(Untitled)

[ninjasinspace]

Her eyes are shut.

She's outside. It's blue, and green, and her fingers trail out to the side of her. Her steps are soft and unbearably slow, like walking in a dream and against all odds do not make a single sound. Once in a while, she changes course to avoid collision with an object visible or invisible.

(She sees.)

Do you?

{Please to be

Comments

[speaksonlytruth]

There is a woman sitting at the foot of a tree. She was reading, as the book is still in her lap, but now she is watching River quietly. Waiting until she gets close enough, and they she says very softly.

"Hello, little one."

[ninjasinspace]

She opens her eyes and stares blankly at the woman through a lovely wooden picture frame.

"It's a spacial discrepancy."

Beat.

"The brush strokes are passable," she adds, generously.

[speaksonlytruth]

Emerald eyes blink slowly, watching her (watching her, watching them, mirrors into mirrors).

The sun hat brim was tipped up with pale delicate hands, while it seemed like flickers of fire were igniting the grass around where she's was sitting.

"It's a lovely day out here, isn't it?"

[ninjasinspace]

The flames dance, a ballet of heat and colour to the music of their own crackling, and bow to her. Her feet slip into position of their own accord, and she starts to bow back, eyes shutting momentarily

"As a picture," she says, eyes flicking to the woman again.

[wasleafonwind]

Wash isn't blue, or green.

Well. Blue in the emotional sense.

But mostly he's red, hair and stains on his

so much blood in him

skin.

He never wanted this.

[ninjasinspace]

Blood drips

(I am a leaf on the wind)

down her arm, and her eyes snap open to see Wash, one hand rubbing uselessly to stop the liquid's descent.

She opens her mouth, and blood trickles out instead of words.

I'm sorry

[wasleafonwind]

"Hey, kiddo."

(ZoeZoeZoeZoeZoe)

Wash smiles, lips peeled back, friendly, grotesque.

(ZoecomeZoeloveZoemissZoeneedZoeplease)

"Enjoying the sunshine?"

Maybe he's rotting and just doesn't know.

[ninjasinspace]

She stares, eyes wide but not willing to shut, and fumbles towards him, trying to catch the falling pieces.

"Peeling off. Have to stick them back on."

[shockinglycute]

"Pikaaaa?"

the world is plants and rocks, a tangle of things to climb and hide and chew and find- secrets and treasure everywhere

beneath that is the lifeblood of electronics, with power buzzing fizzily through twists of wires in the ground, through the air

Is the best human ever sleepwalking or what?

[ninjasinspace]

Her eyes sliiiiiide open. The ground is springy and soft, like a mattress.

"Have but slumbered here," she advises Pikachu, with a little bit of a grin. "We'll make amends."

[shockinglycute]

"Pikachu!"

Friends! A couple of pink things- one round with big eyes, one with wings; a strange turtle; a young girl with a ponytail! Happiness! Butterflies!

"Pi pi pi, pikachu pikapika." If you're not busy sleepwalking still, you should hang out! They can, um, play! Or something!

[ninjasinspace]

She leans down and touches the sheets, green like the grass that was there a moment ago. It dissolves under her fingertips, leaving her with blades of grass.

"Yes."

[i_spoiled_it]

There's a girl sitting on the cement, grey and cold and neon-lit, bright with good cheer grass outside, a book abandoned beside her in favour of watching the skyscrapers and the wind between them, the fog and the night and the sound of petrol engines roaring sky.

She looks at River and her eyes are sad. "I'm tired of being alone."

She looks up at River, although the other girl makes no noise, and waves a cheerful greeting. "Hi!"

[ninjasinspace]

Her eyes cloud over with confusion, and maybe sympathy, and waves her hand back uncertainly, the movement making visible ripples in air, carrying on and on until they can't be seen.

"It's the human condition," she advises Steph. "The alternative isn't greener."

[i_spoiled_it]

"Um, I guess," Steph says, peering at River a little more closely.

The city crumbles around her, cement shatters and steel screams and glass falls, and then there's a brick wall. Just a brick wall, endless and red and unclimbable and bloodstained, and inside it there's Steph and Sokka and Mel and the twins, and other faceless, shadowy things that are hunting them all. Trapped. Trapped trapped trapped stuck never getting out ---

"Are you okay?"

[ninjasinspace]

She shuts her eyes, hands flying to her ears to protect herself from the onslaught of sound, stumbling back away.

"Don't let them- come when you call, two by two, run away-"