2020-02-23 - THC and Tacos

Like the trumpets that herald his arrival wherever he goes, the tinny growl of an exhaust unburdened by things like laws or regulations can be heard outside the address she had given him, pulling his mean-looking lowered E60 into a stop. Sure, the sunroof is just slightly ajar in the gentle drizzle, but likely to vent the slight vapor that can be seen issuing from it briefly before it slips closed and he would get out.

Spanish boys learn from their mothers you don't pull up and honk.

Even with his size and the signaturely wild curls he sports, his clothes are clean, picked well for his form. He knew how to dress, even as casual as he was, a jacket that seems thinner than one would need for this weather staying open to display a simple button-down and some jeans with rolled cuffs. Adidas clap pavement as he'd approach the house, the gentle hum from behind him telling he'd left the car running.

Kip is heading down stairs soon as she hears that car pulling up and by the time he's up on the porch she's opening the door. She also is dressed with a bit of layers lacking - though her excuse is that Russia is so much colder during the winters than this right here. Her hair is tossed back in to a ponytail and she's wearing a pair of black jeans with a long-sleeved black shirt with a 'sheet ghost' picture on it and the words Future Ghost written inside.

"Hey Rek." Offering him a bright smile as she steps outside and closes the door. Peeking past him to look at the car, "Ohh very nice!" Surely it will look even cooler up close. "How are you doing?"Also, with both of them standing now, it is more obvious that Kip is at least a good foot shorter than the Rekani.

Normal folk might comment about the lack of cold weather gear, but you don't worry about what doesn't affect you. He eyes her black on black on black attire and smirks at the ghost design, "Hey." He responds. How is he doing? There's a certain strange mix of agitation, stress and exhastion in his eyes, but he says, "I'm fine. Little tired. Defo hungry."

"Oh, thanks," he says, hand waving to indicate the car as well as usher on, "Yeah, fixed her up myself. She was a junk, someone ran a red and wrecked the back end, but when I saw the year, I knew it was the 500 horsepower model stock. Bought her up and the restbia history." He'd walk her down the way to it, not seeming rushed, and he'd even open the door. Urban kids had standards too.

The inside was as you'd expect, and pretty clean. The seats were replaced with more racing curved bucket style with blue accents, the center panel was customized with switches and a status screen. It smelled clean but also with that sweet air of vaporized THC. A pen sits in a cup holder.

Kip gives him a curious and perhaps dubious look with the 'I'm fine' answer. However, she isn't going to push anything yet. Instead, she listens to how he came upon the car as they walk to it. "You can't even tell it used to be." A junker. "It's beautiful." Her fingers briefly, lightly touch on the warm hood before letting him open the door. "Blagodaryu vas. Thank you." To his opening the door as she slides inside.

Kip takes a few moments to appreciate the interior, settling in easily. Once Rekani has joined her inside, "So, what food is on the menu?" As she lifts up the vape pen. There's a raised brow in that silent 'May I?' fashion before going ahead and taking a hit off of it. There's a slow exhale as the pen gets set down and she examines some of the screens and switches a little closer. "What do these screens tell you?"

"Have at, seņorita." Rekani responds to her use of the pen as he settles in, casual, an offer having already been made, so expecting her to take him up on it. His phone was out and he was looking, "Honestly? I could go for a huge burrito, but I cannot for the life of me find an actual Spanish place. How do people live here?" He was flicking through options, points to another, "Best selection I can find is this Grizzley place, but the reviews are terrible!... At least the service anyways... Fuck it."

He leans so he can point things out, "Engine heat, load, torque, stats from the suspension." He kicks it into gear and slowly pulls off. Usually with powerful cars and a manual transmission, drivers would really kick and jerk. Rekani was actually a pretty smooth shifter. "There's a lot of things happening when you race or drift, sometimes its good to know if something's fucked with your car." He flicks one switch and the car can be felt lifting up, a better configuration for going over the speed bump to exit the area. He sets it back once their on normal roads.

"I gotta admit, I know a ton of foods, but I know literally nothing about Russian. What's it like?"

"A giant burrito...I can't remember the last time I ate a burrito." She admitted. "I have been to the Grizzly one time. It was okay." She wobbled her hand a bit in that 'so-so' motion. "We could always see if there is one in a neighboring town if you felt like a small road trip." Kip mused even as she took a picture of the little screen set up. "Yes, good to know if something is going wrong." She agreed.

