2019-11-12 - Carousel Rides

The carousel seems to have performed a hit and run, since a pair of legs are sticking out from beneath it. Nearby a toolbox provides a clue as to the identity of the legs' owners. A mumbled curse suggests the carousel has at least bitten him, and he slides from beneath it. The grubby clothes are work clothes, covered with smudges of oil and paint, and the man himself has a few of those oil smudges. He reaches for the coffee mug on the side, only to frown as he discovers it is empty. Luckily, past him thought of his future needs and he rises to his feet, grabbing his flask and mug, sitting on the carousel to pour himself a new one.

"Oh no, is it not working?" asks a distraught sounding voice. Park is all lip wobbles as she stares at the inert carousel. At least for a moment but then her smile is back. "When will it be fixed?" she asks the man who looks like he know what he's doing - with the maintenance, not the drinking coffee. The young Korean-American dressed in sneakers, black tights against the chill, mini-skirt, and 'Banana Splits' t-shirt. A satchel bag over one shoulder is heavy with laptop and a bottle of water.

Matthew looks up, tilting his head slightly, before he grins broadly, creating a dimple at the side of his mouth. "No, just having a tune up. I like to keep her moving smoothly." He considers her, before he lifts the coffee mug, adding quietly, "Just a coffee break, I'll have her running again in ten minutes." He makes a gesture towards the flask, "Want one?"

Park glances at the flask and shakes her head. "No, thank you. I have one at home for when I need to keep drinks warm. Do you sell them as well as work on the carousel?" She takes out her phone to glance at the time. "Ten minutes? Cool, I'll wait" she grins excitedly. "Oh, I'm Mee. Or Park if you prefer."

He grins again then, his eyes twinkling, taking a large swig of coffee before he replies, "Nope, just being friendly. I just repair things around here. I'm Matt." He offers his free hand, before glancing at it, and retracting it to wipe on his jeans. "You like the carousel? Visit much?" His tone is friendly but not flirty, and the look on his face matches that.

"Nice to meet you, Matt." Since the hand was withdrawn, Park assumes that a hug is in order. So he gets one. Nothing flirty either, just friendly. And if she gets grease on her clothes, so be it. "I visit when I can" Park nods. "Who doesn't want to ride a horse around in circles?" Not a trace of sarcasm. "Helps me focus. Gosh, you must get to ride it all the time."

The hug surprises him and his hesitation shows, his hands lifted so not to touch her, his face startled. "Uh, careful!" He hesitates before he adds, lamely, "The coffee is hot." The excuse sounds odd, and he shifts his gaze to the carousel before he grasps the new topic with a level of eagerness. "I don't tend to. Maybe I ought to give it a go sometime." He empties his mug, rising to his feet, "Let me get her moving for you then."

"How can you fix it without knowing how awesome it is?" Park is flummoxed by this but her smile is soon back. "Awww...you're so sweet. But you're also fixing it for all the children too." A gesture behind her as if there is a queue waiting...there isn't. "Finish your coffee first, though. If it's hot, you should let it cool down. It's okay, I can work on some songs while you have a rest." A sniff of the air. "Can you smell oil?"

He puts the mug next to his flask, shooting her that easy grin again, seemingly relaxing again, "Absolutely, they love it." His voice is light again, relaxed, as he moves to the machine, sliding back under it to make some brief adjustments. "Yeah, that is the carousel. I disconnected this bit, see, and now ...She should work." He scrambles back to his feet, moving to flick a switch, "There she goes." He glances at her, shooting her that lopsided grin.

"Woo-hoo!" Park applauds the reactivation of the carousel though she, thankfully, manages to avoid jumping up and down with excitement. Just. "Excellent" she grins before looking a little confused. "Why did you disconnect that bit in the first place." Still, all is right with the world and she shrugs her concerns away. "You can finish your coffee now. Oh...are you running the carousel now?" There doesn't seem to be anyone else around.

He glances around, lifting his eyebrows before replying lightly, "Because if I don't do little jobs like that, she'll break down properly. Maintenance rather than fixing, see." He leans against it, adding thoughtfully, "Nobody else around and I need to test my work. Think of it as a freebie." He makes a gesture, waving a hand in an oddly courtly gesture, inviting her to hop on.

No need to tell Park twice. She bounces up onto the carousel, looking around for a moment before finding her favorite horse and mounting up. "I always liked 'Bitney Spurs'." The horses having names painted on their necks; names like 'Harry Trotter' and 'NeighSayer'. "Are you going to ride with me?"

Her enthusiasm and apparent joy earn her another of those lopsided grins, and he swings himself up onto the carousel, selecting the NeighSayer to ride. "Why not..." The murmur is wry, the brown eyes twinkling. "You sing?" He asks lightly, leaning back on the horse, considering her thoughtfully.

"I sing a bit" Park nods. "Not lead singer, more backing and harmonies. I play bass and some keyboards in a band. We're called 'Augmented Reality'. There are a few bands in Gray Harbor. You should come and see us play." A pause before she adds, "When we have somewhere to play." A playful dig of her heels into the flanks of her horse. "Charge! Do you sing?"

"Good name..." He comments lightly, his eyebrows arching, "What type of music? You could do an open air thing, throw a gig in the park." The joking is light, given with a grin and twinkling eyes. "Sing? Only like some sort of howling in pain creature." His expression shows that he is mocking himself, the tug at the corner of his lips, the crease in his forehead.

"You should sing in a thrash band then" Park grins. "I didn't come up with our name but it works on many levels. Like...augmented reality. I hope it's not too long to say. We do all kinds of music. Pop rock. Pop punk. I even try to sneak some dance stuff in, especially for my day job at the Cabaret. We're trying to find some gigs but most places want you to pay them."

He laughs, his eyes twinkling, "Howl might be closer to it." His words are soft, and he listens to her talk about the music, tilting his head slightly. "You work at the Cabaret?" He asks the question softly, considering her answers thoughtfully, "Maybe offer to put on a free festival. Get together with some other bands, get some stalls like foods and all that."

"At the Platinum Cabaret" Park nods. "Do you know it?" A realisation occurs after a few seconds and her cheeks go bright red. "Oh! Not as a dancer! Oh gosh, no. I have no ta-tas or ass. I'm one of the DJs. And I even have a vlog under the name DJ Dental if you ever want to watch it." She considers the festival idea. "That sounds like a pretty good idea. Probably too cold now or at Christmas. Maybe a spring one? I am sooo going to tell everyone about this. Great idea!!"

His blank look suggests the place isn't known to him and her clarification brings another look, light dawning, "Ah right. You know, dancing there isn't a bad thing even..." The quiet comment is in the manner of an observation, given with a brief smile. "Too cold? Nah, it'd be a thing, call it a winter festival. Get people selling chestnuts, mulled wine. Ice ring... stuff like that. People could sell handmade christmas presents."

"I guess we could still do a winter festival" Park nods with pursed lips. "Though it is starting to sound pretty expensive. Might have to ask the city council. Oh, I know dancing there isn't a bad thing. The dancers are soooo lovely and soooo pretty. You should totally go." A beat. "And they're great dancers too! Are you not a local?"

"Make it free, sell it to them as doing local charities or something..." He adds that lightly, "I'm local, just been gone a while." He slides from his perch, and he stretches before he grins again, "I best go. Got a job to do the other side of town. Nice to meet you, Park. Let me know if I can help with your festival."