[Santo - Shipyards and Salvage Yards]

[walk_ins]

[master post]

People come here to do business and get a job done. They're usually looking for something in particular, or have a vague idea of it at the very least.

The acres of parts, and places to put them in, don't have much rhyme or reason to them, as far as organization goes. It means you need to either have a lot of time on your hands for exploring, or to know who to ask to find what you need.

Over in the shipyard section -- it's one big open space, made of poured concrete, where captains can land their ships to take on repairs while their passengers go have fun. The people over in the shipyards generally aren't having fun, and they probably won't take too kindly to visitors nosing around.

Comments

[badinlatin]

"I was tryin' to say you got helpers if you wanted 'em."

With equal parts Was just offering and No reason you have to be working by yourself.

[gonna_live]

Kaylee checks a sharp response.

The thing is -- every time Serenity has issues like this, it's surrounded by a certain level of bad (like somebody getting shot, or impaled), and it's a certain level of bad that really could have been avoided (Kaylee feels) if she'd just been paying a little more attention. Or knew how to work miracles. Or could badger Mal into loosening purse strings more effectively.

They're not lifting off Santo until Kaylee is sure, entirely sure, that every system -- every single one -- is not just at, but above her usual standards.

(She feels guilty.)

"Okay," is all she says.

[badinlatin]

Mal's never really done all that well with badgering.

At least there are no swords involved.

But the response was not something Mal'd expected -- he'd been looking for something in the 'Like hell is someone uneducated touching my engine room' camp. Or the 'You're actually volunteering for duty?' one.

"A bit for your thoughts."

[gonna_live]

"I'll ask for it if it turns out I need it." Short. "Okay? I'm gonna call ahead, get Jayne out here to help us move all this."

[badinlatin]

"Fine."

[gonna_live]

The rest of the trip back is quiet, and once they get there Kaylee's occupied with carrying things and moving things and making sure nothing gets dropped when it all gets carried back to the engine room.

It's a little hard to walk back there, once everything's settled. Kaylee stands by the door, at the bottom of the short staircase, arms folded.

All of a sudden, she feels exhausted.

She looks over at Mal; he gets a slightly tired (and apologetic, maybe, if you squint) smile.

[badinlatin]

Mal does actually squint; he's thinking.

"When we change the old parts out, any of 'em gonna be worth sellin' off for scrap?"

[gonna_live]

"Maybe." Kaylee looks back at the casing. "Could be. Some of 'em might be worth salvaging for extras, some of 'em might be too bad even for scrap. We're kind of humped. And I don't even know how bad."

[badinlatin]

"We'd be humped if we hadn't found the parts we needed," Mal corrects. It's an important distinction.

"Can't fix everything midair, after all."

[gonna_live]

Kaylee shakes her head in what's probably acquiescence, and reaches out, running her hand down a nearby part -- smooth chrome metal curve. Her expression is resigned.

Can't fix nothin', she thinks.

[badinlatin]

"Don't do that."

[gonna_live]

She looks up at him. "Do what?"

[badinlatin]

"Look like I just kicked your puppy. The way it is is the way it is. You know what's wrong and you'd've told me by now if this were somethin' you couldn't handle on your lonesome, so...it's somethin' to work on. Hell, I almost thought you'd be happy.

"Not -- you know, happy that somethin's broken, but there ain't anything ever broke, I wouldn't pay you nothin'."

[gonna_live]

"The whole works is humped, Mal. And you're tellin' me I shouldn't've seen it comin'?"

At least she doesn't look resigned any more?

[badinlatin]

It's an improvement.

"You gonna be pissed off when you start working with my valuable replacement parts or you gonna get it all out of your brain now?"

[gonna_live]

"I generally like my ears to be somethin' approachin' sympathetic." Mal gets a glare. "Which seems to me like it rules you out."

[badinlatin]

For the second time in far too short a timespan: "Fine."

He's the captain. He can stand anywhere he damn well pleases.

Mal never does well with awkward silences.

"Got to figure out if Inara's got plans for her time in the world. I know I'm going to be a cruise director for at least five people on the top of my head."

He doesn't sound entirely bothered by this prospect.

[gonna_live]

"Ought to be fun." Neutral -- or as neutral as she can get it.

[badinlatin]

"More fun 'n a poke in the eye. I have to give Tom advice on what color Ingress' hair shouldn't be if she wants to come over."

[gonna_live]

"...nothin' wrong with blue, long as you stick to the more populous areas."

[badinlatin]

"Meh. Still goin' to make me nervous. Not that it is going to stop 'er from coming over."

[gonna_live]

"It better not." Raised eyebrows. "They been too good to us for too long a time."

[badinlatin]

"I am very well aware, miss."

Since the Academy.

"What do you think? Advertise, charge admission?"

[gonna_live]

"Speech competition," Kaylee says absently as her eyes narrow, and she kneels by the new catalytic converter.

[badinlatin]

"Works for me."

Mal debates staring at the converter as well, but it's all...wires. And pipes and tubes, too.

This is what he pays her for.

"Want me to leave you be?"