"Is this going to happen every time?" Simon muttered to himself despondently as he picked his foot off the squishy pile of dung. Kaylee and River tried unsuccessfully to suppress their giggles while Jayne rolled his eyes at the pansy as he slung his shotgun over his shoulder walking down the ramp.

"What are we doing on this heap anyway? Please tell me we are not transporting cattle again." Inara turned pleading eyes towards Mal.

"Just refuel and resupply, we need to keep off the proximity of the Alliance and they give this ground a wide berth."

"Yes, they only just happen to be here whenever we make ground." Jayne snarked back, patting his shotgun to reassure himself.

Riddick observed their banter from the shadows of the cargo hold.

"Little bit, you're with me." Mal ordered walking off and missing the sharp look Inara gave him. River happily followed him; it was good to feel useful.

"Now wait a minute…" Simon trailed off, being wholly ignored.

"Let her go Simon." Kaylee sighed, exasperated with his mentality that his badass sister needed his protection.

Jayne gave Simon a condescending glare. "Yea, last time I checked, she wasn't the one that managed to get herself kidnapped when we was here last." Both were startled by the vote of confidence, but Kaylee gave him a slow smile that had Jayne spinning around and beating feet away as fast as he could. It was downright unsettling the things that happened to him when she smiled like that.

Riddick waited for Kaylee, Inara and Simon to head off before stepping out. He intended to go find the nearest bar and settle himself down for a couple hours of drinking and entertainment if it came his way, which it always did. So he couldn't explain why his feet were stalking its way in the direction that the girl had gone.

She was no business of his, had in fact proven that she could handle herself. Didn't matter though, she wasn't his, and trailing after her scent was unacceptable. He willed himself to stop and took a few steps in the direction of the smell of corn whiskey.

"Little Bit, you're with me" echoed uninvited in his head and a slow burning rasp escaped his throat. He would just make sure Mal was on his best behavior and then he'd move along.

By the third store, she was itching to dig herself into his head. But that wasn't nice, wasn't polite, people didn't like their soiled undergarments to be viewed.

Mal held up a couple of shirts, "What do you think?"

She leaned her head out comparing him to the tiny shirt, "It will fail to function when you put it on."

"Not for me, for you."

"I have adequate clothing." River responded, her confusion sinking deeper.

"Well, I wouldn't call what you run around in adequate. You need things you can fight in, clothes that won't draw so much attention."

"These garments hold no unusual fascination." She vehemently defended, looking down at herself.

"Listen River, you're growing up and uhh…men, particularly bad men, will think to do bad things when they see you in a dress." He stammered out awkwardly, wishing he had asked Kaylee along to explain it and trying not to look pointedly at the paper-thin number she had on right then.

She considered his words carefully. "But they would not succeed."

"I don't doubt that little one, just do it for my peace of mind." Frowning she looked into the pile of clothing that had been tossed carelessly together with no regard for order and plucked out a pair of grey shorts and a brown shirt.

"This will suffice." Mal quickly went to pay, grateful he had gotten out of that without an explanation of the 'bad things' that men would do.

They stepped out of the store together, River looking down at the ground and Mal having a shit eatin grin on his face for successful accomplishment of the mission.

The grin melted off his face as he watched River quietly walking beside him.

"I didn't mean to…I just think you'd be safer….I'm sorry if I…" He ran a hand through his hair; frustrated he couldn't ever get out what he was trying to say.

She looked up at him, disappointment written all over her face.

"Thought there was a use, a need. Just another caretaker, cutting the grass."

She walked away despondently, leaving him by himself.

"Oh come on," he shouted after her, "you're gonna have to give me a little time to work that one out!" "There's not even any grass to cut around here." He mumbled to himself under his breath.

She turned seemingly random corners, walking without conscious thought. Riddick blocked her way up ahead and she smoothly sidestepped him without acknowledgement.

"I don't like being ignored." He growled after her, resisting the urge to push her up against a wall again.

"Requested no meddling. Honoring your request."

So that explained why she had avoided him since their confrontation in her bunk. A strange part him felt a little relieved, he dismissed the sensation immediately.

"Where's the captain?"

Huffing, she made to leave again.

Grabbing her tiny wrist, he stopped her, "Did he try something?"

"Try, try, they all try. Take the little girl by the hand, never let her lead, silly men, don't know the girl created the steps."

"Speak plain girl." He shook her, frustrated that he couldn't understand.

"There is a pretty girl in the bar, waiting for someone exactly like you. She will give you what you want. The dance card is full, don't pity the wallflower." She snaked her wrist from his firm grasp and slipped away.

Never one to turn down good advice, he made his way to the bar angry and more than a little confused.

Stepping through the doors, he tugged down his goggles, the dingy bar was dimly lit enough for him to tolerate. Just as she promised, a gorgeous redhead sat at the bar, unfortunately she was laughing delicately at something the man next to her had just said. Normally, he wasn't one to compete, they either wanted him or they didn't, but he couldn't help some nagging feeling that she had sent him here for a reason.

Drawing up a stool on the other side of redhead, he ordered a whiskey and turned to say hello when he caught sight of the face of the man red head was talking to. A killer smile graced his lips as he downed the whiskey in one shot, this was going to be fun.