Kaylee eats the grape ones first. She loves the slightly chewy, slightly crunchy texture of that first bite, the way the sugar tingles all over her tongue in sweet crystals. She'd separated the colors, and as she eats them she rearranges the remaining ones in bright designs on the chill white table.

She's taking her time with purple-number-seven when Wash wanders in, looking for a packet of tissues.

"Hiding your goodies from the rest of the crew, I see," he says, sternly. "You know, my mother always told me people who don't share their candy with the ship's pilot go to a special hell..."

It's not hard to draw him into the game, and soon he's constructed a fearsome stegosaurus on the table with the little moon-shaped tablets. Kaylee giggles and eats as Wash narrates the sugary dino's tale - but before it's done she's snarfed down the last purples, obliterating Sir Steg's spiky tail.

"Now, that's not fair," whines Wash. "I was just going to tell you how he lost his tail, but you beat me and now I've got nothing. It's hard being an artist, you know. You just destroyed a priceless -"

"WASH!" Mal's voice booms over the comm. "Are you gonna get up here and pilot or are we just gonna float through that approachin' cargo hauler? 'Cause I have a feelin' she's just as solid as she looks..."

"Comin' right up, captain," shouts Wash into the comm.

Wash feigns haughtiness as he leaves. He throws his head back and claims he has better dinos to play with.

Kaylee makes a bright sun out of the yellow, orange and red tablets, using the green ones to draw a smile in the middle. River drifts in - and who really knows why River drifts anywhere - and turns the design into a creeping crab. Kaylee laughs as she tries to pluck the green ones out of the heap and into her mouth as River deftly scuttles her creation around the table.

"Look, you've tossed a yellow one!" squeals Kaylee, tickling River to keep her from swiping the candy away once more.

"No, there were no mistakes," chimes River. "The crab wa