Western Ruins - Promethea
     The city wall towers over the ruined suburbs, a constant reminder of the 
way the world has changed in the past ten years. Once it was purely ornamental, 
a decorative heirloom of a time when all Promethea contained was that inner 
quarter, marked off from the wilderness by a sturdy construction of marble. 
Steel gates later replaced the old stone ones, and a metal walkway eventually 
wrapped around around the top of the wall--but for a long time, it was more a 
tourist site than anything else. That changed ten years ago, and now the wall 
looms over the fragile safety Promethea still retains, dividing civilization 
from anarchy.
     West of the wall, Moonmount casts a dull red glow over everything. Its 
smoke-wreathed shadow falls over the toppled columns that once held up the 
city's great districts of science and education. Now only a mangled parody of 
the two principles remains. Apollo University lies shattered and broken about 
its sprawling campus, and within the depths of the buildings still standing lurk 
the hordes of Vulture's faithful, plotting their next move on the city. Mutated 
monstrosities cluster in cracked research facilities during the day, emerging 
only at night to roam the withered parks. Dry ash coats everything like a 
choking cobweb, and the ground trembles time and time again.
Contents:
Vash
Simon
Obvious exits:
City Gates <CG>  East <E>  West <W>


     The city of Promethea these days is never welcoming at best; at worst, it's 
an ash-choked ruin of lurking mutants and monsters of a more human variety, 
picking out whatever kind of life they can from the refuse, a city that looks 
like it should have died long ago. Comfort, normality, even just people 
wandering about in the middle of the street? Almost nonexistent. Especially in 
this district.
     Which is why the girl picking her way through the ruins of the Apollo 
University campus just stands out all the more. Thin, but not starved-looking, 
clean except for where the ash from the volcano has caked on her heavy lace-up 
combat boots, dressed rather softly in a thin patterned overdress, a duster, and 
bike shorts that looks too thin against the cold of a Promethean winter. She 
seems almost unaware of the surroundings, though, or at least of the 
significance of them; she feels the cold, apparently, judging from the way she 
rubs her arms, but she's too busy staring at everything around her and wandering 
through the empty, broken lawns and halls to apparently notice the confused 
Vulture-chosen staring at her from the shadows.



"Get outta here, you damned scanvengers!" That's somewhere in the distance. 
Foraging out here has it's advantages and it's foils, but Vash is uniquely 
suited for picking through a wasteland to find what's workable and what's not. 
With a heavy bag against his back, strap slung over his chest as he picks 
throuhg the ruins, looking for things they need. Certianlly, this place has it's 
share of vulture chosen, who have ravished the stores, but there were science 
labs and medical departments in the campus here, and while he respects the 
Vulture-kin for wanting to survive, he's not going to have it at the cost of his 
people.

So there's a man with tall blond hair and a big red coat, carefully skipping a 
few thinsg -- till a beam, not too steady, gives under his feet.

It's a fifteen foot drop. Vash predictablly lands on his face, and does not move. 
Vultures, predictably, begin to circle. And then he sits up on his knees, hands 
out, and announces, not ten feet from River herself, "I AM OKAY!"

Yeah. The fall didn't damage his brain. It's always been like that.



     Her head coming up at the sound of a human voice, River's eyes dart about, 
seeking the source--but after seeing no one for a long few moments (except for 
furtive movements far off as the Vulture-chosen skitter off), she relaxes, and 
picks up a foot to continue on her way.
     A moment too soon, it seems, because the next moment something CRASHES down 
in front of her. River remains frozen in her position, one foot still poised in 
the air to take her next step, dark eyes fixed on the pile of red. Her gaze goes 
up to the broken beam above. Then back down to Vash. And then he sits up.
     At the manic announcement--or perhaps his appearance?--the girl /shrieks/ 
and bolts, turning on her heel to dash away as quickly as she can. Lord knows 
why when the fall itself didn't seem to scare her.



--Uh. Oops?

Vash spies running girl. Remarkablly, he does not give chase. Rather, he sighs, 
gets up, dusts himself off, leans back, pops his spine, and then, and only THEN, 
after he's pulled himself together does he begin to go off in that direction. 
The medical hall, in that direction, has a lot of places to hide, but a lot of 
scary things in there. And a lot of things he needs, that even Vulture chosen 
are too afraid to go get. Vash? He is the MAN WITHOUT FEA--

Wait, copyrighted.