A small noise of surprise emits from the woman when she feels the car lifting, even if it's slight. Kip peers out the window briefly and then back to Rek. "That was cool. Is this the highest it goes? It doesn't go up like...those arms on...that guy." She paused, thinking. "AH! Inspector Gadget. Right? No driving over buildings or things?" There's a giggle at the thought.

"Russian food? Comfort foods mostly. To me at least? Lots of cabbage, bread, meat and potatoes type things." Kip explained. "My favorite is called, Pirozhki. It is basically just fried dough stuffed with whatever filling you want. Total junk food but delicious. My babushka made one with a warm, cheesy spinach dip filling. It was the best." Kip gives a whistful sigh before she picks up the pen to take another hit. "Maybe one day I will try to make them myself."

"Yeah, you know what, I'm down to drive. I know a place. Shit, and sign me up. Sounds tasty Ay-Eff." The suggestion does actually seem to make him feel better, and Rekani smirks a little at the question. First, though, he lifts a chin toward her shoulder. "Seatbelt." He would wait for her to buckle up. Or defy him, whatever.

He flicks a switch and the car actually hops once as it jumps to full shock height. It wasn't too high, but definitely not stock. He laughs, flicking the switch to lower again, "I used to have a caddy. You seen those old cars where they do the bouncing? Yeah, like that. This can't, it's built for speed and drifting, but air ride is air ride."

He pulls out of the residential streets, getting onto a highway toward Olympia and Seattle. He takes a quick look in Kip's direction, eying her as he guns it, the signature whistle of engaged nitrous turbo following every shift.

"If I ever make a batch, I'll bring you some." Kip promises with a chuckle. At his advice of buckling up she does so. Always better to buckle up when you're not familiar with someone's driving! The jump earns another yelp and laugh from Kip. "Glad I listened to you about the seatbelt." She flashed him a grin. The vape pen finds it's way back to the cup holder home. "That would have been cool to see, but this is pretty cool all on its own!"

As he eases on to the highway, Kip eyes the surroundings as if trying to remember the way a bit. And then he's gunning it! "Vo dayot!" She exclaims, one hand gripping the the seat cushion for a few moments. She's grinning though, and eventually does relax, laughing. "Next time you should warn me you're going to do that!" Looking over towards Rekani, mock scolding him with a little waggle of her pointer finger in his direction. "My heart is hammering." She chuckled.

"Reminds you you're alive!" He lets out a whoop, then laughs in response to the scolding. She may be a little worried as the car can clearly push 100 with ease. 110. 120. He keeps looking over to see if he can actually find concern on her face before he finally lets off at 130, certain stats displayed that the engine and trans were not happy to push that hard for too long. He begins coasting for a bit, settling back into a solid 90.

Not needing to change gears as the pace solidifies, he reaches to take up the pen for a puff of his own. He was grinning a bit mischeviously. He didn't seem worried about cops. At least, not once he flicks a few buttons and the console display switches to a Waze app.

He looks for it but Rek doesn't find any causes for concern from Kip. She is akin to a kid with full run of a candy store. Experiencing a rare treat. "Do you always drive this way?" She asks, eyeing the app curiously a moment and then chuckled again. "It is exhilarating. " she agrees though, relaxing into the seat.

"It's funny," looking out the window now, "how it looks like everything has slowed down even though we're whizzing by." Finally looking back to Rek. "Do they have giant burritos at the place we're going to?"

Rekani would make a face with flat lined lips, an 'Ok, she got this' kinda look, then grins again as he answers her question, "Aw hell yeah they do. Little taco truck. I know where they park late at night." Rekani adjusts to a more easy riding position in his seat, left wrist resting atop the steering wheel, right hand lazily turning the pen in his fingers after another healthy puff. "Do I always drive like I wanna be pulled over? Every time I can. Just gotta known how to avoid 'em." He nods to the screen in demonstration, but leaves it at that. "Also, I have fucking super powers, I just turn their engine off."

He looks thoughtful for a long moment as he lapses into silence after that comment. Super powers hadn't really helped earlier.

Kip shifted a bit in her seat so she could face Rekani better. Wide-eyed. "Have you just shut them off like that before?? Or is it theorteical?" A glance towards the windshield and then back to him. Not even discounting the idea he had super powers. After all, so did she. "It's a brave way to drive. I wouldn't be so brave if I were behind the wheel."

