River was sitting in the dark, but it didn't surprise the preacher man when he turned on the lights. She knew it didn't. Out in the black, things were simpler…
"I thought I might find you out here." Book smiled slightly as he moved in the small cooking area, pulling out the teakettle and his small stash of herbal tea.
"Couldn't sleep. Too much information, refuses to silence."
Book just nodded, pulling out a second cup. "Let's share then, shall we? I've heard tell I'm a good listener."
River glanced up, and blinked.
"I met him, you know."
Book looked around. "Hmm? And who would that be?" A moment of quiet as he turned back to the teakettle, a pause in the conversation.
The silence was odd.
"The one who carried it before you."
The teakettle clattered slightly, but Book didn't turn. "I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific."
River continued to stare at the preacher's back. "The nail. The nail that held the son. Now of trinity, held against silver."
Book was quiet for awhile. The kettle whistled, and he quickly pulled it off the heat and set it on the tray, which was then carried to the table.
All in silence.
River never blinked.
A few more minutes of silence passed, during which Book looked thoughtful.
"It…has been awhile since I met someone else who knew."
River fidgeted in her seat, lowering her gaze. "It's not accepted anymore. Nearly gone."
Book nodded. "That it is. Too hard to live, with all the advanced technology. If it weren't for the powerful repression wards they managed to work into the one ship, they never would have left Earth-that-was."
"Stuck on the outer fringe, creating in silence."
Book shook his head. "A sad thing indeed." He poured the tea, and River quietly took hers. "I assume this has something to do with your little vanishing acts?"
River nodded. "Met him. He was nice. His family was good. They were afraid though…"
Book frowned. "Of what?"
"Me."
"Well..."
"His name was Michael Carpenter."
Book blinked. "As in The-Father-of-Molly-Carpenter Michael Carpenter?"
River smiled slightly. "She was nice too."
"So…This is who you went back to see?"
River shook her head. "His friend. The one possessed. The torn mage."
"…Dresden?" The name was whispered with a reverence previously unheard in Book's voice. "I knew that…being a Knight of the Cross, I knew some things but…I didn't know about that connection."
River stared down into her tea. "Harry Dresden…he was so sad…and broken, in so many little pieces, held together by his will and magic…"
"A man worthy of ancient tragedies" Book watched River intently for a moment. "What were you doing there?"
River stared back, scanning the other's eyes.
"He needed help."
Book nodded slightly. "As powerful a wizard as there ever was, but still the first to admit he needed help…"
"Still needs help."
For once, Shepard Book had absolutely no idea what River might be talking about.
"Leaving from Persephone in three days. We'll reach it in two weeks."
River stood, and walked out of the room, pausing in the doorway. "Thank you for the tea."
She drifted out, leaving Book to stare at the wall.
Two weeks…
Maybe it was time to talk to the captain…perhaps he had been keeping secrets just a bit too long…