Kaylee looked assessingly down at the orange colored berries on her plate, then back at River who popped two of the berries from her own plate into her mouth and smiled. Kaylee couldn’t help but smiling back, bravely imitating her and eating two of her own berries, pleased to find they were sweet and good. Kind of like a mix between a plum and a strawberry, she mused. ”They’re good.” She informed River.

”The lake doesn’t lie.” She replied, spearing a small orderly stack of tofu, bread, and one berry with her fork and popping it into her mouth.

Kaylee shook her head in wonder at this latest of River’s odd mix of quirks and went back about the task of eating.

———-

The shuttle looked very neat and ordered now, after a fashion; most everything in it’s place. River had opened the hatch and fresh air was wafting in, warmed by the bright morning sun. River was gone, exploring outside again, Kaylee figured. She soon came back though, looking about the outside a bit then looking over to the shuttle’s inside, her eyes finding Kaylee’s without having to look for them.

”Hello to you too.” Kaylee spoke softly to herself.

Amazingly enough, River broke into a smile at that and seemed to say something back to her, though Kaylee couldn’t make it out from that distance away. A confused look came on the other girl’s eyes then, like she couldn’t figure something out.

”Hmm, you don’t suppose she can hear me?” She said to herself, looking back at River. ”If you cn’hear me, get over here. I can’t hear you back, ya know.”

River didn’t react, she just started walking in her direction and soon was up close and sitting down cross-legged on the bed right next to her, hardly disturbing the mattress with her motions. ”Better?” River asked.

”Méi bànfǎ, you could really hear what I was saying all the way out there?” She asked incredulously. [Lip reading, got a’be.] She reassured herself.

River just smiled at her. ”I found more berries.” She told her with satisfaction, her mood then turning towards serious consideration. ”The woods still hold many mysteries though. I think there are shadows falling somewhere in the distance.”

”Shadows?” Kaylee asked, not following.