Seeming to understand, Kaylee nodded. ”Do you think they’re alright up there?” She asked. ”I mean, they’ll come back for us soon, don’t you think?”

River met Kaylee’s eyes. ”It’s not for us to say…” She said. ”The clouds don’t seem to think they’ll be disturbed again for a while though.” She seemed to ponder her own words. ”I think we’ll be all right though.” She smiled. ”Sometimes, you just got’a believe.”

River seemed so serene saying that, Kaylee couldn’t help but feel a little less worry. ”You might be right about that.”

”Of course I’m right.” River said. ”I’m very clever, you know. Wise even.” She said that last part a little like she were sharing a secret. ”You don’t have to worry.”

Kaylee laughed a little. ”You know? Strangely enough? I think I believe you.”

———-

It was a day later and Kaylee was glad to note she seemed to be feeling in better sorts. Not a lot better, ribs still bothered, but she was more awake and alert for longer, and the food that’d been made for her seemed to be of a help to her heath also.

”What’re you doing over there?” Kaylee finally asked of River out of curiosity’s sake.

River stopped and looked over at her. ”It’s all a mess.” She said simply. ”I have to work the vectors.”

Kaylee laughed a little nervously. It seemed like a harmless enough activity. Things had gotten well and truly tossed about in their planet fall after all, and they might be staying on here a while. It would be nice if the place was looking fully right ways up for a change. Make her feel a little more right with the world again, she’d imagine.

”River?” She spoke.

”Hm?” The girl turned from sorting through a box of machine parts that was one of Kaylee’s purchases from Opal Shire’s market meant for Serenity and looked at her.

”Do you think… Do you think Inara… I mean… There’s no way she could’a made it back to Serenity. Not without…” Inara Serra was the Companion to which this shuttle properly belonged you see. She’d been right up in the middle of the capital when the Reavers had come.

”Not even hollow men know to look everywhere.” River spoke thoughtfully, getting up and coming over to sit by Kaylee’s side. ”I knew how to hide from them, and we were crashing at the time.” She tried to comfort her friend.