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[river_meimei]

[OOM: Old friends never really leave. Or maybe it's that they never really stay.]

River should be in bed, by ship's time. She was, earlier.

She's awake now. And quieter than sometimes, maybe, but not bleary-eyed, and it's nothing strange for her to be wearing only a loose sundress over biking shorts and bare feet.

The chairs by the fire are comfortable, though, and she's curled up in one now, her hands wrapped around a mug of hibiscus tea. She's watching the room, more or less; it's as hard as ever to tell what she might see in it.

Comments

[killitwithfire]

She may or may not notice Axel returning to his seat by the fire. (His mug has pepper tea.)

He notices her though; she wasn't there when he left.

"Hey," he says, giving her a nod, as he sits down.

[river_meimei]

River glances over, head turning and lifting slightly.

"Fire," she says softly, and then looks abruptly confused.

After a second, and more tentatively, "Hi."

[killitwithfire]

He raises an eyebrow slightly at that.

"Best seat in the house," he replies.

[river_meimei]

River glances down at her armchair: the battered comfortable upholstery, the faint teethmarks in one wooden leg. She looks as if she's seeing it for the first time, almost, but her fingers run over the arm with the familiarity of long affection.

"I know it."

[killitwithfire]

"You like it here too?"

He doesn't exactly like anything (except the few things that matter), but the fire makes him... comfortable.

[river_meimei]

"I'm here." Softly. She doesn't look up from the chair.

[killitwithfire]

"Good enough," Axel replies.

[river_meimei]

River glances at him, eyes lifted but head still bent.

"You do."

It sounds like a statement. It might be a question anyway, or it might not; River's diction is not quite that of normal people.

[killitwithfire]

That gets a blink.

"...Huh?"

[river_meimei]

River blinks, too. Her gaze drops.

Softly, "He can watch."

[killitwithfire]

"...Who?"

He can tell she's not quite 'right.' Not on the same wavelength as most people. Kind of hard to miss, at this point, at least for someone like him.

[river_meimei]

River makes a slight face.

She does not appear to appreciate the question.

[killitwithfire]

Axel frowns slightly, and drinks his tea. He wonders how to approach this one; she reminds him a little of Namine, when they'd first found her.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan find himself glancing at the book about fathers and distant daughters despite himself. But he was being discreet about it.

Also sitting near the fire. Things always came back to fire. His brother. The fire where he saved the girl. Because of the other fire that he thought he had lost Meredith... and Claire.

He then glanced over and noticed River.

"Evening," he quietly said.

[river_meimei]

River's head lifts. It's a moment before her eyes quite focus on Nathan; what she's looking at before that is somewhere over his head, and it's hard to tell what she thinks of what she sees there.

But she does focus on him eventually, and though she doesn't say anything, neither does she look away.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan glanced up and behind himself before facing forward again. He reached up to feel his head, hmmm, his hair was fine. Nothing on his head.

"Something wrong?" He asked. "There's nothing up there."

[river_meimei]

"You tell me."

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

"I just did." Nathan then glanced down, and noticed the book was obvious. Damn.

He then added, "Nothing. Just some people from the past that returned."

[river_meimei]

River watches him, and says nothing.

Yet, at least.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan paused, considering his words. But she didn't seem like the talkative or gossiping type anyway.

He then elaborated as he settled back in his seat, laying the book down next to him, tucked between him and the chair arm, "My brother doesn't even know about it yet. Just found out myself about her... My daughter. All grown up with her own life, and never knew."

[river_meimei]

River flinches.




"Phoenix," she whispers. "Fly to the ashes," and her shoulders hunch.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan paled at that, and looked shocked at her.

"...how could you have possibly know that? There wasn't even any press that night. Not till later."

He could still taste the ashes as he left, his coat left behind on the girl's shoulders. With his election button still on it.

"And there was an earlier fire." Back in 1992. Late night phone calls and "I'm sorry, Mr. Petrelli. There were no survivors." Ma offering her usual cold comfort.

[river_meimei]

River draws into herself a little more, eyes closing for a moment.

"You say it," she whispers.

[waylostandfound.livejournal.com]

Nathan shook his head, "No, I didn't say all that... I don't even think I was thinking it."

[river_meimei]

River says nothing. Just stares blankly at the floor, curled in her huddle in the old armchair.