13901/Car trouble on Memory Lane

Car trouble on Memory Lane
Date of Scene:	23 October 2021
Location:	Mercy's Garage - Fort Joseph, Haven
Synopsis:	A chance encounter with a mechanic who fixes more than just cars. And it is confirmed that Lilli is, in fact, the best dog ever.
Cast of Characters:	Winter Soldier, Mercy Thompson

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Winter Soldier has posed:
    Where is a man to go when beset by doubt? When all the world seems a tangle, and things are just too knotted to make sense of, what is a man to do? For a while now, things have been bothering James Barnes, things he ought to be sharing with his colleagues, that he ought to be talking about with SHIELD... but Bucky is not a man of 'ought', rather a man for 'do' or 'don't'. Which is annoying when both of those options are equally problematic. So what is a man to do?

    Get a fresh perspective, of course. Clear the head, see some sights, just... cruise. And if you're stuck dealing with something your old friends would have known what to do about, why not do it in a car that reminds you of them?

    Which is why Bucky found himself contemplating the world from behind the wheel of a cream white 1938 Packard Eight convertible, out on a quiet secondary road, taking in the sight of Americana, when the trouble began.

    And it is why he's pulling into the parking in front of the only garage he could find, cruising to a smooth stop. The sign says Mercy's... if that's not a portent, he doesn't know what is.

    Moments later he opens the passenger door and the most important lady in his life jumps out, shakes her fur and follows him into the office, tail wagging happily.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
Doubts. They have a way of wiggling their way into everyone's brain every now and again. Even when one happens to be not wholly human, they still find their way in. Exhaling a breath, Mercy eyes the stack of paperwork sitting on the desk behind the countertop, and then she wrinkles her nose briefly. She picks up the papers, opens a drawer, and then tucks them away inside. Later will be soon enough for it.

She heard the car pull onto the road that leads to her garage, the crunch of the gravel making enough sound for her sensitive ears to pick up. She steps towards the pull up doors of the garage, then leans forward to snag the rope at the bottom before easily pulling up one of the doors. There's a metal chunking sound as it slides up along the rails of it, and then she steps easily outside. She's wearing a pair of coveralls, and there's a number of smudges on them from various vehicular fluids. Her black hair is tamed in pigtails, though they're a bit frayed from the day thus far. One of her eyebrows quirks as her gaze turns to the car itself, looking it over from bumper to bumper, and she gives a low whistle of appreciation.

Mercy tilts her head a touch to one side, and then she lifts her gaze to the man who had stepped out of the driver's seat, following his movements to the passenger side where he lets out the German Shepherd. Dogs sometimes don't really like her, on account of their noses which pick up the coyote in her. "That's a beautiful car. Thirty-eight Packard Eight, unless I miss my guess," she comments, glancing to the car for a moment before her attention turns back to him. "I'm Mercy. What can I do for you?" she asks.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Call me old fashioned, but I like a mechanic that can properly identify a car on sight without having to check on one of those computer things." says the man who just pulled in the museum piece, an easy smile on his face, eyes as blue as a lake in Siberia. Perhaps entirely in keeping with the car he drives, he's wearing leather driving gloves, but takes off the right hand glove after a short while. Apparently so he can offer that hand in greeting. "James Barnes, sorry to trouble you without prior notice, Miss Mercy."

    Honestly, he sounds like he drove into a time rift and came out nearly a century later, but then he did used the word 'computers'... and he's dressed quite smartly, if somewhat utilitarian, not like someone straight out of the late thirties of the previous century.

    Lilli, for her part, comes to sit next to Bucky, leaning into him with her tongue lolling out and giving Mercy a head-tilted glance. Looks Human. Smells not Human. But talks Human. Human enough. Wag tail.

    "I'm not entirely sure what's wrong with the car. It started to sound a bit rough, been slowly losing power ever since. Wish I could tell you what light had come on, but... " And he grins at that, nodding his head over to the antique. "Guess I don't have to draw you a picture."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
There's a chuckle at his words, and she lifts a hand to idly brush one of her pigtails to her back from where it had come to rest in front of her shoulder. She looks over the car for a moment, and then brings her gaze back to him. "I can't fault that logic," Mercy says, quirking a smile. "I've seen the make and model a couple of times before," she admits, giving a small nod to him. She notices the driving gloves that he wears, and that crisp blue of his eyes. "I find that there's more to tell about vehicles from looking and listening than what a computer might be able to shed light on," she adds. She takes a brief moment to check her hands, which have recently been washed so don't have any vehicular liquids on them right now, and then she reaches out to accept his hand to give it a shake. She's got a firm grip, which might be expected from someone in her profession.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Barnes. And it's no trouble at all, I assure you. I didn't have anyone booked into this time slot anyway, so you've come at a very opportune time. Just Mercy is fine," she says with an easy smile. She takes a moment to look to the German Shepherd, studying her behaviour. It's different than other dogs. "She's a beautiful dog," she says, with some admiration to her voice. Her gaze lifts to him again, listening as he speaks of the problem with the car.

