2020-04-25 - Crew Gatherning - Jack's

One couldn't complain about the day, crisp, spring air. No rain, not so grey as usual at least. If anyone could find reason to complain, Jack would be in that number. In fact, give him the best day ever and he'd complain about it being too perfect probably. Thus, its probably a surprise that he arrives with donuts and drinks. Sure, donuts, he'll come in occasional with just a box of near-plain glazed. Not super sugar Krispy-Kreme style at all, but glazed enough. Its a shop, there are others that work there, he won't just buy for himself. Its drinks though. A mix even, some hot, some cold. Like grab your own. The hot are lattes and mochas, as are the cold. But its selections still, hot or cold, latte or mocha. The lattes are plain lattes no flavor, but extra espresso, just because that's the way he likes it.

They are plopped down near the office but for the garage crew adn those nearby. "Have at it," he says, loud if needed. "Look, I've run dirt track a few times in the past some of you know." And they would, the ones who have been around. "This year we're running a shop car, we'll take it to a few of the other tracks and compete in the circuit this year." There good news, he sighs a grumble, its out there. Maybe inspired to be more active in driving, and to get out of town more, by someone, no names being named. He takes his cold latte and has a pull of that. Parking a hip near the bench with the donuts and if not for drink in hand, would probably fold hands over his chest.

All Lyric hears besides donuts and coffee, is PIT CREW! It's all it takes and she looks up from sweeping the floor to beam a smile his way. It's an invitation for a break and she wanders over there and reaches for a donut and an iced coffee. "I wanna be on your pit crew. I can do it, if you let me." At least she gets that across before taking a bite of the donut and chasing it down with a drink of the coffee. She finds a seat on the floor, a clean part of the floor where she has already swept.

"Unless you gotta pit crew already." Going about her breakfast, she crosses her jean clad legs. The jeans have rips in them but she wears striped leggings beneath. Her top is a t-shirt, but it's unseen beneath the hoodie she wears over it. "But I wanna help if you let me."

One thing about Jack, shop is shop. While as a man, he might be curious enough to notice hoodie and nothing under, at least visibly, he was in the shop and here it was work. Or more, it was a passion for the man. Cars, engines, fixing. He had preference, that was known. There was surely a clock that read 'Ford' on its face, no need for numbers, no one changed the position of them so it read the same time even without them. A slight look over, brow furrows on one side. "Sure, you're in Lyric," he says, maybe a surprise that he was ready to say that. "You're good with tools." A drink like he's done, but he continues as it pulls away from his lips. "I ain't seen your driving. I usually sit behind my wheel, but shop effort. If someone is better, I'd be willing to run maintenance too."

You can hear Rekani coming in from a half mile out, the rumble-wine of a finely tuned engine with a street-not-really-legal exhaust on it. Sure, he was a few minutes late, but when he gets out of the car, the few stuck-on bandages visible peeking from his shirt collar and on his exposed forearms, you could probably feel sorry for the guy.

He was moving though, and while there's some wincing when he first stands up, he seems to be doing ok. As he walks into the shop, sunglasses on, BMW logo T-shirt and some rougher jeans, he reaches to lift the shades from his face. He had bags under his eyes, but he was all smiles and chipper.

"Aw hell yeah, thanks boss."

She's in! Lyric beams another smile his way and pumps a donut holding hand in the air in silent celebration of being allowed to be included. Only, when he compliments her on tool usage does she add more. "I know how much you like your tools." So protective over them. His livelihood. But something he says after makes her giggle and she shakes her head, "I don't gotta car. I never drove a real one before. I only drove a Mario Kart Candy car in a dream before. I have a whole cotton candy haired gingerbread man fan club there." It's spoken so matter-of-fact that obviously she believes every word of what she is saying.

Looking up when she hears the sounds of the somewhat familiar sound car, Lyric grins when Rekani finally walks in. The BMW on his shirt contrasting hard with the FORD merchandise laying around inside. "The donuts are good," she says around a bite of hers. "Good morning. You look hurt, Did you have a bad dream?"

With his hip parked on the workbench serving as cafe, Jack looks up at the arrival. No need to say it, aloud, his eyes say it when he eyes BMW. But then, a broken down BMW is money, just his shirts are blue of the Ford tone, and usually say Ford in white. "You good," he more the stuck on bandages one would gauge by the context of his eyes going to them next. "You're in, doing a dirt track crew this year. Could use your fine line work and make the car look nice this time." He notices, whether they see his purview of staff or not. A slight pause in thought, like a double take as he goes back to Lyric, "The hell, gingerbread cotton candy hair men, is that some facebook slang for ..." That he lets ride, some new kink for all he knows and just his asking is like saying he doesn't want to know. So he reaches for a donut, eyes back towards Rekani, wondering if he had that bad dream she asked about maybe.

