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[river_meimei]

No notebook today. No scribbled tangle of equations and layouts and plans.

River listens to advice, sometimes. Even reluctantly

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[river_meimei]

River's head jerks up, and she stares at the underside of the table.

"Okay," she says blankly, after a moment, and then her face twists.

Lower, "Not hungry."

[river_meimei]

River gasps, jerking back a little.

[simon_doctor]

Kaylee's out at the house, working on some routine maintenance. She asked him -- gently, a little apologetically -- not to come with her; she needed the time alone to think, she said.

So Simon's in the bar by himself, for dinner, looking for a booth.

His feet pass by River's booth. Pause. Come back.

He bends down to look under the table.

[river_meimei]

River doesn't look at him for a long moment.

And then her head lifts a little, turns, and she does.

[simon_doctor]

Quietly: "Hey, meimei."

A light click as he sets down his plate on the table, and slides down to sit next to her on the floor.

"Are you all right?"

[river_meimei]

River leans into his side, gaze dropping, and doesn't answer.

[wasnt_adream]

If she is seeing the passersby, this one is short enough that more than legs are visible. Pretty much all of the small girl is, really, as a moment before she was squatting down on the floor, trying to see what was caught between the floorboards.

After getting bored of this, though, she looks up to the girl - definitely much older than Satsuki, but not an adult - who's sitting under the booth. Without much of a greeting or hesitation, she moves closer with curious eyes.

[river_meimei]

River's gaze shifts, eventually.

And she looks -- surprised, for a moment, but there's a half-shy friendliness in her face, more than there's been all night.

[wasnt_adream]

Hmm.

Mei's head tilts slightly as she comes closer, until she's right up next to River, eyes still wide.

"Why're you down here?" she asks finally. This seems the most important question - older people didn't usually come down to her level.

[river_meimei]

Only babies and animals get this particular soft regard from River, even if it's more muted today than usual.

"It's comfortable."

She watches Mei, and doesn't move.

[dexter_morgan]

Dexter notices the young woman under the booth, and has a clear view of her from his seat at the table. She's obviously a little crazy, not like he is, but crazy nontheless.

Dexter has a softness for people who are as fucked up as he is.

He graces her with a friendly smile that's about as genuine as Dexter can get.

[river_meimei]

River's looking at him, but she's not really seeing him; that's how it seems, anyway, from the lack of reaction and the way her eyes aren't quite focused.

And then suddenly they are focused, and her whole body tightens for a second as her eyes widen slightly.

[dexter_morgan]

That's a reaction Dexter's never gotten. Suspicion, yes. Some people just had keener senses than others, and no matter how nice he pretended to be, they always managed to pick up on what lurks beneath. But the only people who have ever looked at Dexter with an expression resembling River's are his victims.

But River has nothing to fear from Dexter, and he's honestly confused by her reaction. He has no way of knowing just how keen her senses are. He figures it's the blood still staining his shirt that's causing her reaction, and seeks to reassure her by waving a bit.

[river_meimei]

On the one hand: River has nothing to fear from Dexter. And River does not necessarily have any problem with unrepentant killers.

On the other hand: River doesn't like torturers, and River doesn't like masks.

It's hard to say how much of any of that she's thinking right now, or what exactly she's seeing. But her fingers tighten on her ankles, and she never looks away.

[neverswimalone]

There is a private!

With a fish.

Okay, so-the fact that he stands several inches tall and has a silly and stupid grin on his face shouldn't phase you.

The fact that he's accompanied by Rico who is performing a rather interesting juggling act with a pair of kitchenknives should draw some attention.

Rico...is juggling and chortling happily to himself while the Private-

Bumps into the table.

Ooops.

"...Terribly sorry about that!"

[river_meimei]

River stares at them.

...Penguins. Yes.

"Okay," she says blankly.

[neverswimalone]

Rico continues to juggle. Chortling to himself, "Slicey dicey, slicey dicey-"

"Rico!"

Private grabs at his colleague, "...Stop it! you might hit somebody!"

[river_meimei]

"Just an object," River murmurs, watching them.

"You can take away the air."