dì​sì​; the red shoes.

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[River is sprawled out on the ground - again, let's be honest, she's done this sort of thing before - with multi-coloured markers and a book of fairy tales stolen from the library on the Plane. On first glance she appears to be annotating it; on further inspection, it becomes clear that she's not so much annotating as editing, crossing out whole sections and writing new ones in the margins, pointing out fallacies, and occasionally drawing diagrams. She's fixing it, you see! Making it better. It may or may not be a very valuable edition.

You'll thank her later.]

Comments

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[At that, she abruptly goes... confused, uncomprehending, and a little bit hurt.

Explain before she really gets upset?]

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

Aloysius, I've been told, is an American. He's supposed to be one of the original teddy bears. I don't believe it, of course, as he hasn't a trace of an accent, but he was raised with me, so perhaps he just never had the chance to learn the colonial way of speaking.

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[Well! That explains a considerable amount. Her mood softens out a little, and she even waves a little. Because she has just been introduced properly, and it's only proper.]

I'm not. American. It's the wrong time frame for it.

[Beat.]

Hi. [:D!]

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[Sebastian beams at her] You already know Aloysius, of course. I'm Sebastian. How do you?

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

River. [Because, even if she's said it to Aloysius before, clearly he wouldn't know her name!] I'm okay.

[:DDDD

And she is holding a hand out for the return of her book. She has work to do, you see.]

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[misreading this gesture, Sebastian takes her hand to shake it] Are you from the past or the future?

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[Her hand goes limp for a moment when he takes hold of it, but then strengthens. Okay, she can go with that.] Relative to your when.

[Silly Sebastian. But that's okay, because she can pinpoint his time on her own.]

Future.

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

It seems almost everyone is. I'm beginning to feel rather left behind, to be honest.

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

It's okay.

[It's somewhat half-hearted assurance, but that's all right! She's trying.] You can contribute to anthropological studies.

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[He is trying too!] Don't you have to be dead for that?

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[Slightly blank look.] No.

[It lilts up at the end a little, almost like a question. In the meantime, she extends a hand towards Aloysius, a little shyly.]

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[Not reassured that crazy anthropologists aren't going to kill him just to study the past] You don't sound completely convinced.

[Sebastian, curious, assists Aloysius to raise a paw to touch River's hand]

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[She is adorably pleased by this, and shakes his paw somewhat in awe, as if a touch just a tad too rough would cause him to fall to pieces.

As a result of her religious experience with the teddy bear, her response to Sebastian is lacking in depth.] It's okay.

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[For his part, Sebastian is quite pleased at his bear being treated with such respect.] Have you met many bears before?

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[So all is shiny, then! River brings herself to a more proper height so she can extend another hand to touch the bear's face with that same awe. Hopefully this is not too horribly impertinent.] This is my first.

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[Neither Sebastian nor Aloysius seem to at all believe it is impertinent] I imagine he's very honoured. Aren't you, Aloysius?

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[She looks to Aloysius expectantly, apparently really honestly and truly expecting him to respond.

Luckily for the three of them, he doesn't have to say anything in what we quaintly term 'reality' to think he's said anything.]

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[fortunately, Sebastian consider this a rhetorical question] Aloysius is still in a bit of a sulk about not being allowed to eat the singing fish. But what's the point of having fish that sing, if you eat them?

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

Fish don't carry the proper vocal cords for traditional singing.

[But a stuffed bear can live! That is Logic.]

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

You should tell that to the fish.

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

[River is getting that doubtful face, here.]

You're not making sense.

[fruitbrandy.livejournal.com]

[a sigh] I'd find you the fish, but they're all the way down at the lake, and I am meant to be asleep in bed. Mama is home to-night, so I can't leave to get one.

[bytwo.livejournal.com]

It's okay.

[She will just assume that you're either making it up or worryingly confused! Aloysius gets something of a sympathetic look for putting up with Sebastian's silliness.]