Water

[Guest]

"Isn't it a bit strange to you ...?" (silence)

"No. No I suppose it isn't strange to you at all. You see these type of things all the time. (silence)

"I'm only asking for your opinion if you're going to give it." (silence)

"Yes. Well. Right then. You keep sitting there smiling at me and I'll do all the work. Again." (silence)

"I most certainly am calling you lazy because that's what you are. If the shoe fits and all those other cliches." (silence)

The conversation - one sided conversation that it appeared to be - ended when the double hydraulic steam powered air board landed in front of this building. A mechanized skateboard that would defy any logical laws of gravity with its copper metal plating, cylinder tubes that both held and released steam. The rider released his feet from the restraints and popped off and pulled down the grit and powered edged goggles from his face. Rider, meaning one. There was no one with him. Boot click on the engine petal and it stopped doing its thing and rested on the ground in a hibernated state.

Bending down to pick it up caused the rubber and metal encased dreads to fall forward in a trifle dealing that was given no mind. The glider was only three feet long and carry-able if known what the person was doing. Otherwise it would be a jumble-tumble of awkward.

"See what we have here. Yes, yes, yes, ah."

Each 'yes' was accompanied with a step up to the door where the 'ah' was the opening. Curious looking all around had his eyes darting here and there with many turns of his head.

"A tavern, look at that, they're sure to have water. In we go."

"Don't be ridiculous, they have plants. How else are they keeping them watered? See what I said? Watered." (silence)

"Now you just keep quite or they'll think me crazy."

Said the man of rubber and metal in his hair as he made his way to the bar and took a seat. The air board was propped against the seat he was in.

"Hullo! Hullo there, anybody here?"

[Gawain]

Gawain was, for the most part, around. Figuratively speaking, of course. When he heard someone shouting in the inn, he shuffled out of the kitchen...he had been raiding the fridge....and looked around. Spotting the er....guy?...he made his way over, if for nothing else, to get a closer look. "Yeah....how's it goin? I'm Gawain, this is my tavern, so what can I getcha?" He did, to his credit, remember to smile this time.

[Guest]

Having just started to drum on the bar counter to wait he saw the other man coming out from the back. He saw that look before. Wasn't too far off of a look he got here, there and other places where the people were not use to seeing styles such as him. Didn't bother him, not one bit and he made a show of dusting his hands in the air as he pushed back from his seat to stand.

"Yes! Hi! Hullo!"

Hands clasped and rubbed together once and then twice before a clap and they split. He leaned in forward at the waist and gave a cock-turn of his head to the side.

"Water. I would like some water. Do you have some? I'm sure you do." Posture straightened up and he waved his hands around him.

"Course you do. It's lush here so how 'bout a gallon or two, hmm?"

[Gawain]

Gawain had, of course, seen a lot in his day. True, the man seemed strange, but would Gawain seem less strange to some? He smiled slightly, and nodded. "We'll start you off with a glass and a pitcher, friend. On the house, of course. After that, we'll see if your thirst is quenched. Be right back." With that, he headed for the kitchen, shaking his head. Odd fellow....he had never seen rubber tubing used as a fashion accessory, but hey, po-tay-to po-tah-to.

After a moment, Gawain reappeared with a pitcher of iced water and a clean glass. After setting the items down in front of the man, he nodded. "There ya go, friend. Let me know if there is anything else I can get you...you know, food or something." He stood back then, crossing his arms and waiting patiently.

[Hidden Jewel]

Finally after weeks of hiding in her room watching the blasted box thingy that she was now officially hooked on. However, she did manage to eat, sleep and....well a shower came at least once a week when she remembered to do so. But she was all cleaned up today and decided to head down to the bar to get some food and drink she didn't make magically appear. She walked past the front desk as she made her way to the bar. Stopping just at the door when she seen the odd looking person sitting there, canting her head she got a curios look cross her face and then shook her head thinking to herself but she did catch site of Gawain behind the bar and moved in further taking a seat down from the odd looking one. She gave a polite smile to them both and spoke up.

