Dinner For Fourteen

[river]

"I can still make Simon look like the idiot child" said River with a small smirk.

River loved making fun of Simon, that was what she did when she first got on Serenity. When ever her mind was clear enough to focus she picked on Simon. So Simon had said that one himself but it didn't change the fact that she could use it against him when she wanted. River felt a familiar feeling of rage and hate, much like a reaver. River sat down taking Inara's advice. River demanded herself to focus, stay in the present, that she killed the reavers, anything that would calm the storm in her head. River suddenly felt the pain that the blue handed men had caused and she was feeling their trademark in killing now. River screamed not wanting it in her head.

"No no no" mumbled River "No, they've come back two by two hands of blue, they want what you took from them and they won't stop until they have it"

River buried her head in her knees crying quietly. She could feel the pain that the people the blue handed alliance men caused and she didn't like it. She was scared, for herself, Simon, Kaylee, her niece and nephew and the rest of Serenity. Especially now since this was the second attack of the day. Miranda suddenly popped into River's head again adding to the torrent of thoughts, memories, dreams, and feelings coursing through her head.

[Arabella Hart]

Bella started to understand the puzzle of Serenity. But there were still missing pieces that would be covered at alater time; she could tell. But she could already see the love and care that everyone has for each other. “I’m sorry for you lose.” was all she could think of to say. She didn’t know Wash or Shepherd book, so it was hard to find the right words.

Bella was having a hard time with herself though. She knew she had heard of the academy before but she didn’t know where. Watching Inara and River, she saw a lot of love and care for the girl.. Bella decided to back off this time as she tried to organize her thoughts and get them out of her head quickly.

Throwing a spare water chestnut in her mouth, it all came to her. “Grandfather…” she whispered to herself. Her grandfather worked for the Alliance for over forty years-twenty out in the field, twenty behind a desk. He had died from a stroke and Bella had been crushed. In his office, she found a lock drawer. Knowing where he hid everything, Bella found bits about a planet called Miranda and an Academy being compromised.

Bella was shocked and let the first set of waters chestnuts burn. Smelling them, she went shoot and turned on the water to rinse the pan out. Letting it rinse, she shook out her head of the thoughts and tried to clear her mind; but her grandfather’s face was stuck there and it irked Bella-a lot.

[zoe]

"River," Inara said, setting down what she'd been working on and going to kneel in front of her, she took her hands and pressed them to her cheek.

"Come back to us River, they aren't here, they don't know that you're here, your safe, we're all safe. Come back to me Mei Mei." Inara pleaded with her, all the while she focused her mind on drawing up the good memories through the bad, more recent ones. Like Simon and Kaylee's Marriage, the flirting Mal and Inara always did, though they'd probably never act upon it. Inara learning how to shoot a gun properly. The Presents Inara always brought everyone when she went out.

"Come back to us...." she mumured once more, softer this time, yet more commanding.

[river]

River tried to focus through her mess of thoughts and focus on Inara. She caught a gleam of Bella's grandfather, his work, the academy it was partially his doing. River tried to focus on Inara once more but it wasn't working. River wasn't doing well as she once had. It wasn't a good thing for her, this meant Simon would put her onto medications again try and fix her. She wasn't the little sister he once knew.

"Inara they won't stop" said River quietly "They are going to try again"

River found the memories Inara brought up. Kaylee and Simon's wedding brought a small smile to her face, Mal and Inara's flirting was always amusing, Inara and Mal didn't know this but River had been spying on them. Inara learning how to shoot a gun wasn't a major thing, she had good aim and control and it helped her in the long run. River eventually looked up at Inara. She was desperate that Inara not tell Simon. Even though it had been years since she'd first gotten out to the academy, River still hated the med-bay with a passion. Simon couldn't get her in there for her to even get innocked before she'd go planet side. River looked at Bella.

