[005; audio; open]

[perceptum]

[ There's no warning as the audio starts, and it seems very likely that River isn't actually addressing the network at large at all. It cuts in mid sentence, to the rustling sound of movement and near incoherent rambling from River. ]

-but it wasn't meant to go like this. What went wrong? Something went wrong, was it her calculations? The numbers twisted and broke and now so much is lost and how are they supposed to find out why? Pushed too hard and too fast, why did he let her try? Why did I try?

[ She stops talking very abruptly, exhales slowly, and then for the first time actually sounds like she's talking to the network, like it isn't just an accidental pick up of a private conversation featuring one. ]

She's sorry. She didn't- it wasn't meant to happen. So, so sorry.

[ Without any indication of who she's apologising to, she cuts the feed. ]

Comments

audio

[perceptum]

[ ...Claire did you just offer to hide a body for River, because that's kind of what it sounds like right now. ]

It was an accident, he thought wrong and she thought wrong and they calculated so, so badly, but it was an accident. [ She has to keep stressing that point, because she already feels guilty enough as it is. She can't take intentional blame onto her shoulders too, it's too much. ]

He's not hurt. He doesn't realise anything is wrong. He thinks everything is fine, but there are pieces missing in his mind that he can't explain. How is anyone going to be able to fix that?

[ Seriously Claire please have an answer for her, because she really doesn't know right now. ]

audio

[cheerleader]

[Yes, that is basically what she is doing right now. Kind of. She's learned how to hide mistakes really well, thanks to her dad. She knows what she's doing, she swears.]

Maybe time will fix it. If you did something to his mind, time could just be all he needs.

[But then again...]

I hope.

[A pause, and she sounds entirely wary.]

How did you make pieces be missing in his mind?