Livening Up That Mall Fountain

Entry tags:

Livening Up That Mall Fountain

Who: Arthur Curry and Richard Locke
Where: The mall.
When: The evening of October 1.
What: Arthur needs water and he needs water BADLY. The fountain looks good.
Warnings: Arthur's probably going to get himself kicked out of the mall in much the same way he got kicked out of the marine park.

Really, there wasn't anything at all out of the ordinary today. Arthur needed a new pair of pants, and so Arthur went to the mall in order to procure a pair of pants. Perfectly normal. He started to get quite thirsty as he was shopping. This was also perfectly normal.

What wasn't normal was the way his thirst quickly turned into something more. He needed something to drink. But he didn't see any vending machines anywhere, he was nowhere near the food court, and he still couldn't bring himself to run up to someone and outright steal their beverage.

Besides, he wanted water. This wasn't a normal thirst; he didn't even feel as though he needed to drink it. He just needed water more than he'd ever needed it before in his life...

...and so Arthur really wasn't able to control himself upon seeing that mall fountain. Mall security didn't seem too pleased with the big man who had hurled himself into the fountain, but hey, sometimes, you had to get water any way you could.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Another man had similar plans today, except with getting some new shirts. A good chunck of his dress shirts and turtlenecks had suffered at the tragic hands of school and accidents. A new pair of shoes felt necessary, too. His favorite pair had grown far too old and had recently suffered at the hands of throw up. Best to find a new pair for when these shoes finally spontaneously combust.

En route to the store, a loud splashing from the floor below instantly catches his attention, along with everyone else in the area, seems like. What was that? Karl squinted a bit to get a better look as mall security rushed in. Someone seemed to be splashing around in the fountain. Wait... That individual in there was...

Well. Shit.

This had the potential to become really bad really fast. The thought alone filled Karl with a small amount of panic. He had to get down there NOW or risk the idiot getting hauled off to jail. Karl sprinted down the closest flight of stairs (which wasn't all that close) all while mentally cursing the fact that people cannot seem to grasp what constitutes suspicious behavior.

Really, at this point, even Arthur's aware that this is not exactly good public behavior. It's kind of hard to care what with the intense relief he's feeling now that he's completely soaked.

Of course, now the mall cops were on the scene. Some had run over there on foot, and others were zipping over on their Segways. Only one thing to do now: he forced a smile. "Is there a problem, officers?"

Yes, he is absolutely trying to play off having flung himself into a mall fountain.

Mall cops were beginning to swarm like annoying little flies drawn to honey. Any excitement in their day had to be welcomed. Honestly, their presence didn't pose much threat; what did is the potential actual cops present in the mall. Karl feels certain he had scene an uniformed cop walking around earlier. This sort of mess is bound to draw their attention and that had to be avoided.

Upon reaching the stairs, he begins to descend them quickly but not madly to the point it would draw unwanted attention to himself. Keeping calm while attempting to prevent disaster is key no matter the situation. Right. Now what to do upon arriving at the scene? Persuade them that Arthur had tripped or had reason to jump in and, if doubted or dismissed, flash his badge. The thought makes him frown slightly. Jeopardizing his cover is bad, but this situation may have no other alternative. Ugh, there had better be a damn good reason for that impromptu swimming session.

There was a very good reason for that. Arthur had felt like he was sick without the water. Dying, even. Now that he was surrounded by mall cops, he was holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender and stepping out of the fountain. "I don't suppose we could just forget this ever happened, gentlemen? And lady~"

No, Arthur, hitting on the old woman on the Segway wasn't doing anything to help your cause.

As soon as his feet touch the ground floor, any and all sense of urgency vanishes. A controlled calmness replaces it, a calmness of someone aware of the authority they possess and not afraid to use it. With no small amount of confidence, Karl approaches the scene and... is Arthur really attempting to flirt with that woman? Sigh, this is going to require a good amount of sweet talking to get out of, he knows it.

