THE TWO COMPANIONS (Using the characters and setting of the series “Firefly” and the movie “Serenity”)

We don’t make any money in Joss’s verse, we just play here.

PART I- Post BDM: in which Inara teaches a couple of novices the tricks of the trade. (Warning: interracial geek love)

Prologue: When the original colony ships had arrived, the society was largely egalitarian due to the long shipboard confinement. Huge sacrifices and death rates were involved in terra-forming and settling the raw worlds they found. Sacred prostitution by both males and females was seen as a public service and was actually done on a rotating basis among the whole population on some ships and in the early colonies.

The core worlds prospered, and the Companions rose in status. When their clientele gained wealth and status, the guild chose to bar from their membership all but the most highly trained Companions. They excluded the more common prostitutes who serviced working class patrons. The Companions also incorporated elements of geisha and Greek Companion standards and practices.

Settlements on the rim worlds witnessed rising neo-Puritanism and the consequential rise in discrimination against the common prostitutes in their midst. The Companions of the core worlds continued to rise in status while they in turn relegated the cult of Isis to ritualized ceremony with few actual believers.

Rim-world colonists largely came from the poor classes of the core worlds and looked back with nostalgia on the glamorous culture of the core worlds; especially the Companions.

The Companion Guild gained power and became a significant player among the power elite. People who manipulate lust, desire and considerable funds have to operate in the real world if for no other reason than self protection.

For self-protection, the guild had always maintained an elite group of covert agents drawn from within their own ranks who discreetly provided protection to the Companions. Of course, all Companions were trained in a variety of self-defense arts including weapons. It was a point of honor that no-one ever robbed or forced a Companion against their will without suffering severe repercussions including death.

Unlike corporations, with their top-down hierarchy, the Companion Guild was always run by an association of elected officials with leadership coming from the most skilled practitioners and teachers of sexual arts: priestesses. Most Companions were female. Males tended to gravitate towards administration or enforcement as they got older.

Setting: Inara’s shuttle Inara sat in the pilot’s seat, going through preflight check, flames lanced past her cockpit window. Like the true professional she was, Inara was extremely thorough. She thought to herself _“I see Kaylee tightened up those coupling sleeves. I don’t detect even the slightest leak.”_ Kaylee’s friendship and the adoration of that young female mechanic meant that Inara’s shuttle always received loving attention.

Inara looked out at the flames blasting past and admired their beauty and thought “This is what the first astronauts must have seen on reentry”.

The young pilot River’s voice came over the intercom. “OK, Inara our speed is dropping down to MACH two and you’re good to go.” (Shuttle deployment at higher than twice the speed of sound in any local atmosphere is dangerous for both vehicles.)

“Thanks Mei-mei; undocking, three-two-one: undocked.” When the shuttle cleared, Inara pulled up on the yoke, kicked the rudder with a hard turn and pulled a complete Immilman turn which inverted the shuttle and turned the craft 180 degrees to Serenity’s axis and path and headed towards her appointment. She then pulled a barrel roll out of sheer exuberance.

One thing that Inara had never confessed to the late beloved pilot, Walsh, Captain Malcom, or even the new pilot, River (though she was sure River knew) was that she loved to fly. Most Companions utilized shuttles as short range transport. To them it was just a way of getting from here to there; but to Inara, flight was almost as much fun as sex. Just then River’s voice chirped “Yahoo, cowgirl – have fun.” Obviously, the girl genus/reader had been eavesdropping on her joyful thoughts and picked up on Inara’s mood

“Thanks, I’ll do my best. See you at the rendezvous; out.” As she hung inverted in the sky over Boros, Inara thought _“Worlds like marbles in the sky and stars like dust beneath her feet”_ Such was the glamorous life she imaged when she set out to become a Companion.

Ever since Miranda she had become known as ‘that Companion’. Of course, life these days was different. When Inara and the crew of Serenity had revealed the truth of the government’s disastrous experiment in social engineering through airborne drugs, she had helped to embarrass the Alliance and the major corporations who were running the government. Since most of her wealthy clients were corporate or government connected, and the point of having a Companion was to show off their conspicuous consumption, Inara was suddenly without clients. Being publicly connected to a known ‘terrorist’ (who obviously hated freedom as the corporate media put it) was not something they could afford. The plebs lionized Inara. Her charms were publicly sung about and often embarrassingly exaggerated. But the poor could not pay her fees, nor could she cut her rates without violating guild law.

