really couldn't see much anyway. He sighed and tapped his foot more intensely. "Come on..." he mumbled to himself, as if it would do some good.

A noise could be heard in the hallway, and the two burly orderlies exchanged a look. Then suddenly the lights flickered, and when they came back on, the doctor was lying in the corner, unconcious and tied up. One of the orderlies opened the door to their cohort while the second went to release River from her bonds. "Sorry for having to hit you," he said. "But you were giving the plan away." River just looked at him, then said, "Simon." He smiled and nodded. "That's right. We're taking you to your brother. But you've gotta be quiet." Pulling out a hypopump, he shot her full of sedative, then looked at the others. "She's ready. Let's go." Laying her on a gurney, they hustled her out of the Academy, and, running into no trouble, met Simon back in the alley.

Simon crossed his arms nervously over his chest. What was taking so damn long? Simon had never been more uneasy about something in his entire life. He continued to looked around the alleyway skitishly. Where were they? His foot was now tapping uncontrollably on the floor. Surely, they would turn up soon.

The darkness of the alley had begun to feel like it was closing in around him and Simon didn't like the feeling. It was like being locked up...like being put in a confined space...he didn't like it. He hoped that they would turn up soon. He knew he would feel better for seeing River, his precious little sister. Simon began thinking to himself about all of the possiblities of what could be taking them. Maybe they had been caught. Maybe they hadn't found River. Maybe they had been to late to help her. Maybe they had been too late to help themselves. Simon shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He found, if he thought like that, the bad would happen and that was the last thing he would want.

"Hey, Tam," the head orderly said. "You back there? We've got the goods." River was curled into a little ball on the gurney, sleepy and mumbling incoherently.

Simon heard the voice and turned hsi head towards it. He then cautiously began to move towards it. "You've got her? River?" He whispered the last word. Something had gone to plan? He scowled into the darkness. "You've really done it?" he called out. He bit his lip, curiously waiting for an answer. Surely, if they had River, she woudl have called out to him or moved to him. Had they hurt her? He uncrossed his arms from his chest and let them fall by his sides. He wanted to be better prepared for if the situation turned out to be some sort of set up to capture him or something. He swallowed, still scowling, but more deeply now. "Well?"

Relieved that the account was where he was supposed to be, the orderlies-for-hire picked River up off the gurney and carried her out to where Simon was waiting. "Yeah, we've got her," the lead said. "If you've got our money." River looked up at Simon, and smiled. "Falling falling falling," she whispered in a singsong voice. "Smack. Right into the ground." Laughing, she reached out a hand to Simon, eyes glassy and blank.

Simon smiled briefly down at River. She was alive. He swallowed and took her fragile hand for a moment. He looked at the orderlies and nodded. "Yes, I have your money..." He slowly and unwillingly let go of River's hand to move back to the place he was stood in before. He knelt down and felt around the bag he had placed it in. He then moved back to the orderlies and his sister. He held the bag out. "Here. It's all there." He took River's hand again. He held it more firmly than before. She was there. She was alive.

The lead grabbed the bag and tossed it to one of the others. "Count it," he ordered, then said to Simon, "We had to sedate her. She's out of it, but not much more than usual. Get her out of here as quickly as you can." He felt bad for the way River and the other students had been treated at the Academy, but he couldn't save them all. Besides, the money was worth saving them, one by one.

Letting Simon hold her hand for a second, River could almost feel her mind returning. "Simon," she said again. Her body began to convulse, and she shuddered in the orderlies hands. "I--I can't--" she said. Then the real River was gone, buried beneath the facade the Academy had forced on her. "The blue hands..." she whispered, then louder. "The blue hands!" Crying out, she flung herself from their hands into Simon's body, burying her face in his shoulder

Simon stumbled backwards slightly with River's sudden movement. "Whoa...River..." he said, calmly, putting his arms around her small body. "It's ok...ssshhh..." he hushed, as he began to stroke the back of her long, soft hair. "It's ok," he whispered, as if reassuring himself than her. "It's all going to be fine, I promise. You're safe now." Simon sighed with relief as he held his little sister in his arms. It had been so long since he had actually seen her. In appearance, she hadn't changed much: her hair may have gotten that bit longer and she herself may be that little bit taller, but nothing majorly significant. In mind, however, she seemed like a completely different person. She seemed to be fighting with voices in her head, seemingly just arguing with herself. Simon scowled. What the hell had they been doing to her to make her like this? Simon had no time to be asking himself this. He had to get them away from here as quickly as possible.

"We're done here," the orderly said when he got the nod from his partner. "Good luck." They headed back into the hospital to play out their end of the little game: confusing the trail from River to Simon to them.

He smelled the same. Aniseptic and pine, hospital and home. For the first time in a long time, River felt really and truly safe. But she knew, she knew what was going to happen, what was going to come after them. What was already on their trail. She let Simon comfort her for a few more seconds, waiting until the orderlies left, then looked up at him. "They're coming," she whispered for the third time that night. "Gonna come. Gonna come pop the little bubbles, drifting in the air."

Inara

Inara walked the play-by-play between the Captain and the new people on the ship.

She finally interjected, "So, are you going to let me stay on the ship, or not?" She usually was more patient but, she really needed to know so she could have her luggage be ordered here and that might take a day or two.