HE IS THE MAN WITHOUT A LICK OF COMMON SENSE.

So off he goes, following at a sedate pace that belies his interset in the girl, 
the hall, the Vulture chosen who are already drawing lots on who gets his 
clothes or his gun or his bag when something finally offs the crazy fuck in the 
ruins.



     No sight of girl, though there's a bootprint in the ash there--no sight of 
girl, but a hair caught in a cleft of stone--no sight of girl, but there's the 
pitter-patter of tiny feet in big combat boots in the distance--sight of girl, 
caught between a couple of scavengers who found the running, helpless-looking 
girl too tempting a target. She's struggling slightly, but not particularly hard; 
oddly, she's not screaming, despite the straits, as they briskly frisk her down 
for anything of use that she might be carrying. Which would be, well, zip. 
Nothing on her to speak of.
     "Aw, fer fuck's sake, she's empty," one of them mutters in disappointment, 
shaking her as though hoping something would fall out.
     "Broken, but not empty," River informs him, tossing her head. "107 pounds 
of internal organs, bones, and muscle at standard Earth that was gravity, 
without the 8-10 pounds that the human skin of an average adult weighs. The 
human brain alone weighs 2% of the total body weight."
     They stare at her for a moment, then look at each other. "...what?"
     "Hell, I dunno. Let's just scrap her, her clothes might get something, at 
least. They's real pretty."
     Taking out a knife, one of them stabs at her--and misses, instead scoring a 
long furrow on her arm, as she spies Vash coming after her and shrieks again 
before ducking with her arms flung over her head.



Oh, now this just ain't cool. Sure, the vultures PROBABLY think she's ducking 
because, dude, they're knifing her. But she's not. She's afraid of Vash. Aww. 
But he sighs softly, unholsters his gun as the knife comes back up and pops off 
an easy round from the hip, leaving the man's fingers bloody from the the 
worthless blade's shattering, and ... well, he's going to be down fingers on the 
next shot.

"Hasn't your moma raised you right?" Vash has the audacity to ask. "I mean, 
picking on a little girl. Aren't you big bad Vulture boys supposed to at least 
hae the dignity to graverob, rather then working up the scumball ladder? I mean, 
/really/. Next thing you know you'll be appling for Goshawk or something." And 
all through this tirade, shots are popped off, as casual as if he were on a 
Sunday stroll; the bullets are placed with the accuracy of an aiming machine, 
gauging weight, distance, wind, placement, to get things to fall on their their 
heads, the turf to explode beneath their heels. "Go own now, get! Pick on 
something that somebody bigger then you already knifed in the dark! She's still 
kicking, which means she's too good for you!"

Poor River. Terrorized by Vultures, who are terrorized by Phoenixes with big ass 
motherfucking guns and a morality lecture.



     The men only just now notice the crazy blond in red through that rather 
rude interruption, as the one wielding the knife stares in stunned disbelieve at 
where his knife used to be and where he now only has bleeding fingers, before 
doubling over and clutching the injured hand. They pay no mind to his morality 
lecture--he's keeping them occupied with other worries at the moment. Like, say, 
avoiding bullets before they land in their feet, or a falling beam crushes them, 
or--
     It's just too much for a couple of decent Vulture-chosen to deal with! 
Yelping, they take the first opportunity to scatter as quickly as possible, 
trailing whatever tatters of dignity they might have left, along with a few 
scraps of cloth and blood.
     Which leaves only River to face the fearsome sight of Lord Eirene, except 
that she doesn't seem much interested in facing. While the others had been 
distracted, she'd taken the opportunity to skitter behind some fallen rubble, 
and now lurks there, slightly crouched, and eyeing Vash with deep suspicion.



The crazy man in red, now dubbed so by pillars of vulture society, takes his gun, 
pops it open and grabs the bullets that spring out, and pockets them. "There, 
honey." He holsters the gun, then, and puts his hands out, and even takes off 
his bag so he doesn't seem big and ... well, big. Tall? Yes. Big? -- he's not a 
big man, Vash isn't.

