oo1 ∞ video

[thoughts]

[ in the feed, river can be seen wearing a newly appropriated dress, a nice green and flowing thing that billows out around her legs in a passing breeze. she's standing up somewhere high, the surface rounded and colourful; her ( bare, as always ) toes curl around it to give her balance, and she's staring down at them with wide eyes. ]

Finally found her. She won't stop crying.

[ there's a creak of metal, and river goes to one knee, just in case, braced against a fall that doesn't come. her head tilts curiously and you know what, fuck it. she's just going to lay down completely, one ear pressed to the roof of the carousel in the dark carnival. there are a few natives telling her to come down, as well as a few ghosts hovering nearby; no signs of anyone crying, and river pets her hand across the space beside her head. ]

Shh. Don't be sad. It'll all be over soon.

[ ooc; just a little bit of newbie metaplot for y'all! this is sort of forward dated to later on day 450, so i guess i could've posted it tomorrow but i do what i want, thor. just in case, river's permissions post is here! ]

Comments

[brainsqueeze]

Who did you find, River?

[ And where the hell are you? That second part is pretty worrying ]

[thoughts]

Not sure. She doesn't answer when I ask, just keeps crying.

[ which is rude, okay! ]

[brainsqueeze]

[ Who doesn't? If there's someone there Maria can't see her, or hear her. Out of video range? ]

You can find out. [ There's faith. River had good ideas about Steve, and even about what had happened to them getting here. She can learn the woman's name ] Try to calm her.

[video]

[fuckingwolverine]

[Hello, fellow climber. Lilly's watching her with interest.]

Who?

[video]

[thoughts]

[ they could start a club, climbers climbing things that were not meant to be climbed. ]

Voice without a face. Things without faces don't come with names.

[text; private]

[snowstormed]

[And here he'd been hoping to go a little longer without using the network. Damn it, River.]

where are you [No mention of anyone crying, here. Sure, there are ghosts around, but he can see those well enough. He can't hear or see anyone crying, here.]

[text; private]

[thoughts]

[ sorry, buck. girl on a mission, can't stop until it's done.though this one's leading her nowhere real fast. ]

carnival. not as dark as they say.

audio

[variates]

Who's this she?

audio

[thoughts]

Don't know. Can't know. She only cries.

video.

[extraordinarie]

[ so the fact that kate may or may not have been forgetting things at random, things she shouldn't forget or can't forget or just, generally, doesn't really want to think about forgetting at all, is definitely not important. not when people are in danger. who they are, or if she remembers them or not, is not important.

not really.

so kate smiles because that is something she can do, even though she may or may not be a little lost in the city while trying to get to wherever this girl might be. it should come back to her soon, shouldn't it? has she even been here before? ]

Do you know why she's crying?

[ better to keep her talking, just long enough for kate to find a way to get to her. ]

video.

[thoughts]

[ the smile is a bit grounding, something river can tether the conversation to so that she doesn't float away with the things she doesn't understand. voices are normal. voice, singular, with no body or name to claim it - it's beyond her. ]

She has an ache. In her heart.

[ but she frowns as she says it, because river can't know the way she would usually know. her best guess is heartache. ]

voice } { private

[impetere]

[Does Cora know what's happening here? No, not so much. But a woman crying isn't familiar so much as something she can feel, an insistent tugging weight in her gut, as though she's losing something important to her all over again.]

You feel that too?

[It's more of a question than anything else. These feelings aren't hers, and they compromise her in ways she doesn't want. Can't want. Maybe they can figure out how to make them go away.]

voice } { private

[thoughts]

[ it's the first sign anyone has shown of recognising what river can't see or touch or feel. she isn't a stranger to crazy, and madness greets her as an old friend, but usually it's alone.

but the voice says too and it belongs to someone, a body on the other side. another piece of a puzzle without a picture to guide, but at least it's something. ]

Shàngdì bāngzhù wǒmen, can you hear her?

[video]

[averagemedium]

[It's familiar to Ryan in a way that stings, a bit. Disembodied voices, signs that come and go, all the sorts of lingering signs of past events that he used to find everywhere at home-- along with the ghosts, it all almost seems designed as a specific reminder. He definitely looks more troubled than usual, but he at least manages to keep his voice level.]

We had things like that where I'm from- nobody there, not ghosts, just... echoes. Imprints. She might not really be there anymore.

[Not a very comforting way to say 'don't worry', but it's better than some of the alternatives.]

I've never seen that here, but normally everyone isn't seeing spirits, either. It's possible.

[video]

[thoughts]

[ river latches onto any signs of familiarity like a vice, so desperate is she to make sense of things that never will. her mind has always been flayed open for the wonders of the world to flood in uninvited, but this is different, and she's afraid. ]

They took my ears when I got here. My ears and my eyes, cut them out and put in something different, called it a blessing.

[ the closest she's gotten to saying it outright, at least. river knows ghosts, and these aren't hers. but ryan is familiar, at least, he has familiarity. maybe he can understand. ]

Are we blessed yet?

action;

[runningstart]

[Wally doesn't bother with responding to the post, he just runs over to the park and the carousel upon which River is sprawled. gat damn that thing looks steep]

Hey, uh, Riv? Wanna come down?

action;

[thoughts]

[ the top of her head pokes over the edge of the carousel curiously, more for the unexpected nickname than anything else. she's never been a riv before. she blinks and deadpans: ]

No.

[allpurposescarf]

Finally found whom?

[thoughts]

The weeping woman.

[ a ghost story. has to be, since she can't find her. ]

She won't stop crying.

video; enjoy a Mal facetwin

[writeswrongs]

[Castle watches the transmission and seriously feels like he just watched some kind of bizarre art film or horror movie. Granted everyone has been off lately, including him, but this girl is petting the air like there's a cat there.]

Uh... who did you find?

video;

[thoughts]

[ nothing to enjoy. river stares and stares and his face is still the same, but not. ]

Tā mā de de yuángù, bad luck.

whoo identity confusion SORRY

[bythewaves]

Fileg?

[ the initial gasp is soft but no, no - it isn't her, at least, not the little bird who knew him ]

Your pardon lady. You remind me of one dearly missed. Who is it that weeps?

YES GOOD

[thoughts]

[ it's the first language river doesn't actually recognise, which sparks almost enough wonder to blanket his apparent recognition of her.

almost. 'dearly missed', and isn't it so to miss something that was never yours to begin with? such a greedy child, river tam. ]

Not here. She's - um. [ which one was she talking about? oh, right. ] An unknown entity. Can't find her face.

[Video]

[comeonthensexy]

[ There you are, River. He's seen she's back, has considered contacting her but he couldn't be sure she remembers, after all. So he's refrained.

And she's exactly as he remembers. Naturally. A warm smile spreads on his face as he responds, despite where he is and how much it's actually kind of rough. ]

Who's crying?

[Video]

[thoughts]

[ she recognises him, but only through someone else's eyes. another doctor that isn't a doctor. her expression is guarded, still, but at least she isn't screaming this time. ]

Everyone asks, but there's still no answer. She doesn't. Doesn't answer.