duel 2.「video」

[puzzlingly]

「Good morning, Hadriel. How's your day? Hopefully better than this guy's!

Said guy appears on the little screen of your devices, drenched and with semi covered in... what is that? Foam? (yes, yes, before you ask, that spiky hairdo is totally flatten and looking rather normal...)

Why you see, someone decided to finally do laundry.

Someone who never, in his whole life, had touched a washing machine... and never an alien looking one. Well, he had to at least try, Yugi made it look so easy (or his mom!)! Plus, getting new clothes from the stores at any opportunity given, can only be a good idea for so long before the pile starts... well, you know, pilling up!

And that's why you see on the background (and if you happen to be around)... this humongous amount of foam coming out from one of those new houses. The big one, btw, because this small guy needs all that space, sure...

Why didn't this thing come with instructions... HE'S A PRO AT READING INSTRUCTIONS!

Good Ra, help him...」

Hmm... I... 「 This is hard. 」 I seem to require some... assistance, here...

Thank you.

Comments

[imhisaunt]

[His eyes follow the young man sliding about the hallways in awe]

Well, I do have a question....

[A moment to muster his courage before gesturing towards his own head]

...how did you get your hair to do that?

[puzzlingly]

「Oh, Delmar, you sweet man. That makes Atem laugh. Albeit, briefly, it feels good.」

It--it just does? I would show you pictures of me as a child but I'm afraid photographs weren't invented yet, and my family's portraits must be dust by now.

「Oh hey, HEY there is a mop behind the washing machine! Success!」

[imhisaunt]

Really?? That's amazing.

[He's never heard of such a thing: being born with pre-styled hair let alone being born with pre-styled hair as the result of genetic heritage]

So how long ago do you come from then? I know a lot of people come from much later than I do so I was beginning to think it was just me.

[puzzlingly]

「Oh no you should see him when he rolls out of bed, just as messy, but sticking up all the same.」

What do you mean?

「It's that bit he adds about himself that confuses him a little.」

[imhisaunt]

Oh. Well you said you came from before photography was invented. I am from much later than that but then I know a lot of people here come from even later than I do. Some of them come from 2017.

[Ok. By 'a lot of people' he essentially means the two people he talks to consistently - Harlan and Michael]

[puzzlingly]

「Given the very early reaction, Atem bites his lower lip before replying, he's not about to lie, but it may be a little too much.」

Assuming you mean you come from Earth. Originally I come from around 1200 B.C. Also, from the 20th century, though I spent less time there.

「Is that awfully confusing? He hopes not.」

[imhisaunt]

[Yeah no that's extremely straightforward and easy to comprehend. Except not]

You can be from both?

[Being from 1200 B.C. is already impressive, and he'll have questions about that eventually, but its miraculous to be from both the ancient past and the future.

Mind. Blown.]

Are you a time-traveler? I've read about them in books...

[puzzlingly]

If only! That'd be cool. No... I... Hmm, it may be something a little more simple, maybe.

「Here goes nothing.」

I died a long time ago, and when that happened, my spirit got sealed in an ancient item and many years later, I was released into the modern world. And then Hadriel happened.

「Oh, that sounds much better than what he's been dramatically explaining, he's getting the hang of this. Right?」

[imhisaunt]

Oh my. You have been through a lot.

[He's both fascinated and horrified]

You poor dear.

[Yup. He's doubling down on that.]

[puzzlingly]

I--Ah..

「Delmar, no! Here comes a sheepish and over all shy stance. He's not used to this. He shakes his head quickly.」

I'm good. I'm just, terrible at laundry. We didn't have these in ancient Egypt.

「That's a terrible excuse, there are washing machines in the 20th century!」

[imhisaunt]

[Delmar claps his hands together in determination]

Well you just leave that to me. I will help you.

[Now it all makes sense why this man would mix the soaps. He simply didn't have cause to know any better]

[puzzlingly]

「Sure, let's go with that...」

You'll always have my thanks for this.

「For reals.」

[imhisaunt]

Oh there's no need for any of that. Everybody needs help now and again

[Delmar waves his hand in the air in a shy gesture, suddenly very timid and, as a way to get graciously out of accepting gratitude, very intent on getting to that mop.