And she can't help but to quirk a grin at his words about the lights. "At least it has a dashboard. And a windshield," she comments, amusement coming to her words. "Losing power? Slowing down when you put more pressure on the gas sort of thing, maybe?" she asks, curious. Cars are a puzzle and figuring them out is intriguing to her. "Could be the head gasket. Did you notice any smells or unusual sounds at all? Would you mind trying to start it up, please?" she requests. There are tells to every problem, vehicularly speaking.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    The handshake in return is equally firm, and that hand is hard and calloused. James might dress like he's a middle class functionary at a desk somewhere out on a leisure drive, but his hand betrays him. But the feeling of a firm shake does seem to make him smile all the more, as he joins in on the puzzling over what might have happened to a car that has seen so much history already. "Like that, yeah. First it was just when putting my foot down, bit of an odd hesitation and a sort of whining, whistling rumble."

    'Whurf!' in joins Lilli, whose ears may not have appreciated a whining, whistling sound. She looks up at her human with a very pleased expression. And with a smile, Bucky looks at her and nods. "Yes, it's true, I wouldn't have heard it for at least another fifty miles if you hadn't told me. Good girl, Lilli." Happy, happy tail wag.

    And that tail wag is threatening to wag the rest of the dog as Lilli is praised, and described as beautiful. That earns Mercy a very happy 'Whurf!' in return.

    "Head gasket sounds expensive." James half laughs and goes back to the car, twirling the old keys on strangely round fob, with a stylised.... something... on it. "I'll be honest, I checked the car out from the motor pool at work, so officially it's on a maintenance run. Ironic, isn't it?"

    Moments later, the man is back in the car, keeping the door open, and first of all reaching forward to pull the hood release. Then starting the engine, which... sounds unhappy. Very unhappy, to the ears of an experienced mechanic. Something is whistling just at the edge of hearing while the engine rumbles.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
People are more than what they appear to be. That's a lesson that Mercy has learned well over the years, but she's had a fair reason to learn it. Her own hands have callouses to them, from the work that she does on the various vehicles that happen to visit her shop. "The car's in beautiful shape," Mercy says, a smile coming to her features. She looks to him as he goes into further details about what had happened with the car, and then she gives a nod. "It could be a couple of different things, and the ones I'm thinking of wouldn't keep you off the road for very long since you caught the issue now instead of further down the road," she says.

She looks to Lilli at the sound from the dog, and she raises an eyebrow slightly. "She's a smart girl. Dogs are good at picking up unusual sounds, especially ones that are higher pitched... they've got really great hearing. I'm glad she brought your attention to it," she was with a smile. She has experience with that, given her own sense of hearing. "Is it okay if I pet her?" she asks. She has a healthy respect for animals, and it's better to ask before taking action.

She chuckles and lifts one of her shoulders in a bit of a shrug. "It can be expensive, but I have reasonable rates for my work. I'll give you a fair price on whatever it is that I have to do to it, I promise you that," she says, giving a nod to him. "A maintenance run, eh? Well, then it seems that something was fated to happen to it," she comments.

As soon as the car is started, she tilts her head to one side and her brow furrows a little bit. The way she tilts her head is almost canine in nature, as she listens. "That's not a happy engine. It restarted, which is a good sign," she says. She steps closer to the vehicle, and she lifts the hood up in that way which seems as though she's done it many times before. She looks over the engine, listening still, and then she gives a nod. "You can shut it down, please. There's a couple of things to check, and then I'll have you start it up again. I just need to grab a couple of tools," Mercy says.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "If she doesn't mind, I won't either." James replies to the question of petting, and Lilli most certainly doesn't seem to have any objections at all. In fact, she traipses over and pretty much leans into Mercy, looking as if she would like to rear up on hind legs and give a proper hug, but also smart enough to know that not every human is fine with that. A very, very intelligent and considerate dog, indeed.

    Intelligent enough to possibly have had a working career.

    Soon enough the engine is shut back off, and the odd whistling sound continues for a few seconds afterwards, only dying entirely when the engine has stopped fully. As soon as Mercy looks under the hood, Lilli rears up and looks down into the engine bay as well, peering with interest at anything that is of such an interest to her new friend. And there's funny smells in there. Sneezy smells.

