un: Jay.T | Video

[leastdramatic]

[Today’s video feed is of a fit man in his early twenties and wearing his usual brown leather jacket over a red hoodie. He’s standing in front of a large auto repair shop. The shop’s front sign is also visible and says Grease Lightning! Next to the shop’s name is a black and white totally cool mascot.

For those who are especially observant, you may also notice a red-wing blackbird hanging around and making a nest near the shop’s sign]

Hey, so I don’t know how many of you need to know this but I run the auto shop now.

[Jason then walks and moves the camera to show the shop’s interior. It’s spacious and there’s a variety of equipment and basic spare parts needed to fix vehicles. Tucked in one corner of the shop is a books shelf already filled to capacity, a desk, and a chair.

The camera then switches back to Jason]

Not much else is gonna change. Feel free to drop by if you need repairs or wanna mod something. The place is big enough that you can do it yourself or if you want me to help, just let me know.

[The red-wing blackbird then suddenly zooms above Jason and lands near his bookshelf. Jason looks back at his pet mildly annoyed before turning back to the camera]

And don’t mind Steinbeak if you drop by. He likes his spaces.

Action Prompt:

[If you do decide to visit Grease Lightning, you can indeed find Jason and Steinbeak around. Jason’s either doing maintenance work on his motorcycle or he’s reading one of his books in the corner of the shop.

Meanwhile his pet bird Steinbeak is either just outside of the shop or has settled himself indoors and looking at any visitors]

Comments

UN: tsundoku

[welcome_summer]

What an acquisition, congrats! Needs some more shelving

[leastdramatic]

Thanks. Maybe I should have a little library corner to myself?

[welcome_summer]

One can never have too many book hideaways!

I'm emerging from the wiki trap--make sure birdie sticks around, he's going to have fun with what I'm bringing.

[leastdramatic]

True. Not hard to give myself some extra shelves too.

It's always just one more tab until you realize you have 20 of them open. But no worries. Steinbeak would rather be indoors this time. It's too cold out.

text -> action

[welcome_summer]

Alright, I'll find my way there.

[The nice thing is that the shop was placed in Alcyone's Wake, so it's only a trip through the trolley line stations to the western corner it's been set. Mayuko makes sure to scope out the area, but not so long that the toad in the box at her hip complains.

She stops to admire the illustrated shop mascot.]

Look at that. A spitting image....

[leastdramatic]

[Jason comes outside to meet Mayuko]

You tryin' to say something about my ugly mug then?

[Only a joke though. He knows Mayuko well enough now]

[welcome_summer]

What do you mean? You think I wouldn't see through the pompadour curl, or the... square fingers?

[She looks between the drawing and Jason pointedly, before laughing.]

No, I'm tickled that of all the things that are multi-universal, the concept of greasers made it. Unless you drew it, in which case I take it back.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason continues to grin]

Nah. I was the one who suggested Grease Lightning as our team name and then Izuku drew that. It worked out great for us. You ever watched Grease?

[welcome_summer]

Yeah, the racing mission, right? We could stand to have some more challenges like that.

[Mayuko is already stocking up points for another short-term advantage to prep for the upcoming one. She's hoping for the best and expecting the worst, given Auriel's lighter feel.

In the meantime... she heads for the shop entrance, tote bag in hand with goodies inside. Genji (no longer a scorpion-tailed dragonet) inside the clear-sided box croaks at Jason.]

I was too young to watch it in the theater, but I remember hearing the soundtrack as a kid. Watched the movie later on.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason follows Mayuko back inside the shop. While perched on a stack of tires, Steinbeak chirps a greeting at all of them]

You can figure which song I was thinking about when I suggested the name then. I would love it if we had more fun missions like that one.

[welcome_summer]

You're going to make me want to dig through my video collection to see if I brought it from Earth! Put that TV to use... and yes, we could do with more friendly competition. Camp would have been a good opportunity for it. Maybe with clusters of cabins, rather than each for themselves....

[Mayuko catches sight of Steinbeak and beams.]

There he is, holding down the fort! It's been too long.

[She looks for a flat surface to spread out the contents of her tote, covered with a thin layer of tissue to maintain the surprise.]

