Proverbial Wisdom
Author: jackwabbit
Fandom: Firefly
Rated: G
Category: Ficlet, Mal/Inara UST.
Spoilers: Heart of Gold, BDM (very minor)
Summary: Sometimes those old sayings are truer than we think.
Note: Written in response to the LJ prompt of ‘Lead’ on
firefly100 . 400 words.
xxx
Malcolm Reynolds and Inara Serra stood in the Serenity’s cargo bay like two old time lawmen in a stand off. Mal’s arms were crossed over his chest. Inara’s hands were on her hips. And words that penetrated deeper than bullets were flying back and forth between the two at top speed.
“Mal, please. I just need to get a few things.”
“What, like, business supplies?”
Mal’s sarcastic grin was infuriating, and it had that intended effect on Inara.
She turned to leave. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll arrange my own transport to town.”
Mal put his hands in front of his body in a gesture of surrender. “No, you never mind. I wouldn’t want to interfere in your affairs. Tell you what. I’ll leave the mule right here, and you can get Zoë to take you to town whenever you so please. I’ll walk.”
Mal’s words had halted Inara’s retreat. She turned back around to face him, not wanting him to get the last word.
“That’s not necessary,” she began, but she was talking to empty air. Mal was already gone.
He stormed down Serenity’s ramp and disappeared in the haze of Beaumonde.
Angry and flustered, Inara was left standing in the cargo hold alone.
After a moment, she slowly turned and walked towards the mess.
High above her, Kaylee Frye sighed heavily.
When Inara had mentioned her need to go to town to purchase a few sundries, Kaylee had been the one to encourage her to ask Mal about going with him. Inara had said she preferred to book a transport, but Kaylee would have none of it. After all, the captain was going anyway…and maybe, just maybe, some time alone for Mal and Inara might have led to more than a shopping trip.
Kaylee had hoped so, at any rate. She was tired of watching her captain and her friend dance around one another. After Miranda, she’d thought the two of them were finally making progress toward getting along, but days like today still happened far too often, and Kaylee feared Inara would soon leave Serenity again.
She couldn’t bear that thought.
And so she sighed again.
Suddenly, a voice behind her startled her.
“Just goes to show you that the old saying’s true, is all,” said Zoë.
Kaylee looked puzzled, so Zoë explained.
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make ‘im drink.”
Author: jackwabbit
Fandom: Firefly
Rated: G
Category: Ficlet, Mal/Inara UST.
Spoilers: Heart of Gold, BDM (very minor)
Summary: Sometimes those old sayings are truer than we think.
Note: Written in response to the LJ prompt of ‘Lead’ on
firefly100 . 400 words.xxx
Malcolm Reynolds and Inara Serra stood in the Serenity’s cargo bay like two old time lawmen in a stand off. Mal’s arms were crossed over his chest. Inara’s hands were on her hips. And words that penetrated deeper than bullets were flying back and forth between the two at top speed.
“Mal, please. I just need to get a few things.”
“What, like, business supplies?”
Mal’s sarcastic grin was infuriating, and it had that intended effect on Inara.
She turned to leave. “You know what? Never mind. I’ll arrange my own transport to town.”
Mal put his hands in front of his body in a gesture of surrender. “No, you never mind. I wouldn’t want to interfere in your affairs. Tell you what. I’ll leave the mule right here, and you can get Zoë to take you to town whenever you so please. I’ll walk.”
Mal’s words had halted Inara’s retreat. She turned back around to face him, not wanting him to get the last word.
“That’s not necessary,” she began, but she was talking to empty air. Mal was already gone.
He stormed down Serenity’s ramp and disappeared in the haze of Beaumonde.
Angry and flustered, Inara was left standing in the cargo hold alone.
After a moment, she slowly turned and walked towards the mess.
High above her, Kaylee Frye sighed heavily.
When Inara had mentioned her need to go to town to purchase a few sundries, Kaylee had been the one to encourage her to ask Mal about going with him. Inara had said she preferred to book a transport, but Kaylee would have none of it. After all, the captain was going anyway…and maybe, just maybe, some time alone for Mal and Inara might have led to more than a shopping trip.
Kaylee had hoped so, at any rate. She was tired of watching her captain and her friend dance around one another. After Miranda, she’d thought the two of them were finally making progress toward getting along, but days like today still happened far too often, and Kaylee feared Inara would soon leave Serenity again.
She couldn’t bear that thought.
And so she sighed again.
Suddenly, a voice behind her startled her.
“Just goes to show you that the old saying’s true, is all,” said Zoë.
Kaylee looked puzzled, so Zoë explained.
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make ‘im drink.”
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jackwabbit- wabbit (the jack is silent)
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
2013 Reading Challenge of 12 books.
A Celebration of All Things X
A Holiday Tradition
NaNoWriMo 2009
NaNoWriMo 2008
2013 Reading Challenge of 12 books.
A Celebration of All Things X
A Holiday Tradition
NaNoWriMo 2009
NaNoWriMo 2008
Comments
I like this fic. It nicely captures the contrarian that is known as Mal. As much as I love shippy M/I, the person who loves Firefly knows that HEA were probably not the intention of the writers. Well done.
Also, I liked the Kaylee pov. Her trying to be matchmaker and failing. She just wants everyone to be happy. She's on the wrong ship for that. :)
I'm just happy to have written something!
And yes, resolved UST is RUST, which is never good on a spaceship.
Angst is so much better...hee, hee, hee! *evil grin*
'RUST'? Hehe, I never thought of that! Wish I had a few years ago, when somebody tried to convince me to 'RUST' my Star Wars fanfic and it almost corroded away....
Also, Kaylee may be on the wrong ship for matchmaking, but by no means is she going to give up. There's not a power in the 'verse, after all. ;)
As for RUST...it's funny. That popped into my fron in Kansas City in 2004. I remember the day. I've been using it ever since. And I still abide by it.
As the younger Fillion says:
"Jumping the shark, star-crossed lovers, you never match them up! It. Means. Death. The show's over, ladies."
Yup. Pretty much.
As for readers trying to influence the plot of fic...isn't that odd? It happens to me in some nearly ship fics a fair bit and in drabbles a lot. Folks want to know what's next or where the rest of the story is, etc. And I'm all like: um...it's done. There is no more. It's a DRABBLE. But whatever.
I've long since given up trying to predict how folks will respond to a story.
Oh, and Kaylee...damn right!
One word: JAG. (Well, okay, one acronym. But still.) Then there's the immortal words of J.K. Rowling: "Every character does not need to get together with every other character." If I ever meet her (for which I'm not in any big honking rush, mind you), I simply must give her a thank-you hug for that statement.