Chinese Translations
Joo ah – Oh, Lord
Dong Ma – Understand
Tzoo-foo nee, mei-mei – Blessings on you, little sister
Yu bun duh – Stupid
Run-tse duh fwotzoo – Merciful Buddha
The ship was coming up on Persephone right as the sun was setting. River, who was piloting at that time, couldn't help but smile at the sight. She knew she couldn't wonder very far from the ship while they were planet side but Persephone was starting to feel like a second home to her because they go there so often. It was always the simple fuel up, stock up, find work and leave thing. But they were also there to pick up Keira at that time, which was another thing that brought a smile to River. She loved the idea of having another companion on board.
"Take her in easy, little one," Mal said from behind River. If it were anyone else in Rivers place, they probably would have been startled but River knew Mal was there from the instant he silently stepped on to the bridge.
"This is not my first time landing the ship," River reminded him with a small smile.
"Well, call me cautious," Mal said with an almost innocent shrug.
River only rolled her eyes and gave a small shake of her head. No one could fly Serenity like that girl save for Wash. He truly was a leaf on the wind when he was flying the ship; natural and calm. No one in the 'verse could best him as a pilot. But River had the key to flying with Serenity. She loved that ship. It had been her home for the past year or so and she had her family there. It wasn't just Simon. The whole crew was her family. River cared about the ship more than most which made her a wonderful pilot.
River pushed a few button and played with a couple of dials while still keeping a hold on the handle with one of her hands. She pushed another button that connected to the first shuttle.
"We're in the atmosphere, Inara," She said. "You're good to go."
"Thanks, River. I'll be back in a few hours with Keira," Inara replied.
"Have fun," River teased with a grin.
Inara smiled at Rivers words. She pushed a few buttons and within a few seconds, she was separated from Serenity. Her eyes sparkled as the world came to life before her eyes. She liked Persephone, it was actually one of her favorite planets despite all the bad memories she had there. Still, she had an appointment lined up and then she was picking up Keira. Inara felt like a real companion again; in a way she hadn't felt since she left the training house nearly three months before.
Was it because she had a client lined up? No. Inara still took clients while on Serenity but she was going to have another companion with her. While at the training house or on Sihnon, she was surrounded by companions or those training to be one. Once she left, she was alone again. But she was going to have Keira on board with her. Part of her comfort zone would be back and she loved that idea. The fact that the companion joining her was Keira just made it all the better. The two have known each other and had been close for years; they trained together. They were almost like sisters when together and Inara needed that out in the black.
Inara looked at the time and saw that she just over three hours before she was supposed to get Keira. She knew she had to be there on time. A touch too late wouldn't be horrible but too early could be bad. Keira, like Inara, had a client before boarding Serenity. Inara had warned her that she should take as many clients as possible while on Persephone for she didn't know the next time they would be on a nice planet. Keeping companions working wasn't exactly the Captains first priority and she knew it.
For the first time since the idea was mentioned, Inara thought about how everyone would take to Keira; especially Mal. After all, he was the captain and if there was something about her he didn't like, she could be off the ship in matter of hours. Zoe, well, she didn't know what to expect from. No one could predict how Zoe would react to something except maybe Wash but he wasn't there for translation anymore. Even Mal, who knew her longer and better than most couldn't always understand her. Kaylee would probably be her normal cherry ball of sunshine; welcoming on every level. With Jayne, she pretty much knew what to expect. He would ogle over her and desire her like all men did. Keira was attractive, skilled in bed and had the attitude to go with it and Jayne was the type of man who would love that. Simon and River were the two others where she didn't know what to expect. They weren't exactly fugitives anymore, actually, they were probably believed to be dead but one word from the someone to the wrong person could give them that status again and it would make Serenity a target for every bounty hunter in the 'verse. Maybe it wasn't so much about how Simon and River would react to Keira but how Keira would react to Simon and River. Inara told her of them but left names out, being very careful. It wasn't that she didn't trust Keira, she did, but she was cautious by nature. Simon was a dear friend and she thought of River almost as a little sister.
Inara flew the shuttle almost absent mindedly for the majority of her time separated Serenity but she paid attention while landing. Once she was firmly on the ground, she put the control lock on. A sigh left her lips as she got out of the seat. She was actually hoping that this client would take her full attentions. She needed her mind off the crew and Keira.
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Serenity locked into a landing port on the East side of Persephone. They came into the atmosphere on the West but Inara and Keira were going to be in the East so it make more sense for River to land there and the Captain didn't argue. The ship locked into the landing port with somewhat of a jolt which caused Mal to give River a look and she replied simply with an innocent look. She put the control lock on and got out of the seat.
