Ep. 2 - Thanks For the Tune-Up [Nell]

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//ooc// Set Day 1 of Week 3.

The singer was subdued as she walked down the road to Nell Collins's workshop. The usual perk in her stride was gone, replaced with a slow gait and a face of sombre contemplation. The day was beautiful and hot, desert birds singing amongst brown, spindly shrubs; a roadrunner darted out in front of her. She gave it only a passing glance, briefly smiling at its twitchy antics before returning to the journey ahead.

Cat was gone, and so was Cleaver. Only Layby remained as a member of Haven's founding cohort — Deuce didn't consider himself part, and Sarita and Gypsum were newcomers to the DMZ. A heavy stone had tied itself around Sarita's heart, dragging it into the pit of her stomach for the past few days, the worry and upset thankfully kept to herself. Most of her time had been spent in her room at Haven, sparsely furnished with a fold-out bed and a cheap dresser — she dared not tread out while Layby was grieving.

Sarita didn't know Cybertronians as well as she knew people, but she knew that loss could make people act in very, very unpredictable ways. She had heard the loud crashing that later came from the bar, and saw the barricade that had been set up. It might have been wiser to go back to her room, so that Layby wouldn't worry about where she was, but she didn't. Instead, she left a hasty note about having a job to get to, punched in some coordinates near Las Vegas, and ran the fuck out of there into the ground bridge. When the portal snapped shut behind her, she made her way to the nearest road, hitch-hiking to the shimmering city and then to Jasper.

Sheila's repairs were supposed to be done by now. Deuce was out looking for Dart again, and Gypsum could probably handle himself. Until her gut told her Layby was okay, she would stay the hell away, not wanting to be squished in a drunken rage. There had been a time, in what seemed like long ago, that she had nearly had her jaw broken by trying to comfort a sobbing drunk. He'd get what he needed out of his system, and then Sarita could try to do what she could for her technical-landlord.

Within a few minutes, she was striding up to the door of Nell's garage, looking up and around for signs of the mechanic outside. If not, she would bang lightly on the door, letting out a, "Hello?" while surveying the property around her.

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A little over a week ago, Nell had ran into Rita and her dilapidated piece of shit car.

It was around that time she found out about giant ass aliens on Earth too.

Really, she was surprised she didn't start thinking she had gone plum crazy. Maybe, it's because she didn't think they were alone in the entire universe. Maybe, it's because she thought the fact those giant ass aliens were pretty damn neat.

Or maybe, it was the fact they could turn into cars that was the neat part. Either way, she was taking things in stride to the point that no one around her had any idea that she had met alien lifeforms – or that she was currently working on helping figure out who the sick puppies were who wanted to dismantle them despite they were alive. So far, there wasn't too much luck on getting contacted by potential MECH recruiters but for now? There wasn't much they could do about that and Nell had other things to get to.

The parts that had been ordered for the rust bucket came in, and Nell had gotten up bright and early to head over to the shop that the car was being kept in. She was glad the mechanic was letting her do this, but he was an old guy who probably liked watching her walk around covered in grease, the old pervert. Granted, the stares was something she was used to, she just brushed it off. If he was a younger guy he'd of been decked by now, but that was besides the point.

Besides, it wasn't like she was going to need to come here often. With her parts in, this old beast likely will keep running for a while or rather, at least for six months. It was a real piece of work under the hood, a piece of work that would of made Picasso or Dali proud. The pieces of duct tape were removed for new wiring to go in, and whatever the hell that had been done by one hell of a real quack mechanic had been stripped.

Then again how was she suppose to know that the jumble of wires was actually Cybertronian tech? Her lessons with Ratchet were on hold for now, until they could figure out who was recruiting soldiers right of of base. After all, finding the monsters was slightly more important at the time being and Nell certainly agreed with that. She was just glad she had tie to fix the rust bucket up, and that Rita likely would be coming anyti- oh, she heard the knock and the 'hello' from the entrance and Nell rolled herself out from under the car.

She had figured might as well make sure everything was in order, or at least what could be done without ordering more parts, while she had her hands on the 'car'.

“Over here.” The woman mentioned as she got up to her feet, wiping her hands 'clean' of grease with a rag before making her way towards the scrawny singer. “Was doin' some last minute work on her, she was a piece of work under that damn hood but she shouldn't give you any issues.” Her eyes scanned over Rita, something didn't seem...Right with her, like the air got sucked out of her or something. Still, Nell wasn't going to say a thing just yet.

For starters, it wasn't her business until she made it her business.

