[Locked & OTA] Splashdown

[living_proof]

WHO: Liv Moore
WHERE: Fountain, Hot Spring
WHEN: May 28 & 29
OPEN TO: Ravi & Everybody
WARNINGS: Zombie talk in the first prompt, semi-nakedness in the second

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6I Fountain - May 28, Evening

Locked to Ravi

You know what I'm not a fan of? Deja vu. In my line of work, or at least the very specific way I go about that line of work, I tend to get it a lot. That niggling feeling that I've been somewhere before, or seen something as someone else. It can be useful, sure — I'm not knocking the tool kit I've got to work with, here. But it can also be irritating. You feel off, like you're caught in a time loop, or in limbo. The worst is when you can't put your finger on why.

Today, though, I know exactly why. It's fortunately not everyday I relive drowning and then throwing up on myself.

It is also fortunately not everyday that experience involves me doing all of that in a fountain, with no memory of how I got there. I haven't had any brains in a few days... Did someone sneak me a piece of party animal without me knowing?

The scrubs I've got on are familiar at least, even if it's been awhile since I wore them for work. I've got somebody's backpack with a bunch of clothes inside, and a smart watch strapped to my left wrist, but nothing's ringing a bell. I heft off the bag, take a seat on the lip of the fountain and scroll through the screens on the watch, looking for clues. Maybe I can make a futuristic phone call on this thing.

There's a list of contacts, a few messages, and— Wait, what? Right there, bold as brass: Ravi Chakrabarti.

Furiously, I type out a message:

ravi what have you done and why was i in a fountain

It's only after I send it that I realize it says it's from Liv Moore. When did I buy a smart watch, and how many drugs was I on?

Hot Springs - May 29, Evening

OTA

I have no idea what I think about being here, and if I actually stop to think about that, I figure that's probably about as good a reaction as I can expect. So far, I haven't had any kind of discernible mental breakdown, although I did very emphatically give Ravi the third degree. Maybe being a zombie has fortified me against acts of supreme and all-encompassing weirdness. I mean, at least I'm myself, and not trying to get my Lara Croft on or sleep with everybody here. That's something.

What I am doing, though, is exploring. I've got no reason to doubt Ravi when he swears we're stuck here, even if I'm clearly not fully processing that I'm here at all. What am I going to do, sit around and hang with Ravi's rats? I've had more than enough of that for about three lifetimes, thanks.

I follow a path that leads out of town and end up at a spring. A hot one, to judge by the steam, with a little waterfall and a clear, rippling pool.

"Nice," I murmur, and after a quick glance around, pull off my shirt.

Comments

[living_proof]

This is way too much. I'd like to say that the completely nonsensical information provided to me is just a dizzying, improbably swirl, but no. It's starting to slowly gel into a complete, if still improbable picture. A picture that belongs in one of those pulpy sci-fi magazines from the Sixties. And that is so much worse.

I really need to sit down.

"Is this the place for sitting down?" I ask, pointing at the building just ahead of us. "I'm going to sit down," I add, already brushing past Ravi.

[zomboligist]

He's getting the kind of headache that always comes when he's confronted with a problem that he can't solve. Of course, in this case, the problem he can't solve is one he apparently decided to just bypass at home and throw caution to the wind, so he's equally as displeased with his future self as he is with Liv for assuming he knows all this.

"I think I could use a good sit down, too," he says, and figures that any building is a good one. Once he's parked his arse down, he figures that he should say what he ought to have said first, before all the wild confusion started. "Have I told you that I'm really grateful to see you here? Because I am, selfishly. I've missed you."

[living_proof]

It takes a little time before I reply, and I don't bother explaining to Ravi — He obviously gets where I'm coming from here. If I step back from myself and look at this like an episode of the Twilight Zone or Black Mirror or something, I can sort of see the thread, the story arc. And I can see that both of us are getting some seriously upsetting news today.

"I mean," I begin, and then scuff out a little laugh, "I saw you not that long ago, so if I said the same I would be a liar, but I'm glad you're here with me for whatever the hell this is."

[zomboligist]

"I should go vanish into the wilderness for years and see how much you miss me, then we could really test our friendship." He's talking because he has nothing else to do other than react, which is why he's going to keep going. Of course, he really is happy to have Liv with him, even if he's not feeling great.

"When I feel like I can be vertical again, I'll show you the hospital," he promises. "And you can tell me all about this incredible vaccine I invented."