28) Bright And Early For Their Daily Races
"Rick," Inara's voice as he hung upside down from the catwalk and did hanging sit-ups to work his core. "Why are you doing that here?"
"Waitin' on you," He grunted as he lifted himself up again and held his body upright so he could grasp the railing with his arms and safely pull himself onto the catwalk. "Figured I'd get a shower when we landed so I might as well get a workout in.
"I see," Amusement and a carnal appreciation. That was always kinda fun. "Did you want to speak with me about something?"
"Yeah a bit," He nodded.
"Please, come in then," Inara gave him that elegant welcoming smile that had a touch more warmth than was strictly required by the manners she'd been teaching him bit by bit.
"Thanks," He nodded before he followed her into the shuttle.
"Why didn't you simply knock," She asked and gestured to the couch for him to have a seat.
"Didn't wanna wake you up," Riddick gave her a smile. He inhaled and frowned thoughtfully, "River been in here lately?"
"River hasn't been in my shuttle for two days," Inara seemed slightly disturbed. "Why?"
"Somethin'…" He frowned thoughtfully and moved unerringly to where River's scent was the strongest. Behind the pillows on Inara's curved couch was River's brush. "Here's what I'm smelling."
"What in Buddha's name is River's hairbrush doing in my shuttle," The Companion shook her head, even more uneasy and he wondered why.
"Dunno," He lifted it to his nose and inhaled, River's scent, thick with the strands of hair in the bristles, a trace of Inara's scent, nothing else lingered. "Doubt she put it here though. She wouldn't forget where it was." He turned the brush over in his hands.
"It's…odd," Weird. Inara was seriously disturbed by this. A moment's pause, she took a breath and her expression cleared. "What did you wish to speak with me about," She gave him a small smile and he could appreciate the effort even if he could tell she didn't exactly mean it. Not at the moment, unsettled as she was.
He looked around the shuttle, the perfectly made bed, draperies and the small decorative items, "Mal says we're headed to Ariel at some point in the next couple months."
"Yes," She nodded and took a seat angling her body towards his on the couch. "I need to renew my license, which means examinations and some tests."
"Yeah, Simon mentioned that," Riddick considered the elegant woman. "Figured I'd pick your brain a bit before you left."
She tensed, visually imperceptible but nothing could conceal the sudden smell of tension where there had been none, "Left?"
"Told you when we first met, somethin' about you says gone," He regarded her thoughtfully. "That ain't changed. I don't blame you. I figure Kaylee's the only one still thinks any romance 'tween you an' Mal will work out with a happy ending."
"Mal is rather…provincial in his thinking," Inara sighed. "I won't give up the profession I've worked and studied for my entire life. It's not the only problem between us but it's a large one. And Mal… he's…"
"He's not from White Sun," Riddick shrugged. "Some things people just can't get past."
"No," She shook her head. "It's time, I think. We've both tried and attraction and affection aren't enough if neither of us are willing to change." Those dark lips curved in a rueful smile, "At least we aren't shouting at each other half the time. Or calling each other names. I would rather avoid yuānjiā lù zhǎi." She seemed to gather herself, fixing her courteous mask firmly in place, "But you wanted to speak with me."
"Yeah, it's about Jack," He wasn't sure if she'd be able to help or not, but he and Carolyn needed a different perspective. "Zhēn tā mā yào mìng. You've given us some good advice about how to treat her. And it's helped, no doubt there. But she's not really…taking in the idea that I look at her like she's my little sister. She's a kid… likely not even seventeen though I couldn't swear to that and the way I look at her won't change as she gets older."
"Can you be sure?" Inara spread her hands, "To play the devil's advocate, can you be certain you won't see her as something other than a sister or child as she grows older?"
"Mal fill you in about the crash and the planet and the sky sharks?" Riddick asked and when she nodded continued, "Out of everyone, I was the one best able to fight. Carolyn and Abu, they were adults, doing their best but they weren't… I had to go up against one of those things, with only a shiv, to keep it from trying to eat her. Carolyn's hand light should've drove it off, but it was too hungry, wouldn't back off. I can still hear Jack screamin' my name, begging for help, terrified."