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Sarita was by the car in an instant, scanning it over like a worried parent who'd been allowed to see their sick child. As promised, Sheila was unharmed (yes, she had been worrying about that as well), and looking better than ever — it seemed like her paint had been touched up in Sarita's absence. The singer strode around the car, circling it with a wary eye before popping open the hood. Leaning forward, the singer took in every inch of Sheila's engine carefully.

"...Wow."

The woman snapped the hood back down, and looked back over at Nell.

"Like...wow. She already had miles on her when I got her, but she looks like she just came out of the lot. You did an amazing job, Miss Collins."

The singer fumbled around for her purse. Pulling out the simple, black leather item with faux-gold trim — something new from her last shopping trip — Sarita started counting bills, mouthing each of the numbers in Spanish as she tried to remember how much was needed. Miss Collins would probably accept payments, wouldn't she? Or was the fee not too much to deal with?

"How much do I owe you again?" the singer sheepishly asked after blanking out for a minute. Whether because of Layby, being busy hanging out with Deuce or just too much on her mind in general, the exact amount wasn't coming up in her head. "I, uh, think I might have miscounted...sorry."

She began counting through her purse again. There was a hundred dollars in there, at least....

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The paint, wasn't something she had really focused on but where there were spots that obviously needed a touch up? The mechanic sanded them down and repainted those slightly rusted spots before they got worse. She just didn't like doing things half ass if she could help it.

Plus seeing the look on Rita's face was a nice reward. The girl looked like she needed some good news and Nell smiled a little as she shrugged off the compliment. “Should last you another six months, at least.” She told her. “Certainly enough to get you going if you ask me.” Her shoulders shrugged again as the girl asked how much she owed her.

“Not much.” Really, the parts were at a discount and it was nothing to her to work on a car. Her brows raised as Sarita started to look through her purse, counting what money she had. A slow sigh left the short brunette. “It'll be about two hundred, if you can't pay it all at once...Just pay me half.” There was a pause as she reminded herself of the other woman's situation. “Or a quarter of it now and the rest when you get it.” Her shoulders shrugged a little as she looked at her.

“Either way, don't worry too much about it. You sorta look like you got enough on your plate as is – or did you have a late night gig last night?” Curse her curiosity.

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...“Or a quarter of it now and the rest when you get it.” Her shoulders shrugged a little as she looked at her.

Sarita was soundless. She stared at Nell with an owlish gaze, evidently dumbstruck by the offer. She wanted to argue back, like she always did; Nell deserved credit for the work she had done. The singer had an inkling of why the mechanic was doing this, and it both touched and irritated her — she didn't need that much help. Layby had set her up something at Haven, and Deuce sometimes helped out with the finances as well. She could run a quick job, and probably have everything paid out for for Nell by the end of the week. The other woman didn't need to do this.

But Sarita was too tired to argue. The whole business with Cleaver had drained her. And with Cat gone, too....

"I can give you half," said the woman, pulling out a few twenties from her purse. Handing them over to the mechanic, she added (a little flatly), "I can give you the rest at the end of the week. I have a gig to go to that'll finish it off."

“Either way, don't worry too much about it. You sorta look like you got enough on your plate as is – or did you have a late night gig last night?”

"...Yeah."

The singer rubbed the back of her head. "Long night. The band was supposed to pick me up and they went to the drummer's house to...I dunno, have a barbecue, or something. One of my friends was in the area with his buddy and picked me up so I could be dropped off here. I'll be fine after a night's sleep."

At least Sheila was up and running now. She probably had enough left on her to rent a cheap motel, but if not, the car was an option to sleep in. She hadn't ventured back to the junkyard where'd she met the birdbot, but there were other options around Jasper. The local church had said she could sleep on one of the pews if she was in a really tight spot.

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The stare was essentially ignored by the short woman. Rita can take the offer anyway she liked but seriously, Nell was trying to give her a hand and not get taken under by a repair bill. It was really just the bare minimum to cover parts and in all honesty? Her father often did the same thing when he was able to, charging people only for the parts and not the labor. Simply put, when someone was that poor? A repair bill could be a tidal wave of costs that could keep someone under for a long ass time.

The mechanic nodded as she was told she could be given half, though hearing that the rest can be given end of the week? Nell shrugged her shoulders. “No rush.” She told her. “Seriously, if it ends up takin' longer don't worry about it cause I won't.” She meant it too, especially considering she wasn't that worried about money and even if she was? She wasn't bad off, she hadn't been bad off for a long time and after a quick glance at the money she was handed? It was tucked into her breast pocket.

As for the night before, well her brows certainly shot up at the busker. She found it hard to believe she got in with a band, really hard to believe. Still, she wasn't going to voice her skepticism, even if it was plain on her face that was what she thought. “I know how that goes, it's tough gettin' sleep when plans fall through. At least you got a ride here...”

