Zoe had rearranged her clothing, so that she wouldn't look too much the harlot as they left Serenity. The mule, even the one with wheels, would have made this easier. If she wished for it hard enough...
"Watch the step." She wasn't avoiding his question, but she wasn't going to try to explain what happened while falling down, up, or any other way on the stairs. Life was too short, and it'd only get shorter if they didn't watch it. "No. I didn't cook for Mal. And the captain..different captain..might be an orphan - hear that most pirates are."
Okay, in some way she was hoping to distract him with that word "pirate". It'd be like saying she had to run away from a dinosaur, but at least he could consider the truth and joke about it.
"Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. It's where I've been living. On the Pearl. Nice boat. Nothing like Serenity. I'm not exactly paying for my quarters, so the least I could do was fix food for the both of us. Wash, he has a tub..well, not him, the Pearl has a tub. With running hot water." Zoe had no idea where this was going, and she hoped they'd make it to the cargo hold and find some form of transportation before Wash got upset. Funny. She could break him in two without too much of a sweat, but she actually had moments of anxiety when it came to upsetting him.