But he's great with a smile; it comes easy and natural and warm, and he's giving 
it to River now, green eyes behind behind sunset shades. "Okay, sweetheart. I'm 
now disarmed, and I don't want to hurt you. But those men did. See? You really 
ought to come out and maybe take a walk with me back to the city; it's really 
dangerous out here; one of those bad vulture men probably wants to snatch you up 
and line his nest with you." Vash doesn't. Vash just wants to see her safe and 
sound. After that, her life is her own. He's got a hundred thousand other lives 
to save after that... Still, that doesn't mean she's any less important then the 
others; Vash does not measure one life against another.



     For a long moment, there's silence as River continues to eye Vash. Then: 
"... your hair is not natural," she states, sounding deeply perturbed. "Like the 
Shepherd's. But the snow would collapse his. The tower is in danger of 
attracting lightning, it's in need of a grounding rod. Do you have a brain?" She 
practically doesn't seem to notice the slashed arm hanging loosely by her side, 
though even now blood is dribbling down the length to drip from her fingers to 
the ground.
     After a moment, she seems to abruptly lose interest in Vash, head jerking 
around nervously before she sags into a crouch, holding her hands to her head. 
"Confusion," she whimpers softly. "Was in Serenity. Was going to sleep, and--and 
dreaming, chaos-bits and home and came here. Where is here? Is this still a 
dream?" At that point her eyes fall upon the blood trickling down, and she 
pauses. "I'm bleeding," she states matter-of-factly, looking up at Vash again.



"I do, as a matter of fact," Vash says helpfully, but then -- a hand goes up and 
musses his hair. Laying flat, it flops over his eyse and around. So, he's 
dealing with a crazy person. Towers and grounding rods and brains aside, this is 
hardly anything earthshaking to Vash. He just rolls with it and goes on. But as 
she goes down for the next bit of rambling insanity, Vash sits down cross legged 
before her, as Zen as the Budhha. Phased? Hell no.

"Yeah, so they say. Does it matter if this is the dream or reality? You're here, 
I'm here, and yes, bad people are here too. Just like being awake, only with 
slightly different rules."

THankfully, her powers of perception recharge and she realizes she's indeed 
wounded. "Yeah. Would you like to go see a doctor or a healer? THere a number of 
nice ones in the city. I can take you there, if you like? I'm like a -- wild 
west town sheriff. You know what a sheriff is, hon?" He fumbles about and then 
tilts his jacket so his SHERIFF pin can be seen. "There. Long arm of the law, 
and all that."



     River visibly relaxes once the hair's gone floppy. It's still long, but at 
least it's not crazy-stand-up-long! At Vash's words, the girl begins to shake. 
If this is a dream... then... "...hands of blue..." she murmurs, trembling 
slightly. "Hands of blue--I don't want them to find me--if they're here--" Head 
jerking up, she looks about again wildly, huddling in on herself... but then his 
next words jar her out of her increasing paranoia. His question of whether she 
knows what a sheriff is nets him a dirty look. "Highest appointed officer of the 
law in a county. Size of the county differs. ...a doctor is required. My arm 
needs binding." Which remainds her. "Simon... he's a doctor. But..." He's not 
here. At least, she doesn't think so... though if this is a dream of hers, 
perhaps he is?



"County? Huh. Not quite the highest, but -- yeah, basically what's left." He 
wonders what the shits hands of blue are... it... doesn't make any sense. Still, 
his gloves are black. No hands of blue here. He does offer them after a moment, 
and says, "Yes. A doctor. -- I do know a doctor named Simon. Nice fellow. Stupid 
with girls -- moreso then me, anyway." All that said with a smile. "Would you 
like to go see him? Maybe he's your Simon. I'll take you to him, and you can be 
patched up, either way." Come on. Come to the Sheriff, highest law in blah blah 
blah blah.



     Not that a lot of what River has said has made sense so far... well, 
perhaps it has, depending on if you look at it from her perspective or not. 
Staring at Vash solemnly for a moment, a slight smile cracks her expression at 
the description. "That sounds like Simon," she agrees, sounding fully lucid for 
a moment. "He's here?" Sounding hopeful, she rises to her feet, brushing off her 
clothes futilely before gripping her bad arm above the shallow cut with her good 
hand. She doesn't speak again, but from the way she looks at Vash, she clearly 
expects him to lead her to Simon.



