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The garage is closer to fully operational every day. Elmo's been using the tools generously donated by Ms. Abigail via JP, and they make him happy in a way few other things do. Now he's finishing up tinkering in the electrical box, actually humming to himself in between cussing and muttering.
JP rolled out from under his car on the dolly. Reeeeeeeeee… In a sort of rolling reverse crabwalk on wheels. Roll roll roll… "Hey, Elmo, you got it?" A question that was certain to ignite a rebuttal at the indignity of asking, but it was hte fantasticaly backwards way of finding our how far into setting the repair he was. What was life without antognizm. Dirty fingers laced across his no-longer-white t-shirt as he watched up. As an after thought he asked, "Please… don't… zap me for that."
Elmo's in too good a mood to zap JP, which must mean the repairs are going well. "Yeah, yeah, I got it." He then promptly cuts himself on a sharp edge and swears. "Yer distracting me!" Using his unbloodied offhand, he tucks the rest of the stuff away in the box and shuts it up. "Ugh, now V is gonna fuss," he grumbles.
JP itched at his stomach and arched an eyebrow waiting to see if it was bad. "Ya know…" he drawled, "We might be gettin bit careless with VItale aroun'. We should do somethin for em. Merde, Kinda wanna do somethin nice fer Sev too." He rolled back and forth idly on the dolly and threw out suggestions, "Bank heist?" Oh holidays were going to be fun with JP around.
"Eh, it was just time for the blood sacrifice," Elmo says, joking like all technicians who work around sharp things. "The way he yells at me, I try to get hurt less." He wraps his finger tightly in a clean hanky, which turns spotty red. Lifting his eyebrows, he considers the option of a bank heist. "Maybe we could hit one of his brothers. Take more than some furniture."
JP grinned with that bullshit bayou charm jus tso damn pleased. There was pride in those dark brown eyes, "Awwww lookit you plannin a heist. Yoooou are somethin else, Sparkplug." And with a comicaljog of boot heels digging against the concrete garage floor he roll roll rolled back-down on the dolly back over to his car. "Figure… be kidna fun. Man you seen his brother's place? It like top floor fancy. Wouldn' mind goin shoppin in his closet again. He got nice stuff. His other brother though only like 5'7 tho. Prolly fit you. Yous closer." JP went shopping. lawdy.
Elmo gives JP one of those sidelong looks, amused. "No, I haven't seen his place, because I haven't broke into it, unlike some guys I could mention." On his way to the sink he nudges JP in the ribs with the toe of his workboot. "What's Sevele like to do, anyway? He's so aloof, that guy."
JP murmured from half under his car, squirming slightly at the boot to his ribs, "Staaaap that tickle… Ummm llotta things. We used t'do all sortsa stuff when we was kids. We love seein if we can get inta stuff, I think flying over parks and shiitin on people we don' like, sometimes even as a bird? Is cool. Really Sev dooooes like findin' new places. Loves food. Looooves bein outside. WHy the hell his ass choosin New York is beyon' me, mon ami."
Elmo hmfs. "Quit bein' so cute," he scolds. Then he scoffs, like he should probably have expected that 'sometimes even as a bird', but was surprised by it anyway. "You guys, I swear. Well, we got no shortage of food in this town. And, yeah, we don't got too much outside, but north a bit, there's plenty. We could take a trip out." He grunts in pain as he washes the new wound out. "Good time for it, too, comin' up on summer. Jeez, I'm gonna have to glue this cut."
JP was rolled hald under his car tunin it up, while Elmo was cleaning off a cut hand in the drop sink. The garage was getting near operational at least. There was worse trouble for these two rivetheads to get up to though. JP called back, "I can' help the way I was born man. Hang on. I got'chu." ANd with a pull of his heels the dolly went rolling back out from under the '64 GTO with JP on it. Rheeeee. Wrench was dropped into his back picket and for now his hands got wiped off on his shop clothe and a bit on his shirt. Eyes scanned the workbench. "Where we put the glue?" Nothing the familiar sound rolling up that lopsided grin reformed,. "Heeeey Bobby's here."
Bobby walks into the garage wearing his casual clothes. "Hola JP, hola Elmo." he smiles to the both of them, wearing only a jacket, a sweater underneath, jeans, and tenneshoes. "So, what I miss?" he smiles then, moving to look at the GTO, nodding at it. "Improving it? Looks muy bueno."
"Hola," Elmo replies, cheerily, but a little strained. Probably because his finger is bleeding freely into the sink. "What's going on, Bobya?" A Yiddish diminutive of the diminuitive 'Bobby'. "We were just talkin' about taking the team out, doin' something nice for V and Sev."
