taxonomites | 008: [location: serenity] & [accidental visual]

Entry tags:

008: [location: serenity] & [accidental visual]

Here is Mal, thankfully not smashing things in a rage this time around, but instead absorbed in a much more sedate activity. Said activity involves the kitchen table on board Serenity, and a frankly bizarre array of ingredients spread out across it, with a mixing jug in the middle. He appears to be doing something ungodly involving high protein milk bars, oatmeal, sarsparilla, root beer, chocolate milk and... bourbon. An educated viewer might recognize some of these as the formula for making Mudder's Milk, the local drink of Canton. An uneducated viewer might just think he has malfunctioning taste buds.

In any case, once he's done mixing the suspect concoction, he raises the jug to his mouth and takes a deep glug, before promptly spitting a large quantity of it back out again, and wiping his lips with quite evident revulsion.

"Well, if that ain't just the most disgustin' thing I ever had in my mouth."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Logical conversations are for boring people, clearly. "Thank you. I'll bear it in mind. Might even make a note of it next to my other one about how you'll kick my ass if I ever steal from you."

...Cordelia is a terrifyingly bad actress, let's not lie now.

He was aiming for that reaction, so is suitably pleased by it. He smiles, smugly. "Extremely. Does it bother you?"

"Oh, you're keeping notes? Well good for you." She grins at him. Really, Mal. You have no idea how much this lighthearted talk is needed.

And hey! It's not like Mal has seen her act, so he shouldn't... ask people like Wes and Angel to confirm how bad of an actress she is. Yes, he totally shouldn't.

Cordelia shakes her head. "No, not really. I've been surrounded by a bunch of dorks and geeks for the past few years. What's one more to add to their number?"

"I don't remember things so well in my old age. Renders it necessary." He is, for the record, lying. He's also returning the wide smile though, because lighthearted talking is a fine thing and he likes Cordelia quite a bit.

By which you of course mean he should, right?

"So, if you don't mind my askin', what makes you hang around with these 'dorks' and 'geeks' if you ain't one yourself?" He might just be implying that she's a dork there. "Other than presumably that you're all united under the great cause of goat-rescuin'?"

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything about your age," she tells him flippantly. "Although, since we're on the subject - what are you, fifty?" It's a joke. He really looks no older than forty-seven.

No! Because then she would have to kill her best friends for betraying her, and that would be quite sad.

Cordelia lifts a brow at his tone. She saw what you did there, Mal! "Do I look like a geek to you? Because I so do not. Not that I have anything against dorks and geeks." At the goat part - she chuckles a bit. He'll never let go of that one, will he? "It's a difficult job, if you must know."

"Thirty-three, last I checked." He answers, shooting her an amused look. "How about you, you must be at least fifteen, right?" This is also a joke, of the most mature kind, obviously.

Oh, well okay then. Maybe he'll ask for some non acting skills related dirt on Cordelia instead.

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much." ...and that's all he's going to say on the geek point. Also no, he won't, because it's a great source of amusement to him. "Is it now? Do they bite?"

"Don't you know it's rude to ask a lady about her age?" she says - well, not like she considers twenty-one an oldie, because there are people in Taxon older than her. This is just for the sake of being ~~difficult~~coy-ish.

Pft, he will find none. She is pristine and pure and all things synonymous to pristine and pure.

Cordelia waves a hand at that geek point, before rolling her eyes. "Mostly because they stink." Well, if goats are the metaphor for demons now, then this is actually very apt. "I usually leave it to the boys to handle them. Because of the stink."

He holds up his hands in a gesture of would-be innocence. "Apologies, Miss Chase. I'm a poorly educated brute." There's only a hint of mockery about the way he says that.

"The boys?" He asks, not sure if she means that literally or not-- because obviously she doesn't rescue goats for a living, so these 'boys' may or may not be fictional, logically.

"Yes. The boys." She smiles fondly at this part. "I have two of them here. Which... kinda makes being stuck here more bearable, to be honest." Which is true, if she somehow conveniently forgets the ugly future those two are from, and how stupid they are for signing up for that in the first place. So their ugly future? Totally their fault.

"Do you have your people here with you, too?"

"I hear ya on that." Mal nods, easily able to relate to that sentiment, given the close-knit relationships everyone has on board his ship. His jovial air fades a little though, at Cordelia's question-- he's been dealing with some departures, recently.

"Some of 'em. Less than I used to." He makes an effort to brighten, however, as he adds. "I got my pilot, Wash. River, well... I ain't too sure what office she fills. Then there's Inara," he really doesn't know how to explain her office either, especially to one not familiar with modern-day (to him!) culture and the concept of Companions. "She's our... ambassador." Yes, that works.

"Oh! You know River?" Cordelia asks, brightening up. "I've talked to her once or twice before." And she has never been more confused after having a talk with that girl.

"So... if she's one of your people, then that annoying, vest-wearing Tam is too, right?"

"Both the Tams are my people, yes." He nods, enjoying Cordelia's description of Simon-- he doesn't exactly get along with the doctor. His amusement is curbed, however, by the fact that Simon is no longer in Taxon, and all the accompanying crappiness this entails.

"River lives on my ship, as a matter of fact-- as did Simon, but he disappeared not a day ago, now."

"He--"

What is it with aliens and their habit of picking up people and discarding others? She and Simon didn't really get along well, either - something about always telling her that her home must be filled with dinosaurs, whatever - but of course she didn't want him to disappear. Cordelia doesn't want anyone in Taxon to disappear! Well, except maybe Drusilla. Or Spike. Or one of those freaky flying ubervamps.

"Oh. I'm sorry." She sighs. "I... recently lost one of my friends, too. It's never easy, is it?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

008: [location: serenity] & [accidental visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]

[visual]