Kouji had abandoned her at the poker table, taking off shortly after they arrived with a pretty, winking young man. The last she'd seen him, he was gleefully throwing a wicked glance over the boy's head, cackling "don't wait up!" at her as the young man under his arm giggled in anticipation. Lucky buggers. Oops! Phrasing... she snickered to herself, gathering the glowers of the smokey, paunchy old men around her. She was on a roll and didn't want to leave; the chips just kept stacking up as she snickered gleefully at the dealer's increasingly frustrated face. The bulls would come to roust her soon, but she'd take as damn much as they'd let her til then

She pushed an obscene amount of chips to the center of the table, grinning gleefully, tells be damned. She'd been oilin' them up 'til now, betting wildly and bluffing on hands of two pair or less. They were pissed, bristling at her gall, determined to take back their chips and bury the impudent girl, pushing the bets higher and higher until it came: the moment of truth.

"Hands down, gents... Lady." One by one they revealed their cards, decent hands here, awful there. Faces red and sweaty as they waited for her to lay down the little cards held close to her chest.

"Full House." She laid them down, one by one. "Read 'em and weep, gents. And with that, I'm off. I know, I know - it's hardly fair. But you know what they say; never engage in a land war in Asia, never tangle with a woman when-" a heavy hand clapped down onto her shoulder, cutting her off. Shit, the bulls. But wait, no, the men were staring at the space above her head, an odd trepidation in their eyes...

"Miss Su." The familiar voice ground her name out, full of venom and dumb triumph. A voice that heralded nothing but trouble. Well, fuck. She was wondering when he'd show up for Vera. She twisted in her chair, throwing the man a flirtatious wink.

"You're going to have to wait, tiger, I made a killing." She gestured at the massive pile of chips, praying it would get through the man's thick skull.

"Uh..." Christ, she could practically hear the cogs turning behind his confused face. "Yeah." Chips in hand, she bid the men a cheeky salute as Jayne's hand wrapped around her bicep, dragging her from the table.

"Lovely time, gents! Hope to see you soon! Pardon me- don't want to keep this brute waiting!" As she cashed out, the brute in question leaned against the counter, glowering savagely at her.

"Why you always gotta be so damn confusing, girl? I just come for my gun, and you go wrapping me up in another one of your gorram schemes." She shrugged as the cashier handed over the large stack of bills.

"It's fun. What else matters? Aside, they think I'm with you, they won't try to roll me later. Saves me my fists." With a grin, she shoved the bills into her bra, offering her bicep to the man, "Alright, you big, scowly outlaw! Drag me off to meet my doom." He obliged with a muttered cuss about ladies not knowing their damn place, pulling the chuckling girl behind him toward the docking bays.

The morning found Mari sitting in the main room of the suite, a smile pressed to tented fingers as she watched the delivery boy lay out tray after tray of sumptuous foods. Crispy fried sausages, spicy potatoes with thick green peppers, large poached eggs with spinach and hollandaise, thick slices of Challah bread smeared with real butter. Berries, melon, avocado and thick slices of tomato. Fresh squeezed orange juice, fresh brewed coffee - no instant today. Her mouth watered at the expensive feast; she had been unable to stop ordering once she had started, winding up with a meal fit for six, not three. As soon as the boy left, she tucked in, savoring the melange of scents and tastes. It wasn't long before a heavy pair of boots sounded on the rug behind her, slumping toward the table.

"Help yourself! I ordered more than we could eat all day..."

"Don't mind if I do." An unexpected gravelly voice returned her offer, scaring her out of her skin as a thick arm reached over her shoulder to grab a slice of toast. Whipping her head around, she found herself nose to nose with Mal's grinning guard dog. Straightening, he nodded, "Ma'am," smirk growing at the look on her face, piling sausage and egg on top of the toast. Balancing his pilfered provisions in one hand, he hoisted a heavy black duffle to the other shoulder, whistling a piercing series of notes he had decided to call a song and cruising out of the doors with one last wink to the slack-jawed captain.

"Su!" Mari howled as she found her voice. A swish of fabric sounded through the open door to her second-in-command's room, followed by a second set -the expected set- of boots clomping through the rooms.

"Oh good, he's left." came the sigh as Su tripped over to the table, a sheet pulled in a becoming toga around her, offset by the re-dirtied boots on her feet. "You know he shows a girl the loveliest of times, but doesn't have a clue when to get the-"

"What was Jayne doing in our Fhloston Paradise suite?!" Mari cut through the little speech.

"I told him you would never speak to me again if I let him put me over the Genrou's control panel to..." she trailed off as she settled into her seat, wincing gently as she sat. "... um. Punish me. For kidnapping Vera. So we came back here and he put me over his knee instead." She smiled pleasantly at the captain, twirling a fork between the fingers of her right hand. "Pass the sausages?"

"I think you've had enough sausage." Mari said dryly, but handed the girl the plate all the same. "He got the gun back, I suppose?" Su smirked unpleasantly, one hand fishing into a drape of her toga.

"Yes, well. I got this." She came up with the horrid bundle of knitting, chucking it to her captain.

"Lovely, his hat. And just when I was beginning to believe I could live without seeing it on your becoming head again." the captain rolled her eyes. "I'm sure this will do us better than a serious firearm."

"Open the damn hat, Cap'n." Mari narrowed her eyes at the woman, glancing down at the hat with sudden trepidation.

"Go on!" Su speared a chunk of pineapple, eyes closing as she bit into it. "Ohhhhh, yum. You'll like it, I promise." Mari's fishing fingers came up with a sizeable roll of bills, eyes widening as she took in the large denominations.

"Where did you-? How did you-?"

"Hey Kouji, why the hell's the door wide open?" Kouji demanded, strolling through said portal, still in his suit from the night before. "I dunno Kouji, but what's with the spread? The broads havin' a party?"

"No, my li'l flighty fairy friend. Mal's pet mule just left, and Cap'n ordered us a spectacular amount of food for breakfast. Now c'mon, tuck in 'fore she eats it all herself!"

"And where have you been?" Mari demanded, shaking the wad of bills at the rumpled man.

"Uh-oh, she wants to know where we've been, Kouji. Hmmm... Tell her we've been seeing the sights, but only if she tells us where she got the dough." Kouji flung himself in a chair, revealing a prominent hickey glowing on his neck.

"I won at poker." Su declared triumphantly. "What happened to your throat?"

"We won at life." Kouji returned with a grin. "I wonder what the Cap'n won."

"One night without the two of you. Now shut up so I can enjoy this feast."

"Yes Ma'am!"

Music: I Want my Hat Back – Digger