Chapter 2
There were rooms for rent on the second floor of the tavern, and they booked two adjoining ones for the night. Giles still looked a little dizzy, and trying to process all of the new information on world events since he had last been here was not helping.
"So the Alliance won the war," he babbled as Buffy pulled off his boots for him. "And judging by the reaction that young woman had to them, I am guessing her ship is run by a free agent. We'd best get our story straight, Buffy, they're likely to question us, make sure we're on the right side."
"What story? We're looking for a gem, and..."
"Well, we can't tell them that straight off---not until we've made contact with the shepherd and explained things to him. Hopefully, he'll be able to point us in the right direction and tell us where we can book passage. Although, if the ship is the type I think it is, they'll take any job they can. They would probably take us themselves if we pay, and the council did provide us with plenty of currency...."
"Okay...so what IS our story? For now, I mean."
He frowned. "I suppose we're prospectors," he said. "On the lookout for new business opportunities. Explains why they've found us on a fringe planet and not a central one."
"Okay, so you're a prospector and I am your...what, wife? daughter? travelling companion?"
"Oh, not companion! That means something entirely different in this world. You are my associate. We are prospecting. That will do."
The story thus established, her watcher sank back into the cushions with a queasy sigh and fell asleep.
They were up at the crack of dawn, as if on instinct.
"I slept well for it being a strange world," Buffy cheerfully reported over a quick breakfast. "Feels enough like home."
"We'll see if you change that view once we're in the air," he grinned. "Just try not to act TOO tourist---I can make a certain level of excuses for you, but I'm supposed to be an experienced traveler here."
They got directions to the ship yard, and found the Serenity without any trouble. She was the only ship that was already making her preparations: the cargo door was open, and a large, loud man was loading boxes while a smaller and dirtier one in a jaunty bowler hat watched. The girl from the night before was arguing with a tense, unsmiling man who had to be the captain.
"Just don't see why as we've taken passengers before, that it should be a problem!" she was complaining.
The man put an arm on her shoulder with a patient sigh. "You know why, -mei-mei.- Life we lead, that doc is more valuable to us than a fare right now."
"I know it! And I wouldn't be saying nothing if I weren't sure it was safe! Cap, you should have seen his sack of coins. Man that well-off, he won't be tempted by no Alliance bounty."
When the captain looked like he might be weakening, Giles tugged Buffy's hand and they stepped out of the shadows. Kaylee noticed them at once, and waved them over with a loud hello.
"Captain! This here's the fella, just like I said. Captain Reynolds, Mr...um..."
"Giles," he said, taking the man's proffered hand. "My name is Mr. Giles, and this is my associate Miss Summers."
"Buffy," she said. "You can call me Buffy."
Captain Reynolds nodded. "My mechanic says you folks need a ride."
"It would seem we do."
"We ain't a cruise ship."
"I realize that. But the Firefly is a solid class of vessel, and my associate hasn't been in space before. And we heard you had a shepherd on board..."
"Yeah," the captain said, eyes narrowing. "Kaylee mentioned."
"We won't be any trouble. And we will not affect your...your present business, I can assure you. I am fairly flexible as far as destination goes."
"Oh?"
"I'm a prospector. I travel along until I see something worth stopping for..."
The captain nodded. "Well, you seem like nice folk, and truth be told the fare ain't gonna hurt us. Only remaining issue being that we like to fly under the radar, if you know what I mean, and we won't take on those that don't fly that way too."
"Understood," said Giles. "I've had some run-ins with the Alliance myself, and they do tend to complicate otherwise simple business, don't they?"
That seemed to be the right answer. The captain stepped aside, and let them on his ship.
Buffy tried to keep her eyes from bugging out too much. A spaceship! Wait until Dawn found out. Wait until Andrew did! Serenity seemed more of a workhorse than a glamour ship, but to Buffy, she was quite the specimen---long and round, like the firefly her class of ship was named for.
The interior was spartan, but attempts at hominess had been made. The kitchen area had chairs with real cushions, and the walls had been painted yellow with a trim of little flowers. A ladder led up to the bridge, another in the opposite direction, to crew quarters, and from there, another down toward the cargo deck, infirmary and passenger cabins.
"You're welcome to the common areas," the captain said. "Apart from that, I'll be asking you to stay in the passenger cabins. The bridge, the engine room, the cargo deck---they're off-limits without an escort. We got screens with cortex access, but we had some problems with passenger use of that before, so you tell the crew if you need access and we can arrange something supervised. We do have sit-down meals. Next one's at 1800, and you'd be welcome."
