Miranda, Miranda, she had to be cleaned of every, last spot of dirt, prettied up before she was sent off to die a bloody, messy death in the heat of battle
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Rukia hadn't eaten anything during the group therapy session at lunch, so she was surprised to find that she was actually a little hungry by fourth shift. Perhaps because of her meager upbringing and small stature, Rukia didn't need to eat often; with the frequency of meals at Landels, she had not yet been hungry. It was kind of a comforting sensation, really. It made her feel more connected to the gigai she was in, as though she was really alive. And it reminded her, in a small way, of her childhood. She, Renji, and the other boys had been constantly hungry and dirty. Opportunities to eat and bathe had been few and far between, but always something to look forward to
( ... )
"Sorries and thank yous aren't needed." River had anticipated the conversation, felt the regret. They both always felt the need to apologize for needing. More people did than not. It was confusing to sit on the outside of semi-normalcy and watch the bloody and bruised apologize to each other as they leaned on one another in time of need. "When the horse broke her back years ago in the race, she thought she'd never carry anything again. Wouldn't be able to. Doctor's probably contemplated putting her down cause she wasn't useful, in constant pain..."
The broken girl smiled.
"Would be a pleasant thing for a broken creature to be able to have someone rely on her for support, I'd think. Makes her useful. Not a useless process trying to keep up with the rest of the working whole and always falling short."
As always, it took Rukia a while to interpret what River was saying; sift through the words for the meaning. She understood, though, that River didn't mind being needed, and in fact was glad to be useful. Rukia could understand the sentiment; no one wanted to feel useless.
She smiled back. It was a small, tired smile, but there was genuine affection there. Somehow, for some reason, the other girl had been looking out for Rukia and Renji. Rukia didn't pretend to understand River's telepathy, but she was grateful for it, nonetheless.
Turning the shower and stepping partially into the warm spray, Rukia said, "I only wish I could repay you, somehow." What Daemon has mentioned on the bulletin board, about the creature that had pretended to be River, flashed briefly through Rukia's mind. The thing was already dead, though, so Rukia couldn't help there. Perhaps there was something else she could do.
"One's not inclined to give payment for a kindness given." River smiled, looking down as the water washed down into the drain. A brief life, each molecule, before they were swept away into darkness. To linger on a wall, a strand of hair... It was a fortune.
But River wasn't a drop of water. No, she was a doll, as she'd claimed time and again, and a doll was only glad not to be forgotten with the years as new models would take her place and the children would grow into adults.
"Really," she said clearly. "I'm happy if I can do anything. Was always such a trouble to people before."
Rukia knew that feeling - being a trouble to people. She had hated it, when Ichigo and Renji and the others had put themselves in danger for her. And she had been so weak then, weak like she was now.
But feeling bad for herself wouldn't get anything accomplished right now. Rukia rinsed her hair and began to lather some shampoo into it. Talking about something else seemed like a good idea now. "Thank you all the same," she said. Then, "What is your world like? And your friends, the ones who took care of you?"
River looked up into the water with her eyes closed so she wouldn't feel the sting. No, she had the time for a talk about her world. He was busy having faith bought.
"Not just one. Dozens of spots dotting the sky, mingling with the stars. People moved after Earth That Was could yield no more. Richer planets in the core, ruled by the Alliance. Poor worlds suffer on the outer rims, raided and starving while the ignorant have parties with fancy cheese and petty banter." It was a history book, but not the ones read in Alliance schools. "War for independence left a lot of people behind. No one's been the same, and there are lots and lots of secrets. You can hear them all if you listen to the wind and the birds."
Rukia closed her eyes as well, letting River's words conjure up images in her mind as she slowly worked the grime out of her hair. The rich core and poor edges made Rukia think of Seireitei and Rukongai. "It sounds... a lot like my world," she said, "But there has been no civil war, at least not between the shinigami and ordinary spirits. Though it's always seemed unfair to me, the huge differences between those in the outer districts and those near the center."
Rukia began to rinse her hair, looking sideways at River. "Are you from the... outer rims?"
"I wasn't so lucky," came River's quiet answer, and she meant that with every fiber of her being. But to become clear, clear like the water, she'd have to conjur up such a strength. It couldn't be spent just yet, and someone else need of it.
"But the outers and the exclusives. Not part of any world anymore." A gentle smile at the thought of Home. "I'm part of Serenity."
So River had been one of the privelaged, like Rukia since she had been adopted into the Kuchiki Family. And like Rukia, it seemed that she didn't quite appreciate the status. Rukia sometimes felt like an ungrateful urchin, but she couldn't help admitting, every once in a while, that she had been happier before her adoption. And yet she loved her brother, and wanted to make him proud of the commoner he'd allowed to stain the name of his family.
"Serenity?" Rukia echoed, unsure if that was a metaphor for something else.
"She's very pretty. Doesn't like to entertain people that seek to cause her family harm," River continued speaking, just like Serenity was a real person. But who knew? In River's mind, the ship was every bit as real a person as she could pretend to be. "Sometimes people like to pretend she can can't take care of herself or other people so well just because of her classification, but Serenity surprises people sometimes. Not classically pretty or qualified, but she's a wonder."
Listening to River's description, Rukia pictured a tough, middle-aged woman, with perhaps more than a few battle-scars. Someone who has seen more than most, and certainly not come through it unscathed. "Classification?" she asked, though it sounded as though the girl was referring to social, or perhaps military status.
Rukia wouldn't know. But maybe she'd heard about it in science fiction movies. So was the life of River Tam spelled out plain, plain as could be.
