When he sees the restored skimmer, Simon stops in his tracks. The suitcase he's towing bumps into his ankle; he barely notices.

"Kaylee," he says, starting to smile. "It's lìngrén jingyì."

Wednesday, Serenity makes a cargo drop on a little moon out back of beyond. Everyone on board gets a chance to stretch their legs while the captain's negotiating with his disreputable buyers; under her father's watchful eye, Naomi Warren-Washburne spends some quality time playing in the dirt with three or four other kids. One, a six-year-old boy ( Read more... )

Visits are nice, when you're convalescing.

Even if they can only happen over a vidscreen.

The last two days before the exams are spent in the most intensive cramming he's ever done in his life. Kaylee makes him stop periodically: to eat, to sleep, to take a break before his eyes fall out of his head. He grumbles about that being physiologically unlikely, but doesn't argue ( Read more... )

The last day of classes is over, and that means Hell Week officially begins tonight.

Simon's sitting on the couch with his datareader, several overlapping screens open at once, and is touch-tapping notes into at least three of them with his stylus.

Jordie,

It's been weeks. Are you still willing to call a do-over?

Simon

There's a little cafe not far from Gage campus. Late last night Simon sent Jordie a wave to ask if meeting there for lunch would count as " meeting for a drink", and got back the single line I'll allow it.

He steps in to find that Jordie's already staked out a table.

It's a hands-on lab session in class today, and Simon's been working for a few hours now without much in the way of a break. He's reached the stage of self-forgetful absorption in the work; he knows he'll be tired later, but not yet ( Read more... )

Kaylee's out for the evening, having stayed just long enough to say hello to Jordie when he arrived. (She's going to Milliways, Simon knows; she'll be back late.)

They're on their own for dinner.

Bar Harbor Restaurant is built along the edge of a large lake in the Milian district. Seen from a distance, approaching by air, it's an elegant semicircular structure following the line of the shore; it does not look anything like big enough to seat as many people as an upscale restaurant should. This is due entirely to its unique outdoor seating ( Read more... )