    "No rush, Miss Mercy, do what you need to do."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"That sounds fair," Mercy says, giving a nod to him. She turns her attention back to the German Shepherd, taking in the dog's body language. "You're a friendly girl. Come on up, Lilli," she offers, a smile turning up the corners of her lips. She noticed the name on the tag, it seems. Not every human is good with having a dog that up close and personal, but Mercy's a bit different than others. And once the dog comes up for that hug, she'll not only get one in return but also get a few minutes of petting and scritching lavished to her. "Down you go, now," she says. Once the dog is off, Mercy looks to James for a moment, a smile coming to her features. "She's very smart, very well trained. One of the best dogs that I've met," she says.

Mercy looks back to the car when the whistling persists after the engine has been turned off, studying it briefly before giving a small nod. She steps over to a toolbox and picks out a couple of tools that might seem at random but which aren't at all. Then she steps over to the car in order to look in at the engine. She quirks a grin as she looks to Lilli, who has come up next to her. "Seems I have a new helper," she comments, sounding amused. She sets one of the tools aside, and then she reaches out to test a bolt or two on the engine, by hand. Though it might seem odd, it isn't for her. She shifts slightly, and then she tightens the bolts in what seem a diagonal and alternating fashion.

"You mentioned that this car was part of a motor pool... was this one a random pick for you, of the ones you could have chosen, or was there something that had drawn you to it?" Mercy asks, curious. "I appreciate that. Some folks seem to think that fast work is better even if it's not good work," she adds.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    New helper? Oh boy. No sooner has Mercy put down the tool then Lilli has picked it back up, holding it in her jaws until such time as her new friend might need it again. And of course Lilli gets some very affectionate head pats and scritches from James as well. "She's... very special to me. When I was in a dark place, she was my light. When I was lost, she'd pull me home. And when I was sure I was all alone, she was always there. One in a million."

    There's no 'Whurf' this time, due to tool in jaws and everything, but Lilli's entire body language radiates happiness. She is happy that her human is happy. This dog was very clearly once a therapy dog.

    "Yeah, from work. It's been in storage for a while, I take it out occasionally." Slight, but significant pause. "Used to belong to someone I knew. Call him a friend. And it means a lot to someone quite special to me, so I make sure the techs look after it. But you know how it goes. Lots of vehicles, this one isn't in daily use, a whole fleet to look after... some things slip by, I guess."

    And after a short inspection, it will be entirely obvious that this car is most assuredly not in mint condition. Someone has spent some significant time tinkering with that engine. And the electrics. And the brakes. And... well, it still says 'Packard' on the outside, but inside... this is a different beast altogether. Some parts are very clearly branded 'Stark'.

Mercy Thompson has posed:
When Lilli picks up the tool again, Mercy raises an eyebrow slightly and looks over to her. And she can't help but to smile. "You understand a lot," Mercy says softly, lifting a hand to scritch one of Lilli's ears. "Good girl," she adds with a smile. She looks over to James, studying him for a moment, and then she gives a nod. "There can be a very special bond between a person and a dog. I'm glad that she was there for you, to be able to find you. We can all get lost sometimes. We aren't always lucky enough to have someone like Lilli to find us again," she says in a thoughtful tone.

She gently takes the tool from Lilli's mouth, and then offers her the tool that she had just been using. "Trade, you can hold this one for a few minutes," she says with a smile. She works her way to the air filter, to be able to remove it from its case.

"Vehicles like this, I imagine they have a way of taking you back to different times. What do you normally drive?" Mercy asks, her curiosity perked again. Sometimes, it doesn't take much to make her curious. "Well... the more vehicles there are, the more things to check. Some of it can be done electronically and some not so much. A lot of things can seem fine when they're looked at, but actually not be fine. And, well... not all techs know to listen," she comments, giving a soft chuckle.

"This car isn't how it was when it came off the assembly line. Someone's put time and money into it. Improvements. Thankfully it's not different to the point that would be past what I know or that would need the computer," she says, quirking a smile. She taps out the air filter, then uses her fingers to clean out the case.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    This appears to be a perfectly acceptable trade, and Lilli gives up the previous tool in exchange for the new one. Which is then, naturally, held ready in case it's needed. Who's a good dog? She's a good dog!

    "Figures though, doesn't it? Just when you lose all faith in humanity, a dog comes along and shows you there's some good left." And for that, Bucky gives Lilli a few more ear scritches.

    "My daily drive? Harley Softail, vintage. At work these days it's all modern cars that need an engineering degree to drive. Too many things that can go wrong, not enough ways of fixing them in the f-... when you need to." Hmmm. That was an unexpected slip.

