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[hammer]

[ The image of a rather ordinary, unremarkable looking man fills the screen. He’s clean-shaven, wearing a pair of black-framed glasses, and he’s got brown hair, cut short and though it’s a little messy, there’s something about it that suggests that it had been styled at one point earlier in the day. He’s just slightly disheveled, which those familiar with the comings and goings of individuals to Keeliai might recognize as a sign of a new arrival. ]

So this is… [ There’s a moment of silence, as he trails off and glances away from the camera. ] …different.

[ It only lasts for a second, before he looks back and rolls his eyes. ]

The whole—I mean, well… Whatever.

[ He takes a deep breath, lets it out, and pulls himself together. ]

Right, okay. I was given a place to live but no job, and I’m guessing that it isn’t free rent forever. So if there’s, I don’t know, a job center? Help wanted ads? Some turtle world version of Craigslist? Something? Could someone point me in the right direction?

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[hammer]

[ He gives her hand a firm shake, careful not to hold it too long or not long enough, then lets go and nods his head. ]

Yes, please.

[ Following her direction, he moves toward the sitting area, pausing to see where she sits so he doesn't inadvertently take her place. ]

[suoxi]

[ She leads him inside, allowing the door to shut behind them. She's got a nice tea service set up, and she pulls out a chair to sit. There's one just opposite her that she indicates is for him. ]

Now, then. You mentioned finances. I assume this includes some knowledge of accounting? I recently lost one of my bookkeepers.

[hammer]

[ He dips his head in a shallow bow of thanks at the invitation to sit, opens the button on his jacket with a deft flip of his finger, and sits in the chair. ]

When I started my company, I kept the books myself. After it got larger, a couple thousand employees, dealing in multi-billion dollar transactions, I hired people to do it. Not because I couldn't - math has always been a strong suit of mine - but because it was becoming a full-time job for a team of people, not just one guy.

If you don't mind my asking, how much capital do you typically see in an average month?

[suoxi]

[ There's a small leather bound folder on the table, and Inara opens it with a smile and pulls several organized sheets out and slides it over to him. ]

These are last months numbers. You'll find expenses, profits -- everything. [ There's a tidy little profit, but Inara isn't loaded.

Still -- she's not doing bad for herself. ]

[hammer]

[ He looks over the sheets, taking in the numbers and adding them up himself. It isn't something he tries to do to show off, it's just the way his brain works. He practically thinks in math. ]

I could do this no problem. In fact...

[ He glances up, offering her a small smile. ]

I could help you make more.

[suoxi]

[ Inara suppresses a smile, fairly amused by that. What will he do, she wonders, when he finds out she runs a high class brothel? ]

Oh? How so?

[hammer]

[ He thinks about his own company and the measures he took to make it as successful as it was prior to his arrest. ]

Well, for starters, what's your advertising look like? Public relations, that sort of thing.

[suoxi]

[ She ponders on that a moment. ]

Word of mouth, and myself. Companion houses generally don't...need to advertise.

[hammer]

[ Although it would be an ideal time to ask what a companion house is, Justin's too caught up by the idea that they don't advertise. ]

Why not?

[suoxi]

[ Inara smiles politely. ]

Our clientele is very specific and individually chosen by the employee. We do not allow just anyone to cross the threshold and utilize our services.

[hammer]

Okay. So reverse it. Let them know you're out there and let them apply. Kind of like a job. If people know that being chosen makes them special, more will want to be a part of something just for the sake of saying that they've been picked while others aren't.

[ He shrugs. ]

It might let you meet someone you wouldn't have normally who you might want to do business with.

[suoxi]

[ She gives him a thoughtful, appraising look, and nods. ]

Perhaps you can assist with that, though I think I might ought to at least...inform you as to what sort of business it is that I run.

[hammer]

Okay, shoot. What do you do?

[ It's something he should have asked right from the start, but after Vanko, he figures it can't be that bad. ]

[suoxi]

I run a Companion House. [ And before he can ask, she moves on to tell him what that is. It’s already clear to her he isn’t from her world, so he’s not going to know what that is without explanation. ]

To make it very, very simple – we are incredibly high class, high priced courtesans. Think of….geisha, if you will.

[hammer]

[ It's good that she explains, because his mind defaults to an odd amalgam of companion animals and aides for elderly people and he can't quite see someone like her running an organization that procures friends for the lonely and infirm.

When she does explain it, he takes a moment, digests the information, and reevaluates his earlier assessment. His expression, as well as his voice, remains cool and professional. ]

So you'd want some kind of fancy yet elegant advertisement. Nothing tacky. Nothing over the top. Classy.

[ She's talking to a man who hasn't been with anyone for years. He's not going to judge. Although he will probably have a tiny nervous breakdown later in the privacy of his own apartment if she does hire him, because what does he know about any of this? ]

I mean, I don't know many courtesans. Or geisha. But that's what I'd assume would fit with the high class atmosphere you're going for.

[suoxi]

[ Her eyes trace his features, watching carefully for signs of a reaction – positive or negative. When there doesn’t appear to be one, she leans back, appreciative of his ability to keep a straight face. ]

Yes. Exactly. [ Fancy, elegant – he’s certainly on the right path and Inara flashes him a little smile, pleased with how he isn’t judging or getting up and running out of the suite. ]

Don’t worry about it being perfect; I will work with you on this. I’m rather fond of you already Justin, I think you’ll fit in quite nicely. I will need to introduce you to Alcuin, of course – he is my other bookkeeper, and the person that you will be assisting as well as relieving some of the burden. [ He does have his own business to run, after all. ]

[hammer]

[ There's something no doubt wrong with the fact that he feels more startled by the fact that she's professing to be fond of him than that she's running a high-class courtesan business. But he does and he is and that's just his life. ]

Tell you what. I'll shoot for it being perfect and if it's not, well, I'll get it there. [ He smiles back, understated yet no less genuine for it. ]

I'm looking forward to meeting him. Maybe he'll have some ideas we could implement too.

[suoxi]

[ Her smile broadens at that. ]

Wonderful. And you'll find Alcuin is quite brilliant. It seems I'm building quite the invaluable team.

[hammer]

Then I'll do my best to make a good first impression. The best businesses have the most effective teams. I had a great team back home. I'd like to think I'm versatile enough to be a good teammate here, too.

[suoxi]

You certainly seem to be. [ She neatly stacks her papers together and sets them aside with a smile. ]

What sort of business did you run again back home?

[hammer]

Technological development, with a primary focus on weaponry. Guns, missiles, armor, manned and unmanned vehicles. Our customer base was the United States military and her allies. We also did computer systems work, data encryption, programming, that kind of thing.

[ The erroneous assumption he's making here is that she's from contemporary Earth. ]

[suoxi]

Goodness. [ her brows inch up with every word -- guns, missiles and the like...And now he'll be working for a Companion House. That's quite a turnaround. ]

United States. Are you from Earth?

[hammer]

Yeah. New York. My company's based out of Queens, actually.

[ Wait. He pauses, thinks that over, and realizes the obvious. ]

Aren't you? From Earth, I mean.

[ Maybe this is a rude assumption, but she looks like she's from Earth and the last aliens he saw were very much not human-looking. ]

[suoxi]

[ She smiles at him and shakes her head. ]

I'm not, no. I come from a planet called Sihnon. Earth is...very far away. [ She's learned that some people don't take well to her saying 'earth is a dead rock'. ]

[hammer]

I'll say. I've never heard of it. Not that I'm an astronomer. I'm not. But I studied it a little - you have to if you're going to try to make things that operate in space - and that's not one of the places you hear about. That must mean you're really far away from Earth.