No archiving, please, and the usual disclaimers apply for both pieces.

#1--Inpired partly by a song title, partly by a friend, and partly by my longing for the movie. It reflects events that could be extrapolated purely from the series itself, but which could also be slightly spoilery, in a speculative sense, for "Serenity."

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"The Smoke From a Distant Fire"

(c) 8/14/2004 HawkMoth

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"Your attention seems to be elsewhere," the Mistress of Advanced Studies says to Inara, in a tone more suited for a recent Initiate rather than a celebrated member of the Guild. "You have forgotten how to concentrate."

Inara responds to the rebuke with the enigmatic smile she perfected years ago. "I am easily distracted," she admits calmly, waving a languid hand in the direction of the Second Years who are still having difficulty mastering the intricacies of the Welcoming Tea Ceremony. She cannot help but wince with genuine dismay, and neither can the Mistress, when Tierza pours with a complete lack of grace, allowing the steaming liquid to cascade down the outside of the cup and onto the lacquered table.

"Who sets the standards for admittance these days?" she adds, with a slight hint of disapproval. "These girls may have outward beauty--" Tierza is stunning to look at--"but there seems little to appreciate on the inside."

The Mistress lowers her eyes demurely, accepting the slight criticism, but then sends Inara a sidelong glance which cuts through the air of ritualistic formality that pervades the schoolroom. "Too true--they have no style. Some days I'm so fed up with them I could scream."

"I know the feeling," Inara agrees, though she knows she's not thinking of the Companions-in-training who are now fussing over the right way to handle Tierza's faux pas if it had happened in front of a client. She remembers too well what it feels like to have her patience stretched to the limit, and before she knows it, she's let out a soft sigh laden with much too much emotion.

At a signal from