12554/What is that smell!

What is that smell!
Date of Scene:	14 December 2020
Location:	Harry Dresden's Office, Kingston Falls
Synopsis:	Karrin comes home after a night diving in sewage...
Cast of Characters:	Karrin Murphy, Harry Dresden

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Karrin Murphy has posed:
The call was late. After midnight. She sounded a bit exhausted and a bit disgusted with the murmuring background noise of a hospital behind her. "First. I'm fine. Second... I'll be home in a bit but, uh... can you start the bath? Get it hot... hot as you can. Do you have magic for hot? I need the hottest bath or shower in the world. And... if you have some contractor trash bags, that'll probably help..."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry didn't question over the phone. He knew that tone of voice, hearing it often enough. Karrin has has it rough today, and this is most certainly one of those 'Yes, dear' kind of situations. "Of course. I'll....figure something out about the water. I can probably get it to boil easy enough and maybe it will be cool enough for you by the time you get here."

He hangs up the old rotary phone, making preparations for Karrin's arrival back to the apartment, glancing over towards the large mastiff laying floppily on the bed, "Another hard day, Mouse. Getting to have an awful lot of those these days."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
It's about 25 minutes before the sound of her key in the door and charm to drop the wards can be heard. It's not out around her neck any longer but in a little plastic ziploc baggie in her hand so she's had to scramble a bit to get it close enough to work. In fact, everything she owns. Everything she was wearing. Her custom fitted kevlar, good boots, *everything* is being toted in a plastic bag from the hospital. And it still can't really cut through the smell. Sewage is shitty, Literally.

Her hair is still damp from the one big decontamination shower at the hospital and she's got most of it off her skin with a pair of scrubs someone was kind enough to lend her, so maybe the smell is only coming from the bag, but she can still *feel* it in her hair. "...fish people. In the sewers. Kidnapping teenagers." She mutters, as if that's all the explanation that was needed.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Before the key even hits the door Mouse looks up, makes the doggie equivalent of wrinkling his nose and moves off the bed to the farthest corner of the basement apartment he can, letting out a little *wuff* of displeasure and burying his nose under a paw.

Then Karrin comes in and the smell permeates the apartment for those with less sensitive olfactory receptors.

"Oh my god!" exclaims Harry from the bedroom as the smell hits him. He comes into the main room with a hand over this nose, and just stares at Karrin for a moment, "What is that smell?! Is that you!? Hell's bells, Karrin...will that even come out?!"

The wizard shakes his head and moves over towards the small cop, reaching out with his fingers like a pair of forceps to take the bag from her but keep it as far as possible from him at the same time, "Did you have to fight a Golgothan or something? This is...I don't know if that water is hot enough."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The bag is handed over. "...many... many contractors bags. I don't care about the clothes, but if we can clean the vest..." That's a BIG if, she knows, "I sure as hell want to try. That thing was expensive." Karrin mutters, none of her sounding thrilled or proud about the matter. But she's swung around from incredibly disguisted into numb acceptance and annoyance about the night. "It's not *all* me. Most of it is the clothes. We can put them out back once they're wrapped up and deal in the morning. I had one shower at the hospital..." But she clearly still wants another.

Seeing him keeping his distance gets a bittersweet but earnest smile. "I'd kiss you but... maybe bath first."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Braving the stench (and likely holding his breath as well) Harry leans in and gives Karrin a quick peck on the lips, a part he certainly hopes is clean. "You've kissed me in similar situations, though I think those were less fecal in nature," the wizards says with a hint of a smile. "You go boil yourself in the tub, and I will...see what I can salvage out of this. The important thing is that you are ok, right? The smell will fade....I hope."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"It will. I didn't dare come home after we got out of it. Believe it or not, this is better." The kiss helps, though. It softens her expression and brings a slightly warmer, earnest smile to her mouth for a moment. Knowing she has someone to come home to who will put up with this shit? It helps. She returns it quickly and then is pulling away to scamper over to the bathroom, still wearing nothing but hospital booties on her feet. She must have driven home like that.

