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.

"*Mei-mei*," she said to the grinning mechanic, "you too?" Kaylee hiccuped and nodded. "S’ok, ‘Nara, it ain’t like I never drunk before." She giggled and then snorted. This struck her very funny, and great peals of laughter erupted from her gut. She set her head down and slapped the table with a grease-stained palm. Inara leveled her eyes at Mal. "Would you like me to bring the preacher in here so he can get drunk as well?"

"Technically, not a sin," Mal, said, walking past her to the disposal. It opened with a rusty squeak, and he dropped all but one half-full bottle in. He gave the bottle a tempting little shake and offered it to Inara with raised brows.

"No thank you," she said, "I’m fine with tea."

Mal shrugged. "Suit yourself. Zoë, think we can get half paid for this one?"

"Doubtful, sir." She was crouching over the pine crate, trying to spread the bottles around so it would look fuller. Mal set the half-filled bottle on the counter.

"Save it for Wash when he’s off duty then."

"I will. Thanks, sir."

"Well," Mal said, leaning against the counter, hoping he was getting in Inara’s way. "This has been a good day. Got the job done, and got a bonus." Inara reached deftly behind him for the tea tin, and he leaned back just a bit further.

"Excuse me," she said, "I don’t want to interrupt your drunken rally of the troops, but I would like to make my tea and go to bed."

"Thought you had tea in your shuttle," Mal said.

"That’s ceremonial tea. Besides, I’m out." She gave him a dark look, daring him to comment.

Ordinarily he might tease her about how many "ceremonies" she must have been through, but she didn’t seem to be in a playing mood. Instead, he moved out of her way. Last thing he wanted was a fight. "I best be turning in, too." Mal said, stretching. "Kaylee, don’t drink no more. You are going to be sorrier than a three-legged cur come mornin’. And Jayne--" A sudden scream ripped through the ship.

"What the?" Jayne said, jumping up from his chair, hand on the gun at his hip.

"That was River," Inara said, eyes wide but voice restrained.

"River? She OK?" Kaylee tried to stand, but had to clutch dizzily at the table to keep from falling. "Everyone settle." Mal said, his own hand hovering over his gun. "This ain’t the first time that girl has screamed. Prolly nothin’."

"Yeah, girl’s a nutter." Jayne said.

Another scream filled the air.

Mal’s face set into a frown. "Kaylee and Inara, stay here. Zoë and Jayne, with me, we’ll check it out."

Inara sat down at the table next to Kaylee, her calm exterior betrayed by the row of white knuckles gripping the empty teacup in her hands.