theshatterdome | for striker

Hercules doesn't object to where she's taking him, even though he kind of wants to put off this conversation, because he's not sure how it's going to go and that always makes him nervous.

However. He's a grown-ass man (a grown-ass man who gave in and is now carrying his drooling bulldog) and he can handle adult conversations.

Plus, he needs to know Inara is going to be okay with the rumors that are already spreading like wildfire about them.

Inara cannot help the smile that spreads over her face when he picks up Max. The only 'comment' she makes is a muffled chuckle, and Max gets a pat on the head as she lets both into her room.

There?

Before she does anything else - make coffee, tea, whatever - Max is going to get the treat that Hercules had been talking about.

"I swear he's faking," Herc grumbles, setting Max carefully down on his feet and pulling out an honest-to-god handkerchief to wipe away the drool hanging from his dog's lips. "Big drama queen."

He settles himself on the couch he and Inara had sat on the first time, keeping his hands on Max like he's afraid the big dog will disappear if he looks away.

"I'm sure." She smiles warmly at them both, reaching to squeeze Herc's shoulder as she passes.

"Coffee? Tea? Brandy?"

He barks out a laugh.

"Shit, is that even a question? Brandy, please."

Inara laughs in turn, and she is more than happy to oblige him.

She returns to sit with him, two glasses of extremely expensive amber liquid in hand. She passes him one, and keeps the other.

"To Max."

"To Max," he agrees, his eyes never leaving her face.

Such expensive liquor is carefully hoarded, so he knows better than to drink it; no, Hercules sips, and savors the burn as he lets it slip down his throat.

"This is wonderful, love," he murmurs, carefully tilting his glass and watching the liquid swirl around. "I hate to ask where you got it."

She smiles and keeps her eyes fixed on his as she takes the first sip, exhaling a pleased with at both flavor and burn.

"Don't," she advises, a little twinkle in her eye. "It's probably safest that way." She's teasing, though she probably got it from someone who did obtain it through questionable means.

He chuckles quietly, shaking his head a little.

"Perks of being a Companion, hm?" he asks. "You get a little more leeway with these things than I do."

"Something like that." She smiles lightly, toeing off her shoes and pulling her feet up underneath her.

"THough I haven't had a client in almost two months. I got this from a friend."

He's about to take another sip of his brandy when she says that and he stops, turning to look at her properly and frowning.

"You haven't?" He can't really think of any reason why she'd do that. Clearly she hasn't been injured, or even sick, he's been with her the whole two months she apparently hasn't been wo— Oh.

"Is, uh... Is that because of this?" And he gestures between them, looking nervous and hopeful at once.

Inara does take a sip; it's partially to steel her nerves and partially to make sure that she is able to keep her face calm. She prides herself on being pristine and graceful and while she knows it's a facade she doesn't have to keep around him, it's still a force of habit.

"Yes," she clarifies, nodding her head and allowing the corners of her lips to twist into a faintly wry smile. "It's because of this."

Inara is beautiful and graceful and so, so very hard to read. It leaves Hercules sitting there, unsure of how he's supposed to react to this. Is she upset? Resigned? Annoyed? Pleased?

"I'm...sorry?" he tries, frowning a little.

"Don't be."

She seems to realize what it is that she's doing, and she reminds herself to relax, and smile.

"I'm not."

"Oh."

He smiles, then, a little tentative at first, before growing bolder and letting himself reach out to place his hand on her knee.

"I'm not really sorry," he confesses, giving her a ghost of a wink. "I kind of wrestled with the idea of you...working after what we did together. But I didn't want to say anything because, y'know. It's your career and all. I can't ask you to stop taking appointments."

She hasn't worked a day since, actually. And even before that, things had...dwindled.

Of course, she's got not income now, but she's got enough connections with her sisters and the crew that she's making do.

"You could have asked." Easily -- it would have been but a simple question posed to her.

What her answer might have been is another story.

"I wouldn't ask that of you," he points out, needing her to know that.

Look, he's not exactly thrilled that she has sex with other people for money — it's not that that's what she chooses to do, but if she's going to be his girlfriend or something like that, he'd like to be the only one having sex with her — but he's not stupid enough to ask her to give up her profession for him.

"Are you... Do I need to look at your rent agreement?" He's willing to figure something out to give her a little hand. If she needed it.

"I know." Honestly, that just makes her respect him all the more. That he didn't ask, that he knew what she did for a living and still didn't ask (or demand) speaks volumes about his character.

"I have some saved." She smiles. "When that runs out, I will have to think of something." Because she is not going to be able to afford all these pretties on no salary. She's going to have to actually join the crew, or leave.

She won't take money from him. She won't.

"We'll figure something out," he promises. He'd be sad to see her go. (Something of an understatement.)

Hell, if things keep going on in this vein, he'll just ask her to move in with him and then her rent agreement will be null and void and his room will finally have some character.

"Don't worry."

She rests her hand on his knee while the other brings her glass to her lips again, dark eyes focusing on him as she nods. The underlying and recurring theme here...

She's not working. She's not planning on returning to work. And honestly, it's not because of him, because Inara would never give up a career she enjoyed for a man.

She is doing it because she wants to, because she's ready to. It's strange -- she hadn't thought she'd reach this point.

"So now..." She says quietly, musing a little to herself, "here we are. What are we, Hercules?"

He settles his hand on hers, rubbing his thumb over her fingers gently as he watches her watch him.

"Well..." How is it that a widower well past the time in his life when pretty women should intimidate him still feels like blushing? God. Get it together, Hansen. "I know dating as such has fallen out of fashion since the Exodus, but..."

He shrugs. "I'm an old man, now, fashionable is something beyond me."

He's saying he wants to go steady, honey.

"You want us to be exclusive?" She suggests, eyes crinkling as she smiles at him, fondness in her features as she regards him. The way he acts is so sweet and almost boyish; she wants to set the glass down and kiss him until he can;t breath, but she maintains propriety for now.

"I like the sound of that."

He huffs out a little laugh, lifting his shoulder. "I haven't had eyes for anyone but you since you came on this 'dome, love. I think that's pretty exclusive."

Cut him some slack, he hasn't done this dating thing since he was a teenager, basically. He needs gentle handling.

Inara leans over and sets her glass on the small coffee table. There’s a little left in it; she’s slowly sipping it and savoring the flavor since Herc is right – it’s too hard to come by to gulp.

“Would you believe me if I told you the same?” She’s not sure he would. She’s had a few clients here and there, though not nearly so many as she had on other ‘domes or when she was planetside.

"My ego certainly would like to," he replies, though she's right, he doesn't quite believe her.

Comparatively speaking, she's totally out of his leagues and he knows it.

But he appreciates the effort on her part.

for striker_eureka

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