Five Things Laundry Detergent Should Never Be Used For[Rina]

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it sucked, being limited to a specific skill set.

Other times it really sucked, like when she bought a washing machine and realized that she had no idea how to work it.

Kailan held up the shrunken, sad, twisted thing that had been her third-best (after last week, now her second-best) uniform and stared at it helplessly. After her experiments with bleach the original dark color of the 'suit was unrecognizable, and the frantic button-pushing she'd done while the thing was washing had actually made it worse.

Her old mentor always insisted on her appearing in uniform when she visited ("It's so I can reassure myself that you actually did make it to Pilot, and aren't some vivid wishful thinking come to life," he'd explained. She'd punched him), and had the most annoying habit of looking at her like she'd kicked a puppy if she didn't. If she tried to explain to him that she'd ruined her only non-blood-stained uniform while trying to wash it he'd laugh at her, and then the oh-gods-you-kicked-a-puppy look would only intensify.

Unacceptable.

The need to maintain at least a semblance of self-respect and dignity faded when compared to the thought of facing her old teacher's amusement at her expense. In desperation she'd messaged one of the Pilots, Alaric, with a request for help. Looked like the poor Echo had quite a task ahead of him, though.

Water from the ruined uniform puddled  at her bare feet, making her grimace. She'd been reduced to wearing a pair of worn sweatpants and a man's v-neck t-shirt, the only clean things in her closet. Socks had been a lost cause.

The doorbell rang and she brightened immediately.

[Anonymous]

Alaric wasn't totally sure what he was doing at Kailan's apartment. From the sound of the blog, she didn't seem able to figure out her washing machine. It felt a little strange going there, as Alaric hadn't talked to her in years. They had been somewhat friends during their candidate years, but never close and she had drifted off towards the end.

But, well, she had asked and Alaric figured he might as well. He was dressed in his casual clothes, jeans and a WoW t-shirt, his hair a spiky mess. When the door opened, he smiled awkwardly, "Uh...hey. You said you needed some help with your washing machine?"

[Anonymous]

Kailan grinned at him, a slightly crazed look in her eyes, and grabbed Alaric's wrist. "Help me", she ordered, and all but dragged the other Pilot over the threshold.

Except for the utter chaos the new washing machine had wreaked in one corner, the tiny apartment was startlingly bare. Besides a set of utilitarian furniture and a few necessary electronics, there was no sign that anybody slept, ate, or otherwise lived in the tiny set of rooms.

The inhumanly high pile of dirty clothes (made filthier by the damned thing's latest malfunction) teetering in a basket next to the laundry machine didn't count.

"It just started beeping," Kailan explained in a half-terrified, half-frustrated tone of voice, towing Alaric over to the offending appliance and pointing down at it accusingly. "I tried bleach but I accidentally left the little scoopy cup thing in there while I ran a 'hot cycle', whatever that is, and then it melted and ruined my shorts and I had to take the whole load out and start again."

She took a deep breath, her cheeks puffing out in irritation, and let it out in an explosive sigh.

[Anonymous]

The touch caused Alaric to flinch a little, though he didn't pull his hand away. He wasn't used to much physical contact and it tended to make him a little uncomfortable when new people touched him. But it would be rude to pull away, so Alaric allowed himself to be led, leaning over slightly due to Kailan's shorter height.

It was a bad place. It didn't feel nice at all in the woman's apartment. It was barren and empty and Alaric had to keep himself from wrinkling his nose in distaste. It was said you could tell about someone by what their home looked like and this one didn't seem used. It was weird, considering how much time was spent in them. She wasn't high enough rank to be stuck with paperwork all the time and they never really went on that many missions.

What did she do with herself? Where did she stay? Weird. And the fact that she had just sort of stopped talking to him and Gabe and didn't seem to remember them didn't make the girl any less creepy.

But, at least she didn't seem dangerous creepy. Just weirdo creepy.

The sight and smell of the clothing pile had Alaric's nose wrinkling before he could stop it. After her rant at the machine, the alien gave a small laugh, "Well, first off, don't use bleach unless it's color safe." Squatting down, Alaric got himself acquainted with the machine.

"Alright. Now sort everything by color. Darks and lights. If you have enough reds, it's a good idea to wash those separate. If not, they are fine in darks." He began to carefully sort through the laundry, holding it gingerly as if afraid it might suddenly bite him, "Have you ever washed your own clothes before?"