When I wish upon a-

[heartintrust]

Padme had quite the system going. She'd mentally split up the sky, and was carefully working on making a star map. She had them of the Earth - that was easily enough found in books, as were several for other planets

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[crazyspacegirl]

River had spent a good bit of time mapping out the island's sky herself. She didn't often find other people doing it, so stumbling upon Padme on her night time wanderings would have been surprising if Simon hadn't found her first, and barked out a warning for River.

"Hello," said River, peering at Padme's map in the dim light of the moon. "Did you find the squirrel constellation yet? I named it Jim."

[heartintrust]

Padme looked up at River, her eyes crinkling as her face blossomed into a smile. "Not yet, I don't think. Can you show me?" She laughed, her eyes bright. "Jim is an entirely suitable- and even apt, I'd think, name for a squirrel constellatioin."

[crazyspacegirl]

"Yes, I think it's the best name for a squirrel ever, and that it's a constellation squirrel is even better, because stars stay almost forever."

River sat down beside Padme and squinted up at the sky. "There," she said, pointing. "That's the tail, there. I mapped it for Jim, for his birthday."

[heartintrust]

Padme squinted, and nodded when she could see the shape of the squirrel emerge, and looked up at the sky, scribbled someting, and then did it again.

"I'm trying to plot roughly where we are from the stars to star-charts. Might help with the weather and all." She looked over at River, a smile on her face. "How're you, then?" It'd been a while since they'd spoken, much less actually talked.

[crazyspacegirl]

"Yes, that's a good theory. I've mapped a good bit of it, but none of the stars are familiar to me from before, so I couldn't really place them in context."
River thought it was a worthy project, because if they ever got Serenity flying, they would need to know where they were in order to know where to go.

"I'm all right," she answered. "Good, actually. I visited Scranton, sort of," she said with a grin. "In Jim's dream. It was much better than the last time that sort of thing happened. How are you, and Sola?"

[heartintrust]

"I've got some of the Earth starmaps, and other maps of other systems, I thought I might actually be able to match them up, if I'm lucky."

She shrugged. "It's something to do, at least." She tilted her head, thinking for a moment. "We're doing well- I... I thankfully didn't dream." She didn't explain that further, and just looked down at her fingers, before scribbling down another star.

[crazyspacegirl]

"You don't dream ever?" River asked, intrigued. She sometimes felt as though she never stopped dreaming, and that it wouldn't be a bad thing if she could stop it. At least she could sleep, then."

[heartintrust]

"No, I.. I dream." She didn't like it, most of the time. She had nightmares, even now, but the ones while she'd been pregnant were the worst.

"I just meant I didn't... Go anywhere. It's dreaming, I thought. Just a... Different dream."

[crazyspacegirl]

"Oh. It was nice, this time. Mostly. We had fun, in Scranton. It was a lot better than my usual dreams," confided River. "I walk around at night a lot, when I can't sleep."

[heartintrust]

"That's where Jim's from, right?" She nodded a bit. "And- The last time I went, Anakin and I were home, and when I woke up, he was gone." She shook her head. "I don't know if I particularly wish to ever do that again."

[crazyspacegirl]

"Yes. Jim and Pam are both from Scranton. It was good, seeing their home. Like visiting history, for Mal and me. Interesting."

She listened to Padme, and was sad for her, and everyone who had lost people they loved. "No. I wouldn't want to do that either. I'm very sorry."

Mostly, River didn't like to think about people disappearing at all.