InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I'm five-by-five."

Maru's Various Charries (mm_maru) wrote in morningstar_mnr,
@ 2010-10-02 21:37:00

Entry tags:

andras, chandika, cindy, fin, ricky, sibyl, susan, urquhart

Ground floor, Saturday morning -- Multi-pup OTA/MW

Urquhart was doing the laundry, but one of the washing machines had gone weird on him. He could try and fix it on his own, but it would be much more interesting to find himself some handyman or maid and that way meet more of the staff. So he went up to the first floor to stick his head into the staff corridor and mildly bleat for help.
Cindy was in the lobby, waiting for Andras to return with the dog. She was reading a cooking magazine, occasionally looking up from it to still not see the two loping shapes come in through the front door.
Ricky was in the conservatory, wondering whether some seedlings of his mum's illicit crop might be grown here, hidden beneath and behind the regular plants.
Chandika was sitting in the Mocha, having a Mocha mocha with whipped cream, syrup and sprinkles. She was texting on her phone, and giggling as she was doing so.
Andras was outside, just around the corner, taking pictures of Axminster who was busy meeting a small pink female poodle.
Sibyl was in the garden, walking around and looking up at the sky, while obviously deep in thought.

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	Mixing and matching! ilmatar 2010-10-02 08:13 pm UTC (link)
	Susan was wandering from one room to another with a half-full coffee cup in one hand and a package of detergent in the other. Before entering the room where all the cleaning carts were held, she noticed that big bulky and slightly paranoid man she had met a while ago in the corridor. "Hello?" she stopped before entering the cart room, and raised an eyebrow at Urquhart. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-02 08:18 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh, hello," Urquhart said. "Erm, one of the washing machines has gone on strike with my laundry in it." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Mixing and matching!

ilmatar
2010-10-02 08:35 pm UTC (link)

"Really?" Susan asked, glanced down at her coffee cup and then at the detergent package, and looked up at Urquhart. "Just a moment, please."

She went into the room in front of her, put the detergent in the cart she was loading ready, then emptied the coffee cup in one big gulp, and ended up coughing for trying to drink too much at once.

She emerged back to the corridor with reddened eyes and coughing into her fist.

"Agh, I'm sorry. Yes, um, let's go and see," she coughed once more, "what's wrong with the machine."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-02 08:39 pm UTC (link)
	"Would it help if I clapped you on the back?" Urquhart offers. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! ilmatar 2010-10-02 11:25 pm UTC (link)
	She cleared her throat loudly. "Arrrhm! I'll be alright," and coughed for the last time. "So, the laundry machine? What does it say?" Susan looked up at him and started walking with him towards the staircase leading down. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-02 11:27 pm UTC (link)
	"It says nothing," Urquhart says, walking down the stairs. "Does nothing. It's just not moving." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! ilmatar 2010-10-04 04:00 pm UTC (link)
	"I might know what's wrong with it, or at least how to fix it. It gets a little messy but I can take care of it," Susan told him as they walked along the corridor to the laundry room. "My theory is that the machines actually shake off their own filters over time, just enough out of place that they get jammed up." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-04 06:35 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm probably totally rubbish at taming washing machines," Urquhart said, following her to the laundry room. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! ilmatar 2010-10-04 06:54 pm UTC (link)
	"You'd be an expert if you worked with them as much as I do!" Susan reasurred him brightly. "Which one is it?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-04 06:59 pm UTC (link)
	"Here, number 13," Urquhart said, pointing glumly. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Mixing and matching!

ilmatar
2010-10-04 07:43 pm UTC (link)

"The bad luck number, how fitting," Susan said jokingly when she made her way to the machine. She bent over in front of it - moments like these made people realize she wore shoes with heels and seemed to have shortened the skirt of the maid outfit a little. She examined it and the small screen in the panel, tried turning it off and back on, but nothing happened.

"Yeah, I think it is like I thought," she gave her diagnosis after a while, and began squeezing herself in the middle of two machines to get her hands on the back of it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-04 07:49 pm UTC (link)
	"Yes?" Urquhart said, hunkering down behind her. Only to look in between the machines as well to see what she was doing, of course! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Mixing and matching!

ilmatar
2010-10-06 05:34 pm UTC (link)

Susan hit the machine with a determined bang of her fist, and that opened a small hatch right where she had hit. She opened it wide and after a little bit of tweaking, she took out a filter. It was full of wet fuzz and lint, and she carried it quickly to the sink in the laundry room, holding her other hand underneath it to prevent it from dripping.

"Taking this out and putting it back usually does the trick," she explained as she rinsed the filter clean. "And I suppose cleaning them every once in a while doesn't hurt either."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-06 07:18 pm UTC (link)
	"Am I allowed to do it myself the next time?" Urquhart asked. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Re: Mixing and matching!

ilmatar
2010-10-06 07:35 pm UTC (link)

"I suppose, but there's always the risk that you might do something wrong, or that this wouldn't be the thing to fix it," Susan said when she returned the filter to the machine and put it back to its place.

