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[COLOR=lightskyblue][indent][sub][B]Location:[/B] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I]The Home of Erika Watson[/I] - [I]San Diego[/I][/COLOR][/sub][sup][right][b]The Storm:[/b] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I]02 - Water, My Dear Watson[/I][/COLOR][/right][/sup][/indent][/color][sub][hr][/sub][indent][color=lightskyblue][sub][B]Interaction(s):[/B] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I]None[/I][/COLOR][/sub][SUP][RIGHT][b]Previously:[/b] [COLOR=B0C4DE][I][url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/4895493]The Storm 01: Strangers in the Foam[/url][/I][/COLOR][/right][/SUP][/color][/indent]

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Erika Watson awoke to what could only be the sound of a small army trying to break through her front door. She grasped around in the dark failing to find the switch on her bedside lamp. Curtains drawn closed in a desperate attempt to keep the mid-morning light from breaching into the room. She was up all night last night typing up another report for work - smuggler bust. Giving up on finding the switch she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She grabbed her clothes stacked in a crumpled pile on the floor, a worn pair of blue jeans ripped on one of the knees and a men’s small black t-shirt thoroughly shrunken. As she finished pulling on her t-shirt the banging at her door only seemed to intensify in volume. 

[color=F5FFFA]“If you break that door, you are fucking paying for it!”[/color] Erika shouted at the top of her lungs. [color=F5FFFA][i]If this was that postal worker that I said was knocking too quietly, I swear to God...[/i][/color] She considered taking her gun from her drawer for a moment but thought against it. 


She exited her bedroom brushing down the stray strands of her pixie-cut blonde hair as she did. By the time she finished, she had crossed the length of her tiny bungalow - if she was honest it was more of a nice shack really - and had reached the front door. The knocking ceased after Erika had yelled her annoyances to the world, but she was still fuming. Angrily, she slid back the deadbolt and yanked the door open, the hinges screaming at the brutality.

[color=F5FFFA]“What the hell do you... Arthur?!”[/color]

He was drenched from head to toe and the I ❤️ SAN DIEGO sweatshirt that she had bought him last Christmas was torn in places and stained with blood. That wasn’t as surprising, Arthur had a habit of getting into fights, he said it was because of his “big personality” if that was what he wanted to call his dumb hot-headedness she didn’t seem to mind. What was surprising was that slung across his shoulders in a fireman’s carry was an unconscious body. 

[color=lightskyblue]“Can I borrow your kitchen table?”[/color] Arthur sputtered out between labored breaths. 

[color=F5FFFA]“....Okay?”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“Thanks.”[/color]

Erika stepped out of the way of Arthur letting him in. She made sure to get to the table first pulling together the scattered pieces of paper that littered it. Most of it was work papers, their placement sketching semi-coherent lines of thinking slowly plotted out over several sleepless nights and countless more glasses of whiskey. All that work was gone in a matter of seconds as she pulled them into a loose pile and dropped them onto the floor. Erika didn’t even think about it autonomous motions driving her body forward as she made room. She could worry about work later.

Erika watched as Arthur gingerly placed a stranger on her table. Erika didn't have much medical training besides a mandatory CPR class, but it didn’t take a doctor to tell he was in rough shape. Sweat poured down his face and an experimental touch to the forehead revealed skin that burned to the touch. All the while, he kept on mumbling what must have been fragmented words or phrases in a language that Erika did not understand. She turned to Arthur; his gaze was directed downward at the man, his brow furrowed in concentration. 

[color=F5FFFA]“Where’d you find him?”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“The beach.”[/color]

[color=F5FFFA]“Why here? Why not the hospital?”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“I don’t think he would be safe.”[/color]

Erika instantly regretted leaving the gun in the drawer.

[color=F5FFFA]“What happened on the beach Arthur?”[/color]

He turned away from her. 

[color=lightskyblue]“People were hunting him. Police? Or something, I don’t really know. They were definitely hunting him though. And, I know if I didn’t step in he would already be dead.” [/color] Arthur stated more reassuring himself than her as he still refused to face her.

[color=F5FFFA]“You attacked police officers?”[/color] Erika asked trying to hide the concern in her voice as she reached a hand out touching his shoulder.