"Though you may have dropped your wallet in the fountain, had cannonballing to retrieve it truly been necessary?" All the security guard's attention shifts towards the sudden newcomers, but said newcomer's eyes are entirely focused on Arthur. Play along, please play along. Better they believe a dropped wallet was the cause rather than a man casually deciding to attempt diving into the nearby scenery.

Hey, flirting with that old lady constitutes sweet talking, right? Right?

Arthur is understandably relieved to see someone he knows there. Even better, it's someone he knows with a perfectly valid cover story. "That's RIGHT! I dropped my wallet!" His usual confident grin returned. Now that he had a story to build off of, he would be UNSTOPPABLE. "Hey, I couldn't risk anyone else getting the twenty bucks I had in there, and if you've gotta get your wallet out of a fountain, you might as well do it with a little style, right?"

Karl isn't sure whether to be happy Arthur caught on or unhappy with that style comment. The mall cops, unfortunately, seem as unhappy as before. They appear less interested in the story and more that maybe they can book two people. Their leader, a particularly large and balding man, huffs, "Look, bub, he's suspicious and, unless you leave, you'll be just as suspicious. So move along or get arrested with your buddy here."

Though the suspicious comment cannot be argued at all, the urge to laugh at this mall cop is great. Hard to resist, really, but Karl manages. Some guy not willing to listen to witnesses and more than likely trying to get in good with the police force by calling them about 'suspicious' behavior. Laughable.

Less laughable is the fact they've declared their intent to call the cops. Someone had to mention for them to call in anything odd. Guy jumping into the fountain? Odd. "Calling any officers won't be necessary." With a quick motion of the wrist, his badge gets pulled out from his shirt pocket and flipped open. "Captain Karl Aurion, Locke City Police Force, Third District." The urge to laugh resurfaces once again when the head guard's cockiness shifts into a look mirroring that of a deer in the headlights.

Edited 2013-10-07 14:10 (UTC)

Arrested? Really? For this?! Arthur had done far, far worse in college and hadn't met with nearly this much hassle. It was odd, that's what it was. Suspicious in and of itself...he tried to think of a bit of bluster he could throw at these guys and their determination to get

Now, Arthur knew there were cops on the network. That didn't bother him. He was, however, surprised at that badge flip. "OUTRAGEOUS!" Wait, wait, wait, there was still that whole playing along thing to worry about..."So I'm in your custody again, officer?"

There. That was good. Nothing to see here but a crazy man who kept right on running into the same cop.

A soft glare at the OUTRAGEOUS doesn't get restrained. It does, however, vanish as soon as it becomes apparently that Arthur will continue to play along. Good, they can talk about this later. He nods. "Correct."

Karl turns back towards the security guard. "I trust you have no troubles with him coming with me?" A meek nod of the head is the only reply given. What else to say when a ranked officer made you look like a fool with a good chunk of his coworkers and strangers alike?

This knowledge bothered Karl little. The man had behaved in manner only describable as being a pompous ass and could use a harsh dose of humility. All attention shifts back onto Arthur. "Come along, then, and do not force me to have to carry you again." Though if the other man wanted to play that part, it wouldn't prove problematic. Perks of keeping in shape were that carrying another person wasn't especially hard.

Really, Arthur would have liked to have seen Karl try to carry him. He was a big man, 6'4" and carrying a little more weight than a guy of his size really needed to be. If it weren't for the fact that he appreciated the save, he would have been sorely tempted to answer yes to that just to see what would have happened. "Nope! I can walk myself out this time! Or would you rather hop?" Yes, that is now Arthur hopping on one leg, grinning like an idiot.

At least he was still playing along.

Being 6'1" and physically fit may have made carrying plausible, though Arthur just skipping is far less of a hassle. Maybe the teeniest of smirks plays on his lips at the hopping comment. Hey, even he can be made to laugh if someone plays their cards right. He even turns a little to make sure none of the security guards notice. "Whatever you do is fine so long as it involves movement. Let's go."

