Spaceball.

[badinlatin]

It takes Mal a minute or two to winch up the rim on a chain in the center of the cargo bay.

It takes Mal even longer to arrange a carefully-placed stepladder of boxes along one side of the playing field.

The arena has been set.

Walking over to the shipboard comm, Mal calls:

"This is the captain. I need all personnel in the cargo bay."

Mal stands in the center of the field of battle and waits. Grinning.

Comments

[flybywash]

Soon, there's a series of muffled squeaks and curses as Wash makes his way to the stairs. He leans his head down to peer into the cargo bay.

When he sees the hoop, his brows knit together as he looks at Mal.

Pretty soon, that look's shifting back to the hoop with not a small bit of longing.

"Should that have been 'all personnel except me'?" he comments wryly.

[badinlatin]

"No! Look!" Mal waves perhaps a bit too overdramatically to the strategic piling of crates.

"If you can get up on the top o' this, then you can sit and help with the assist and stuff. Either team gets the ball to you, then you get a free shot, an' score a point for whoever."

Take heart; Mal looks proud of himself with this one.

[flybywash]

Wash looks at the crates.

He looks back to Mal.

And then he's beaming as he hobbles down the stairs as fast as he can.

[badinlatin]

Mal laughs aloud at Wash nearly sprinting on crutches.

"Please don't fall down the gorram stairs! Zoe'd kill me."

[gonna_live]

Kaylee comes in from the bridge. Her hair is down.

And then she starts to grin.

And then she puts her hair up.

It has been entirely too long.

[swinging-cod.livejournal.com]

Jayne comes out onto the catwalk and lets out a whoop. He strips down to his crappy cut-out shirt.

"You're all mine."

[badinlatin]

"You're welcome to try, Jayne," Mal returns with a smirk.

This should be fun.

[simon_doctor]

Simon steps into the room and looks around, a little dubiously.

Oh. It's that game with the ball.

[gonna_live]

"Ain't no way you're not playin'."

Kaylee is grinning up at him. "Come on down, or else I come up after you."

[badinlatin]

"Best not argue wi' the lady, Doc," Mal beams up behind her. "They hold it against ya forever."

[simon_doctor]

"Oh, ah, I don't ..."

Simon's stumbling through an apology when he catches sight of the stacked crates. And Wash sitting atop the stack, crutches laid aside.

It's easy enough to guess whose idea that was, and why. There's a skewed sort of logic to it that's immediately recognizeable.

And, inexplicably, deeply moving.

"...Someone's going to have to explain the rules to me."

[river_meimei]

River slips down the stairs, sliding a hand along the railing.

She's smiling.

[badinlatin]

At the bottom of the stairs, Mal stands in wait, rolling the large silver ball across his palms.

"My team. C'mon."

[river_meimei]

"We're all on the same team."

River smiles up at him.

"It's just sparring."

[badinlatin]

Mal makes a face, pushing at River's shoulder slightly.

"Fine then. We're sparring, but you're not against me. Let's go pick on your brother."

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Zoe emerges onto one of the catwalks with an idly curious expression.

When she sees the set up, she leans her elbows against the railing and grins.

[flybywash]

"Honey!"

Wash waves with both arms from where he's sitting on the crates, grinning madly.

"You wanna join in a round?"

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Zoe looks over at him, surveys his position on the crates, and shakes her head, still smiling.

"You fall off there, don't go whinin' to me about it."

[flybywash]

Cue the ridiculously hopeful look. "You could catch me. If you, you know. Played."

He kicks his left heel against the crate, expectant.

[ff-ambassador.livejournal.com]

Inara enters in from her shuttle. She looks around and starts to grin.

"Well, I don't think I'm quite dressed for this." She gestures to her very close-fitting dress.

[badinlatin]

"Oh." Mal grins with more than a little of a playful sneer.

"You look..." A quick cough. "C'mon down here anyway, you can sit next to Wash."

[ff-ambassador.livejournal.com]

Inara rolls her eyes. "Maybe I should go get a robe." She makes her way down to Wash anyway, strutting just a little to tease him.

"Just for the record, if I was in proper attire, I could run you into the ground."

[badinlatin]

Okay, Kaylee's here, Wash, Zoe, Jayne, Inara, Simon, River. Good.

"'Kay, y'all know how it goes, but we got a new bit - Wash 'nd 'Nara'll be up over there - you get the ball to them, they get a free shot."

Mal's grinning at Wash and Inara both. It's good to have them there.

"I got, uh...River 'n Kaylee, if'n the both o' them don't mind."

[simon_doctor]

"..." Simon looks a bit inclined to protest.

[gonna_live]

Kaylee doesn't. She is grinning. Madly.