10800/Checking up on the mechanic

Checking up on the mechanic
Date of Scene:	16 April 2022
Location:	Canelo's Auto and Body
Synopsis:	Gabby and Rien bring their bikes to Robbie's shop for some work, and share cookies.
Cast of Characters:	Robbie Reyes, Rien D'Arqueness, Gabby Kinney

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Robbie Reyes has posed:
It's been a couple of days since the business with Michael and the Gates of Heaven. According to Canelo, he wasn't in the day after it all went down. Wasn't answering his text messages, either.

The voice bantering in rapid Spanish with one of the other mechanics is unmistakeably his, though. As is the glossy black Charger parked out back, looking agitated even at rest.

Robbie's got the sleeves of his coveralls pushed up to his elbows, baseball cap on backwards as he leans over the open hood of some old Chevy with his hands buried inside. "Got a hole in the compressor, and a couple of bad piston rings, just like I thought," he grunts, wrenching said component out with a noisy *clunk*.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien hasn't been available either, taking the time to truly proecess everything she was hit with, to reconcile the suddenly much vaster store of memories she has to draw from. It's... alot. But! When she does finally become responsive again, she remembers that she still has to take her bike in for those fixes that Robbie had suggested last time. So she of course, asks Gabby if she wants to get her bike checked over as well, and the pair are off!

Rien pulls into the lot, smiling to see the Charger there before rolling to a stop and setting her feet to the ground as she glances back to make sure Gabby is still with her. "You want to go get his attention or should I?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney for her part had been trying to contact both. Regularily. She didn't want to press but she was concerned with the lack of communication given what they were doing. Which maybe why she was quite excited when Rien contacts her, and Canelo says Robbie is working today. With a quick request to not tell him they were on the way because she 'wanted to surprise him with a care package', she's quick to grab her own bike and head off.

IT. Uh. It *was* a motorcycle. It wasn't the prettiest. It certainly wasn't something many might seek after. But it was street legal and had off-road capabilities, so it was a two-fer. With helmet on, boots tight, and leather gloves on (just because) she's joining in the riding alongside Rien quite excited to show up. On her Honda Trail. Complete with the exaggerated exhaust pipe and luggage rack on the back which was currently burdened with a cooler that was strapped in with those rubber-hook tie things.

She comes to a halt and reaches up to flip her Tie-Fighter helmet lense up. "Hey, Robbie! We brought snacks!"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Hey, *hermano*, some girl's here for you," barks one of the other mechanics across the shop in Robbie's direction. "You got a date you didn't tell me about?" A couple of the other guys laugh, and Reyes scowls as he goes to grab a rag and clean his hands off.

"Hey there," he calls over to Gabby, stepping out from behind the Chevy, still wiping grease off his fingers. Then.. oh. Rien's here, too. He watches her for a few seconds, checks his watch, and strolls on out into the sunshine. "Nice bike." Is he being sarcastic? Hard to say. His gaze roves from the pair of them, to the cooler strapped to the back of Gabby's bike, a brow arching curiously.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien stays leaned forward, arms folded across the handlebars of her bike, watching Robbie as he approaches. She offers a smile when he looks her way but doesn' t hop up to go meet him. She lingers back here and gives a nod, "Figured I'd being my bike in for those repairs you mentioned. Hasn't been quite a hundred miles, but it's close enough that I'd risk going over it if I waited."

Then she's looking over to Gabby and smiling warmly in her direction. Shadows cross her face briefly and she has to take a moment to forcibly shove something to the back of her head, but it happens quickly enough that the smile is back in place within moments.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Even if it was a snide remark it doesn't seem to matter to Gabby because she beams a bright, happy smile at the 'compliment' with a quick and cheery, "Thanks! It was a gift." Reaching up she takes her helmet off entirely followed by a quick swat-pat of her hair to straighten it out as much as possible. It was mostly straight to begin with but there was always some mussing when wearing a helmet no matter how perfectly straight your hair might be.

