Mal-Inara.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal is driving the mule; Zoe is keeping pressure on her shoulder and valiantly managing not to curse at the hot flashes of pain she receives when the mule pulls up the cargo bay.

The trashed cargo bay.

They've been here.

"Stay here -- " Mal hisses at Zoe even as he jumps the mule's side to make his way up the stairs to Shuttle One.

Comments

[makesmeatease]

The shuttle seems disturbingly empty. Things are overturned, silk dresses hanging out of trunks, the tea set on the floor.

Beside the bed, on the side closest to the wall, Inara tries to ignore the fact that her hands are being covered in red faster than she can press down.

She sucks in a hissing breath.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal holsters his gun after a moment's freeze right inside the shuttle hatch; everything is upturned and --

-- he hears the hiss.

"'Nara -- " Mal leaps over the tea set crashed against the deckplates and ends roughly on his knees at his wife's side, assessing.

[makesmeatease]

One hand covers the blood on her dress, as if to protect him from seeing it. Her other hand, fingers colored in rusty color of drying blood (she's been here a while), reaches out to touch his arm, fingers shaking.

"H--Hey." Her voice cracks and she tries to muster a smile for him.

[bad_in_latin]

Mal doesn't reciprocate -- it didn't hit her liver but it's higher and the blood is nearly as dark so press you have the better angle for it Reynolds --

"Don't worry none, we got the Doc comin' -- "

If they can even make it back from the other side of the world.

[batyatoon]

...You are terrible people.

:D