The captain pulled out a walkie-talkie-like device and pressed a button. "All crew to the mess. We got travelers, and we'd best acquaint."
The kitchen area quickly thickened with a growing congregation. The pilot, a fellow named Wash, popped in with his wife Zoe, who was the ship's second-in-command and who had an air about her Buffy recognized only too well as a fellow survivor of battle. They had already met Kaylee, and seen both the shepherd, Book, and the doctor the night before.
"Doc's got a sister who keeps to herself," the captain said. "She's a little odd, but she won't hurt ya."
The remaining two were more puzzling. Jayne, the big man who had been loading boxes, was introduced by name alone with no proper title, and Buffy's expert eye could make out half a dozen concealed weapons on him. And an elegantly dressed soft-spoken woman named Inara was introduced as a "companion" complete with titters by Jayne at the word. Buffy remembered Giles telling her that word meant something different on this world. She made a mental note to ask more about that later.
"The doc'll be going your way to the passenger cabins," the captain said. "He'll settle you in..."
The captain gave them a brisk nod, then headed up deck to check on the flight plan with Wash, and Kaylee gave them a brief smile, then headed back to the engine room. But the others did not disperse as quickly, curious about the newcomers.
"So...you folks been in space before?" the shepherd asked.
"Actually, yes," Giles said. "Not extensively in this particular region, but I did spend time on Sihnon a few years back..."
"I am from Sihnon," Inara said.
"Really? A lovely place. I saw the most fascinating bit of theatre while I was there...something with opera, I think it was."
"The guild house on Sihnon is especially known for its musical talents," she said.
"Oh? Do you sing, then? Or perhaps play an instrument?"
"Both. Although not so much out here...it takes a...a special sort of gentleman to appreciate such talents."
Jayne gave a crude snort, was met with a withering glare by Inara, then unrepentantly made his exit with a final long, creepy glance at the newcomers.
"Yes, I imagine it would," Giles answered, watching the other man go. He nodded to Buffy. "What my associate calls 'music' could rupture an eardrum."
"Hey!" Buffy complained.
"Oh, all right," sighed Giles. "Pardon me for trying to enjoy the company of someone who shares my tastes for a change..."
He brought a fist to his forehead and tried to massage away a crease between his eyes. Inara watched the circling of his hand with cool, but attentive curiosity. "Are you all right, Mr. Giles?"
He lowered his fist with a tight smile. "Of course I am. And please, call me Rupert."
Buffy snorted, then picked up both bags. "Well. Should we stow our gear?"
Inara gave them a slight bow and exited the kitchen area, freeing Simon, their escort, to step out from behind the door jamb and fold his arms in front of them. "A word, if I may?"
Buffy and Giles exchanged glances, shrugged and sat down again.
"I want to tell you up front," the doctor said. "That my sister and I are fugitives from the Alliance, and there is a sizeable reward for our capture."
Giles raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I am telling you this because it appears you are paying the captain well, and will probably be on this ship for some time. So if you plan to betray me, I would appreciate your getting it over with and telling me now."
"We have our own business here," Giles said. "I have no interest in yours."
"They took my sister away to this academy," Simon continued. "And they did things to her, experimented on her brain. They hurt her. I risked everything to save her, and I won't let anything compromise her safety."
"Fair enough."
"I realize that the captain can't afford to never take a fare again on my account, and River can stay out of sight when she has to, although not for long. But the reward IS significant, and Kaylee's word that you seem like nice people isn't quite enough for me, even with the captain restricting your cortex access."
Giles pulled that same little pouch out of his pocket that he had shown the young mechanic at the bar the previous night. He placed it on the table and opened the drawstring, angling the contents so the doctor could look inside. "I've got at least a dozen more of these in my bag, Dr. Tam. I shan't be tempted by Alliance credits."
"But...but why are you out here, then? In the frontier, in the black...you could almost buy a moon with what you have, if what you're telling me is true!"
"As could you, if you turn your sister in and claim that bounty. We have our reasons, same as you."
That answer seemed to please him. He rose to his feet and offered to show them to their rooms.
Giles was sitting on the bed in Buffy's room, thinking out loud while she got her gear safely stowed.
"A motley bunch," he mused. "More crew that I would expect for a ship this size. Wonder what that Jayne fellow does?"
