Krys followed Inara out of the dining area a bit tentatively, River trailing behind them. The youngest of the group chattered happily, filling her friend in on the goings on of her life for the last three years. Krys, though still silent, began to relax and smile as they continued through the ship, and by the time they entered Inara’s shuttle most of her hardened exterior seemed to have fallen away. “Now,” Inara said as River’s speech paused for breath, “let’s see if there really is a human girl beneath all that grime.” Krys ducked her head, blushing not only from the comment, but also because she only just realized that she was standing in an actual Companion’s workspace. Of course, her particular coloring wasn’t exactly visible. River reached out carefully and touched her friend’s shoulder. They caught each other’s eye, and suddenly they were embracing. Inara moved away quietly to a corner of her shuttle partitioned off by a red silk screen, leaving the two girls alone. It took Krys a moment to realize she was crying, tears sliding down her cheeks and leaving dirty spots on River’s white blouse. It almost surprised her to find that River had grown to her height. River made quiet, comforting noises, her eyes welling as well. She knew that her friend’s tears were stemming from joy, but she still whispered, “Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.” The two remained like that for a moment more, but as Inara returned they separated carefully, still leaning gently on each other to maintain that point of contact. “It’s just over here,” Inara said, leading the girls over to the small bathing area. River settled herself beside the basin filled with warm and perfumed water. Inara seemed hesitant to leave, but found it unnecessary when Krys smiled shyly and said, “I don’t mind company.” Inara returned her grin and moved to River’s side. Krys began undressing slowly, or at least attempting to. She began having difficulty when it came to pulling her shirt over her head, so Inara stood and gently assisted her. “Thank you,” Krys whispered, but she elicited no response from the other two. Both of them were looking instead at the collage of colorful bruises molting Krys’s back. As Krys stripped to her underclothes, more marks were revealed, some old and faded while some seemed new. “What happened?” Inara asked as Krys lowered herself to River’s side by the basin. River reached out gently and let her fingers rest on a particularly nasty looking bruise on Krys’s arm. Krys just shrugged. “I may or may not have gotten in a few tussles during my time out here.” Doubt was evident on Inara’s face, but she voiced none of it. Instead, she asked, “Did you bring much with you onto the ship?” Krys shook her head, picking up the sponge and beginning to gently wash away the impurities on her arm. Inara was slightly surprised to see that the girl actually had porcelain pale skin. “I’ve got the necessities,” Krys said, looking up to Inara. River caught the idea of Inara’s thoughts and was beaming again. Krys didn’t notice the change in her friend’s disposition and continued, “Just some clothing, a couple of prized possessions.” After a moment, she added, “A toothbrush.” The barest hint of a smile touched Inara’s face. “Well,” she said. “You are free to borrow my things while you’re with us. I believe that we’re about the same size.” Though River looked excited with this prospect, Krys seemed nervous. “Don’t worry,” River chimed, immediately picking out the source of her friend’s anxiety. “I’ll help Inara pick out something you’ll like.” With her fears of wearing Companion-style clothing put slightly to rest, Krys returned to her washing. Inara quietly ducked back into the main area of the shuttle with River close behind. They looked through some of Inara’s less ostentatious things, finally coming to a decision on a simple midnight blue silk dress that would fall to just below Krys’s knees. While they looked through the clothing, Krys finished cleaning up, even going so far as to wash her hair. It turned out to be blonde rather than the dull brown it had appeared to be. She toweled off carefully and tussled her hair until it was mostly dry. Finally, she came out from behind the protection of the screen, still clad only in underclothes. River’s smile grew and she hugged Krys again, for the girl before her finally looked like her friend. Inara, however, noticed something else. Many of the bruises were more prominent without the concealing filth, and a few lacerations had been revealed. She moved gracefully to one of her tables where she grabbed some non-descript jars. “Healing balms,” Inara answered to the questioning looks of the two girls. Krys nodded and reached for the jars. “Oh, let Inara do that,” River said, pushing Krys down into a sitting position on the floor. “Can I play with your hair? Please?” Krys looked to Inara to make sure this was okay. With a smile and a nod from the latter, Krys laughed and acquiesced. River took a brush that Inara held out and began gently working through the damp tangles. Krys helped Inara with the balm, spreading it over various parts of her arms and legs. Inara struck up conversation. “Simon said that you three have known each other for most of your lives.” Krys nodded, careful not to pull at her hair that River was still fiddling with. “As long as I can remember,” she intoned. “There was this once,” she said, smiling. River grinned as well, already knowing what story was coming. “I was probably only about ten. The three of us were venturing around the Tam’s yard when we came across this pond. We swore no one else knew about it, and that it was just our secret. Turns out it used to be a well or something that just overflowed. It was pretty much forgotten. Anyway, we were goofing around and I got the bright idea to find a rope and swing into the water like they did in the old books.” Krys rolled her eyes at the memory but never stopped smiling. “Even though Riv was the youngest she was the only one able to tie the rope up in the tree. She didn’t even climb down; she just jumped into the water from up there. I was next, and needless to say it didn’t go over so well. I slid straight off the rope,” She clapped her hands together in a sliding motion to demonstrate. “And completely nailed my head on the bank. Simon was there, though. Right there.” Krys lowered her hands, watching as she folded them in her lap. Her eyes seemed to soften without permission, as did River’s expression. “He took me back to the house, helped me get better. It really just seemed,” Krys shook her head, returning her gaze to the room in general as her now smooth hair slid from River’s still fingers. “I guess when someone’s carrying you half conscious across a lawn, it makes sense that they seem to be the only thing around.” With the conclusion of her story, Krys carefully stood and stretched gently, testing her limbs. Inara took the dress from the bed as River poked around in some of the hairpins on Inara’s table. As Inara helped slide the clothing over the blonde’s head, she said, “So, how long after that was it before you fell in love with Simon?” Krys spun around, getting tangled in the dress’s arm hole. “Of course not!” she exclaimed, then realized her mistake. “I mean—,” she stuttered, but River interrupted before she made it further. “Only a couple of years,” she said, very matter-of-factlike. “It was very romantic.” Krys stared, agape, at both other women. Inara saved her from speech while gently straightening out the dress. “I don’t think it’s very apparent to the others. They all believe that the romance is behind you, and him. It doesn’t have to stay that way, but I believe it would be prudent to leave it in the past as much as possible. He is happy with Kaylee now.” “Of course,” Krys muttered as the dress fell around her properly. “I would never try to… disrupt his life now. I’m here for the job.” River approached carefully after finally finding the clip she was looking for. While sliding it into Krys’s hair, she said quietly, “You can stay, you know. You shouldn’t go away just because of Simon.” “Oh, Riv.” Krys slid her arms around her best friend once more. “I’ll be here for a little bit. Don’t worry. I’ll never abandon you like that again.” The three stood quietly, a peaceful tableau. Soon, though, a knock on the shuttle door interrupted the scene. Mal’s voice entered the room, echoing through the shuttle port. “Chow’s up,” he declared before retreating just as suddenly as he had come.