A Firefly drabble

[mhalachai]

Universe, stop trying to stab me in the motivation gland.

In celebration of my not being able to get off my ass today from the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., I sat myself down and made myself drabble. If you want, you can imagine this as a prequel to Secrets. A Firefly drabble for firefly100. It's Inara-centric.

Title: Mask
Author: mhalachaiswords
Character: Inara
Challenge: Lies
Word Count: 100
Rating: G
Note: Prompted by a comment by Nandi in "Heart of Gold", which is the unattributed quote in the first line of the drabble.

~~*~~

You look exactly the same as the day I left.

Inara's reflection shone in the shuttle's golden mirror, an object designed to smooth her imperfections, showing only the beautiful mask.

In the black, it should not matter how everything, how she, was an illusion. She had spent years at the Companion House accepting the smoke and mirrors that allowed her to live the lie.

As she stared into the mirror that showed a face only half as young as it truly was, she realized that at some point, the weight of the lies had begun to press down upon her.

~~*~~

Comments

[penyn-1600.livejournal.com]

Lovely insight to Inara's character. She did always seem to have this weight on her shoulders.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Thank you. She always seemed to be hidding so much, quite a mysterious character. And you know what I do with mystery: Fix it myself :)

[practical-puss.livejournal.com]

Huh. Never even thought of that. If we're looking at it as a Secrets preview, than I guess I thought the Sidhe blood would have diluted to the point where slowed aging didn't apply. If we're not looking at it as a Secrets preview than... plastic surgery? Despite Inara always being one of the more mysterious of the crew you really have gotten her 'voice' very well.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Yeah, whatever I write can have so many origins. It's not a Secrets preview per say, but it fits nicely.

If we're not looking at it as a Secrets preview than... plastic surgery?
Or some crazy Companion drug or sumthin'

Thank you :)

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

I had to re-read that last sentence about four times, because I kept wanting to read it the other way. Nice.

[mhalachaiswords.livejournal.com]

Do you mean about her face looking older than she was? yeah, it's a little bit incomprehensible to fast reading.

[cissasghost.livejournal.com]

Yeah - kept wanting it to mean she looked younger than she ought.

[jaydeyn-sitari.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I thought that's how it was meant to be read. *rereads* I think all my study actually has melted my brain. I don't see it the other way, where she looks older than she is. Is that what you meant? :)

:)
Jaydeyn

[jaydeyn-sitari.livejournal.com]

Bring on the melancholy! I really like the idea of this being Sidhe-Inara. So much control, so many masks, so much time. The weight of the ... well, I don't know if world is quite right there: existence. The weight of existence, which is always something I associate with immortality.

Poor 'nara. {{{hugs for her}}}

:)
Jaydeyn

[thymidinekinase.livejournal.com]

So, if I've understood this right, the mirror shows a face without imperfections. "Half as young" -- does it show her twice the age she really is or twice the age she actually looks? I'm missing something, I guess. The youthful appearance is an imperfection to be smoothed away?

[houses7177.livejournal.com]

The wording works fine for me--she's ageless, at any rate.

I found this to be a very graceful, if sad, drabble, one that fits nicely with Inara's character.