fandomtownies | The Arms Hotel Lobby, Friday

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The Arms Hotel Lobby, Friday

River lay on her back on the desk, wearing sunglasses.

Welcome to the Arms Hotel!
Today's Specials
Pina Colada Soup
Fruit salad

The Arms Hotel is open.

Tyler had kind of been putting this one off, but he figured it was time to say something he should have said a good dozen years ago. (or, you know, two). So he went to find River at work. He stood watching her lie there, hands in his pockets.

"Hey."

He was different, but the same. The second voice in his head was a lot quieter, as it had been for some time now.

[OOC: Firefly marathon on my TV right now.]

River sat up, frowning. "Tyler?" It had been a long time since he had left, although longer for him, appearantly.

He swallowed before speaking. "Yeah. Same guy, just .. it's been a long time. Madrox told me you worked here and I figured I should say hey before we spooked each other."

"Hey."

She tilted her head. "Long time no see."

"I could say the same. It's eleven years," he told her. "Time travel. Too weird for me. They're letting me teach." He still couldn't get over that, even now that he had actually done it. "You graduated already?"

River tried to figure out what she felt. The memory of her anger at Tyler was still there, but so much in the past it felt like the feelings of a different person.

She nodded. "Graduated. TA for Deadpool during the summer."

Tyler felt ashamed, mostly. He'd let his other self off the leash, let him hurt someone, and that memory was sharp despite the years even as details around it had become fuzzy.

(Christ, had he even apologized?)

"Deadpool," he repeated, instead of saying any of this. "I ran into him. You helping people learn to hit each other? My class is basically blowing things up 101."

Of course, feeling something next to River was very close to saying it. She smiled a little.

"Yes, hitting people. Good at that. Like your talent for blowing things up."

She almost smiled, so he almost smiled, even though he was still stalling. "Better at it now than I was then," he bragged a little. "I finally figured out the trick to paraffin bases, see."

"That kept you busy for eleven years?" River asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tyler snorted a quick laugh at that. "Nah. I, um ..." he shrugged; it wasn't like River wasn't going to get this stuff anyhow. "I was in a bad place when I left. Took a few years to get straightened out again. Some of that time was in jail. Then there was college, and after that I started a soap company. Again. But the money's good and I can work at home."

He added, "I got married. I think we're getting divorced."

"So that's eleven years in two minutes. Your turn."

"I..." She paused, frowning. How would she describe her life since they last met?

"I followed a dream and made public a genocide caused by the government. I've loved people and they've left. I've learnt I can kill. I just went to Kerrigan's funeral and now she's back." That was part made her smile.

Tyler raised one eyebrow; he could have told River she could kill, but he was guessing this meant she had put theory into practice.

Well. Not something to ask about.

"Good work, on that first thing," he said. "And ... so Kerrigan's a ghost, or is this another time travel thing?" Either way, it was weird but he was readjusting to Fandom weird anyhow.

"Was a ghost, now she's something else." River wasn't sure what yet. "But I'm happy she's back." She smiled again.

Tyler decided to stick this in his mental box of things he wouldn't understand; the important thing was that River looked happy. "And I'm happy you're happy," he said. "Even if I don't know her."

Then: "I know I treated you badly, even if it was a long time ago for both of us. And whatever this is worth, whatever it means ... I am sorry."

Still smiling, River said: "Apology accepted." It was a long time ago, but the apology still mattered.

"Thanks," Tyler said sincerely. "So, um ... how's the hotel business?"

"There's no competition here," River replied. "But Mary takes her job seriously. I cook on Fridays." She nodded towards the board.

Tyler turned to read the menu. "Pina colada soup," he said. "Sounds ... tropical. But not bad."

River looked pleased. "Still plenty left. Alcohol is optional."

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The Arms Hotel Lobby, Friday

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Do something else

OOC