|
   |
Mid-day, when all the people are generally at work, not the evening when they are home: That is when one breaks into a residence. Such it was when JP, Chance and Elmo took the kit into the heart of the Bronx when there was no one home at one of the brownstone homes.
"A'ight," drawled the Cajun, "The job' tres simple. There a number of things here… we fixin em. Steal… nothin… Ms. Abigail won' appreciate it none. She did right by us. We gon' say thank you."
Elmo prowls around, investigating everything, but especially the electrical things. He's got his satchel, full of tools and materials. Pressing the pads of his fingers to the slits of an outlet, he gets a faraway look, eyes tracking things only he can see. "I can't believe this. There's still some aluminum wiring in here." That shall not stand! He's prying the outlet out of the wall almost before he's done talking about it.
Chance dressed all in black with his batons on his back looks more then a little bit conspicuous. But he doesn't really have a day time 'crime' outfit. At least he's not wearing his mask. "What are we… fixing?" he asks, even as he steps up to a wall and just walks up it, ignoring gravity entirely. He pauses there, standing sideways, offering a hand to the others in case anyone else wants to go up to get in.
JP took the hand up and laid a hand on the window once they got to the second floor. With a push of will the latch and window opened and let them walk in. Stepping inside "alright man, so here's the deal. We broke into this place couple week' ago, Mmm? An she didn't report us to no cops, and hook us up with some things we need t'help us out. However… her house kinda a handyman's mess so… we make sure she's taken care of. Hell of an ol' lady." Looking back to Chance's mild bewilderment the snarky Cajun grinned, "Ya know, we RObin Hoodin' this one."
"You do realize I'm a private investigator?" Chance asks with an amused tone as he follows JP in, "I don't especially know how to repair..well, anything. I can mostly fix my toilet but that's largely the extent of things."
JP laughed squeezing Chance's shoulder, "There are stranger things. Besides, some days is about something other than lining pockets. And… she happen to know quite a bit. By all rights she could have called cops, but she didn' and thought to help some mutants out. Who are we to say. So today we teach you how to fix a thing. You know how to fix you commode? Is a start man. What all goes into bein a PI anyways? I thought you said you weren't no cop."
"I'm no cop." agrees Chance, "Mostly? I get paid to find out if men are cheating on their wives, or vice-versa. That pays the bills. Every so often I'm hired by a defense attorney to investigate a case. Sometimes I'm hired to find someone. It varies." But then he inclines his head, "What's a commode? And okay, then, we'll learn me some fixin' for this nice old lady."
Arlo is dressed in a red and white striped t-shirt, before Waldo's time, and threadbare jeans. He looks pretty typical for a kid on the street. "I don't mind at least one cop," Arlo says, finally speaking after a whole lot of preoccupation. He looks around the place, then offers, "I'll do all the dishes and put them away, then see where you need me? I don't really know how to fix stuff so good."
JP arches an eyebrow and didn't quite expect it to work like that. "Well if I can help you out lemme know. Pretty sure I can get some married person into trouble." Just hit him for his terrible humor now. He paused though. Chance didn't know what a commode was? He looked at Arlocoming in and blinked to him and back to Chance, hand making a vague figure eight. "A commode. Ya know, a shitter." Eloquent as always. He looked back to Arlo and nodded. "Cleanin good. Any of that housework she don'have to do is real good. Soooo funny story bout the last time I broke inta' here. Didn' know she was home. Kinda gave me a 'come t'Jesus' talk instead of rattin me out. Asked me to help her fix her car. I did. She gifted Elmo and I her late husband tools t'open th' shop with. So… this our way of sayin thank you."
"By breaking in and fixing things? Why not just wait until she's home, knock, and then do whatever it is that she wants to get done?" This whole thing is seemingly way too weird for Chance to grasp. "Oh, a toilet."
"Because this way it's a surprise," Arlo says. He heads into the kitchen, and he gets started on the dishes. He may not be handy as his workmates, but damn it, he can clean things. He also keeps his ears tuned in to sounds going on outside so that he can head footsteps off at the pass. Just a little added security they won't get caught. "Hey, does she have a washer and dryer?" he asks as he starts in on putting away the dishes that are already clean.
JP tapped the side of his nose and pointed to Alro. "Apprentice got it in one. In the Book they tell us that those that do right by someone an' don't boast about it is some act of grace or somethin. You let people know… well that pride. That be why politicians put their name to donations and why we ain't. She might suspect somethin. She old enough I reckon she figure it out but this way also we don' hurt her pride none." He grinned and winked to them, "Sides, it's fun. An' I reckon she got at least a wash tub if she ain' got one them electric jobs. Try basement maybe? She like 90 somethin. I dunno what we got here." Truth was the place could use a handman but it was kept neat and with pride.
Chance just shakes his head, but he's here, so he may as well go along with it. So he looks around the place, trying to find something he can contribute to given how limited his skills are in these regards. "Personally, if I was an old lady, the very idea of someone breaking into my house would bother me, even if it was done with no ill will. Let's not make a habit of this, hmm?"
"It wouldn't be a lucrative career," Arlo says as he scrubs plates. "How would they even pay us?" He continues washing, thinking a moment before he says, "I'll check the basement after I make the bed. She might feel weird about a stranger handling her delicates anyway. I mean, I wouldn't mess it up, but it's still kind of weird."
JP opened his toolbox and paused squinting one eye, "T'be fair, Chance, I totally had every intention of lootin the place, but she was all groovy and we…talked…" The scrapped stopped and paused there. The screwdriver waved in a circle, "needless to say she won. I think she may jes wanna talk. I dunno, but she was alright and so we do this and nooooo, Arlo it indeed would not make any type of bank. That don' mean once in a great while we can' do for those who doin for us." And if anyone could follow all that they earn a cookie.
Chance levels an even look at JP, "I'm not against helping nice old ladies, and not against breaking a law here or there that I need to break, but if its your habit of looting— I have an intentionally more or less legal life because it keeps attention away from my business, which … operates in the grey area sometimes of need." Hmph.
"Unless we touch her unmentionables, this is still pretty grey area," Arlo says with an air of philosophy to his tone. He makes quick work of the dishes, nothing if not efficient with chores. "I mean I want to limit how much hinky stuff I do, too, because I'm around a cop, like, all the time. He looks the other way, I figure I might as well give him few reasons to. Necessity aside. Sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty."
JP snappointed to Arlo. It was to Chance the Cajun shrugged, "Hey you don' squeal on me, I say nothin bout you. We all happy at the end of the day, mon ami. Don' worry. Goal here ain't to complicate no one's life man. Sides… we might have an idea to make them legal types sit up an' do their job for a change and if you interested then I'm thinkin thursday night you mi'wanna be at hte garage. Juuuust sayin."