Inara closed the door to her shuttle and locked it tight. It didn’t happen very often, as usually she left it open for anyone who wanted to talk, but right now she needed some time to herself. She particularly didn’t want Mal barging in, not when she was in the middle of what she planned.

Setting out the candles, she lit them carefully, the scent of lavender and soft rosemary filling the room. Catching her long dark hair back in a silver clasp, shaped like a swan, she shook the padded mat out and placed it on the floor. She undid her robe and dropped it behind her, standing naked in the soft light. Running her hands across her flesh, she stretched upwards, trying to touch the ceiling before sitting gracefully cross-legged on the mat.

She closed her eyes and took in a breath, holding it until she felt a little dizzy, before blowing it out slowly until her lungs felt completely empty. Again she breathed in, exhaling and throwing away all the tensions of the last few days. And again, until she was light-headed with the oxygen in her system.

Then she opened her eyes. Placing her hands, palms up, in her lap, she brought to mind what Simon had told her.

Red Dress

“I never knew anything could be so painful, Inara.” He sat on the sofa, his hands tightly clasped. “Even when I’ve been shot it wasn't so bad. I knew there was an end to that, some hope of unconsciousness at least, but this … it was only going to get worse and I wasn't going to be able to stop it.” He looked up at her. “I felt like my body was burning, all the skin sloughing away, only the nerves still there, consuming me.” He was shaking. “And those men, they just … they were talking as if it was the most natural thing in the world. That they’d often held men … or … or women … at this point, when you’re praying to go mad so that you don’t feel it anymore.”

Inara didn’t touch him, but moved a little closer so he could feel her warmth. “They were evil, Simon,” she said softly. “What they did was evil, and they died