Inara watched as Mal, Zoe and Jayne climbed aboard the mule and prepared themselves for their meeting. She suspected that they would be going to see Badger. Inara was worried about Mal more often than not, she would deny to everyone that she was attracted to him, but she would not deny it to herself. From her years of training she could tell that he too felt the same way about her. But the two of them would fight and argue, in a futile attempt to cover their feelings. She loved her work, she was a people person, she felt that what she did had real purpose and she was grateful for this. She did however hope, that one day they could admit their feelings for one another and perhaps do something about it.
Kaylee had approached her that morning to ask if she had wanted to come and look at the ships in the dock, to watch the people going about their days and make up stories about their lives and what business they had. Inara loved Kaylee dearly, like a sister, but she had to turn her down on this occasion. A client had approached her with a proposition and she had decided that he was an acceptable candidate, he was a respected businessman and seemed very kind and so she would depart on her shuttle and go and meet him for their rendezvous. But first she wanted to see the others off, when it came to Badger she was more worried than usual, even for Jayne.
She descended the staircase and headed towards the mule, ignoring Jayne's usual lustful glare.
"Mal, I will be back this evening, no later than 7. Will that fit around your schedule?" She looked up at the captain attempting to seem regal, but inside feeling very complicated and nervous, like a school girl with a crush. She knew it to be infantile, but she could not help her feelings, only attempt to disguise them.
"Should be fine, s'pect this meetin' shouldn't be too complex, but we have some supplies to pick up and Kaylee has some repairs to finish." He said loud enough for the young engineer to hear, a not so subtle hint. "We won't be leavin' without you, go do your whorin'."
Inara was always hurt when Mal used that word, she knew that it was his defence mechanism, a childish way of hiding his feelings. But nevertheless it hurt.
Before she could retort Mal had started the mule and they left, out into the busy docks. Even though she wasn't the religious type she thought a silent prayer to keep them safe before heading to her shuttle.
As she made her final preparations, she could only think of Mal, whenever she did, she never knew quite what she felt, Anger? Guilt? Sadness? Yes she felt those but more often than not there was something else, something bigger, deeper. Inara knew what it was to love, but not like this, this was different this was special.
After a short goodbye to Wash via the comms she took off in her little shuttle and set her heading, as she flew, she could see the docks below her, a bustling thoroughfare of people milling about, wheeling and dealing, buying and selling. She could see Kaylee sat down on her chair her parasol cocked over her shoulders, hoping to attract a couple of passengers, or to secure some nice easy cargo to haul. As she flew higher the people became as small as ants and she lost sight of Kaylee and even Serenity itself, she turned instead to her console and focused on the task at hand, another day another client.