Infirmary -- Via Ananke -- Promethea

     A nice, clean infirmary that is apparently well stocked. There is a waiting 
area out front, and a curtain hides the actual surgery room. A set of stairs go 
up into the rest of the building.

                    (Temporary Desc)

Contents:
Vash
Simon
Obvious exits:
Out <O>


"He's not here. We have to go back to the city, away from this place." He coaxes 
her to follow now, so he can go onward, pick up his bag and, well, scavenging 
and ruffling Vulturefeathers will have to wait for now. Girls need rescuing. 
Vash lives for rescuing! So off he goes, leading her onward, careful to keep to 
safe paths, an reload his gun. In plain sight, so she doesn't think he's hiding 
anything. He just wants to be prepared is all. Which involves possibly having to 
make someone scream and bleed.

Out of the ruins, into the city. Nearby, an infirmary. "DOCTOR TAM! 
Ooooooo~oooooooh, Timtam! Where are youuuuuuuuuuuuu?" That would be Vash. 
Hopefully, no one is trying to rest here.



     While following Vash, River keeps quiet, focusing on keeping up with his 
long legs and not stumble over anything in her path. She continues to grip her 
arm above the cut, though her attention wanders every so often as she continues 
to look around wide-eyed. Given her status, it's been a while since she was 
allowed to wander off Serenity, and--volcano ashes and ruins aside--it's a great 
new experience to take in.
     The hooting and hollering of the sheriff brings a flicker of a smile to her 
face, but she doesn't call out either, still looking about. It looks like an 
infirmary, yes. She almost recognizes Simon's touch in the precise way the 
supplies are arranged.



...Timtam? ... Not him again... "Chun zi," comes a soft sound from inside the 
room, a soft curse said in a language he has come to abuse more than he should. 
Everyone knew Mandarin where he came from. Here? Not so much. From behind the 
curtains in the back, Simon appears still wearing his gloves. There's a small 
splatter of blood on them, showing he likely does have someone on the table in 
there, out of sight, but he doesn't have any instruments in hand, so it is 
unlikely he was /actually/ in the middle of anything important. "Is this 
important, Lord Ei--?" That's as far as he gets when he sees someone he... 
really was not expecting.
     Poor patient, who is luckily asleep, is entirely forgotten, same as the 
moron who had interupted. For a second he just stands there with his mouth half 
open, and then he moves forward, already taking off his gloves, "River... You--" 
Are here. He's still surprised over recently finding Kaylee, but now River too? 
But he doesn't finish, because he notices something else equally important as 
her being here, "You're bleeding. What happened?" He looks towards Vash for an 
answer, knowing that the chance his sister can give a solid answer isn't always 
the best. He moves closer, reaching towards her arm to try and see how deep the 
damage is.



Oh. Good. It IS her Simon. How cute! <3 Vash waves to River, and then to Simon 
and then says, "I went to monkey around the Apollo campus to see if there were 
anymore supplies, and lo and behold. Damsel in distress. IT was my, ah," he 
hitches his thumbs in his coat, "Sheriffly duty to see to it she came home and 
away from those scary men. SHe mentioned having a brother Simon, a doctor type, 
and I recall you asid you had a sister... but..." He shrugs. "It really was luck. 
She got a little cut up, though, and she's afraid of my hair. But she seems nice. 
I like her." ...

Yes. Someone likes your crazy sister. The equally crazy (or so it's said) Lord 
Eirene. Aren't the nutbars /cute/ together? Don't you just want to just call for 
an orderly right now, and pray that the stains will come out of the walls? -- 
wait, wrong crazy people.



     Turning about at the sound of the curse, an expectant smile begins to hover 
on River's lips, which flowers into a full one when Simon himself appears. 
"Simon! Found you! You're in my dream, too!" She doesn't seem interested in 
answering his question, really, especially since Vash is already capably 
handling that; instead, she'll just stick her arm out toward him and say, "I 
followed the sheriff to you. He's nice. And I got cut." Simon would know what to 
do next, so she'll just follow him docilely for whatever treatment he performs.