"Hey Uncle Gawain, how you doing?"

[Guest]

He opened his mouth to interrupt the man once he started to speak wrong "Thanks but", but the other continued on. Now a rock back on his left heel to turn his position and his hand raised up to try for a way in.

"You see I'm --- "

No use the man who greeted him was already off and gone to get the water so he let out a deep puff of air that motored his lips. When the server came back he was given a smile and the glass was reached out for. Service was fast, too bad the water wasn't actually for him to drink.

"This isn't exactly want I wanted, perhaps you can't spare that much drinking water...." trailing off and rapidly taping a finger against his chin as the thought process turned. About this time was when the young lady came in who was given a nod and an 'Ah-ha!" As the chin taping finger pointed at her and then slid over to the man. She had provided him with a name for the server because he had forgotten it already.

"Gawain! Yes, Gawain, wonderful. 'Scuse me ma'am." She had spoken to the man and he was interrupting but at least he had manners. Finger was down and patted down on the table. "Since you seem to be low on water you can keep this, give it to the girl over there, and tell me where I can find a stream? River? I really need my two gallons of water. "

[Gawain]

He smiled to his niece and nodded. "Nice to see you escaped the magnet tar-pit trap of television, dear." Back to the man. "My apologies, I thought you were merely thirsty. Hold on, you two." He retreated once again into the kitchen, coming back with two large gallons of Dasani water. "Would this be enough for your purposes, Mister....." Yes, he was fishing for a name, but just like his luck with actual fishing, he wasn't expecting much success.

[Guest]

Being thirsty was one of those things, he may be thirsty or he may not be but he didn't want to think about something to drink until he got the water he needed for his board. That was the important thing her - getting the water so that he was able to travel about once more.

Since the man Gawain finally understood what was being said this traveling man looked to the girl at the bar and pointed to the water that he had just offered her have. "Don't want this do you? Right then." Answering before she even had a chance to answer it that glass was taken up and the water downed quickly before set back upon the bar. About that time Gawain as coming back with the two jugs of water.

"Yes, that's wonderful, simply wonderful."

Now for his air board. He reached down to take it from being propped against his seat. Lifting it up to his waist his hand then pressed down on the middle and the two long tubular containers that were folded up beneath the board hung down horizontal and then twisted out, openings now at the top. He missed the hint about given a name as he though the Mister was only a polite title at the end of a question.

"Right then! Now if you'd put down the containers and tell me what I owe I'll deposit the water and be about."

Gawain hadn't put those gallons down so now he was waiting. How wonderful it was that he did have water to give, hopefully this wasn't going to run them dry on drinking water.

[Hidden Jewel]

Before she could answer the man took the water and drank it himself and she just sat there for a few moments stunned but such was life and she knew she could get some from Gawain if she wanted but that's not what she wanted at the moment. She waited though for the pair to finish their conversation and she was now intrigued by the thingy the man had out now and was planning on filling up. Before she could remember her manners she spoke rather bluntly.

"What in heck is that thingy?"

Her eyes were a little wide as she looked from the thingy and the man waiting for an answer.

[Gawain]

"Oh....the water...is for....your....whatsit. Riiiight....I gotcha." He winked to Kyra, having long ago grown used to meeting all sorts of folks within Rhydin and it's outlying provinces. Once, he even met someone who claimed to be a Jedi Knight. That started out as fanboy geeking on the part of Gawain, and ended quite sadly. Yes, the young man had what looked like a lightsaber, but it wouldn't cut hot butter. When the kid gave his name as Kyle Katarn, Gawain facepalmed and just swatted him away, saying that if Kyle Katarn were in Rhydin, his coming would have been heralded by the Age of Complete Awesome.

Even so.

