(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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[dodgy_decarabas]

'Excuse me, my lady,' said the Marquis from over her shoulder, 'but might I inquire as to what, exactly, 'Compansionship' is?'

He'd watched the woman put up the notice with some interest and, after reading it, had followed her inside. He liked to keep an eye on the island's goings-on, even if he had nothing to do with them. Information could be gleaned in many ways, and standing back and observing was one of them. De Carabas far preferred it to getting directly involved; he usually ended up in serious trouble when he did.

[belongtonobody]

Inara surreptitiously looked the man over, taking in his measure. It was more difficult to assess from mere exteriors here where a man's wardrobe might have been chosen at the mercy of a merciless box, but the choices made, the bearing and expression, all served her still. "You might," she said with a smile, "and I'll even answer. What time and what world are you from?"

[dodgy_decarabas]

The clothes box seemed to supply the Marquis with attire similar to that he usually wore - bright waistcoats, tailored trousers - and they went quite well with his long leather trenchcoat. One dark hand absently brushed an imaginary speck of lint from his shoulder, and he returned the woman's smile with a mysterious one of his own.

'Nowhere and nowhen you'd know, my good lady,' he said. She reminded him of a Velvet, but not as cold, and he doubted she was from or knew anything about London Below.

[belongtonobody]

The smile, his manner of holding himself and of speaking, were enough to prove at least mildly intriguing, if only because so few things on this island were now. "Then I'll explain in simplest terms," she replied, though not unkindly. "Companions exist in some form or another in most cultures, I've found." They'd had their roots in the work done by women on Earth-That-Was, centuries before; it was a profession which had always existed in some way. "I suppose you might call it a kind of elite prostitution, though my goal with any pupils I take on would be to pass on the traditions and education I received." It was hard to be sure any of them, pupils or teacher, would be around long enough to learn or teach the full trade.

[little_moons]

Watching the woman tack up the notice on the board and then disappear 'round the corner, I wander over to take a look, brow arched and a faint smirk on my face. I find her sitting peacefully at a table in the rec room, and I get what River meant about Companionship not being anything like common whoring. The way she holds herself, she looks a whole lot like royalty or something.

"So, you're River's friend."

[belongtonobody]

Inara lifted her head when the boy addressed her and smiled. "I am," she agreed. "Inara. But you knew that. I take it you're a friend of River's, too?" Even after so long on the island, even after the wedding, the idea of River having friends outside of the crew was a strange one -- please, too, though. With all she'd been through, she deserved the peace and love she had apparently found here.

[little_moons]

"Yeah, guess I am," I say, sliding into the chair across from her, "Neil... She mentioned a while back you were talkin' about starting up that school, so I just figured..." I wave a lazy hand over my shoulder toward where the notice board should be and roll one shoulder in a shrug.

[belongtonobody]

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Neil." Inara glanced back toward where he had gestured, then to him again, curious. It was difficult to gauge just yet whether his was idle curiosity or something more pointed. "It took me a while to get around to it, but yes, I'm looking for students."

[godpleaseheal]

On my way to the kitchen, I paused in order to consider Inara Serra's advertisement, puzzling over the capitalization of the word 'companionship.' I had, of course, no idea as to who she could be, but after four days of finding most people's names and faces to be absolutely unrecognizable, I suspected I would have to accept that I was less knowledgeable now that I was fully human for a second time. On the other hand, I had little need for training in the arts and traditions she had listed with the possible exception of dancing.

[belongtonobody]

Inara watched the man looking at her announcement, made curious by his apparent interest. There was nothing in what she could see of his profile to suggest he took exception with the term or even that he recognized it. Standing, she gathered her papers to her and walked over. She had been prepared to go outdoors again, but first she stopped beside him and smiled. "Interested in training?" she asked, her tone teasing.

[godpleaseheal]

I chuckled briefly before turning around. It would have been rude to continue focusing on the sign when a lovely woman was addressing me.

"No," I said with a warm smile, "I think I have enough training already in these particular disciplines, but I'm not sure what 'Companionship' is intended to imply."

[belongtonobody]

He was a beautiful man, to be sure. "It's somewhat complicated," Inara admitted. "Where I came from, it was similar to the work of a courtesan or a geisha, perhaps -- sexual, but more than that, too. I hope to pass on the traditions and the lessons I learned that make up the rest of that." There was nothing to be ashamed of in sex, but Inara was no longer looking to train her students to a profession. These were graces that would serve them well in life.

[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?"

[will_you_see]

Alcuin happened to be walking from the treehouse when he saw the woman at the bulletin board. He paused to watch her simply because she was quite beautiful and moved with a sort of grace that reminded him of home. When she moved away, he read the sign out of curiosity, and then immediately remembered his conversation with the Doctor not long ago.

He looked in the direction she had gone and found her with ease.

"Pardon my intrusion," he said, inclining his head slightly. "But are you Inara Serra?"

[belongtonobody]

"I am," Inara said, smiling. He was a beautiful young man, perhaps startlingly so. "And it's no intrusion at all. Can I help you?" He was graceful, even elegant, in a way she saw so little of here, and she was, if nothing else, intrigued by that.

[will_you_see]

"My name is Alcuin no Delaunay," he said. "And I believe we have a mutual acquaintance. The Doctor suggested that I should meet you, and after reading your notice, I believe I can see why."

[belongtonobody]

Inara raised a brow ever so slightly, head raising. "Ah," she said, a smile growing on her lips. "The Doctor. He's very kind. I take it you've worked in... a similar trade, Alcuin?" It was a beautiful name, as well. It seemed fitting.