Kaylee stared at the girls. They were all of 'em pretty, even if they didn't show it off like Inara. And they seemed friendly enough, even if they were a little on edge. She decided they should feel more welcome aboard Serenity. After all, they were paying enough to get all those shiny new parts she wanted, and even maybe some fruit. Plucking up her courage, she stepped forward, her customary smile easily finding its place on her grease streaked face.

"Well, uh, I'm Kaylee. I'm Serenity's mechanic." A sudden thought struck her. "Oh! I'm re-wiring the lights, so please don't go in the engine room 'less you really have to!" she relaxed a little as the new girls smiled back, and promised not to. She continued. "An…And this here is Wash," she put her hand on his arm, and pulled him a little further into view. "Best pilot in the 'verse! And…"

"Wait a second," Nova interrupted. "Wash. Washburne" She gestured at Zoë. "You both are married?"

"There a problem with that?" demanded Zoë quietly, suddenly on the defensive. Nova shook her head.

"Course not. Just like to be clear. Wouldn't wanna go making any inappropriate remarks, or…" she paused to grin a little and look Wash over. "Tryin' to seduce a man who has a wife as proficient with guns as you."

"Yeah, Nova, that's good. That's really good." Taban spoke up for the first time, smirking like the rest of the black clad young women. Nova looked at them wide eyed, really not managing to pull off any kind of innocent act.

"What? He's pretty!"

"So's Nik," grinned Ebony.

Nova raised her chin, staring down her nose at her cohorts.

"You are no longer my friends." She declared trying not to grin. "You are all mean to me. And I'm prettier than you." She turned her back on them in a very final manner, ignoring Taariq's remark of:

"You're so melodramatic."

She looked at Kaylee.

"Continue," she invited with a short hand gesture.

Kaylee floundered for a moment, thrown by their random changes of direction. She glanced at Wash, who seemed equally, if not more so, flabbergasted. Finally, Book came to her rescue.

"As Kaylee was about to say before being interrupted, I'm Shepherd Book." He smiled warmly and extended his had for each of the girls to shake. "You can all just call me Book. And this is Simon Tam," he indicated the young doctor, not missing the sudden interest on the faces of Kaige and Ebony. "He's River's elder brother, and a mighty fine Doctor, too."

Simon managed to nod and say

"How do you do?" but he was preoccupied with River's reaction to these strange girls.

Kaylee had pulled herself together. She stepped up next to Inara, determined that neither the Captain nor Jayne would describe her using that horrible word in front newcomers.

"And this is Inara," she said, and drew breath to get the sentence out without interruptions. "She's a…"

"Companion," interrupted Kaige, her expression unreadable. "Fine by us."

Inara bridled slightly at this dismissal of her career.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" She kept her expression equally unreadable, not quite at her ease with these girls. Companions were trained to read people, and these young women weren't just arrogant. Their arrogance was etched into them, in the way only found in people who have tried and tested the power which makes them arrogant. She knew for sure there was something not being said, and she wasn't sure that anyone would like it when it was said.

"I mean, people have to earn." Kaige continued, unthrown. "Some people probably have…issues with your choice of career, but I wanted it said we don't."

Inara relaxed. The answer seemed genuine enough. She would have replied, but Jayne had sobered up and had things he wanted said.

"Now y'all have had yer niceties an' know who's what, maybe you'll be inclined to hand over the other 2 an' a half K, bein' as we broke atmo."

Jayne Cobb, she thought. Ever the master of subtlety.