This is the woman who’s ‘soft disclosure’ introduced High King Auz to the idea of Registered Companions.
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Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Spec’s
- Biography/History
- Relationships
- Additional Notes
- Inara & Auz
- 2530s Update
- From the Show
- Art
- Casual
- 2023 September Update: Dressing Up for Me
- How She Enjoys Massages in Inisfree
- 2024 May: Mindset
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Introduction:
Raised in Guild Training House Madrassa on Sihnon, she left and worked from a smuggler’s vessel out amongst the ‘rim worlds’ of the 34 Tauri solar-system, and has since gone on to become the Mistress of her own Guild Training House; House Serra on Londinium. Accepting Auz‘s invitation to be one of her latest clients, she has also been introduced to those of his people working from the USS TNH Spacecraft-carrier.
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Spec’s:
- 5’7″
- dark-brunette
- slightly-tanned natural complexion
- perfect feminine frame and face; slender-fit
- C-cups
- always wears fine silks and related fabrics
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Biography
“On Sihnon, we started training at twelve, years of discipline and preparation before the physical act of pleasure was even mentioned. Control was the first lesson, and the last.”- Inara Serra explaining how much studying is involved with being a Companion.
Inara, born in the late 25th century on Sihnon, is a Companion, a high-society courtesan licensed by the Union of Allied Planets (the “Alliance”). In Alliance society, Companions are part of the social elite, often accompanying the wealthy and powerful. They have considerable ritual and ceremony surrounding their services, which appear to extend beyond sex to nurturing psychological and emotional well being.
As of the end of the original Firefly series, most of what is known about Companions is derived from Inara herself and incidental discussions with and about other Companions and Companion-trained individuals. These sources suggest that Companion training includes social and physical grace, at least some performing arts, and psychology. Companions choose their own customers, and can have ungracious customers banned from any Companionship.
Inara was a rising member of Companion House Madrassa, possibly in contention for house priestess, when she suddenly and inexplicably left to travel the outer rim. She has suggested that she “wanted to see the universe”.
Less than a year before the events of “Serenity” (the pilot episode of Firefly), she contracted with Malcolm Reynolds, captain of spaceship Serenity, to lease one of its shuttles for transportation, living space, and workspace. This provides Inara with some mobility independent of Serenity, and Malcolm with some respectability that helps him open doors in the marketplace that he might not otherwise achieve as an ordinary smuggler. Though earning his disfavor initially by stating that she supported unification of the Alliance and the Independents (in flashback in the episode “Out of Gas“), she and Mal have developed an unacknowledged attraction to each other which they resist, ostensibly for business reasons, and practically by jesting and sometimes hurtful bickering. Complications due to this growing attraction cause her to briefly leave Serenity and take up teaching at a training house on one of the Rim planets. Mal and Inara have been shown to share certain traits with each other, as pointed out by Nandi during “Heart of Gold”, the most prominent being they both hate complications. The first edition of the comic “Leaves on the Wind” shows Mal and Inara in a loving embrace, hinting they might have finally gotten together. Later on, in the novel itself, they are found bickering as usual which finally leads to the consummation of their relationship in Mal’s bunk. Their casual way of going about it suggests Mal and Inara have been physically intimate for quite a while now since the nine month gap between ‘Serenity’ and ‘Leaves on the Wind’.
Inara has a number of frequent clients throughout the Allied worlds, and takes both male and female clients, although most of her clients are male.
Inara appears to be at least somewhat adept at swordplay (“Shindig“). In the movie Serenity, it is shown that she also may have been trained somewhat in the martial arts, and is skilled with a bow and arrow, apparently preferring them over firearms. In a proposed extended version of a scene from Serenity, in Inara’s Companion montage, she was to be seen teaching the girls how to use the bow, but this idea was dropped, claiming that she appeared too much like “Wonder Woman”. This is mentioned in the DVD commentary.
Inara is one of only three main characters in the Firefly / Serenity universe who express any religious/philosophical beliefs; she is Buddhist. The two other characters whose beliefs are currently known are Book, a Christian Shepherd (pastor), and Malcolm Reynolds whose faith in God was broken in the Battle of Serenity Valley.
In the audio commentaries for the series DVD collection, it is mentioned that there is a subplot for Inara which was not developed in the series or the film. The producers mention two foreshadowing events that hinted at this plot. The first is the syringe-like object that Inara looks at during the Reaver encounter in the pilot episode (which is meant to be assumed by the audience to be a suicide kit in case the Reavers board), and the second is hidden in the dialogue of the conversation she has with Simon when the ship is disabled in the episode “Out of Gas“. The line most likely associated with this hidden subplot is her response to Simon’s “I don’t want to die [on this ship],” “I don’t want to die at all,” as the rest of their conversation is straightforward exposition.
Another eventual hint is Nandi’s comment in Heart of Gold when she said to Inara that she hadn’t aged a day. During a panel at 2008’s DragonCon, Morena Baccarin confirmed that Inara was indeed dying of a terminal illness.