JP chided flatly, "Ya gotta squeeze it shut then rince it off. I swear it like you have no idea how t' be hurt." He dug through the drawers of Hershel, the large tool chest, one at a time looking for what he was lookin for (super glue), and filled Bobby in with a half distracted tone, "Yeaaaah somethin' nice like like rollin his frere's place… asshole." Triumphant he held up the glue, "Voila." Which was French for: woo, we win today boys. Walking over withthe glue he rolled a look to Bobby on the sly fillin him in. "Vitale's family is the people other people reference when tehy say them got connections sooo sad as it be right now His papa? He off limits… f'now. Still say be a damn shame his car wind up in tha' Hudson." He looked up to Elmo, "Don' move or I'll end up gluin you t'youself again." Again. Never a dull day at hte garage. "They hurt mutants, an their own familya t that. We can' abide this."
Bobby smiles softly to Elmo. "Eh, not a whole lot, if you can believe it. Business meetings were killer and boring." he sighs then with that classic tongue click and 'aaah' that he does when he doesn't particularly like something. Then again, he's the only wealthy person in this room. Most likely. Anyway, he looks at JP "Oh? Do tell." he says with a small shrug and his arms cross. "hmm…got it, so he's a bit more on the off limits side. Apparently." he says with his Portuguese-accented voice. "okay…so then, what to do? and why are we gluding Elmo again? the first time I saw it was rather funny."
Elmo kvetches back at JP, "You gotta let it bleed SOME, so the metal gets out." Bickering like an old married couple, these two. He rolls his eyes at Bobby. "I'm redoing the wiring. It's sharp in there."
JP squint at the finger that is apparently bleeding. Not a great gash, but deep enough. He eyed up the targed sidelong and… well he was at least neat withteh glue "Hang on an you'll have somehtin new t'complain about in no time, Sparkplug." There. The cap popped back on the super glue and he flipped it into his palm pointing back to Bobby, "Yeah but this time is t'make his leptic ass stop bleedin on our floor. Last time?" A half grin formed knowing Elmo couldn't punch him yet and snickered, "Last time was jes' damn funny. But yeah. V's fmaily is all sortsa ass backwards. They foun' some way t' bring paperwork into crime and just…" His shoulders dropped disheartened, "They ruin everythin'. It's like they' gift."
Bobby ahhhs a moment then to Elmo, shrugging a bit. "yeah…that'll do it." he smiles then. "You didn't hurt yourself too badly did ya sparky?" he asks Elmo then, legitimately worried for his friends health. Nevertheless, he does smile to JP. "Well good, I'd hate for him to bleed out." he teases then, laughing with JP when they mention how funny it was that JP glued Elmo last time. anyway, serious stuff. "yeah..alright. Guess we just knock the door down all silent like."
Elmo shakes his head, annoyed and amused. "I'm fine. Thanks, Jeanushka." He gingerly rinses off the blood. The other two are discussing things they'd like to do to Vitale's father, and he listens, eyebrows thoughtful. "I think we oughta do something about that guy," he says, "but." He glances at JP. This is a conversation they've had before, apparently. "I dunno what."
JP was still bent out of shape about this whole situation. Elmo's working on the electric panel, and JP's clearly been working on the car, btu presently he was waving the capped super glue around, almost sullen. "Crime's supposed t'be more… crime-y not… mean. They're doin it wrong and ruinin e'rythin good in life man. Why they wanna bring paperwork in to a good time? …I don' even know. Gotta be a nightmare married t'those guys I'll tell ya what. But…": He shrugged. "They do pay pretty good." He looked back to Elmo from Bobby and cut off the tirade before it began. "Don' worry I ain' in no one's pocket. An'… yeah… somethin."
Bobby smiles softly then to Elmo, before his eyes shift to JP "oh? you talkin' about stuff without me now are ya?" he moves over to JP then, arms crossed as he gives him his best poker face….but then again, it's his best one when he's just trying to mess with JP.
Sunny Day here has a damn good poker face.
Alas, he looks over to Elmo, then back to JP. "Well, good…as long as we do -something-."
Elmo waves his unhurt hand dismissively at JP. "I know you ain't," he says, cranky, even as he's assuring JP that he doesn't think he's under anybody's thumb. He looks at the ceiling for strength. God is testing him. "Sure, crime should be fun, not like a job, right?"
Arlo steps in, dressed in his street clothes rather than his janitor getup. It's his day off, and how boring does a man's life have to be that he comes to hang out at work? He looks around, hopeful but a little wary, especially at the guy he's never met before. "Hey, guys," he says. "I was just…" He eyes Elmo. "What did you do?"
