revivalproject | The lies, the filth! I just want to be clean!

WHO: The Vision
WHERE: The central fountain, followed by the lake to the south
WHAT: A gift or two for the Revivalists
WHEN: Afternoon through evening
WARNINGS: Probably none

The Soapmonger
Little surprise to anyone that had known his gardening hobby back in the Fleet, the Vision had gravitated quickly to the greenhouse and its related agriculture data point. The building is too big to explore in a single day, even a long Agri 10 day, but after some targeted searching he'd found a couple of important things. First, and most importantly, a good supply of the edible vegetables and fruits that will help sustain their small community.

Second, and probably more importantly, a supply of soap.

There are two kinds: a saponin plant discovered by Sansa that one can simply rip up and rub over one's body like soap, and a few bars of a trial soap made from one of the better-scented oils they've been able to press from some of the plants. It's made the old-fashioned way, mixed with ash and then pressed into bars with makeshift tools and the Vision's strength due to his ability to change density. To be most effective it should really cure for a few weeks at least, but for now? It's soap in familiar bars, and it should work passably well. He's even stamped it with a symbol - a little windrose.

"One bar each to start with, if you please. It will take some time to make more."

He hopes people like it.

The Shallow Lake
What's soap without somewhere to bathe? This watery area of the city was clearly not always like this - it's broad and shallow, and it looks like there are roads and parts of structures underneath. Is it coming from a buried spring? A busted water pipe? The Vision is curious and wants to investigate, but first they need to determine if the water is safe to go into.

It doesn't bother his skin, but given that he's an android, that's not saying much. Come along and help him investigate, or just splash around and test out that soap! There are probably parts where it's even pleasantly warmed by the sun. And he alternates between wading through and gliding above the water, looking for its source.

Alone Together
Slowly but surely, Wanda and the Vision have been making the abandoned shop area into a place they can feel comfortable staying, even if it will never be a home like that have back on Naviadna. But the liberal application of freshly-picked flowers, simple room dividers made of light wood and vines and broad jungle leaves, a fireplace for cooking set up in one corner, and a real wooden bedframe stuffed with the most comfortable leaves and scavenged blankets they can find. Things are beginning to shape up.

Later today he'll present his soap to the rest of the community, but the first dibs go to his wife. He's got two bars of the soap and a flowery-scented oil, and their biggest bucket heating water over the fire to get it warm.

"Now, I think we ought to be able to give your hair a proper wash."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's a good thing the Vision is facing away from Katara when he hears that, or his look of astonishment would give away the secret. But his expression mostly clears (his eyes are still wide and perhaps a bit misty) in time for him to wave at Katara.

Once she's safely underwater, he turns back to Tommy. "You're welcome," he says mildly, just to confirm he got the message. His brow quirks up. "And I see you do not need a towel." Handy, that.

Then Katara pops back up. "Ah! Excellent. That means there is running water. Do you think--hm. I don't suppose you have a way of sensing the water in the pipe so we could follow it to its origin?"

If not, they may have to wait a few days to see the "Safe to use Water" marker on the map.

Sitting tight isn't something Tommy can do. This thing is REALLY cold, so he does pace a bit. A pacing that is stopped briefly when Vision offers a brief look. A look that says he got it. And Tommy offers the tiniest, smallest, most barely there and flash of motion quick smile at Vision.

"I mean, I'm talented, you know?"

Then he's waiting for Katara and he considers her with a nod before leaning down to offer his hand to her. He can pull her up, no issues.

"A ruptured pile, or something clearly meant to feed into the area?"

Katara lets Tommy pull her up onto her makeshift iceberg, propelling herself up with her bending. She wrings her hair out gently as she considers the Vision's and Tommy's questions.

"It looked broken, and the ground around it was in pieces, too. Something bad happened, probably, just like with everything else here." Crossing her arms, she squints back down into the water and hums.

"It's one thing to tell where the current leads when I'm in the water, but following it through the earth would be harder. There are limits to my bending, but..." She traces a line in the air, then points off in a south-westerly direction. "The pipe looked like it was going that way, so if we go to the edge of the lake I can see if I sense anything from there."

