CAUTION: Major spoilers for THE MESSAGE

Title: Apology

Author: Lupa

Summary: Simon owes Kaylee an apology, so I wrote her one.

Disclaimer: 'M just borrowin' 'em. But I think they like it better with me anyway: more fun, less angst.

APOLOGY

"Well, you're kind of a genius when it comes to machines... you always say what you mean, and your eyes..."

Kaylee couldn't believe her luck. All them weeks Simon and her been dancin' 'round each other and now it was finally happenin.' She knew Simon had feelings fer her. She knew it. But Simon had insisted of takin' things all slow and proper-like. Now here he was tellin' her 'bout her eyes. And if the romance novels she'd read were anythin' to go by, that was one of the final stages of the upper-class courtin' process. And as soon as the courtin' was over 'n done with, then they could get down to, well, more interestin' things.

"Yeah? Eyes, yeah?" She prompted him, not carin' if she did sound a bit eager.

"I don't know how to..." Simon trailed off. "Plus, every other girl I know is either married, professional, or closely related to me, so you are more or less literally the only girl in the world."

Oh God. She took a step backward, then another. She weren't gonna cry.

"That's a hell of a thing to say."

"I was joking..." Jokin.' Guess it were a bit of a joke weren't it? Classy, beautiful, core-lander like Simon choosin' a girl like her. She weren't a choice - she was a lack of options.

"No, no, I get it. Back on Osiris you probably had nurses and debutantes

crawling all over you. But down here at the bottom of the barrel, there's just me."

"That is not even --" She cut him off. She weren't in the mood for any o' his pretty explanations.

"Well, I'm glad I rated higher than dead bessie here. Nee GAO-soo NA niou, TA yo shwong mei-moo?" She stormed out. He didn't go after her. She almost as upset 'bout that than 'bout what he said, but after she was a few paces from the tent she figured she didn't want him t'see her cryin'