JP didn't seem to slow his role any. Oh Bobby was stepping up! Yas!! THe grease monkey's chest puffed up a bit casual not really telegraphing if he's getting ready to hug or hip throw Sunny into the floor. He rolled forward cooly meeting the Brazillian bruiser eye to eye trying hard not to grin. "Nah, man. We screenin this t' only bring you the highest quality world bullshit. That how you fancy types roll right?" The eyebrows waggles and he turned slinging an arm around Bobby's shoulders, or attempting that. Either way DeCosta's probably going to want to dryclean after being in ehre too long.
See, Bobby D's on th'page. Tres manufique, mon ami. Manufique." A hand went up equal parts greeting Arlo and waving off the concern. "Nothin we ain' do e'ry TUesday man. Nothin t' worry bout. But oui, Sparkplug. That jsut it. No bank job should have t' have no fuckin application. Jes a good plan. In this case? Eeeeh maybe we go get more furniture, OR… maybe we even half-Robin Hood this shit. Find the people they been leanin on, an get em a refund and keep like 20 for ourselves."
Ohhhh you damn right Grand Mastah Heat Flash is steppin' up to stare down Ragin' Cajun's second cousin JP the Greese Monkey. He stares down JP for a moment then, trying his absolute best not to smile. "ah huh, so where's my cut?" he eventually smiles then, wrapping an arm around JP's shoulders in return, the two always being buddy buddy.
No, Sunspot's not offended or grossed out by greese.
Though he does see Arlo and he gives the guy a wave. "Hola Arlo. Como estas?" he smiles softly then. "Works for me, we can at least bust the operation at one point."
"Nothing!" Elmo says, totally not defensive at all, glaring at Arlo. "Gevalt, you guys are like my grandmother." He's lightly speckled with blood, but not actively bleeding. When JP rolls up on Bobby, his eyebrows go way up, and he watches with great interest. Then it ends with them throwing their arms around each other and he relaxes. Kinda. "Bobby, this's Arlo. Arlo, Bobby. We hired Arlo on to clean up the place." He mops up around the sink with the focus of the obsessive-compulsive, even though he just said that's Arlo's job.
Arlo shrugs and tells Elmo, "Bleed to death, schmuck." He flips a wave to Bobby and says, "Hola." The way his accent butchers just that one word, odds are good that's the extent of his Spanish. "JP, always a pleasure." He makes his way toward Elmo, brow furrowed. "What did you do to my sink!" The talk of crime he's walked in on doesn't seem to bother him.
JP leaned on Bobby's shoulder crossing one ankle over hte other. "Uhhhh mah sink and the fucker's bleedin in it. He ain' dyin my god. If you seen how we hand out fliers the turis alone would kill you." Never you mind JP took two to the chest but meh, he got over it. He looked back to Bobby and said, "What my gran'son is sayin," Oh yeah, he was doing the squeaky voice because they was called nanas, "Is we make sure you get an' even share."
Bobby upnods to Arlo. "Sup." Before he looks to Elmo, laughing a little bit. "ah, hijo de puta, you're just fine. Though come on, is Arlo really here to just clean?" he chuckles then as he looks to Elmo and Arlo acting like an old married couple, chuckling as he looks to JP.
"mmmhmmm si, si…" he chuckles then, nudging him.
"Thought it was too clean, hadda mess it up," Elmo says to Arlo. Then—oh. Oh, JP is doing what? Yeah, the reprobate can't get away with that. He pops him one, a tiny spark of electricity grounding itself on JP. "Wise guy," he growls.
Arlo says, "Yeah yeah," to JP. "If you piss on it, and I ain't cleaning it up." He gets right up in Elmo's personal space to get a closer look at the sink. It may belong to JP on a technicality, but Arlo has developed a working relationship with it. He cares,, damn it. "Gross," he tells Elmo. He glances over to Bobby and tells him, "Man, I don't even know what I do around here except sweep the floor."
JP was grinning and -zzzap!- His jaw squeezed shut and he squint at Elmo, smoothing his hair bakc out in case and said, "I ain' givin no one back any money." Way to confuse reprobate with reimbursement, JP. It was to Arlo he arched an eyebrow, "We're still buildin the damn place an ain' even open. It got time yet. It got time. Sides, you learn t'take direction, ami, there good money in it. So long as it ain' at 3 in the afternoon on a Friday." Very specific. He stook up and pulled the wrench out of his back pocket and flipped it into his hand nudging the shop dolly back over towards the car. There was still work to be done. "So long an' short, yeah, I think we should go after these assholes, but not in a way that Mutant Town gon' catch fire again."
Bobby notices how OCD Arlo apparently is over that -one- sink kinda like how Elmo is with pretty much…everything else, really. His eyes shift to JP as he takes a singel step to the left, watching JP get shocked.
that was close.