Inara had decided to utilize a little known ‘pro bono’ clause because it was considered temple duty and released her from guild dues and fees. Inara would use her considerable skills and talents as a subsidized, low cost relationship counselor. This was also to mollify Mal’s anti- prostitution prejudices. She conveniently neglected to mention that her services would include sex therapy.

Inara had always enjoyed the relationship and couple client classes at the training house and as a Companion she was hired by celebratory couples for special occasions. She remembered with pleasure a unique night with two male dancers whose stamina was prodigious and only rivaled by their sweet nature and fashion sense. Speaking of which, she could use a relationship counselor herself for her relationship with Mal. Inara and Mal were strongly attracted to each other but they couldn’t seem to get past her chosen livelihood and his self-righteous rejection of her profession. But that would have to wait; right now she had to earn a living.

Inara dropped towards the town of White Pine, Boros, and she noticed how raw the world looked. Terra-forming had stabilized Atmo and gravity and accelerated soil formation. But the soil was only inches thick and would not support real trees or crops. The local community was operating under a boom economy due to rich and rare mineral deposits. Consequently local government employees were relatively impoverished.

A couple she interviewed over the cortex both worked at the local terraforming quality control testing lab. On any settled planet they would have been comfortable middle class, but on this planet, inflation had pushed them into poverty. They qualified for community subsidized low cost services when they applied for relationship counseling.

During separate interviews Inara had established that the relationship was going on seven years with one child. They remained loving and committed to each other but somewhere the sex part went south. He complained that she was repressed and inhibited and the pressures of work left him with little time for romance. She complained that he often seemed disinterested and that when they did make love he was often finished too soon and she was left unsatisfied.

Both of them seemed intelligent and described themselves as open-minded both were also overawed that a glamorous and legendary Companion would deign to give them counseling and amazed that her fees were so reasonable.

Inara’s shuttle entered the landing pattern for the white pine spaceport. She noticed the usual cluster of rough housing in cheap bars, casinos and brothels. They had grown up between the port and the workers quarters which were laid out in the typical terra-forming authority pattern. There was another cluster near the local mines and processing mills.

_“Oh well, this is how Londinium and Shinon had started out centuries ago.”_ Inara mused.

Once landed, she engaged a healthy looking, good-natured Pedi cab driver who gave her a running commentary on the meager local sites. She chose a nondescript traveling cloak with hood and a sturdy traveling kit on wheels which the late Sheppard Book had given her before he left.

Reaching their destination, Inara paid her driver and announced herself. She then greeted her clients in the traditional manner of a Companion. Their daughter was sleeping over with trusted friends.

After they welcomed her, they shared tea. Inara silently appraised them: Gabriel was a tall, muscular good looking biochemist with a good mixture of African ancestry and light-mocha skin. Harmony was a willow-thin Asian programmer of striking beauty.

Both were obviously techno-geeks who kept going on about their latest brilliant workarounds to the QC problems at work and the on-cortex interactive role-playing to which they were both addicted. Inara was embarrassed to discover that there was even a game called ‘The Companion and the Space Pirates’. “I don’t even want to hear about that.” She interjected with a laugh.

Harmony was slightly discomforted by the glamorous Companion’s presence in their humble home. Inara quieted the discomfort by praising the decorations in the house and contrasting it with the rustic simplicity of Serenity. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for Kaylee, our mechanic, Serenity would be just bare metal and broken, mismatched furniture.” Gabriel hid his nervousness and discomfort by being over-solicitous and was obviously relieved to be sent off on an errand.

Inara and Harmony settled into girl talk and while they chatted, Inara asked her how she felt about her sexuality. Harmony replied “I was raised in a traditional Chinese household. Sex was not spoken of and my few experiments in tech school were brief and unsatisfactory. I always felt that I was unattractive and that men felt intimidated by my intelligence.”

Inara laughed and stated “Based on your looks, brains and grace, you would have been an obvious candidate for Companion school.”

