Mal was weary, more from the arguing than the walking. He and Inara were stranded on Jiangyin, a good twenty miles out from Serenity, after crashing the shuttle. Crash may be the wrong word. Safely landed with unintentional gusto. Not totaled, but it wouldn’t fly again, which meant they had to walk back. Totally her fault – at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. Not that he could hear much over her constant yammering. As they walked, it amazed him how much they had to talk about, and that even the most sedate of topics could be turned into something controversial.

A chill hung in the air, so that the moisture frosted around them. The morning rains had created a virtual quagmire, and at times, his boots would sink in up to the ankles in the cold, slushy mud. Inara had been pacing him at first, but took to following so she could trace his footsteps and not sink quite so much.

“Those shoes’ll kill ya,” he criticized, interrupting her tirade on molded protein.

“Why are we talking about my shoes?”

“Look at ‘em, all high-heeled and fancy strapped!” Mal paused and pointed, giving her an opportunity to regain her footing. The shoes were open-toed, with two delicately beaded straps over the top and a red ribbon around the ankle. The heel was about 4 inches higher than the toe, which was already two inches off the ground. Must’ve been a tall client. She used the brief stop to stabilize on both feet, pulling her maroon cloak tighter around her body. Even with his coat, Mal could feel the chill and he knew she must be freezing… except for the argument keeping her blood boiling.

“Not practical for walkin’.”

“I can walk just fine.”

“We got a day’s journey back to Serenity and they’re already slowin’ us down.”

“Only because you’ve stopped walking to stare at them!”

“I ain’t –”

“You set the pace, Mal,” she said icily. “I’ll keep up.

*~*

Inara’s feet ached from the tall shoes, her toes were freezing, and she could feel a blister starting to form where the strap was rubbing her skin raw. She’d