The scrubs she was in are peeled off as she goes, leaving a line of mostly clean but still *tainted* feeling, discarded clothing. The last thing he'll see is the side of her bare frame as she disappears into bathroom and shuts the door. He might even hear the happy little moan from her a few moments later as body sinks down into the bath.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Taking the tainted bag of belongings Harry makes his way to the trapdoor that leads down into his lab, tossing the offending bag into the inlaid circle in the floor of the sub-basement and locking it in with a touch and a small shove of his will. "Ok," he says to himself crossing his arms over his chest as he stares at the bag in the circle, "How in hell am I going to clean you? Localized hurricane? Not that I really have the finesse for something like that. Bob? Any ideas on how to clean a bunch of really foul smelling items?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
It's a good 30 minutes before the sounds of Karrin's feet above can be heard. When she didn't hear the front door open and shut, she probably realized where he had taken the things and she's headed there now. She's been thoroughly scrubbed a second time, twice shampooing her hair and sudsing over her body, and most of that feeling of sliminess has left her. All the smell has, but those sensations linger. She's wrapped up in one of his heavy terrycloth robes, a pair of sweat pants and heavy socks on her legs as well, as she climbs down into the basement to look over whatever clever idea he might have had. "...Any luck? The place doesn't smell like rotten eggs any more, at least. Maybe Mouse will someday forgive me."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Honestly" Harry says as he glances over towards Karrin, "I'm tempted to just incinerate the lot of it and find a way to buy you new ones...but give me a few. I'm thinking."

The wizard taps his pencil against his lips as he ponders, jotting down a couple of ideas.

"Bob? If we try to magically isolate the contaminates, could we just...you know...burn away just that bit? Localized incineration?"

"Hmm. I don't know Harry. I think that might just set the whole thing ablaze. From what I can tell it is all one big pile of contaminate."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"It's not one BIG pile of contaminant. There's some excellent, state of the art kevlar fibers tied to a custom made tac vest in that pile of shit, thank you very much." Karrin huffs at Bob with a somewhat deeper smirk, before making her way over to Harry.

Now as clean as she's going to get, she wraps her arms around the side of his waist and tucks in just a bit closer to his body, her nose burying into his throat for a moment. She doesn't voice anything, but it's the kind of touchiness that she gets when she knows she could have died. Probably should have died. Is definitely lucky to be alive and, more so, is happy to be wrapped up in his arms. It's good to have someone to come home too. "...I'm sorry for the mess."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Sorry? For what? If shitty clothing is the worst of what I have to deal with today, I will consider it one of the best days ever," snorts Harry as he places an arm around Karrin in a side hug. "Bob? What if we try to isolate the organic matter? Maybe raise a field like a filter that only will trap the...well, trap the shit. Then we can dispose of that and the rest should be ok?"

The skull chitters a bit, "Maybe. You would have to be very carful in making sure you only isolated the organic matter you were trying to remove. Otherwise things may just all unravel."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...there's enough stuff left in my clothing to probably get a... Sample?" Karrin offers, a bit of a wince behind her words. She's had bad nights, but this is, by far, the most disgusting one probably ever. She keeps her arm around him, meanwhile, as he and the skull brainstorm through the best way to save her tac gear.

She then turns her head and presses an almost gentle kiss against Harry's shoulder. "Or, you know... You could come upstairs to bed, let Bob think it over, and we'll fight with it in the morning. I've got two days off after this as we wait for the dozen or so shots at vaccine boosters they gave me tonight to kick in and give me the momentary flu from hell."

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry wrinkles his nose at the thought of having to get a sample. "Problem is that the sample isn't just...one. I believe there are multiple samples in that mess. I like your other idea better, and maybe by the grace of someone higher on the food chain than we are somehow Bob will figure out a way to isolate what needs to be isolated so we can remove the offending material."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"I can't say this is the most romantic late night conversation we've ever had but... uh... We've certainly had worse before. It's making bed sound all the more tempting." While that comment is probably one to set Bob of on all too many dirty ideas, the way Karrin's leaning against Harry is all exhaustion. The adrenaline is gone. She feels clean and mostly herself. She's *warm* again, for the first time in hours, and safely home. It's an incredibly soporific situation.