A glance towards Sheila gave her an idea, and she then looked towards the rust buckets owner. “How about we go out, take her for a spin to make sure things are workin' properly? I haven't taken her around the block just yet so there might be a kink or two needin' to be iron out.” She started. “We can swing by one of the diners for lunch, I'll buy.” Her shoulders shifted into a slight shrug as she glanced towards the car.

Really, if the girl ended up not having enough for a motel – and she figured it out? Nell would kick herself for whatever offer that'd pop into her head next, cause it wasn't like she was the charitable sort. Then again, maybe it was cause Sarita looked like a kicked dog with sad eyes and Nell had a weakness for the sad dog look.

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She took note of Nell's expression, but said nothing. The mechanic could think all she wanted about Sarita, but the singer was telling the truth — she'd been left at a bus stop. Deuce had called in, and explained there was a new Neutral to meet. One long taxi drive later (and after much insistence to the driver that the location wasn't sketchy), Sarita had gleefully welcomed the newest Cybertronian on Earth. Then, they had called Layby to deliver the good news, hailed a groundbridge, showed Gypsum the main atrium and....

Fuck. Not now, Sarita.

The woman perked up at the suggestion of a diner. Like a dog, Sarita was always up for a free lunch, and she still needed to put weight on for a healthy body score. She'd definitely gotten better between meals with Deuce and the stockpile at Haven, but she was still awfully scrawny. "A diner sounds fab," she said, a tired smile breaking through the weary expression on her face. "Got any place in mind? I'm not shy around red meat, it's just dairy I need to avoid."

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Nell raised a brow as the scrawny busker perked up. “Got a few places in mind but, why do ya need to worry about dairy?” She asked, she didn't really forget that Rita was lactose intolerant more that she thought she mentioned those pills or tablets that she could take. “I mean...we can easily stop at the walgreens in town if ya need to top off on some of those tablets, I can buy them if need be.” Her shoulder shrugged a bit. “I just couldn't imagine having to avoid dairy product, that's all.” Then again she wasn't lactose intolerant and even if she was? She had plenty to buy the bottle of pills with, unlike her.

Because she was still unsure about many things when it comes to Rita, and she did had the 'lost/unwanted' dog feel to her in an odd odd way. Almost like she had to take care of her in little ways – not just in fixing the car but making sure she got a decent meal in her that truly stuck to her bones and put at least a pound on her frame. Course with Nell, she was nothing but a solid chunk of muscle, who looked so much stockier than Rita did. But that probably also had to do with how much shorter she was, and how she had a near constant slouch to her shoulders despite having to stand up straight for drills.

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“Got a few places in mind but, why do ya need to worry about dairy?” She asked, she didn't really forget that Rita was lactose intolerant more that she thought she mentioned those pills or tablets that she could take. “I mean...we can easily stop at the walgreens in town if ya need to top off on some of those tablets, I can buy them if need be.” Her shoulder shrugged a bit. “I just couldn't imagine having to avoid dairy product, that's all.”

Pills? "Oh, the pills, right!" said Sarita with a sheepish laugh. "Right, those pills. I'm sorry Nell, I seem to have forgotten about their existence — please understand, I have gone most of my life without dairy, so concepts such as a 'lactose-tolerance pill' are...quite foreign to me, to be honest. If we could stop by that Walgreens' and pick some up, it would be most appreciated."

God, her brain was nothing but fog that day. She had only known her friends (if it was even proper to call them that) for a few weeks, at best, and already their issues were becoming her own. How could she function with such weight on her mind, when the reality was that one mech was a wanderer, and the other deep in grief? Either situation could end badly, and the tenuous bonds established quickly ceased. Such was the nature of things.

She needed to spend more time alone, it seemed. It would be one of the first things she'd do once she was done with her outing.

"Shall we leave to eat, then? You must be hungry. I can only imagine how hard it is to work in here with the Nevada heat. You must be famished, Miss," said Sarita, lightly stepping towards the passenger's side of her car. Grabbing the handle and gently pulling the door in, she motioned for Nell to take a seat, smiling without teeth. Her head turned towards the interior, and the singer couldn't help but double-take.

"Did you do something with the upholstery, ma'am?"

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Nell glanced towards her for a moment or two, before she shook her head slightly. “'Sug, it's fine.” The shorter brunette told her. “Besides, I get not being used to crap and then finding out 'Oh SHIT this is real?!” A shoulder was shrugged.

“But we'll stop by one, it's not too far from here come to think.” Nell remarked as she made sure to fully wipe the oil (or rather as much of it) off her hands, really she wasn't too concern about it, she just didn't want to muck anything up. Cause if there was one single thing the Collins girl prided herself on, it was making old junk yard clunkers like this one shine up like brand new.

