hh_mirror | The Unpopping of River Tam

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The Unpopping of River Tam

River found herself in the not unfamiliar state of being utterly disoriented.

This is not logical; there is not enough butter on Serenity to bathe in.
And yet, to spite the illogical bend of the situation, here she was, covered in butter. Did they even have butter?

And, surrounded by popcorn.
There is not enough popcorn on Serenity to fill a room.
This was a highly illogical situation. A distressing one.

"Simon?" she called out, tentatively. She didn't expect an answer. That... was far more distressing than the popcorn.
Don't be irrational, she thought. It was sound advice.
"Simon?!" She called again, louder. Of course, no answer, but she was allowed to be irrational once in a while. But only for a few seconds. If Simon wasn't here, he was obviously elsewhere, so elsewhere she would go. She stepped out of the popcorn room, and dripped down the unfamiliar hallway.

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"Kurama knows about plants. He helped me protect the mangosteen grove before Lezard put up a charm to make it stay warm for always, and he met a leopard cat there."

A was rather intrigued as well, even if he did find the oiled effect somewhat disquieting.

"I see," she said. Then, after a moment. "Who are you?"

The question startled him a bit, but he had an answer now. He'd never have to be 'Attempted Alternate' to her.

"I'm A. I am learning to grow plants, and to use them for food and medicine."

"I'm River. I was popcorn a little while ago. Before that, I was broken, but being fixed."

A smiles a little sadly at that; being fixed has filled much of his time at Hogwarts.

"Do you run so swiftly that there are no ripples?"

"I dance on the ripples," she replied. "To the shore and back again. I remember everything, even the made-up parts."

She paused then, quiet.
"A is a good name. The beginning."

"Kusuriyuri says I must be mindful of ripples," he said soberly. "And I am beginning to be things. Before, I was... made to be."

"Starting fresh. It's good." Her hands were still busy with the cats, but she was smiling at A.

"This, it, it's a good place for that." A smiled back nervously, rubbing his throat. "If I wasn't here, I wouldn't be anywhere."

She cocked her head to the side, and her eyes seemed to flicker "inside" for a moment. After a time, here eyes widened, and she made a small 'o' with her mouth.
"This is a good place, then."

"I have a garden here," he said, regaining his composure. "And a greenhouse. And a mangosteen grove. And there are Einstein and Schrodinger," he gestured at the cats, both purring loudly, "and Bernoulli."

And that wasn't counting his friends who were human, or could pass for it.

She hummed, the thought of a garden, of a grove, and a greenhouse... wonderful things. Beautiful things she missed out in the black.
"Will you show me?"

"Ohhhh..." A's eyes widened, and he smiled broadly. "Oh, oh yes, I, I, I will show you the flowers, and the fruits and vegetables, and the herbs for cooking and for medicine, and the mangosteen grove where it will be warm always."

A always loved showing off his horticultural progress, but this was the first time a pretty girl had asked to see.

"Always warm?" a grin pulled across her face. "Sounds like magic. Are the fruits and vegetables good to eat?"

"It is magic. It is magic that the grove is here at all. And oh, oh yes, the fruits and vegetables are good, I never, oh, before I had my garden I never knew how good they are when they are freshly grown. Even most of the flowers I grow can be used for food. And I am learning to cook with what I grow."

He thought for a moment and, then, shyly, "The Charentais melons have just become ripe. I haven't tried them yet. Maybe you would like to taste them with me."

"I've never had a Charentais melon," she said. She couldn't even imagine what one tasted like. "I'd love to."

"You will come to my greenhouse, then," A said, still shy. "I will bring something for us to drink, and maybe some sandwiches, and we will eat melon under the pear tree."

"A pear tree..." she made a happy little noise, rocking back and forth on her heels. "I want to meet a pear tree." Then, she ducked her head, a little shy herself. "Thank you, A."

A smiled more confidently at that, at the sign that she understood.

"I have other trees to introduce you to also. There is a cherry tree, and a peach tree, and in the greenhouse are a lime tree and a maple tree and a mikan, and soon a clementine tree as well. And there are many mangosteen trees in the grove, and many plants that are not trees."

Her eyes brightened as she named off each tree. Just the thought of meeting them all... wonderful.

"Do you... grow strawberries?" she asked tentatively. She knew that when she found Kaylee, Kaylee would want to know about strawberries being easily available.

"The strawberries... they, they aren't in the garden, they're on my windowsill in my room. Ryuzaki likes them, so I make sure they grow well for him."

Tentatively, "I don't think he would be unhappy if I gave you some."

She beamed at him.
"Book paid us with strawberries and vegetables from the monestary. I was still sleeping, but Kaylee saved some for me without knowing it. And we shared them, it was wonderful."

"I, I don't know if they are as good as monastery strawberries. But they are very fresh, and I think they are good. There are blackberries, too, in the garden."

"I think they'll be just as good," she said, not losing her smile one bit, "if not better."

"There, there will be lots of fruits for you to try," he stammered. "And I will, I, I'll make limeade, with limes from the tree, with lavender in it."

It seemed a logical variation on lavender lemonade.

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