River walked off the bridge, leaving Mal alone. She had a grin on her face as she walked down the passage way from the bridge to the engine room. The engine room door was closed but she opened it slowly and quickly discovered why it was closed. She saw Simon and Kaylee at the other end of the room with Kaylee's back pressed against the far wall. River couldn't fully see what Kaylee was still wearing but she saw that Simon was no longer wearing his shirt; he was nude from the waist up. Strained breathes escaped both their mouths as Simon kissed down Kaylee's neck. And it was in that moment that Kaylee noticed River watching with her heard sort of slanted to one side.
"River!" Kaylee screamed which snapped River out of the gazing at the pair.
"River?" Simon asked Kaylee before turning around to see his sister. "River!"
"What?" She asked with innocence.
"Haven't we asked you to knock before you come into the engine room when the door is shut?" Simon asked as he put his shirt back on.
"No. You told me to knock for both of your bunks and the infirmary but you haven't told me for the engine room yet."
"Well, we're tellin' ya now," Kaylee said with a small smile. "I'm sorry but you interrupted at a bad time is all."
"I can see that," River replied and pointed at Kaylee's untied shirt.
Kaylee looked down to see her shirt undone and let a soft, nervous chuckle leave her mouth. She tired the shirt and glanced at Simon who was blushing by then. It would take a lot for Kaylee to blush about sex but Simon did it pretty easily. He was still a little bit too innocent not to blush. It wasn't like Kaylee was showing anything horrible, she was still covered, but she had a touch more flesh showing than normally and apparently more than Simon would have liked his sister to see.
River had a grin dancing over her face as she used all of her will power to not laugh at her brother in that moment. It took several moments for Simon to get the blush to leave his face, After it finally did, he looked to his sister and cracked a small smile upon seeing her face. He glanced at Kaylee and noticed that she had a grin on as well. He couldn't help but think she looked adorable. Simon turned back to River and crossed his arms over his chest.
"What do you need, River?" Simon asked.
"Oh!" River said loudly as if she had forgot. "We're planet side and I remembered that you have to go off ship for some medical supplies. Aren't you out of Apresaline or something?"
"Apresaline, Dilaftin, I'm low on adrenaline and a few other things."
"Captain's letting you get all that stuff?" Kaylee asked.
"I guess," The young doctor replied with a shrug.
"So, why don't you two try and make it look like I didn't just catch you about to have sex and meet us in the cargo bay?" River suggested with simplicity.
Any normal girl probably would have been disgusted by walking in on their brother but River never claimed to be normal. She wasn't normal and she knew it. River had problems in her past, present and probably her future too. She dealt with more than most girls; experienced more than most girls and that had changed her. River was far from normal. 'Not right' is what some have called her but she wasn't wrong; she was simply different from most.
"We were not about to have sex," Simon stated.
"We weren't?" Kaylee asked. "So, you were gonna get me on then leave me high and dry.?"
Kaylee offered Simon a seductive smile that somehow had a strange innocence to it. The smile told Simon that she was just teasing him and it told River that she was completely accurate in her assumption. Simon looked at Kaylee utterly shocked and appalled. Not necessarily at the suggestion or discussion but that it was happening in front of his sister. He looked to River and saw that was casting a knowing smile in his direction. The blush came back to his face and even if he had wanted to stop it, he couldn't have.
"Joo ah," Simon muttered. "Please, can we stop talking it?"
"Sorry," River and Kaylee both said but they were both on the verge of laughing so they didn't look as empathetic as they should have.
"Let's go."
Simon turned to leave the engine room and the girls followed him with small laughs still leaving their mouths. Simon rolled his eyes and continued to walk, doing his best to ignore the two.
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Simon, Kaylee and River over by Zoe and the open door in the cargo bay of Serenity. River and Kaylee couldn't stop laughing about what had happened in the engine room. Meanwhile, Simon looked annoyed. Zoe was giving the girls confused looks as to why they were laughing. She was apparently missing something. She tried asking with her eyes but it did no good.
"What's so funny?" The Captain asked as he walked up next to Zoe.
"Nothing," Simon answered quickly; too quickly.
Mal turned to Zoe with a questioning look but she could only shrug in response. She was just as confused as he was. Only Simon, Kaylee and River knew why the girls were laughing but since Simon wasn't joining in on the fun, Zoe assumed it had something to do with him. They must have humiliated him in some way. Mal was interested in finding out what was so funny but he didn't have time. Things to be done and not a lot of time to do them. So, sadly, he had to dismiss it.