"You shouldn't go out there, River," comes a soft scolding from Simon, though it 
isn't harsh in the least, as he lifts up her arm and examines the extent. Not 
deep enough to need stitches, he notices with relief. As soon as he sees that he 
takes his eyes away long enough to reguard 'scary hair', as he says, "Thank you, 
Lord Eirene." Politeness is important when dealing with public officals, so he 
does say it sincerely, despite his cursing the poor man earlier. His attention 
goes back to his sister, "This way." He leads her behind the curtain, where a 
man is laying on the bed with a bandaged up leg and arm. If they'd seen how many 
of his bones he had to set back into place... well, he's fast asleep. He helps 
his sister up onto a bed, of which there are more than one, and points towards a 
medical bag, expecting Vash to have followed, "Bring me my bag, please." The bed 
he helped her onto is next to the bandage rack, but first he puts a fresh pair 
of gloves on (cloth, not the type he like he would like to have, but they're the 
cleanest he can get) and works on cleaning it first. As he does he gives his 
sister a smile and says, "His hair scared me too, the first time." It is strange 
hair, after all.



"It's the hair of a good and noble man. If you want to be really technical, my 
stepfather, even if I've never met him." ...So there. He weaves his fingers 
together, behidn his head, arms akimbo, and walks after, before -- oh yes, bag. 
Sigh. And then he plays gopher. Look, bag! Here, Simon! "Your brother," he says 
to River, "Has a new nickname. He's named after a tasty cookie from a far away 
place called 'Austrailia'. They call them biscuits, but I think breakfact and 
cookies? Not for breakfast. Plus, 'Timtam' is funny." ...Yeah, he's talking to 
the crazy girl, maybe even on her wavelength.



     As usual, River doesn't seem to take note of Simon's scolding, just smiling 
a bit and leaning forward. "Then you shouldn't either," she replies. "Get in 
trouble." She'll follow him and hop up on the bed indicated, wincing and making 
soft noises of complaint occasionally as he cleans it. Eyes turning toward Vash, 
she glances back at Simon for a moment and nods solemnly. "Better tamed," is her 
verdict. As to Eirene's ramblings? She listens to it, head cocked slightly, and 
says, "Australia: nation and continent on Earth that was, originally a penal 
colony for Great Britain. I was not aware of biscuits originating from there." 
And she's back to the uber-formal method of speaking, instead of her speech 
fragments. She seems to swing between them without noticing.



Enough with the Timtam already... Simon finishes washing the wound down, and 
pats it dry while they both ramble. These two... probably will get along too 
well. But at least he knows the 'Sheriff' will be looking out for his sister 
instead of trying to take her somewhere and pick apart her brain. He does give 
the Lord Eirene a look, half-apologetic for his sister's ramblings, and also 
half-don'teversaythatagain for the nickname, for which he also adds, "I'm not a 
biscuit," thus dooming the name to stick forever. As he begins to wind the 
bandage around her arm, he adds, "I have a room for you, meimei. You'll have to 
share it with Kaylee, though." He had just invited her to stay with him, too. 
Like, quite literally JUST. If he was any other brother he might be thinking 
River dropped in just to keep him and Kaylee apart, but he's not any other 
brother, and as it is he's glad she's here. Extremely. Especially since Kaylee 
is also here... Cause the two of them living alone... it was just... improper. 
But if that is gone into they'd probably laugh at him.



... <_< >_> ... ...

 ... ... ... Vash leans over and then says, as if it cinches it: "Tintam."

Straightening from that moment of crazy-person conspiracy, Vash looks about as 
she gets patched up, and then -- oh-ho! "Kaylee? Have you found a girlfriend?" 
Yes, he takes equal oppouruntiy to make the good doctor squirm, and -- well, 
remind him he's a total moron with women. Vash has found someone dumber with 
girls then he is, so he has to get in his male superiority pecking order digs 
while he still can.



     Indeed--though the hair had been frightening, River can sense the 
congeniality and kindness in the red-coated man, though that really doesn't take 
any special extrasensory perception. Anyone could see it who encountered him, 
once they got over his buffoonery. Listening gravely to the single comment, her 
head tilts at Simon curiously and she asks, "Are you tasty and edible?" What a 
question. Too bad Kaylee isn't here to hear it. Speaking of Kaylee, though, at 
the mention of her River smiles happily. "Kaylee is here, too? ...where is 
here?" Her brows draw down a touch. "Simon... where's Serenity?" The ship that 
she's grown so accustomed to, so fond of... being on it all the time has its 
drawbacks, but she feels more at home there than she's ever felt anywhere else. 
Her attention caught by Vash's question, River spends a moment pondering the 
'girlfriend' thing, then answers decisively, "No. But Kaylee likes him. He likes 
her. Kaylee wants to..." Mercifully, there she pauses as she protests an 
inadvertent tug on the bandaging.



