(no subject)

[river_meimei]

Once again, River heads straight from the front door to the hallway that leads to the Security office. It's a long while before she reappears. There was a tension to her body, a faint troubled frown on her face, a stressed and wary watchfulness in her gaze; all of that is still there, undiminished.

She heads for the far wall of the bar, where she climbs rapidly from bench to table to booth back and settles into the rafters.

Comments

[silver_flecks]

Del ducks her head too, to look up at River.

"You know what the wise men say?"

[river_meimei]

River's eyes lift; River's head doesn't.

[silver_flecks]

"It'll get better. Or it won't. But in the meantime, stop bitching, woman, and make me my dinner."

She frowns.

"Maybe not that one."

[river_meimei]

...Uh, says River's face.

"I'm not allowed to cook."

River's not supposed to play with the heat sources and sharp utensils unsupervised. Imagine that.

[silver_flecks]

Del looks confused.

"Why?"

[river_meimei]

River makes a face.

A grumpy face.

It says I don't know, but they seem to think it's important.

[silver_flecks]

Earnestly, "Bob could teach you."

Sadly, Touga has Bob now, waiting for him.

Waiting.

Patiently.

Bob can wait forever.

"It's silly."

[river_meimei]

Where Bob is from, is there always music in the air?

Blank look.

[silver_flecks]

It might get blanker.

Because now Del's pacing.

Back. Forth. Back. Forth.

And THINKING.

"You should learn." Seriously.

[river_meimei]

There's more wariness, now, in the way River's eyes follow the pacing Endless.

[silver_flecks]

"You could make brownies. And cookies. And snickerdoodles. And macaroni. And eyeball smoothies."

[river_meimei]

Absently, "The culinary supplies are minimal."

Beat.

"The flavoring is unorthodox."

[silver_flecks]

"It is like decoupage. And knowing how to break someone's collar bone. And crochet. Every girl should know how."

Del has been reading Parenting Books.

[river_meimei]

"I can," River assures her earnestly.

[silver_flecks]

"Even brownies?" Hopeful, now.

Uh-oh.

[river_meimei]

River considers that.

"The relative density of the clavicle is superior. We'll have to make it very stale."

[silver_flecks]

"Cement is good for the bones," she says seriously.

[river_meimei]

"Makes the texture difficult," River says.

Somewhat tentatively. She's getting confused.

[silver_flecks]

See, this is why it pays to be River.

She's only getting confused.

"It's settled!" she says, beaming. "I will ask Simon!"

[river_meimei]

The benefits of insanity!

Or something.

"...Okay," says River, with the air of someone who has no idea what she's agreeing to but is pretty sure it's too late to get out of it.

[silver_flecks]

Everything has a plus side, right?

Right?

"Oh it will be so fun!" she beams again, and hands River the stuffed lemur she's finished making.

"Enjoy."

[river_meimei]

River accepts the lemur tentatively, curling her hands around its long floppy limbs. Lifting the stuffed animal, she examines it.

It's fluffy.

After a minute, she smiles, a little.

[silver_flecks]

Del grins.

The lemur does nothing.

It's just a toy, but it is, in fact, fluffy.

And then it's just a girl and a toy.