"Quit giggling," Mal said to the girls and then fixed his eyes on Simon. "Doctor, infirmary's lookin' a little empty and I hear you're in need of some stuff."
"Yes, that's true but how are we going to get it?" Simon asked. "Do we have the money for it?"
"Well, no," Mal answered honestly. "And since I don't plan on knocking over another hospital anytime soon, we're gonna have to rely on some good, honest thieving."
"Isn't that just like when we knocked over the hospital?"
"No. This ain't a job. We take what we need and that's it. And it ain't gonna be a hospital. Won't but rattle the floor."
"And you want me to do this by myself?" Simon asked with a tremor of shock in his voice.
"You gotta learn sooner or later," Mal replied with a smirk. "But Jayne'll be with you anyway."
Jayne walked up to the group with just enough time to hear his name being spoken which caught his attention. He gave Mal a confused look.
"What'll I be doin'?" He asked.
"You're gonna be helping our innocent Doctor steal some medical supplies," Mal answered.
"He's not that innocent, actually," River said with a grin.
River and Kaylee burst into laughter again. Mal, Zoe and Jayne gave them confused looks and shared the looks between each other while Simon glared at them.
He hated that they were acting like he was the perfect, innocent little boy before his relationship with Kaylee. He wasn't. True, Kaylee was only the second women he had ever slept with but he had sex before her. He wasn't going to say that because he didn't think everyone needed to know but he really wished people would stop treating him like he was so damn innocent. Just because he hadn't really stolen anything before didn't mean he was an angel. He had broken his sister out of a government run facility. That had to count for something, right?
Then, it hit him. Did Mal just say who he thought he just said?
"Jayne?" Simon asked, almost disgusted by the idea. "You're joking."
"Nope," Mal answered simply.
"Oh, I like this idea," Jayne said with a mischievous grin.
"No messin' with him for laughs," Mal warned with a look to prove he meant his words.
Jayne gave a sigh. He could have had some fun with Simon. Nothing like purposely getting him caught but fun none-the-less. But he could tell by Mal's expression that if word got to him that he messed with Simon, there would be hell to pay and Jayne wasn't in the mood for fighting with the captain. He could probably kill Mal in a fair fight but Mal was still that Captain and the one in charge. Jayne didn't like that fact but he had learned to accept it and shut up about it.
"You're just gonna show him where to go and help him pocket what he needs," Mal explained. "Dong Ma?"
"Yeah, yeah," Jayne muttered.'
"Kaylee, River, I want you two to try an clear out the shuttle. It's a mess and we don't wanna be settin' a bad example," Mal said with a small smile. "Okay, everyone back here in three hours. We gotta meet our new arrival and then we're off this rock."
Mal and Zoe took off on the mule. Their job was simple. Find work, come back and fuel up. There weren't really many jobs worth having but hopefully, they got lucky. They haven't had a good job in almost two months and they needed it, badly. Mal was hopeful but he wasn't counting on it. That was actually one of the only reasons he agreed to allow Keira to stay on the ship. He needed her rent money too badly to say no.
"C'mon, Doc," Jayne said to Simon. "Let's go have fun."
"Yes, I'm sure I'll have tons," Simon said sarcastically before he was practically dragged off the ship by Jayne.
Kaylee wrapped her arm around River's shoulders and said, "Come on, let's go clean out the second shuttle."
"Do we have to?" River asked with something close to a graon.
"Yep," Kaylee answered. "Now let's go."
Kaylee and River both turned together, which was a little awkward since Kaylee still had her arm around River's shoulders. They walked up the stairs and made their way to the second shuttle. There wasn't much they had to do since they knew Keira would make it her own anyway but they were going to get the crated and extra things out of there.
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Inara had just gotten her client to leave her shuttle. Once he was gone, the smile she wore on her face, disappeared. There was something her last client that she really didn't like. And it was the same reason why she was done earlier than she had anticipated. Being a companion is a ritualistic thing to her. She didn't just have sex with the men; that wasn't all a companion was for. But sex was all that man wanted. Inara hated it but the fact was: some people really didn't know the difference between a companion and a common whore. So, Inara was left to wait since what she was expecting to take over two hours or so took barely an hour.
She thought she was maybe loosing her touch. Not necessarily in making men or women dire her but in choosing the proper client. She never used to pick someone who thought like that, As a companion, she was trained to see what kind of person someone was. One would think that her time at the training house and at the House Madrassa would make her sharper but it really didn't. Inara thought she might be getting sloppy since she was getting cocky. She was the type to get sloppy, though. She was a good, well trained, high class companion. Companions didn't get sloppy! She was just having an off day. Actually, Inara was having an off couple of months. Ever since going back to Serenity, she had been somewhat sloppy. She needed companions around her again! Inara couldn't express how grateful she was for Keira joining her.