Once he finishes his puff on the pen, she reaches over to lightly pluck it from his fingers so she can take another. "What is going on in your head?" Kip asked with a slow exhale of smoke - aimed towards the windshield - before those brown eyes settled on him again, curious.

"Once." He admits with a bit of an embarrassed grimace when she calls him on it, braggart that he was. He eyes her taking the pen, maybe a hint of worry in his eyes, it was their first time smoking together, and he hadn't heard her cough, so he was just going to guess a slight little girl like her could hold her own.

"I know a decent amount about cars. Crown Vics, Impalas, Malibus, I know where the keys are in the steering column. I just kinda... thought about turning the key. His lights shut off, and he just faded in my rear view." Another slight look is made in Kip's direction, but at speed, he was pretty studious about watching the road. He mulls a little more, his cheeks flexing with expression as his jaw clenches and his tongue moves before he actually opens his mouth, telltale signs he was trying to find words before he just blurted.

"So, I got shot today." He starts, his dark eyes flitting over to gauge her reaction. All the preparation amounted to squat because it all started tumbling out of him. "And I mean, I know what you're thinking: 'He's just trying to get that sympathy pussy'. But nah, for real," he pulls his shirt open at the top button, pulling aside the A-shirt underneath to show a scabbed over gunshot wound. It certainly didn't look like he'd got shot that day, it looked almost healed, but he'd been hurt.

It was definitely not Kip's first time smoking, that much was obvious. She sets the pen back down though after this third hit. She's good for now and, as Rekani will likely learn eventually, has a good handle on her limits. "That's really cool even if it is dangerous." Kip relaxes into her seat then.

Only to straighten up again when he says he got shot. "You what?!" Leaning forward some to see the mark, eyeing it and then him. "Only today? What were you doing?! And why are you not in the hospital?? It doesn't look like it just happened today?" Kip resists the urge the try and touch anything. Because, you know, they're not at that level yet. She just looks back up at him expectantly for answers.

Making expressive flails with his hands he comminicates through intricate, interpretive gestures, 'I don't fucking have the slightest idea.' Ok, so maybe not all that intricate. Probably just confused flailing.

"I'm not in the hospital cause some old dude, (I think I seen him around) just fucking picked me up and did some brain stuff! I didn't even know people could do that!" His voice was raised, obviously just as agitated. "Like, I couldn't even breathe, it went right through me!" He struggles, still seatbelted in, trying to move his bulk to pull the collar bank and show the through and through spot before giving up in frustration and settling back. This was probably an intensely worrying maneuver at 90 miles an hour, but judgement wasnt always Rekani's strong point.

"I'm not a religious dude, and he definitely wasn't Jesus, but he just fucking healed me like he was!"

When Rekani started struggling, Kip looked nervous for the first time since the whole car ride. At least there wasn't a lot of people on the road at this time of night. She put a hand on the man's arm, "Calm down, Rekani! It is okay." She had zero intentions of dying tonight - least of all in a speeding car because of some one freaking out. She gives his arm a brief squeeze to futher emphasize him calming down. "You can show me when we get to the taco truck if you want." Then she moves her hand to settle them both back in her lap.

"So. This old guy healed your gun shot wound...like it was nothing?" Thinking on this a moment. "I was not aware either...though I did meet a man when I first got to town who removed the wear and tear off of a drinking glass...maybe it is in the same family of power?" She pushed a hand through her hair. "I...am glad that it was healed and you are not in the hospital, or dying though."

Kip drew in a soft breath and attempts to, for a moment at least, switch the topic. They can revisit it when they are no longer racing down the highway!

"How far until we get to the burritos?"

It was good someone was being an adult tonight, because the touch on his arm actually reminds him he shouldn't be trying to kill another human being. He gives her a sheepish grin as he settles back down to drive.

How long does it take to get there? In Rekani's car, and in good company, it doesn't feel like that long. He pulls into the lot of some hole-in-the-wall bar, with the aforementioned taco truck pulled up outside to capture all the drunk people business as it trickled in and out. There was an outdoor tent and some picnic tables, some shitty space heaters making the area just tolerable to be in.

His first stop would be inside, where he immediately greets and chats up a bartender in Spanish, he would glance back to Kip briefly to ask her if she was ok with cheap beer, pretty much the toll to be at the outside seating. He gets a look and another comment from the bartender, the word seņorita used, in a clear tease toward the DJ, which he waves off with a frustrated noise and another blast of Spanish sass.

