12230/Cars and Chillaxin'

Cars and Chillaxin'
Date of Scene:	23 September 2020
Location:	Garage - Xavier's School
Synopsis:	Ted and Shannon chit-chat over current events, home, and ways to de-stress over snacks and a little work on the engine of Ted's car
Cast of Characters:	Ted Gammage, Nightingale

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Ted Gammage has posed:
So, Ted's been scarce lately. He's been busy with school and all that, of course, and shows up to practice, but the evenings, he heads to the garage and tinkers on his car. Currently, his car is sitting in its bay, and the engine is completely removed and a nearby table has a variety of other parts and computer equipment needed to put together a modern replacement. This is what is taking him a while, but he's careful and rather focused, though it looks like he's been there a bit.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon's been a bit on the scarce side herself of late, barring classes and practice. Rumors were afoot of an adventure just before the beginning of school, but one that nobody had yet been able to get the young healer in training to talk about. She was rather notoriously tight-lipped when she wanted to keep things to herself--sometimes to her detriment. But no, other than that, she had remarkably been doing a good job of keeping out of the medbay, despite the nature of her gifts.

     One thing she had missed out on a bit was shop class over the summer--a useful skillset she had hoped to learn by fixing up her Vespa. Circumstances turned out otherwise, but the prospect of another project tempted her to venture forth into the garage, with snacks in hand--chips, salsa, and some cola. She was dressed fairly simply, in some older blue jeans, an old white t-shirt, and some old but well-loved white sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, even the thin pale blue braid with its three little silver beads on the end. "Beware healers bearing gifts!" she called out, a bit on the chipper side for once.

Ted Gammage has posed:
With a wide yawn, Ted glances up and gives a weary smile. "Hey," he says, rubbing at an eye and leaving a little black mark on it from oil or grease of some sort. "Mmm, I could use a bit ofa break," he muses.

He's in his beat up clothes today, as he usually is when he works on his car. Jeans that have a few non-stylish holes in them, a t-shirt that matches and as a bonus has a few stains on it from previous work. "How you been doing, Shan?" he wonders, "Classes keepin y'busy?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Setting down the tray with the chips and salsa nearby, she holds up a 2 liter bottle of cola with a bit of a grin. "Yeah, pretty busy. Picking up a lot of science this term, anything I can turn towards healing and medicine. Thinking of studying for the state EMT certification around February. Course is about six months, and that'll put me around my 18th birthday when it's time for the exam." She leans on a wall nearby, peering at the engine he's working on. "Wonder if they'll let a mutant take the exam, or even study for it? People are real funny about things like that."

Ted Gammage has posed:
He puffs out his cheeks blowing a bit of air out at that thought. "Y'know, stuff like that....eh, they prolly say you have an unfair advantage maybe?" Ted shrugs. He reaches for the food, then realizes his hands are filthy, then realizes he probably rubbed some gunk on his face as well and he sighs. "Sorry, ah'm a mess now," he says with a chuckle, goign to the shop sink to wash up a bit. When he turns, he holds out his hands, "Look better now? Almost presentable?" He grins and meets her gaze, waiting for her, probably playful appraisal before he does go partake of some chips.

Nightingale has posed:
     Chuckling, Shannon makes a grand show of inspecting Ted's hands, peering closely at both sides before nodding once. "Almost presentable." Her voice is solemn, but it's difficult for her to keep a smile off of her face. "How's that engine coming along? That looks... wow, that looks incredibly complicated. Where do you even begin with something like that?"

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Eh, y'just pick ah side and start. Ah picked the bottom." Ted winks a bit then shakes his head, "Honestly, the mechanical stuff ah got down, its basic, but newer engines have a lotta computer parts. That's where ah'm at, seein' how they all fit together." He shrugs, "An' thought maybe ah'd see about getting Jeremy t'make it so my car could maybe talk. That'd be cool. Like that old show." He leans his weight against the table a moment, "Honestly, ah've been watchin' a buncha videos and ah think ah just about have it. It's like ah big puzzle." He shakes his head, "Ah may be done for t'night, though. At a point, ah just run outta steam for it." He drops into a chair which creaks a bit in protest. "So, wha brings ah girl like y' into ah joint like this?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Oh, you mean like KITT in Knight Rider? Yeah that'd be pretty neat. Love that show. Real neat theme tune to it, too." Shannon plucks up a chip and a healthy helping of salsa, chomping down on it while she's leaning in to look at the engine in all its glory. "Never got to pick up the mechanical stuff. Won't always have help with my Vespa, though, so it's a good skill set to have. I mean, what if I'm out on the road and I run into trouble? Besides... it still looks fun."

