Totally actually in Milliways

[river_meimei]

River's lying on her back on a table, her feet against the wall. She's watching the room upside-down.

It's very comfortable.

Apparently.

Comments

[howling_laugh]

"You have wounded me deeply, River. I may never forgive you if you do not make it up to me." Considering she is sniffing River's ankles now, this may be taken as an empty threat.

[river_meimei]

Placidly, "You're very demanding."

Experimentally, River wiggles her toes next to the coyote's ear.

[howling_laugh]

"Most certainly. You are lucky you are not my robot girlfriend, then you would see."

Her ear twitches.

[river_meimei]

Today is a day for eloquent faces. River's current one is an amicable grimace, and reads, We already covered the I-am-not-a-robot territory.

She stretches her feet slightly, and then wiggles her toes again.

[howling_laugh]

"Figure of speech," Coyote assures her. "Robots do not usually have ticklish toes. Girlfriends occasionally do. Humans are funny like that."

Coyote tilts her head, pretty obviously trying to remember how many girlfriends (wives, one night stands, etc.) were ticklish.

[river_meimei]

"Knismetic activity of the neural mechanoreceptors." This is absent; River's attention, about halfway through her first word, became fixed on a point of air somewhere to the left of Coyote's tilted head.

[howling_laugh]

She blinks. "Mechanoreceptors? Dear, I thought you were trying to convince me that you are not a robot. Try harder."

[river_meimei]

It takes a second for River's gaze to make its way back to Coyote's face, and (visibly) a second longer for her to remember what they were talking about.

"Ask your nose."

[howling_laugh]

"Perhaps you are clever enough to trick it. You are tricky, I assume? I like you, so you must be. Should I ask your friends? 'Has River been acting suspicious lately? Find any spare gears about?"

[river_meimei]

River's face shadows a little. (But only a little; this context is much different than it could be.)

"No masks." It's quiet, and may not be strictly true. River can be opaque, in her own way. "It's in the skin."

She glances up at Coyote's bright eyes. Seriously, "You can ask."

[howling_laugh]

Coyote knows it's not true. To be human is to have masks, even if someone else cracked most of them for you, like someone did to this girl. She knows what it is, if not how or why or who did this to her.

"Who should Coyote ask? Who are River's friends in Milliways? Besides me." She sits down, tucking her tail around her own feet.

[river_meimei]

River's grin is quick and bright, and a little conspiratorial. "Lots."

River is a people person.

"You remember," she adds, softer, and her gaze drifts slowly down towards the furry tail-wrapped feet as her smile fades away. "Even when they aren't they are."

Again, and soft this time: "Got lots."

[howling_laugh]

"You are almost as cryptic as Raven sometimes, sweet River. It pleases me that you have friends, but how should I remember them, even when they are not?"

Perhaps she is being thick on purpose. Hard to say.

[river_meimei]

River looks up at her.

This look -- this moment -- her focus is clear and direct, and right on Coyote. (Or, perhaps, right through Coyote.)

Softly, "Don't you?"

[howling_laugh]

There is a woman sitting across from her again. Something about that look makes Coyote tilt her chin up and meet River's gaze head on.

"I do not currently congress with the dead." Her last ghost rarely shows himself, and she is fine with ignoring him.

Anything else is not worth mentioning.

[river_meimei]

"Everybody does."

This is distant, and almost gentle. You'd never know she was talking to a being thousands of years older than her; if anything, you'd think she was talking to herself, or the empty air.

[howling_laugh]

"Do you, then?" It's a snap now, Coyote's mood swiftly changing to sullen.

[river_meimei]

Seriously, "Yes."

[howling_laugh]

"Tell me."

[river_meimei]

"I remember."

River sits up in a slow, smooth motion, and tucks her legs underneath herself. Her gaze slips distant again; her voice, too.

"All of them." Soft. "Gone to the Lady, but they're not. Inside her."

Beat.

"Got an elevator," she adds, with another glance at Coyote.

[howling_laugh]

Coyote stands, slamming her hands down on the table and staring at River.

"You saw her?"

[river_meimei]

River doesn't flinch; just looks a little startled.

Yes, says her face, of course, what did you think we were talking about?, even before she nods.

[howling_laugh]

Coyote had by now, convinced herself it was a dream.

She tears herself away from the table and heads quickly toward the door.

[river_meimei]

River starts to lift a hand, worried and bewildered --



and then her eyes drop abruptly, and her face shadows, and her hand falls slowly to her lap.

"Everybody does," she says, low and a little choked, to no one.