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]

Where are you?

[ Maybe she could get there, help. Or get River off that height ]

I can help you calm her.

[ Give her tips first as she moved ]

[thoughts]

The carnival. Not very exciting, don't even have any grav-stop chambers.

[ petulantly, ever the child. ghosts are watching her while natives try to flag her down, it hasn't been a terribly enjoyable day for her. ]

[brainsqueeze]

I'm on my way. Keep talking to her, River. See if she listens.

[ If River had her eyes on the video she'd see that Maria was leaving - first her room and then the house. Okay. Where was this carnival ]

[thoughts]

[ river watches her leave, then lays back down on the roof to do as she's told. keep talking. she mumbles quietly, though, and mostly in chinese; and old strings of platitudes māmā might whisper to a sickly child.

she doesn't really know which voice in her head it's for, but she tries anyway, and watches maria through the feed. ]

[brainsqueeze]

[ The Chinese goes over Maria's head - not a language that she's ever learned nor had much experience with but it does tell her one thing. River is still trying. That is good, now if only the fact that the girl was laid down at such a height would be less worrying could be a little better. But Maria's moving, trying to get there quickly. She'd pulled up the map, locating the carnival on it. It shouldn't take too much longer ]

Has she said anything?

[thoughts]

She won't. Been trying for hours.

[ it's almost petulant, but there's still confusion and fear to contend with. she sniffles and rubs at her nose. ]

Thought I could reach her up here. But I can't.

[brainsqueeze]

Is there anything else up there, or anyone else?

[ Other than the woman. The non-existent woman, she'll find out ]

[thoughts]

[ river just shakes her head. nothing but her and her madness. what a day to be alive. ]

[brainsqueeze]

Give me five, okay? [ She's at the carnival, and the ride that River's at. It was just a matter of getting up to her ] I'm here.

[ This could be a long five minutes ]

[thoughts]

[ five minutes. she can wait that long. maybe. river peeks over the edge of the carousel just long enough to find maria, then slides back onto the relative safety of the canopy. ]

They don't see if you go from behind. Stealth mode.

[ still some aggravated natives down there, but river has no plans to come down anytime soon. ]

[brainsqueeze]

[ Behind. Right. How the hell did you get up there River. Maria is not quite certain she can get up there (as easily). But she'll try. Slowly and steadily ]

You okay up there?

[ The voice isn't through the bracelet anymore but to River's own ears. She might have to peer again to catch sight of the owner. She's getting there ]

[thoughts]

"Okay" is subjective terminology for an undefined state of being. Like "all right".

[ recited from their first meeting; she could probably recount the number of stray hairs maria had that day if asked. but she's just being cheeky. ]

Better up here than down there. Are you okay?

[brainsqueeze]

[ Very cheeky, but it's at least the sweet kind. And at least Maria gets an answer this time ]

Somewhere in the middle.

[ Of okay and not, and the up and down. She gives everything around her another look, finds another hand and foot hold before pushing herself up some more. Now she can at least see you, and no one else ]

Where did she go?