I have something for him and for you, it shouldn't take too much space....

[leastdramatic]

[Jason clears a workbench for Mayuko to use]

Really? You didn't have to.

[But who is he to turn down a present from a trusted friend?]

[welcome_summer]

I know, but I wanted to. We're right in between your one-year anniversary and mine, and I want to thank you for helping me muddle through this all.

[She pulls out a round tin and a wrapped parcel. It is, of course, book-shaped.]

Plus since I've been traveling, I've always made cookies for the holidays. I'm not going to stop in Etraya. Wait...

[She pauses, then pulls out a second tin.]

Check that those are the cookies. I forgot to label them.

[leastdramatic]

[Oooh, cookies. Jason can't turn those down so he opens that tin first, as Mayuko suggested]

You made these?

[welcome_summer]

[Inside are some snickerdoodles, cubes of what resemble Rocky Road candy, peppermint snowballs and lemon shortbread.]

I did! It was a bit of a time crunch, so sadly the gingerbread got the boot. Maybe I'll make some after Christmas.

[With the tin for Jason sorted, Mayuko nods and opens the second tin, which contains a quartet of birdseed-and-dried-berry ornaments.]

And these are for Steinbeak! I know he's the sort to peck along the ground to feed, but I figure these'll be a novelty for him in the winter.

[leastdramatic]

[Sure enough, Steinbeak flies down and looks at the ornaments with interest. Jason holds one up for the bird to peck at]

Wow. This is pretty great. Seriously.

[Jason uses his remaining hand to take a snickerdoodle and eats]

You really didn't have to.

[welcome_summer]

... does that mean it's good or it's bad?

[leastdramatic]

Wellll... No one can beat the homemade cookies from my home but this is still pretty good too.

[Judging by his teasing tone, he's certainly not objecting]

[welcome_summer]

[Mayuko can't help but give a dramatic gasp in return. Not amazing? Not terrific??However, she knows there would be no way she could outdo Alfred's baking, so at that assessment, she follows it up with a half-shrug and headshake.]

I'll take a "pretty good." Shows I'm not out of practice!

[Gifts distributed, she glances around the shop.]

Did the garage come stocked up with all this? Or were trips to the junkyard in order?

[leastdramatic]

[Jason eats another cookie as he looks for a spot to hang one of Steinbeak's ornaments]

Both. The garage already came with plenty of the basics but I had to do some junkyard trips to restock some stuff. It helps that Gorgug was a good owner before I got the place.

[welcome_summer]

Ah, this was Gorgug's. I'm not surprised by him keeping this up, he's very conscientious.

[Her smile gets a touch sad. It has been a while since she last saw him. That's the worst thing about Etraya, the way people get spirited back home without a word to those left behind. Leaving them to worry and reminisce.]

But you'll put it to good use, as well. Vehicles from home are a popular ask, given the set-up we've been working with.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason also smiles back in a slight sad manner. He's also not a fan of how people can just leave Etraya without a word. It feels almost like they were never around in the first place]

Yeah, it's why it's better that I take over instead of just letting the place collect dust.

[welcome_summer]

... Just don't get too wrapped up in it that you miss the holidays. The festivities should make for a nice reprieve from the missions. Whatever they turn out to be.

[It would be a damn shame if Etraya brought all these bats-and-birds in and nothing happened. No matter how her heart ached at the winter holidays, being around her friends and students from home had eased that pain.

She brusquely shakes her head, dismissing the thought. It's a blessing no-one else from her soft world is here. Especially not one fresh from home. It gives her the leeway to act as she sees fit.]

Does your family do anything in particular to celebrate?

[leastdramatic]

[At that question, Jason’s slightly melancholic smile turns into a smirk]

Annual snowball fight right after the first snowfall of the season happens. It’s always all of us kids against the old man.

[Sure, they each like to do charity and volunteer work during the holidays too but in terms of pure fun, it’s easily the BatFamily snowball fight]

[welcome_summer]

[Mayuko looks surprised for a moment, before laughing at the mental picture crossing her mind.]

Really! I can imagine the chaos, there, if you're all trying to get one person. How often has he won?

[If it's the Batman, it's got to be a non-zero chance.]