Room 510, Sunday afternoon

[moonbrain_tam]

River was packing. There wasn't much to pack - she wouldn't be gone long, and she didn't have a lot of things she needed. It felt odd to return to Serenity so soon, but at least there wouldn't be rabbits around this time.

Berthold squealed and wiggled his tentacles under the bed. She looked over her shoulder at him. "A.J. will feed you," she told

Comments

[mparkerceo]

ring

Given the latest developments with Isabel, and Zero a bit before that, Parker felt it would be a good idea to check in on everyone else, too.

[moonbrain_tam]

River picked up the phone, curious. It wasn't like she got phonecalls often.

[mparkerceo]

"River? It's Parker. What are you up to? Any new weirdness there?"

[moonbrain_tam]

"Parker!" River grinned, although that wasn't visible over the phone of course. "The past week has been strange. Not worse than usual though."

[mparkerceo]

"Nobody hurt, nobody--" else "--dead?" Parker questioned, relieved and hoping it wasn't too obvious. "Good! And weird how? I'm heading into Finals week hell now. How are the midterms going?"

[moonbrain_tam]

"No deaths, no damage," River replied. "Am heading back to Serenity for a week." She paused. "You're worried."

[mparkerceo]

Parker knew River must have heard it in her voice, since six thousand miles is too far for any telepathy, but her mind hummed I'm all right/ by the way/ Everyone saves the day/ Sometimes I feel it before she could stop it. She sighed, and admitted, "I had a scare this week. Bad stuff happened to Isabel. It was okay a day later, or as okay as it can be. But I worry about you guys, when I'm a phone call and an ocean away." She fiddled with her lighter, and tried to put a smile in her voice. "But back to Serenity, yay. Think you'd be up for a visit here, within the next month or so?"

[moonbrain_tam]

"I hope so. I should... keep focused. Am making plans." She paused. "You will send me proof of identification?"

[mparkerceo]

"Definitely," Parker promised. Angelo would be able to come up with something to show River Tam had a life and identity, enough to get her through TSA and customs and have fun in England for a few days to a week. "Plans? For after graduation?" She pulled her legs up onto her bed, feeling sad about the idea of River leaving, but happier that she had something to shoot for. "With Serenity?"

[moonbrain_tam]

There was a pause. "Might not be staying there," she said. "Might go somewhere else for a while." It was awkward talking on the phone; so much information missing when there were only words.

[If I disappear it's because I need sleep]

[mparkerceo]

"Else?" There were a lot of possibilities, in that smoky, neon-lit future that Parker had gotten the chance to visit; clearly, they needed to have a real conversation about that, if/when River got to visit. "I'm going to want to hear about that." Parker pulled her legs up underneath her, stifling a sigh at how much she was going to miss River when she was five hundred years away. "But yeah, you need to concentrate on your last semester here. That's important. I'll see you in May, if you can't visit sooner. I just hope you can."

[it's late where you are! Sleep! We can pick up tomorrow.]

[moonbrain_tam]

"I hope I can," River said quietly. There was a silence. "I want to bring down the Academy."

[mparkerceo]

"Ahhhh." And Parker couldn't object to that without becoming the biggest hypocrite in history, either. Considering what she had planned for the Centre. Even though she wanted to, and the idea of River taking on the people who'd hurt her and changed her made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Okay. Not alone, I'm guessing." Quiet for a moment, she said, "I think you know I support this. But I want to hear more about it. How you're going to plan this."

[moonbrain_tam]

"Will pay them a first visit incognito, for intelligence. Ronan has promised magical assistance for that," she told Parker, then added: "I will ask for help when needed."

[mparkerceo]

"Good," was Parker's response to that, and a certain amount of relief that Ronan was in on this. "If you need anything, you know I'm there." Although the best help she could give was probably monetary. And, well. You never knew. If she destroyed the Centre here, maybe it would make a difference at the Academy there?

"Are you doing any of this during your trip this week? Or just going back to see Simon and the others this time?"

[moonbrain_tam]

"Just to visit this time." River smiled, although that wasn't visible on the phone either. "Last time I visited we smuggled rabbits."