出没: [visual | location: around Taxon]

[biverbam]

It is, by decree of the narration and various conflicting timelines, the day after the party. River has come and gone, and in some combination of a missed dose somewhere in the excitement, the excitement itself, and the simple abundance of it in such a short span of time, she's still awake well into the day.

Awake and completely incapable of

Comments

[ location: serenity ]

[behindfirelight]

The Valentine's ball led to a fascinating night for Sol, most of which he spent at Leila's apartment in Speares and not the ball itself; he spends much of the morning there, too, until the prickling feeling of something being out of place turns his plans at the greenhouse into a priority and drives him back down to Osten.

The state of his greenhouse and the confiding trees answer that question and Sol changes out of his suit and absently hatches a cane before he sets out to find the girl who invaded his garden. The savage hunter jokes are slightly less funny when the reason for them is their accuracy, really; Sol manages to let himself into Serenity and leans in a throughway frame, placidly patient.

"Miss."

[ location: serenity ]

[biverbam]

She had almost been asleep. Feet didn't itch to walk, legs didn't burn to move, and though the palm of her hand stung from the pricks it was just a dull throb while three roses sat on top of the light shelf above her bed, casting shadows.

But she could hear him, feel the wave of determination, and her immediate (and wrong) response was to hide under the (also wrong) assumption of Alliance. Blue Hands with green thumbs and getting back what you took thrumming over the usual sounds in the ship. It had been silly to think the Academy could exist here without this happening eventually. So, she hid.

The noise of a teenage girl shushing flowers and scrambling to take down the grating from among the ceiling tiles is very obvious, though, and coming from the passenger dorms in front of him and to the left. If he's fast enough, Sol will see her bare feet disappearing into the ceiling. Not that she can get anywhere from in there, it's a small space with no real escape route, but it seemed a logistically sound move at the time.

[ location: serenity ]

[behindfirelight]

The only way out of here is past Solomon, and the door shuts quietly and almost decisively behind him. He stays there, in front of it, and rests his hands on top of the cane.

"Down," he says, his tone mild and brooking no argument. "Right now."

Presumably the implication here is that River won't enjoy it if he has to make her get down.

[ location: serenity ]

[biverbam]

All that comes down, at first, is quite a lot of hair and an upside-down face.

In the few seconds she's there, she notes that he's lacking in any identifier that would make him associated with the Academy, hair can be easily pulled, and he has a cane. Once those facts are settled, she's back up in her little hole in the ceiling and moving so she can leave it, feet first this time. Then she's down, right-side-up and regressing incrementally by every odd-indexed number in her sequence in the face of whatever it is he is until she rests somewhere near three and looks back at him in stupid, childish defiance that showcases a complete lack of any skills with self-preservation.

"You left it open."

[Location: around Central]

[colorshavenames]

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, Juliet is out in the city, walking Dog and enjoying the somewhat fresh air. Dog's hyperactive as usual, bouncing around her feet and panting, almost looking like he's grinning. Juliet's just fascinated by the glimmer of colors she sees, the buildings all around sparkling faintly with a whole rainbow of colors, left from the people who walk through them every day.

She's pointedly ignoring the people walking around with absolutely no auras whatsoever. It's not that she can't see the auras--because if she couldn't, she wouldn't leave the Sanctuary-- but rather that they just don't have any. At all. They're completely blank.

So of course, when River comes into view, colors spiking right and left, constantly shifting and changing, Juliet stops dead, staring. Dog stops as well, looking up at her with a bit of a headtilt, and then plops right down where he is, like he knows she'll be distracted for a moment.

She's never seen anything like this before.

[Location: around Central]

[biverbam]

River, of course, notices none of the interest. Not for a few moments, at least, as her full attention is instead on the ground below her feet and the current attempt to not step on any cobblestone cracks. It doesn't distract for long, though, and soon the reverberation of color hits her and she looks up at Juliet, registering Dog's presence somewhere beneath the blue and pink.

Then she just keeps looking.

Unintentional staring contest is go for launch.