If only she was given more of a chance to show her abilities to the Autobots, then maybe she would of felt more useful to them than playing 'secret agent woman' around base. At least she could tinker with a few things there, which was better than nothing – because God only knew how a bored Nell was a bad Nell. Either way, she just wanted to help them out – even if she knew them for only barely a week.

Granted she known this Rita girl for only a day, and here she was fixing up her car.

Why did she have to feel sorry for the kick puppy types? Cause that was what the busker was, just like the Autobots were in a way – even if they could squish her dead with one accidental step.

Still, food sounded good. Though, she snorted a bit when Sarita mentioned how hard it was to work in the Nevada heat. “Nothing too bad, it's hot and all – but dry heat is nothing compared to the sticky thick high humidity heat of Georgia.” Nell explained as she reluctantly started towards the passenger side door. She was ready to mention something, but Rita beat her to the punch talking wise. “Yeah, I cleaned it and made sure any loose spots were taken care of.” The mechanic told her.

“Now, you sure you want to drive? I haven't taken the old girl out yet. I like giving most cars I work with a little run around the block, to make sure everything was right as rain.” Cause seriously, she liked making sure her work was just like she sometimes claimed it was – top notch.

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Sarita laughed at the remark about taking Sheila out for a spin. "While the sentiment is appreciated, Miss Nell," said the busker, "I would prefer if I could drive her around for her first spin, post-repair. It's nothing against you — I have full confidence in your abilities as a mechanic — but I've always been keen on evaluating her after a good tune-up. I know my car, and I like to get to know her again when something's been done to her insides."

There would be no arguing with Sarita here. Even if Nell insisted, and unless Sarita was somehow prevented from getting inside, she was getting into the driver's seat whether Nell wanted her to or not. The singer moved like liquid, finding her place and grabbing the wheel at two-and-ten. She gently pulled the door shut behind her — her hands were as careful with the door as if it were a wine glass — and the minute she had the keys in hand, they nearly teleported into the ignition. The car rattled to life, then gave a healthy rev, and Sarita patted her door fondly.

"Ahhh, that's my girl," the busker purred. "You sound a lot better, darling. I'm happy with your work already, Miss Nell."

They pulled out of the garage with little fuss. The steering was more fluid than Sarita remembered, and the turn onto the street was a bit sharper than intended. The Bohemian was a bit surprised, but took the near curb-jump in stride; one slender hand fiddled with the radio, trying to find something good. She briefly recalled Nell mentioning something about liking the classics, and settled on a station that played hits from the '80's and beyond. In small towns like Jasper, there seemed to be a lot of channels that specialized in those — then again, the desert was slow to change. There were rocks and cacti and plants that had been standing in place past a hundred years.

Unless Nell struck up a conversation, Sarita was happy to drive to the Walgreens in silence, taking a couple of quiet side-streets to enjoy the scenery. It was a scenic route kind of day, and she was confident she could make it to the pharmacy and restaurant in time to get Nell back to work.

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Nell glanced at her, before nodding. “Yeah it's fine, especially if I go along with you.” Because it meant that she could listen to the engine in it's natural not idling state. It also meant, that maybe, just maybe she could slowly get out of Sarita what has brought her normally cheerful self down. After all, she wasn't used to seeing the busker seem so..Quiet compared to the other times she ran into her.

While Sarita got into the driver's seat, Nell got into the passengers. She listened carefully to the engine reving up, and she smiled a little bit when she was complimented on her work. A shrug of her shoulder, a small laugh. “It's second nature to me, it was nothing.” She told her, and out the garage they went – though Sarita's turning was a bit sharp. “Careful, don't need me have to replace the tires too.” Nell pointed out, her smile widening into a grin.

“Just take it easy, the old girl had a lot of work that needed to be done on her.” She mentioned with a small shrug as they headed out towards the Walgreens. “And no rushes either, it's not like I had much to do today.” Because really, she didn't. It wasn't like the shop she had taken the old car in was her's, and it wasn't like she had anywhere to be right this moment. “And besides, I wanted to talk to yo a bit over lunch too – stuff that can take a while if it wants to.” More or less, she wanted to see where Sarita was at, if she was really as okay as she typically said she was.

There was also the fact, the girl had a bunch of stuff piled up in the backseat before – and Nell well, she wanted to make sure the scrawny thing wasn't on the streets, or was in a safe situation. Because welp, apparently she liked making sure the strays were okay – because if Sarita wasn't? There would be an offer on the table that Nell would either be glad if she took it, or curse herself if she did.