"That's as good a direction to look as I can come up with," he admits. "Would it be easier to make an ice path or have me push the raft, as it were?" It's large and bulky enough that he can't push it particularly quickly, but he could do it at a rowboat pace.

On the other hand, it might be unintentionally hilarious to see Tommy zip down an ice path and then try to come to a stop. He'll leave the choice up to them.

Either way, the south-western edge of the lake grows closer and the power plant comes into view. It looks like there's a cluster of nearer buildings on the shores of the lake. Could one of them be a water treatment facility, or at least a pumphouse?

“Neither,” Katara says in response to the Vision’s question, grinning. Since she’s already made the platform, she shifts her stance and begins to make a wheeling motion with her arms. They’re propelled forward with surprising speed, churning the water in their wake.

Once they reach the shore, she hops down into the shallow water and begins to pace, meandering back and forth like a human dousing rod as she tries to sense the subterranean flow in the pipe she’d discovered earlier.

“I think it keeps on in the same direction,” she eventually says, lifting her head and squinting at the buildings in the distance. “That way.” She wishes now that she had the rest of her garments, but she’s covered enough to be decent. “Let’s go check it out?”

Not like Tommy minds not having to run over ice. This plan is better. He stays mostly silent until they reach the shore. Trying to keep his balance and not boggle at her waterbending skills. Once they reach land, though? He’s gone in a rush. There is something they need. He stops up the shore by his clothes to dress quickly, and blues back to Katara quickly, her clothes in his arms.

“You want these too? Or should I carry them? And Vizh, our version of you could phase through stuff. Can you do that here to help us follow the pipe?”

Katara smiles in relief when Tommy comes back, still a little shocked with each display of his unparalleled speed. "Oh! Thank you!" Before getting dressed, she bends whatever water is left in her hair, on her skin and the fabric of her wrappings away, then quickly pulls on her Water Tribe blue garments.

As she adjusts the bracers on her arms, she looks up at the Vision with a crinkle in her brow. "Phase? What does that mean?"

As much as Katara is impressed with Tommy's speed, the Vision is impressed with her waterbending. How fantastic must it be to have whole tribes of people who can manipulate the elements like that?

So he smiles, and, as demonstration, walks right through a nearby piece of rubble. "I can choose to pass through solid objects--or liquids, for that matter. So, yes, I should be able to follow the pipe once it's located."

Putting actions to words, he sinks into the ground for a few moments and then pops his head up. "It's here. I'll see where it goes." And he heads back down to investigate further. After a few minutes (he's not as fast as Tommy), the Vision resurfaces toward te building in the distance.

"That," Tommy grins as Vision sinks into the ground, "is phasing. He's really cool, right?"

There's pride in his voice, pride that isn't really warranted for someone like Tommy. After all, it's not his power. But he watches for Vision to get further down and when he's visible, Tommy smiles at Katara.

"Shall we catch up?"

The abilities that the people here seem to possess are more and more amazing with each new discovery. How convenient would it have been for her to be able to pass through solid objects that way? Katara can think of... well, probably too many occasions where such an ability would have come in handy.

Watching him pop up over the ground is a little surreal, but she nods at Tommy. "I can't go as fast as you, though," she says with a grin, jogging along to follow Vision's progress.

It does have a few interesting setbacks, like his inability to phase anything else. Kitty could bring small objects, clothes, maybe even other people with her in a pinch. He can move himself and only himself, which means the clothes he's wearing...well, they're actually a part of him. On the plus side, it means he can change 'clothes' with a thought. On the negative side, it means he's technically naked about 99% of the time.

Regardless, when they reach him, he gestures excitedly to the building. "It's all coming from in here. I think it's a pumping facility that also treats the water."

"No one here will ever go as fast as me, Katara," Tommy grins as he comes to a stop. And there's his Dad. Awesome. That's interesting.

"Water facility would be a good thing."

The lies, the filth! I just want to be clean!

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