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solarbaby614) wrote2009-01-14 09:47 am
solarbaby614) wrote2009-01-14 09:47 am
Beyond Wonderland: Chapter 5
Title: Beyond Wonderland
Author: Solarbaby
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Words: 1176
Summary: The past has a way of returning. Rasey.
Spoilers: Series finale for Jungle Fury and (set after) Serenity for Firefly.
Translations: how joh bu jian- long time no see; shah muh- what; bu goh- not enough; gor’ram- damn
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Chapter 5: Comprehension
“How joh bu jian.”
RJ froze when he heard that soft voice trail across what he had thought was an empty common room. It was far more familiar than it probably should have been considering how long it had been since he had last heard it. Turning, he found the source of the voice sitting in front one of the tables, a red pencil perched over a sketch pad. “River.” He stepped towards her, only to stop when she shook her head.
“You don’t understand.” River muttered, tilting her head. “Not your fault; you were never given the chance. But you don’t still the same.”
He moved forward, not letting her warning looks stop him this time as the wolf sat down on the couch. “Everyone has been worried about you and Simon. Especially your parents.” As a frown came to her face RJ couldn’t help but notice just how much she had grown. The last time he had seen her she had just turned thirteen. Now she was all grown.
Turning back to her picture, she shrugged. “No need to worry. Simon’s taken good care of me. Like he promised.” River said that last bit with a stern look to the man. It had been something that had been drilled into them since childhood. Protect your family. Protect your pack.
It didn’t always work though. Neither RJ or her parents were exactly someone she knew she should be taking her cues from. RJ had failed. Her parents had failed, though they didn’t know it yet. They didn’t believe Simon, just the lie they had been told. River traded her red pencil for a yellow one.
“River--,” he started only to be cut off as she slammed the colored pencil down.
“You’re going to hurt him.” The girl spun around to face him, her dark hair flying. “He’s trying to be fixed, to be put back together, and it’s working. You’re going to shatter him.” A dark look crossed her face as memories she had caught came to her. Casey never let her see what went on inside his head but sometimes things leaked out. Most of them weren’t good.
“Shah muh?” RJ sent her a startled look as she snatched up another pencil when back at the picture with a ferocity he hadn’t seen before. He wondered just what she was talking about when it hit him. Casey. It was only person she could have been talking about. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
River rolled her eyes and nodded, not even sparing him a look. Brown was replaced with blue. “Yes, I do. You’re going to try but it’s bu goh.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder, frowning when she jerked away. “I’m not going to hurt him. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Like before?” She finally spared him a glance. Pain crossed his face but she didn’t stop. He had to know. What he was getting into. He didn’t understand. “They didn’t start until you arrived. The nightmares. And they’re worse. Casey hasn’t had them for months and when he did it wasn’t as bad. Memories, even ones like that, fade after a while. But you brought them back.”
RJ paled in reply and started to look like he was going to say something.
Shaking her head, she gathered her stuff together. As she passed him on the couch River handed him the picture she had been working on. He still didn’t understand but it was a start.
Gor’ram stubborn wolves.
RJ watched as she pranced out the door with a grace the seemed far too much like Casey’s for him not to take notice. His grip on the paper tightened and he looked down at the picture.
It was a picture of a wounded tiger lying on the grass with a demented looking snake above him, blood dripping from its fangs. When he looked closer, RJ could just make the outline of a wolf standing in the back ground, watching the scene with disinterest.
He waded up the picture and tossed it as far away from him as he scrambled back. Still, no matter what he did, the wolf master couldn’t get the dead look of the lifelike tiger out of his mind.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Casey couldn’t help but laugh at what Kaylee said from where she sat across from him. The two were sitting on the floor of the cockpit with a deck of cards between them. He reached down and grabbed four cards off of the face up stack. “It wasn’t that bad,” he said.
It was her turn to laugh. “I thought he was going to shoot you!” Kaylee tossed down four cards and taking one, smiling at the indignant sound she got in reply.
“Some people are so touchy.” Sighing, he looked down at his many cards and finally admitted something to himself. He sucked at this game. Casey sat down two cards, groaning when he had to pick up four more.
Kaylee giggled at his actions before lying down the rest of her cards. “I win!” she announced with a bounce.
“Gah.” The pilot swept up the cards and handed the deck over the engineer. “I suck at that game.”
Standing up, she reached over and patted him on the head. A glare was sent to her at the patronizing action which she chose to ignore. “You aren’t that bad.”
“Not ba--. I’m getting successfully worse each time I play!” Casey exclaimed. He stretched out and pulled himself up into his pilot’s chair. The chair creaked slightly in answer. She just laughed at him and waved bye before disappearing through the door.
He shook his head and turned to the console. The picture of Whittier was still sitting open on the cortex but this time the red bar in the corner had turned green. A grin crossed his face as he realized that he must have spent more time hanging out with Kaylee than he had thought.
It didn’t take long for the cortex to catch a signal and soon Casey a screen that that pronounced that it was ‘dialing’. Relaxing back in his chair, he eyes slid closed for a moment.
“What?!”
The angry female voice made Casey jerk and turn to face the screen. The woman in question was looking extremely pissed with black hair that was sticking up every which way. Guilt filled Casey as he realized he never check to see what time it was planetside. “Did I wake you?”
She blinked at him, rubbing her eyes. “Casey? You have any idea what time it is?” She didn’t even wait for him to say anything before she continued. “Of course you don’t.” There was a voice from her side of the wave that sounded like ‘who is it?’. She turned to look at that person, calling out, “It’s Casey,” before turning back to the tiger.
A sheepish look crossed his face that caused the annoyance on the woman’s face to melt away. “Sorry about this, Cam. Can I talk to Jarrod?”
