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Post by Inara Serra on Feb 3, 2006 15:51:59 GMT -5
Inara sat on her bed, pulling her red satin robe up onto her shoulders. She had just woken up an hour ago, something that wasn't totally normal for her. She had noticed that over the course of the past few weeks, subtle phases of her Companion training were falling away. One of those was her ability to rise early.
She sighed and stood up, walking away from the sea of red that made up her bed. She started to make a pot of tea for herself. 'Maybe I should invite Zoe in to join me?' she thought. Or Mal a voice in the back of her mind said, which almost made her laugh out loud. Picturing Mal drinking tea was enough to make anyone crack up.
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Post by River Tam on May 1, 2006 21:55:42 GMT -5
*She had needed to hide. Hide from Simon. When ever he looked at her, his eyes burned. He was watching her close now...he suspected something was going on. He thought she didn't know...ofcourse she knew. She always knew what he was thinking....what everyone was thinking. The constant whispers, the secrets she was never supposed to know, but always found out.
And the whispers coming from Inara's shuttle brought a smile to her face.
She had crept quietly to the shuttle, sticking her head in, her body pressed against the door, watching the companion. Her voice was soft when she did speak, barely noticeable...the way River sometimes felt.* Mal doesn't like tea...
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Post by Inara Serra on May 1, 2006 22:26:41 GMT -5
Inara was momentarily startled at the sudden voice she heard at her door. She looked up and smiled at River.
"Yes, I would imagine he doesn't, honey," she said, gesturing for River to enter her shuttle. "Mal doesn't seem appreciate the finer aspects of life." She ran a hand through her silky black hair and added, "Or the finer aspects of anything. I don't think he really has the patience for it."
She leaned down and brought out another cup for the tea she was about to make. "Would you like some tea, River? It's jasmine."
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Post by River Tam on May 1, 2006 22:33:19 GMT -5
*She smiled, a little laugh escaping her. She loved Mal, but it was hard not to laugh at the truth. He was who he was.
She moved to step in the shuttle, her gaze on the floor as she walked, making her hair shield her face. She moved closer to Inara with small, graceful steps.
Her head shot up when Inara spoke again, a startled look on her face...her mind jumping away from the present. It began to wander, images of him flashing between her eyes so quick she couldn't stop herself when a little moan of desire escaped from the back of her throat. As quick as the flashes came, they ceased. Leaving River feeling cold and displaced for a moment. She had to concentrate to regain her composure and sense, her eyes falling to Inara, her cheeks flushing* Tea....yes
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Post by Inara Serra on May 1, 2006 23:16:20 GMT -5
Inara watched the expressions playing over River's face. She was utterly confused as to what could've caused them. And even more confused when she heard the low moan escape from River's mouth.
She nodded and placed the tea leaves in both cups and set the kettle on the hot plate. Now all she had to do was wait for the water to boil.
"River," she began, walking over to where the girl now stood. "Is there something on your mind? I don't think I've had that kind of reaction just by speaking to someone in a long time." Inara was joking of course, she knew that it had something to do with one of the things she had said.
And she wanted to know what had set the small psychic off.
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Post by River Tam on May 1, 2006 23:28:19 GMT -5
*Her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink and she took an immediate step away from Inara. She reachd up, her hand brushing the side of her face, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. Her heart sped up as Inara asked the question.
She shook her head, crossing her arms infront of her chest. What was she supposed to say? She was having fantasies about the crews mercinary? A man old enough to be her father? A man her brother could not stand?
It was best to say nothing* No
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Post by Inara Serra on May 2, 2006 21:30:00 GMT -5
Inara raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at River's answer. The Companion had had a lot of training in reading people and she could tell when someone wasn't being truthful or hiding something. River was doing exactly that. The way she averted her gaze, the way her eyes went to the right, an indication she was lying.
"Are you sure? I don't want to pry, but if there is something on your mind, if you feel uncomfortable talking to anyone about it, I want you to know that I won't break your confidence. Nor will I judge yoo, River."
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Post by River Tam on May 2, 2006 21:32:43 GMT -5
*She kept her gaze to the floor, her hand rubbing up and down her right arm, a nervous habit the girl had. Maybe it would be a good thing to talk to Inara about. Get advice...figure out how to get excatly what she wanted. If anyone would know...it would be Inara.