     Perching on the edge of the table on which the engine rests, she shrugs, her wings ruffling a bit behind her. One or two flight feathers drop, and the wings do look a bit on the ragged side. "It's usually pretty quiet here this time of night. Guess I'm a bit worried about miss Grey. It's not like her to take off from the school like this, not as protective as she is of all us kids. Whatever she's going through has to be pretty rough for that. Just... wish there was something I could do to help her, as much as she's helped me, and everyone here."

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Yeah, that one. Its mostly jus' me bein' silly." He pauses, adding "Mostly." He rests an elbow on the table, arm gently to the side of her leg since she's perched upon the table. "Yeh, ah mean y' have lots of folks you can call for help but sometimes yeah, easier to do it yourself if y'know how." He is quiet as she speaks her fears, nodding a bit, and even does notice the wings being a little worse for wear. He stays silent for a moment, processing it all, and then shrugs, "Ah'm sure if y'can help, y'will," he notes, glancing up into her eyes a bit to be sincere. "Ah'm sure she'll be awlright, y'know? Gotta have faith in folk." He doesn't avert his gaze this time, though, just watches a few moments more.

Nightingale has posed:
     "I know. And she's pretty tough. Been in the field and training with her once or twice, and let's just say I'm real glad she's on our side. Plus she's got a heart as big as the sea." Shaking her head, Shannon does try to smile, furling her wings a little more closely around her. "Hopefully she won't need to be away for long. I'll just have to be sure to cook her something special when she's back."

     A smaller feather flutters to the table as she moves her wings, prompting a bit of a grimace from the young woman. "And it just -had- to be molting season, to boot. That's as bad as T.P. on the shoe." Turning a bit pink, Shannon does grin a little bit, making a show of checking the back of her sneakers to lighten the mood.

Ted Gammage has posed:
His warm, large hand moves to give a comforting pat on her knee before withdrawing again. He puts both hands behind his head and watches her as she grimaces. Ted's about to ask if there's something wrong, and then the note of molting season. "Y'know, ah never thought about that. Didn't know if y'...well...molted." He half smiles, "Always wondered if they got in th'way or anythin'. Like, it'd be hard t'sleep on your back right?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "It took a little adjusting at first, but I usually wind up either sleeping on my side or my back. Sometimes a wedge pillow can help with that if I'm on my back." Shannon doesn't move aside at the simple, comforting gesture, only smiling a bit and extending a wing to brush the feathers against the back of Ted's hand briefly. "Yeah, I tend to molt in the spring and fall. Sometimes when I'm stressed, too. So, if I stress out during molting season, there's actually a very good chance I could wind up flightless for a few days. That happened last fall. Just means I have to pamper myself a little bit to keep the stress down."

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Oh, well...can I help?" Ted offers. "Not sure what ah could do in th' situation but y'know, just gotta ask." He half smiles, "Well what do y'do to destress? Pool parties? Fancy dinners?" he guesses playfully. "Ah imagine schoolin' doesn't usually help in that."

Nightingale has posed:
     "It helps more than you think. It's something constructive to focus on." Chuckling softly, both options that Ted mentions elicit a shake of the head from Shannon. "With me, it's usually either music, sewing, cooking, or sometimes a good long soak in the tub." Pausing, she cants her head slightly to one side, thinking for a moment. "Sometimes just watching an old familiar movie can work, too, or belting out some old tunes. What about you, though? What do you do to de-stress?"

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Ah don't think ah can help with most of that. M'terrible at sewing an' cooking. Think me bein' there for ah tub soak might be awkward." He gives her a brief amused look and waggles his eyebrows lightly before shifting his position, "Ah suppose ah can understand the familar. With me though?" He thinks a moment, "Ah haven't been destressed in ah while," he admits. "Use t'hang out with friends b'fore all this happened and two of um called me a devil," he notes. "Familar places are also...good to destress. Places of comfort. Where we feel safe." He shrugs, "But yeah, music's good. Even this is good fer a bit of focus," he notes, waving his hand over the scattered engine pieces on the table.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon claps her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle--rather unsuccessfully--her cheeks turning very, very pink. "Oh gawd, I didn't mean... yeesh! Yeah that -would- be kind of awkward!" But at least she's giggling, though by now she's ducking her head, and now her wings are starting to furl around in front of her like a cocoon. "The lake's one of those places for me. So's in here, a little bit, sometimes the roof tower if the weather allows for it. And definitely the stables. Being around the animals can be real comforting, too. They don't see differences. It just matters how you treat them."

