[oom] April Fool's Day

[hell_in_highheels]

Oh, River is not a morning person, but this prank requires some dedication and preparation.  She has her sonic screwdriver set to wake her an hour before the alarm, and she'd packed the blanket and the picnic basket the afternoon before while he was out running.

The matter of the prank itself is a simple few moments with the screwdriver on the red setting.  Quick.  Harmless.  And best of all, reversible. 

She still expects to get a bit of a hiding for it, but he did throw down the gauntlet.  Her cheeks ache from grinning at the very thought of the look on his face when he figures out just what she'd done.

Prank accomplished, she slips into her boots and shushes Damocles, swearing him to silence.  Rather, bribing him with future promises of bacon.  She leaves the note on the pillow and catches herself just before she kisses him on the cheek.  If he wakes, the surprise will be ruined before she can make her escape. 

Dear Richard~

Have been kidnapped by rabbits.  They said something about their pelts being used for "unseemly" purposes. Their leader says, if you ever want to see me again, come alone.

(crudely drawn map of the lake side and the meadow with an X)

Love,
~River

Comments

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

The morning would have gone much better if it had simply started like this.

"Good morning." He lowers his head until he can reach her mouth, kissing her gently.

[hell_in_highheels]

She closes her eyes, leans into him, her hand resting on his chest. Just a soft, open-mouthed kiss, a delicate kiss that lingers for a long moment.




And then the moment is done and she pulls back, her eyes shining. "That's all. Thank you."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"Glad to be of service, ma'am."

What's going on?

Nothing, Dam. We're going. Richard pulls River back up to his side. "Everything all right?"

[hell_in_highheels]

She nods, smiling, wrapping her arm around his waist and leaning into him. "Just wanted to kiss you, that's all."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"Just thought I'd ask." He's not telepathic, after all.

"The day's looking up, I think." Maybe they can even spend most of it out here and he won't have to deal with the costume change hardly at all.

That he'd be spending that time with River is just an extra bonus.

[hell_in_highheels]

This is a new thing for her, having him all to herself, out and away from the bar or their rooms.

And here, in these woods, with the full moon more that a week away, things are falling into place for her. She's beginning to realise, it isn't the wolf she needs to get to know. The wolf is simple and straightforward.

It's the man she barely knows at all. She's only had tantalising glimpses. His reaction this morning brought that home to her. Just when she thought she couldn't want him more, she looks again and her heart expands another size.

"I do believe it is." She smiles up at him.

"How much farther do you think?"

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He answers her smile, not quite sure what that thread of scent was all about but content just the same. "It's a bit of a trek, yet." He shifts the rabbit satchel on his back, trying to think of a way to pass the time.

"How well do you know forests like these? I could point out edible plants and things of that nature to keep things interesting." He arches an eyebrow, bumping her. "Or we can hike in comfortable silence."

[hell_in_highheels]

River gives him a sly smirk. "I would love to hear about the forest. Oooooor I could tell you that project I've had spread out over my desk for the past three weeks. The one that Ray's helping me with?"

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He makes a bit of a face.

"Am I going to understand any of it?"

[hell_in_highheels]

"Why wouldn't you? It's not quantum physics. Well, yet. Regardless, Ray needs to take some readings, because your 'state', as Deitmar so delicately put it, is interfering with -- the surprise I've been working on."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He sniffs at her, intrigued.

"What sort of surprise?"

Which is a roundabout way of saying 'yes, tell him more'.

[hell_in_highheels]

"Well, you remember what I told you about the data recorder in my screwdriver. The one that recorded my neural signature, long enough for me to be uploaded into CAL?"

She waits for the light of recognition in his eyes.

"Well, I'm trying to build one for you. For when you go out of bar."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"For when I- oh. Oh." He doesn't know what to think. On the one hand, she's taking steps to make sure he can come back to her.

On the other, she's assuming it'll be needed. He chides himself almost immediately for thinking the latter. He'd be foolish for thinking he's invulnerable. He should know damn well that he can die, and easily. Was the first time not enough of a lesson for him?

"Thank you," he says humbly.

[hell_in_highheels]

She leans against him in a gentle bump, interlacing her fingers through his. "It's not that I doubt your abilities as a soldier. It's just, well, frankly the whole 'fading after three days' thing -- it's just not on. I won't have it. There will be no fading, not if I have anything to say about it."

She's not even thinking about the dying, although the device covers that possibility as well. That's one thought she refuses to entertain for a moment.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Aaaand there's the fading. He kind of forgot about the fading.

(He feels a little better now. Getting locked out of the bar is a better option than dying.)

"I'm not arguing with you," he says mildly, a little amused at her fierceness. "A question, though. I assume I have to carry the recorder on me? What keeps it from fading when I do?"

The last time he had that problem, all of his kit came with him.

[hell_in_highheels]

She slits her eyes in determination. "That, is one of the problems Ray is supposed to be helping me with. Shielding the recorder from your PKE emissions. My goal is to embed it in a wafer you can wear on your tags."

She unconsciously touches her own tags under her shirt.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

He nods. "Fair enough. Anything I can do to help, then, I'll do." He pulls her in for a hug.

"Your recorder is still working, yes?" If she can worry about him, he can worry about her.

[hell_in_highheels]

The fact that he would even think to ask sends a thrill of lightness through her. She hugs him back.

"I still return to the Library for backups, and I store a copy of those archives in my desk. I'll show you when we go home, if you like."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"I'd like that. I can't get to the Library without you, so it'll be a good idea to have a copy of the backups where I can reach them."

And pass them off to Ray or someone who knows what they're doing with the tech.

[hell_in_highheels]

She nods, smiling. "Easily done. And we can talk to Ray about that as well, if you like."

Dam, pets?

She needs to touch both of them for a moment.

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Coming!

"It sounds like that in order to properly test it, you'll need me to stay there for a while." He arches an eyebrow, questioningly. "And we don't want you to fade as well, correct, so you'll have to at least step back through to here before running any tests."

He's picked up things from Deitmar.

I'm here! Pets! Dam prances about their feet, waiting for his reward.

[hell_in_highheels]

Her hand comes to rest on Damocles' head and she ruffles his ears.

"We can work out the details once I confirm that we're actually getting a clean recording of your neural signature. But yes, you're absolutely right. It needs to be tested. On both of us."

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

Richard rubs the dog's neck.

"With a Door to Milliways at hand in case I don't last as long in this Ray's world," he amends. "It was at least half a day in the other Ray's world. Being a ghost is...interesting."

Dam alerts under their hands, then takes off like a shot shouting, Squirrel!

No hunting! We have enough meat as it is!

Not hunting, just chasing!

Richard shakes his head as cheerful yips reach them. "Puppies."

[hell_in_highheels]

River's grin doesn't quite reach her eyes as she watches Dam race away. She reaches for Richard's hand again, bringing it to her lips.

"New York," she recalls. "The two dimensional world? Where you went when the statue took you?"

[captainryan.livejournal.com]

"That's the one," Richard answers, growing sober again himself.

"I don't believe I've said, but that was the creature kidnapping everyone. Dam was just a pup at the time."