"He was an important part of it" said River "He worked on Miranda for sometime before the Pax. He brought up the school. He was important more so than he said he did. He did inspections at the school. The operative questioned him before he died. He knew what the pax could do he helped make it"

River knew Bella would be creeped out by the information, but River couldn't help it. River had one of the looks on her face that Simon would recognize because she used it with him alot.

[Arabella Hart]

Bella had began to cook some more water chestnuts. She was trying to Inara and River have their time to talk. But what River said made Bella look up and bite her lip. The stove was already heated up and a memory hit Bella hard.

‘These walls hold many secrets Bella Baby; they whisper when you least expect them.’ Bella’s grandfather had a look of terror on his face, but no clue why. ‘Grandfather, what do you mean?’ Bella was young, only seven, and confused. Her grandfather simply stared at his desk for a moment. Finally he spoke. “Someday my girl you will know.’

Bella took the pan off the stove and switched the stove off. Standing there a moment, she began to cut up some of the vegetables. Sighing, she began to talk. “My grandfather was a man of many secrets. Secrets I still cannot put together to this day.” She swallowed back a lump in her throat. “But I what I do know, is he lived with many regrets as well. Regrets that lingered until he passed away.” Bella knew it wouldn’t help much, but that was that. She knew her grandfather was a man of mystery, but she would always love him.

[river]

River looked at her. Bella had no idea what River knew. River hated knowing everything from one simply gleam it made her dangerous.

"He does regret it still always will. He knows what the pax does. He knows what the academy does. He tried to kill himself once after he left the school. Took some pills hoped they'd end his life. He didn't want to live with what he knew. He didn't want to living knowing he was taking innocent people and turning them into weapons. Or killing an entire planet" said River "And creating the reavers"

[Arabella Hart]

Bella finished up the vegetables trying not to let her weakness and sadness show. She missed her grandfather and knew he was a secretive man, but didn’t know them. Moving the vegetables into a bowl, she wiped her hand son a paper towel and looked up.

“I-I’m not proud of what my grandfather hid. I only know bits of documents I found. I was young and when I went back once I was older, they were gone.” Bella really didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know very much. But she had heard of reavers traveling and a bit about Miranda-but not much. “I-I uh don’t know what else to say.”

[river]

"I know that you didn't know. He felt bad he always did. He'd come to the school and he was always kind to me. He did my first interview for the Academy" said River

River looked at Bella, hoping it would make her feel better. River knew more than she should honestly too much more. She got up and looked around the ship. Everything there still reminded her of Shepherd Book and Wash. Wash more so than Book. Wash's dinosaurs were still on the helm, Book's bible that River had tried to fix was in her room.

[zoe]

River was coming back to them, it may be a bit unnoticed, especially by River, but Inara could tell the signs.

Inara had never approved of Simon's use of medications to treat River, as it wasn't something medicine could truly help her with, it was something river would have to overcome on her own, River, the girl, had to overcome River, the Weapon.

"You are our albatross, just as I am our Ambassador, we each have our parts to play Mei Mei, we're lost without you, no matter what Jayne says."

[Arabella Hart]

Bella believed what River said. At first she didn’t want to though. Pulling back some, she was glad to at least know he had been a kind man outside of the house. He was kind within the house as well, but with his secrets, she wasn’t sure how he was.

“I should get back to the food,” she said softly, excusing herself. Grabbing the vegetables, she mixed them together in a pile. Dusting off her hands, she knelt and looked through the cabinets to find a strainer. Taking all the vegetables, she threw them in there and went to the sink. Turning on the cold water, she shook the strainer as the let the water clean the vegetables, making a crisp, clean taste

((OOC: River, I love the plot thing you got going here!))

[river]

((ooc:Thanks))

River looked at Inara knowing she was right. She really didn't have to say but she liked to hear it.

"An albatross was a bird from Earth that was it resided in the country of Australia the only reason it was called a ships good luck at all was because it would hang around the docks where boats were and then poachers killed them all and they were no longer a ships good luck." said River

River gave Inara one of her classic you should've known that looks. River liked to tease people about things like that although there was nothing she could do when people didn't know what she knew. Simon was really fun to pick on for stuff like that. She was terrible about it to. River quietly walked to where Bella was.