Mal

Mal looked over to Inara, involuntarily licking his lips as he looked at her. "Um..." He gave her the once over again, not because he needed to, but because he wanted to. "All right." He finally aquiesced to her wishes. Mal had a feeling many men did that when it came to her.

"But I make the rules - who comes and goes on my ship, I meet."

Book

Shephard Book had just gotten away from the Southdown Abby. He was ready to return to the world after being out of it for a spell. He traversed the docks to find a ship to travel on. Some guy had bothered him to take a ship called the Brutus, which made him a bit uneasy. A ship named that was surely unsafe, especially a name like that. During the reign of Caesar in the Roman Empire, Caesar had a friend named Brutus, who stabbed him in the back. That's what went through Book's mind.

"No, thanks. . ." he told the man. "I never married, so I'm not a grandpa."

Why had he called him that? Because he was old and grey? Book overlooked it and made his way around to find another ship. It was a Firefly. He had been on one years ago when he worked for the alliance. It was the best transport ship he had ridden in, though it was a long time ago. He remember so much about it, like it was yesterday. He stepped foot in the cargo hold, where he saw a few people around.

"Excuse me, but i was looking for a transport."

Wash

Rubbing at his itchy brown mustache with one hand, Hoban Washburn, pilot, jokester, and shadow-puppet aficionado yanked the sweat-soaked fabric of his Hawaiian shirt away from his body. "Geez, it's boiling around here," he said aloud, looking around for the ship he was there to see. "Tanaka said it should be somewhere in the fourth bay... oh, there! A Firefly, just what I was looking for." Satisfied with the look of the ship, Wash hoisted his heavy pack, grunting with the effort, and headed for the open cargo doors.

He walked past what appeared to be a Shepherd, and shot him a glance filled with friendly interest. Dropping his pack down with a loud thunk, he managed to get the bag to land square on his right foot. Wash began hopping around, grabbing for his injured toes. “Ai ya, huai le!” he shouted, spinning in a circle, almost toppling over due to his precariously balanced position.

Mal

Reaching out, Mal put a supportive hand on Wash's shoulder, giving him a less than optimistic look.

"I'm Malcolm Reynolds, captain of the Serenity." He looked from Wash to the Shepherd. "We don't have much use for religion on the ship, more to the cash that keeps 'er afloat..." He gave a hopeful, it not downright expectant look to the two of them.

"But if you can hold your weight and pitch in... you're welcome to sail with us."

Wash

What a way to make an entrance... good going, Wash. You were going to try and be smooth, suave, debonair on this ship, remember? Now that's down the tubes. Not that I expected anything else. Grinning at himself, Wash let go of his foot and gingergly rested his weight on it. "I'm alright now, thanks," he said. "Just a bit clumsy sometimes is all. I'm Hoban Washburne. I think Captain Tanaka told you about me?" He held out a hand for Mal to shake, still smiling, happy with his first impressions of the captain and the ship.

Mal

Mal looked the clumsy, if not capable pilot over. "He did mention you to me, yeah... can you pilot a Firefly class ship?" While Mal could get by as a pilot, he trusted someone with a bit more experience behind the wheel of his baby. He tilted his brown-haired head to Inara. "Consider also the cargo you'll be carrying... you can't exactly crash with precious things aboard 'er." Realizing what he'd just let slip, he immediately cleared his throat, posturing with his hand on his hips. "I mean, we'll have all kinds of things as we make good money in the 'verse."

Wash

Hoban became a bit more serious as he remembered that this was an interview; he wasn't just going to walk aboard and be done with it. "I can pilot anything they can put in the air," he replied. "But it would help to see the cockpit. Check out the navsat, the layout, that kind of thing."

Wash was confident in his flying ability, but not so confident that other people took care of their flight gear the way it should be taken care of. If he could look over what the current crew of Serenity had done, he would better know how they operated. Still and all, he was going to take this job; he could just feel the rightness. Besides, it wasn't every day a pilot got to take an old boat like the firefly and make it spaceworthy.

Book

Book didn't like the sound of that. He wasn't sure what this crew would be doing, but he went along with it anyway.

"Captain, I can do many things aboard one of these ships. I served on a Firefly for some time long ago. If you'd be so kind as to allow me to travel along, I won't let you down."

Book pulled out what little cash he had. He noticed the young man whom had been called Wash looking at him. Maybe a religous man wasn't so welcome after all.

Mal

The captain looked to Wash, finally giving him a slight nod. "All right, I'll take you forwards." From him, he looked back over to the preacher. "Well, Shepherd... I've never been one to impose my desires and thoughts on others - that's Alliance talk, in my book - so maybe you can see to some of the crew's spiritual needs and make yourself useful around here." His brown eyes held the Shepherd's for a moment, pushing the cash back into his hand.

"Welcome aboard." He looked over to the Companion. "The shuttle in question is right up there..." A nod of his head towards the gantry showed the way. "I'll slip back by and check on you later. Preacher, Wash... follow me..." With that, Mal headed off out of the cargo hold, taking a deep breath of Serenity...

Zoe

Zoe was moving the boxes of cargo in the cargo bay and tieing them down so they wouldnt shift about and break anything. That was the last thing they needed; broken cargo meant half to no pay. Mal trusted her to keep things in order and she intended to keep that trust. It ran deeper than just cargo runs. They had been in the war together and she had become his right arm with her loyalty and dependability he had come to value. Zoe took her job seriously no matter what it was.