(Untitled)

[belongtonobody]

In truth, Inara preferred to spend more of her time at her home by the waterfall or wandering the beach than cooped up in the Compound. The comforts of air conditioning and the like aside, it seemed like a waste to pass so many hours indoors when the weather and the island itself were hěn měi lì. If she were to be stuck in this place, she meant to

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[poison_lipstick]

Saffron saw Inara pin up the notice, and sheer boredom drove her to go and read just what it was she was advertising. Scanning the paper, she let out a soft noise of sarcastic amusement at the phrase 'and more', wondering how many folks would still be interested once they found out just what the 'and more' was. One good thing about being a Companion here, she silently admitted, was there was no gorram Alliance to answer to.

[belongtonobody]

"In need of more lessons?" Inara asked, not even looking up from where she sat. "I'm sure I can think of new things to teach you." What Saffron or whatever her name was wanted with Inara's advertisement, she couldn't begin to guess, nor did she much care to.

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron let out a short laugh. "I've had all the training I need, thanks," she said flatly. She'd skipped the parts about bending to the will of the Alliance and willingly staying under its thumb.

"Is your little school going to cover the entire scope of Companionship?" she asked, tone full of false curiosity and concern. "Some folks here might find that a bit...unseemly."

[belongtonobody]

"If we get that far," Inara said calmly. She didn't really care if it was considered 'unseemly' or not. The real concern was how long her pupils -- and herself -- would be around, and if the rate of disappearance would allow them to progress that far. "We didn't begin studying the physical aspect for years at House Madrassa. But then, restraint wasn't one of your finer lessons, was it?"

[poison_lipstick]

"Oh, you'd be surprised at how much restraint I have," Saffron replied, a cynical smile tugging at her lips. She'd restrained herself from killing Mal on more than one occasion, for one. "You planning to get paid in mangoes?"

[belongtonobody]

"I was thinking papayas," Inara said sweetly. "Something a little less... tired and overused. You can keep dealing in mangoes, though. It seems to suit." She pursed her lips slightly. They would deal in matters of trade when it came to the point of business and not a minute sooner; schooling and patience came first.

[poison_lipstick]

Saffron bristled inwardly at that, but on the surface she merely shrugged, determined not to show the slightest hint that anything Inara said could possibly get under her skin. "I like mangoes," she said simply, with a sugary smile.