"My guess? Security," said Buffy, fiddling with her makeshift weapons stash. "Had half a dozen weapons on him---that I could tell, anyway."
"Makes sense. I suspect these people don't exactly look for credentials if they're trying to both get work and stay out of the Alliance's way. Probably deal with their share of disreputables and see how a fellow like that might be useful if there was trouble."
"You mean they're criminals? Great. That's just great. We're on a spaceship, in a strange dimension, with a bunch of criminals!"
"Well, that's a relative term. That young mechanic seems very innocent. I wonder how she fell in with this lot?"
"Never mind that, this whole place gives me the creeps. Is this whole dimension this creepy, or is it just these people?"
"I can't say I find any of them especially 'creepy' per se, so perhaps I am not the best of judges. But Sihnon was a lovely place. What I saw of it, anyway."
She narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"
He looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Buffy, I..."
"Fine, fine, don't tell me what you were doing on the creepy other-dimension-planet, I don't care. Can we just..."
He suddenly smiled. "Aren't you in a mood!"
She shuddered. "Look, I just...I don't want the hellmouth opened up again any more than you do, but Giles, this whole thing..."
"Involves the council, which you hate, and a parallel dimension, which you find creepy?"
"That. Also, I'm a little jet-lagged. Or space-lagged, whatever you call it. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
He nodded. "I appreciate the apology. Now, if we can just..."
There was a knock at the door, and Giles looked up curiously. "Yes?"
It was Inara, the "companion." She greeted them with a measured smile. "I trust you are settling in okay?"
"Yes, thank you," Buffy said. "Inara, right?"
The woman smiled again. "Yes. I hope I am not intruding."
"Actually..." said Buffy.
"Not at all," said Giles, moving his bag off a chair and nodding to her to sit. "I am delighted that a ship of this sort has a woman of your caliber aboard it."
She smiled. "We do have a...a diverse crew. I realize this must seem overwhelming for you. I understand you haven't been in space before?"
"My associate has seen little beyond Persephone, but I have had some dealings elsewhere."
"Ah yes, your sojourn in Sihnon. Tell me, what brought you there?"
He winced, and rubbed his head again. "Your lovely theatre, my dear. And...and the Makev Institute..."
"Really? I did some of my own training there! The art of emotional control is required training for all members of the guild."
"And of the guild I am part of as well. How long ago did you reside there?"
"For a six-month term. Four years ago, I think?"
"Was Dr. Lim still there? He does fabulous work on intuitive parapsychology..."
"Oh! 'Enhance, Enhance!'"
Both of them burst into giggles, and Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Um, Giles?"
"Dr. Lim is pioneer in the use of essential oils to enhance the meditative state," he explained. "A controversial technique in my day, but an effective one."
"So you had some kind of meditation training there?"
"More like mental and emotional strengthening. It was after your...your accident..."
Her death, he meant. She felt a flicker of guilt as she understood now why he hadn't wanted to talk about it. And a flicker of renewed curiosity as to just what this 'companion' person was anyway, if she needed that kind of training too...
"This must be quite overwhelming," said Inara, turning to Buffy with that cool, steel smile of hers. "I imagine you've been getting quite a few ground rules thrown at you since you've come on board."
"Oh yeah," said Buffy. "Keep out of my way, don't touch my gun, don't turn my sister in for Alliance bounties...fun stuff."
"I'm sure. Well, I suppose I should say it, so there will be no doubt at all, but I do not service crew or passengers..."
"Okay," said Buffy.
The smile finally relaxed. "Well, then. Welcome aboard, and I will leave you to your business. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Giles. I hope you'll join us for the evening meal. It is rare indeed to meet a man out here who knows my world."
She flitted out, a seamless train of silk and ornament. "All right," said Buffy. "Giles, what was that about?"
Giles could barely speak past his blush. "She's a companion, Buffy. A sort of...sort of courtesan. Rather like the ancient Geisha."
"So she won't pour us any tea? Oh, boo hoo."
"Well, tea is a very small part of it. There is the sexual angle too."
"Oh. Ohhhhhh. She's like a high-end call girl? A medieval high-end call girl, but in space?"
"It happens to be an educated, respectable profession in this dimension. At any rate, her business on this ship shan't concern us. Shall we look for the shepherd? I think it's time to get this mission underway."
To be continued...