Harmony blushed and Inara took her hand in hers and said “Let’s make you beautiful for Gabriel.” While Inara supervised her toilette, she selected several items of jewelry for Harmony including toe rings and a belly necklace that would compliment her delicate toes and tiny waist. Inara also selected perfume, aphrodisiacs and sex crèmes.

While Harmony dressed, and Inara washed herself, they talked about the life of a Companion. It was clear that Harmony was starting to display a schoolgirl crush on Inara. She also confessed “I was secretly disappointed in our first sex to find out that Gabriel was a virgin with even less experience than I; however, he is good looking and he does have a sweet nature and that boy is very well endowed. I had to fall in love with him.”

Inara laughed and clapped her hands “Excellent, it looks like we have our work cut out for us, don’t we?” Harmony charmingly blushed and smiled at the floor. When Gabriel arrived, Inara sent him into the shower with a simple garment and instructions to shave and put on a very small amount of his best cologne. When he emerged, they were all dressed in a simple white, toga-like, silk garment that was clasped at the shoulder, the standard Companion training outfit for the sex practical labs.

Candles had been lit, and Gabriel stood there in awe of the two beautiful women who stood in front of him, the glamorous Companion and his suddenly gorgeous wife. He thought _ “I can’t believe that we’re really going to do this. Is Harmony ok with this? This is like a dream. I can definitely smell the aromatic hydrocarbons in the pheromones Perhaps it’s the aphrodisiac scented incense that Inara lit or the seductive perfume that Harmony is wearing. Cao, I hope I can perform ok, I’m already turned on but can I last?”_

Inara then had Gabriel light a recently purchased pipe full of mildly hallucinogenic spice-weed. After sharing the pipe, Inara began “Do you have any fantasies? Do you ever act them out?”

Harmony replied “Well, once we tried to role-play each others favorite sex fantasy but Robo-girl’s brass bra didn’t fit.”

Gabe chimed in “And Wo-nan’s fake-fur codpiece gave me a rash.”

Inara suppressed her amusement. “At least these costumes fit, because tonight we are going to be doing some more role-playing. You are going to be Companions in training and I will be your instructor.”

“First the lecture: Good sex is not about a man doing pushups on top of a woman and calling it intimacy. It’s also not big hairy hunks who gaze soulfully and spout poetry while ripping bodices of sultry heroines with heaving bosoms.”

“Making love is about Romance and it does involve the body but it’s mostly about your most important sexual organ: the one between your ears. That and your largest organ: the skin. You have to engage these and all of your senses; sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste and most importantly, your imagination and that of your partner.”

“As a Companion, you must be sensitive to your client; their wishes, desires, fantasies, and most importantly, their needs. You can do this by making them feel like the most important person in the ‘verse’ so that they open up and manifest what they really want and need.”

“Step one: clear your mind, forget about everything outside this room. You are dressed in white which is the color of death. This is to remind you that for now the outside world is dead and all you are is lovers. Remember the main pleasure in adultery is the escape from the responsibilities and baggage of being a wife or husband. Forget about the past and all the times you have argued, fought or loved before and approach this as if it were the very first time.”

“You must also enjoy the act because you can’t give good sex without getting it yourself. It’s a bit like role playing, you have to immerse yourself into your role but respond appropriately to whatever presents itself to your character.”

“I realize that we are all clean and relaxed, but I want to teach you how to wash and massage each other’s feet.” Inara then taught them her specialty by example and had Gabriel and Harmony repeat on each other and then on her own beautiful feet and graceful long toes. “By this act, we are all equals now.”

When they were pleasantly relaxed, Inara began to describe how beautiful she thought Harmony looked that night. “She has such beautiful lustrous black hair, so black that it looks like you could fall in and never come out. The smooth texture of her ivory skin actually makes me jealous.” Turning to Gabriel, “I want you to forget everything you know about Harmony and approach her as if pleasing her was the most important task of your life.”

Gabriel swallowed and nervously reached out towards his wife thinking: _“Inara is right; she does look beautiful and with the jewelry and the way her skin shines in the candlelight, she’s hot. Better even than Robo-girl.”_

Inara was secretly both amused and touched at the slight tremble with which he stroked the mother of his child. “Now approach Harmony from the back and smell her hair and neck while you stroke her arms and press her palms to your lips”. At Inara’s command, he loosed the clasp at his wife’s shoulder and began a light massage and kissing of her back. “Now, Harmony, I want you to turn to Gabe and let him look at your breasts. Gabriel, really look at them and worship her perfectly shaped breasts with gentle kisses and caresses” Inara again smiled inwardly at the tender and marveling manner that these life partners were treating one another.