Yes, he clashed, but he matched his E60, so that's what mattered to the large Latino. Lyric's question gets a look, then remembering his bandages, a nod, "Yeah, girl," Rekani admits with a heavy sigh, "Went rounds with a, uh... Shit, what they call it? Manta Ray?" He talks with his hands, first open palm to his face, they both hangs clawed outward, then a thumb over his shoulder, "Face of a lion, bat wings, snake tail?" Pouring himself an iced mocha and grabbing a donut, he glances at the wall to see what tickets they had to clear today. "I swear, man, them Addington parties get wild as hell."

Not one to stay out of a good joke, Rekani levels a donut to point at Jack after taking a bite, "It's exactly what you're thinking, but all the clothes are edible."

The hoodie Lyric wears boasts a band name. My Chemical Romance is what the thrift stores are selling these days. "Um, yeah, sure. It's my fan club. On Friendzone." Or something. With a grin, she looks over at Rekani, "An Addington party? You got invited to one of those? Lion face, bat wings and a tail? A Gryffon?" Her donut and coffee get more attention again, grinning behind the bite about the edible clothes.

Dream, weirdness, party, the way it adds up for Jack is most certainly not what happened, but it makes sense to him. "Good to see you made it in," given there was some drinking involved and who knows what all that is slang for, he can't keep up with kids today and going rounds. Though the gingerbread pink beard men has him shaking his head, "Yeah, no, incoming text: too much information." And if he was actually texting, Jack would probably spell out too much information. And no, he's not that old, he should know better, which probably includes a little sarcasm for those that know him or are getting to know him. A slight nod as he listens thoguh while not listening, party, that could add up a little in his head.

Jack's reaction to the joke gets a big mischevious grin from Rekani, desired effects all around. "Griffon? Nah, pretty sure there was a griffon there, too. But not the same thing. Pretty sure it was a manta ray." Trust him, he's basically an expert at getting torn up by mythical creatures.

"Invited? Nah." Rekani snorts at the thought, especially given certain Addington opinions of him. "Sometimes I do some side gigs for cash. They needed a piano player." He explains after wolfing down another bite of donut. "The birthday party, some lady got up on the piano to do a singing proposal. That part was pretty great. The garden thing was pretty much a train wreck, tho."

"I've never been to an Addington party. I've never wanted to go. But a manta ray? Maybe I should crash one sometime." Lyric grins though. "Last night I was at that filmin' of the new movie and there were really bad things there. I tore a giant hole in the wall." Though she should feel bad about almost crashing the house down around everyone, she only laughs at the memory. Laughing now that she's out of danger! "It's never boring here and whoever thought to film a movie here isn't so smart."

"I think Erin was out a bit the other night," he comments, needing some logical ground in the conversation, "Did she show up at the party?" He's just curiuos and that's out of place for him to ask others, he is a go to the source sort of man. For all manta rays, gryphons and holes in walls, its like he's aroudn two people speaking slang and not knowing the lingo for what it really means (cause in his mind it is just references for real life things like, it was a sick party, some cool characters showed up, the movie shoot was so jumping they knocked the walls down, its all real slang for just a good time or something). He's nodding like its every day, but blanking it out as not caring maybe. "Yeah," he says, once or twice, encouraging their conversation in a non-participatory sort of way.

Rekani gives Jack a generally confused look. He wasn't really rubbing elbows with anyone there, and introductions definitely took a backseat to mortal peril. He just shrugs, finishes off his donut. Maybe he'd seen her around the shop. But he was new enough he hadn't made the connection.

"It ain't all its cracked up to be. There's this blonde..." He shakes his head, wide eyed, the vacant look attempting to warn off interaction, and leaves it at that. "Damn, that was you? I just saw the thing about that this morning." He gives Lyric that little down-up look, measuring, communicating respect in that body language. "Go 'head, girl. What went down?"

Jack may not be in on it, but this donut/water cooler talk was how it went in the Harbor.

Lyric just quietly starts back on her donut and coffee then reaches for another donut when her first one is gone. Eating happily, she listens to the conversation and Jack's normal avoidance of it with a grin towards him. "She wasn't at the movie filming," she tells Jack.

Catching that look from Rekani, she shrugs just a little bit modestly before totally blowing that. "It was like that movie Mummy. You know where the scarabs get under your skin and you can see 'em crawlin' there and bitin' and eatin'? That's what it felt like and looked like." Pulling up a sleeve there are some scratching marks there, self inflicted of course, from her clawing at her arms. "I guess I kinda freaked out and started tearing down the house." Another light shrug as if to say.. It happens.

