Wheelsy AU ~ Tire changing

[noteasytobepink]

"You know Bill..." Clarice drawled cheerfully. "When you said you wanted to show me the nearest 'city' I thought you meant we'd actually get there." She took her hat off and fanned herself with it, the ballcap doing little to stir the hot, damp air, but at least it was better than glowering.

"And yeah, that really does look like dry rot in the spare there. Never seen it in a tire before but I've seen it in other materials..." She wasn't even sure why they had headed out. A better bar where no one expected him to fix their problems? A place she was suppose to get fitted for a civilian aid uniform? Who knew!

Comments

[noteasytobepink]

"Have you seen how people drive around here Bill?" Clarice chuckled and tapped her stick against his arm. "I didn't figure they'd notice a thumb at those speeds!" Hence, tackling.

"And I guess that's how people deal with the oddness of picking someone up? They feel daring because, well, stranger on the side of the road, but nervous too...so the logical way to handle it is to get to know the person? Makes them less strange I guess." Or something at any rate. "Walking is good though. Can't complain about the company."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"'Course, it's my job t'pull 'em over, but you think the best way to deal with it is jumpin' at the speedin' cars?"

He shook his head, that one having bad idea written all over it.

"I guess that makes sense, but there're a lot of weirdos out there. So walkin' is good. I've got no complaints against the company either."

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"Exactly. Think about it Bill, who's more panicked in such a situation? The person driving or the person who can land both feet on the hood and roll over the top of the car?" And panicked people tended to stop!

Besides, it was good practice.

"Bill...we're weirder than anything that'd stop for us." She was secure in her weirdness. It was a good kinda weird! "So tell me about the city and where we're going?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"I've seen too much roadkill t'even think about tryin' it."

Tire treads and extremely thin just wouldn't be a good look for him.

"How am I weird? Actually, nevermind, I'd rather not know."

They'd already gone over some of the qualities that made him stranger than other people.

"Columbia? Well, it's a city. Pretty big, I guess. Got a lot there."

[noteasytobepink]

"Hmm, point. You do get an up close perspective on things going wrong with cars." She tapped her chin thoughtfully then shrugged. "I'll save car tackling as a last resort!" And really she'd only suggested it to get a rise out of him.

"And, well, for starters you happened to take 'pink person from another universe' in stride and even worked to integrate her. That's weird." It was, no denying.

"What are we going to do in Columbia?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Definitely a last resort." He'd teleport before they started throwing themselves at cars.

"That don't make me weird, it means I'm a nice guy."

He threw her a smile, and kicked his rock again as they caught up to it.

"I figure we could check out what's goin' on. Maybe play some pool if you wanted, grab a bite t'eat somewhere. I dunno, didn't have too much of a plan when we headed out."

The focus was on getting out for a bit, and finding some peace and a drink somewhere.

[noteasytobepink]

"Yes yes yes, no playing in traffic." Hey, she wouldn't ask him to join her! He'd be on standby for getting the car door open once it stopped!

"Nice and weird." Just saying. Still!

"You dragged me out without a plan?!" She gasped and held a hand to her chest, shocked. Shocked!! "Sounds good to me. Pool is fun and no one knows me yet in Columbia." As opposed to folk in Wheelsy who were getting a bit leery about betting anything in pool.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"I thought you'd be glad just t'see me out of the house." She had been trying to get him to go out for awhile now, ever since his return from California.

"I reckon I could go for bein' an' unknown, too. S'why I decided on the city.

She could hussle people, and he could be left alone for a bit.

[noteasytobepink]

"I am," she flashed him a smile, utterly and completely honest about that. "Doesn't stop my natural curiosity though! I always wonder what people are thinking or where we're going or the like!" She was so very feline sometimes. She blamed Mr. Creed.

"Unknown and unreachable is why you left your phone at home right? And your radio?" She could live with that, easy. "Thought that might be the case."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Fair enough," he allowed. He already knew about how she liked to ask questions, and wanting to know what's going on with him. It was chipping away at his usual tendency to put up walls, and keep things to himself.

He wasn't a talker when it came to himself, and not many people asked, so having her around was a new experience.

"Yeah. 'Course that's the time when my truck decides t'have a blow out." Just his luck.

[noteasytobepink]

Why not ask questions? Questions led to getting to know people, and she liked people! Besides, Bill was fun to talk to.

