taxonomites | 梦见: [ location: serenity

River hasn't been sleeping, not well, not since Dawn, and when the tablet clicks on from its place amidst a haphazard pile of flowers to show Serenity's cargo bay.

Every few seconds she walks across the frame (step step heel turn step heel turn step turn step step step). She's holding her necklaces (one a cross, the other a locket of vervain) taut enough to dig in at the back of her neck but not hard enough to break, and if she'd hold still one might notice some impressive bags under her eyes.

It's been days. Multiples. She can see them stretching out in front of her nose, a snake of exponential progression winding into a giant coiled ball, growing and growing until mass present exceeds the limits of volume and everything breaks. Maybe that's how they'll get out, eventually. The city will be too full of snake-days and their husky skins to let the barriers stay in place...

River snorts an unamused little laugh as she turns back around. "That's not likely. Adjustments... It's thoroughly biodegradable husk."

A beat passes and she stops, heel on the ground and toes in the air ready to make another step. Any second now.

"Smells like a graveyard," is her only irritated observation before she's off again.

(Step step heel t urn step heel turn step turn step step step.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ elena's been sleeping about as well as river lately, and it would be more evident if she chose to reply to her visually. it's quite evident anyway, as her voice sounds hoarser than usual. one could call it weary, even defeated. ]

River?

[ river is still pacing, but now she's directing her commentary to the tablet. it's a small improvement. ]

They're funereal.

What is?

[ and elena switches the function she's broadcasting in, trying to get a better look at the room river's in. (it's not clear how switching the function she's broadcasting in would help her do that, but maybe being able to see who she's talking to will help.) if river cares to look, she can see the dark circles and worry lines around elena's eyes, the mussed-up hair and downturned mouth. ]

Are you safe?

[ she's heard about dawn. she knows better than to ask 'all right'. ]

Edited 2011-05-10 05:15 (UTC)

[ she kicks the flowers as an answer. it's not them, exactly, though she can't remember why she brought them in in the first place. (they had reminded her of gardens and sol and trees that talk and a house with a room for her inside it but then they died, just lay there and died.) just their smell, their concept, but she can't kick a concept. ]

Locked the doors.

[ it's as safe as river can get, and she goes back to pacing. ]

[ elena nods, glad to hear it. ]

Good.

[ pause. ]

If you need any company...

[ she's got her hands a bit full what with jenna and caroline's arrival, but she wants river to know she's there for her if she needs someone to be. ]

[ she waves her hands, a stuttering, dismissive movement as she whirls around and continues pacing. ]

Company isn't-- [ annoyed huff. ] Already forced proximity to the problem.

[ and she frowns, points at some random molecule of air and looks off at the distance. ]

Proximity isn't the problem. It's forced. Relational positioning...

[ with that, an an aggravated sounding grunt, it looks like she loses her train of thought and the pacing becomes stomping. ]

梦见: [ location: serenity | accidental visual ]

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