[ There's something warm and grounding in Mal's touch. Something that steadies her, eases her pulse. She may be behind bars while he is on the other side, but she squeezes his hands to remind the both of them that they are here together. ]

Mal. [ Her eyes flick up from their hands to meet his, her chastising tone making it apparent that she heard his muttering and does not approve of his plan. ] I'm not planning on going anywhere. [ As if she had a choice. ] It doesn't do us any good for us both to be stuck behind bars.

[ So basically: don't do anything stupid, Oretsev. Alina's orders. Then, she leans back, squinting her eyes and affecting an overly insulted tone. One that's almost endearing in its familiarity. ]

And why do you assume I punched someone to get put down here anyway?

[ Because it is an incredibly safe assumption, Alina. And she probably did try to take a swing at Jeffery or Jolene (sorry Jeffery and Jolene), but that was after they were getting ready to shackle her to bring her down here. And she certainly had not made it easy on them, alternating between her impression of a stubborn mule and a heavy sack of potatoes. ]