The Tavern was dimly lit, but daylight was still at high noon, so it was not needed. You could see the dust floating in the sunbeams from the windows, the happy people drinking, and Jayne trying to impress a pretty face. After the Alliance ambush on Stomak, Mal decided to go the the closest planet with a bar.

River was thinking about the past week. Who was this boy? Why was he so nice to her sometimes, but tried to kill them all at others? Why was the Alliance waiting for them on Stomak? Why had they not been followed? And where the hell was she going to get more candy? That stuff is only on a couple planets. Her thoughts were interrupted by Jayne getting a drink poured down his pants by the attractive young woman. Suprisingly, he liked it.

After convincing the bartender that she really was 23, River got herself a shot to reflect on. While deep in thought, utterly oblivious to the world around her, she heard someone talking to her. Can’t they see she was trying to concentrate on-

“Y’know, you don’t look old enough to be drinkin' that.” River looked up, and was astounded to see the boy sitting across from her. He gave her a wide smile, and pulled another alcoholic beverage out of nowhere. They just sat and stared at each other for a long while. Then he broke the silence.

“So, what was up on Stomak?” he asked, trying to start a conversation.

“I thought thought you would already know...” River replied cooly, not losing her nerve this time.

“Your the physic River, not I.” He looked absolutely innocent.

“You spy and seem to be everywhere on the ship,” she shot back, still maintaining her calm. He smiled.

“Touché’. I was not present at the cargo bay at the time though. Putting back everything and cleaning up the confetti on the catwalk without you all seeing me was hard enough.” She thought she had seen someone up there, but she wasn’t sure.

“Why do you hide from the rest of the crew, just not me,” she asked, hoping to break him wide open. Even if he resisted, which he most definitely would, she wo