"It's because you don't give up on her. You've never given up on her and you never will. The woman River would have been in another life is gone, Simon, but the woman she will be is very real. I've met her. She's wonderful and flawed and surprising, but she's your sister. Not a damaged child. She'll become who she's meant to be." She squeezed his hand before withdrawing her own. "We're all becoming who we're meant to be. The only problem is we usually have a hard time accepting when we misjudge what that means."
Inara turned toward the doorway, wondering just how badly she'd misjudged her own path if she didn't see herself winding up here. "I think I should start acquainting myself with this place, if I'm going to live here for a while. It's.. I always forget what it's like not to feel the hum of engines through the floor when I'm on a planet again. Until there's nothing but stillness and silence." But it wasn't silent. They had some privacy where they were, but the echoes of a civilization could still be felt through the underground city. "I don't suppose you know where I can find some incense, do you?"