"My apologies I shouldn't have said anything" said River

River was still fighting a huge battle with herself, Inara knew it to and River knew that she knew. Simon was clueless he didn't understand that the medicine wasn't helping her it never would. She had to do this on her own. She still had questions to answer about herself one that Mal had voiced, what was she the girl or the weapon, her other question to herself, could she be both the girl and the weapon not one or the other.

"Inara, it never matters what Jayne says, thinks, or believes Mal doesn't care and as long as Mal wants me on the ship and I don't decide to leave which I can't leave this is home, I won't leave this ship" said River "Once your on Serenity you never leave, Book, Wash, Dobson, Tracy,and Bester. They are all still here they always will be, so will Zoe, Simon, Kaylee, you, and the kids. Mal he is the ship this is him and he is it end of story. Bella, you will be on here forever to as will our other passengers."

River knew this was true for the war as it was the ship. That is where Serenity's name came from. Mal had lost something in that war and he was looking to get it back. He didn't know that he was looking for it but he was. It wasn't lost it was right in front of him in the form of Inara, she didn't know it either though.

"And Inara we're all lost in the woods anyway, the thing is Mal likes it there, it's the only place he can see a clear path. We're all lost and it's a matter on finding the thing that lets us be found" said River.

[Arabella Hart]

Bella threw some peanut oil into a clean pan. Taking the chicken, she began to cut it into strips to cook up. She was slow and precise at this. She had a plan formulating-if the crew was up to it. But it wasn’t set forth in her mind. Listening to River, she let the girl talk before saying anything, but listened intently.

Bella, you will be on here forever to as will our other passengers. Forever is what she hoped. But the forever she wanted was a home if it was offered, a home that she has been unable to find. Wiping her hands, she walked over to River and Inara. “No apologizes. If what I want goes through, the truth will be told.” She was purposely being vague as she didn’t want to ruin this until it was time to. No, she would tell the crew only if she knew they were able to.

[river]

"It will go through trust me Mal will like having you here" said River

River could still feel the blue handed men. She gave a silent prayer for Mal, for his safe return. River wasn't big into faith but she knew Mal was. He needed that faith back, that was part of what Shepherd Book tried to do. He needed his faith something to believe in it didn't matter what as long as he believed.

"He is nice acts like he is tough but he isn't he is soft if you cry ever he gets sappy and can't stand to see girls cry" said River

River was fighting the weapon half of her again. Especially there in the kitchen with knives in close range. Her mind was scanning the planet to see what was going on. She heard the commercial that set her off. She moved on before it would set her off. She got swarmed with the minds of the reavers again. River screamed and braced herself on the counter.

[Arabella Hart]

Bella put the chicken into one of the pans. Blinking her thoughts away, her midn went blank besides what she was cooking. She was going into her own zone, where she tried to block everyone and everything out and she stirred the meat to cook it evenly. She noticed River's hadns on the counter, but didn't register what was going on right away.

[river]

River was actually shaking now. She hadn't felt that much rage since the reavers. She didn't like it she just wanted to make herself small and disappear into a corner or her usual hiding spot. She felt everything all the time she couldn't not feel it. She knew Simon didn't realize that River knew exactly what happened to her. He still hoped she would talk about it. But she wouldn't ever speak of it again. River held her weight on the counter reminding herself that she was safe. She scanned the planet once more just to see if she could find Mal to see if he was there. She was confused usually Mal's thoughts were easy to track this was getting difficult for her. She couldn't hear his thoughts and that scared her. River finally got the reaver thoughts out of her head.

"Mal" whispered River finding his heart still on the ship. "You'll come back to us you always do this is your heart"

River finally was able to hold her own weight again so she let go of the counter. River was scanning the search party hoping that they would figure out what took him.