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

[swinging-cod.livejournal.com]

Mal called River and Kaylee.

Takes Jayne a second to process that that leaves him with...

"Aw, shit."

[righthandwoman.livejournal.com]

Simon and a pregnant woman. Congratulations, Jayne.

Zoe's changed into a loose, sleeveless t-shirt. A casual observer might not be able to tell she's gained weight, but these are the people who see her every day--and know about the baby, as well.

Currently she's standing with her hands on her hips, looking Simon over.

"You ever play anything like this before?" Beat. "Come to think of it--you ever play any sport before?"

[simon_doctor]

"...not unless crew counts."

He shoots Kaylee a brief betrayed glance. You talked me into this!

"What are the rules?"

[river_meimei]

"Throw the ball," says River helpfully.

"Then you bend them."

She's torn between frowning at Jayne, smirking at Jayne in proper bratty-little-sister fashion, and beaming at Kaylee. Beaming is mostly winning.

[swinging-cod.livejournal.com]

Jayne mutters something about how Mal always gets the bendy girls.

Then he speaks loudly enough for Simon to hear.

"You get the ball any way you can and throw it through the hoop, genius. Ain't no rules other'n that." A snort. "Ain't exactly surgery."

[flybywash]

While everybody's busy discussing boring things like the rules and team organization, Wash gets Mal's attention and coaxes him into tossing the ball up to the top of the crate tower. He bounces it on his knees, waiting.

"So, we're good?" he asks brightly when Jayne's done. Bounce bounce. "Good. It's good, this knowing we're good. Play ball!"

And with no further warning, he lobs the ball in the air.

[simon_doctor]

The ball comes down directly over Simon. Who catches it.

And then stands there for a split second, momentarily flummoxed.

[badinlatin]

"Doc."

Mal is beaming. The look on Simon's face is priceless as Mal starts waving one hand in front of his face.

"Throw the gorram ball."

[simon_doctor]

Simon takes a quick step back away from Mal, and then lobs the ball in Jayne's direction.

Nobody from the other team's between him and Jayne. At the moment.

[swinging-cod.livejournal.com]

Jayne catches the ball as Mal surges toward him, then executes a fairly neat turn, catching his shoulder on Mal's arm.

"Zoe!"

He pitches the ball under Mal's elbow, but River's awful close...

[river_meimei]

Mal was thinking well and strategically when he picked the crazy bendy dancer-gunslinger-girl to be on his team.

On the other hand, he possibly reckoned without River being incapacitated by giggles at the sight of Simon's face.

Luckily, she also recovers quickly. Her head snaps around, hair flying, and she takes a spinning step forward and around, grabbing the ball and hugging it to her chest.

Mal's-- no, Kaylee, there.

The ball's shooting through the air again, flying low with a single bounce off the deckplates.

[gonna_live]

Kaylee catches it, laughing, and spins -- Mal's over by the hoop, and he's open if she can just get it low --

Bounce pass to Captain Tightpants.

[badinlatin]

Mal's ready for it, and catches the pass before Zoe has a chance to intercept, laying up the perfect shot, and the ball makes a lazy arch through the center of the metal hoop.

Mal throws his arms up in the air at the point scored, beaming at Zoe.

[swinging-cod.livejournal.com]

And Jayne catches the ball, scowling at having lost the first point.

He pitches the ball at Simon, a little too hard.

[simon_doctor]

And Simon catches it, with a small oof noise.

He turns with the ball to try to throw it to Zoe, and finds his way barred.

[gonna_live]

By a mechanic.

Who is doing a very good job at looking menacing.

Which means she is grinning, knowingly. Like she has a sekrit plan in mind.

[simon_doctor]

Simon looks at her warily, then tries to dodge around her.

[gonna_live]

"Nothin' doin' -- "

Kaylee laughs as she blocks, spinning quickly, standing just to the front of his left shoulder.

And then, because the element of surprise is important, Kaylee leans up, putting a hand on his shoulder, and kisses Simon.

With great passion and skill.

[ff-ambassador.livejournal.com]

Maybe Inara really should go up and get changed, then she could pull something like that against Mal.

Inara wolf-whistles uncharacteristically, a fingertip to each corner of her mouth to cheer on Kaylee.

Kaylee knows what she's doing.

[simon_doctor]

She really does.

To the point where it takes Simon over two seconds after the kiss breaks to realize that she's stolen the ball.

[swinging-cod.livejournal.com]

Jayne's furious.

"Doc, you bèn tiānshēng de yìduī ròu, gorram it!"

Jayne moves to steal it back.

Kinda like a bull in a Ming china shop, this one.

[gonna_live]

But alas, it is too late for the Hero of Canton, for lo, the Great Mechanic Equal to Heaven has thrown the ball up to Wash, and now she is turning to Simon with only the very vaguest hint of apology.

...maybe there's not any apology at all, come to think of it.

"Anything goes, ai ren." She slides her arm around his waist for a moment.

[flybywash]

He's still laughing so hard that he almost misses the catch.

But there's a satisfying slap anyway as the ball hits his hands, and Wash hooks it toward the hoop. Ain't the cleanest shot ever, but --

Point two!

He punches both fists in the air and whoops.

[river_meimei]

The theme of the game is, apparently, River laughing.

Her face is alight, and she looks... just happy. Nineteen and untroubled.

[badinlatin]

Over top of River's laughing is a strong cackle at Simon and Kaylee.

Kaylee knows what she's doing.

"Nice going, Kaylee." Mal marches over to Zoe, still beaming.

"Two to zero, eh?"