014 [Location: Jack's Cabin][Visual][Locked to Inara and Jack]

[valaunbound]

Vala is dumping her things in Jack's cabin. He doesn't know about this yet, he's out blowing things up. It'll be a nice surprise for him! She'd spend more time putting her own personal stamp on the place, but she has an agenda, that can come later if he'll still have her after what she's about to do. An agenda that she hopes won't be necessary

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[hearts_of_gold]

Inara has been, quite frankly, hiding. Once Daniel let her loose, the shuttle was returned to Serenity and profuse apologies were made to Mal and River in particular for things she didn't remember, she has stuck to her hermit routine again ever since for fear that she would run into people who had a score to settle with that Adria person.

People like Vala.

She smooths out her skirts and her expression before she responds, trying to be pleasant and friendly but she is frankly so relieved to hear her words that she doesn't pick up on all the little tells that something might be off about her offer that she otherwise might.

"I would like that, I really would...I don't know if I can apologize enough for what happened. You...weren't hurt, were you?"

[valaunbound]

Vala wasn't surprised at all that she was quick to take her up on the offer. It was probably what she'd been waiting for. 'Adria' was playing the part to perfection, and for a fleeting moment it made her doubt whether her suspicions held any truth. The hesitation in 'Adria's' speech, how contrite she was. She certainly took after her mother with her ability to lie so convincingly.

No, she wasn't going to fall for this. Distance Vala, stop thinking about her as your daughter, you were just an incubator. You'd be a fool to think you have any chance of reforming her. You've failed twice now.

"Nothing that won't heal," she smiled as genuinely as she could muster, a smile edged with sadness. There was so much that would never heal from this.

"Are you busy in an hour or so...?" She added the same hesitance to her own question, it was a nice touch, one she'd used many times before. It upset her that they were both so similar in that respect, thankfully it ended there.

[hearts_of_gold]

"My social calendar is woefully empty," Inara said with a slightly sheepish smile. There were no words for how terrible she felt about the whole incident, even if it wasn't anything she could have controlled. She still had no idea of everything that had happened and she was more than a bit nervous about what she'd find out, but she needed to try and set things right. She owed that much to the people who were affected.

"Where should we meet?"

[valaunbound]

"Oh. I hadn't really considered that..." Vala pauses to feign quick thinking. "Umm, there's the Taxon Hotel, in Central. They'll have a coffee lounge I presume."

[Location: Jack's Cabin]

[islegendary]

That may have been the fastest Jack has ever left from one location to another. Seeing his cabin clearly in the background of that message is what did it. He dropped everything and didn't bother to open up his tablet.

He just went home. Cursing under his breath when he got to the door and pushed it open, "Let's pretend you're telling her the truth for just a second... Why--Why are you doing it here?"

[valaunbound]

Time to play the distraught, depressed, in need routine. Vala sweeps the carefully placed splashes of water from her face and after a moment of apparently composing herself, looks at him like that question was a huge unexpected blow.

"I thought..." She looks the picture of confused rejection. "Well, obviously I thought wrong, didn't I?"

[islegendary]

Jack just stared for a second. He read her sudden change of expression, "...what?" Eloquence isn't his strong point.

He throws up his hands, "You. Can be here." Just to clear that up, even though he suspects she already knows that, "But--" He raised a finger, "Let's say you're right... She's still Adria. Why are you advertising where I live?" forgetting for a moment that there is a map. He doesn't use the map.

[valaunbound]

"Oh." It's hard to tell when Vala's playing the fool and when she's not. "I can? Well we're good then."

She can't resist a small smirk to herself as she turns to look at the cabin wall behind her.

"But come on, Jack." She turns back around and gestures to the wall like a game show hostess displaying a grand prize. "Showing the interior of your cabin is hardly giving away your location. Besides, my tablet's set to automatically cloak my location. Isn't yours?"