Though he does laugha little bit. "mmmkay. How bout I just throw a car at the vendejos, yeah? could be funny." fore his eyes fall on Elmo, giving him a small thumbs up for shockin' JP.
Elmo has to laugh, as Bobby both dodges his shock and gives him the thumbs up. "Feh, yer all a bunch of maniacs. Hand me that schmatta, Arlo." A rag, in Yiddish. While he scrubs blood specks off the sink, he makes a thoughtful sound through his nose. "I like the idea of hittin' em and redistributing their wealth." While taking their cut, of course, that goes without saying.
Arlo hands Elmo the rag. "Who are we hitting?" he says. He gives JP a look, then shakes his head. "I haven't said no to you lately, have I? You say jump, and I might call you a prick but I always ask how high. There's some nights I ain't free, but I'll tell you in advance. Otherwise, I got nothing better to do than hang out with you guys, except maybe hang out at that Greek place." His eyes widen, and he tells Elmo, "Lambert's dad was in jail. I was there when he bailed him out."
JP made a mental note to invest in rubber waders… rubber gloves… pretty much justa rubber hazmat suit to protect him from his partner 's reprisal there. Feet planted he dropped onto teh dolly and slid back under the GTO paying a hand on it first to make sure the moving parts didn't move when he didn't want them to and did when he did. "Yeah, honestly, I kinda do too. not like a charoity or nothin, but they shouldn'a have to pay these broskis to begin with."
Bobby gives a little wink then to Elmo as he crosses his arms, looking then to JP as he slies back under the GTO. "True, but that's how apparently the system decides to work when you're using checks and balances to get ya illegal work done." he scoffs then, waving his hands about as the Portuguese do when tehy get annoyed about something. though he does look to Arlo. "Oh? ya saw it?" he says then, before he crosses his arms. "Jump." he teases Arlo before he lifts a hand, like as if to tell him he doesn't have to. Anyway.
"Well, stick around long enough and you'll get the dates." he cracks his neck a bit then.
"Gangsters, maybe," Elmo tells Arlo. "Bert's dad was in jail? Good, the schmuck," while polishing that sink to a mirror shine. He looks sharply at Arlo, up and down. "He didn't…do nothin to you, did he? He causes problems, that guy." Bobby, he gives a look. "Why do you do this with us, anyway? It's that boring bein' a rich corporate type?"
Arlo snorts and tells Bobby, "You'll have to give me a job or buy me dinner." He grins. Then he tells Elmo, "Nah, he didn't do anything. Lambet was there the whole time all 'Daaad you're embaaarrassing me." He huffs a laugh at poor Lambert's expense. He watches Elmo clean up with a critical eye. He takes his job seriously, and this place better look good on his watch.
|ROLL| JP +rolls 1d20 for: 17
JP stayed quiet under the car letting them chat it up not commenting one way or the other on Lambert's dad having his own mind on some of that stuff and really no idea who that guy was. The wrench came out and waggled at Elmo and the muffled answer followed, "Cause these jobs is fun and tax free, Sparkplug. I had t'deal with half them business types like you do, Bobby I'd wanna melt holes in their floors too."
Bobby looks to Elmo then as he asks quite the pivotal question, and before he even answers, Jp seems to have Bobby's back. Bro's for life. Anyway, Bobby nods in agreement. "Si, pretty much. Most of the companies mine deals with are corrupt or have shady backroom deals. I take great pleasure in watching it all burn. and yes, I'm quite wealthy, I also enjoy all of your company."
Elmo is pretty good at cleaning, it must be said. Corrosion doesn't uncrust itself. He hangs the rag up to dry, taking a moment to align the corners so it hangs perfectly straight. "There, doin' your job for you," he says to Arlo, with amusement. He listens to Bobby with a modicum of seriousness. "Well, can't argue with that." He flashes him a grin.
Arlo smiles at Elmo and claps him on the shoulder. "Way to do me a solid, man." He finally steps away to stop hassling Elmo, and he jams his hands in his pockets, rocking on his heels. "So we're going after gangsters," he says, and to Bobby, "You're rich, got it. I've already got more money now than I have in years, so if there's a cut I'll donate it to Robin Hooding."
JP paused in the wrenching. There was an audible silence from teh gearhead under the chassis. Pointedly he pushed himself back out from under hte car and picked his ehad up to stare at Arlo. "The kinda filth comin outta you mouth, son? We ain' donatin nothin. THey get their cut and we get ours. They get pleanty, trus' me. We ain' runnin no chairty. They can learn t'swim on they' own. I'm just sayin we remove the hands try t'hold em under water while doin so aaaaaaaand get paid for it."