Author: Solarbaby
Rating: T
Disclaimer: All I own is the plot.
Words: 1176
Summary: The past has a way of returning. Rasey.
Spoilers: Series finale for Jungle Fury and (set after) Serenity for Firefly.
Translations: how joh bu jian- long time no see; shah muh- what; bu goh- not enough; gor’ram- damn
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Chapter 5: Comprehension
“How joh bu jian.”
RJ froze when he heard that soft voice trail across what he had thought was an empty common room. It was far more familiar than it probably should have been considering how long it had been since he had last heard it. Turning, he found the source of the voice sitting in front one of the tables, a red pencil perched over a sketch pad. “River.” He stepped towards her, only to stop when she shook her head.
“You don’t understand.” River muttered, tilting her head. “Not your fault; you were never given the chance. But you don’t still the same.”
He moved forward, not letting her warning looks stop him this time as the wolf sat down on the couch. “Everyone has been worried about you and Simon. Especially your parents.” As a frown came to her face RJ couldn’t help but notice just how much she had grown. The last time he had seen her she had just turned thirteen. Now she was all grown.
Turning back to her picture, she shrugged. “No need to worry. Simon’s taken good care of me. Like he promised.” River said that last bit with a stern look to the man. It had been something that had been drilled into them since childhood. Protect your family. Protect your pack.
It didn’t always work though. Neither RJ or her parents were exactly someone she knew she should be taking her cues from. RJ had failed. Her parents had failed, though they didn’t know it yet. They didn’t believe Simon, just the lie they had been told. River traded her red pencil for a yellow one.
“River--,” he started only to be cut off as she slammed the colored pencil down.
“You’re going to hurt him.” The girl spun around to face him, her dark hair flying. “He’s trying to be fixed, to be put back together, and it’s working. You’re going to shatter him.” A dark look crossed her face as memories she had caught came to her. Casey never let her see what went on inside his head but sometimes things leaked out. Most of them weren’t good.
“Shah muh?” RJ sent her a startled look as she snatched up another pencil when back at the picture with a ferocity he hadn’t seen before. He wondered just what she was talking about when it hit him. Casey. It was only person she could have been talking about. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
River rolled her eyes and nodded, not even sparing him a look. Brown was replaced with blue. “Yes, I do. You’re going to try but it’s bu goh.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder, frowning when she jerked away. “I’m not going to hurt him. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Like before?” She finally spared him a glance. Pain crossed his face but she didn’t stop. He had to know. What he was getting into. He didn’t understand. “They didn’t start until you arrived. The nightmares. And they’re worse. Casey hasn’t had them for months and when he did it wasn’t as bad. Memories, even ones like that, fade after a while. But you brought them back.”
RJ paled in reply and started to look like he was going to say something.
Shaking her head, she gathered her stuff together. As she passed him on the couch River handed him the picture she had been working on. He still didn’t understand but it was a start.
Gor’ram stubborn wolves.
RJ watched as she pranced out the door with a grace the seemed far too much like Casey’s for him not to take notice. His grip on the paper tightened and he looked down at the picture.
It was a picture of a wounded tiger lying on the grass with a demented looking snake above him, blood dripping from its fangs. When he looked closer, RJ could just make the outline of a wolf standing in the back ground, watching the scene with disinterest.
He waded up the picture and tossed it as far away from him as he scrambled back. Still, no matter what he did, the wolf master couldn’t get the dead look of the lifelike tiger out of his mind.
oOoOoOoOoOo
Casey couldn’t help but laugh at what Kaylee said from where she sat across from him. The two were sitting on the floor of the cockpit with a deck of cards between them. He reached down and grabbed four cards off of the face up stack. “It wasn’t that bad,” he said.
It was her turn to laugh. “I thought he was going to shoot you!” Kaylee tossed down four cards and taking one, smiling at the indignant sound she got in reply.
“Some people are so touchy.” Sighing, he looked down at his many cards and finally admitted something to himself. He sucked at this game. Casey sat down two cards, groaning when he had to pick up four more.
Kaylee giggled at his actions before lying down the rest of her cards. “I win!” she announced with a bounce.
“Gah.” The pilot swept up the cards and handed the deck over the engineer. “I suck at that game.”
Standing up, she reached over and patted him on the head. A glare was sent to her at the patronizing action which she chose to ignore. “You aren’t that bad.”
“Not ba--. I’m getting successfully worse each time I play!” Casey exclaimed. He stretched out and pulled himself up into his pilot’s chair. The chair creaked slightly in answer. She just laughed at him and waved bye before disappearing through the door.
He shook his head and turned to the console. The picture of Whittier was still sitting open on the cortex but this time the red bar in the corner had turned green. A grin crossed his face as he realized that he must have spent more time hanging out with Kaylee than he had thought.
It didn’t take long for the cortex to catch a signal and soon Casey a screen that that pronounced that it was ‘dialing’. Relaxing back in his chair, he eyes slid closed for a moment.
“What?!”
The angry female voice made Casey jerk and turn to face the screen. The woman in question was looking extremely pissed with black hair that was sticking up every which way. Guilt filled Casey as he realized he never check to see what time it was planetside. “Did I wake you?”
She blinked at him, rubbing her eyes. “Casey? You have any idea what time it is?” She didn’t even wait for him to say anything before she continued. “Of course you don’t.” There was a voice from her side of the wave that sounded like ‘who is it?’. She turned to look at that person, calling out, “It’s Casey,” before turning back to the tiger.
A sheepish look crossed his face that caused the annoyance on the woman’s face to melt away. “Sorry about this, Cam. Can I talk to Jarrod?”