tampered | Log; Ongoing

When; April 2, Evening
Rating; PG?
Characters; Kakyouin Tsubaki [

truthreader]
Summary; Drawing baths, and detailing backstories, oh my!
Log;

River was fascinated by water - and not just because of the connection to her name. The way it moved reminded her of dancing, streams of molecules rushing and crashing together - yet it had a purely scientific basis, could be classified and shaped. She liked to watch it as it ran out from the taps, occasionally holding the palm of her hand under it to feel the light, warm pressure on her skin. "Water, life water," she spoke softly to herself, "letters, HO, and numbers, 2. Letters and numbers. Life formulae."

Of course, there was nobody there to hear her, and even if somebody had been in the room, her words would have been drowned out by the running water as it steadily filled the bath. Tsubaki had asked if she could draw it for her, and River... liked doing things like this. Something normal, something functional. Something that proved she was more than just letters and numbers.

She rose up, sighing. Tsubaki had asked something else. Something about... functions and fighting, and definitions, and weapons, and River. And... past. She couldn't remember the exact words - it was hard. Things like that got easily confused in her mind. They were all so similar to her, about her, to do with her. It was difficult to sort one idea from another.

Walking out into the other room, barefoot as always, she fiddled with her hair. "Water's running. Won't win any races, but still it runs." She looked up at the other girl, bruised from her day's training, and smiled awkwardly. "It's very curious."

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The idea of moving ever again seemed like such a laughable idea. It seemed like the more the day progressed, the worse she felt. The bruises were getting darker, and her muscles were just getting more and more sore from the strenuous activities.

And Tsubaki had thought ballet was tiring.

The sound of the water running in the other room was comforting, at least. She felt somewhat bad having River do this task for her like some servant, but she hadn't seemed to mind. Always such a helpful girl...woman.

"Ah, is it? I don't think I'll be winning any races either, like this," she joked back, rather used to River's strange way of talking by now.

Pushing one hand against the arm rest, she forced herself to stand up so that she could toddle awkwardly in the direction of the bathroom, carrying a tiny jar of bath salts that she'd purchased on her way home.

"When do you think Hisoka will be home? I hope there's time for me to make dinner after the bath."

River watched, head tilted as her more-than-slightly-worse-for-wear friend struggled to her feet. She remembered having bruises herself when she was younger. But now things rarely could leave a mark on her, and Simon stopped them if they could.

"They look like thoughts," she commented quietly to herself at the dark blots on skin, "little imprints of past, little warnings for future."

Suddenly she realised she was being spoken too, and looked up. Hope? Questions? The feelings ran through her first, then the words, and she paused before answering simply. "He'll be home soon. Always soon enough."

Biting her lip, she stretched out the fingers of one hand as far as they could go, before curling them back into a fist, and then relaxing again. "Why..." Both hands into fists now, then a curious glance at her white, hard knuckles, before she released them once more. "Why did you want to fight?"

Thoughts? That was a new way to phrase it. Sitting on the edge of the tub, Tsubaki stared at a bruise on her wrist as she sprinkled some of the salt into the water. An imprint...and warning.

River really was just so insightful sometimes. She was just glad it wasn't going over her head this time, as her words often did.

"Why?" The teenager tipped her head to the side to look up and over at the other, watching her movements curiously. "Because... I seem to get into nothing but trouble, and a lot of that could have been avoided if I knew how to defend myself properly."

Standing back up, she tried not to visibly wince as she strained to reach back and untie the ribbon on her nice shirt. ...A nice shirt that was now all dirty. "I want to be able to protect myself."

She wasn't blind to the wince, she felt it as well as saw it. But what could she do to help? That was her brother's job. He was the doctor, and she was the... the not-doctor. Not-anything. Not anymore. She wanted to tell her to be careful, or to take it easy, or not to train so hard next time, but... difficult to get all the words out. Better to stay silent on the matter.

"Fight not flight. Make the choice in advance, safer that way." River wasn't sure if that was a theory or fact.

...But no, it couldn't be fact. Flight was safer, sometimes. Birds and fireflies were safer in the air. Theory. Not always true.

"Others could protect you. I could..." Trying to find the right words, she broke off. "I would. I know... how to..." Protect? Fight? Both, neither? It was confusing again, as it so often was when it got down to these things.

Everything hurt. Pulling off the short, her muscles screamed at her, but she knew that it was for a good cause. How much pain had Hisoka been in when he had fought? How much pain did River experience when she fought?

"...I know. That... That makes me happy, to know I have friends who would protect me." Her smile was tentative as she held her shirt to her chest. "But I want to be able to protect myself. To stand on my own two feet."

Said feet were currently having a hard time of it, though, and she tried to finish undressing quickly so that she could sink into the water with a sigh. The water splashed as she leaned over to turn off the faucet. "That feels wonderful... Thank you."

"Who else's feet would you stand on?" Sometimes she had a tendency to take things literally. Though this time she still got the meaning behind the phrase and smiled a little in acknowledgement. She understood self-reliance. Or rather, she understood wanting it.

River turned away, and closed her eyes for a moment as if trying to think. There was something she wanted to say, something important. Not about water, or even protection, but about... what was it?

"You have to be careful, when you fight," she began slowly. "That defensive doesn't become offensive. That..." Again, she made a hand into a fist, and looked at it. A small weapon, right there, part of her own body. "That only you use it. That you point your own gun, pull your own trigger. Don't become a bullet."

((ooc: Must dash, but I'll tag back later!~ ♥))

Log; Ongoing

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