Yes, killing other people was bad! When the roll up to the little bar, Kip eyes it with mild interest. "Reminds me of some places back home. Not the taco truck but just the atmosphere." She follows Rekani in to the bar and doesn't mind cheap beer at all. "Tacos and beer are a good combination, right? I can't wait to try them, I realized I haven't eaten much at all today. It is catching up with me." A giggle trails on the end of that.

Kip leans against the bar, looking curious at the Spanish exchange. When the bartender moved of to grab their beers, her head tilts to look back up at the man. A smirk twitches on her lips. She may not understand Spanish but she could gather what might have been suggested maybe from the bartender's tone. So instead of asking what the bartender said, Kip asks, "What did you retort with? Did it really make you grumpy what he said?"

Rekani, sometimes actually prepared for the bit of fast translation fibs, forms his mouth around silent words before he switches back to English. Sure, she was quick, but he sometimes could talk his way out. Sometimes. "Oh, I told him he wasn't your type. You go for long-haired dudes with money and strange diction."

She might have picked up his response was more along the lines of 'Fuck off, mind your business' he smirks amicably, seeing if his ruse worked, reaching for the cerveza as soon as its handed across. "And yeah, tacos and beer, short second to tacos and tequila, but we got a drive back, yaknow?"

Kip laughed at his claimed words. Whether she bought it or not was hard to tell, but she didn't try to press. "That is a presumptious claim." Kip mused, the bartender gets a fleeting wink as she takes up her own bottle and grins back to Rekani. "I'm wounded you think I'm so superficial that my type would be based on those things alone." She teases and then would let him lead the way back towards the outside. "Maybe some time there will have to be taco night in and then there can be tequila."

She's curious to browse the menu of the truck since she wasn't lying when she said she couldn't remember the last time she had a burrito. Or even a taco. "What do you normally get here?"

"Hey, that's just the lie I told him. Is never assume. Don't worry, he's too dumb to learn English." the last bit, is spoken loudly, a stage comment, earning him a, "Hey! Fuck you!" from the grinning bartender, who makes a jab with his finger to tell Rekani to get out, all in fun. The entire concocted story comes apart with just one pull off a thread, so he might a well make sure there was plenty of loose ends. Keep her guessing.

As they get outside and he takes a sip of his beer he peruses the mostly Spanish menu. "I mean, I usually get the loaded burrito. Pulled pork, rice and beans, cheese, pico. They smother the whole thing in Queso Blanco. Other option we can just get a ton of tacos, they got like twelve kinds." He gives Kip a joking side-eye, quipping "I ain't nasty." as if it was safe to eat after him, but not so sure... He flinches and holds palms up ready to be swatted for his insults, "Jay-kay! Jay-kay!"

Kip giggles again at the exchange with the bartender and tries her own beer. Not bad! Though she's more of a vodka person in general. Yes, yes - let the cliches roll. She picks out a couple recognizable English words but the rest is sort of lost on her. But hey! There's some pictures which are helpful! His comment earns a playful elbow to his side and another laugh from Kip. Clearly she is feeling the effects of the vape to some degree.

"Let's get all the tacos. But the burrito sounds good too. We should split the burrito thing and ALSO get loads of tacos." Kip nods matter-of-factly and takes another sip of her drink. "This is the the best option I see."

"Ok, girl, shee-it, dont threaten me with a good time." He orders all of it. Like really, all of it, a burrito, and twelve individual tacos. He pays, which is fine since this isn't actually all that bad price wise. There's more exchanges in Spanish with the cooks, the guys clearly enjoying catching up. There's a mention of 'Nova' and a boob-grabbing motion, which Rekani makes a shoulder-hunching, fisgusted expression at. He'd explain they were talking about his sister, the exotic dancer, that's a whole story.

The spread is put out at the table, the area warm enough and out of the wind to really feel comfortable, and Rekani sets to packing away everything he can, though sharing, getting opinions, all the while storytelling, and filling in Kip on everything he saw in the Dream.

He'd drop her off at home, hours later with the food, reveley and drive back, no assumptions made, though a hug offered. The company was the most important part to him. He'd been through some shit, and was exhausted. He was allegedly going to go home and sleep for a week.