[ the thing about memories is that they can cling to places and objects just as much as people. it's part of what made being in the pit so unbearable; not just the piles of partially decayed bodies, now laid out here in the morgue, but the agony that lingered in the air and the malice rooted deep in the soil. scraps of clothes and shoes and jewelry all held the last cries of their owners as they died in terrible ways.
when eddie places the ring in river's hand, a different type of memory comes to her. soft and warm, the gentle firelight of nocwich under a dark sky as he listened to the merchant's sales pitch. it wasn't as fanciful as eddie's already roughshod tale but it makes it that much sweeter, that he would give this to her as a good luck charm of sorts. 'the very essence of bravery.'
it's a little corny and she loves it. river eventually smiles, fraught though it may be, and clutches the ring close. ]
Xièxiè nǐ, Eddie. It works.
[ even if only because he said he would be here every step of the way, and he is. that helps. she can be brave. ]
Go slow, and take breaks. I promise not to throw up on your shoes.
[ pour one out for kyle who wasn't so lucky. river flashes another fleeting smile at eddie before putting the ring on each of her fingers until it lands on her thumb, the best fit between the different size of their hands. she rubs her other thumb over the stone several times, taking deep breaths and letting it ground her.
when she feels ready, she nods her head decisively and looks around the room. it's not just bones, she had said. some of the bodies are virtually goo with spongy bones, others have have growths and lesions and fungi across their desiccated flesh. the ones with roots disturb her the most, or those with small mouths full of thorny teeth that still look keen to devour.
she considers it all for a few minutes before turning away and wiping tears away from her face again. not great for the stomach, indeed. her voice comes small but earnest. ]
no subject
when eddie places the ring in river's hand, a different type of memory comes to her. soft and warm, the gentle firelight of nocwich under a dark sky as he listened to the merchant's sales pitch. it wasn't as fanciful as eddie's already roughshod tale but it makes it that much sweeter, that he would give this to her as a good luck charm of sorts. 'the very essence of bravery.'
it's a little corny and she loves it. river eventually smiles, fraught though it may be, and clutches the ring close. ]
Xièxiè nǐ, Eddie. It works.
[ even if only because he said he would be here every step of the way, and he is. that helps. she can be brave. ]
Go slow, and take breaks. I promise not to throw up on your shoes.
[ pour one out for kyle who wasn't so lucky. river flashes another fleeting smile at eddie before putting the ring on each of her fingers until it lands on her thumb, the best fit between the different size of their hands. she rubs her other thumb over the stone several times, taking deep breaths and letting it ground her.
when she feels ready, she nods her head decisively and looks around the room. it's not just bones, she had said. some of the bodies are virtually goo with spongy bones, others have have growths and lesions and fungi across their desiccated flesh. the ones with roots disturb her the most, or those with small mouths full of thorny teeth that still look keen to devour.
she considers it all for a few minutes before turning away and wiping tears away from her face again. not great for the stomach, indeed. her voice comes small but earnest. ]
Where - where should we start?