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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"I love dancing," she said, grabbing on to the topic for dear life. No doctors, no more. She couldn't think of them, not without Simon there with his good medicine.

"It is the most wonderful thing in the world." Though, cats were quickly becoming second-most wonderful on her list. Schrodinger was purring.

"I haven't seen any, not dancing. I, I know what it is, but the closest I've been to it was when Mello tried to teach me how to fight and we had to stop because I didn't want to be touched. Although maybe the way the cats move is a little like a dance sometimes."

Albeit a fairly chaotic one.

River gave him a pitying look. If she wasn't currently slimy with butter, and if she had music (it was always better with music you could hear and feel) she would have danced for him right then and there.

"I am learning things here. The cats are teaching me to play, and to rest, and Kusuriyuri is teaching me to use plants, and I am learning to be green."

Kurama had told Kusuriyuri and L about the lessons he was giving A in manipulating plant energy, but he wasn't sure how many people should know.

"You'll need to learn harder," she said, peering at him closely, "you still look pinkish-tan to me."

"Green like plants becoming strong under the sun," he clarified. "Flowers opening and fruit becoming ripe."

"Oh." She said simply. Leaning this close, she could easily smell him. "You smell like flowers."

"Primavera and Kurama found it in the mangosteen grove," he said as if she'd know who he meant. "A chest full of little bottles of oils that smelled like things. I liked the ones that smelled like flowers because they remind me of my garden even when I am not there."

"It's good," she announced, nodding her head with finality. Schrodinger was nibbling on her skirt, so she flipped the cat over and began to tickle its belly. she grimaced a little when more butter dripped all over the little cat, but said feline didn't seem to mind.

Finally sick of Schrodinger getting all the attention now that he was sure this new person was no threat, Einstein padded up to her with a plaintive mew, licking at her buttery hand.

A smiled at that; Einstein could be a little shy when meeting people.

"There are more that I haven't tried yet," he told her. "Primavera said sometimes they smell different on your skin than in the bottle."

River petted both cats simultaneously as she processed that information.
"Is Primavera a companion?" The name sounded vaguely companion-like, and the only female she knew who actively wore or worked with oils and the like was Inara, aside from those few times when Kaylee would get crazy with the strawberry air freshener.

"I don't know what she is." Of course, he wasn't sure what she meant by 'companion' either. "Kurama was talking to her. She acted like everything bored her."

"Who's Kurama?" She asked, continuing to entertain the cats. Most of the excess butter had dripped to the floor by now, and was starting to dry. She would normally have been more interested in finding a shower or something, but this boy - whoever he was - seemed far more intriguing.

"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?"

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