taxonomites | [ liù - Location: En Route to Caritas / Accidental Voice ]

Kaylee is not feeling well at all. She's worked too long without sleeping, and the dramatic weather changes haven't helped in the least. Overexertion, she chalked it up to. Lightheaded. Nauseous. And she's pretty sure that's a fever, on top of it. Just a matter of sleeping it off, that's been decided. Make sure everyone has what they need, and she'll be back to somebody's basement bunker for some well-deserved rest, at least for a little while.

It's after these last check-ups that she's headed back to Caritas, looking forward to crawling into whatever semi-comfortable corner she can find and just staying there for as long as she possibly can. The ATV slows to a stop, and Kaylee takes a breath.

Air.

The foul smell of said air is all it takes to set her stomach off. The ATV is left running as she slides out, stumbling for the nearest broken-down garbage can. Several moments of gagging and wasted food later, she slumps down, back against the garbage can, and laughs.

There's something to breathe. A small bit of hope, not a day too soon.

"Happy birthday to me~"

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Instinctively, Martha rested a hand on Kaylee's forehead. It was a crude way of testing a temperature, but she'd exhausted her medical supplies and hadn't had time to replenish everything that had been lost in the chose.

"It sounds like exhaustion to me," she remarked, as she lowered hand and, after a moment of consideration, stepped around the bar to get her a glass of water.

"Kinda what I figured, too." She'd been tired before, just never this tired. "Bit of rest 'n I'll be right as rain, I figure." A small laugh, "Not that we really need anymore rain after this."

"At least it'd be a change," replied Martha, giving Kaylee a light smile as she filled up the glass from the nearest tap. She slid it along the bar towards Kaylee.

"Here. I know it isn't the best thing to drink on your birthday, but it'll help."

"A welcome one, though I'd rather it be a change I knew 'bout beforehand. No more of these wacky little surprises they keep throwin' at us."

Still laughing, Kaylee takes a sip of the water. "It's better'n cough syrup, in any case. Thanks."

"I used to love cough mixture when I was little," said Martha, sitting down opposite Kaylee. She needed somewhere to rest until she was contacted by another patient, after all. "I'd always try and get my mum to give me more than I needed."

"I don't mind it so much, though I don't think I've ever looked forward to it that much." Another small sip of water. "Rather have a nice orange beforehand than the cough syrup durin', but fresh fruit ain't always easy to come by."

"In space? I'm not surprised. Did you have to eat spaceman food? Meals in tubes and things like that."

Unlike many humans, Martha had travelled through time and space. That didn't stop her from getting overly curious at times.

Yep, she's giggling now. "Protein packs, actually. Everythin' you need, in a tiny little food packet that tastes and looks like gou se, but they keep ya runnin'. Occasionally we get somethin' fresh, if a job's gone real well. Fruit's always nice..."

"I suppose that's the main thing," said Martha, wrinkling her nose. "I'd be craving fresh fruit as well."

This sort of conversation - light, easy conversation - was probably what Kaylee needed at the moment. A bit of normalcy.

"Part of the reason I planted a garden when I got here." She frowns. "Gonna have to replant everythin' after all this. Heat dried 'em out, and I don't think an after-drownin' would do 'em much good."

"That's not the only thing that'll need to be rebuilt," commented Martha, wryly. She seen the state of some of the buildings during her travels. It was a pity, really, that nobody had explained the way that things had repaired themselves after the business with the Doctor and his homemade explosives.

"With the systems down as they are, a good portion of it's probly gonna have to be built back up by hand." Kaylee frowns, putting her chin down on her arms. The idea of more work isn't exactly her favorite sounding thing right now. "Least most folks here are willin' to pitch in."

"I'll write you a doctor's note," Martha joked. "You deserve a bit of time off."

The whole city deserved that, actually. Most of them were in no state for physical labour.

"It'd be appreciated," the mechanic starts, and stops herself with another sip of water. "But I can't really be takin' a break when there's still so much to be done."

"Doctor's orders," she retorted, "You'll have to."

"Unless I'm really needed," Kaylee tacks on. Doesn't matter how tired you are, if the ship isn't running right. Still gotta fix it.

"Unless you're really needed," conceded Martha. It was obviously a battle that neither of them would be able to win. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to.

A nod. If they're able to agree on that much, Kaylee isn't about to push it for more. Besides, Mal would kill her if she started going against orders of any kind, right? Right.

"Thanks again, Martha. Don't know what we'd do without ya."

"You're welcome," she said, touching Kaylee's arm as she passed back towards the door. As much as she'd like to stay with her friend, she knew that there would be other people to treat. She couldn't hide in Caritas forever.

"I'll see you soon," she added.

Kaylee offers up a smile before settling her head back down on her arms again.

"And under better circumstances, too, I'll promise that." Because things were going to get better real quick here. They had to.

[ liù - Location: En Route to Caritas / Accidental Voice ]

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