Through the Looking-Ed

[dsquared]

How did this happen?

All Double D wanted was to start his morning off with a nice, refreshing shower... Then he finds out the hard way the bathroom was being rennovated. He tried asking his friends, but Eddy wouldn't be bothered to wake up early on a Saturday, and Ed's sister was using his bathroom for a play spa. The other kids in the Cul-de-sac were no help either, and all Double D got out of this ordeal was even more dirt and filth that begged to be cleaned off.

The poor boy was at wit's end at this point. He wandered down the lane in a anxious haze, trying to shake off the grime and keep his sanity at the same time. Yet, it was so hard, especially since there seemed to be no hope at all for his cleanliness. He continued to mutter the same words under his breath as he desperately tried to scrape the grime off onto the picket fences. "Shower, shower, shower... Shower, shower, shower... Shower, shower, shower... Shower, show-OOF!"

Here, he blindly bumps into a nice couch and falls on his butt.

A couch? What's a perfectly good couch doing here?! Double D knows perfectly well that a couch does not belong in an alleyway... Nor do the chairs. Or the computers...

Double D blinks and glances around at his surroundings and realizes he's not even in the Cul-de-sac anymore. Furthermore, he also finds that he's surrounded by strangers and creatures that look like they belong in one of Ed's comic books, and yet... He's still covered in filth and grime and dirt and these people look like they have showers. He's frozen for a moment, wide eyed like a deer in the headlights, as the embarrassment of being so messy in front of complete strangers merges with his desire to get clean until at last he can't take it anymore.

He grabs the arm of the couch, pulls himself to his feet... And blurts out, "DOES ANYONE HERE HAVE A SHOWER I CAN USE?! PLEASE?!?"

Comments

[dsquared]

Before he could react, the poor Ed has become target practice! He yelps in protest as he is continuously assaulted by water, but he's nowhere near athletic enough to dodge the water canons.

Eventually, all the grime is rinsed off. It is now perfectly obvious that this boy was wearing a bath robe and a shower cap, both slightly tattered from his misadventures back home. The poor boy is left shivering from the shock of being sprayed with cold water.

".... An actual shower would have been fine..." He meekly mentions, "But thank you."

[icebearforpresident]

Ice Bear is still doing a little victory dance after Edd has been successfully cleaned off, finally stopping once the young boy speaks up. The water guns are dropped to the ground as Ice Bear tilts his head, getting a good look at Edd's wardrobe. It's underwhelming, to say the least.

"No problem. Ice Bear thinks you need more help though." He points to the bath robe. "Would you like Ice Bear's assistance?"

[dsquared]

"Um..." Well, this is a talking bear... He's taking another look around this strange place, trying to think of what to say.

"Actually, I think I might have wandered too far from home... Could you tell me where I am?"

[icebearforpresident]

"The Nexus. Crossroads of different places and things."

Ice Bear stretches out his arms to show how big the place really is, even though it's clearly visible.

"Please don't panic, Ice Bear is a Nexus veteran. Can help...?" Oh wait, he hasn't gotten a name yet! Time to improvise. "Young teenage boy?"

[dsquared]

Yeah, he can see that.

"My name's Edward," The boy clarifies, "But most people call me Double D. As for this 'Nexus' as you put it, it seems a bit odd for a place like this to suddenly appear in an alley on the outskirts of the Cul-De-Sac. Have you always been here?"

[icebearforpresident]

"Ice Bear. Nice to meet you."

He listens intently to Edd's words, wondering what the best way to explain the situation would be. Hopefully he gets it right.

"Nexus portals appear at random places. Ice Bear guesses that one appeared in Edd's world without warning. Might have been through a door." He nods. "Ice Bear visits the Nexus, could say that Ice Bear is mostly here."

[dsquared]

"A door...?" He taps a finger to his chin. "I don't think I went through a door... But then again, you may be speaking metaphorically at this point."

Boy is it weird being referred to as 'Edd'. The whole reason he has the nickname is to not get confused with his friend Ed... Who, if Double D remembered correctly, was currently groveling at Eddy's door after he woke him up for school on a Saturday.

At least he should have until Eddy wakes up to speak with Ice Bear.

"I see... So you prefer this place to the Artic climates?"

[icebearforpresident]

"Could be. Most people appear randomly, but find the way home through a door."

Ice Bear nods, looking around at all the different shops and restaurants. "Yes. Ice Bear is from California, but enjoys coming here for fun and work. Haven't lived in the arctic for years." But now he's curious...

"Where is Edd from?"

[dsquared]

"California? Sorry, I didn't realize you were in captivity at home..."

At least that's what the boy assumes. He lives in a world without talking bears, forgive him if he mistook Ice Bear for a zoo animal.

"Me? Oh, um... I live in a Cul-De-Sac... Peach Creek. That's the street name. It's a rather lively neighbourhood if I do say so myself."

[icebearforpresident]

Ice Bear blinks in confusion, before finally understanding Edd's words.

"Ice Bear is tamed by no one. Lives with brothers in California." He doesn't seem offended by the assumption, rather, he's eager to clear that fact up.

"Never been there before. Ice Bear would like to see it sometime. Nexus can be pretty lively as well."