"I mean, if you break the machine when you could have asked someone from the staff to help you, you might have to pay for it," she grimaced up at him, and turned on the machine again. "There! That looks right!"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Mixing and matching! mm_maru 2010-10-06 07:39 pm UTC (link)
	"It works!" Urquhart said. "Thanks!" (Reply to this) (Parent)

	Cindy essayel 2010-10-02 08:28 pm UTC (link)
	Fin was also looking for two tall loping things and felt that joining Cindy would cut a corner. "Hi," he said. "Aren't they back yet?" (Reply to this) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-02 08:36 pm UTC (link)
	"Hello Fin!" Cindy said, looking up from her magazine. "No, they're not. I'm going to take Axminster along to my afternoon appointment, so I hope they'll get a move on." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-02 08:45 pm UTC (link)
	"They are probably having fun," Fin said and took his phone from his pocket. "Do you want me to give him a call, tell his to move his ass?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-02 08:54 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh yes, please," Cindy said. "I'm sure he has a special ringtone for you which he'll answer even though he ignored the general one when I called." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-02 09:04 pm UTC (link)
	"Surely not," Fin said, chuckling as he pressed a speed dial key. "It's ringing, hasn't gone straight to voice mail." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-02 09:13 pm UTC (link)
	Andras answered on the third ring. "Sorry, was taking pictures," he said. "Hi Fin!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-02 09:19 pm UTC (link)
	"Hi there," Fin said, grinning. Andras taking pictures! Well, I never. "I'm with Cindy and she wants to know when you'll be back. She wants to take Axminster with her to her appointment, which is at ... when is it Cindy?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-02 09:26 pm UTC (link)
	"I need to leave in ten minutes," Cindy said. "Tell him if he's not back by then, he'll be stuck with the dog for the day!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-02 09:37 pm UTC (link)
	"She's leaving in ten minutes," Fin said, "so you'd better get back here unless you want us to dog sit all day." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-02 09:46 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh, fuck!" Andras said. "I'm just around the corner. But Axminster is meeting this totally ridiculous pink little lady poodle right now..." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-02 09:50 pm UTC (link)
	Fin snickered. "Do you really need Axminster to go with you?" he asked Cindy. "Because Andras says he's on the pull." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-02 10:09 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, it's a nice mountain plot which he'd enjoy," Cindy said, "but if you feel up to dog-sitting until around eight, he can go knock himself out with romantic doggy pics." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-03 12:50 pm UTC (link)
	"It's up to you, Andras," Fin said. "We'd have him til about eight if you want to let him carry on schmooping. Either way the dog's going to have fun." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-03 12:57 pm UTC (link)
	"She just left," Andras said. "We'll be right along, okay?" And he hung up. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-03 01:13 pm UTC (link)
	"Looks like you're going to get your dog back in time to take him to the mountains," Fin assured Cindy, putting his phone back into his pocket. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-03 01:16 pm UTC (link)
	"Oh, good," Cindy said. "My clients really like him, they'd have been disappointed if I'd come without him. After all, there's more to architecture than building community centres, and finding skeletons in basements." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-03 01:44 pm UTC (link)
	"I guess the centre must be almost ready to begin business," Fin suggested. "Andras has been talking about volunteering for life skills classes. I wondered about offering help to write CVs." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-03 03:32 pm UTC (link)
	"That would be useful," Cindy said. "I mean, finding artistic potential in scruffy urban kids is one thing, but that doesn't give them a livelihood." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-03 07:57 pm UTC (link)
	Fin shrugged. "Not really. For every artist that society supports it takes fifty plumbers, cab drivers, farmers, guys who pick up trash - all the rest. Best to offer them an alternative in case their 'art' fails to impress." He gave Cindy a wry smile. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-03 08:35 pm UTC (link)
	"We'll have to make sure that's brought across, too," Cindy said. "Andras might be apt to forget it." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-04 04:58 pm UTC (link)
	"How can you say that?" Fin said with mock outrage. "Suggesting that Andras might be so blown away with enthusiasm that he forgets that not everyone can be Annie Leibovitz? No way!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-04 06:32 pm UTC (link)
	Cindy giggled. "Andras will be blown away with anything at the slightest notice," she said. "He needs somebody to tie him down to the earth." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-04 06:37 pm UTC (link)
	Fin nodded. "Even the brightest carnival balloon needs a knot in the end," he said. "I'm just glad to have found a place where I can make myself useful." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-04 06:44 pm UTC (link)
	Just at that moment, the two tall shapes they had been waiting for came loping in through the door. "Useful at what?" Andras said, on hearing the tail end of the conversation. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-04 07:10 pm UTC (link)
	"Five hundred words, any subject you like," Fin said with a grin. "Did your friend get his end away? I feel you should tell Cindy just in case she gets slapped with a paternity suit." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-04 07:32 pm UTC (link)
	"Not again," Cindy said. "I got that fixed, after the last time." "No," Andras said, handing over the dog's lead. "I think the poodle's owner would have flayed us if we'd done more than sniff and wag and take pictures, respectively." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-04 07:35 pm UTC (link)
	"I'm glad you clarified that," Fin said, getting up. He put his hands in his pockets and said, "Now you're back, how about we go out again?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-04 07:38 pm UTC (link)
	"I'll see you, boys, but now we have to be off," Cindy said, and sped into the elevator that was just opening, Axminster running right along. "Good idea," Andras said to Fin. "Anywhere special, or just generally brunch-like?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-04 07:45 pm UTC (link)
	"There's definitely a brunch element to it," Fin said, "but I wondered about checking out the new bookstore as well?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	mm_maru 2010-10-04 07:55 pm UTC (link)
	"Sounds excellent!" Andras said. "Let's go!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	essayel 2010-10-04 07:59 pm UTC (link)
	So they did. (Reply to this) (Parent)