Laughter filled the mess hall. This take had not just been decent: it was also distilled. Mal smiled easily as he leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the warmth spreading from his center, noting with amusement that the room was growing slightly blurry at the edges.

"If we drink any more of this *jien hwo* saki, there ain’t gonna be none left to sell to Odd," Jayne said, opening another bottle. "So I’m takin’ my cut in saki."

"No arguments here," Mal said. "Mebbyhaps this is better then gettin’ paid." He nodded to Kaylee. "Think you can rig the boat to run on rice wine ‘stead of gas?"

"Serenity don’t drink," Kaylee said, a wide, drunken smile on her face. She took a swig off her bottle, made a face, and then slammed it back to the table. It toppled over, its contents soaking the tablecloth. "Opps," she said, covering her mouth in mock remorse. "Guess I need a new’un."

Zoë pushed herself from the table and gathered up the unopened bottles into her arms before Kaylee could reach for another one. She took a bottle away from the captain just as he was about to open it.

"What’r doing, woman? I was going to drink that fine booze!" Mal said, swinging at Zoë with his arm, missing by a mile.

"Cutting you off, sir. We were only going to have one bottle, remember?"

"No." He scratched his head, trying to remember.

"Well, if we want to have money to pay for things like fuel, and food—" Jayne belched and cocked his head at Zoë. "Food you don’t drink," she continued, "then we best be getting these bottles back to the crate."

"Aw gee mom, yer breaking up the party." Jayne said, grabbing his bottle before Zoë could sweep it into her collection .

Mal stood up and started to gather the empty bottles from the table. "She’s right. We drunk more than we should."

"You are more drunk than you should," a silken voice behind him said. Mal turned to see Inara in the kitchen, graceful arm over her head, reaching for teacup in a high cabinet.

"Hi, Inara!" Kaylee called, waving broadly.