"Good bye, officers!" Arthur gave the mall cops a cheerful wave and skipped--literally skipped, because who cares about dignity after diving into a mall fountain?--after Richard.

As soon as they were out of the mall cops' hearing range, a sigh escaped Karl. Maybe a teeny, completely not amused lineface got sent in the direction of the skipping man. Considering the fact DO NOT BE SUSPICIOUS had gotten drilled home twice, there had to be a good reason for that fun incident. If there wasn't, a fresh parking ticket will most certainly find itself on Arthur's bus within the next 12 hours. "I take you have a better reason for jumping in there other than you wanted to go for a swim?"

Arthur held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Easy, chum, it wasn't really like I had any choice!" He made a face. "I just...NEEDED that water! Needed it like I've never needed water before! Like I was going to DIE if I didn't get any then and there..."

The lineface shifts into a heavy frown. "The need had been so severe you had no other choice?" No sarcasm or accusatory tone can be heard in that. He honestly wants to know the extent of this great need for water. Not even he's enough of a jerk to be upset at someone doing something in order not to die and, considering all which he's witnessed on the network, this very well may have been a situation of life and death.

"Yeah." Arthur rubs at the back of his neck. "It's the darndest thing! I know I'd been a little thirstier than usual lately, but this takes the cake!" He considers this for a moment before adding, "Y'know, I had one of those pulses while I was at the Tower, but I never really noticed anything at the time. Maybe I've been a little thirstier since then, but today it just kicked into overdrive..."

Maybe the heavy frown lessens slightly. From the sounds of it, this had been a near life or death situation. While not the best way to have gone about remedying thirst, Karl could not remain mad at Arthur for doing what he'd done. "And you feel better now?"

"Yeah! Actually I do!" Arthur ran a hand through his wet hair. "I feel great now that I'm hydrated!" He grinned. "Thanks for the save back there--I had NO IDEA you were a cop!"

If nothing else, at least there's that. Karl frowns a bit upon being reminded of the fact Arthur knows. Right, this needs to be dealt with now. "I am, however I ask you keep that knowledge to yourself."

Arthur was about to reassure Karl, when he suddenly felt that familiar pulsey feeling ring out in his head. When it passed, he grinned. "Nothing to worry about, chum! The other me used to do that sort of thing ALL THE TIME!" His grin broadened. "LOTS of his friends had secret identities!" He paused, thinking about another part of that bit of knowledge. "They used a lot of costuming in order to keep their identities secret, though. Masks and spandex!"

Spandex and masks. Maybe that gained a small eyebrow raise. Somehow it comes as little surprise that somehow Arthur associated with people possessing such interesting taste. Ignoring that detail, Karl was actually grateful for the cooperation in keeping his identity secret. "Thank you." And he means it.

Thankfulness aside, one last thing remained to be said. Something important. Something Arthur possibly needed to have drilled into his head repeatedly. "And I ask you avoid a repeat of today's incident. It is unlikely you will escape police suspicion a second time."

"I know, I know! From now on, I'm carrying around a bottle of water with me at all times, just in case something like that happens again!" Though it wasn't entirely for the reasons Karl was thinking; dehydrating that much just felt really terrible, and Arthur was in no rush to repeat the experience."

"Good. Then I'll take my leave here." This has been more than enough mall adventures for one day. Before leaving, Karl'll give Arthur one last word of wisdom. "I would also suggest avoiding this mall for a time."

"You don't have to tell me twice! I'll be going elsewhere if I need some pants!" Arthur gave Karl a grin. "Like I want to run into any of those mall cops again!"

"A wise course of action." The fact he meant that got emphasized by a look of approval. With future arrests hopefully not going to happen, Karl started to walk away from Arthur and toward the parking lot. "Take care."

"You as well, chum! Thanks again for the assist!" Arthur decided he'd best be on his way as well. He could just pick up some pants at Target after grabbing an emergency bottle of water somewhere.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Livening Up That Mall Fountain

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject