Dinner is a fun meal. Not all the tension comes from the fact they have all kinds of big and bad floating around in the Black. And after dinner, River quite deliberately settles herself into the seating area, pulls out the chess board, and sets out to teach Tyler to play. Tyler, who has decided that he will do anything if River will smile at him like that again, nearly falls over the table in his eagerness to obey.

It is Ilargia’s misfortune to be caught grinning at the pair. Mal glares.

“I’m glad you think it’s so gorram funny. Thought you’d have some control over the boy.”

She blinks, surprised at his harsh tone.

“I’m not his mother, Captain.”

“Well, I’m...appointing you to the job. Don’t take much more than an hour or so to cook dinner, you got plenty of time to mind a pair of kids, you can escape Jayne‘s clutches.”

Ilargia’s face goes very still.

“That’s what you think of my job here? A quick hour prepping the protein? And the rest of time as Jayne’s bedwarmer? If you reckon that feeding a crew of seven people on standard protein, and making it interesting, is such a sinecure, why the hell did you hire me on the crew?”

“’Cos Jayne...” Mal skids to a halt. Ilargia’s eyes narrow further.

“Well, I do so like to feel...useful.”

Mal misses the edge to her voice.

“Can definitely be useful, you keep that boy out from under foot, let my pilot get on with her job.”

“I really don’t know what she...” Bites that off. “I appreciate that this is not the easiest time for any of us, Captain, but perhaps you might care to consider that your pilot may need a bit of comfort after saving our collective skins?” Old enough and smart enough to keep her own temper in check, but he’s suddenly aware of it. “You see, that’s the problem with having civilians on your crew, Captain. They like stupid things, like people saying thank you.”

It’s a good exit line. She slaps the dishtowel into his hands, stalks to the door, straight-backed.

0000

Mal, t