If there was something about it, Jack saw nothing. He was on about getting a real shop crew to race, and celebrating with coffee. His dour look suggests he may take the blame for weird talk, it was him being nice and bringing in coffee most likely. May be awhile before he does that again. His eyes looking at the remaining coffees on the table suggest those thoughts even. "Sounds realistic, hopefully they got it all and don't need to retake that." Cause it was all planned for the movie and such. Chalk that one up to new knowledge, Lyric being a very gifted actress. See, he's keeping up.

Rekani draws his arms in and gives a roiling, full-body shake, face pinching at the disgusting thought, "Dude, that scene always grossed me out so bad."

It doesn't stop him from dropping another donut into his mouth, though. You don't get to be his size by being squeamish. But on to other news and not trying to exclude Jack, he asks, "Whad'ju think o' those site upgrades, boss?"

He was idly making himself busy, taking down one of those transparent folders with a work invoice and a set of keys, seeing what was up with the car detailed within, sipping his coffee. He flops into one of the seats near the counter and makes sure the front desk computer was up and running, checking the shop email.

"Yeah well it wasn't fun to relive it also." Lyric adds before finishing off donut number two and getting to her feet. Her coffee is placed aside and she brushes off her jeans before reaching for her drink again. "I'm gonna get back to work on the Chevy back there." One she'd been working on since yesterday. "Should have it finished shortly." A crooked grin given to her boss and Rekani. Walking back to the stall she's been using, another drink of coffee later and she puts it aside before climbing up to sit on the fender of the pickup with the hood opened, leaning in. After a quick look around, she gets to work... not everything is by the books!

A slow nod from Jack on filming the scene and 'reliving' of it, which he assumes is just a re-shooting of course. What else could it be. He already has his spot ready to go, having prepped the day before, knowing what he was gonna work on before divvying it up. A lean/gothic sway bump to push off the workbench as he goes to his spot too. Calling over toward Rekani, "Yeah, that looks great, I couldn't even imagine how it'd look." If he ever did it, it was filling in form to generate a web page and it would look like it was a form filled out with minimal information, like the white pages on line. Just information but nothing drawing attention. "Could you get that logo on a hood?" Jack assumes as much but is kind enough to ask at least. As Lyric gets up on the vehicle to work, he's sure she's good and looks at his vehicle. There is a rise in imports and he's doing one because it was brought here, the locals that upgrade to fancy jobs still tend to come by Jack's place for the work, small town'ish. A moan from him, "I'd say you better count on doing that one again in a few days." Towards Lyric, cause, its a Chevy, not that he thinks it will really be back, by the books or not she gets the work done, "But I'm going to be knee deep in this mess myself." Not really, but he has to complain about it. If he didn't, folks might think he's sick.

"Yeah, looks great." Rekani had lowered his voice to a gritty facsimile of Jack's voice and dour demeanor, then raises it back to his own usual tenor, albeit with added breathiness, "Oh! This praise!" He gasps, rocking back in the chair, letting the cheap plastic swivel carry him backward and slowly turn in a circle while he fans himself with the work order folder.

"I don't know if I can handle it! I'm feeling faint! Lyric, call me an ambilance!" Yes, he was joking with the childish name for the emergency vehicle. He continues with the theatrics, the back of his hand on his forehead for another beat or two before uttering a high-pitched, infectiously comedic laugh and straightening. "Yeah, I know someone who can do that. Want me to grab something from the back or you got something in mind?" He angles a swipe of his head toward the parts yard out back.

He pulls the keys out and stands to head out and pull some yuppie Toyota SUV into one of the in-ground bay stalls. He leans out the window as he's pulling in, keeping straight, but also giving Lyric a flat-lipped eyebrow raise as he senses her power going off.

"Cause it's a Chevy?" Lyric grins when Jack jokes with her, then nods towards that import he's working on himself. "What about that one? Should we just assign a stall for it?"

Hearing the impersonation, Lyric giggles at the fun being poked at Jack's seriousness. "That means he really likes it." Poking her head out from under the hood and looking Rekani's way in time to catch that look he gives her. She hadn't been trying to hide it and she grins and gives a what can ya do shrug. Jack wasn't in the know, so she didn't mind doing it to help fix the vehicles quicker.

