❂ open!

[thoughts]

Who: river & you!!
When: over the first week of december!
Where: nocwich and castle thorne
What: exploring nocwich for that good cross-faction CR and then a week later when river's canon powers return with a suckerpunch
Warnings: possible mentions of human experimentation, torture, and child abuse. there are content warnings for canon themes and an opt-in/opt-out post for her psychic abilities over here, please check it out!

☾ backdated - nocwich

[ being new to abraxas - alarmed and terrified at being stolen away, having spent the first day traversing castle thorne in a daze as she tried to accept the reality of this world - there is no small amount of trepidation as she steps through the portal to nocwich. as far as the theoretical physics of it all, a portal is more outlandish than teleportation, which makes more sense from a logistical standpoint. although she's not a fan of the molecular deconstruction of her body just to be reassembled elsewhere, so maybe a magic portal won't be so bad...

anyone by the castle thorne portal might hear her mumbling about this for a long while before she finally takes a deep breath and steps through.

more than the notion of magic being real how is magic real, river's main curiosity is the fact of being allowed to go to nocwich at all. she isn't used to her captors being willing to let them leave, even if it's on a tight leash. nowhere close to freedom, but it falls to the back of her mind the moment she finds herself in the bright and lively nature of oleuni square.

with no money to spend and no inclination to buy anything in the first place, river spends her time just wandering around looking at everything with eyes the size of saucers. with a staunch lack of propriety, she'll pick up anything she's curious about and may or may not put it back where it belongs. she watches the performances on stage with rapt attention, stares a little too long at any non-human folks walking about, and otherwise seems to float about in a happy daze as she wanders alone through the streets.

might be best she's not left unattended for too long, lest she overstay her welcome and disturb the locals. ]

☉ current date - castle thorne

[ despite her early misgivings and intense mistrust of those what brought them to this world against their will, there is so much about the castle that excites the childlike wonder that encompasses river in her entirety. it's stunningly beautiful, and she spends a lot of time aimlessly wandering around ( generally barefoot ) as she takes in the architecture, hangs out in the gardens, and puts her fingers all over anything that even remotely looks magical.

more often than not, it looks like she's having fun. she might get shy or suspicious when people approach her, especially any of the thornean mages, but she does well enough to explore with a brightness to her features.

in many ways, it's a blessing of her eyes being closed, her mind shut to the influx of noise and chaos that ordinarily floods her senses. river knew better than to hope the silence might stay forever, but it still catches her by surprise when the moment comes during breakfast on her eighth day. like a tidal wave crashing over her, the thoughts and emotions and worries and fears and secrets and everythingeverything around her overloads her senses.

anyone in the dining hall might hear a loud scream and the clatter of dishes as river flings herself out and away from the table. she winds up on the floor, eyes wide and shaking like a leaf in the wind, ready to be blown away by the slightest breeze. she rambles in distress, seemingly without seeing anyone in front of her even as she sees everything. ]

No, no no no. No! You can't - you can't be here, you can't! Qǐng shàngdì liánmǐn - stay away!

[ tears in her eyes and screams in her ears, river may be hard to console as she tries and fails to fight back the rising tide of panic. let's just hope nothing sharp or pointy finds its way into her shaking hands... ]

[ ooc: as a reminder, hover over any chinese text for a translate, and please hop on over to her opt-in/opt-out post to let me know how you'd like me to play her psychic abilities around your character. feel free to reach out to me at ragemarshmallow on discord or varooooom if you want to plot anything out! 💚 ]

Comments

[thoughts]

[ not yet. he makes it sound so nice, like a promise of more to come, and the possibility that it'll be something good when you get there. she can't tell if it's a form of optimism or just the exuberant way he seems to barrel through things, his mind going a mile a minute the whole time, but it makes her smile faintly.

to answer his question, though, she lowers her gaze. ]

Yes.

[ he's a smart man; maybe he can figure out for himself that it was when 'the doctors took her away and made her not safe.' she was all alone then, much like she is now. river gives the doctor a meaningful glance and then looks around at their colorful surroundings in this strange place of nocwich. ]

Never been allowed to wander like this, though. Can't do everything, but... it's a lot.

[ she turns back to him with another faint smile. ]

She might get into trouble without him.

[ seems like something he might know a thing or two about. ]

[thedreamer]

[ And he does note that quickly, given the context of everything she's explained already. His over-curious mind wants to know more, but he's not about to turn this into an inquisition, not when they'd already perched on a precarious foundation with the memories his own name had conjured for her. In his experience, he's found, more about her will reveal itself in time if trust is earned. Not that it always applies, of course.

Yes is enough for now. Still, he'll worry a bit overmuch about her. Check in on her as much as he can.

He stuffs his hands in his pockets for a moment, rocking a little on his heels and leaning in just a touch closer, whispering with a faintly conspiratorial smile in return. ]

I might be old friends with trouble by now so I can't promise to keep you out of it, but I can absolutely promise to be in it with you, even if we're not always near each other. We'll make do, eh? And you can visit my ship in the Horizon anytime you like! Well, once you're sorted out going there the first time.

[ He leans back away now, though still with a gentle smile on his face. ]

If we're — possibly — going to be partners in not-trouble, what do I call you?

[thoughts]

[ she considers him in silence for a long moment - what might be considered an awkwardly long moment, by most people's standards. she can't help it; she's still not sure what to make of him. fascinating and brilliant, a mind full of nonsense and lips that fly just as quickly as his rapidly fleeting thoughts. a doctor but not a physician, a very important distinction to make.

it's in her nature to be curious and he is a walking mystery. she wants to know more. he said he'll keep her safe by trying and if there's trouble, he'll get into it with her. so it's okay, right? ]

River.

[ said quietly, then she adds with that same very faint smile, trying to be brave in a big world where she is terribly alone. "partners in not-trouble" sounds fun. ]

A sky-dancing friend. Hěn gāoxìng rènshí nǐ, the capital D Doctor.

wrap here? ty for this thread, I loved them ❤

[thedreamer]

[ A familiar name to him, someone he loved once, long gone now, like they all are inevitably. River will go back to Thorne, and while nothing is promised or certain tomorrow or the day after, he knows there are very good people there (and all over here) who will do absolutely everything they can for her.

For now, he's quick to smile back at her, dipping his head in a little friendly bow. ]

I'm glad we've met, River of the stars, and I hope we meet again soon. I won't be far if you ever need me, just talk to me here.

[ He taps the side of his head for good measure. ]