Inara nodded her understanding, "After such events… Jack being a child…it's solidified in your mind."
He knew she'd get it, "Yeah. I really can't see her as anything but a kid, niánqīng de, yòu chǐ, a little sister."
"She doesn't accept that?"
"Haven't had an outright discussion with her about it," Riddick sighed. "Mostly because of what Carolyn said back when we first came on the boat. Jack still hero worships me a bit too much, and Carolyn said…" He rubbed the back of his neck, "She said she wasn't sure if Jack wanted to be me or to fuck me."
The Companion allowed a thoughtful frown to wrinkle her forehead, "That is…a bit disturbing."
"You think," The words came out laden with sarcasm and he winced. "Sorry. It's just even worse from my perspective."
"I can imagine so," She nodded her agreement. "Let me make some tea and think a bit. There may be things you can do to make it clear to Jack that you are not interested in a romantic relationship with her. More than you and Carolyn have already done I mean."
Riddick nodded slowly, "I'd appreciate it. Carolyn and I… we've done just about all we can think to do."
Turned out teenagers with crushes weren't exactly Inara's area of expertise. She strongly encouraged Riddick continuing to call Jack mèi mei to emphasize the relationship he felt they had between them.
"The difficulty," She said finally. "Is that while you three were on that planet and afterwards until you came to Serenity, Jack was treated as an aadult; a contributing member of your little crew. She isn't a child in every sense. Clearly she considers herself to be an adult and resents being treated like she's a little girl."
"Yeah 'bout as much as River would resent it after she started piloting, I'll bet," He agreed. "So, it's that fine line y'know? Jack isn't an adult. She's a teenager."
"Technically speaking, so is River," Inara pointed out. "But she's a paid member of the crew and at least a few years older than Jack. She's also… well…she's…"
Funny to see a woman so composed as Inara at a loss for words. Since she was trying to be a help to him, seemed like he should give her an easy way out. Wouldn't change anything but Inara would relax a bit. Riddick shrugged, "River's different. That much is obvious. I get the feeling that at Jack's age River was a helluva lot more mature."
"She was in a bad situation at fifteen," Inara nodded, not a little relief blooming through her scent. "I understand that Jack was on the streets for a while, which is a different type of bad situation, but the plain facts are she is younger than River."
"Yeah, it's amazing what a difference three or four years can make," He agreed.
"Jack seems to see no difference between herself and River," The Companion pointed out. "And she also seems to aggressively resent someone she considers an equal teaching her anything."
"You noticed that too huh," He sighed. "She's almost actively resisting River teaching her to fight." He shook his head, "Even though I know it's a bad idea, I thought about trying to teach her myself. Trouble is there's really not much I can teach her that'll work. Everything I can do is based on my size and strength and speed. And I learned by getting into fights and figuring out on the fly how to live through them. I'm no kinda teacher at all and less of one for someone without any fighting skills what-so-fuckin' ever. I can't adapt it for Jack so all she'll get from me is bruises. And she needs to know this stuff. Right now, someone grabs her she's at their mercy until one of us gets to her."
"Even if Zoë was in a position to teach her, she might have the same difficulty, though perhaps not as much. Her military training could make the difference," Dark lips pursed thoughtfully. "Mal is out for the same reason. Simon is no good at hand to hand and Kaylee is bad with violence altogether." She held out her hand, "Give me whatever change you have in your pocket."
The commanding tone set his hackles up a bit, but he pulled the few coins he had out and put them in her palm, "Okay."
"Congratulations," Inara smiled at him. "You've just contracted with a Companion for your little sister to learn hand to hand combat until I leave. That will give her at least a basic grounding in defense."
Riddick smiled, "Now that seems like a helluva deal."
"Not interested in contracting with me for anything else?" Her lips curved wider, eyes twinkling.
"Oh, interested ain't really the word," He chuckled wickedly. "Love to bring you, see you really fall, know it's real. But…" He spread his hands.