Inara put on a robe over her dark red gown. She was suppose to meet Keira in a small café near where her shuttle was. From what Keira said, it was right in between where both of them were. The weather was nice so Inara didn't mind taking a stroll down the streets of Persephone. She was in the 'nice' part of the planet so it was actually a beautiful place.
Inara stepped out of her shuttle and started walking down the street. She kept her sweet, almost seductive, professional smile on the whole way until she reached the café. She didn't her best to ignore the men watching her. It was something she had gotten used to after years of being a companion. People watched her and she accepted it.
Inara sat down at one of the outside tables that had a set up for two. She was planning on Keira joining her rather soon so she took the liberty of ordering a tea. When her tea arrived, she took a small drink from it and set the cup down. She gazed out across the street and into the big open windows of a few stores.
Inara turned away from the shops just in time to see Keira walking up to her. The red tint to her brown hair stood out as the sun hit it just right. Her dark blue gown and robe flowed in the gentle breeze. Inara couldn't help but think she looked like a capture or something out of a movie. She stood up to greet her friend. They kissed each other on the cheek with smiles and sat back down.
"It's wonderful to see you, Keira," Inara said.
"Tzoo-foo nee, mei-mei," Keira replied with a smile.
"You're early."
"As are you," Keira said. "Things not go as planned for you?"
"Not at all," Inara answered with a shake of her head. "You either."
"No, things went fine. It was just, well, let's just say he was an easy client."
"I wish I had your client then. Mine was a yu bun duh boy," Inara said with an irritated voice.
"How young was he?" Keira asked.
"Not in age but in knowledge. He didn't understand what a companion was for."
"Let me guess: he only wanted sex."
"Exactly.," Inara said and stood another small drink from her tea. "But let's get off the topic of work." Inara couldn't stop a smile. "How have you been?"
"A little nervous, actually," Keira answered with a coy smile.
"Nervous? About what?"
"Boarding Serenity. Not only have I never been on a firefly before but I don't know how the other will take to me."
"Well, the only one you really have to worry about is the Captain," Inara answered and hoped she was telling the truth. "He's not always welcoming to companions but everyone should welcome you. He was actually the only one at all against you renting the second shuttle. Everyone else wanted you there so they'll be nice."
"That's calms me a little," Keira said but still sounded a little apprehensive
"Don't worry. I already explained to Captain Reynolds that he was to be nice to you."
"You make it sound like you have some kind of hold on the Captain," Keira said with a suggestive smile.
Inara laughed at that. Someone having a hold on the Captain was a foreign concept to her. No one could tell Mal what to think or what to do, however much someone tried. He probably listened to Inara least out of everyone. He didn't have much respect for her simply because she was a companion but he didn't generally respect her wishes; some of them, at least. Inara made it clear that she wanted Mal to be nice and was very clear when it came to his 'whore' comments and he told her he would more or less 'be good.' She hoped he wasn't lying to her.
"No one has a hold on that man," Inara explained. "But he sometimes respects my wishes. I just have to hope that this is one of those times."
"And everyone else will be okay?" Keira asked.
"I think so," Inara said and managed to sound confident about it.
"I hope so."
"What's this?" Inara asked, humor in her voice. "Is my Keira scared."
"Not scared, nervous," Keira answered with a smile.
Keira wasn't the type to be scared of much, if anything. And she definitely wasn't afraid of people not liking her or accepting her. She was the type of girl who did what she wanted despite what others thought of her. It was just who she was, and it was the type of life she led since long before Inara knew her. Inara never even really knew her to be nervous which is why she was so surprised by it.
"Well, don't be. Everything will be fine," Inara stated with a smile. "If you want, we can go put your nerves to rest and meet them now. I informed them that we would be back with in the next hour anyway."
Inara put some money on the table to pay for her tea and stood up. She put her hand on to Keira to help her up and Keira took it. They entwined their arms and turned to walk together. The pair together drew even more attention than either of them did by themselves. They looked truly glamorous together. With how they were holding each other, they looked like lovers but they weren't; they were friends. But two companions together always looked like lovers.
They made their way into Inara's shuttle and Keira looked around. She wanted to get a feel for the place for she knew her shuttle would be just like Inara's. The size was the same and so was the built. Keira would dress hers up just like Inara did. Different colors maybe but the two shuttles would still be very alike. Companions generally had the same taste simply because of how they were trained.
