Ask me a year ago if I would be having these thoughts, and I would have told you "no."

A Companion is an honored profession. We are cultured and educated since early childhood to be the perfect woman, skilled in music, dance, appearance...and yes, techniques of sexual pleasure. Wealthy men (and a few women) pay large fees for my company.

I am not bound by the dictates of most polite society women. Marriage is a way to insure paternity of the children so that the family line can continue, and to cement business and social alliances between the families. Save for the poor or working classes, it is for business. In such an arrangement, a Companion provides pleasure, a necessary respite from the demands of commerce. I am quite wealthy, and have my pick of a diverse client base. Contracts are simple, and I have autonomy.

When has it changed? I had never questioned the honor or the need for my profession until recently.

I rented the shuttle on Serenity. Simple business arrangement. I needed a way to get from planet to planet, especially on those my services would be needed most. This ship was willing to fly to those destinations.

What was odd was that most vessels would be honored to accommodate me. Malcolm was a tough sell. I could tell he wasn't from my world. His plainspoken frontier dialect, the way he spoke of the Alliance, and the simplicity of his ship said that right away. I wasn't under any illusions, either - I knew Serenity would be used for smuggling. I figured that would tip things in my favor.

He listened patiently to my caveats and conditions of contract with only a raised eyebrow. Using charm didn't work, either. He saw right through it, called me a whore, and I would have walked out right then. I'm not entirely certain why I didn't. Perhaps I would have if I hadn't been so intrigued. You see, usually men fall over themselves in my presence and Mal was a challenge. He was perfectly willing to uphold my conditions, so long as I paid what he asked for in rent.

Si