"Of course it is, law of inconvenience and all." She chuckled and poked her stick at a clump of rags along the road. Nope, not a daed thing, just a discarded shirt. "Better than my luck though, we haven't been attacked yet!"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Attacked?"

Yeah, he was glad that hadn't happened yet.

"It's not so bad, though. Aside from havin' t'pay for a new tire an' a tow, I don't mind. I guess walkin' can be better'n bein' shut in a cab sometimes."

[noteasytobepink]

"Well, yeah. Vigilante Bill. Generally when I go out of contact I end up with badguys." She chuckled and went back to trotting down the road instead of poking at things.

"Maybe I can win enough for the tow, or the tire. Maybe both!" Maybe! People underestimated pink! "What do you think, shirt low cut enough to make people forget what they're agreeing to wager?" It was a standard tank top but still, fun to tease.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Well, y'lucked out this time so we can go ahead and skip the attacks."

His rock went skittering over the asphalt again as Bill kicked it.

"Would be nice if y'did, just don't go gettin' us in trouble. And uh, any an' all wardrobe choices are yours."

[noteasytobepink]

"Your lips to the ears of the universe Bill." She reached out to tap his lips, naturally, for good luck and to stop any jinxing that comment led to!

"And hey, I'm not against dirty tricks and feminine charms to make money for the towing! Though, admittedly, I could teleport the whole rig back to your drive way...but it'd be hard for people not to notice that you know?" And therefore she felt obligated to do what she could in a non-powered way! "And if I can't make towing money I'll still get us free drinks."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

He blinked in surprise when her fingers fell on his lips, then chuckled and smiled.

"You could really do that?" He asked in surprise, looking over at her. "Teleport it, I mean."

[noteasytobepink]

"Sure. It doesn't need a careful ride, it won't get hurt if I misjudge by an inch or two. It's just solid and heavy, which means it'd be a little strain and I'd have to not teleport something else for a while." The 'throw a glowing spike at it' method instead of 'opening a portal' method!

"Though if you hadn't added that amendment I'd have been hurt you thinking I couldn't at least score free drinks."

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Huh. Cool."

He really was impressed. Maybe one day they could have a round of 'okay, teleport that' with random objects.

"Oh, I'm sure you could get free drinks easy, even without the changes you were sayin'."

[noteasytobepink]

He was going to end up with an entire room full of random things if they played that game! Not that that was a bad thing necessarily but still!

"There's an art to scoring drinks for multiple people, especially if one of them is a guy." she countered easily.

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

Well he figured she'd be able to put it all back afterwards.

"Well sure, guys'd be linin' up t'get you somethin'."

[noteasytobepink]

"Just so they could ask the 'Are you pink all over' question! That or the ever popular 'Curtain match the rugs?' bit." She grinned a bit wolfishly at him and pointed with her stick. "Creek! It's going the right way, wanna wade for a bit?"

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"There's always gonna be assholes an' guys who think they're smart, but there's the good kind out there, too, who'd wanna get t'know you."

Looking towards where she was pointing, then down at his shoes and jeans, he shrugged and nodded.

"Sure, why not?"

It was hot as hell, and that smile she was throwing him went some way of convincing him to give in.

[noteasytobepink]

"Yeah, well, you don't meet most of them in bars." Clarice pointed out with an amused laugh. "And I'm bringing one of the better ones with me so I don't need them anyway."

She was glad she hadn't worn her boots today, they were a pain to carry when she wasn't wearing a quiver to tie them to! Flip flops were easier to dangle over her shoulder with her stick! "Gotta give your planet this Bill, you have some nice streams, all clean and nice." And fun to wade into!

[no_andy_taylor.insanejournal.com]

"Oh you could do a lot better'n me," he said, sitting down on a rock to pull off his shoes and tie the laces together.

"You're givin' me nice guy credit that really goes to this world not bein' full of people out t'get you."

Compared to some of the other crazy people and places she's described, he looks like Matt Damon saving the world or something, when really he's just Bill Pardy, small town joe.

Throwing his tied shoes over his shoulder, he rolled up his pant legs and stepped into the water.

"Brrrr. Yeah, it's nice alright."

[noteasytobepink]

See, why couldn't he just take a compliment sometimes? Really? "Bill, I can see we're gonna have to work on that self esteem bit." she drawled seriously before bending to fling a handful of water at him. Take that!

"Somehow the whole town liking you, being looked up to, being a hero in fact, doesn't earn you nice guy credit somehow?"