Video > Voice

[rraidergirl]

 [This is a video of the scattered mess of tiny robot parts she's made in one corner of the cargo bay.]

I managed to get a few of these things put together, but at this rate, it's going to take me another week.  I'm really not sure what I'm meant to do with a dozen or so robot vacuum cleaners to begin with.  I'm open to some suggestions.

[The feed switches to voice as Lara adds after a tentative pause. ]

I may have also received a video meant for someone else, something about Pax.

Comments

voice;

[rraidergirl]

[ That's very nearly part of the human condition... But that's too bleak and morbid of a thing to say. ]

What would you like to do with it? I'll help, if you'd like.

[ It feels wrong just to pass the video off and leave it at that. ]

voice;

[highlyintuitive]

Just put it away somewhere until it's needed. Somewhere quiet.

[ Somewhere no one had to think about it. ]

voice;

[rraidergirl]

[ Somewhere quiet... ]

In the library, maybe. Or... I don't know if this ship has archives separate from the library come to think of it.

voice;

[highlyintuitive]

It's like a grenade, wouldn't want to put it where a normal person might find it. They might hurt themselves.

voice;

[rraidergirl]

Somewhere quiet and out of the way, but not locked down. I think we can manage that.

Do you want to come along? Make sure it's the right spot?

voice;

[highlyintuitive]

I'd like that. [ A pause as she remembers something. ] I'm River. You shouldn't have had to see it.

voice; > action?

[rraidergirl]

I'm Lara. It's all right... [ She thinks about saying more, but doesn't. ] I'll meet you outside the library.

[highlyintuitive]

[ River makes her way to the library as agreed. She's dressed as nonregulation as ever. Thermals covered by a dress and a sweater. Part of her wants to find some corner to hide in, hum until it goes away on its own. But this is hers and she needs to make sure it's taken care of proper like.

She approaches, trying not to look as disquieted as she feels. It isn't entirely effective. ]

You're Lara. [ Not a question, she looked on the MID. ]

[rraidergirl]

[ Lara is only slightly better; rumpled uniform pants and thermals, the jacket long since taken off and temporarily forgotten, envelope with the disk in one hand. She wasn't sure what exactly she was expecting, but it wasn't the girl in front of her.

She nods.]

I am. You're River?

[highlyintuitive]

[ She nods. Lara's state of dress puts her at ease. It reminds her of her crew on Serenity, the easy dishevelment of them all. She offers a thin smile to her. ]

You found someplace to bury it?

[rraidergirl]

[ She nods.]

As it were, yes. [ she turns to go into the library, gesturing for River to follow.]

[highlyintuitive]

[ River falls into step with Lara, reaching a hand out to trace along the edges of the books. Paper books were a paradoxical luxury. Rich families were applauded for having collections of books that couldn't be touched while vid screens were used for every day reading.

The border planets meanwhile had paper books that were dog eared and falling apart because the vids were too expensive. River liked the library. ]

Seems a good tomb.

[rraidergirl]

[ She looks back, a flicker of a smile lighting up her face. ]

Somewhere buried, but not forgotten. What a library is for, I think. [ She takes her to the farthest corner, to a filing cabinet. Bending over, she opens the bottom draw, pulling it out to retrieve an empty file in the very back. ] Every tomb needs a coffin.

[highlyintuitive]

[ It's good. It eases some of the panic that's been churning in River's stomach since the word Pax was mentioned. The file can go to sleep and not wake up unless she needs it. ]

I'm not saying a eulogy.

[ She's carried it long enough. People paid the price for it to reach the world. Now it would go into the dark and stay there. ]

[rraidergirl]

Then we won't give it one.

[ Lara does dig a pen out of the pocket of her uniform pants and scrawls PAX across the label of the file. She kneels back down to return the file to the drawer, closing it back up. The soft roll and thump has a strangely final sound to it in the quiet library. ]

There.