(no subject)

[the_overseers]

[As part of the celebration of 0134 being promoted up the faction ranks, there's been minor construction work throughout the Grounds. After a week, a magnificent fountain with waterslides is in the center of the grounds with unusually bubbly water shooting out the spout. There is a plaque]

"The Bounty of Water: A Lost and Recovered Work of Bergholt Stuttley Johnson. Dedicated to the hardworking Agents of 0134"

[However, soon after the installation, everyone from Enforcer down will notice their clothes disappearing from the laundry, and if one walks by the fountain at the right time they'll see socks, shirts, and unmentionables shooting high up into the sky, without concern for colors or dyes]

Comments

[micro_icarus]

As he's searching for his gloves in the fountain, Ed muses aloud. "'Lost and recovered'? How the hell do you lose a fountain?"

[tempus_fixit]

"Ed!"

Is that Lucca out there on the deeper end of the fountain. waving to him? She's lacking her glasses and she looks well and truly soaked, but otherwise okay. Happy, even. She looks like she's collecting the errant scraps of fabric, which trail around her in swishy rainbows on the surface as she treads water.

"Isn't this crazy? They installed this thing practically overnight!"

[micro_icarus]

"And hooked it up to the wrong water pipes or something." Ed waded out as close to her as he could while still being able to touch the bottom, then suddenly vanished beneath the water before reemerging a few feet later, spluttering.

[tempus_fixit]

"--Are you alright?!"

She makes a few freestyle-looking strokes his way, worried. Once Ed gets over the water up his nose and the sting of chlorine he'll probably notice that Lucca's only wearing that sarashi-and-shorts combo...

"It's more than just the pipes! This whole thing has kind of knotted up the dimensional membrane. Be careful, I don't want you getting in over your head, and I mean that literally in this case."

[micro_icarus]

Ed carefully does not remark about her state of undress, as he is very much okay with it. However, while observing this his eyes also came across the eyebending horrible reality that lurked in the depths of the fountain.

"I think I see what you mean."

[tempus_fixit]

She treads over to waist-height with him, and dutifully drops what clothing she hadn't left behind in her concern into a shallow lee where the current won't sweep them around.

"Are you looking for something in here?" She says, combing back her waterlogged mop of hair and looking sort of through him since she doesn't have her glasses.

[micro_icarus]

"I think it's just my gloves, but with all this crap out here I figured I should check, at least. Then I saw you out here, and..."

He shrugged. As he stepped to a slightly shallower spot, it became clear that while he was not in the same state of undress as Lucca, his shirt was soaking wet and kinda clingy.

[tempus_fixit]

He's also just stepped close enough for her to somewhat focus. Oh. My gods. She blushes and tries really hard not to react. The steam in the water around her sort of gives her away, however...

"...W-well, I just came out here on my way to the library, and then I saw Jacqli chasing down some of HER clothes so I decided to help, and then I realized hey-this-isn't-so-bad so I left my other clothes over there on the side with the--OH NO!"

She had been pointing to a spot on dry land at the base of one of the terrestrial outcroppings of the fountain. Now only her bag and helmet remain.

"They're gone! The fountain must have taken them!" She blinks. "You know, that sentence would sound really weird out of context..."

[micro_icarus]

Ed glanced over where she was pointing. "Uh-oh. Wanna borrow my ja-"

But of course, Ed's jacket was also missing. "GODDAMMIT!"

[tempus_fixit]

"Nothing is safe! Uuugh, sorry that had to happen, Ed. I'll go look for it in a moment."

Not immediately, because she didn't expect so much to fish out at once. Plus she'd have to leave him here to do so.

[micro_icarus]

She'd better find it, he likes that jacket, for all it's been through. "I'd help, but..."

He shrugged sheepishly, "I can barely swim."

[tempus_fixit]

"...maybe you can help anyway! Try to find something to match the clothes from the shallow parts! A long pole, maybe. Or even a net!"

[micro_icarus]

"Oh hey, yeah I can just do that can't I?"

One quick defacement of CO property later he had a hook on the end of a long pole and was snagging stuff out of the water from safety on the edge of the fountain and leaving them in a pile next to it.

[tempus_fixit]

"Perfect! Now... just don't catch ME with it, okay?"

And so the mergeek goes back into the water, ousting the fabric from where it'd been collecting in the lees beneath the statues.

"I'm not gonna dive for anything." She calls amongst the streams of water from spitting fish statues. "I can't guarantee I'll still be here when I surface."

[micro_icarus]

"Don't worry, I'll keep clear of you."

To be safe, Ed went aimed with his hook for a spot almost 180 degrees away from Lucca as she dove back underwater. He stuck the hook underwater and promptly got it caught on something he couldn't see.

Scowling he gave a tug. Whatever it was, it felt like it was coming loose...

[tempus_fixit]

He tugs, and there's a feeling of something giving way, and at the same time a yelp of surprise comes from under the statues he'd been perched near.

"OHMAIGODS!"

What happened? Is she hurt? No, not really. If he pulls up the hook, he'll see exactly what happened, in the form of a soggy sarashi bandage dangling from the collection hook.

1/2

[micro_icarus]

Ed stared at the random mess of bandages, what the hell was this and why did it looks...

...familiar...

2/2

[micro_icarus]

"Oh shit."

He looks around frantically for Lucca while holding the sarashi awkwardly.

[tempus_fixit]

"Ed!!" Comes Lucca's voice under the statues below him. "That oversized fish hook snagged something it REALLY shouldn't have!"

[micro_icarus]

Ed peered under the statue, "But...but you were way the hell over there just a minute ago! What are you doing here?"

[tempus_fixit]

"GAH, what're you doing?! Don't look!" Lucca flails a little as she tries to cover up and tread water at the same time. Everything beneath her collarbones is submerged, but the color refracted through the turbulent surface is a promising shade of peach... the view is short, because she reaches for a blob of floating red fabric nearby to cover herself.

"I thought I was over there too! I must've hit a warp somewhere and didn't know it."

[micro_icarus]

"Ngah! Sorry!"

Ed dropped the sarashi down to her and looked away, then, against his better judgement, looked back down. "Is that my jacket?"

[tempus_fixit]

"...Huh?"

Half-tangled in the strip of cloth, she holds the red thing out at arm's length to get a better look. "--HEY! It is! Cool!"

She tries for a few more seconds to put the wrap back on, but the shifting of the water wasn't being her friend in this endeavor. Eventually she gives up and shrugs on the coat, ties the cloth around it like a belt, then crawls up the serpentine statuary to get out of the water for a bit, coughing.

"I don't think I've ever been so waterlogged in my life." She splutters, sitting.

[micro_icarus]

"You look like a half drowned puppy."

He hooked out a pinkish shirt that looked like it had been orange before it ended up in the fountain, then sat down next to her, "At least it's warm out. That jacket is light enough that it dries out quickly."

[tempus_fixit]

"Yeah... do you mind if I hold onto it a little longer?"

Considering she's still using it for a makeshift dress. Plus it may be a washed-up, patchwork mess at this point, but she's starting to like it.

Wait wait wait...

"... ...Is that my VEST?"