Harmony thought: _“Inara said I’m beautiful! That my breasts and hair and skin are perfect: and look at how Gabe is touching me. This is more foreplay than we’ve done all month. This is so shiny, I am so glad that she is here.”_

While Harmony lay back on the bed, Inara had Gabriel kiss down her torso to her stomach and remove the rest of her toga. At that point Inara poured a small amount of a liquid into Harmony’s navel that she had been warming against her own skin. “This is an aphrodisiac and it will increase Gabriel’s stamina when he licks it out of your belly button.”

Inara instructed. “Now I would like you to kiss down one leg to her toes and then back up the other leg.”

As he neared the juncture of her thighs, harmony began to open up her legs. When he hesitated, Inara asked Gabriel “How much do you know about cunnilingus?”

Gabriel turned a pleasing sort of brownish-pink and stammered “N-Next to nothing.”

Inara smiled “Good, I prefer to pour into an empty cup.”

“Before we begin I want to stress that we will only be working on basic techniques that will be easy to repeat and that you will both enjoy in later sessions. More advanced techniques are often complicated and stressful for beginning students of the sexual arts. Now, watch very carefully as I demonstrate because you will have to repeat the procedure.” Inara began kissing and licking around Harmony’s bush, working her way to the soft and sensitive skin between her legs and mons.

Gabe thought: _ “Wow, Inara is really doing it with Harmony. This is so much hotter than Cortex porno. I better focus; these techniques could be complex…maybe I should take notes. I’ve got a spare lab book I can use afterwards...”_

Harmony mind raced: _ “Dear Sweet Buddha! She’s actually kissing me down there. Her lips are so light but they burn where they touch me. Am I Sly? Is this what Sly feels like? It’s wonderful; I feel like I’m in heaven.”¬_

When Inara approved Gabriel’s attempts to copy her technique and Harmony was starting to moan, Inara took out a small vial filled with glittering dust. Unscrewing the cap, she extracted a feather and used it to lightly dust Harmony’s nether lips. “This is an antimicrobial and antifungal herbal mix. This will reduce friction and increase her sensitivity and it tastes good to boot.”

She then lowered her head and with an open mouth, blew on Harmony’s mound to activate the powder. Harmony groaned and raised her sex to Inara’s lips. The Companion lightly flicked her tongue up and down Harmony’s labia. Harmony began to tremble and collapsed back on the bed. Inara looked up into Harmony’s lust lidded eyes and turned to Gabriel “Now you try.”

Harmony: _ “Merciful Buddha…OH! I’m on fire; I can’t stand it… and I’m afraid that she’ll stop. Oh…Cao! Oh! Now Gabe’s down there. OH…OH, he’s a good learner! Oh…OH! I’m still on fire; maybe I’m not Sly: who cares? I don’t.”_

Gabe: _ “Harmony smells and tastes so nice; the more I taste, the more I want to lick. Inara says I’m doing ok and I can feel Harmony start to twitch against my tongue. I can feel Inara’s breasts against my arm and her hips against my pelvis. This is so shiny!”_

While Gabriel was imitating Inara, she guided Harmony’s hand to top of Gabe’s head in order to guide him in his ministrations to her now swollen and gleaming lips and protruding button. With both Inara and Gabe lying between Harmony’s bent knees, the Companion couldn’t help but notice Gabriel’s growing bulge pressing against her leg. “Now, Gabriel, aren’t you sorry you didn’t try this before?”

Gabriel tried to respond but it came out something like “Yesh mamm”

Inara laughed “Don’t try to talk with your mouth full.” When Inara moved up to tell Harmony not to press Gabe’s head so hard she placed her hand on Harmony’s bicep, Harmony suddenly grabbed Inara’s hand and pulled it to her breast. She arched her back, clamped her thighs on Gabe’s head and began to buck up and down while her eyes rolled wildly. Suddenly, she screwed her eyes shut and her face flushed scarlet while she gave a wild and beautiful scream of pleasure “Lao-tyen boo!” and collapsed back on the bed like a rag doll.

