[open] bugs are crawlin all over me

[thereneverwas]

WHO: Barrow, too many cats, one million drowning fleas, and you
WHAT: it's bath time for the Barrow household
WHEN: mumbles, late summer
WHERE: the baths
NOTES: Contains animals unhappy with their current circumstances but otherwise fine.

I. At Motherfuck O'Clock, Before Dawn

a. Anyone who's awake in the old mage tower will hear its haunting descent from the third floor chambers: heavy, shuffling footsteps, paired with a plaintive, angry wailing from multiple voices as it passes.
This particular ghost takes the form of Barrow, wearing only loose linen pants for sleeping, with a day's stubble and his eyes squinted mostly shut from lack of sleep. In both his arms are bundled multiple cats: his cats, for the unfamiliar, a litter bequeathed unto him by a former Riftwatch member, who are all squirming and meowing in an incredulous manner.
If approached or addressed, the speaker receives only a grunt of "fleas," as Barrow continues his way down the winding stairs.

b. Across the common area traipses the dread procession, until at last it reaches the heated baths. There, with the reasonable hope that nobody will be either fucking or relaxing in this particular pool at this un-Makerly hour of the morning, Barrow walks straight in to the water with a magnificent splash, cats and all.
Once the lot of them have been submerged, he immediately releases his captives, who proceed to angrily swim to shore and shake themselves out as Barrow vigorously scrubs at his hair (and it's not just on his head), only just now beginning to look a little more awake.

II. Aftermath

Remaining in the pool for some time except when he has to get up and retrieve another victim, Barrow has produced a little comb from a pocket in his trousers and holds each cat individually at arm's length, muttering exhausted reassurances as he picks through their fur to make sure he didn't miss anything.
This takes some time, so morning bathers may come in to see it in progress.

Comments

Aftermath

[sprent]

It is not what Gela expects to see in the early morning. She exclaims sleepily, a soft, "Good mornin'," to the wet cat that eels around her ankles, winding in a figure eight. The things make her skin itchy but she still crouches with a towel bundled between her chest and knees to run her hand along the damp back a few times in comfort. "Did you fall in?"

She hasn't got her answer before another comes, crying plaintively, looking for rescue- a third trails it, still dripping from the undercarriage. When she glances up, there is a man combing through a fourth, with his face held so close to the wet fur.

Well now.

"Didn't know today was for the cats only," she calls. And sneezes. "Do I come back?"

[thereneverwas]

"Up to you," Barrow grunts, setting another squirming creature down on the lip of the bath, and it immediately trots away, shaking the water off with ears flat.

"Watch out for the fleas, though."

[sprent]

Gela reels backward from the cat at once, and says, "Thank you," immediately. There are two that are still circling her legs. She tries to shoo them.

"Terrible things, fleas. Once was enough. Did they get to you too?"

[thereneverwas]

A grunt of assent is Barrow's answer, and to emphasize it, he drags the comb through his own chest hair a few more times. Can never be too sure.

"Once was enough," he repeats, "you've dealt with them before?"

[sprent]

Oops. Chalk it up to early morning zero filter?

Gela busies herself with side-stepping cats before replying airily, "Yes. I had a cat growin' up." And she sounds convincing when she says it, and not at all like she actually had fleas while in the form of a giant wolf. Right?

[thereneverwas]

Barrow grunts again, accepting that as a reasonable answer. Cats get fleas, she's just lucky she didn't have [number redacted] of them.

"Think they must get 'em from the rats or the birds around here," he sighs, sloshing his way over to the edge of the pool, where a cat who has sat there cleaning her face immediately skitters away and out of grabbing reach.

"Or, fuck. Edgard. I don't know."

[sprent]

"Edgard?"

Oh, she knows him. She gets the reference. She chuckles, but still says, "That's unkind," and scoops the fleeing cat up into her wet hands to bring it, squirming, over to Barrow in the water.

[thereneverwas]

"We all make choices," Barrow mutters, but nods a thanks to Gela as he accepts the cat, who is far from happy to be delivered back into their tormentor's hands. He's gentle as he combs them, sighing patiently through his nose throughout the angry meowing.

[sprent]

Gela watches him do this for a moment or two, listening to the meowing. Her eyes feel itchy. It's clear she's not going to be able to get into the baths themselves any time soon... and even after Barrow departs, they will be full of cat hairs.

"Why did you choose to do this here?" Seems like a fair question.

[thereneverwas]

That is a fair question: so fair, in fact, that Barrow finds himself considering it for a long moment, as immobile as a statue as he holds the flailing cat.

"...didn't really think about it," he admits. After a pause, he adds, a little sheepishly, "...haven't slept properly in a while."

[sprent]

"Ah," Gela concedes. To her, that's fair. She adds, "I haven't either, not since I got here. I was wonderin' if there was somethin' in the food."

