KING D. AUGUSTUS III - BEGIN LOG ENTRY : 8 July 2528: 10:38

Ok. I’m back. All freshed up and ready to spill. I had some Kingly things to do early but I got those out of the way and I told my aides to leave me alone for a few hours. Not in so many words, of course.

Where were we. Oh, yes. The journey to Jiangyn. I remember now someone told me it was a nine hour trip there. Can’t remember if it was Inara or Mal. I went into my bunk and my sulking session became a sleeping one.

It was Inara who awoke me. Seeing that beauty when I opened my eyes I thought I was still dreaming. I asked her if we were there yet. I moved to switch on my ring recorder from underneath the covers.

“Almost,” Inara answered. “It’s time for supper.”

“I’ll just eat in here.”

“Nonsense. On Serenity we eat dinner together.”

“Oh...wonderful. So, is the cooking well enough here, or do I have to worry about my safety there too?”

“Are you always this incorrigible?”

“All my life.”

“Hmm...I guess that would probably help you pose as a man of age, wouldn’t it?”

I shot up from the bed like a cannon shot. “You...you knew that was me?”

She stood and smiled. How I so wanted to melt in that smile. She then stated, “I do now.”

I was played. By a Companion, no less. Not even my friends would have been brave enough to attempt to dupe me. She went on to admit that she had known the Companion I had asked for as a full grown gentleman. In fact, it was a Companion-in-training who I had asked for. It was one of Inara’s students and I was to be her first client. Instead, I turned out to be her first hard lesson. I apologized to Inara and she said it didn’t matter now, for the girl was now an accomplished Companion and doing well now. Or...then. You know what I mean.

Inara left after telling me dinner was in five minutes. I freshened up, brushed my mane of white blond hair, and washed my face. I climbed up the stairs and came to a corridor where I had two directions. To my left was the way into the engine room. It seemed so small for wha