Mal paused a beat, quirking an eyebrow and shrugging. "That you...look pretty and dignified-like this morning, as any respectable Companion should?" he offered hopefully, knowing he'd get shot down. Give and take wasn't an alien notion to Mal, and he knew that with the taking, he'd given something...and that was a touch of honesty with regards to his own self among other things. It was a difficult thing...but also undeniable.

And the undeniable fact was that, as much as he'd like to blame it on her working her wiles, or all that Companion-ness she tossed about like feed to horses, the fact was that Inara knew him. Maybe better than most. And taking what he wanted from her...that admission that she cared, and that she couldn't leave because of that, meant that he had to give her that concession, along with others.

So when he got the Look from her...the one that said his name in a disdainful-type tone far louder than her voice could, he knew there was no fighting it.

Swallowing his last bite of food, Mal moved to set his plate in the sink, avoiding her gaze. "Moon we're pickin' up from is Shadow."