fandomtownies | The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

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river tam

The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

After seeing Kerrigan, River saw no reason not take a tour around the town. Or rather, she headed for a specific place.

It might be a human weakness, but apple pie tasted good. And she hadn't had it in a long time.

River picked a table by the window and ordered a cup of coffee - the second cup today - and two pieces of pie. If the staff were surprised at seeing a small, rather skinny girl devour bakery goods like that they didn't show it.

[Open! River is visiting today.]

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That would be Scully going in to buy a coffee in order to get a receipt from the Perk. For great usefulness. (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomhighdorms/2032522.html?thread=174727050#t174727050)

River studied the girl over the rim of her coffee cup.

Scully waited around for her order, and noticed the unfamiliar girl at the booth. "Hello," she said, nodding, then tilted her head. "Visiting for the day?"

"Yes." River tilted her head. "Used to live here."

That was interesting enough that Scully wandered over for a moment, considering. "Did you graduate from the school? And you're actually still fond enough to come back?"

"Does that surprise you?" Then, a moment later, River gestured for the girl to take a seat at her table, should she want to.

"A little," Scully allowed, then blinked, and sat down, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I've only been here eight months. Most people seem to find the island rather traumatic. And hello, my name is Dana Scully."

"Depends on what you're used to before," River said. "I'm River Tam."

And just out of curiosity she reached out towards the Dana's mind.

"My world is a lot like this one. Although there are some... differences."

A tiny bit of uneasiness, maybe, but nothing more than that; Scully had had her mind read before, but hadn't felt it even then. So she was oblivious to what River might see there: an adult mind-set, with a few adolescent impulses. A half-preoccupation with the Scavenger Hunt she was on at the moment. Considering work at the Clinic tomorrow, and how to do research for how to age herself... and beneath that, a busy comparison of everyone she knew to past cases, not really working its way to the forefront yet.

"I suppose I might come back for reunions, in the future. Although most of my friends here are older," so much younger, "than I am."

Interesting. She might mention that to Kerrigan.

"I come back for reunions occasionally, but most of my friends don't anymore. But I have a friend who is a teacher now." Kerrigan was more than a friend of course.

There was a pause. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen." Thirty-five. "I'll be sixteen next month. I'm a sophomore here, so..." She gave River a wry smile. "I have a while before I can be nostalgic about this place. There was a goblin attack last month that was fairly terrifying."

Fairly. And yet interesting, too, and she still wondered about the peaches and how Jared pulled them all into that maze in their dreams. "How long since you were here? And what are you doing now?"

Cloning? Something else? But Fandom invited all sorts of people.

"Goblins? I'm sorry I missed that." She said it jokingly, but something of her feral zerg self showed in her eyes.

"A few years." No need to be precise. "And I'm taking care of Kerrigan's business at home."

Peaches?

Scully raised an eyebrow, studying her, wondering if she was a fighter like so many of her classmates. "You might have liked it." She blew out a breath, remembering running in with the others, Kennedy and Roy and Deadpool, working their way down the oubliette and through tunnels to get the captives out. Then having to shoot at goblins and others to finally make it free. The relief, and satisfaction, when it was over. And the damned scent of peaches faded with Jared's absence.

"Kerrigan-- oh, Professor Kerrigan. I'm taking her class on psionics. It's fascinating. Although as nearly the only one without any mental abilities or powers in the class, I often felt superfluous there. " But it gave her a framework for her former research and jobs with the X-Files that she hadn't before. She wanted to ask River if she was gifted the way Professor Kerrigan was, but that was probably prying. People didn't like feeling like they were being investigated, and she didn't have a badge of authority any more.

Edited 2011-01-15 20:17 (UTC)

That meant Kerrigan already knew all she needed to about this girl.

"You enjoy learning the theory of it, then?" River asked, noting Scully's curiosity.

Possibly, although Scully didn't often think of her real age all the time.

"Oh, definitely. I'm going to be a medical doctor, but I've encountered a few people in my world with psychic abilities before." Mostly when arresting them, although not always. "And of course there's so many people here on the island with different talents. I'm taking a course on the paranormal as well." Which was vaguely amusing in some ways. Vervain. Heh. "What kind of business are you running for Kerrigan? Something in space? She mentioned she used to be military, and from the future." A little wistfulness crept into Scully's tone.

