solarbaby614 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
solarbaby614) wrote2009-01-08 01:31 pm
solarbaby614) wrote2009-01-08 01:31 pm
Casey in 50: Stars (6/50): Beyond Wonderland
Title: Stars (6/50)
Author: Solarbaby
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Words: 1099
Summary: River talks about the stars. Casey listens. Mal joins.
Notes: Set before my fic Beyond Wonderland.
Translations: nyen ching-duh: young one, kwong-juh duh- crazy, lao deow ya- prehistoric
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
“So many.”
Casey looked up from his book in the pilot’s chair but couldn’t find the source of the voice. “Hello?” He frowned, glancing around. Okay, so maybe he had only been working on Serenity for two months but he was pretty sure that disembodied voices weren’t a normal occurrence.
“Star light, star bright…” The voice sung to itself.
He poked his head over the console and found its source. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
River looked up from where she was laying on the floor and shook her head. “Can’t sleep. Not tired.” She looked back up through the glass. “This is much more interesting. It’s a good night for stargazing.”
Sighing, he got up and moved near her, leaning against the wall. Casey pulled his knees up against his chest and rested his arms on them. “It’s always a good night for stargazing when you’re in space. No cloud coverage. No rain, no snow, no hot, no cold. And you never see them the same way no matter what route you take.” He stared up into the black.
Silence fell over the two of them before River spoke up. “They worry about you?”
“Hum? Who?” He turned to find River’s attention had been diverted from the glass ceiling to him.
“Mal and Zoe. They worry. Try not to but they do.” She smiled slightly, almost at an untold joke. “They made everyone hide the alcohol before you came on. Mal said that we didn’t need a drunk pilot but it wasn’t just it.”
“It wasn’t?” Casey expression closed off a little.
She shook her head. “No. He’s afraid you’ll drink yourself to death. Doesn’t want to bury you.”
“It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me, nyen ching-duh.” A sigh escaped him as he closed his eyes. “He doesn’t need to worry though. My sense of self-preservation might not be as strong as it once was but it’s still there.”
“Zoe says you’re suicidal. Jayne says you’re kwong-juh duh. Mal doesn’t say anything but he watches.”
Casey snorted. “That’s not creepy.” Mal… What was he going to do with that man? “None of should worry. I’ll fight as long as I have something to fight for.”
River sat up and scooted to sit beside him. She knocked his shoulder with hers. “You have us now.” He sent her a grateful look.
“What are you two doing up?”
The two turned to find Mal standing there.
She smiled up at him and motioned up. “Watching the stars. Telling their stories. Wanna join?” she offered.
“Sure.” Mal didn’t look completely sure but he took a seat across of them none the less. “What stories are you talking about?”
“The chameleon and the lion.” The startled look that Casey sent her only caused her smile to grow.
Mal frowned. “I haven’t heard that one.” He looked over to Casey. “What about you?”
“It sounds familiar.” Casey’s voice was carefully neutral.
River pointed up at a cluster of stars above them. “That’s the chameleon.” The two stared at where she was pointing before shrugging to each other. Neither could see it. “She was working for a dragon. But then she fell in love with a lion. So when she turned from the dragon he tried to kill her. But the lion saved her.”
“Let me guess, the lion killed the dragon and they lived happily ever after,” Mal said.
She shook her head. “Wrong kitty. It wasn’t the lion that killed the dragon. It was three. A tiger, a cheetah, and a jaguar.” A sad look came across her expression that disappeared as soon as it came. “But they did almost live happily ever after.”
“Almost?” Casey choked out. “Not all of them had their happy ending?”
“Not the tiger. He was broken.” She sent him a reassuring look. “But his story isn’t finished yet.”
“No?”
Mal looked over at his pilot. He took in the dark circles and pale expression. Worry tugged at him. “You should probably go to bed, Casey.”
Casey smiled at him. “You worry too much, cub.”
He raised an eyebrow at that. “Cub? Now that’s something I haven’t heard for a long time.” Mal just shook his head. “I’m not a cub anymore.”
“You’ll always be a cub to me,” The tiger informed him. “I helped raise you remember?” Mal sent him a warning look as he glanced at the girl at Casey’s side. “Don’t worry about River. You can’t really keep a secret from a Reader.”
“Casey’s lao deow ya,” She announced.
That got a sardonic look from the tiger. “Thanks.”
“His mind is usually locked but I see glimpses. Enough to know.” She searched Casey’s face with a frown, like she was trying to work some hard puzzle that was missing pieces. “Tries to keep it back. Desire to protect a tiger cub.”
A laugh escaped him. “My mind’s not a place you want to be poking around anyways.”
“Tiger cub?” Mal seemed startled, looking between the two before him. Sighing, he shook his head. “I should have seen it before. You’re both crazy.”
“Am not,” Casey denied. River just looked affronted but didn’t deny it. “I’m heading off to bed. Try and get some sleep.” He hopped up, the two calling out ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘’Night’. The tiger paused at the door and turned to look back at them. Both River and Mal had turned to look back at the stars. A soft smile crossed his face as he moved to leave. But a voice made him stop. It wasn’t directed to him but he still listened.
“We used to do this.” Mal’s voice carried. “Me and Casey. When I was little. Back on the ranch, Casey would take me outside to star out at the stars. It’s different there than out here. Staring at the stars from a planet is more… calming, I guess. They’re regular, you know. Even during the war, Casey would drag me off to see the stars.” The voice went softer. “He always took care of me, watched out for me.”
“You don’t have to worry about him.” River sounded sure. “He’ll be fine.”
“I wish I could be sure about.”
The room went silent again. Casey bit his lip. He wanted to go back in there. To reassure Mal. But he couldn’t. How could he tell Mal that he would be fine when he wasn’t even sure himself? River was right. He was broken
As he made his way back to his bunk a voice trailed after him.
“Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight…”
Author: Solarbaby
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Words: 1099
Summary: River talks about the stars. Casey listens. Mal joins.
Notes: Set before my fic Beyond Wonderland.
Translations: nyen ching-duh: young one, kwong-juh duh- crazy, lao deow ya- prehistoric
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
“So many.”
Casey looked up from his book in the pilot’s chair but couldn’t find the source of the voice. “Hello?” He frowned, glancing around. Okay, so maybe he had only been working on Serenity for two months but he was pretty sure that disembodied voices weren’t a normal occurrence.
“Star light, star bright…” The voice sung to itself.
He poked his head over the console and found its source. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
River looked up from where she was laying on the floor and shook her head. “Can’t sleep. Not tired.” She looked back up through the glass. “This is much more interesting. It’s a good night for stargazing.”
Sighing, he got up and moved near her, leaning against the wall. Casey pulled his knees up against his chest and rested his arms on them. “It’s always a good night for stargazing when you’re in space. No cloud coverage. No rain, no snow, no hot, no cold. And you never see them the same way no matter what route you take.” He stared up into the black.
Silence fell over the two of them before River spoke up. “They worry about you?”
“Hum? Who?” He turned to find River’s attention had been diverted from the glass ceiling to him.
“Mal and Zoe. They worry. Try not to but they do.” She smiled slightly, almost at an untold joke. “They made everyone hide the alcohol before you came on. Mal said that we didn’t need a drunk pilot but it wasn’t just it.”
“It wasn’t?” Casey expression closed off a little.
She shook her head. “No. He’s afraid you’ll drink yourself to death. Doesn’t want to bury you.”
“It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me, nyen ching-duh.” A sigh escaped him as he closed his eyes. “He doesn’t need to worry though. My sense of self-preservation might not be as strong as it once was but it’s still there.”
“Zoe says you’re suicidal. Jayne says you’re kwong-juh duh. Mal doesn’t say anything but he watches.”
Casey snorted. “That’s not creepy.” Mal… What was he going to do with that man? “None of should worry. I’ll fight as long as I have something to fight for.”
River sat up and scooted to sit beside him. She knocked his shoulder with hers. “You have us now.” He sent her a grateful look.
“What are you two doing up?”
The two turned to find Mal standing there.
She smiled up at him and motioned up. “Watching the stars. Telling their stories. Wanna join?” she offered.
“Sure.” Mal didn’t look completely sure but he took a seat across of them none the less. “What stories are you talking about?”
“The chameleon and the lion.” The startled look that Casey sent her only caused her smile to grow.
Mal frowned. “I haven’t heard that one.” He looked over to Casey. “What about you?”
“It sounds familiar.” Casey’s voice was carefully neutral.
River pointed up at a cluster of stars above them. “That’s the chameleon.” The two stared at where she was pointing before shrugging to each other. Neither could see it. “She was working for a dragon. But then she fell in love with a lion. So when she turned from the dragon he tried to kill her. But the lion saved her.”
“Let me guess, the lion killed the dragon and they lived happily ever after,” Mal said.
She shook her head. “Wrong kitty. It wasn’t the lion that killed the dragon. It was three. A tiger, a cheetah, and a jaguar.” A sad look came across her expression that disappeared as soon as it came. “But they did almost live happily ever after.”
“Almost?” Casey choked out. “Not all of them had their happy ending?”
“Not the tiger. He was broken.” She sent him a reassuring look. “But his story isn’t finished yet.”
“No?”
Mal looked over at his pilot. He took in the dark circles and pale expression. Worry tugged at him. “You should probably go to bed, Casey.”
Casey smiled at him. “You worry too much, cub.”
He raised an eyebrow at that. “Cub? Now that’s something I haven’t heard for a long time.” Mal just shook his head. “I’m not a cub anymore.”
“You’ll always be a cub to me,” The tiger informed him. “I helped raise you remember?” Mal sent him a warning look as he glanced at the girl at Casey’s side. “Don’t worry about River. You can’t really keep a secret from a Reader.”
“Casey’s lao deow ya,” She announced.
That got a sardonic look from the tiger. “Thanks.”
“His mind is usually locked but I see glimpses. Enough to know.” She searched Casey’s face with a frown, like she was trying to work some hard puzzle that was missing pieces. “Tries to keep it back. Desire to protect a tiger cub.”
A laugh escaped him. “My mind’s not a place you want to be poking around anyways.”
“Tiger cub?” Mal seemed startled, looking between the two before him. Sighing, he shook his head. “I should have seen it before. You’re both crazy.”
“Am not,” Casey denied. River just looked affronted but didn’t deny it. “I’m heading off to bed. Try and get some sleep.” He hopped up, the two calling out ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘’Night’. The tiger paused at the door and turned to look back at them. Both River and Mal had turned to look back at the stars. A soft smile crossed his face as he moved to leave. But a voice made him stop. It wasn’t directed to him but he still listened.
“We used to do this.” Mal’s voice carried. “Me and Casey. When I was little. Back on the ranch, Casey would take me outside to star out at the stars. It’s different there than out here. Staring at the stars from a planet is more… calming, I guess. They’re regular, you know. Even during the war, Casey would drag me off to see the stars.” The voice went softer. “He always took care of me, watched out for me.”
“You don’t have to worry about him.” River sounded sure. “He’ll be fine.”
“I wish I could be sure about.”
The room went silent again. Casey bit his lip. He wanted to go back in there. To reassure Mal. But he couldn’t. How could he tell Mal that he would be fine when he wasn’t even sure himself? River was right. He was broken
As he made his way back to his bunk a voice trailed after him.
“Starlight, star bright, first star I see tonight…”
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