Mal and Inara
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Relationships
Malcolm Reynolds
In a flashback in the episode “Out of Gas” Inara initially earns Mal’s disapproval by stating her support of the Union of Allied Planets (the “Alliance”), despite this they both develop an unacknowledged attraction to each other. Her trade as a Companion is a source of constant tension between the two, with Mal often making derogatory references to her profession during their arguments. However, Mal does treat her with a reasonable amount of courtesy and takes great offense when she is insulted (despite often insulting her himself, as she points out), leading to a duel with her client Atherton Wing, which almost resulted in Mal’s death. The sexual tension between the two is clear, however it is left unresolved by the end of the series. It’s hinted that she has deeper feelings for him than she likes to admit, demonstrated by her weeping after Mal’s liaison with the house madame Nandi, her friend, in Heart of Gold. She openly dislikes the idea of Mal getting married. After finding Mal unconscious on the ground, the result of Saffron’s kiss, Inara kisses Mal. As River is picking up their thoughts in the beginning of “Objects in Space” it seems clear that Inara and Mal are both hoping the other will admit the unspoken feelings. In the comic book “Better Days” it is revealed that Inara at least occasionally fantasizes about Mal while she is carnally engaged with her clients. In the nine month gap since the movie ‘Serenity’, these feelings seem to be resolved and open by the first issue of ‘Leaves on the Wind’ as they are seen going into Mal’s quarters together, where they engage in intercourse, although this is only after a typical session of bickering between the two, suggesting things haven’t completely changed. Inara’s feelings run deeper than just physical attraction towards the captain as she dons on the attire of a nitty-gritty crew member over her fine silks, indicating she has been helping the crew on their jobs ever since Miranda.
Zoë Alleyne Washburne
While Inara and Mal bicker, she and Zoe are at about the exact opposite. The two will often banter to one another about Mal’s plans.
Kaywinnet Lee Frye
She is often a sisterly figure to Kaylee. She brushes Kaylee’s hair and interprets her feelings for Simon, like any girl would when her sister has a crush. She also goes shopping together when Serenity is docked and she doesn’t have a client scheduled.
Simon Tam
Simon seeks her out on occasion when he needs help looking after River. She and Simon will often band together to enforce the idea of caution onto Mal’s plans, though their advice often goes unheeded.
River Tam
Inara often looks after River when Simon is working in the infirmary or helping the rest of the crew on a job. Like Kaylee, Inara is very nurturing to River.
Derrial Book
Despite his initial hesitation about her occupation, Shepherd quickly warms to her, bringing some of his cooking to her shuttle for her dinner and seeking her advice when his faith is tested due to his involvement with criminals.
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Additional Notes:
Auz was so impressed by the way she’d been portrayed in the ‘soft disclosure’ briefings he’d been shown in the form of the TV show featuring her as one of the main characters… that he decided to name his very first Inisfreean (ICV) after her; Nyria Serra, giving that ‘firstborn’ of his Inara’s surname.
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Inara & Auz:
- 2517: met Mal
- 2518 August: events of the movie Serenity start –sort of; the movie was a sloppy compression of what was meant to be at least a decade of adventures to all the 34 Tauri worlds
- 2518 ~November: met me (Auz), and then ~2 years wet by before she felt safe enough to venture off her homeworld again; our first play beyond Sihnon started in early 2521.
Inara had always wanted to ‘see the Universe’, and daring to contract with smugglers far beyond the stable Core of her star system had given her a ‘first taste’ of just that. After a brutal encounter with mindless hostile forces near one of the 34 Tauri rim worlds, she retreated to the familiar safety of the Guild House she had grown up in. Years went by, and eventually she felt ready to venture back out, invited to yet another unlikely ship and crew by none other than Auz himself.
Living and working with other Companions aboard the USS TNH (a ship Auz had designed and commissioned himself), she developed feelings for the mysterious man –in spite of the philosophy of her caste, and decided to see even more of the Universe by traveling far beyond her home star-system… all the way to his secret home, Inisfree. Auz gave Inara the grand tour (all 41 days of it) personally, something he hadn’t done since the dawn of that civilization five centuries before. The lucky Companion discovered on that tour the city’s Tantric Academy and Shrine Mansions, both inspired by and erected in her honor. It wasn’t long after that the two married, Inara encouraged by Auz and all his people there to continue the Companion work she was so gifted at and loved.
With her age locked in at a youthful and vital 15 by the Inisfreean Way, Inara will be spending many centuries and even millennia deploying with the Inisfreeans to untold thousands of the human-colonized worlds all across known Space and the dimensions. Auz made sure her dream came true; Inara would not be limited for any reason to just the solar system she had been born in; she really would see the Universe –as much of it as she might ever want.
The two make love to each other like champions.
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2530s Update:
This decade was when she and Auz finally got to get married like they’d been dreaming of ever since her first visit to his realm. With all his work aboard TNH finally having permanently wound down, they had all the time in the world to do so, so their planning in great detail of this special upcoming day began. They would honeymoon at her favorite places back in 34 Tauri.
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From the Show:
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Art:
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Casual:
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2023 September Update: Dressing Up for Me
After meeting me in 2518, she started wearing her best for me by default all the time, whether it was as a Companions service appointment or just hanging out.
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How She Enjoys Massages in Inisfree:
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2024 May: Mindset
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