Gabriel looked up in surprise and Inara said “I think that’s enough prep work Gabe, just hold her and let her catch her breath.”

Gabe marveled _ “Cao, what a rush! I think I got more from her orgasm than I do from my own. Sweet lord, I never realized how strong her thighs were”_

Harmony tremblingly pulled Gabriel into an embrace and kissed him “Xie-Xie, honey that never happened before!” Then she turned to Inara and kissed her too and gushed “Xie-Xie, Inara, Runtse de SHANG-DEE, you are a wonderful teacher!”

Inara nodded her head modestly “No, I just had good teachers and I paid attention.” She paused. “Well, if you are ready, it is your turn to be the student and Gabriel will be the subject. Gabe, sit up and let Harmony take off your smock.”

Gabriel complied and the lifted garment revealed a very large erection. As his face reddened under Inara’s gaze, she commented “Well, Gabriel, your ‘Trumpet’ is very impressive but let’s make sure you don’t sound it too soon.” Gabriel laughed and Inara could see the tension go out of his shoulders. “Now Harmony, what do you know about felatio?”

It was Harmony’s turn to look embarrassed “ Well, my girlfriend and I tried to experiment on a male techie back at the U.” when Gabriel looked astounded, she defended herself “Look, honey, nothing happened, he was too drunk to even get it up.”

Inara exclaimed “Excellent, another tabla Rosa to work with. Harmony, I want you to start with Gabe’s chest, lick and kiss him, paying particular attention to his very sensitive nipples.” While she was doing this, Gabriel attempted to fondle Harmony’s breasts. Inara swatted him away “She’s the student and you’re the subject, wait your turn.”

Harmony asked “Am I drinking from Gabriel’s navel too?

Inara replied “No Mei-mei, orgasm just gives women more energy not less; besides, with Gabe here at full gantry, I doubt if you could even get to his navel.”

Harmony laughed nervously “I don’t even know where to start.”

Inara smiled “Start by kissing and licking in large circles everywhere but his genitals, gradually weave your net tighter and tighter. Remember, you are not a dog and this is not a bone. Instead, think like a cat playing with its’ prey.” To Gabriel’s alarmed look, Inara calmed him with “It’s only metaphors, silly.”

When Harmony had worked her way inward but still hesitated, Inara approved “Good, now let me apply this gel. It will reduce his sensitivy and it’s anti-microbial. I think you will like the taste.” With that she applied the gel with both hands and her fingers laced and working them up and down in a swirling pattern thinking, “Sweet Buddha, this thing requires two hands!.” When it was completely glistening, she cupped her hands under his basket and lowered her mouth to gently blow up and down his shaft then lick with a flickering tongue back up to his glans. She slowed down to bathe the head and then to pop it into her mouth like a large ripe strawberry which she alternately swirled her tongue on and sucked. The sight of the beautiful Companion performing expert felatio held both her clients in complete awe.

Gabe: _“Holy Cao, now Inara is going south on me! Is Harmony Ok with this? Cao, she’s as turned on as I am! Cao, oh Cao, I can’t stand it, her mouth feels so good. Oh no, I’m gonna loose it: Help!”_

Harmony: _ “I probably should feel jealous but all I can think about is her mouth on me. Sweet Buddha, look at that! Gabe really is a hunk and his mouth felt incredible too. I’m so confused. I want Inara but most of all what I want is to be Inara. But all I can do is dream.”_

When Gabriel began to rapidly pant and twitch and his scrotum tightened, Inara gave the base of his shaft a firm squeeze to halt his orgasm and raised her head to look him in the eye. “Daoist health theory states that the ratio of your wife’s orgasms to yours is in direct proportion to the health, longevity and the sexual prowess of both of you. Therefore, the more you can hold back, the better it will be for all concerned.”

Gabe: _”Thank Buddha, she stopped me. You know those old Daoist guys came up with a bunch of great biochem compounds looking for life-prolonging elixirs. May be they did the same thing with sex techniques. I definitely am going to take notes after this is over.”_

Inara then turned to Harmony “In the words of the ancient musical ‘Don’t dream it- Be it’.” and releasing her grip on Gabriel “Now you try, and remember to monitor the tightness of the skin of his basket and tighten your grip on the shaft when he starts to get excited.” Monitoring Harmony’s technique and offering helpful comments, Inara noticed that Harmony was spending too much bobbing of her head up and down and trying to jam as much as possible of him into her mouth. “No Mei-mei; that technique will produce a tired jaw and would only be useful in getting him off. That is not what we are striving for, is it?”