Chinese translations:
mei-mei (little sister)
There were rooms for rent on the second floor of the tavern, and they booked two adjoining ones for the night. Giles still looked a little dizzy, and trying to process all of the new information on world events since he had last been here was not helping.
"So the Alliance won the war," he babbled as Buffy pulled off his boots for him. "And judging by the reaction that young woman had to them, I am guessing her ship is run by a free agent. We'd best get our story straight, Buffy, they're likely to question us, make sure we're on the right side."
"What story? We're looking for a gem, and..."
"Well, we can't tell them that straight off---not until we've made contact with the shepherd and explained things to him. Hopefully, he'll be able to point us in the right direction and tell us where we can book passage. Although, if the ship is the type I think it is, they'll take any job they can. They would probably take us themselves if we pay, and the council did provide us with plenty of currency...."
"Okay...so what IS our story? For now, I mean."
He frowned. "I suppose we're prospectors," he said. "On the lookout for new business opportunities. Explains why they've found us on a fringe planet and not a central one."
"Okay, so you're a prospector and I am your...what, wife? daughter? travelling companion?"
"Oh, not companion! That means something entirely different in this world. You are my associate. We are prospecting. That will do."
The story thus established, her watcher sank back into the cushions with a queasy sigh and fell asleep.
They were up at the crack of dawn, as if on instinct.
"I slept well for it being a strange world," Buffy cheerfully reported over a quick breakfast. "Feels enough like home."
"We'll see if you change that view once we're in the air," he grinned. "Just try not to act TOO tourist---I can make a certain level of excuses for you, but I'm supposed to be an experienced traveler here."
They got directions to the ship yard, and found the Serenity without any trouble. She was the only ship that was already making her preparations: the cargo door was open, and a large, loud man was loading boxes while a smaller and dirtier one in a jaunty bowler hat watched. The girl from the night before was arguing with a tense, unsmiling man who had to be the captain.
"Just don't see why as we've taken passengers before, that it should be a problem!" she was complaining.
The man put an arm on her shoulder with a patient sigh. "You know why, -mei-mei.- Life we lead, that doc is more valuable to us than a fare right now."
"I know it! And I wouldn't be saying nothing if I weren't sure it was safe! Cap, you should have seen his sack of coins. Man that well-off, he won't be tempted by no Alliance bounty."
When the captain looked like he might be weakening, Giles tugged Buffy's hand and they stepped out of the shadows. Kaylee noticed them at once, and waved them over with a loud hello.
"Captain! This here's the fella, just like I said. Captain Reynolds, Mr...um..."
"Giles," he said, taking the man's proffered hand. "My name is Mr. Giles, and this is my associate Miss Summers."
"Buffy," she said. "You can call me Buffy."
Captain Reynolds nodded. "My mechanic says you folks need a ride."
"It would seem we do."
"We ain't a cruise ship."
"I realize that. But the Firefly is a solid class of vessel, and my associate hasn't been in space before. And we heard you had a shepherd on board..."
"Yeah," the captain said, eyes narrowing. "Kaylee mentioned."
"We won't be any trouble. And we will not affect your...your present business, I can assure you. I am fairly flexible as far as destination goes."
"Oh?"
"I'm a prospector. I travel along until I see something worth stopping for..."
The captain nodded. "Well, you seem like nice folk, and truth be told the fare ain't gonna hurt us. Only remaining issue being that we like to fly under the radar, if you know what I mean, and we won't take on those that don't fly that way too."
"Understood," said Giles. "I've had some run-ins with the Alliance myself, and they do tend to complicate otherwise simple business, don't they?"
That seemed to be the right answer. The captain stepped aside, and let them on his ship.
Buffy tried to keep her eyes from bugging out too much. A spaceship! Wait until Dawn found out. Wait until Andrew did! Serenity seemed more of a workhorse than a glamour ship, but to Buffy, she was quite the specimen---long and round, like the firefly her class of ship was named for.
The interior was spartan, but attempts at hominess had been made. The kitchen area had chairs with real cushions, and the walls had been painted yellow with a trim of little flowers. A ladder led up to the bridge, another in the opposite direction, to crew quarters, and from there, another down toward the cargo deck, infirmary and passenger cabins.
"You're welcome to the common areas," the captain said. "Apart from that, I'll be asking you to stay in the passenger cabins. The bridge, the engine room, the cargo deck---they're off-limits without an escort. We got screens with cortex access, but we had some problems with passenger use of that before, so you tell the crew if you need access and we can arrange something supervised. We do have sit-down meals. Next one's at 1800, and you'd be welcome."
