Mal with a gift for Inara.

[badinlatin]

He had wanted to do this in a different way. Any other way. Doing it like this made him feel like a coward.

Maybe that's what he is. At least with Inara.

Mal reaches the hatch to Inara's shuttle, reaches up to knock...and lets his arm fall again.

Leaving just a plain white box and a

"Inara--I don't need this anymore. Keep it for me. It's time my two idols were in one place."

In the box lays Mal's cross, and another piece of paper underneath.

"I can easily believe, that there are more invisible than visible Beings in the universe. But who shall describe for us their families? and their ranks and relationships and distinguishing features and functions? What they do? where they live? The human mind has always circled around a knowledge of these things, never attaining it. I do not doubt, however, that it is sometimes beneficial to contemplate, in thought, as in a Picture, the image of a greater and better world; lest the intellect, habituated to the trivia of daily life, may contract itself too much, and wholly sink into trifles. But at the same time we must be vigilant for truth, and maintain proportion, that we may distinguish certain from uncertain, day from night."*

[ooc: quote is from the introduction to The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.]
in the shape of an flower on top.

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[ff-ambassador.livejournal.com]

*Inara opens the door to her shuttle, stepping out to get some tea in the kitchen when her foot nudges the box. She picks it up, smiles as she unfolds and reads the note and opens the box. She inhales sharply as she lifts the cross out, holding it delicately as it twists, catching the light. She lifts out the other piece of paper, and reads it carefully.

She goes back into her shuttle, all thoughts of tea forgotten, setting the package onto the table and sinking down onto her sofa. She lifts her hair and carefully fastens the cross around her neck. She picks up the note and reads the words over and over, hand straying to the cross, covering it gently.*