[color=lightskyblue]“I told you. I don’t know!”[/color] Arthur took a deep breath trying his best to not let his anger get the better of him before he continued [color=lightskyblue]“They came out of the water dressed in freaky looking armor like something out a movie. When I didn’t comply with their orders they attacked. It wasn’t my fault. And... I came here because I trust you” [/color]

“I’m not saying it is,” Erika reassured him. She ran the hand that was on his shoulder down across the arm where the sleeve was still ripped from whatever fight had led him here. This close to him, Erika was able to survey the damage better. He was bleeding a lot more than he usually did, the cut on his arm ran deep. His jaw was swelling up and little trickles of blood ran all across his body from where jagged splinters of wood pierced through clothing into exposed flesh, almost like he had been at the center of a bomb or something.[color=F5FFFA] “Arthur maybe you should sit down”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“I’m fine.”[/color] He lied as he pulled away from her touch.

[color=F5FFFA]“We both know that’s bullshit.”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“I’m fine!”[/color]

Erika would have pressed harder but at that moment the man on the table began to thrash about screaming in his alien tongue. Arthur sprang into action immediately running towards the sink. He began rifling through her cabinets looking up and down. Erika ran over to the thrashing stranger and quickly attempted to hold him down so that he couldn't hurt himself further. His strength surprised Erika as she was forced to press her entire body weight down atop of him to get him to stop flailing and even then he still struggled beneath her. She called out to Arthur.

[color=F5FFFA]“What are you doing?!"[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“Where did you put the cups?!"[/color] He shouted back.

[color=F5FFFA]“They are in the cabinet next to the refrigerator!”[/color] She directed him before adding [color=F5FFFA]“And why do you need a cup?”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“Why did you move them?”[/color] He called back as he pulled out a plastic yellow cup from the cabinet and rushed over to the sink turning the faucet on.

[color=F5FFFA]“Because I needed a chang-”[/color] She started before stopping [color=F5FFFA]“You still didn’t answer my question!”[/color]


[color=lightskyblue]“Water!”[/color] Arthur exclaimed as he sprinted back over. Erika moved off of the man as Arthur approached looking at him puzzled. She watched as Arthur quickly handed the plastic cup over to the man. To Erika’s great surprise rather than drinking the water, the man splashed the contents out and onto his face. He shouted something that Erika couldn’t comprehend dropping the plastic cup to the floor as he did.

[color=lightskyblue]“More!”[/color] Arthur rushed back to the sink

[color=F5FFFA]“Wait! You can understand him?”[/color] Erika asked Arthur as she thought of what to do next.

[color=lightskyblue]“Yeah,”[/color] Arthur replied like the answer was obvious [color=lightskyblue]“you can’t?”[/color]

[color=F5FFFA]“Obviously not!”[/color] She yelled back as she looked back at the man. He was beginning to fade away again as his movements becoming more lethargic by the minute. [color=F5FFFA][i]Water...Water...Water..![/i]

 “The Bathtub!”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“Genius!”[/color] Arthur called his eyes lighting up with new vigor as he rushed back over to pick the man back up. Maneuvering past him, Erika ran into the bathroom and quickly began turning the knobs as quickly as she could. In short order, Arthur was able to deposit him into a shallow pool of lukewarm water. The two sat down next to the bathtub, watching closely for any signs of improvement. Erika let out a gasp as the change began almost immediately. Sickly white skin slowly began to regain color as the large burn wound on his chest slowly began to heal and repair itself, old skin falling away and new skin growing to replace it with a rapid urgency like somebody had left the remote on fast forward. 

[color=F5FFFA]“Arthur. You have to tell me everything.”[/color]

[color=lightskyblue]“....”[/color]

[color=F5FFFA]“Arthur?”[/color]

Turning, a small smile began to form on her lips. Arthur had his back pressed against the bathroom wall with his legs stretched out in front of him, the cramp quarters forcing him to pull his knees up against his chest. His head was tilted to one side, and his eyes were closed. This last burst of activity the final push that was needed from exhaustion to take its hold. Erika got up and quietly went back to the bedroom to retrieve a blanket. Returning with a spare blanket and pillow in hand, she managed to wedge the later between his head and the wall and then laid the former out across him. 

Before exiting she regarded the stranger in the bathtub for a moment longer.

[color=F5FFFA]“The water huh...”[/color]
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