River glanced askance at her brother. She liked Willie! Why didn't Simon? Of course a brother's thoughts about a strange man who had followed his sister onto their ship and was apparently going to be staying with them would be quite a bit different than her own very positive impressions of the Shepherd. She reached out to lay a hand on Simon's arm, willing him to calm down and not worry too much. Soothing waves emanated from the young woman.<br/><br/>"I'll join you soon," she assured them. Waving blithely, she headed towards the bridge. She loved flying. Where they were going next, she didn't know. But that was part of the excitement. Their visit to Paiout had been successful in one sense.<br/><br/>"So, Captain, how did things go on your end?" she asked as she took her seat and began to ready the ship for their departure. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and leaned forward. Though she wasn't looking at Mal, there was the distinct sense she was paying attention to his answer. Her hands moved without thinking. However, she was still working faster and more efficiently than any other two people would have been able to with their attention completely focused on the task at hand.