Inara - Interior Ship… Inara's shuttle
"You ever think about addin' a floatin' chandelier…?" Mal said nervously, doing his best to ignore the immaculately adorned woman sitting before him. His eyes roamed the room and he of course took no consideration for her rules of privacy.
Inara searched the tiny space that she called her shuttle, trying desperately to avoid any lingering eye contact. She hated the fact that that was so like Mal. To come in to invade her private space,her only space, and not for a second think about the emotional turmoil that he put her through.
With a slight sigh, she looked up at the ceiling and gave him a smirk.
"Thank you so much for that important information Mal. I'll make sure to tell the interior designer. Get out." She got up quickly, lifting herself from her seat on the foot stool next to her bed, to walk the overly confident man out. She pointed toward the door opening.
"If it's all the same to you I think we should chat a bit. Got some things runnin' in my mind, and you always happen to be all manner o' helpful, specially when not asked… so I figured, we try it different like." Mal said as he folded his arms and furrowed his brow slightly, pausing to hear a response.
Inara's doe-eyes looked interested as she stood up straighter and arched a brow.
"I'm listening..." She crossed her arms impatiently in front of her.
"Why?" He asked pointedly, dropping his hands to his hips and giving her an inquisitive look.
"You never told me why you wanted to be out here? Among us savages." His indigo shaded eyes scrutinized her every curve of her face.
She couldn't help but to let out a dainty laugh.
"Oh are we all savages now? Wow Mal… Have I told you how kind of a person you are?" She smirked and at that moment her brown eyes found his and she didn't fight the fact that she was finally looking at those vibrant eyes straight on.
"Zoe, Kaylee, Wash, hell even Book… they all got reasons to be out here. But you… with the fancy education and the connections you got? You don't have to be here with a us brigands. So why? Why risk this life and all that comes with it?" He asked with a calm tone, seemingly mystified.
"You know what I like about you Mal? You don't think of yourself as highly as you should. You really don't see yourself the way that … others do. And I think that's unique." She tried diverting the subject with admitting something that she had long thought, however she couldn't let him see her vulnerability.
Lost in thought, her eyebrows furrowed as she thought of something more to say, but the faster seconds ticked away, the more she realized she was just fighting a long, nerve wracking silence.
"Man in my position, so much ridin' on every call… don't have the luxury of seein' anything other than what's here, and what's comin'. Don't have time to think about what others might see, or can't." Mal said shedding for an instant the frame of mind that kept him going;small peak at the furnace that ran his engine every day, the constant worry of the drift, the puzzle of how to make it all work.
"I still can't figure you out though. Most people; give me a few hours and I can tell you what they're after; a day, I can tell you how long they been after it and whether it's worth gettin'. You though, been 9 months on my boat, still can't see what your game is." Mal said as he played with a nearby ornament that looked like a small geisha doll, one decidedly different from the wobbly headed doll caper Inara had chided him about.
Inara's eyes lingered on his as she forced a smile.
"Maybe the life of a companion gets ...lonely and dull. Maybe I just want some genuine excitement and adventure. You know, like you and Kaylee and Zoe have…" Her voice trailed off slowly as she found herself in a daze, her heart suddenly racing not knowing what to do now that she was saying too much.
She got up quickly to walk away, refusing to admit too much. She couldn't.
"Maybe… but Kaylee, Book, Zoe… they all check out, know where they come from, 'cept Book...he's got a past he ain't made clear. You though, where's this headed Inara? What happens when you get tired of us…?" Mal asked playfully, as if he wasn't sure if wanted the answer.
"That won't happen Mal, I can promise you." She smiled and searched for an example to explain.
"You know how the moon's gravitational pull can shift waters… How tides change… The water seems to be almost in subjection to the moon…" Her hand grazed his as she traced circles in his palm, her tone serene.
"Well, you are the moon. In more ways than one. You're every single one of us' moon." She smiled as her cheeks flushed a bright crimson.
