OOM: On Serenity

[awesome_lilly]

The party in the infirmary has broken up now, and after Susan and Alain trade looks that seem to be of the Are you going to end up gagging him if you stay here any longer? variety, it's Alain who walks out with Lilly and Kaylee. They chat idly in the corridor by the couches for a moment, before Kaylee excuses herself to go find Simon. She walks off, and Lilly smiles at Alain. There's no one else there now, so she slips her arms around him for a quick hug.

"So, you're really okay then?"

Comments

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

She, unfortunately, manages to hug him right around the bullet graze on his ribs. He can't quite stifle the flinch, and the quick hiss of breath.

"Fine--" Gently shifting her arm away. Rueful, "Just a graze there, is all. I'm really okay."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly pulls back immediately, looking up at him apologetically.

"God, I'm sorry Alain... wait, what graze?"

She eyes him.

"You said you were okay."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

"Just a graze, Lilly." Gently. A little dismissive of it. "Nothing major."

Beat.

"...And I haven't talked to you until just now."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly waves this minor detail aside.

"Well, anyway. I'm glad you didn't get deader, Alain."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Faintly amused, "Me too."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly's still eyeing him a bit.

"Do you want to sit down?" she offers, looking towards the couches in the corner.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

A shrug, easy-going. "Sure, if'ee like."

In other words, he's not going to fall over if he doesn't, really.

But he follows her gaze, and settles down on a couch. A bit more stiffly than usual, which she may see now that she's looking for it, but nothing too bad.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly curls up on the couch next to him, sitting on the right side so she can't accidentally hurt him again.

"So, how much longer do you think Koosh is going to have to stay in the infirmary?"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Half a shrug. "Hard for me to say -- we've no such doctoring in my world." Faint shadows in his eyes, on that last.

"There're healers in the bar. Only until it's safe for him to be moved there, I wot."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly nods, and doesn't say anything for a moment.

"Alain?" she says finally, her voice soft. "I'm sorry... about Roland."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Silence, for a minute. His face is hard to read.

And then it relaxes into a small, sad almost-smile. Quietly, "Say thankya."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly nods, and reaches out to lace her fingers through his. She can't really think of anything else to say or do.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

He squeezes her hand, lightly.

After a minute, "He's alive. Alive and back on the trail."

"It's as well as such can be, mayhap."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly just nods again, and leans her head on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so."

There's a pause, and then she manages a small smile.

"I never got to throw any more pistachio shells at him, though."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

A brief smile, mostly for her sake.

Lots they never got to do.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly looks up at him, at the smile that isn't, really.

"You don't have to... I can stop talking about it," she says quietly.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

His face softens, and he squeezes her hand again. "No, it's all right."

A pause, and a tiny shrug.

"Just... we're all greedy of ka. Even when we know better."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly bites her lip, looks down at the mention of ka.

It's the wind that carries you, will-ye or nill-ye. And there's a high price for fighting that. With all that's happened, is happening... she's starting to think Alain might have been right.

"Yeah, I guess so."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Always a cheerful subject, isn't it?

Alain leans back a little into the couch and, predictably, is silent.

[awesome_lilly]

So is Lilly, for another moment. And then she smiles wryly up at him.

"Hey, got anything else depressing you want to talk about? We might as well get it all in now."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

A faint snort, closer to real laughter.

"No, I think this does me fine."

[awesome_lilly]

"Yeah, me too," Lilly says, leaning against him a bit more.

"I'm going to think about more cheerful things now, like planning Susan's bachelorette party."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

There is eyeing.

Amused eyeing.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly grins at him.

"Don't worry, you won't have to get married again or anything. In fact, you won't even be invited."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

"And yet, I'm not reassured."

[awesome_lilly]

"Well," Lilly says, laughing, "that just means you're getting to know me pretty well, Alain."

A not-at-all-innocent smile up at him.

"Because really, you shouldn't be reassured."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Just a snort.

His face has lightened a little, though.

Not entirely. But a little.

[awesome_lilly]

A little is better than not at all, and Lilly smiles.

"Crowley and I are going to do some of the planning for both parties, you know."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

"...Do Susan and Cuthbert know?"

[awesome_lilly]

"...Maybe?"

She eyes him, with perhaps a hint of a pout.

"You're not going to tell them, are you?"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain Says Nothing.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly eyes him some more.

"Yeah, speaking of reassuring? That isn't."

Lilly thinks it's possible that if she distracts him, he won't remember to tell them. As plans go, it's flimsy. As excuses to kiss him go... still flimsy.

Luckily, she can always fall back on the Book. Lilly 1:1, yo.

She stretches up and kisses him.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

It's a light kiss, and a brief one. Wrong place, time, and decidedly wrong mood for anything more.

But he kisses back, quick and gentle.

[sai_delgado]

It's at this point that Susan comes out of the infirmary, having left Cuthbert dozing in order to go after more coffee.

She'd not expected to walk up on Alain and Lilly so. A wide-eyed stare of surprise before she ducks out of sight into the corridor, and then she turns around and hastens quietly away, back to the infirmary.

Coffee can wait until later, say true. Also conversation, it'd seem-- but she means to talk with Lilly now, as soon as may be.

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain's a gunslinger.

Which means he's been trained to be observant since he was very young, and to be especially observant to the presence of people around him.

Which means he glances up sharply at the corridor, just in time to see a flash of blond hair as Susan ducks back out of sight.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly catches Alain's glance and turns her head, but Susan's already gone. She looks back at Alain, curious.

"What're you looking at, Al?"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain looks rueful.

Succinctly, "Susan."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly blinks.

"Oh."

She laughs, a little, and then hides her face in his shoulder. Her voice is muffled, but at least somewhat amused.

"Well. I guess that takes care of the whole downlow thing we were working."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Resignedly, "Yer-bugger."

Amusement is creeping into his voice too, though.

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly hasn't heard that one before, and it turns the amusement into laughter.

"Yer-bugger? Whatever that word means, I love it!"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

He blinks down at her. More amusement, now.

"Means... you bet. Or yes, of course. From the Callas -- I picked it up from Eddie."

[awesome_lilly]

"Yer-bugger," Lilly repeats, beaming. "Awesome."

She looks up at him, still laughing.

"So, usage would go something like, 'Susan's going to want to talk to us, isn't she?' 'Yer-bugger!'"

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Lilly's still holding one of his hands. His face is now buried in the other.

He's laughing a little, though.

"Yar."

[awesome_lilly]

Lilly pats him on the head, then uncurls herself from his side and stands up.

"Well, I have to be going. Have fun keeping an eye on Koosh and talking to Susan. I'd love to stay and chat with her too, except... well, better you than me, really."

[honest-johns.livejournal.com]

Alain, shockingly enough, does not look particularly convinced by this argument.

Although neither does he look particularly upset by it, and he just shakes his head as Lilly scampers off down the corridor in the opposite direction to Susan.