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Out in front of Eight Ball was a heartbreaking sight. On one hand there was a beautiful primarch of muscle cars: a black 1964 Pontiac GTO with red leather interior and redwall tires and a completely smashed in front quarter panel. There was a greaser standing on the curb in front of Eight Ball looking like he may just clobber someone repeatedly with the bottle that was in hand. As someone passed and whistled at the damage he didn't even look but pointed at them tersely warning, "Yous say another word an' I'm a let you drink this Coke glass first." Yeah that was all they needed to beat feet. His cheeks sucked in and his shoulders slumped. This was not JP's afternoon. Welcome to New York.
Julie comes rumbling up in a mildly-customized little '50 Studebaker pickup truck, which has a look like it's been tricked out and possibly done over, worked around the city, then done over and worked again. There's a burble of a smallish V8 under there, and some fairly practical stancing, with snow tires on reverse-dished rims for the winter. 'Uncle Sal's Garage' is the modestly-painted legend on the doors. Diz pulls over and gets back out, giving a wave to JP and rubbing some gloved hands over each other as she comes up. She looks like she might whistle about the damage, too, hrms. "Rough winter on the bodywork, ain't it," she commiserates, and offers a ciggy from a pack she shakes out. "Frame come through all right?"
JP nearly thre the bottle into the window of th- Oh… that's Julie. having the 'weapon' pulled back he just took a drink from his Coke and looked at Julie with a sigh. He didn't have anger towards her and he ahd some reservations about yellin at a gal besides. "Yeah I can feel her mostly wan' to go. Need to balance her again but the damage? It bein' mostly cosmetic, much like the jerk's face will be when I find'n em." He looked down at the car. It was personal. Jeanne was his baby. "Firs' time wasn' my car. THey don't de-ice these roads for a dam do they?"
Julie shrugs, "Kinda hit or miss, sometimes. And, well, the city has trouble getting people to come through this neighborhood, sometimes." She indicates the door. "Feel like grabbing a beer? I'll see if we got any of those fenders on the yard, probably easier than trying to massage all that out." She shrugs, and says, "And if not, I think they'll treat me OK at the Pontiac place, sometimes I do some work for some pretty big spenders."
JP arched an eyebrow and looked back to the smashed fender waving a hand at the hit or miss comment. "Pretty much how I reckon it' work." The irritated Cajunset his back teeth. Anger management wasn't at all in his skill set but Julie did right by him so he was reminding himself not to start a war with her or his wheels may never roll again. Right. Looking up he actually dimpled a lopsided grin. Was he pissed about the car? Without question, but still, "Well I'm not goin' say no to buyin a gal that can rebilud a carberator a beer." He pointed for her to go park, and at least had the manners to stand out there for her to catch up.
Julie smiles, a bit unevenly. "Well, those tri-power setups are kinda fun, actually. She darts back to the truck, and after parking properly, takes an extra thirty seconds or so before she gets back, trotting along the sidewalk a little, seemingly pretty heedless of much, if any sliding on the ice along the way. Jerks a thumb back over her shoulder, and says, "Got my cousin on the radio, he'll see if we got any Tempests on the yard or anything, and I'll call him back in a while, before heading in. "Man, a couple years in California'll make the summer seem real short when you get back," she comments about the cold.
JP nodded in slow agreement with a squint looking around. Did he lock his car? No because the doors wouldn't open unless he willed them to. "Yeah down South? It's never gettin' cold like this." He propped the door open not being completely destitute of common decency and followed her over to a table. "Lemme know how much it' runnin. See what I can do. I mean I can do the labour. Tha' fine but I don' have a garage." Thought occurred to him offering to Julie, "I know you got a family thing goin an' all but they need help even part time I could pay em back."
Julie nods, "Well, I bet we could work something out, get in the body shop after hours or something. This timea year, no one really feels like working too late." She waves to the barkeeper and settles down in a chair. Does lay a dollar or so on the table. "How's about we get a big basket a fries while we're at it, speaking of the weather. Don't get me wrong, I kinda missed winter when I was out there, but still, you could run all year round." Considers, puffing a smoke to life, "Anyhow, just maybe there'll be some work if you kinda work out there. Don't hurt to be around that way. You do paint bodywork?"
JP opened his wallet and dropped another dollar on there. It was worn and used and from teh wear marks on it it has been with him a while. "I don' usually do bodywork, but I ain' no stranger to it." He squint considering the offer and where he was otherwise and upnodded to Julie. "Better under the hood than wit' a spray can, but I can get it even." Now that he thought about it. "I mean it's damn hard enough findin' work I won' turn my nose up at it. Not if they can help me out gettin Jeanne fixed up." Yes he named his car.
Julie ahs. "Well, we can do better than spray *cans,* but there's guys to learn from there, if you ended up taking an interest, …you know, assuming everyone likes you and all. Uncle Sal really knows his stuff. You got any references or anything?"
