(Untitled)

[forewarned_is]

[Out of Milliways: Tidings of comfort and joy.]The front door opens on a hotel corridor. The woman standing with one hand on the doorknob looks to be far gone in a cold fury -- until she takes in the sight in front of her, and her expression changes to something like doubt

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[river_meimei]

River peers at her.

(Slightly damply.)

[forewarned_is]

Kali doesn't appear to notice her immediately; she's heading for the bar.

[river_meimei]

Okay.

River can continue peering almost indefinitely!

Maybe Kali is interesting.

[forewarned_is]

Maybe she is!

Maybe she's suddenly ten feet tall and has four arms, and skin the blue-black of a summer midnight, and a necklace of human skulls.

Or maybe she's a perfectly ordinary-looking woman, stepping up to the bar and ordering a glass of Atlantean.

[river_meimei]

All these things are possible!

Some of them are likelier than others to be the cause of River's sudden startled look, though.

[forewarned_is]

The motion draws her attention.

She glances at the girl, and bares her teeth in a snarl of murderous rage, fire flaring from her hands.

Except her glance is calm and incurious, and there's no trace of any such anger in her face, and her hands are smooth and empty.

[river_meimei]

River doesn't flinch, but her eyes fix on Kali, wide and intent; her fingers spread against the table, pressing down hard against solid wood.

[forewarned_is]

There's no trace of magic about the girl, nothing demonic, and yet --

"Yes?" Very neutral.

[river_meimei]

"You're angry," River says softly.

Without judgment; without doubt, either.

[forewarned_is]

Beat.

"Yes," she says again, a bit more gently. "How did you know?"

[river_meimei]

River looks blank.

"You are," she tries.

If she sounds as if she has no idea how to answer the question, it might be accurate.

"You didn't say."

[forewarned_is]

Kali studies her for a moment.

"A seer," she says, as though it's an uncertain guess.

(Did her lips move?)

[river_meimei]

"I listen," River says, just as uncertainly.

[forewarned_is]

"And you hear things that aren't said aloud?"

[river_meimei]

River is silent.

But it has the air of stubborn silence; refusing to answer, this time, rather than being unsure how to. River's poker face isn't much good these days, and her lying abilities are only occasionally better.

[forewarned_is]

A beat.

Kali smiles; it's a little sharp, but not unkind.

"Do you know who I am?"