A Respite From the Flood

I walked into the Library from the flooded streets, wearing a heavy duty, waterproof HazMat suit. It was clunky and heavy, but it kept out the toxic floodwaters, the overflowing sewage, and the floating debris. Lorne was there with Brianna, talking to Grr and taking a respite from the constant downpour. “Well, less sulfuric acid left, and more nothing but lead sulfate,” Lorne mused, “Still....” He turned toward me, knitting his brow. “Are you wearing a powered hard suit, Joah?”

GrrBrool grinned, “Ah, how’s tha HazMat suit workin Spirit Gal?” I met Grr’s eyes as he grinned at me with obvious delight and probably a bit of bemusement at the contrast between my pinned up pigtails and the Hazmat suit. I was lost in his deep, golden gaze for a moment.

Brianna giggled something about me be being half robo-man, while I tried to determine whether I could actually sit in one the of the armchairs while wearing the suit. The lining had begun to itch dreadfully, but I was reluctant to take the whole thing off in case I needed to venture out into the floodwaters again. “It’s a HazMat suit, Lorne, and it’s working well, actually. Of course the water still comes up to my shoulders....”

Lorne held His hand to about the level of my neck in His field of vision. “Bit of a larger percentage than that, methinks. That's for the water?”

I nodded again, deciding to stand rather than attempt a chair. “What were you saying about acids, Lorne?” I asked, moving closer to Grr and laying a hand on the small of his back.

“Bri here lugs a car battery about in her pack, Joah,” Grr smiled. “Must be what gived her those calves….”

Brianna is cute, very cute. Cuddly and adorable, almost. But she is a Shadow. And as Grr so often reminds me, one can only trust the Shadows to be what they are. Brianna had been reading in the Library, studying books on the effects of electrocution. She’d been most eager to find “patients” to try her theories out on. I turned toward her. “Umm…is your experiment working, Bri?"

Brianna began pouting with sweet, pink lips. “Well…with all this water it is hard to find a patient, and I've been fighting skeleton men all day.” She shivered, “Cold, icky water all over....” Grr and I had treated many of those who had been injured in the floodwaters. The level of debris, sewage and chemical contaminants…not to mention the blood bath contamination and the unearthed decomposing bodies…had created a toxic soup that poured into many of the buildings in the City, including the Library. I looked Bri over, but she seemed to be unharmed. She flicked her tail back and forth, giving a slight yawn.

Lorne looked up to Grr, then to me. “Did you collect Warhammer figurines at some point?”

“I knew a guy that used a hammer,” Grr replied, “But, I dont think thats whatcha mean….” I leaned my head on Grr’s arm, turning toward the fire as I did so, studying the blaze in the hearth to make sure it was still burning brightly. “We had an engineer, from tha Feline Corps, who wore somethin like that,” Grr continued. “Tha FURF's had some funny ideas, but they got stuck in, no slackers, well fer kits at least.”

“What is Warhammer, Lorne?” I asked.

Lorne blinked, His expression becoming more present. “Warhammer is a table-top game of strategy played with miniatures, many of them wearing powered armor.”

“Oh,” Grr, mused, “Tactical simulation trainin, i getcha…”

“I'm unfamiliar with such games, Lorne.” I continued to gaze into the fire, causing it to lick up brightly and boil the water around it. Two sets of dark eyes could barely be seen among the logs, two small heads, and two red and orange tails. There was scampering as I directed the flame, until one of the logs shifted slightly, emitting a shower of sparks.

Grr wrapped his arm around me briefly and whispered. “I never get tired of watchin yer fire-critters, Spirit Gal.” I hugged him in return, then shifted around to face Lorne and Brianna.

Lorne smiled at me. “Yes. Somehow, when I look at you, weighing all that I am aware of in your person, the first thing that comes to mind is not ‘This is a person who likely enjoys collecting small metal figurines for the purpose of painting them intricately, and simulating intergalactic wars.’”

Grr looked puzzled, “Err…what do ya think, then, Lorne?”

I lifted my head from Grr’s arm. “Yes, Lorne…what do you think?”

Lorne turned His head slightly down and back, looking sidelong at the Grr and me with a demurring smile. “Ah, but that would be telling.”