The captain pulled out a walkie-talkie-like device and pressed a button. "All crew to the mess. We got travelers, and we'd best acquaint."
The kitchen area quickly thickened with a growing congregation. The pilot, a fellow named Wash, popped in with his wife Zoe, who was the ship's second-in-command and who had an air about her Buffy recognized only too well as a fellow survivor of battle. They had already met Kaylee, and seen both the shepherd, Book, and the doctor the night before.
"Doc's got a sister who keeps to herself," the captain said. "She's a little odd, but she won't hurt ya."
The remaining two were more puzzling. Jayne, the big man who had been loading boxes, was introduced by name alone with no proper title, and Buffy's expert eye could make out half a dozen concealed weapons on him. And an elegantly dressed soft-spoken woman named Inara was introduced as a "companion" complete with titters by Jayne at the word. Buffy remembered Giles telling her that word meant something different on this world. She made a mental note to ask more about that later.
"The doc'll be going your way to the passenger cabins," the captain said. "He'll settle you in..."
The captain gave them a brisk nod, then headed up deck to check on the flight plan with Wash, and Kaylee gave them a brief smile, then headed back to the engine room. But the others did not disperse as quickly, curious about the newcomers.
"So...you folks been in space before?" the shepherd asked.
"Actually, yes," Giles said. "Not extensively in this particular region, but I did spend time on Sihnon a few years back..."
"I am from Sihnon," Inara said.
"Really? A lovely place. I saw the most fascinating bit of theatre while I was there...something with opera, I think it was."
"The guild house on Sihnon is especially known for its musical talents," she said.
"Oh? Do you sing, then? Or perhaps play an instrument?"
"Both. Although not so much out here...it takes a...a special sort of gentleman to appreciate such talents."
Jayne gave a crude snort, was met with a withering glare by Inara, then unrepentantly made his exit with a final long, creepy glance at the newcomers.
"Yes, I imagine it would," Giles answered, watching the other man go. He nodded to Buffy. "What my associate calls 'music' could rupture an eardrum."
"Hey!" Buffy complained.
"Oh, all right," sighed Giles. "Pardon me for trying to enjoy the company of someone who shares my tastes for a change..."
He brought a fist to his forehead and tried to massage away a crease between his eyes. Inara watched the circling of his hand with cool, but attentive curiosity. "Are you all right, Mr. Giles?"
He lowered his fist with a tight smile. "Of course I am. And please, call me Rupert."
Buffy snorted, then picked up both bags. "Well. Should we stow our gear?"
Inara gave them a slight bow and exited the kitchen area, freeing Simon, their escort, to step out from behind the door jamb and fold his arms in front of them. "A word, if I may?"
Buffy and Giles exchanged glances, shrugged and sat down again.
"I want to tell you up front," the doctor said. "That my sister and I are fugitives from the Alliance, and there is a sizeable reward for our capture."
Giles raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I am telling you this because it appears you are paying the captain well, and will probably be on this ship for some time. So if you plan to betray me, I would appreciate your getting it over with and telling me now."
"We have our own business here," Giles said. "I have no interest in yours."
"They took my sister away to this academy," Simon continued. "And they did things to her, experimented on her brain. They hurt her. I risked everything to save her, and I won't let anything compromise her safety."
"Fair enough."
"I realize that the captain can't afford to never take a fare again on my account, and River can stay out of sight when she has to, although not for long. But the reward IS significant, and Kaylee's word that you seem like nice people isn't quite enough for me, even with the captain restricting your cortex access."
Giles pulled that same little pouch out of his pocket that he had shown the young mechanic at the bar the previous night. He placed it on the table and opened the drawstring, angling the contents so the doctor could look inside. "I've got at least a dozen more of these in my bag, Dr. Tam. I shan't be tempted by Alliance credits."
"But...but why are you out here, then? In the frontier, in the black...you could almost buy a moon with what you have, if what you're telling me is true!"
"As could you, if you turn your sister in and claim that bounty. We have our reasons, same as you."
That answer seemed to please him. He rose to his feet and offered to show them to their rooms.
Giles was sitting on the bed in Buffy's room, thinking out loud while she got her gear safely stowed.
"A motley bunch," he mused. "More crew that I would expect for a ship this size. Wonder what that Jayne fellow does?"