A medical doctor? That made her think of Simon. She couldn't help it, and there was no use to struggle against it. River drew a breath.

"Defense of our planets, mainly." When she wasn't looking for Xel'Naga artifacts.

Scully noted that, wondered what River was thinking of, then sobered at her answer.

"There's an ongoing war?" she asked, grim and unhappy. She was silent, thinking of the Consortium, and the possible efforts at infiltration by aliens into her world. Her own kidnapping....

She pushed that away, hard, and concentrated on River. "Who are we fighting?"

"We've won. But there's always going to be another enemy," River said, almost lightly. "Do you dance?"

Military defense then. Scully's mood eased a little, and she smiled ruefully. An odd question, but it got her thinking of dancing with Mulder a year ago, and him teasing her into swaying to the music with him. "Only a little bit. I'm a little too clumsy," self-conscious, serious, analytical, "to do it very well." Her lips quirked sideways. "Do you?" Probably, if she'd asked that.

"Always." In one way or the other. She wondered who Mulder was. "Do you have a boyfriend here?"

"No." Stupid Irish coloring, as Scully's skin showed a tinge of pink. "I have... a friend. He's off-island. Not exactly a boyfriend. He's four years older than I am." Truth. Older than her real age, anyway. "But I miss him." And he missed her. The older her. Bruce was a friend, and they had their joking agreement for next month, but she wouldn't call him a boyfriend.

Adults always asked kids if they had boyfriends, girlfriends; she remembered asking those kinds of questions herself. Kids, on the other hand, couldn't return the favor. Even if they were curious. Or wondering if someone was more than friends with one's professor.

More than a friend, yes, but more in the sense of mother and daughter. River looked amused though. "But he comes to visit?"

Scully's order arrived, and she rolled her eyes in long-suffering amusement behind her drink, remembering Mulder's last visit. Better to stick to parts of the truth, and if River wasn't staying, she didn't have to keep up the 'Billy' pretense. "Yes. And he got bit by the vampire bartender the last time he visited. Who does that?" Seriously.

"They have a vampire bartender now?!" River grinned, clearly liking this. "But clearly he's in need of some protection."

It sounded like something Simon would have done. If she didn't think too closely on how he died it worked.

"The red-headed southern belle who works there Friday nights." Scully was still vastly annoyed at that, for multiple reasons. "There's a vampire student, too, but she's got more control of herself... anyway, yes, he does." Multiple memories of Mulder getting knocked out, dumped in manure, losing his gun, thrown into a wall, and being drugged and singing the theme song to Shaft went through her mind. She sighed heavily through her nose, trying to hide her internal laughter. "And he's broken three bones since the last time I saw him."

"It sounds like he could keep you busy," River observed. "I had a friend once who was the vampire slayer." Buffy had been a great roommate.

"A vampire slayer?" Scully paused, then remembered Faith's class from last summer, and Kennedy's talk during their class together. "Like Faith and Kennedy? Kind of a superhero?"

"Faith is here?" River asked, head tilted to one side. Possibly another Faith. "Yes, like her. Buffy Summers."

"You know her? She taught a self-defense course this summer," Scully said, slightly surprised. Although then again, with as much time-travel as there was.... "And I believe she's manager of one of the shops now. Buffy Summers." An amusing name for a vampire slayer, but Scully had heard stranger. She paused, considering. "I suppose this is the only place someone can regularly catch up with old friends from other worlds or times, isn't it?"

"I knew a Faith once." River smiled. "And yes, it is, but some friends never return."

She wondered if Jack would still find her beautiful in her true form.

[need to sleep now!]

That made Scully sad to think of; that she'd lose track of Ino and Rosalind and Claudia.... it was also something of a jolt. How long had it been since she'd seen other friends, outside of the FBI?

"I'm glad you can visit, then," she said, sighing and standing up. "I need to get this back to the Support reserves. It was very nice talking to you; I hope I run into you again, if you visit the island."

[sleep tight!]

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The Perk, Wednesday Afternoon

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