JP thumbed to the door and shrugged, "She was sittin out there. Now she needs work. Not up here, naw. But if it got gears I'm good. I'm um… what'choo call it… one of them peopel who can talk to it. Let it tell me what hurts? Fix that, make sure it clean start t'finish. An' I know you' Uncle Sal is gon' ask, but tell em He got my word I won' be running no business outta there that ain' his." He wasn't looking to shit where he slept. He just wnated to get his car fixed and try to get maybe a part time gig to start. It didn't help that he looked untrustworthy as hell.
Julie nods, "Guess it's just a matter of getting to know you, and seeing how you do, I guess. Just, ah, you gotta keep a lid on the special stuff. They think I'm just a bit of a magic touch as it is, sometimes." She winks a bit. "Maybe hang out a bit with my cousins."
JP considered this and nodded slowly. It seemed no new news or surprise and in fact the norm to stay on the dl. "Yeah, that should be no problem. How'd you wind up in all this anyhow? Family thing? Run out of brothers?
Julie laughs, a bit, as beers arrive, "Yeah, family business, they kinda couldn't keep me away. I mean, Mama tried, but she was a welder during the war, so she can only say so much, know what I mean?" She shrugs. "Kinda not so easy for girls to work in the business, otherwise. I just gotta kinda stay out of sight of some of the customers when I'm in the bays sometimes, really. 'Dizzy's just a name on the work order to some of em," she smirks.
JP grinned more at ease talkin metal than keeping his mind on his car and the future assbeating of whoever punched in the front end. "Like DIzzy Dean th'ball player? good one. An' I have no doubt. Maaaan I'd imagine enough people try to shut it down if they's findin out you a woman and a Mutant? Ooooh pas bien. Paaaas bien. Besides. Enough grease and coveralls? We all look th'same."
Julie ahs, "Well, they couldn't do a thing to 'shut us down,' some guys are just funny about a gal turning wrenches on their rides. Wouldn't wanna lose customers, is all. As long as they're happy with the work, though, it generally ain't too much of a thing. As for the other thing, well, there's mixed opinions in the family, let's say. Wouldn't want to see the fights about it, at the very least, so it's better to keep it all on the Q.T. If that means taking a little extra time to diagnose something, maybe you ought to do that here and there. You know enough to make it sound just like anyone else that knows their stuff?"
JP considered that and chortled, "Well… not unless tha's a euphamism." He listened though picking not just a job requirement butmoreso what people here were watching for and that was always infiniately valuable. "Hey, my figuring is cheaty, my work is my own. Back home I use t'work my my uncle too. Soooo I get it. I don't need to be bringin them no problems. I got enough of m'own. Jes gettin back on our feet."
Julie nods, raising her glass a little. "Still trouble finding work, then, I guess? I was figuring, late model tiger like that, you couldn't be doing too bad. Good choice, by the way; I like em, even if I probably still like the Chevy smallblocks better."
JP dimpled a wry grin and slid Julie a look as hte beer and fries showed up, "Yeaaaah but this one liked me so much she followed me home. I mean there's better engine, sure, but I don't have to rely on that so much. No' entirely anyways. But, there are a lot of things out there, fine machine, but not for me. This one? This one is mine and people are knowing this so why do they hit my car? I do not know."
Julie shrugs. "Just came back and found her that way? Maybe it wasn't deliberate. and whoever hit you was scared to stop in the neighborhood, or one of the kids had a gift that got outta hand, something like that." She shrugs a bit and reached for a few fries while they're hot. "If one of the kids is afraid to own up, I figure they'll be asking me if I can fix it or something. They're pretty good kids, in general."
JP set his jaw and was surprisngly quick to defend the kids, "Naaaaaw. Kids wouldn' do that. Sit on it. Finger prints. Shuuuu'e, but them's not bad kids. We say that and that's what we gon' get. Asshole teenagers? Different story." He popped another fry in his mouth and shrugged, Just' got in couple weeks ago. Had somethin' lined up> Fell through. Saaaame story as half these other guys."
Julie nods. "Ain't the first time people got a bit resentful of a nice ride around here. I usually don't bring my own, and if I do, well, I have the kids keep an eye on em. At least my own's a 56, so it ain't like I just slapped down a big check for him or something.
JP sighed and muttered with resentment, "Ya knooooow any other day I'd have ti run em over but They hit her and woke me out of a damn sleep. Which if you have ever had your head connected to soething hit ad fif'y miles? Tha's no good either, lemme tell you." he went to drink his beer and furrowed his brow, "Hey, thanks for helpin out Pere Noel, Mmm? He and hte reindeer appreciate that. Almost kin'a wanna do like some game night once a month for em or somethin'"
Julie smiles, "Well, that's a nice idea, anyway." She hrms. "Didn't know it hurt, that kinda thing. I mean, apart from the usual way. "
JP cracked a grin and laughed, "Rattle my cage a bit, hurt nah No more than m80's goin off in teh back yard.> Just wasn't awake to chase em down and hold em accountable."
Julie ahs. "I get it, or, maybe kinda. I kinda …notice sudden stops and high revs and stuff. Stands out from the background, if you know what I mean. " She gestures around with a french fry, indicating, apparently, 'the world outside.'