New York City was overwhelming. River loved the vibrancy of it. Loved having the comparison of everything she had read about Earth-that-Was juxtaposed against the living and breathing city she found herself in. So many tall buildings and lights, and always people, everywhere. Strange people, too. People who were like her -- people who did things they weren't born to do, who had their insides twisted up and taken apart. She liked talking to the people here. She liked wandering the streets of New York, wide-eyed.
But Simon wasn't here.
And it wasn't just that Simon wasn't here. Simon wasn't anywhere. There was a tangible hole where he was supposed to be, a vast emptiness that made River feel panicked whenever she edged up next to it. It had been over twenty-four hours since she'd been given any sort of medicine, making that panic feel even more pronounced. It didn't help, not in the slightest, that there was whisperings about Miranda, and talk about how she and Simon had been here before. (And could it have been her? Was it inherently her if it was a version of her from a different time, and was that version changed by being here? And where did she go back to?)
Her first night she'd spent exploring. The second she'd spent curled up on the floor trying not to cry and not entirely succeeding. She'd been plagued by images of Simon on Miranda, not certain which, if any, were real.
But today -- today was for exploring again. Meeting Sam. Sam, who was tall, taller than she'd even realized, and a conflicting snarl of emotions that was still enveloped in enough warmth that she couldn't help but feel instantly comfortable around him.
"Sea otters," River said, already heading toward them, tossing the words over her shoulder. She wound her way to their space easily, pressing her hands against the glass. She smiled.
"Solitary creatures, but sleep together," River recited. "So they don't get left alone."