Jayne Cobb sat in the dark dank bar on Beaumonde and pondered his 3rd glass of what the pissant locals called whiskey. Watered down mule piss would have been a better term, but unless he wanted a one man bar fight, he kept his opinion to himself.

The rest of the crew had found their own distractions, so Jayne was left to his own devices, as Mal had put it he wouldn't be fit in their company that night. It was probably another one of those gorram fancy balls, like the one he'd almost gotten hisself killed at a few months back.... Oh, well, Jayne thought, more bad hooch for him.

What he pondered was across the street; a two-story simple looking house with lots of front windows, red lanterns swinging faintly in the breeze. Not a Companion house, f'sure but, then again, Jayne couldn't afford Companion houses. Even with the coin he'd saved for this - Companions, Janye thought, Gorram seductresses....

The bad whiskey was not making anything clearer, or helping get his mind off things. Why did she echo in his mind like this, over and over, insistent without being direct, burning, without even a flame?

Jayne grabbed this last drink and slammed it down his throat, doing the same to the shot glass. He looked out the window again, saw the lanterns were lit, the doors open, to paradise or damnation, Jayne really didn't care which anymore. He strode out the doors of the saloon and into the street, the wind kicking up as he walked, but providing no relief to his heat. Nothing to be done for it, Jayne thought, either burn or quench the flame. A man's got needs.

"An why shouldn't I, anyway?" he thought aloud, then realizing he was standing in the street, started toward the house with renewed determination, muttering to himself all the way.

The Madam took one look at him, sweeping her eyes up and down his large, muscular body, and a wry smile crossed features once beautiful, now worn with age and hard life. "New to town?"

She sized him up onc