Jack is the king of praise around the shop, this is known. He must be in good spirits today, he does dead eye over towards Rekani, as if appreciating the sarcasm. Just non-smiling appreciation. "You did good, I trust your craftsmen ship and attention to detail more." See, that's serious, even if dead faced, "I'd trust you to detail work on one of my own." Of course, trusting and letting are two different things, and its less about the trust and more about him liking to do his own work. On the hood he nods, "I got something in mind, the stock car we'll use for the shop sponsored short track car." A look towards the yard, "Its out there, the body and chassis at least." And hood for that matter, probably the only one together, but it was dropped off in the past day or so, sticks out like a sore thumb probably. A nod towards Lyric, "Exactly, she gets it.":

Rekani was more confused as to what the heck Lyric was even doing in there. He returns her look with a breezy shrug, assuming maybe just an over-torqued fitting.

Having just slammed the door on the SUV and gotten out, Rekani looks surprised for a moment, "Stock car?" His face slowly morphs to one of child-like eagerness, a jester-like giggle escaping him as he brings his hands together and starts to rub and wring them, like he were so prepared for some devilish plot. "Ooooh, boy. Lemme see this baby!"

Obviously, judging by Rekani's current suspension configuration, you'd think the man more of a drifter, but he had a great admiration for a quarter mile run. He sticks his head out to peer around the back of the building and see what they'd be working with, disappearing from sight for a moment. Yes, he did good work, but sometimes he was a little ADHD.

The whooping sound of Latino celebration is heard faintly.

The truck Lyric was working on is mostly fixed, some legit the day before and finishing now, and she leans back a little so she can see Jack. There's a grin in his direction. "We weld the roll bars in, put in a fuel cell, knock out all the glass and slap some paint on. You doing stock or modified?" Probably not late modified, not if she knows Jack.

With a grin at the excitement from Rekani, she bobs her head, "You gonna be on his pit crew too? He'll need several of us."

So, an Auto shop! Auto shop folks shouldn't be too surprised by the approaching rumble of some big metal beast, right? Soon enough a black-and-orange lifted Dodge truck rolls into view, pulling along the curb just outside the shop. Door opens, Max's combat boots hit the pavement, and before you know it the burly guy is stomping his way into the shop.

Once inside, he peels off his shades to look around, quicking eyeing each of the current occupants. That whooping sound from the back? Only brings a momentarily concerned frown to his face. It's the owner of the place, namesake of Jack's Auto Shop, that Max zeroes in on. "Jackie boy!" He hollars in a raspy voice, as he heads for Jack and reaches out to... no, not punch the guy. Shake his hand, maybe? Hopefully? Right? Assuming he does get a handshake, Max catches a glimpse of Lyric in the back, and gives her a casual once over. "How the hell did you get pretty gals working in your grease pit?"

Moving over to tug the garage door chani for the yard, "Have at it, we'll get it fixed up, but come up with some designs for us, make us look professional." That was a compliment by Jack, trust to do a job that relates to a much more personal interest, he'll let Rekani see it. Its there, covered in a tarp, center of the yard even. "Stock," he says to Lyric, "Classic." BY which he most likely means a heavy piece of metal from the 70s that, if it ever gets too bad from racing could be put into a derby later too. "We need all we can get, shop effort, Body by Jack." A scrunch of his lips, that is sort of him even though he means the current works. THen a voice calls over, stopping the showing from happening. "Max," he says, and is that a little grin even, friendly. Who is this Jack and what has Jack done with teh real one. A nod, "Hey, some girls like grease, told that all along." Yes, he gets a handshake, probably a tug and a bro pat to the shoulder even. "Gotta be respectable though Max, that's how respect works."

Rekani's attention is pulled back shop-ward as the noise of another engine comes grumbling into the parking lot, the back door opening again to admit one portly Latino. He hadn't answered Lyric's inquiry before his exit, but the previous noises and the fact he immediately points at her with a most-definite, "Yes." is likely sufficient to gauge his interest in the endeavor. He repeats the point and 'Yes' for Jack, because clearly enthusiasm dictated. Clearly someone was having to counterbalance emotion in this shop.

He was about to launch into a full gameplan, since a racecar would probably get hear for appropriation of the JD styling, when he notices the new arrival. And Jack's good humor? Rekani is instantly confused and suspicious. He moves toward the SUV he was working on, crooking a thumb while looking at Lyric, universal sign language for, who the heck is this guy?

"No porting and polishing the heads in stock," Lyric sideeyes Jack at the mention of going classic stock. Still, she shows interest in the car as it's revealed, lifting a little from her seated place on the fender of the pickup as she had been working on the engine. The new guy walking in gets a flicker of an interested look. Someone she recognized from town but he was older than her in school, so not too familiar. But hey, people talked!