Keira had butterflies in her stomach and they were flapping like crazy. She wanted them to calm but she knew they wouldn't until she was on the ship and got a feel for it. She let a breath leave her lips slowly in an attempt to calm herself but it barely helped. Inara cast her a reassuring smile and it calmed Keira but only ever so slightly.
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Inara and Keira walked out of Inara's shuttle arm and arm again. Keira was the one to initiate it that time, though. She needed all the assurance she could get in that moment and Inara was the only friend she had there. Keira was counting on Inara to get her through meeting everyone. Thankfully, she knew that Inara would be there and be behind her completely. It calmed Keira a bit but not enough for her to be okay by herself. Once she got settled and met everyone, she knew things would be different but in that moment, she was truly nervous.
The pair walked down the steps into the cargo bay. Keira's eyes wandered the ship. It was what she was expecting. She was accustomed to fancy things but she liked the fact that the ship looked like it had a few years on it. Actually, it looked like it had been to hell and back but for some reason, she liked that. It comforted her in a weird way that she didn't couldn't explain and didn't fully understand herself.
They stepped off the last step and Keira saw a crowd of people. Well, four couldn't exactly be considered a crowd but it was in her mind. Mal stepped forward and Keira instantly saw him to be the Captain for he was the one to take charge.
"Hi, I'm Captain Malcolm Reynolds," Mal introduced himself. "You must be Keira."
"Yes, I am," She answered as her nerves calmed a bit. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate you letting me rent out your second shuttle. I was told it wasn't an easy decision."
"Yeah, well, hopefully I won't look back on it thinking it was a bad one," Mal said.
"I can assure you I will do everything I can for that to not happen."
Mal gave a soft nod. The woman seemed nice enough and she had manners which was something of a plus in his mind. It was his ship and he wanted everyone on it to remember that. He could see that Keira instantly respected his position as the Captain and that was something he appreciated. He couldn't help but think that the attitude she was giving off might just be a cover up or something. Call it caution, call it him not trusting her or call it a former General's experience. No matter what it was, he always had that thought in the back of his mind when he met someone new.
"How about I introduce the rest of the bunch," Mal suggested and turned a little so Keira could see everyone else in the Cargo bay. "This here's Zoe, she's my second mate. There's Kaylee, our mechanic, the little one standing next to her is River and she's a guest on the ship. We got two others but the doctor and Jayne must not be back yet."
Keira smiled to all the girls. Her eyes stayed locked on River. Why did that girl look so familiar to her? River wasn't really paying any attention to Keira though. After nodding a hello to the woman, she started looking around the Cargo bay. But Keira couldn't take her eyes off of her. No doubt, she was a beauty but there was something else about her that drew her dark hues to her. She couldn't put her finger on it.
"Well, speak of the devil," Kaylee said as she spotted Jayne and Simon walking onto the ship.
Jayne walked onto the ship and stopped. His eyes found Keira right away and he gazed at her with an open mouth. He thought she was beautiful. Not only beautiful but definitely someone he could easily fantasize about. He knew she would be pretty, all companion were pretty, but Keira was more than pretty and he had to admit he wasn't expecting it.
Keira had her eyes still on River so she barely noticed Jayne staring at her. After so many years of being a companion, she got used to men looking at her like that. It wasn't until Mal started to speak that Keira even took her eyes off the girl.
"That's Jayne," Mal said with an eye roll.
Keira gave a nod in Jayne's direction with a small smile. She looked around for the other man she saw walk in. She didn't see his face but she was certain there was another man with him.
Mal grabbed Simon's arm, turned him around to face Keira and said, "And this here's our Doctor.."
"Simon!" Keira nearly screamed as she saw him.
"Keira?" Simon asked, as if he wasn't sure it was really her.
"Run-tse duh fwotzoo!"
Keira rushed forward the same time Simon did. They pulled each other into a hug and both had huge smiles on there face that neither could fight off.
(A/N)- First off, thank you so much to all the reviews from: Drakbmonkmap, BlueEyedBrigadier, espergirl04, Boo26, RogueButterfly, debbieja, NazgulGirl, Ttiffanyguriel, miss jasadin, and twinmuse. I greatly appreciate them!
twinmuse - I can't tell you how good it is to see a familiar pen name in this review. You're my only reader who came over to this story too and not just my Higher Ground ones.
Okay, I know I said I would have an update for you guys a little big sooner than this and I'm very sorry for it taking so long! I had school, work, then my computer crashed and I only had it again for two days before my power went out for five days. I also wrote another chapter for another one of my stories in between that time. Once again, I'm sorry. Hopefully, my next update will be quicker than this one.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy this chapter. Let me know how I did, good or bad. Since I'm still nervous about this genre, please let me know. Thank you!