"Tricky thing about tides, and moon beam's Inara. They don't always come and go when you want 'em to. Memory serves', quite a few folks run into moons if they ain't careful." Mal said as he turned aside slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on her, but pretending not to, if only for a moment.
Inara bit her lip playfully and grabbed her vibrant embroidered pillow and threw it at his face. For once she felt completely at ease, the playfulness that had left so many years ago with a younger version of her at house Madrassa, started to reappear.Y
Mal stood absolutely still as the pillow bounced off his forehead.
"Good aim." He said considering retaliating. He thought better of it and continued.
"Were comin' up on Boros. Got a job lined up, but I'm not too certain about this one." Mal said as he picked up the pillow and tossed it to a nearby couch.
"Then let's wait until something else comes up. Go with your gut feeling" She admitted, talking from experience.
"Between my gut, and this ships knack for attractin' the worst deals… be surprised if we don't lose the ship for real this time." He said as he mused aloud at the string of luck they'd been on.
"Frankly, you'd be safer and happier on some pleasure cruise line with a big ol' space buffet, a rich, spoiled, patron's from ear to ear." He joked, a calm smirk coming across his face.
"You should get the companion treatment sometime. It's not as wonderful as you think it is. Love is scarce when you've reached a certain rank of clients. Don't you think it gets lonely?" She asked him, her large brown eyes pierced through his already clouded mind.
She picked up a pillow and started tugging at it's beads nervously.
"I… guess I never really thought of it. My line o' work; loneliness practically comes with holster. Can't afford to get close, lose the edge. You can't afford connections specially romantic in nature. They slow you down, spin you about." Mal said trying to relate the feelings of what it meant to be captain, as he came closer to her with a half step.
"What I'm trying to explain to you Malcolm is that it's unlike anything I've known before, feeling important, or like I matter to people. Not just any people… " Her voice grew shaky and she immediately stopped herself.
Mal took Inara's hand, and placed his other on top. His eyes showing a recognition and a kindness that he hadn't displayed up until that moment, and then only briefly.
"You matter here, Inara, this crew.. we need you, Hell I need you, and I ain't even sure why yet."
"Gee Mal, you sure have a way with words…" Inara said sarcastically, grazing her thumb over his rough, calloused hand. She sighed in admiration.
"Tell you what… You let me be captain for a day, and you can try being a companion and we will see who's job is more difficult."
"I like the sound o' that… say can you teach me to wash feet?" He said smiling broadly. He realized all at once that he was still holding her hand. He relinquished his soft grip at once, taking care to not let her delicately soft hand drop too quickly.
"You know it is a science to wash people's feet. It's where grace, poise and stealth along with really great washing skills come in to play. I'm afraid something like that can't be taught." Inara smiled as she thought about the time where she and Kaylee had talked about the art of washing feet. She smiled at the memory.
"You never know… I could be a natural with a sponge. Prodigies do come in all shapes and sizes." Mal said as he turned to leave.
Inara turned to her screen to look through the most recent client's who had contacted her, and her heart sunk as she saw Mal getting ready to leave her little shuttle.
For a few minutes, it had seemed like they weren't escaping anything. Not the alliance, not Niska, just not running for once. As if time just stopped and it was only the two of them, and she actually felt … happy.
"Mal," She called out after him, looking away from her screen and caught the back of his head. His messy brown hair was being straightened by his nervous hand.
"Fine… I'll put it back." Mal said as he moved to replace the small doll to it's original spot. He turned and looked at Inara with a playfully begrudged look.
Her ebony curls shook as she laughed.
She stared questioningly at him, not really knowing where to start.
Apologetically, and with a heart full of joy she confessed another little revelation.
"I think I might need you too." She stared intently at him, not leaving his gaze, and upon seeing the soft wrinkles at the end of his eyes, she smiled and turned back away.
"Well now… that is somethin'" Mal said smiling and looking down in a bashful sort of way that was unusual for him. He turned and left, the hint of perfume and spiced oils still enticing him as he went. For the first time in what seemed like forever he left the shuttle without a sharp but short retort.