[ river sees him bright in her mind, hears him loud and clear even when he says nothing ( particularly when he says nothing, nothing is her specialty ) and she fills in the spaces inbetween with an open field, long bladed grass littered with moon lilies that sway in a light breeze she can close her eyes and imagine brushing across her skin.
the sky is tricky. had to fudge around with the astronomical parameters to get the full moon glowing bright amidst a thick blanket of stars and the sun peeking over the horizon. night and day at the same time, in a field of poisonous flowers and fresh grass. beautiful things, impossible nothings - nothing is her specialty. ]
Datura stramonium. It's poison, if you let it be. Also one of the fundamentals.
[ just her dress and bare feet with a flower in her hand today. she offers it to him with a smile. ]
[ the flower doesn't look right in his hand. or derek doesn't think it does. derek's hands have been covered in blood more often then not, he doesn't think he should be holding this. there's a moon over his head but it doesn't tug at his chest, doesn't bring the wolf crackling up to the surface, and derek spins the stem in his fingertips for a long moment before he says anything at all. ]
Hi, River.
[ she built this for him. it's not home, but it's closer than anything else that he's seen since he arrived up here. ( except for the dream, that one time, but that can't count. ) ]
[ scott said 'it's all he knows' and river said nothing because in a way, he's right. if you're born in darkness and the only light you've ever seen was an all-consuming flame, darkness will become you. but that doesn't mean it's your only option. river still believes derek can be happy because she believes he was once before, knows he was in the way he honours laura and knows the moon is beautiful.
because he took the flower even though he thinks he doesn't deserve it. ]
You were hiding in a dark wood. And we come out to find the stars.
[ not a perfect quote but nothing is quite straight in the girl's mind. she crouches down to pick another flower and tuck it in her hair behind her ear. ]
I'll send the code to your comm. Come whenever you want.
[ she crouches, and derek sits down, stretches out. it's not quite relaxed, but it's less tense than normal. there's worse places derek's been than this. compared to what he's seen on the ship, this is paradise. ]
Alright.
[ even if this means he might never come at all. ]
[ he sits so she kneels down instead, swaying through the hologram of the flowers with her fingers, following the flow of her artificial breeze. it's not real, but it's close as she gets. suits her perfectly. ]
Reverse psychology. Someone says 'don't itch,' human nature creates likelihood of itching subconsciously simply by suggestion implant. The brain is a brat.
[ she grins because his frown fits his face like a glove. slender fingers reach up to touch it, if he'll let her. ]
[ river's fingers against his face is allowed for a moment before derek leans back, shakes her off. derek's tactile but only on his own terms, only when he's the one controlling the touch. everything else is an intrusion, and he's not at the point where he can just--
[ river understands issues and takes each allowance for the gift that it is ( proof, too; she knows she's right ) and holds out her arm for him instead. all that's left is a vaguely irritated red spot near her nanite tattoo. it was a bug bite. she bothered you over a bug bite. ]
[ river is a force of nature. derek doesn't know what else to do with her other than accept that this is just how she is and that she's part of his life now.
she speaks and derek doesn't answer. for a long moment he's just silent, feeling out the honesty in her words, trying to decide how to respond. ]
So you called me about a bug bite?
[ which is better than saying he doesn't know if he's back anymore, how he doesn't want to be back here at all. ]
[ she hears it anyway, always listening so closely to the silence. his voice is there, the growl between the trees not as a threat but because he feels threatened. silence is secure and river is always so loud. ]
I called about an itch.
[ the things that get under the skin and nag at the mind; she thinks about being alone in the woods sometimes. lost, the way they have been before. she wonders if fire is coming for them this time too. ]
[ derek blows out a breath. he doesn't know how to respond. river turns everything on its head, pulls the ground out from under his feet. he turns to look at her, watch her face. ]
Did you see it coming?
