Chapter Text
The first thing River noticed was that the floor was cold and slightly damp. The second thing they felt was someone strong lifting them to their feet. Then an unfamiliar voice spoke, but River's ears were still ringing. It took a few moments for River to hear the new voice.
"Hey. I asked if you're alright."
River didn't respond. They tried, but nothing would come out when they tried to speak. So, for now, they settled for simply nodding.
They looked around the room, mentally taking note of everything around them. It was dark and damp, papers were scattered around an overturned table off to one side and...
Her. The same woman who'd brought them here. River snarled. They fought against the strong hands that held them up, straining to reach the woman who'd torn their life apart twice now.
"Hey, hey! Calm down!" It was that new voice again. River growled, but stopped fighting. They carefully pushed themself out of the other person's grasp and turned to face them.
The first thing they noticed about the other person was the massive stone hammer on her back. It seemed an ineffective weapon, being made of stone that appeared to have something growing out of it, but it looked right, strapped to the strong woman's back. River took note of every detail about the stranger, from her reddish hair to her odd choice of clothes.
"Can you talk?" Her voice startled River out of their thoughts. Again, they tried to reply, only to find themself unable to speak. They sighed and shook their head. Something told them it was going to be an annoying thing to deal with, and this wouldn't be the only time it served as an inconvenience.