"They're not here, Simon," River said in a tone that all but did the eye-rolling for her. "No Captain. No Serenity." Her attention left the game board just long enough for her to crane her head back and look straight up at her brother. "No Shepherd, just us lost sheep. And speaking of - no, no treasure. I thought it might be in the pasture but I was wrong and my pawn went down in the quicksand."
Hmm. Poison gas. Something happened to River's face; a tic or a twitch that banished the smile and left her staring curiously at the man across the table. "Did it come out of a table? The gas." It may not have mattered in terms of game strategy, but whatever was on her mind clearly had her attention. She'd placed a hand on one of her pieces, but she didn't move it anywhere. "Ghosts aren't good government."