Disclaimer- Oh, if only I had a tenth of Stephen King or Joss Whedon's talent. Alas, I do not and these characters don't belong to me nor am I making any money from them.
It's the whip-lash turn of River's head that draws everyone's attention to the saloon's batwing doors. Not even Jayne is stupid enough not to notice.
On the surface there isn't anything wrong with the new comer. He's tall and lean with black hair. There's nothing wrong with his dusty boots or his well-worn blue jeans. Not even the home-spun shirt he's wearing, or the guns on his hip would draw attention on a back-water little rim moon like this, but there is still something off about him.
He looks around the room, a maneuver Zoë knows well 'cuz she's done it countless times before. The man is checking his exits and mentally sizing up all of the room's occupants. He eyes the wave screen above the bar for a bare second before he saddles up to the plank board that serves as a counter.
Before anyone can react, River has slid off her seat between Mal and Simon, and made her way towards the stranger. She takes the stool next to him as if she'd been expected, and orders a meal and beer from the bartender in Mandarin before slapping some platinum down on the wood. The broad behind the bar immediately pockets the coins and then places a ceramic cup in front of the reader who slides it towards the man next to her.
"I know you," she says in a language no one else understands, "Roland Deschain, son of Stephen, last Gunslinger of Gilead."
"How do you know me," he asks in the same tongue, as he eyes the young woman wearily, "And how do you know the High Speech?"
"I know because you know," she answers cryptically, "Drink your beer, Gunslinger. You have a meal on the way."
"Who are you?" he asks before taking a drink.
"A witch. A seer. A psychic. Take your pick."
Author's Note - A little story that I've been thinking about for sometime, though it only came out under the influence of several Rum & Cokes and seven cigarettes. Didn't really know where to go from here. Hope you enjoyed. Really hope I've inspired you to read Stephen King's 'Dark Tower' series.