02 || River Tam || Day 55

[enchangement]

The air tastes strange. [ River knows the video is on but she's not looking at it, allowing instead for the broadcast to show the hallway of house seventeen in the waning afternoon light.

An arm reaches out and a door swings open to a bedroom. Bed rumpled and several books scattered around but otherwise empty.

They took him and she doesn't know when. They took a note, the whole song is wrong now.

[ River sounds exhausted. ]

The air tastes strange. All the notes should be careful and keep themselves in tune.

Comments

[rigging]

I dunno, it came from Spiderman, I guess? [ That's probably not what she was talking about, Jesse. But he pauses when she screams out the window, and frowns. ]

... Ay, look, m'sorry. I dunno who they took, but it's bullshit. You gonna be alright?

video;

[facilitated]

[ it's kind of hard to stay cheery and optimistic when she knows River, knows some of what the girl is capable of. She's not going to patronise her with more promises of hope, just gives a small nod. ]

I'm...I'm sorry. Some people go home, he might have gone home. That's...good, right?

video

[nevermindtherunning]

[A frown.]

So another one gone, hm? I don't think I know who that is. [Was?]

This place works in strange ways, I'm afraid. Nothing can be certain, obviously. [He wondered what determined who stayed and who leaves.]

[theassassin]

I wish I knew... This place is very strange.

video;

[enchangement]

If ever the automatic offer is put forth then we know she is not River.

[ She knows herself better than that. ]

A matter of faith, not religion, and you have that in droves.

video;

[enchangement]

[ River makes a soft clicking sound with her tongue. ]

A truer fairy tale from ancient and past and gone. There are no happy endings in those. The dead stay dead.

video

[enchangement]

Who keeps record, tally? Who knows the names of the forgotten? Does it matter, here?

Does it ever matter?

Nothing is ever certain. Even a subatomic particle can have a mid-life crisis.

[enchangement]

Always. Enthusiasm that shines brighter than Sol? Have at, have heart, have mercy, have steady hand, will travel.

[video]

[enchangement]

What do you think it's worth? A quiet chime, a calming voice, a calming gaze.

Don't know your name or your title.

[enchangement]

Howd'ya think they gotcha here?

[tryingitall]

My name is Balthazar. I haven't been here long, and I don't actually have a title. Do you?

[enchangement]

[ River closes her eyes and nods. ] Grace under and with fire.

You, not.. [ She opens her eyes and shakes her head. ] Hair the color of old fuel here.

[dowhatisays]

That's what I'm figuring out.

video;

[mentis]

[ He smiles, the light of outside flickering through the feed. ] I'll be there as soon as I can, dear.

[ The feed ends because he doesn't want to have to keep looking at his wrist. It means he can be faster. As soon as he can he's knocking on the door and rocking back on his heels. ]

[enchangement]

Yes, the Page to the Knight.

Hello Balthazar. Have you misplaced your Babylonia?

[enchangement]

You mightn't have been awake for it.

They're scientists. Poking and prodding at least five things before breakfast.

[tryingitall]

[He breaks into a smile, appreciating the reference.] I left it some time ago, actually. This place is as good as any, to me.

action!

[enchangement]

[ She opens the door eventually, barefoot (unsurprisingly) and expression downcast. ]

Can't even hold onto my own sadness.

[enchangement]

Must have seen a lot of cages.

[enchangement]

Using the human construct to measure moments, yes.

In an eventuality.

What's a Spiderman? [ That was actually EXACTLY what she was asking about. ]

[tryingitall]

I suppose I have. Or at least one very big one, before here.

[enchangement]

Why did they cage a former king?

[tryingitall]

Oh! I was never a king. Only a soldier. I share the name with a king, though. I hope that's not disappointing.

[enchangement]

You are doing us a service, sir, distracting and calm and level and...

Presence but lacking in such.

Disappointment is on the menu. She was enlisted, once. There are lots of fighters here, lots of soldiers.

[tryingitall]

I left the life, if that makes it any better. Tried to, anyway. It does tend to follow one around.