Gawain smiled to the....gentleman, and even nodded happily. "I am glad to be of service, young man...and don't worry. I'm not about to charge you for something as mundane as water. Now, if your device ran on Jägermeister, I would have to charge. We have an artesian well out back that produces some of the cleanest drinking water I've ever tasted this side of the WineSpring back in the Two Rivers, so don't worry. It is, as they say, on the house. Is there anything else I can get you? Maybe if you are tired, you could get a room. We have great accommodations, and pretty reasonable rates. As things go, the choice is yours. No rush, though, take your time. I do believe you have intrigued my young niece with your technology. She just discovered the television, you know." Another conspiratorial wink was shot to Kyra there. "I'll be within shouting distance, at any rate. Take care, and I'll be seeing you after awhile."

[Guest]

Gawain had apparently put down the water and therefore there was no time like the present to start filling up his board which is what he was doing as the other two people in the room were gawking at his board. The board that he laid on the counter - being sure that there was nothing in the way first - and popped open the top of one and started in the water pouring.

When the water hit the bottom of the container there was a hiss and steam drifted up and out of the tube. "Nothing to worry about." He stopped pouring for a moment and pulled his soot covered goggles back down over his eye before blowing the steam and continuing. "Just the reactionary effect of water on something hot." The basics of practically anything. Cold liquid to hot surface equals steam.

"To answer the lady there this is my air board." His head was rather close to the tube as he poured in the water and he even bent at the knees to bend and look at the height it was filling. "A board that travels over the air converting water into steam that acts as the propellant enabling it to stay outside of the gravitational laws until such time the steam is depleted."

"Yes, yes, yes, very nice." that bit to himself more than to them.

Or was it just the lady as it appeared that the Gawain fellow was leaving. One gallon down that container was seal and pushed so it fit back in and under the board. Now he was doing the same to the second.

(just thought that I would share a nearly accurate picture of what his board looks like from a top and bottom view.)

[Hidden Jewel]

Kyra looked at the the board as if it were the neatest thing she had ever seen well next to the TV and that death contraption that Maddie was fond of dragging her into and all that. She was intrigued enough to continue listening to him even if she had no clue what he was talking about at about gravitational laws and such. Her excitement sort of ran away with her as she spoke again.

"So...where can someone test one of these thingamajig out? I mean if they wanted to see if they liked it enough to have one of their own?"

Not saying she would rush out to get one but trying one would be fun she thought so anyway and given how he was with it she assumed he enjoyed it a lot. She waited for an answer but still stared at it as if it might do something magickal and all.

(sorry for the hold up have been rather scatter brained lately...hope you can forgive me. =) )

[Guest]

[There now, Kyra. Sorries on my end and all that. Good show. All's well. ]

Now that his board was watered-up and the containers were down he turned the air-board on it's end to stand up. Of course he had to hold it - it was a board after all and didn't have legs or any feelers to make it stand against gravity. Travel on air but not stand on it's end without help.

Figure that.

He drummed his fingers on the boards upward tip as she spoke to him and gave a hearty laugh when she mentioned where a person could go to get one of their own. "There may be something of the other kind of these populating a store somewhere here but they will not look like this!"

Ah yes, someone could make the same built would never be the same because no one knew what he knew about the things that he knew. In this case it was the board. "This is an original design and structure made by none other than me myself." He sucked his teeth and puffed out a breath.

"Yes, yes and as long as there's room to walk there's room for this." He began to pat the outside pockets of his coat, looking for something. Then he pulled out what was in like to a Victorian pocket watch and he turned it one way and then another after flipping it open to see what it said.

"Right then! Carry on now shall we." The watch closed with a snap-click and was stuffed back to his pocket. Turning his head and twisting his body to look and see out a window - if there was a window - at the time of day it was outside.

"Right," was said a bit slower and then with a hand pat to the board he looked at the lady in front of him.. "Now you don't suppose there are empty rooms here? Seems we may be in need of a bit of an overlay."

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