Ted Gammage has posed:
Ted seems to, at least a little bit, enjoy the embarassment. He does, however, chuckle and say "Ah know wha'cha meant, 'm jus' messing with you." He lets out a light breath again, "Ah, that's true, 'bout the animals. Ah don't know if ah have a place like that 'round here," he admits, sliding over so he can keep watching her from her cocoon. "Th' farm use t'be it for me. Was great. Quiet. Lotsa land. No one there t'...judge, ah guess?"

Nightingale has posed:
     "Sounds like it was really wonderful there," Shannon says, the corners of her eyes crinkling up a bit as she smiles. "I remember a little bit of the house from when Sam, Mr. Summers, and I went to Louisiana to bring you here, and that was beautiful. A lot of love and history in there, you could see it, and really feel it." Peering over the edge of her wing, she begins to relax the shield a bit, revealing a bit more of her face.

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Mmm, well mah town had some history, but honestly it weren't enough to have anything super major. A bit a' driving and you hit some good places though for that." Ted shrugs, "Ah'll find my own here at some point," he says. As she relaxes and appears again, he smiles at her, meeting her gaze a few long, quiet moments before finally saying, "There y'are." He smiles warmly and says sincerely, "Y'never haveta hide from me, y'know."

Nightingale has posed:
     There's a bit of a twinkle to those pale azure eyes as Shannon meets his gaze, content to enjoy the silence for a few long moments. The longer the silence stretched out, the more her wings relaxed and drew away from her face, finally settling on her back once again with a light rustling sound. "I'll try not to. Sometimes I think these..." She points a thumb towards her back. "...have a mind of their own."

Ted Gammage has posed:
He chuckles softly at that, "Well, maybe they do," he says. He leans a little closer and whispers to the wings, "Bad wings, no hiding Shannon," in a light, amused tone. Once more looking at her, he says "There, they've been properly scolded. They won' be doin' that again," he says with a faint nod and another wink. After a moment, he wonders, "Feelin' any better."

Nightingale has posed:
     For Ted's effort at scolding, one wing is extended to very gently swat him on the back of the head, likely doing no more than mussing his hair up some. Shannon giggles softly, shaking her head and looking at him. "Silly goose. Yeah, guess I am feeling a bit better. What about you, how are you feeling?"

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Oh, ah'm fine." he says, pushing his hair back into some semblance of place. "Though a lil' tired," he says, "May be time t'turn in," he notes, starting to pick up all the pieces and store them near his project car. When that's all done, he smiles at her again, "If y'need someone t' talk to, or run yer bath water, y'know where t'find me."

Nightingale has posed:
     Once again, those big, feathery wings start curling themselves around Shannon to hide her, but she's giggling. "You're incorrigible." It takes a bit of a conscious effort for her to unfurl them again, so she can lean in to offer Ted a gentle hug. "Thank you, really. That means a lot, you know."

Ted Gammage has posed:
Maybe to her surprise, he hugs back. It's as gentle a hug as he can make it. He even then picks her up off the ground a moment, spins once and puts her back down with a chuckle, "Incorrigible? Mebbe," he admits, "But its all part ah' my charm." He gives another smile, "An' ah'm glad t'help."

Nightingale has posed:
     Laughing as she's spun around, Shannon holds on, letting her wings spread out. "Heh, careful, we'll wind up with a fastball special here!" It's a playful moment the young woman rarely allows herself, but perhaps ought to do more often. When her feet touch the ground again, she smiles, holding on for a second or two longer. "See, you didn't break me."

Ted Gammage has posed:
"Ah didn't," he says, hands actually resting on her hips just a few moments longer than what they possibly should before slowly sliding back to his sides. "Ah'm gettin' better 'bout it," he admits. "Though ah'm still not tossin' ya up in the air if ah can help it." Another smile touches his face but he then yawns again, "But yeah, gotta sleep for real or ah could stand here an' talk all night. Might fail m'classes so probably should do th' bed thing."

Nightingale has posed:
     Much to her chagrin, Shannon finds herself the victim of the 'yawn effect', covering her mouth to try--unsuccessfully--and stifle her own rather loud, unladylike yawn. "I hear you. Should probably get some sleep myself." Giving Ted one more hug, she smiles, looking towards the main part of the mansion, and the dorms. "Catch you in class, maybe?"