11242/Old Car, New Noise.

Old Car, New Noise.
Date of Scene:	24 March 2020
Location:	Mercy's Garage - West Harlem
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Mercy Thompson, Ravenna Levesque

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Mercy Thompson has posed:
The sounds of panels being beaten back into place come from Mercy's Garage. Oh it specializes in old German cars, but Mercy can turn her hand to most things. The doors being open are a tell that the mechanic is open...which is true. The sounds of panels being hammered die off as Mercy's squirreled under a Jetta replacing a crankshaft.

She's here, just hiding under a car, working on it quietly. Or rather she's quiet. The tools? Not so much.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
While Ravenna doesn't own the car she is pulling up to the garage, she was tasked with finding out what new noise it was making. Her aunt Lenore owns a 1970 Mini Cooper that is in decent repair. Someone obviously loves this car, as it doesn't have a scratch or ding on it. The car is compact and great for fitting into tiny places, which is why Lenore bought it when they still lived in Quebec. It just happened to follow her when she emigrated to New York.

The red and white Mini pulls into the shop, and an audible thunk sound is coming from the right axle as Ravenna turns into the parking lot and slides into a parking spot. Grabbing her purse, she heads toward the main office door but upon hearing the banging she walks to the open garage door. "Allo?" She calls out over the banging.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy pauses adjusting and tightening bolts, the joy of her enhanced hearing means she hears Ravenna fine.

"Be with you in a sec" Mercy calls looking one more time to the crankshaft. It's got all but one bolt in. It'll hold.

Sliding out from under the Jetta, Mercy rolls and scrambles to her feet. "Hi, what can I do for you?" she asks.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
Ravenna is patient as she waits for Mercy to finish her work. She pulls some stray strands of hair that have freed themselves from the lazy bun at the back of her neck and tries to shove them back in place. She smiles when Mercy slides out from the car and gestures to the Mini. "Do you happen to work on European cars? The last two garages I went to only service domestic cars, and I know going to the dealer is going to cost a fortune."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"I can take a look" Mercy says cheerfully. "I won't charge you for looking, but what's going on with it?" Mercy adds wiping her hands off on a rag and glancing to the Mini. "That's a 70 Mini" Mercy nods, stepping toward it.

Mercy circles the car a few times as if inspecting prey and looks back to Ravenna, as if prompting for what's wrong with the car.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
Ravenna looks relieved when looking at the car isn't going to get her a charge. It is refreshing to have a female mechanic as well, since men tend to talk down to her. "Thanks I appreciate that." Walking over to the car she'll let Mercy get a proper look at it before she nods. "Oh yeah, my Aunt bought it brand new and hasn't found anything to replace it. Granted she's of the mind that if it still runs, then you don't need a new one." It seems Ravenna doesn't share that idea.

"Right, yes. He's pulling to the right, even after getting the tires rotated and balanced. Also when you turn right there is a knocking sound from the front passenger side of the car. I don't know if she hit a pothole or something, but it's been like this for a few weeks."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy listens keenly and grins, "Your aunt and I got the same mindset. I still drive a Vanagon and 82 diesel Rabbit" Mercy shrugs, shuddering at the pothole idea.

That'd mean things get ruined and....yeah that'll cost money.

Mercy shakes her head and looks to Ravenna again.

"So you ran over something and can't turn right? That's enough for me to start looking at the car. Is it yours?" she asks.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"If the car is treating you right it's better to not have the payment for it I suppose." Ravenna shrugs. "The car is my aunts, so I'm not sure if she hit something or not. That was just my best guess. He's still turning, but stiffer, and that knocking is loud enough to be heard over the radio." She pushes her hair out of her face again, as an obvious nervous habit as she gestures to the car. "Great. I know it won't be cheap, as parts for him are hard to come by but, I'd rather pay you than some over inflated dealership."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy nods keenly, looking to the Mini again. "Alright, it may not be that bad, but I won't know until I get in there and look around" she says with a nod, looking deep in thought for a moment. Looking past Ravenna to the office door.

"Would you like a cookie? I have some in the office if you'd like to wait" Mercy says seemingly out of nowhere.

Oh Mercy's got a plan alright, and it involves finding out if the Mini stays here for a few days or...

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
"That's good news then." Though Ravenna knows it isn't proper news until Mercy gets under the hood. When the cookie is offered, she nods and walks toward the office. "Do you get a lot of older cars like this? They have to be more interesting than the newer ones? Or at least that's my skewed vision of it." She's trying to make small talk as she reaches for the door.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Oh absolutely. They're not all computers and gadgets. Plus they are easier to fix than modern cars. You can just change out parts" Mercy explains watching Ravenna. "Cookies on the desk, under foil" Mercy adds with a nod as she looks thoughtful again, them pops the hood. Time to get to work.

Mercy's good, she's perfectly willing to dig into the guts of the car and figure it out. Old cars like this? They are absolutely her favored types of cars.

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
Ravenna nods her head. "That's what my aunt thinks as well. I had her rent a new mini and she was frustrated by all the bells and whistles. Some things are better kept simple." When she gets the directions she smirks. "Thanks! I'll just wait inside." SHe does so, grabbing some cookies and settling in a chair.

The inside of the car is very clean, though it is obvious several parts have been replaced over time. The engine looks only a decade old, but there are some rust spots from driving in a cold climate with salt on the roads. The problem appears to be the ball joint, it's not completely gone, but there isn't a whole lot of time left on it. The passenger side control arm isn't looking so hot either.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy looks over the interior with a smile...that fades when she figures out the problem. Simple...sort of fix. Simply replace the parts, but she's looking over all the parts in the general area. Okay, the ball joint's bad. Did it damage anything else? Did the control arm pull or push anything out of alignment? Mercy can fix the ball joint fairly easily, and the control arm's a simple fix....compared to rebuilding the Mini from the ground up. Sure it's not a Mini part, but Mercy does have a ball joint she can pull from a VW and replace it with. Control arm, Mercy could pick from a few ones, or grab a tougher one if she feels like it. Okay, phew. Mercy's not a heartless mechanic.

Knocking on the office door, Mercy has an idea.

"Alright so I've got a quick and simple fix in mind. I can pull parts off of project cars and use those for fixing up your car" she offers. "It'd be VW parts but they are more durable. I can start on it now if you want" Mercy adds. "don't get a lot of Minis in here"

Ravenna Levesque has posed:
When Mercy returns, Ravenna listens and thinks it over. "I... let me call my aunt and be sure. It's her stand in husband and I would hate to do him wrong." Ravenna says as she reaches for her cell phone and quickly finds her aunt's number. The conversation is brief and completely in French, but key words like ball joint, and control arm are easy to pick out. Once the conversation is done she nods.

"She's fine with it because she knows how hard parts are to come by. If it's not going to ruin your project I can sign off on the work." When she says she can start now, Ravenna shakes her head. "Oh she's out of town for a few days so there isn't an immediate rush. You looked as if you were plenty busy already."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Mercy nods watching Ravenna. "I've a few projects on hold but I can work on your car right now" she says. "So it's fixed by the time she gets home" Mercy adds looking impressedd. "You got any other cars to get around the city in while this one's in the shop?" Mercy asks with a smile.