It is true, Vash's buffoonery is completely different from Jayne's, which makes 
him much more likable, but still a little annoying. Case in point. As the 
nickname is stress again, Simon just continues to bandage while he gets one of 
those sarcastic-thanks looks on his face. That isn't helped when River asks if 
he's tasty. She gets a look of surprise and shock, but if she were Kaylee it 
would probably have been worse. At least she isn't asking to marry him this 
time... "Kaylee is here. I only ran into her a few--."
     'Girlfriend.'
     The surprise is apparent again, and when River starts to speak it isn't 
long before he gives that tug to silence her. He is glad that Kaylee didn't walk 
in on that. "She is not my girlfriend. She's helping me out around the clinic 
with some mechanical problems. Nothing at all improper is going on." Except the 
fact they had been living alone together for like... a day. He still hasn't 
relaxed whenever they happen to be in the building together. And that is 
probably very obvious. At least he didn't protest to liking her. "I'm not sure 
where Serenity is. Kaylee is the only one I've seen so far, and I've been here a 
few months." The bandage is finished being put into place and he waits. Are they 
quite finished teasing him, yet? He knows that Serenity was home to her, and 
with it not being around... He hopes this does not hinder her recovery.



Which, in manspeak, translates to: We want to hump, but haven't gotten around 
our confusion over such things. Not that Vash would put it so crudely, but 
Wolfwood certainly would. So, Vash just nods blandly, smiling all the while. 
Sure she's not your girlfriend. Sure she's just helping out. With mechanics. 
Riiiiiiiight.

"Well, then!" Vash abruptly verbages, ignoring the tasty comment, for dude, 
they're siblings and he's not going to go there. So, yeah. He'll just leave that 
subject alone. "Glad to have gotten her to the right place, Doc! You'll take 
good care of her, and -- you! You keep yourself safe, mmkay?" He reaches out to 
ruffle hair, pausing only once to make sure she's not going to flinch, and 
either way, heads out. He's got to go back and scare away the vultures.



     And she's not 'in the family way' either! Perhaps it's just as well, since 
it might save Simon from a sharp kick to the shins if he reacts similarly. 
Sulking slightly, River sticks her tongue out a little at Simon, entirely 
childishly, apparently not too pleased with either his action or his response. 
"... this is a strange place. Fallen apart. Eating itself from the inside. And 
there's... monsters, and fear." Pause. "We'll find them. The others. They're out 
there, somewhere," she says with certainty.
     But then Vash is heading out. River doesn't flinch, but she doesn't seem to 
react particularly to the touch, either, simply blinking after Vash. A small 
smile is offered, but then he's gone.



"Thank you for--" Simon starts to say, cutting off when he ruffles his sister's 
hair like that. There's a moment where he looks as if he wants to reach up and 
stop his hand, like no one is allowed to touch his sister except for him, but he 
doesn't. Her not flinching away is probably a helper to him. At least she's made 
a friend... Even if he's a weird one. "--Thank you for finding her and bringing 
her here," he continues and finishes. As he heads out, the doctor watches him go, 
not sure what to think. He's grateful on one end. But also worried on the other. 
What kind of influence will that man be on his sister? Better than Jayne's 
influence had been, at least.
     His attention returning to his sister, and thinking back on her... cryptic 
if accurate description of the place. "Strange is a good word." And the only one 
he thinks is appropriate. Her assurances that they're out there... they make him 
smile, "I'm sure they are. I hadn't thought... Not until I saw Kaylee." He'd 
heard how 'unlikely' it was to meet people you know here. It bothered him at 
first, but helping the people of this city became important to him very quickly. 
They needed doctors, badly. And he had assurances that his sister was safe, 
where she had been when he left, and that she would not even know he was gone.
     Part of him had hoped she wouldn't be here, for the sheer fact that this 
place is dangerous and unpredictable. And certainly not going to be condusive 
for her recovery. Serenity is safer than here. Not that he's going to say that 
outloud... Of course, the part that wanted him here drove him to find a building 
with enough living space for more than two people, and made a room up just like 
she would like it back at home. Doctors make a good amount, even here, "Do you 
want to see your room?" ...That poor patient on the bed. So ignored.