“Sorry, Sufi, I was just getting into it.”

Inara continued “Well, that’s enough hors‘d orerves; you both did an excellent job by the way. Let’s move on to the main course. I want you both of you to lie down on your right sides with Harmony in front.”

“Harmony, place Gabriel’s staff of jade between your legs and apply this lubricant to him while working your cinnabar gate against him as you rock back and forth. Both of you should use your left hands to touch one another because it’s the best path to the right brain and that’s the quickest way to learn any physical or emotional skill.”

When Gabriel finally did push into Harmony, she saw Harmony’s eyes glaze over and her lids grow heavy with lust. When he had achieved full penetration, Inara told him “Stop and just experience the moment. Feel your wife and her warmth. Carefully explore her cinnabar gate. Harmony: cradle his sack of gold, appreciate his virility and monitor his excitement.”

“Ok, Gabriel, now pull out until only the head is still in and make small, shallow thrusts alternating with slow deep penetration in a ratio of seven to one. Gradually decrease the ratio until its all deep and then reverse the process. This will produce a pattern of peaks and troughs to her arousal.”

Gabe mused _ “Seven; let’s see… I know. Carbon bonds and then the name of the compound. I can start with Hydrogen and add a deep stroke at the end of the row on the periodic table...”_

Inara watched with approval and smiled with amusement when she noticed that Gabriel was silently counting his strokes. She reached over and slapped his butt “Lighten up Gabe; this is a dance, it’s not a formula. Listen to the music and pay attention to your partner.”

“Don’t worry; it’s also the way he dances.” Gabriel laughed and Harmony panted as she threw her leg over his and clasped him closer. As the two of them began to work together, a sweat formed on their bodies. Increasing their pace, they began to syncopate until Harmony suddenly froze and reached down to squeeze Gabe. “Not yet, please Bao-bei, not yet.” When they began anew, Harmony looked up at Inara and with a mix of gratitude and pleasure. She grasped the Companion’s hand.

Inara returned the clasp with a tender touch and for a moment there was a silent communication and celebration of the sexual spirituality and communion with the Goddess that was the highest form of the Companion’s art. As Inara gazed down on their mutual labor of love, she marveled at how beautiful they were in both raw sexuality and in tender compassion and how unlike her wealthy core clients and all their posturing and pretense. The sight, sound and smell of good sex surged over her, washing away all her detached and critical reserve.

Just then Harmony’s face clouded over and her eyes rolled back in her head. Pulling her husband into her, she cried “now, Bao-bei, for sweet Buddha’s sake, now!” Both of them gave a mighty roar and shuddered and jerked to a powerful climax. Inara’s own vagina clenched in sympathy and she trembled in the sudden wash of feeling. Harmony turned to Gabriel and gave him a long tender kiss and then pulled their teacher to her to deliver the same kiss. “Sufi, please join us.” http://ireallyhatethiswebsite.com/imghost/images/146867THE TWO COMPANIONS P1.jpg

Inara smiled, “How could I refuse such wonderful clients? But as your teacher I need to remind you that once I was as green as you and that only through long practice with a light heart can you become the great lovers that lie within you.”

The Companion dropped her own garment to reveal the loveliness of her light-olive skin and the perfection of her body. And with a feral grin and a twinkle in her eye she lay down beside the lovers. “Now let’s have fun, shall we?”

With the dawn, Inara slipped out of her new friend’s home still tingling with the feel of shared delight (and Gabriel’s ‘horn’) and not a little of the tenderness that comes with a good workout. She stepped to the Pedi cab stand buoyant but tired and noted with surprise that her Pedi cab driver was still at the curb sitting with his conical hat pulled down over his face. As she stepped closer, he rose with a malicious grin and she noted with alarm that it was not the same man and took a step backwards only to feel the slap of an expertly applied cosh to the base of her skull from a second man who had slipped up behind her. As she slid towards blackness, she thought “How stupid….”

To be continued