"Mid-bulk Transport. Standard Radion Accelerator core. Class code 03-K64--Firefly," River repeated, remembering to say it all and not leave a bit out. Serenity would like to be explained in its full detail. "Transport ship, though she's used to transport more illegal cargo than anything. It's work, though. And we go where we can find it. She doesn't mind so much, not when it puts the Alliance in even a small hole."
Rinsing some of the stuff called "conditioner" through her hair, Rukia frowned slightly at a vaguely familiar voice. When she could open her eyes again, she noticed that strange girl from the previous night who had attacked Allen. Thankfully, though, the kid had gone off to bother someone else.
Bringing her attention back to River, Rukia looked at the girl curiously. "Oh, I thought you meant a person, at first. So she's a ship, then," she murmured. Rukia had heard humans refer to ships as though they were women. Perhaps, in the same way that the ocean was a fickle and dangerous woman, the ships that sailed her were best thought of as women.
She grabbed a bar of soap and began to lather up. "Illegal cargo, huh?" she asked, the barest hint of a smile on her lips. "Sounds like fun." People like her brother, or Captain Hitsugaya, would no doubt be appalled at the knowledge that Rukia had a mischievous streak a mile wide.
Finishing with her cleansing, the conditioner actually served to work through the worst of the knots in her seemingly perpetually tangled, brown hair. Cleansed efficiently for the blood-letting to come and in the eve that would follow. River stepped back, away from the stream with a smile
( ... )
"Oh, okay," Rukia said, looking up at River. It took her only a moment to understand who the girl was referring to when she said "partner", and for some reason it made Rukia blush, just a little. She almost wanted to tag along, but she had the feeling that her presence would only get in the way of whatever story River had to tell. Strangely, that didn't make Rukia feel jealous or left out.
Offering another small smile, Rukia nodded and added, "Good luck."
Then she went back to washing herself, taking particular care not to reopen the wounds on her side or aggravate the broken ribs. She glanced around the shower room; most of the other girls seemed to be in conversations. There were a couple young women by themselves, but Rukia wasn't even sure she had the energy to start up a conversation. She knew that she should, but with River's departure, Rukia's worries crept back out of the shadows in which they had briefly been hiding.
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The broken girl smiled.
"Would be a pleasant thing for a broken creature to be able to have someone rely on her for support, I'd think. Makes her useful. Not a useless process trying to keep up with the rest of the working whole and always falling short."
Reply
She smiled back. It was a small, tired smile, but there was genuine affection there. Somehow, for some reason, the other girl had been looking out for Rukia and Renji. Rukia didn't pretend to understand River's telepathy, but she was grateful for it, nonetheless.
Turning the shower and stepping partially into the warm spray, Rukia said, "I only wish I could repay you, somehow." What Daemon has mentioned on the bulletin board, about the creature that had pretended to be River, flashed briefly through Rukia's mind. The thing was already dead, though, so Rukia couldn't help there. Perhaps there was something else she could do.
Reply
But River wasn't a drop of water. No, she was a doll, as she'd claimed time and again, and a doll was only glad not to be forgotten with the years as new models would take her place and the children would grow into adults.
"Really," she said clearly. "I'm happy if I can do anything. Was always such a trouble to people before."
Reply
But feeling bad for herself wouldn't get anything accomplished right now. Rukia rinsed her hair and began to lather some shampoo into it. Talking about something else seemed like a good idea now. "Thank you all the same," she said. Then, "What is your world like? And your friends, the ones who took care of you?"
Reply
"Not just one. Dozens of spots dotting the sky, mingling with the stars. People moved after Earth That Was could yield no more. Richer planets in the core, ruled by the Alliance. Poor worlds suffer on the outer rims, raided and starving while the ignorant have parties with fancy cheese and petty banter." It was a history book, but not the ones read in Alliance schools. "War for independence left a lot of people behind. No one's been the same, and there are lots and lots of secrets. You can hear them all if you listen to the wind and the birds."
Reply
Rukia began to rinse her hair, looking sideways at River. "Are you from the... outer rims?"
Reply
"But the outers and the exclusives. Not part of any world anymore." A gentle smile at the thought of Home. "I'm part of Serenity."
Reply
"Serenity?" Rukia echoed, unsure if that was a metaphor for something else.
Reply
Reply
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"Mid-bulk Transport. Standard Radion Accelerator core. Class code 03-K64--Firefly," River repeated, remembering to say it all and not leave a bit out. Serenity would like to be explained in its full detail. "Transport ship, though she's used to transport more illegal cargo than anything. It's work, though. And we go where we can find it. She doesn't mind so much, not when it puts the Alliance in even a small hole."
Reply
Bringing her attention back to River, Rukia looked at the girl curiously. "Oh, I thought you meant a person, at first. So she's a ship, then," she murmured. Rukia had heard humans refer to ships as though they were women. Perhaps, in the same way that the ocean was a fickle and dangerous woman, the ships that sailed her were best thought of as women.
She grabbed a bar of soap and began to lather up. "Illegal cargo, huh?" she asked, the barest hint of a smile on her lips. "Sounds like fun." People like her brother, or Captain Hitsugaya, would no doubt be appalled at the knowledge that Rukia had a mischievous streak a mile wide.
Reply
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Offering another small smile, Rukia nodded and added, "Good luck."
Then she went back to washing herself, taking particular care not to reopen the wounds on her side or aggravate the broken ribs. She glanced around the shower room; most of the other girls seemed to be in conversations. There were a couple young women by themselves, but Rukia wasn't even sure she had the energy to start up a conversation. She knew that she should, but with River's departure, Rukia's worries crept back out of the shadows in which they had briefly been hiding.
Lips tight, she went back to cleaning herself.
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