Re: [Location: around Central]

[colorshavenames]

It's like staring at a giant kaleidoscope, the colors shifting around and fighting each other for dominance, but it's not only that, she's getting some sort of mirror reaction to this, River's aura shimmering and bouncing back against her own. Juliet blinks as she sees bits and pieces of her own aura, something she's never quite seen clearly before, and then suddenly it's back to the pinks and yellows, the blue that isn't her own.

Juliet still hasn't moved, and Dog whines slightly, looking up at his owner with his ears pulled down. She doesn't quite register it, just tries to make sense of all the colors, reaching up to pull her hair down over her shoulder.

[Location: around Central]

[biverbam]

They bounce and swirl, alright, almost to the point that in all their staring River begins to get dizzy, but then that kaleidoscope is just going to get closer. A staring contest is one thing but a dog is something entirely different, and when Dog whines River walks over slowly with her hand sticking out. Etiquette concerning how one should approach animals is generally the same across the board.

Sorry, Juliet. You've been upstaged.

[Location: Abandoned Cottage]

[rude_not_ginger]

The Doctor notices R.I.V.E.R., and wonders, privately, how she's able to move around as well as she as without a power source linkup. Must be part of her android makeup.

"You all right over there?" he calls.

[Location: Abandoned Cottage]

[biverbam]

"Yú​," she calls back, not facing him at first but slowly turning while she tucks some of her not-quite-so-android hair behind an ear.

"Find your carriage?"

[yú​ - yes]

[Location: Abandoned Cottage]

[rude_not_ginger]

Chinese. The word translates immediately, but the Doctor's not entirely certain why she spoke in that language. Programming, probably.

"Well, no one will tell me where they've put it," the Doctor says. "Any ideas, R.I.V.E.R.?"

[Location: Abandoned Cottage]

[biverbam]

Oh, yes; it's all about the programming. River considers his question thoughtfully, eyes on the fake sky, before shaking her head and looking back at him.

"Signs point to 'gone.'"

[location: shelley]

[justaddmarbles]

River is not the only one a restless after the party, although Glitch's reasons are completely different. He had awoken early with a swirl of images from the previous night flashing in his mind, all of which featured people laughing, dancing, having a good time. Being happy because of something he did.

So he was propelled out of bed, out of the palace, into the city that he'd made better, if only for a little bit. It was an incredible high, the likes of which he hadn't felt in far too long (something broken had been fixed, something big for someone, maybe) and Glitch all but skipped along to the pulse of it...until he rounded a corner and found a lost ribbon.

"Oh!" he said quietly and picked it up. There was a shadow of something familiar there, but it was too muddled to be of use. Instead he looked up for context and caught the retreating form of a young woman. Still smiling, ribbon laced between his fingers, he jogged to catch up. "Miss! You may have dropped this!"

[location: shelley]

[biverbam]

The form doesn't stop, but instead she turns in place to walk backward through the street behind her. "It was time," she says, slowing down so he can catch up to her and so that she won't bump into an Extra crossing a few seconds ahead. "Friction and gravity, it didn't have the proper elements to stay forever."

A pause and River smiles, reaching out for it.

"Thank you."

[location: shelley]

[justaddmarbles]

Glitch transitions from jog to brisk walk with just the hint of a stumble, barely worth noting, then to stroll without incident.

"You're welcome," he said and handed it over. "Glad I was able to rescue it, would've been a shame to lose a ribbon pretty at this."

[location: shelley]

[biverbam]

She notes it anyway, quietly as she grabs the ribbon and examines it, still walking backward with Glitch in front of her.

"Made any progress?"

[crophisownrose]

"Hello," he says cautiously, although he feels that she'd know his presence whether he announced it or not.

/SAVES YOU [location: Central, near the Taxon Mall]

[biverbam]

It's midday at the mall and there are Extras coming and going all over, so a person nearby (actual, real, silver bracelet and thoughts) doesn't go unnoticed. He gets a sideways look and a raised eyebrow. "Good afternoon," is the only response he gets, spoken with precise measurement and elocution.

[crophisownrose]

"Who are you, atka?"

[biverbam]

She looks away, an Extra passing too close receives a glare but remains oblivious, then looks back at him. More direct this time, curious, with arms crossing over her middle. "None of the above."