Mal-Raven, Surprise!

[badinlatin]

Mal is doing reps even more enthusiastically than Jayne normally would take to them.

The cargo bay is completely empty except for Mal and the weight bench he is currently occupying.

Very vulnerable, one would say.

Comments

[creator_raven]

It is a pity there is no statue of Pallas Athena. It makes such a convenient perch.

Instead Raven settles for the bar that Mal is lifting, folding his wings and making himself comfortable as he peers down at the prone captain.

[badinlatin]

"AAAHHH! GE'OFF!"

The bar is too heavy for Mal to throw. However, he does succeed at rotating it so that it doesn't land on him, trying to get what only looks to him like a...black thinger that wasn't there before.

The bar drops to the side of the weight bench, allowing Mal to get off the bench, trying to find something to defend himself, what with his holster in his bunk.

He has a towel.

What? TOWEL IS DEADLY WEAPON.

[creator_raven]

There is a wild flapping of black wings, which settles into a spill of ragged black coat as the now man-shaped Raven tumbles, all elbows and knees, to the floor.

Ow.

"It is not for smothering, I hope?"

Raven tilts his head, blinking curiously at Mal. And at Mal's towel.

[badinlatin]

"No," Mal returns more calmly than he feels.

He walks the few steps to Raven, thwapping him with the towel before offering a hand to help him up.

"How did you get here? Someone open a door?"

[creator_raven]

Raven wrinkles his nose at the thwap, before taking Mal's hand and pulling himself up. Hopefully Mal is braced in such a way that this does not knock him over. Six-odd feet of clay is heavy, after all.

"It is not so much required, that. Also you are easy to find."

He grins, peering around him at the ship. It feels different, this time, and that is no bad thing.

[badinlatin]

The weight was surprising, but Mal managed.

"I'm easy to find? What do you mean by that?"

His thieving sense doesn't like the idea of being easy to find. Also, Mal's a little slow on the uptake.

[creator_raven]

Raven just looks at him.

"I have, I think, been here before. Also I know you very well, yes?"

He laughs quietly.

"Patterns, Mal. It is what I see."

[badinlatin]

"Oh. Yeah. Right," is the somewhat slow response.

"Might not have been the best idea ever to land on the bench press. Ever try to do that sort o' thing? Breakin' a man's concentration with that is dangerous."

[creator_raven]

Blink.

"Only if you have no self-preservation instincts, perhaps."

[badinlatin]

"I still have self-preservation instincts."

A pause of his own.

"One o' the things I've managed to keep over the years, you see."

[creator_raven]

Raven snorts.

"It is better kept out of your pockets, I think."

He reaches over to ruffle Mal's hair.

"There are goldfish, as well?"

His tone is oddly expectant. At least on the surface.

[badinlatin]

The wrinkles across Mal's forehead wrinkle in confusion.

"What's a goldfish?"

[creator_raven]

Raven frowns in return.

"It is what it sounds like, I think. Except for the orange."

[badinlatin]

"Do you eat 'em? Ain't ever heard of keeping a fish."

[creator_raven]

Raven wrinkles his nose.

"They are not usually so big, I think. Also they are pretty."

He has never understood the keeping of pets, himself.

[badinlatin]

"I prefer horses," Mal responds simply enough.

A moment passes, with Mal completely at a loss for subject matter.

"Here we are. Wanna do anythin'?"

[creator_raven]

Raven looks very solicitous.

"You are too tired to knit, perhaps?"

[badinlatin]

"Knittin's kind of a one-man sport, unless you just wanna be sittin' about watching me go at it."

[creator_raven]

Raven blinks.

"There are things I do not enjoy watching, I think."

Watching Mal 'go at it' is definitely one of these.

Ew.

[badinlatin]

"Well then, it's time for you to make a suggestion."

[creator_raven]

"There should not be dancing."

Raven wrinkles his nose.

"Perhaps a tour of your ship when it is not broken?"

[badinlatin]

There is mild twitching, remembering a flash of the repairs on Jethro.

It gets easier to fight that back, and he does, leading Raven up to the bridge.

"This is probably the place you remember most," Mal offers neutrally.

[creator_raven]

Raven looks around.

"You would think that, perhaps. It is not entirely true."

It is shadowy, in this place, and there are Things in the darkness.

His shoulders twitch.

"Still, it is good to see it whole."

[badinlatin]

"Shoulda brought you back sooner, after we'd made the repairs."

[creator_raven]

Raven shrugs, quick and fluid.

"This still counts, I think, yes? It is very pretty."