InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "there is no spoon"

Amrit Nikesh (piece_o_dat) wrote in paxletalelogs,
@ 2010-09-27 21:41:00

Current mood:	chipper
Entry tags:	amun, isis, min, mut, osiris

Hell or High Water
Who: EGYPTIAN ~~SHIRTLESS~~ PARTY. Open to other Egyptians!
What: A water pipe in the stairwell blows, and the unlucky few around it at the time try to slow it until some help comes by. But the flooding water seems to jog something in the memories of the Egyptian gods.
Where: In the stairwell between floors 3 and 4.
When: A weekday afternoon.
Warnings: ~~Everyone gets wet.~~ Possibly a warning for language, we shall see.

The elevator of course wasn't working - even Amrit Nikesh, who had only been at Pax for two weeks, knew to expect the elevator to be a death trap more often than it was helpful. More than once he heard about people getting stuck in there, and even had some freaky rickety moments while he was moving stuff in. The thought of that thing falling right through to the basement one day didn't occur to him, but the idea of the door jamming and getting locked into that box rattled Rick just a little.

So Rick hummed to himself as he took the stairs two at time, practically flying up them in his Nikes. The elevator didn't matter. He planned on taking the stairs anyway - even if he had landed a place on the top floor instead of the 7th, the restlessness thrumming through him would've still compelled him to climb it the hard way.

It was kind of odd, really. He never came home exhausted. In fact, right now, Rick felt like he could climb the side of the building if he wanted to. Like he came home from a long day at work and by the time he hit his apartment he still got a rush, like the kind physical thrill snowboarding or surfing could give you. He tore apart and put back together his apartment twice now. He'd need to jump on getting into a gym or something, he thought, or he'd go crazy from all the energy buzzing in him. Figure out where his free weights went, at least. Maybe he left them with his bro, or just get a new set-

His chin and face snapped up, suddenly jarred clear out of his thoughts. Someone just sprayed ice-water into his face, or at least it felt that way, and now it still felt like a fainter, hazy mist was falling from somewhere above him. He needed a moment to get back on track, wiped his face with his elbow, and looked around for a reason. Seeing no immediate cause, Rick stepped towards the old central rail and leaned some of his body over the side, trying to get a better view up the stairwell.

"Hey?" he called, just to be sure.

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the_creatrix
2010-10-05 01:00 pm UTC (link)

Zara offered the slender gentleman a little smile once he was back on his feet and said, "Work or no, better that you don't have any broken bones. Those suck." Then, she turned her focus back to the repairs in question. She wished the water would just stop flowing so hard - and then it began to. the water pressure reduced significantly, allowing Navid to work with it more easily. When the next new neighbor entered and accused them of 'breaking the building,' Zara couldn't bring herself to reply. It seemed like the most absurd statement to make, and the least helpful.

But at least the flow was slowing, and it seemed as though there might actually be a chance for Navid to make some headway. At this point, all Zara wanted was to get back to their apartment, change into some dry clothes, and warm up. She felt as though she'd never be warm again.

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lettuce_rejoice
2010-10-06 12:31 pm UTC (link)

Zara was sweet - he liked her. But part of him wanted to argue about the broken bones. Yes, they sucked but he wouldn't mind getting one even if it would put him out of work for awhile. Especially because it would. Of course then he have no way of paying his bills or buying groceries... Double edge sword wasn't it?

Gaggle of weirdos? Right, because anyone in this building was normal. "Nobody broke the damn building," he said, backing up Navid, "It broke itself. Buildings do that," Mirza said, wiping water from his face. Yeah, that was totally going to help his overall wetness.

Instead he just watched the attempted repair, surprised that the water was actually kind of letting up. "I'm not entirely certain maintenance actually exists," he noted wryly. God, how could none of them have any experience in fixing anything?

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piece_o_dat
2010-10-11 07:41 pm UTC (link)

"Someone's going to have to clean up this mess, so I hope maintenance exists for that." Rick still was at the ready for Navid's command. "Almost got it, boss? I'm ready to clamp that bad boy down and get this done with."

The waterflow definitely was down, which was a relief. But instead of thinking it was cause of Navid's efforts, which was only rational, Rick glanced down to Zara instead. Of course, she was nowhere near the pipe, so he wasn't sure what that was about.

He grinned widely down to Zara, then to Mirza and the new girl as well. "Hey, thanks. You guys must be good-luck charms."

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arzani
2010-10-11 08:34 pm UTC (link)

"I think this should hold," Navid said. His tone betrayed his uncertainty. It seemed strange that the water pressure should slacken so now, but he allowed it was perhaps possible maintenance had learned of the break and acted to at least stem the destructive tide. He shifted further to the side, giving Rick as much room to work as he could manage. He held the sheeting in place, water running in ever-lessening rivulets down his upraised arms. Silently he counted down the minutes until he could be back within the safety of his apartment - preferably beneath a steaming hot shower, with a warm, dry towel awaiting him.

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the_creatrix
2010-10-13 07:32 am UTC (link)

Zara smiled at Rick when he looked at her - though she wasn't sure why he had. She was grateful, though, that the water was behaving itself - and now, it seemed to have slowed almost to a stop. As she watched him and Navid work, the smile widened a little; they seemed to have the problem well in hand.

"Thank you, guys," she said to the two of them. "I bet it'll stay long enough for maintenance to get to it."

The tension in Navid's shoulders was practically visible; she resisted the strong urge to go to him and put a gentle, encouraging hand on his back. Soon enough, this would be done, and she could take care of him in their own little space. Going to Long Beach at this point would be a fruitless endeavor; by the time she showered and changed the light wouldn't be right anymore, but at least she might get to spend a little extra time with Navid.

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(sooo sorry. Did not realize it was me holding things up.)

lettuce_rejoice
2010-10-18 06:12 am UTC (link)

Wouldn't that be some kind of house keeping? No, wait. That was a motel or a hotel. This was an apartment building. So yeah, maintenance better exist. He watched the two men work on the pipes and this time decided to stay out of the way. No more kicking the walls for him.

Good luck charms. Right. Mirza sighed heavily and looked between the lot of them. Then he sort of threw a dismissive hand in the air, "Alright. Everyone back to my place for relaxing alcohol. It's not the best, but it's the closest." He went to go pick up his bag and when he did, he added, "Fee saḥitkum and all that, yeah?" Yes, he had slipped in the Egyptian Arabic for 'good health/cheers'. "I'm Mirza by the way."

In the back of his mind, he knew it seemed silly to be offering alcohol instead of saying time to get dry clothes but he didn't care. After this, he wanted a drink, damn it.

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	Think we are about done here? piece_o_dat 2010-10-19 06:47 am UTC (link)
	Rick pointed down the stairwell, his index finger and thumb cocked like a pointed gun. "You've got the idea, Mir. I'm thinking a beer and a shower, in that order." He lifted his gym bag, which smacked against his back in a cold wet thud that sent a sudden, rolling shiver over him. "Or the other way around." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

Sounds good to me :D

arzani
2010-10-19 05:09 pm UTC (link)

"Thank you, Mirza, but I think it's back to my own floor for me," Navid said, his thoughts resting less on celebrating their minor achievement than on getting out of his soaked, now thoroughly chilled clothes. He nodded a pleasant farewell to Rick, smiling softly. "And thank you, Rick. Hopefully next time we meet it'll be under better circumstances."

He moved to retrieve his coat from the railing, finding it nearly soaked through in spite of the precautions he had taken. He nodded to Zara, wordlessly indicating his thorough readiness to quit the stairwell and seek dryer, warmer refuge elsewhere.

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