badinlatin | Crew's arrival at temple on Angel.

[OOC: From this.]

Aluthra and her novice Damiri are waiting very patiently, unlike two guests standing by her side behind the heavy curtains seperating the docking bay awaiting Serenity's approach.

"You look gorgeous, Sallie. No worries," the young blonde said for the thousandth time to the older woman, who looked like she was about to go before judge and jury. Sallie did look very fine; the makeup that the younger woman - Lilly, from their conversation earlier - had done up for Sallie suited her very well.

Sallie had asked as nicely as she knew how to see her son once they had arrived about twenty minutes ago; once the ceremony participants arrive however, they are kept apart from the witnesses until after the presentation. When Aluthra informed the pair that Serenity, which currently was registered to land under the name Tranquility, would be arriving momentarily, Sallie and Lilly were on Aluthra's heels as she walked to greet the newcomers on their platform.

The cargo bay door lowers, and Aluthra bows deeply to the disembarking crew members. Damiri stays behind the house priestess while Sallie and Lilly walk toward the ship with that the Companion can only assume to be very smirking grins.

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It takes only a second longer, but Aluthra raises herself from the bow, addressing everyone in a soft tone and warm smile, the same one Inara uses every now and again.

"Welcome to Temple Madrassa. My name is Aluthra, Madrassa House Priestess. My novice." With the recognition from Aluthra, Damiri bows shortly. "If you'll follow me, I would be delighted to take you to the inner altar room where the zui xihuan de is to be performed."

Jayne lumbers off the ship, armed with only three guns, a grenade, and a really big knife.

He feels naked, even in the weird button down and unpatched trousers that are his only real nice clothes.

That is, he feels naked until he sees Damiri. Then, he smirks, and all anxiety is gone.

Damiri is still very much a novice, and as such smiles when she shouldn't have. Vaguely in the direction of everyone coming off the ship.

Very much directly at Jayne.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Jayne cocks an eyebrow, very subtly flexing a bicep.

Oooh.
Aluthra starts talking to another one of the ship's passengers, leading the entourage through the various wood-floored corridors which will lead them to where the ceremony is taking place.

Damiri is still in her rightful place, standing behind Aluthra.

Way behind.

Kind of near the cute one.

Jayne hangs back, as well.

"You got a name?"

Quietly, "Damiri, sir - but I am afraid I'm not supposed to talk to anyone from outside the House."

Jayne looks around speculatively.

"Looks like we're in the house now."

Damiri chuckles into her own hand to muffle the sound, but not enough to avoid a glance back from Aluthra. She shakes her head.

"That wasn't what I meant, but -- " Another glance to Aluthra, who is far too involved talking to others to say anything to her. "Aluthra will be otherwise occupied once the ceremony starts."

A small shift of a smile.

A sly look. "Well. Ain't that just downright interesting."

Looking up ahead, "We're almost there." Before rushing off to be closer to her priestess's side, "I will find you later, sir."

A moment later, Damiri is back to the upright, silent Companion novice at Aluthra's side, leading others into their appointed spots for the ceremony.

Jayne watches her go, a pleased flush lighting his cheek for a second.

Well.

Ain't that just.

Kaylee, next to Simon, takes all of this in with a general oooh shiny look.

Because it is.

Also, because the captain and Inara are about to be married.

Wash lets out a quiet whistle as he looks around.

Talk about your awe-inspiring places to get married. It's a little disappointing Zoe's already in the altar room; it's left him with nobody to nudge and mumble jokes to about feeling outclassed and how come she couldn't've pretended to be a house mistress five years ago, huh?

Okay. Maybe not too disappointing for her.

When he sees Lilly and Ma Reynolds, his attention finally gets yanked away from the shiny. Grinning, he gives them both an enthusiastic wave.

Sallie waves back at Wash animatedly, though concern flashes heavily at the sight of the crutches.

It has been quite a while since their last visit to Shadow, after all, and there are some things Mal most assuredly leaves out of his letters.

"Hello again," Sallie smiles, not wanting to ask after any unpleasantness today, "Glad to see you here; glad to be here, tell true, but seeing you's good too."

"Same here, Mrs. Reynolds," he says. "So this is kind of unexpected and yet not, which is good -- when'd you get here?"

"Couple minutes back, really - long way from my home to here."

A moment's beaming at Lilly, with, "My son has very interesting friends, as I am learning."

"He's got a habit of attracting it," Wash replies, nodding solemnly. "I think you should give him a stern talking-to about it."

Beat.

"Of course, that'd put me out of a job, but -- "

" -- I'll keep it in mind."

Sallie lets Wash move past her to follow the house priestess as she leads the group onward to the main altar room.

"...Got any names picked out yet?"

And suddenly the smile is that much brighter, and a touch nervous.

"Nothing definite yet," he says as they walk away. "We've got a list, but -- did Mal tell you it's a girl?"

Kaylee brushed her hair carefully, until it was smooth and tangle-free; it may even stay that way for a while. Simon picked out nice clothes, and firmly insisted that she wear shoes.

River, moving with slow steps down the ramp, looks around her with great interest. This place, it appears, is shiny.

Sallie never spoke too much with River when she came to her ranch with the crew. She's Simon's sister, though, and Simon carries a fair amount of weight with her now. Ma Reynolds lets her eyes follow the line of sight River's making over the details of the docking bay before interrupting.

"You look very fine today, miss." Smiling, "I've never been to a place like this, either. 'S very...different."

Not a bad thing.

"We're broadening our cultural horizons." Solemnly.

River fingers a velvet curtain, sliding her fingers through the fringe, and a small smile lights her face.

"It is beautiful here, at that. Can only imagine what my...Thomas'll look like, when we see 'im."

She's nervous, and the stumbling of the alias shows it.

River gives her a chiding look at the stumbling. It's friendly; there's no sting.

"Very pretty." Hear the seriousness! ...She's totally snickering underneath.

There's no way to stop Sallie from letting out a cheery laugh at the notion.

"My son and the concept o' 'pretty' are not usually associated, one with t'other."

River sighs heavily.

"He needs practice."

The group passes through another doorway. A beaded curtain, on this one.

River trails her fingers through it, smiling faintly, listening as beads clack.

Crew's arrival at temple on Angel.

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