Mal's note to River.

It's oddly calm on Serenity. Quiet. Boring. The way it should be, some days.

Mal is not bored. He's working.

He's gone through about anything he can think of to be polite and considerate and all those things he'd ever been taught, and failing.

Giving up and scrawling on a piece of paper a short note, Mal folds it in half and places it next to a pure white crane he had been practicing folding for forty five minutes previous. It took him awhile because he had to remember what a crewmember of his had specified, which crease goes first and all that.

Finally satisfied, he takes the note and the origami piece to the infirmary. Simon'll get it to River; Mal can't really think of a reason why River'd be interested in seeing him at the moment.

( The Note )

She'll understand.

Over the intercom.

Rarely does he do this. However, Mal is the captain and can do whatever he wants. If Zoe lets him.

Thusly, he walks with purpose to the shipwide comm in his bunk and broadcasts the following:

"We need downtime, in case the thought hasn't occurred to you already. Thing is, way we're headed now, we'll be up on Shadow in not too long a while. Those that'd have a mind to do so, are welcome to come with me makin' a side stop to visit a ranc--my ranch. My family's ranch."

A pause.

"Let me know. That is all."