This may involve a lot of plunging directly into the belly of the beast where the suds are concerned. ]

[puzzlingly]

「Everybody needs help... Heh, he sometimes still needs to hear it, figures.」

What about you, what's your story?

「You're a good guy so far, please keep being a good guy. He tries to help him anyway, at least removing as much foam as he can from the path. It's losing its fluffiness, that's good.」

[imhisaunt]

My story isn't very exciting, I'm afraid. But, hmmm, let's see... [Its only fair of him to share after he was asking Atem all those questions]

I grew up in Brooklyn then I went to the war with the rest of the boys and when I came back I moved to Queens. That's pretty much the long and short of it.

[He finally gets a hold of the mop and holds it up in victory as if it were excalibur]

There we are!

[puzzlingly]

Well done!

「Here, good sir, you've earned another thumbs up.」

A New Yorker. Is it as neat as they say it is?

[imhisaunt]

[Delmar wastes no time in getting started with the mop, talking as he works]

Well there are lots of nice things about New York, bridges and parks and museums.... But perhaps I'm not the best person to ask. You see I've not ever gotten to travel very much away from New York.

[He takes a moment's pause in pushing one mountain of foam into another]

You should really ask Harlan. He would be able to tell you all kinds of things about New York. He's very smart, you know.

[puzzlingly]

「Atem, meanwhile, just stares at the other work, he would help but... how?」

Hmm, yeah. I've talked to him. I might ask.

「Talking, texting... same thing. But he wants to know about Delrmar, not about Harlan! It takes Atem a moment to speak again, making a few calculations in his mind.」

So you... fought in the war?

「Which one, though? It's not like he paid too much attention during his little host's classes, to be honest.」

[imhisaunt]

[You don't want to know about Harlan? Sounds fake but ok.]

Mmhm. All the boys my age did. [Though when he says 'boys' he means it more generally for 'anyone who went up for the draft' which had been anyone between the ages of 26 and 45. Delmar had been 34. So not so much a 'boy' so to speak, but as a young man who had never strayed farther than Jersey in his entire life, he might as well have been]

My battalion went to France and Italy to fight the Germans.

[puzzlingly]

「He wants to know alright! But it's Delmar's time!」

Why?

[imhisaunt]

Why were we fighting the Germans?

[It's an instinctive reaction for him to be surprised that someone doesn't know. The war had been so all-encompassing at the time that it still had its claws sunk deep into the world even 23 years later. It had been worked into the marrow of everyone he knew. But Delmar's sense of reason follows quickly enough to remind him that this young man does not share that same history.

He straightens, mop in a resting position between his hands]

They were hurting a lot of people. People who couldn't defend themselves.

[puzzlingly]

And you defended them.

「That's pretty much all he needs to know. Why he got involved, had he been forced, had he volunteered himself. And in the end, he's glad he didn't specify. There is his answer. He is a good man indeed.

He approaches to him and attempts to take the mop from him.」

Can you teach me how to do it?

「Delmar did his duty to the world already, this useless Pharaoh needs to learn how to mop his own messes, man. 」

[imhisaunt]

Well, I hope so.

[It didn't feel so simple at the time and seems less simple the older he gets.]

Eventually the war ended, we managed to save a lot of them. Though I'm afraid there were also a lot we couldn't save.

[There's a sad, distant expression that passes across his face before he raises his eyebrows in surprise.]

Teach you how to do this? Well-um-well sure if you want

[He awkwardly hands over the mop]

Well you start by gripping it just here [He points to the specific areas of the handle] And then you sort of do this motion

[Delmar air mops to demonstrate]

[puzzlingly]

There will always be some sacrifices to be made... for a better good, they would say.

「It will never be easy, but trying is good enough.

But, yeah right, moping. He does as told, albeit a little clumsy but he does seem to put the effort. Ah... manual work, this is so not for him, but, sure whatever, he's stuck here for now.

He looks up at Delmar for approval. Is this okay, gramps?」

[imhisaunt]

[Delmar gives an encouraging grin]

Yes, very good! You are a very quick learner.

[He would have said that even if you had fallen flat on your face, Atem, but in Delmar's defense he still would have meant it because trying is the first and most important step!]

So... [Falters] ....what...what war were you a part of? Why were you fighting?