[ peter. everyone leaving. it's not a fair question and he shouldn't ask, but derek's selfish enough to do it anyway, has enough anger burning under his skin that he needs to see if she'll skitter away from him. [
[ the question doesn't make sense but neither does she. she falters when he asks, knowing what he wants and not knowing what he needs. blinks and furrows her brows, hides her hands inside the sleeves of merlin's coat. ]
Some. Not all. It's not - it doesn't come, when I open my eyes. It's just there sometimes, and -
[ and she didn't tell because she didn't know. river skitters away from her own mind but fingers poke out from her sleeve to look for his sleeve. not supposed to touch. ]
[ it wouldn't have changed anything. derek tells himself that, because what would it have mattered if she'd told him? it would have all had to have happened regardless. ]
[ she's not sure if he's upset or not, doesn't think he knows either, so she rolls onto her front and spreads her hands flat against the hologram. digging in falsehoods. ]
[ that's flattering, coming from derek. he's said much less kind things about stiles in the course of knowing him, but it costs him nothing to say something vaguely nice when no one but river is around to hear it. ]
[ that's probably river's favourite part about being around him. there's magic and there's mysteries but most of all, they've got nothing but time on their hands.
free to take and give as they want without losing anything. it makes it so much easier and terrifying. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text, auggielocked;
No. He came out. I can make somewhere for us. Holodeck 16.
action.
action.
the sky is tricky. had to fudge around with the astronomical parameters to get the full moon glowing bright amidst a thick blanket of stars and the sun peeking over the horizon. night and day at the same time, in a field of poisonous flowers and fresh grass. beautiful things, impossible nothings - nothing is her specialty. ]
Datura stramonium. It's poison, if you let it be. Also one of the fundamentals.
[ just her dress and bare feet with a flower in her hand today. she offers it to him with a smile. ]
Hello, Derek.
action.
Hi, River.
[ she built this for him. it's not home, but it's closer than anything else that he's seen since he arrived up here. ( except for the dream, that one time, but that can't count. ) ]
This is nice.
action.
[ scott said 'it's all he knows' and river said nothing because in a way, he's right. if you're born in darkness and the only light you've ever seen was an all-consuming flame, darkness will become you. but that doesn't mean it's your only option. river still believes derek can be happy because she believes he was once before, knows he was in the way he honours laura and knows the moon is beautiful.
because he took the flower even though he thinks he doesn't deserve it. ]
You were hiding in a dark wood. And we come out to find the stars.
[ not a perfect quote but nothing is quite straight in the girl's mind. she crouches down to pick another flower and tuck it in her hair behind her ear. ]
I'll send the code to your comm. Come whenever you want.
action.
Alright.
[ even if this means he might never come at all. ]
Did Scott look at your arm?
action.
Did. Very useful.
[ she looks up suddenly, very serious. ]
He made it itch.
action.
What did he do to it?
action.
[ she grins because his frown fits his face like a glove. slender fingers reach up to touch it, if he'll let her. ]
Don't be sour. Scott McCall is useful.
action.
derek's got issues, case and point. ]
Let me see.
action.
action.
River.
[ like seriously it's a bug bite. ]
action.
I missed you.
[ river tam, lady of give no fucks o'clock. ]
action.
she speaks and derek doesn't answer. for a long moment he's just silent, feeling out the honesty in her words, trying to decide how to respond. ]
So you called me about a bug bite?
[ which is better than saying he doesn't know if he's back anymore, how he doesn't want to be back here at all. ]
action.
I called about an itch.
[ the things that get under the skin and nag at the mind; she thinks about being alone in the woods sometimes. lost, the way they have been before. she wonders if fire is coming for them this time too. ]
action.
Did you see it coming?
[ peter. everyone leaving. it's not a fair question and he shouldn't ask, but derek's selfish enough to do it anyway, has enough anger burning under his skin that he needs to see if she'll skitter away from him. [
action.
Some. Not all. It's not - it doesn't come, when I open my eyes. It's just there sometimes, and -
[ and she didn't tell because she didn't know. river skitters away from her own mind but fingers poke out from her sleeve to look for his sleeve. not supposed to touch. ]
Don't be sour.
no subject
I'm not sour.
[ he huffs out a breath, almost a laugh. ]
Don't talk like Stiles.
no subject
What's a Stiles?
no subject
Scott's friend.
[ carefully chosen, because derek likes to be aware of stiles loyalties as they stand. ]
no subject
Is he useful too?
no subject
[ that's flattering, coming from derek. he's said much less kind things about stiles in the course of knowing him, but it costs him nothing to say something vaguely nice when no one but river is around to hear it. ]
no subject
free to take and give as they want without losing anything. it makes it so much easier and terrifying. ]
When you need him to be?
no subject
[ when derek's need for stiles to be useful didn't clash with his own personal motivations. but that was a tangled mess for another day, wasn't it. ]