[thereneverwas]

"No, you missed that one," Barrow sighs, scratching at his own head (and then pausing to inspect his fingers-- nothing, thankfully), "...though I suppose it's not out of the question."

[sprent]

(Gela also looks at his fingers, and relaxes when he doesn't react to what he sees there.)

"... Things like this happen to Riftwatch often?" Ironic, to have come here for the promise of safety.

[thereneverwas]

"I wouldn't say 'often'. Periodically." Inspecting the cat, he seems satisfied by their status and frees them at the edge of the pool, where they shake off and skulk away.

"'s a military organization, after all. We'll be targeted sometimes, for better or worse."

[sprent]

"I would have thought it hard to get anythin' past those gates at the front," Gela jokes, and reaches up to rub at her eyes. "I almost didn't. They're well guarded."

[thereneverwas]

"Oh, yeah?"

With the cats now mostly sorted, but the water still warm and pleasant, Barrow conveys himself over to the edge and folds his arm there, the better to converse.

"Someone give you trouble coming in?"

[sprent]

"Mm," Gela says, and finds a place to sit on the stone is that not wet, touching with her palm before she takes it, "No more trouble than he would have given anybody else for showin' up in the dead of night, I'm sure.

His name is Marcus."

[thereneverwas]

"Aha." Resting his chin comfortably over his beefy arms, Barrow can't help but smirk a little at the revelation.

"Humorless sort, perhaps, but he does his job." There's amusement in his eyes; it feels funny to stand up for someone he'd gladly never see again in his life, but facts are facts.
"Letting any Tom, Dick and Harry in is how you get people trying to burn down the dining hall for Andraste."

[sprent]

... Oddly specific example.

"A little," Gela agrees, cracking a little smile in memory. "He discovered pretty quick that I didn't like seein' him use magic, if the candle lightin' was anything to go by."

[thereneverwas]

"Ah." Some people are strange about magic; Barrow isn't one of them, but for obvious reasons, he understands.

"Magic frightens you?"

[sprent]

For a moment she eyes him, trying to decide what she's going to say. And then decides the pause is probably answer enough so, "Sometimes."

More like all of the time. But, "It doesn't frighten you? That people know how to do it, and could at any moment?"

[thereneverwas]

Barrow thinks a moment, and shrugs his bare shoulders. "Sometimes," he admits, "but only in the wrong hands. I'm frightened by the mage who abuses their power."

He rests his chin on his folded arms. "Course, a Templar who fears magic wouldn't get far."

[sprent]

Ah, a Templar in her midst. Should she feel safer? Really, she only feels better for the absence of mage-magic in this room, even though she remembers Marcus' questioning very clearly, and that they are all here to fight a war, not each other. The chances of someone hurting her here are very low.

Admittedly, "I suppose not. But at least you can do somethin' about it."

[thereneverwas]

"That's true." He thoughtfully rubs the back of his neck.

"You had any combat training?" It's the best treatment for fear, in his experience.

[sprent]

"None," Gela admits, but her tone is firm. "That's not for me."

No. She's not about to pick up a sword and learn to fight, not after everything. "I'll find other protections."

[thereneverwas]

A little surprised by the intensity of her response, Barrow smiles out of habit-- he's not here to push anyone into anything.

"Just asking," he assures her, "I train recruits myself, sometimes it helps 'em feel a little better. But there's nobody going to make you do anything."

[sprent]

Gela hitches a smile back onto her face quickly, showing her teeth. "Of course- thank you. I appreciate it, but I'm no good with weapons. It would be a waste of time to teach me anythin', that's all."

To keep him from trying to persuade her, she pushes herself up to her knees, to her feet. Pausing to muffle a sneeze into the crook of her arm, she says, "Oh, no. Cat hair always makes this happen." Watery eyes, a tickly throat. "I should probably come back later."

[thereneverwas]

With no intention of chasing after the topic, Barrow just smiles pleasantly, letting Gela excuse herself. "Aye, I s'pose I should get this place cleaned up," he sighs, looking around at the water, now dotted with dead fleas.

"But if you ever change your mind," he adds, looking over his shoulder as he goes to start scooping them out, "no questions, no judgment. Promise."

Crystal whenever makes sense

[muckspout]

Heard about your problem. Are you alright? Can I help you....from afar?

[said very quickly in one breath]

Please do not come by until you've fixed it. Bath should do the trick.

[thereneverwas]

[with something approaching sympathy,] I imagine fleas can be a bit of a problem for you.

[muckspout]

[How dare you insinuate.]

They are not. I stay away from them. We have an agreement.

[thereneverwas]

You and the fleas?

Did you get it in writing?

[muckspout]

They can be reasonable if you know the rules.

[thereneverwas]

…which are,

[muckspout]

The rules are no good to you now! You flagrantly violated them!

[thereneverwas]

Ah-huh.

[He'd have more patience for this if he weren't in the thick of it.]

Pity.