But then again...Inara was still too shy to persue the person she wanted, and everyone on the ship knew it except him. She took in a breath*
He likes jasmine...*Her voice was small, afraid some how that the conversation would escape the walls of the shuttle and find his ears*
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Post by Inara Serra on May 2, 2006 21:44:27 GMT -5
Inara smiled slightly. She was glad that River was beginning to open up to her. After what the girl had gone through at the Academy and all the trials she had been through before Miranda, Inara couldn't blame her for being a bit inward and distant when it came to opening up to someone.
"'He'?" she asked, leaning down to turn off the hot plate when she saw steam shooting from the pot. She poured the piping hot water into the waiting cups, the tea leaves darkening the water, the sweet smells of the jasmine tea filling the air.
"Who is 'he'?" she continued, taking both cups up in her hands, handing one to River.
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Post by River Tam on May 2, 2006 21:48:44 GMT -5
He is a mountain. Tall...sturdy...hard....strong. *She moved to sit on one of the cushions, sitting on her knees. Her hands moved up to her hair again and she began twisting some strands together, a distant look on her face* Hard to reach...distant. Beautiful...
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Post by Inara Serra on May 2, 2006 22:17:30 GMT -5
Inara smirked a bit as she drank her tea, a warm sensation filling her body. She loved tea, had ever since she was a small child, before she even knew what a Companion was.
"That sounds like Jayne," she commented. She stopped about two seconds after saying that, looking right at River. "It's Jayne isn't it? You like him."
She said it more as a statement than anything else, as she had no doubt that it was true.
Inara put her cup down, resting it on her knee and holding it between her hands.
"When did you start to like him?" she asked.
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Post by River Tam on May 2, 2006 22:21:18 GMT -5
*She took the cup Inara had poured for, having set it on the table, and raised it to her lips. She took a small sip from it, not wanting to burn her tonque, and shrugged her shoulders in response.*
I don't know...just did. It matter when?*She glanced up, looking at Inara through her dark strands* When did you start to like Mal? *She kept her voice quiet, like always*
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Post by Inara Serra on May 3, 2006 22:14:31 GMT -5
When did you start to like Mal?
Inara looked away from River, a small blush creeping into her cheeks. 'Does everyone but Mal know about this?' she asked herself. 'And when had they become wise to this?' Inara herself had denied the truth to herself for a long time.
"I'm..I'm not exactly sure myself. I thought of him as nothing more than a brute when I first arrived on Serenity. Gradually, I saw aspects of him that no one else really saw. His kindness, the way he looks after everyone. How he's become a father figure type to Kaylee. I think what really cinched it for me was that underneath all his bravado, there was a tenderness aching to be let out. One that he had been suppressing for a very long time. More than that, there was vulnerability. The war broke him on many levels, I think. More than even he knows or is willing to admit. It was that that attracted me to him; his true self."
Inara was surprised that she had said all of that out loud. She had never revealed to anyone, hardly even to herself, just what it was about Mal that she loved. Yes, loved. She loved him, she had been sure of that for a long time. She could almost pinpoint the time frame of when she had fallen in love with him; almost a week before they arrived at the Heart of Gold. That morning, seeing him exit Nandi's quarters was like a knife in her heart. The familiar pain resurfaced, almost making it hard for her to breathe.
She buried it and looked back at River, her eyes glittering a bit. "I'm sorry. I've let my emotions get away from me," she apologised, brushing an errant strand of hair away from her face.
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Post by River Tam on May 3, 2006 23:15:55 GMT -5
*River listened, occasionally raising her cup to her lips, her eyes focused on Inara. It wasn't anything new to River...she knew the answer before she asked the question. Not simply because of the whispers...more because it was that obvious. Everyone knew, everyone could see the passion and heat between the 'Ambassador' and the Captrain.
She gave a warm smile to Inara, reaching out to touch her arm gently, affection displayed on her young face* Sometimes it's best to do just that *Let emotions take over, for they were the real drive behind acts, as far as River was concerned. You could know all the knowledge in the 'verse, but it was your heart that made the decisions in the end...not your brain*
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Post by Inara Serra on May 5, 2006 0:50:12 GMT -5
Inara nodded, brushing away the last remnants of tears from her eyes as she listened to River speak.
"That's true," the Companion said, in response to River's words. She had been suppressing herself for far too long. Part of her training was to do just that, hide her true feelings in front of clients. Always act happy, eager to please. A true instrument of pleasure for them.
"You should take your own advice," Inara added, looking at the girl. "With Jayne, I mean."
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