In response to the unspoken question, she balls up her fists and throws a few air punches, miming boxing or something similar. There's a grin as she does, enjoying the movements all too much, thinking she looked pretty badass. She's a legend in her own mind, y'all.

Tug and Bro-pat are definitely part of the good ol'-fashioned, macho-guy ritual, followed by a quick snort. "You know me, the most respectable guy you'll ever meet." Max deadpans with a noticeable dose of sarcasm thrown in, while he reaches inside his jacket to fetch a fancy Cuban. As he sets about unwrapping it, he spares a quick glance at the chunky Latino. "Hey kids. How's the boss treatin' ya?" Max greets halfheartedly, evidently including Lyric in that general greeting, while he finishes up with the wrap, and the unlit cigar goes to his lips.

And speaking of boss, Max turns his head back in Jack's direction. "You keepin' busy? Cuz I got a thing that can use your magic with engines."

Rekani's eyebrows lift at the descriptive pantomime, looking impressed, giving Max a second look. Yeah, dude had the build for it. Bottom lip jutted out, Rekani seemed to be nodding a little bit, a body language of 'aight', seeming to mean Max passed muster. The kids remark was just too juicy to pass up, though.

"Well, the last time he got juice boxes," Rekani had intentionally lifted the pitch of his voice, affecting a whiney-child impression rather well, "It was grape , instead of Apple. And I keep trying to explain naps and siestas are different, but he's just not having it." He throws his shoulders and palms up, bottom lip out again as he shrugs before he's bursting with another jester-like cackle and moving to the stairwell to get down into the service pit and under his current project, attempting to escape any reprisal. A light can be seen clicked on as he was searching the car's brake system.

A brow furrow from Jack at the most respectable guy who knows, but still Max gets a nod of agreement at least. Then he throws in, is this joking, "Told you, can't have you all juiced up on the job, had to switch to grape." The grin has slowly faded to Jacks more traditional straight face, getting back into character, or back to himself. "You'll be in charge of keeping it stock Lyric," the engine, of their car, she seems well familiar with rules and regulations, making it more team effort now with roles other than, lets work on a car togetehr. A breath in, nostrils twitch, is that a sigh? He side talks to Max watching the shop do what it does, be a shop, banter car working all that. "What's this magic you need? On the up and up? My lock guy isn't jimmying any locks unless we have the papers." Or not, that could be a joke, Max would know, the others may be more confused at figuring Jacks humor side and his not humor side. Or is it just one side that he has.

Lyric rubs her hands together in anticipation. Yes, the same hands she was just using to throw air punches. A grin is tossed over towards Jack, "Next time I vote for Chocolate Milk or Orange juice. The donuts and coffee were great though. Maybe next time I'll bring the things, I can cook." Some. Lil' bit. A brow raise at the lock guy comment before she giggles. Jack was a stickler for the rules as far as she knew. The most straightlaced guy she knew! As Rekani disappears beneath his vehicle, she watches him a moment before hopping down off the truck and walking out to the car that will be the shops race car, with every intention on exploring it.

Meanwhile, Max is patting down his pockets. The most obvious thing missing? A light for his cigar, so that's very likely what he's searching for. Max is distracted by his futile search that he initially misses Jack's question. "What? Oh, hell no. You know I don't do /that/! I'd never get a lock guy to jimmy a lock. That's what fire extinguishers are for." Hey, is that another deadpan? If it is, Max's expression doesn't betray it. "This is legit shit, man. You know I bought the boat tours last month? Guy who owned it before wanted out somethin' fierce, so I got it for a damn good price. Anyway, now I got two boats, in addition to my old man's boat. You remember the Swamp Thing?" That would be the old Mason fishing boat. "I was thinkin' to set up a regular maintenance schedule with ya, cuz you know how great I am with repairs." He looks across the shop at Lyric, and the recently departed Rekani. "I mean, looks like you got enough of a crew to take that on, right?"

A nod to Lyric, "You cook, maybe we'll all do a regular grill out." Most people might of said pot luck, do a regular pot luck. Nope, its grilling for him and he says it her way before she meanders to work. Then he turns to his friend there and nods while he listens. His hand fold over his chest as he listens. "I'm trusting you didn't walk into a lemon," admits Jack scratchign his chin. "But we'll be good for it. We'll get someone out to check your engines make sure you're ready to run then figure out a schedule." The first part sounds like friend favor, the second part about schedule is probably saying that's the paying gig part. "I do remember the Swamp Thing," did he just smile again, a little, his left side? Fond memory maybe. "I heard that was you boat the tours, I'll work off the docks." No interest in a tour or out and about, but controlled environment, seems he's good for doing the work.