    "My friend liked to tinker. His son's the same way, always taking something apart and putting it back together better." And then Bucky's eyes are drawn to that air filter. That really old, nigh on vintage air filter, that may not have been cleaned out properly in the last sixty years or so. "Ah. I'm not an expert mechanic, Miss Mercy, but that looks to be a bit... dusty."

    Sneezy smells! Sneezing Shepherd!

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Thank you, Lilli. You're a good girl, best girl, too," Mercy says with a smile. She keeps the tool in one hand, and the air filter in the other, and she wrinkles her nose a bit as her eyes squint a bit in a attempt to not sneeze from the dust. Except that never particularly works at preventing a sneeze. And after a brief moment, Mercy sneezes. Once, twice, and a third time. Then she sniffs and wrinkles her nose a bit again. Sneezy smells! She understands too well.

She gives a soft chuckle, looking to James then. "Dogs are good at that. Reminding us that there's still good in the world. You really can't beat their loyalty. Although, well... humanity might be a bit messed up sometimes, but dogs can't lie. What they give you is what they want to give you, what they show is what they feel," Mercy says.

Her attention perks at the mention of his regular ride, and she raises an eyebrow. "That's a good looking bike. I can only imagine that you've put a lot of miles onto it," she says, giving a nod to him. "I prefer cars that don't need a computer to fix, personally. That way, if something happens, it's an option to pull over and tinker and maybe get it back on the road, unless you need parts," she muses, quirking a smile. She studies him for a moment at the slip of words, considering what he might have been about to say. "Do you work in the field often?" she asks, taking a stab in the dark.

"I figured as much, when I saw the name on some of the parts," Mercy says, giving a nod towards the engine compartment. She pulls a leaf out of the case, then eyes the air filter for a moment before giving a chuckle. "It is, quite a bit. It may prefer to be cleaned out a little more often than that," she says, a teasing note to her voice as she winks at him. She keeps the filter in hand, then crosses to a work bench to set the tool aside before she heads for what seems to be a side room, which is actually where she stores the spare parts.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    Caught! Or, perhaps more aptly, sniffed out? At any rate, there is only a slight hesitation before Bucky makes the admission. "Not as much as I used to. And, all things considered, that's probably for the best. And I forgot he put his name on practically everything he ever tinkered with. Good spot though."

    After Lilli has sneezed herself out, she traipses after Mercy. Human! You forgot your fancy stick! That leaves James alone by the car for a little while, enough time to gather his thoughts in some order. And, given where he is and given what this sharp eyed mechanic has already deduced, he can probably ask that question.

    "So, if you were ever in a position where you had an opportunity to deal with something you thought you left in the past, something that could save a lot of people, would you do it? Would you if it meant admitting to having kept friends in the dark, and probably means betraying the secret of a close friend?"

Mercy Thompson has posed:
There's a smile that quirks at the corners of her lips, and she gives a small nod to James. She tilts her head a little to one side, studying him and watching him as he speaks. "Is it because you don't want to be in the field or did something happen?" she asks, a touch of curiosity to her voice. "I sometimes have an eye for details. Maybe especially where it applies to cars and the parts that are inside of them. Some folks like to get creative when they install things on their own, or they buy a knock off part without realizing it's not the actual thing," she says, quirking a smile.

She checks a few different boxes of parts, rummaging around some in that back room with shelves lining each of the walls. Perhaps surprisingly, given the age of the air filter, she does come up with one. She comes back into the main shop then, and she stops when she comes upon Lilli with the tool still in mouth. With her free hand, she reaches to gently take it back. "You're the best girl, Lilli. Thank you, sweet girl," she says in a warm tone. She carries the tool over to the toolbench and sets it there, and with the air filter still in hand, she steps back towards the car. And him.

"Thing are never really left in the past. I mean, they might seem that way, but they have a way of coming back to haunt a person," she says softly, her tone thoughtful. "If it could save a lot of people, then it sounds to me like it would be worth dealing with it. You'd have to admit to having omitted information, but if they're your friends, they won't hold it against you. No one ever shares or tells everything about themselves. I'd hope that your friends are good enough friends that they would understand. And, well... is keeping the secret worth what could happen to the people that could otherwise be saved?" she suggests, curiosity in her voice. "Betraying the trust of a friend is never an easy thing to do. But sometimes, it's better than the alternative. And close friends might get mad about it, but... if they're that close of a friend, then it wouldn't be too far off to expect them to understand and to realize why it was done. Which is a lot of speaking in general, really."