     On the other hand... it's also much, much safer from discovery than any 
faraway planet could be. How could the blue-gloved agents find her here? Without 
knowing the nature of the Dream, however, that is no comfort, not just yet; 
although the fact that her abilities, whatever they may be, pale in comparison 
to most people's here is another hedge of safety. Of course, that's likely all 
rather offset by the mutant infestation and Promethea's own problems.
     But then there's the offer of a bed, and a room, and River's attention 
perks up at that. She nods jerkily, looking a little subdued. Tiredness, or the 
shock of an attack by a broomhead--oh yeah, and there was a knife there 
somewhere, too--makes her a little less graceful than usual as she waits for 
Simon to show it to her, remaining quiet.



Waiting is a requirement, because luckily before he goes, Simon checks the 
patient one last time, feeling pulse and eye-status, before he's sure that the 
man isn't going to wake up soon, or die while he's away, and he sneaks up front 
to lock the door and pull the closed sign into view. Slow day, it seems. Some 
days are busier than others, and he's not the only doctor... But once that is 
done he offers an arm to his sister and leads her towards the stairs. "Kaylee's 
out working on something, but she should be back tonight. ...I'm glad you're 
here, and I know she will be too." Will give her someone to talk to.
     The upstairs is simple, but comfortable, very clean. Not much in the way of 
machines, mostly low-tech and lantern lit, as the machine budget went entirely 
downstairs, where it is most needed. There appears to be three rooms going off 
of the main room (which also has a kitchen -- looking rather unused), and he 
goes towards the left one. "My room is in the middle." Don't puke on his bed, 
please. The door is opened... and inside is somewhat close to how she used to 
like it, at least in bedsize. Of course as Kaylee has claimed this room, there 
is a box of stuff sitting on the floor, tools and mechanical 'stuff'. "You 
probably need some rest..." He's not sure how long she was out among the ruins.



     Still rubbing her arms slowly--she's definitely not dressed for winter, and 
although it's warmer in here, she's still chilled from her time wandering in the 
ruins--River nods, following Simon up the stairs. "Kaylee without 
Serenity? ...what does she do?" If the ship had been home to River, it was a 
sister to Kaylee. The girl can't separate the two in her mind. Glancing about 
the room as she enters, a small smile appears on her face, and she reaches out 
lightly to stroke the door frame. "...made it like my room." As much as possible, 
anyway, given the limits of the room. Bending down gracefully to unlace her 
boots, she slips her feet out of them and sinks down on the bed, shifting about 
a bit to curl up beneath the covers, eyes closing. "...you'll still be here when 
I wake up?" she asks suddenly, quietly, eyes opening again to fix on her brother. 
The place just... /feels/ so ephemeral, sometimes, it's a little frightening. 
She knows the instability of her own mind makes her perceptions sometimes 
suspect, but this is just... much more than that. And in this strange new place, 
it's good to have at least one constant.



"She's... Kaylee," is the only answer Simon can give. "Even if she's without 
Serenity, she doesn't seem to let it get her down." There's an endearing manner 
to his voice, and his smile. He doesn't understand how someone could get thrown 
into so different a world and still find the bright side to it all. While she 
gets into the bed, he starts to speak, remisingly, "When she showed me where she 
was living, there were this family of rats, living with her and she'd named all 
of them. She said Mal had never let her have a pet before--" His voice trails 
off, knowing he's starting to go into a story that, well... he shouldn't. The 
rats, while dirty and certainly not invited in his place, were nice for the fact 
that they made Kaylee happy. The question on if he'll be here... makes him move 
over to the bed and sit on the edge of it, a hand going to her shoulder. "Of 
course I'll be here, meimei." He pulls the covers up closer around her, in kind 
of a 'tucking in' fashion, before he adds, "I'll be just downstairs." He leans 
down, just enough to kiss her on the forehead. "Get some sleep. I'm sure Kaylee 
will wake you up as soon as she gets back."