Harry Dresden has posed:
Harry Dresden chuckles, "No, no it isn't...but you are certainly correct that this isn't the worst conversation we have ever had. Hell's bells, this probably doesn't even rank in the top 10."

HArry glances towards the circle and sighs, then ushers Karrin towards the ladder that makes its way back up to the main floor, "I'll deal with this in the morning. It's not going anywhere, it isn't urgent, and you need your rest. Come on, let's get you into bed."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
A side-eyeing look is given in Harry's direction. "I need my rest? What about you, Mr. Wizard. Last time I checked, all that power doesn't stop you from being dead exhausted on your feet. No matter how much you try to pretend it does. We're both going to bed. End of story. Told you that you'd reget me moving in. First I come home smelling like shit and then I make you keep almost regular sleeping hours. Utter torture, I'm certain." Karrin grins, but is disappearing into the bedroom.

Once there, she releases any last bit of touch against him to slip out of his robe and into the bed as quickly as possible. His basement apartment was always a bit chilly and she's trying to not go back to her fingertips being numb.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Hey! Did I say I wasn't going to be going to bed as well? No, no I didn't," grumbles Harry as he follows her into the bedroom, starting to slip out of the t-shirt and jeans he was wearing into something more suitable for bed. "Besides, I wasn't swimming in shit tonight, I was sitting home reading in front of the fireplace. If anything I am due to be up and manic about something."

Harry casts a glance over towards Karrin with a grin. slipping into bed next to her and letting her curl into him for the body warmth, "So...how much do those vests cost anyway?"

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"...that one was a little over six hundred. Not... horrible. It's replacable. It's served me well. Just...annoying. Gotta clean out the gun in the morning too." Karrin admits, a deeper exhaustion cutting through her voice as she considers just how many things were utterly ruined by the full body dip she took in the sewers tonight. She sighs, turning her head into the crook of his neck and giving a little kiss there. "But those kids... almost certainly were all dead if we didn't go. Pulled two of them out of the deepest waters personally. So... worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And stop jinxing quiet nights. You know something will try to kill you soon enough."

Harry Dresden has posed:
"That is why I have to relish nights like this one when I can, because tomorrow is when everything might go tits up," laughs Harry as he settles into the bed and gets comfortable. "You will have to tell me what happened tonight sometime, you know? I mean aside from the obvious. I go the where and some of the why, but not who and how. But that can wait till tomorrow."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
"Buffy. If it isn't you, it's always Buffy." Karrin mutters, but the edge of her voice is already dropping off into the side of sleep. She winds herself around him, tucking under one long limb and letting her toned arm stretch across his stomach. She takes in a deep breath of his scent. His. Home, safety. Clean musk and familiar sweat. "You're the nicest thing I've smelled all day. Maybe all year, the way I feel right now." She drowsily mutters.

Harry Dresden has posed:
"Old Spice. Ever since those 'Hello Ladies' commercials I have had a soft spot for it. Besides, it beats smelling like sweaty wizard," murmurs Harry as he places a kiss on the top of her head. "Now, go to sleep. We can figure out what to do with all that stuff in the morning...and send a bill to Thomas for the ruined equipment...because he is a rich bastard and can afford it."

Karrin Murphy has posed:
The thought of sending the bill to Thomas just makes her laugh, "He was there, actually, and promised me a manicure day. I'm sure we can throw a whole new tac suit in on the end there. He'll never notice." Karrin then looks up, leaning closer to him long enough she can steal a longer kiss than the first one she got coming in the front door. With that, she settles against his shoulder and is out in a few minutes. And yes, she did get it *all* out of her hair. She smells like her strawberry shampoo, soap, and nothing else.