Date: Sun, 02 Aug 1998 15:16:35 -0400 From: cindy franklin Subject: [FARGP]Right as Rain Chuin watched Bubbles as she spit out the horse hair and muttered to herself, "why Yabsajubru eat horse tail??". Everyone seemed to be okay, but he still didn't feel right. Even though they had changed clothes, he could swear that he still felt that red stuff on him. Untying the belt of his tunic, he set that on the floor, where he had placed his sword earlier. He took the tunic off and began folding it. "What are you doing," Wataru asked. Chuin stopped to look at him and replied simply, "I'm getting undressed." "I CAN SEE THAT! Why are you doing that?" Chuin set the tunic on the ground and straightened up. He ran his right hand along his left arm. "I can still feel it on me. I still on me!" He began to loosen the ties that held his breeches. ::He's going crazy,:: Wataru thought. He walked over to Chuin and grabbed him by the shoulders. "There's nothing on you! The real rain washed it all off!" "Let me go," Chuin said, in an edged voice. Wataru noticed a green glow beginning to form near Chuin's left hand. Instinctively, he backed away. The green glow faded, leaving Wataru to wonder whether he actually saw it. Chuin turned away and took his breeches off. All he had left on was a dark pair of underwear that resembled boxer shorts. He folded his breeches and set then on the tunic. After a slight sigh, he turned to Wataru again. "I know you're right, but I just need to go out into the rain for a little while." "But...but...but, you can't go around half naked!! There are women here! Not to mention, you might get sick." Chuin chuckled, as he untied the band that held his hair. His hair fell down a few more inches to his waist. "Well, Estela's unconscious, and Bubbles is a dragon, so it doesn't matter. And don't forget, I'm from Toru, where it's usually cold. This rain won't bother me." He turned and walked out of the cave. He walked a little ways from the cave and raised his arms to the sky, rejoicing the feel of the rain on his skin. He sent up a quick prayer. "Father Planter, protect us from those who wish us harm. Mother Harvest, help to bring Estela's strength back." Wataru turned to see Bubbles spit some foam onto herself and start scrubbing with her paws. "What are YOU doing?" He asked. "Yabsajubru not want to go eating horse that still living," she explained. "So Yabsajubru wash off all of funny, red rain. Horse must cooked long time before eating horse. Bad to eat living horse! Very bad to eat hairy part!" "I suppose you will want to rinse off in the rain also?" "Rinse?" the very bubble covered Bubbles asked. "Yabsajubru think maybe rinse is good idea." She then marched out of the cave, leaving a damp trail of foam. Once out side she pranced about in the clean normal rain. Chuin turned to see the soapy Bubbles (pun intended) exit the cave. "Uhh...Hi, Bubbles." He greeted. "WhatÕs with the.... bubbles?" "Yabsajubru want to clean, clean, clean off all icky red rain," She explained. "Come out side to rinse." "I see," he nodded. "I suppose that soap would help clean off the stuff." "You need soap too?" Bubbles asked joyously. "Yabsajubru help!" "What?" Asked a puzzled Chuin. "Cover ChuinÕs eyes!" the pink dragon suggested. "Huh?" "Bubbles hurt eyes," she explained. "Hurt humanÕs eyes. No hurt YabsajubruÕs eyes. Yabsajabru have... ummm..." She concentrated on the words that she had heard to describe them "Have tra... transparent redundant eyelids. Yabsajubru have pair no can see through and pair can see through." "Maybe we shoudnÕt..." "Cover eyes now!" With a smile she made a sound that sounded a bit like a belch and spat out a large breath of foam. Chuin had just enough time to cover his eyes before he was covered from head to foot in bubbles. He then wiped his face off. "Uhh... Thanks." "Now scrub and let rain rinse!" Bubbles chimed as she danced about in the rain. Bubbles, who was being rinsed by the rain before Chuin had been sprayed, was soon rinsed clean. Chuin, however, encountered a slight problem. When half rinsed, the rain stopped. Chuin sighed as he watched the last of the rain taper off. Well, there was a stream nearby. He bagan to walk towards it. "Where Chuin go," Bubbles said. "To rinse the rest of this soap off." Unfornutantely the stream wasn't that big. He rinsed off as best he could, well at least he got most of it out of his hair, and made his way back to the cave. Bubbles was curled up near the dying fire, falling asleep. ::I suppose I should try to builf the fire back up,:: he thought. *Great, just great. First soldiers and now magics. What has the world come to?* Wataru finally realized he was tucking in Estela. *And what I am doing now?--Nevermind about that, she's wounded. Follow the rules that's been drilled into me--immediate dangers, then potential threats.* Chuin was tending the fire. It was hard to keep a fire going since it had been raining and wet wood is hard to burn. Bubbles was doing her usual-snoozing near the fire. "Hey Bubbles, can you start a fire?" "Fire?" Bubbles looked at Wataru. "Yea, fire, it'll keep us warm." "Yabsajubru try" Bubbles rose next to the dying fire and blew. However, instead of a nice long steady breath to fan the flame, she blew out a strong gust of wind effectively putting out the fire. *Great* both Chuin and Wataru thought. "Perhaps you can try again later," muttered Wataru.