"But?" Inara tilted her head curiously.
"River said somethin'," He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "When we were gettin' a tour of the boat after we first came on." Riddick thought back, recalling the words the girl had used, "She said 'control was the first lesson. And the last'," He looked at Inara. "I like flirtin' with you. Knowing when I've gotten a reaction. And I had a lot of thoughts about what we'd be like in bed, before I got to know you. You're beautiful and, I got no doubt, talented. And you're a good person. But control…" He shook his head. "I think you don't take anyone into your bed that you can't control somehow. And that…" He felt a bone deep revulsion at the very idea of anyone controlling him with sex.
"That's something you cannot abide," Inara nodded, her voice quiet. "You have a lot more in common with Mal than you might think."
"Yeah," He smiled dully.
"Mal likes to throw the word whore in my face," She spread her hands in a helpless gesture. "But it isn't my profession that's the problem. He's been with whores and never slighted them. It's the control the Guild has over my life. The control I have over my clients. I know what everyone who comes to my bed needs. And Mal doesn't want that, doesn't want any expertise or artifice. It's the same with you."
She was right about that. The idea of being controlled or manipulated, however benignly meant, just turned him cold. "Yeah, I go to bed with you, it wouldn't be because I want to fuck a Companion," Riddick agreed. "It's for you. Because I need to be in charge. And that's something you can't do."
"No," She nodded her understanding. "Enjoyable as it might be, and oh you are tempting Rick," She let her eyes roam over him playfully. "I wouldn't be bedding you as a Companion, and Guild law doesn't allow for that."
"Yeah, I kinda figured," He nodded. "So, friends? Kinda?"
"Friends," Inara nodded and offered her hand.
Riddick grinned and stood, bowing over it and kissing her knuckles the way he'd seen Simon do with Kaylee once. "Miss Serra, it's been a pleasure." He couldn't do Simon's accent, but he remembered the polite thing to say.
"Oh dear," Inara laughed, genuinely delighted. "Rick, the contrast between what you just did and how you look…"
"Thought that'd tickle you some," He chuckled along with her. He did get a genuine pleasure out of making this woman laugh, an echo of the bright flash of joy he got making River giggle. "I'll let Jack know you'll be teaching her for a while. I appreciate it Inara."
"It's my pleasure," She smiled at him.
Author's Note: So Riddick is doing his best to keep Jack from getting any ideas about him. Not sure how well that'll work out but he's giving it his best attempt. And let's face it. Teenage girls aren't exactly his area of expertise.
I've only read a few stories where Inara stayed aboard Serenity and the conflict she must have felt about giving up being a Companion was addressed. A lot of them gloss over what would be an extremely difficult decision. I mean, imagine studying ballet since you were a child and you've finally gotten a place as a principal dancer in a company. And you have this profound attraction to a man who doesn't value what you do at all. Who sees dance as frivolous and foolish. Or refers to a prima ballerina as a stripper because to him it's the same thing. You're not even in a relationship where you've said that you love each other yet. You'd be giving up everything for the possibility of something, with someone who doesn't respect what you do. Seems like a lot to give up for someone who hasn't even asked you to stay.
I encourage you to read a book Firefly: Still Flying as it has four short stories that are excellently done. I regard them more as canon than the comics set after Serenity the BDM. They are: FUN WITH DICK AND JAYNE written and drawn by Ben Edlund, WHAT HOLDS US DOWN by Jane Espenson, CRYSTAL by Brett Matthews and TAKE THE SKY by Jose Molina.
That's not to say that I won't shamelessly borrow an idea even from a source of dubious quality if I think it could be fun and fit with the story.
Chinese Translations:
yuānjiā lù zhǎi (lit. enemies on a narrow road (idiom); fig. an inevitable clash between opposing factions)
Zhēn tā mā yào mìng (The situation's really fucked up)
niánqīng de, yòu chǐ (Young one / slang for underaged / literally Young young teeth)
mèi mei (little sister)