Winter Soldier has posed:
    When Lilli comes traipsing back, it's with that very evident 'I helped!' look about her, which requires and necessitates Bucky kneeling down and giving her some proper cuddling and petting. Because good work needs to be rewarded. And it's easier to listen to this kind of advice when he has his arms around Lilli. Lilli makes anything bearable.

    "Some people would be very uncomfortable with me returning to the field full time. Some of my best friends would worry, and some people who have been kind enough to take a chance on me might see it as a betrayal. But some things..."

    *LICK* Yeah, something is bothering her human, so Lilli licks. A doggie kiss makes everything better.

    "You're right. The past is just memories and things we didn't finish. Even when we should have." And so Bucky stands, still with that smile on his face, but his eyes looking at something about a thousand yards away. "I'll warn my friend that some people will need to know things he's told me, and then I need to tell people some things they should have been told a while ago. And then..." His eyes return to the present, and that smile turns into a grin, even as he watches Mercy replace the air filter.

    "... Then it's time to hit the field again. Finish a few things. And I'm not even going to ask you to forget I was here. In fact, I'm hoping you'll remember."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
A warm smile comes to her features as she watches that moment of praise and utter adoration between Lilli and James. It's a touching sort of thing to see, really. Some people take animals for granted. But this man who has found his way to her humble shop doesn't. She steps closer to the pair of them but pauses, not wishing to intrude on that moment.

"Some people might be less comfortable with it, but I have a feeling that there would be those who would be more comfortable with it, too. That's kind of what friends do, right? Worry about each other when there might be danger. It's normal," she says softly, a gentle note to her voice. "If there is good that you could do, in the field... and people that you could save... it seems like it would be hard to say no to going back to the field," she adds, tilting her head faintly to one side.

"There's more to the past than just memories and unfinished things. There's emotions, of one sort or another. And those can be challenging to deal with, to wade through," she says. Then she's quiet a moment, studying him. "You may be able to say the things -- depending on what they are -- without mentioning your friend, maybe? Which is sort of delving into generalities, again. But if you have to mention your friend, then the best thing is to give your friend a heads up about it," she offers. She was asked for advice, and she tries to give the best she can.

She steps to the car, and then she installs the new air filter before securing it and closing the casing, and she gives things a once over before her gaze turns to him, looking him over. Then she tilts her head to one side, a smile quirking her lips. "I don't think that I'd forget you were here even if I tried to. I'll remember, both you and Lilli," Mercy says, giving a nod to him. A promise is audible in her voice.

Winter Soldier has posed:
    "Some things are hard to forget, I suppose." James summarizes as Mercy fixes the problem he didn't know he had. And the car. And he gives that Packard a new look, which ends in a smile. "You know, this thing should by all rights be in a museum. But it's still useful, no matter how old it is, and you can't just lock away something that's still useful. No matter how outdated."

    Deep breath. "Miss Mercy, I can't thank you enough. I'm not overly religious, but I do recognise a sign when I see one." A playful glance up at the large sign which literally says 'Mercy'. And then back to the namesake. "Some things are meant to be, some meetings are meant to happen. And some things are inevitable, like me having to ruin a small moment of temporary perfection to ask you if you prefer cash or card."

Mercy Thompson has posed:
"Some things are, that's true," Mercy says, giving a nod to him. Especially things that are unusual and unique, like the pairing of this man, the car he came with, and his canine friend. Her curiosity is assuredly captured by the three of them. She glances over the car, and then she pulls the hood down before retrieving a rag from her back pocket to lightly brush away any fingerprints her touch might have left there. Shiny as new. She wipes off her hands, by habit, and then she tucks the rag back to the pocket of her coveralls. "It should be. But it would be a shame if that were the case. It runs amazingly well, it's in excellent condition, and besides that... I imagine it must be fun to drive something like this down the road," she says with a smile. "When something works, and works well, there's not really a such thing as being outdated or old. Locking it away would be a terrible fate for it," she adds.

At his mention of religion, by reflex, she lifts her right hand for her fingers to faintly, briefly, touch the small lamb hanging on a chain around her neck. "One might say that you just did, thank me enough," she says softly, a smile tugging her lips. "Sometimes a person's path has a bit of guidance to it in order to get a person to where they might just need to be. Right time, right place, sort of thing, maybe," she says, a hint of colour rising to her cheeks. Then she chuckles at the subject of payment. "I'm glad that I could help. I didn't really do that much. Twenty dollars covers it, and whichever method is easier or better for you. I definitely wouldn't complain if you brought one of the other vehicles from the motor pool on your next drive," she comments, a smile quirking her lips.