Mal-River, Love Speech.

[badinlatin]

Mal is smiling, but there is pain there too as he walks up to the bridge. The ship is ready to fly again.

Sitting in the pilot's chair, Mal adjusts the T-Rex - Crichton - on the dashboard, prepping the pre-flight sequence while being completely aware of the presence in the co-pilot's chair.

"You gonna ride shotgun, help me fly?"

Comments

[river_meimei]

River scans the console's indicators.

Absently, "That's the plan."

[badinlatin]

Mal continues to look to his own controls, preparing for takeoff.

"Think you can work out how to get 'er in the ---"

[river_meimei]

The engines hum, as River flips the switches to start them up. Three switches over her head, and two buttons pressed, and a light pull on the yoke, and Serenity lifts gently from the ground.

[badinlatin]

Mal controls his flicker of amusement.

"Okay, clearly some aptitude for the..." Mal waves his hand at River's controls, "...but it ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flying is?"

Mal chuckles. "Well, I suppose you do, since you already know what I'm about to say."

[river_meimei]

"I do," she agrees.

She pulls her knees up to her chest in the copilot's chair, tilting her head to watch as he engages his own yoke and takes over steering.

Then, a tiny smile. "But I like to hear you say it."

Rain pounds the window panels, sluicing off the ship's nose and cutting visibility to nothing.

[badinlatin]

Mal stares at the rain outside the windowpanes after righting his controls.

"Love." Mal flicks the last three switches of the flight sequence for breaking out of atmo. "You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turnin' of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home."

[river_meimei]

River watches the rain, arms curled around her shins.

Softly, "Storm's getting worse."

[badinlatin]

"We'll get through it soon enough."

Complete certainty in his voice. It may have been awhile since River's heard that from him.

Breaking through the rainstorm and bursting into the stratosphere and beyond, Mal's hand moves to the control for increased burn from the engine, until the ship bucks slightly from a rear panel pops off and whips away into space.

"What was that?"