Day 63: Monkey Wrench Auto Repairs (Noon)

[nobleman]

Any conversation with Edgar was bound to put Guy in the sort of mood that most of his friends resented: a fontech mood. Of course, the machines he came across here weren't technically fontech at all, but even making that sort of correction would have likely caused Luke or Anise to roll their eyes.

Still, that wasn't going to stop Guy from doing as he pleased. There had never been a chance to really stop and get down to his elbows with fontech during their journeys, seeing as they had always been in a rush to get somewhere. And while the gadgets in the electronics store were interesting enough that he could have tinkered with them for days, he was looking for some a little different this time around.

The buses, of course, were off limits, but Guy had definitely noticed the other, smaller vehicles parked around the town. Cars, they were called. But those things were used by everyday people, which probably meant that every now and then, they broke down and had to be fixed. And logic dictated that there had to be someplace where those repairs were done.

It had been a long shot, and Guy had known that, but some wandering away from the main road had actually caused him to luck out. There it was, the sign only barely readable: Monkey Wrench Auto Repairs.

The area where the actual work was done was open for viewing, and there were two men inside who were working on a car. Guy paused for a moment to watch from the outside, and he couldn't help wondering if he could get them to talk to him about all this. If he could just learn a thing or two about how this all worked, it might even turn out to be useful at some point.

[For Claude.]

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[avengingfists]

Ilia was quite satisfied with the purchases she had made earlier that morning, and how nice was it to have a kind orderly, looking utterly confused, as she surrendered it all to his possession with such a satisfied look. Normally she would be pretty down if she had to give up her beer without opening at least one bottle, but this alcohol wasn't just for her. She still didn't have enough to her liking, but perhaps that could be remedied by a little journey into town tonight.

Ilia didn't have much left on her as far as money went, but she still had a little window shopping to do before she scouted out lunch. Next to Twin Pines was a small auto repair place that was bound to have a nice assortment of tools and other useful things she might need to borrow if she managed to hoof it this far tonight. And if there were any nice cars, maybe she could even hotwire one to save her some time getting back to the institute. Ilia was about to head right up to the garage when she realized that the two men ahead of her were familiar. Guy and Claude. Both had proved to be kind and cheerful company, and Ilia just about ran ahead to jump on into their conversation. Several yards away, however, Ilia stopped and just... looked at them.

"Hn," she muttered, crossing her arms. There was something about them, the way they were carrying on, how they had fallen into the conversation. The way Guy looked at Claude intently as he talked. The way Claude oriented himself in such an earnest fashion.

Ilia could almost swear that there was something in their relationship that went beyond just good friends, but it was still quite subtle. Either something was missing, or Ilia was reading more into this than she ought. She doubted it was the latter, though. She was pretty good at reading things. Yes, there was definitely something going on, and she wasn't going to be the one to wreck what could be a very special time for them both. Maybe she could turn around and walk away without them noticing...

[dispersive]

Luke wasn't sure what this was exactly, but it was sweet and gooey and getting all over the place the way good food should. It was probably a little too cold for "ice cream" or whatever it was called, but he had a free coupon with his meal and how could he say no to sugar? Sucking on the soft cone of sweetness, the young man braved this new world on his own.

He had certainly been cautious once he had gotten off the bus and parted ways with Guy, but after running into Rainbow Dash who had been just as clueless as he, the replica felt a bit more confident in his exploration of the very natureless village.

Most of the shops around here didn't hold much interest for him, but soon he began slowing down as he heard a few voices talking a few blocks a head. he realize it was Guy and the other blond was Claude, if he recalled. Well, at least he didn't need to be wandering around all by himself. It was kind of boring.

With a more resolute purpose, Luke picked up the pace to join them in their conversation about who knows what.

[avengingfists]

Ilia had just about started on her way again when she caught sight of a head of red hair bounding its way towards the shop. And the young man was definitely intent on the couple behind her. Without thinking, Ilia stepped in the teenager's way, holding her hands up to signal he should stop.

"H-hey, don't go disturbing them!" she hissed. Then she realized she just stopped a complete stranger from possibly delivering an important message, or what if he had been meaning to meet with them the whole time.

Cringing, Ilia held her ground. She would know soon enough, anyway. Until then, she planned on allow Guy and Claude to have as much alone time as she could stall for them. Gentler, she attempted a smile. "Why don't we let them have some privacy, huh?"

[dispersive]

When the woman came flying out of nowhere into his personal space, it made him take a step back in shock. His face was surely surprised and then, feeling stupid for letting some girl scare him, it wrinkled up into a childish frown.

"What?" He asked bluntly, confused and slightly put out from being blocked from seeing his friend--Well, friends he supposed. "Why, why would they need privacy...?" Now, the replica was completely confused. Did they need privacy, and for what? What was there to be private about that another friend couldn't enter in to? If there was a secret here, the redhead wanted to know.

Leaning to the left of the woman to get another view of Guy and Claude, the young man eventually turned his green eyes on this stranger. "Who are you, anyway?" If she was going to get in his way, Luke damn well wanted to know who to curse.

[avengingfists]

How did Ilia explain this delicately? Truth be told, it wasn't like Guy or Claude had ever outwardly expressed any kind of relationship beyond friendship, but Ilia had a knack for spotting these kinds of things. Developing feelings was a very fragile process, and she was just hoping their presence wouldn't end up disturbing what could end up as a very lovely relationship.

"Um... they just seem like they're busy. I was going to stop by to talk with Claude, but I changed my mind!" She chuckled, hoping her lie wasn't completely transparent.

Ilia casually leaned to the side to attempt more of a physical shield. "Oh, I'm a friend of theirs. In fact, Claude is from my own world, but Guy is the one who happened to introduce us." That was all true. And as their friend, she had a perfectly legitimate reason for wanting them to have some private time.