[PRP] tune-up (theodore & nasir)

[azuredreams]

The door to the garage opened, at least the one that went to the air conditioned area, and Nasir was stepping in. His fingers rested against the scarf at his neck a moment before he looked around, trying to spot if he saw anyone familiar.

Mostly because he was not even sure he was going to see his usual mechanic or not.

Which meant that there was currently a very perplexed looking Nasir in the garage, wanting to speak to someone but not sure he wanted to interrupt anyone already busy.

This would've been so much easier if he had recognized someone (and he hadn't been like this before the world changed).

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Theo had always been nicer while working than he was anywhere else, especially at the garage where he had to get information out of people without immediately turning them against him. He was feeling kind of upbeat today on top of it all, which was why he met Nasir's confusion with a smile that lived mostly in his eyes, rather than his usual minor scowl. He held a thin, metal rod out in front of him that had a disgusting quantity of oil clinging to it, and when he stopped, a blob of it broke free and landed on the toe of his boot. It should have stayed put, melting into the suede and ruining it, but it slid off like it was unwelcome, gathering on the floor in a tiny puddle. Theo paid his miracle shoes no mind. They were probably just coated with something.

"Can I help you with anything?"

azuredreams

thank youuouuouuou <3

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir gave Theo a smile, relaxing almost immediately. The relief was obvious. "Yeah, I'm actually overdue for a tune-up? I just- it's been awhile since I've been here."

Technically-

Kind of not really-

His scarf shifted on it's own but Nasir did not pay any attention to it. "Wasn't sure who to talk to."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

Theo nodded. "Sure. I can make an appointment for you if you've got a mechanic you usually see. Or you could leave the car here now and come back in a while. Or hang around until someone's free. I..."

He hesitated, catching the scarf's subtle shimmy out of the corner of his eye.

"...I've just got to take care of this," he raised the rod slightly for emphasis, "And then I'll be free myself."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"I don't mind waiting," Nasir replied with a friendly smile, a hand going up when he felt his scarf rustling a bit more to still it. "I'll just be right over here."

Which meant that he was shifting over and moving to an open bench to sit and waiting, his phone pulled out to look at. Also make sure that his scarf stopped moving so much. Or, rather, to see what the deal was.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

It took about twenty-five minutes for Theo to both finish what he was doing and generate a diagnostic report for Nasir's car. While the computer did its thing, he slid under the vehicle and opened its hood as well, still distrustful of computers even though his personal assessments always dovetailed with the machines here. With these newer cars, there were plenty of things he couldn't even see without another computer in the first place. It was... troubling. Not annoying. Not irksome. He was trying to turn over a new leaf here.

Both Theo and the computer agreed that the cooling system would easily last the summer and beyond. The tires might benefit from being rotated, but that could wait as well. The only things they recommended were new spark plugs. Always spark plugs. He told Nasir as much.

"As long as you don't have any strange rattling or steering issues, I'd say this'll be a quick visit."

azuredreams

and then nasir waited an entire month for his car o_o

 

[azuredreams]

By the time that Theo returned, Nasir was actually talking it looked like with a flying squirrel that was on his shoulder. He almost immediately stopped once he saw Theo approach and smile.

"That's good then! I mean, um, Wil's pretty big on making sure that we keep up with maintenance and take care of things if something happens. Even pay for that extra bit on insurance for cracks in the windshield to get handled."

Smerdle

but he doesn't caaaaaaaaare

 

[Smerdle]

Theo could just barely recall a time when people talking to themselves in public had been frowned upon, but these days everybody had phones and blueteeth and that kind of behavior was barely noticed, not even by him. It was only after he had been standing there for a minute or so that he caught sight of the furry thing on Nasir's shoulder, and once he did, Theo wondered how he had been blind to it before.

It seemed well behaved enough, his only real question was why?

"You've got a squirrel," he said a little stupidly, smiling in a small, wary way. "It's cute." Kids these days. Not that this one was very much younger than he was, but Theo had a tendency to react to everyone as if he was an irritable granddad and they were on his lawn.

azuredreams

that's cuz he is a cute

 

[azuredreams]

"Uh, yeah," Nasir responded, his face warming to a ruddy red. "Though Trouble's a southern flying squirrel." He smiled then. "He's pretty cute when he's on good behavior."

Trouble blinked his eyes - eyes that were the same brown as Nasir's - and sniffed towards Theo. "He listens to me, so that probably helps." Except it was a remarkably well behaved flying squirrel regardless.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Oh. Sorry, yeah. I can see the..." Theo lifted his arms an inch or two, subtly and distractedly miming wing flaps. "I don't think I've ever seen a flying squirrel up close before." Especially not one with such strangely intelligent eyes. Or maybe not intelligent exactly. Just... aware.

"Trouble. Did you raise him?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Um ..." Nasir actually sat up a little straighter at that last question, a hand covering Trouble almost protectively. "No, I didn't raise him. He's just ... special to me. Very special."

Not that he was really sure how to say I'm a warg and this is my familiar and you know how everyone around here seems to have some kind of magic? Well, I do! Nasir was supposed to be more careful about that.

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"Oh." He felt vaguely chastened, as if he had threatened a man's kid somehow without knowing such a thing was even a possibility. Theo raised an apologetic hand and muttered, "Well, he's nice, like I said," and was ready to turn and get back to work when he had a notion. Maybe this was caution, not because he had done something personally, but because someone else might. Like, maybe it was a magic squirrel. A weird pet that pooped diamonds or something.

"Is he... um... Gloomy?" Theo added, feeling like an idiot as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He had tried this once before, hinting around the existence of the magical world by referencing the Lord of the Rings, and he had sounded just as stupid then.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir almost felt guilty, as if he was not sharing because ... well, he wasn't but he was trying to not just out himself as magical anymore. Not without-

The young man visibly perked up at the mention of Gloomy. "Oh! Well, no? Not like Gloom, at least. That's, um, extra special. Trouble is ... a regular flying squirrel that became special." A breath let out. "I feel silly phrasing it this way." His fingers rested against Trouble, fingers brushing against his fur lightly. "Do you, um ... have magic? I mean, you mentioned Gloom ... Well, Gloomy."

Smerdle

 

[Smerdle]

"I've been to that place with the rain," Theo admitted, glancing over his shoulder before he continued. "That's where I met Gloom. And some... demon hamster thing in a movie theater, I don't know. I didn't want to think about it. But at the end of last year, something changed." It had left a hole in his chest that he couldn't fill.

"I've been trying to embrace this stuff more since then, even if it's just strange. I don't know that I can do anything though. Definitely can't talk to animals." He shifted his weight. "My shoes stay sort of clean, I guess? I've been in the river with these and they still look pretty good." They looked more than good. They were ankle-high leather boots, shiny and pristine.

azurdrems

 

[azuredreams]

Nasir smiled a little bit more once Theo opened up about what he experienced, though he was definitely leaning to look at his shoes when it was mentioned. "That's actually pretty useful too! I, um, always have enough to cook with? Or that's how I noticed that I had magic."

His eyes, warm and brown and shared by the squirrel on his shoulder, flicked back up to Theo's face. "I can't really talk with him but ... Trouble is my familiar. About the same time I started having magic last year, I also ended up having a few times where I was suddenly seeing through this little guy's eyes and hearing things too."

Smerdle