"My guess? Security," said Buffy, fiddling with her makeshift weapons stash. "Had half a dozen weapons on him---that I could tell, anyway."
"Makes sense. I suspect these people don't exactly look for credentials if they're trying to both get work and stay out of the Alliance's way. Probably deal with their share of disreputables and see how a fellow like that might be useful if there was trouble."
"You mean they're criminals? Great. That's just great. We're on a spaceship, in a strange dimension, with a bunch of criminals!"
"Well, that's a relative term. That young mechanic seems very innocent. I wonder how she fell in with this lot?"
"Never mind that, this whole place gives me the creeps. Is this whole dimension this creepy, or is it just these people?"
"I can't say I find any of them especially 'creepy' per se, so perhaps I am not the best of judges. But Sihnon was a lovely place. What I saw of it, anyway."
She narrowed her eyes. "What does that mean?"
He looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Buffy, I..."
"Fine, fine, don't tell me what you were doing on the creepy other-dimension-planet, I don't care. Can we just..."
He suddenly smiled. "Aren't you in a mood!"
She shuddered. "Look, I just...I don't want the hellmouth opened up again any more than you do, but Giles, this whole thing..."
"Involves the council, which you hate, and a parallel dimension, which you find creepy?"
"That. Also, I'm a little jet-lagged. Or space-lagged, whatever you call it. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
He nodded. "I appreciate the apology. Now, if we can just..."
There was a knock at the door, and Giles looked up curiously. "Yes?"
It was Inara, the "companion." She greeted them with a measured smile. "I trust you are settling in okay?"
"Yes, thank you," Buffy said. "Inara, right?"
The woman smiled again. "Yes. I hope I am not intruding."
"Actually..." said Buffy.
"Not at all," said Giles, moving his bag off a chair and nodding to her to sit. "I am delighted that a ship of this sort has a woman of your caliber aboard it."
She smiled. "We do have a...a diverse crew. I realize this must seem overwhelming for you. I understand you haven't been in space before?"
"My associate has seen little beyond Persephone, but I have had some dealings elsewhere."
"Ah yes, your sojourn in Sihnon. Tell me, what brought you there?"
He winced, and rubbed his head again. "Your lovely theatre, my dear. And...and the Makev Institute..."
"Really? I did some of my own training there! The art of emotional control is required training for all members of the guild."
"And of the guild I am part of as well. How long ago did you reside there?"
"For a six-month term. Four years ago, I think?"
"Was Dr. Lim still there? He does fabulous work on intuitive parapsychology..."
"Oh! 'Enhance, Enhance!'"
Both of them burst into giggles, and Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Um, Giles?"
"Dr. Lim is pioneer in the use of essential oils to enhance the meditative state," he explained. "A controversial technique in my day, but an effective one."
"So you had some kind of meditation training there?"
"More like mental and emotional strengthening. It was after your...your accident..."
Her death, he meant. She felt a flicker of guilt as she understood now why he hadn't wanted to talk about it. And a flicker of renewed curiosity as to just what this 'companion' person was anyway, if she needed that kind of training too...
"This must be quite overwhelming," said Inara, turning to Buffy with that cool, steel smile of hers. "I imagine you've been getting quite a few ground rules thrown at you since you've come on board."
"Oh yeah," said Buffy. "Keep out of my way, don't touch my gun, don't turn my sister in for Alliance bounties...fun stuff."
"I'm sure. Well, I suppose I should say it, so there will be no doubt at all, but I do not service crew or passengers..."
"Okay," said Buffy.
The smile finally relaxed. "Well, then. Welcome aboard, and I will leave you to your business. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Giles. I hope you'll join us for the evening meal. It is rare indeed to meet a man out here who knows my world."
She flitted out, a seamless train of silk and ornament. "All right," said Buffy. "Giles, what was that about?"
Giles could barely speak past his blush. "She's a companion, Buffy. A sort of...sort of courtesan. Rather like the ancient Geisha."
"So she won't pour us any tea? Oh, boo hoo."
"Well, tea is a very small part of it. There is the sexual angle too."
"Oh. Ohhhhhh. She's like a high-end call girl? A medieval high-end call girl, but in space?"
"It happens to be an educated, respectable profession in this dimension. At any rate, her business on this ship shan't concern us. Shall we look for the shepherd? I think it's time to get this mission underway."
To be continued...
Chinese translations:
mei-mei (little sister)