She swings her leg off over the side leaving the bike propped up on it's stand. The helmet goes ontop of her seat so that she can focus her attention on the cooler. "It's kind of hot and I know dad always sweats a lot when he works in the garage, which is ew, but I figured you might be hot too so I brought drinks! And some cookies." Her voice lowers, and she conspiratorially whispers, "They're made by Batman's butler or something, a friend hooked me up."

The cooler is flipped open with flourish to reveal a tray of said cookies wrapped neatly in saran wrap. It's pulled out in one hand, while the other sweeps over the iced bottles inside. "And Jarritos!" Here she pauses a second. A glance toward Robbie, then toward Rien, then back to the shop of other workers. Finally she looks back to Robbie with a concerned little frown. "That's not insulting is it? I mean I'm not trying to be racist I just really like these sodas to begin with and the bodega had a sale on them."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's gaze sneaks back to the blonde when she gets that look on her face. Like some kind of sixth sense; or maybe it's just how quiet she is today. Concern's stitched between his slightly furrowed brows. "Sure, I can take a look this afternoon. Get it back to you by tomorrow?"

And then Gabby's talking about cookies, which is a fairly foolproof way to get his attention. "Yeah?" He even smiles. Well, almost. "Don't worry about it." He waves off her concern about the drinks, and hitches his chin toward the shop. "Lemme finish up with this compressor, and I'll meet you around back? I've got a half hour." He's already starting to back up, hands jammed into his coveralls' pockets.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Sounds good. I'll go park it next to the Charger," Rien flashes a quick smile once more, shaking her head at his look, she's fine! Just a momentary flood of information! Walking the bike across to where the Charger is parked, she'll drop the kickstand, then move to help Gabby with a smile, "C'mon, lets go set up in the back while he finishes up." She hips bumps Gabby playfully and grins, hoisting up the coller and tucking it against her hip before motioning for Gabby to lead the way!

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney looks between the two at the look the pair seem to share. Her lips purse, thinning out, but by the time either looks back she's grinning easily again. No need to let on that she's on to them. They both needed cheering up. "Right! I might need a once over of my bike, too. I haven't had it out in awhile." It was probably fine though. Seriously. Either way she's quick to nod and start pushing her bike to the back as well. "All right, we'll be waiting!"

Hurrying to join Rien again she plants her bike next to her sisters. Just in time for Rien to join her with that hip bump earning a laugh. "God, I'm not being too stupid, am I?" A little look of chagrin creeps over her at this. It doesn't stop her from heading for where there's a little bench and table combo meant for the staff to take breaks at. "Yeah, let's do that. Those cookies are suppoesd to be magically good. Not actual magic. But baking can be magic." With a solemn nod she sweeps her gloved hand over the table several times to knock off any dust or leaves that might be lingering there.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie watches both of them wheel their bikes into the lot, his expression becoming pensive, distant. Like he's seeing right through them and focused on something else entirely, for a moment there. It takes one of the other mechanics slapping him across the back as he passes, to get his attention. "Hey, come on Reyes, get a move on. Your girlfriends can wait. Rolling his eyes, Robbie elbows his way past to go finish up with the Chevy.

He's out in a few minutes, as promised. And it's warm enough for him to unzip the top of his coveralls and tie the arms around his waist, exposing the ink scrawled along both arms. On the left, a quite detailed arrow whose point hits his wrist; and on the right, a set of Roman numerals across his knuckles. As for what's hidden under his tee shirt, who the hell knows.

"Real nice of you to bring me this," he tells Gabby, dropping into a seat at the table beside her. He starts digging his pack of smokes out of a back pocket of his coveralls as they set up.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Bah, not stupid at all, Gabs. It was nice of you to think to bring snacks to the shop! I don't think he gets that many friendly visitors, so it's probably a little strange to him that these two weird chicks keep showing up and hanging around. But it'll get through to him sooner or later," Rien smiles brightly towards Gabby as they head towards the back and start setting up at the picnic table. She chuckles at the talk of the cookies and gives a nod, "Baking is magic. Food sorcery. I'm still amazed at some of the things you can do with pastry, and I'm French."

When Robbie comes back out, Rien offers a quick smile towards him but stays pretty quiet, just watching the pair of them together. She fishes out one of the soda's and twists the cap off, taking a swallow.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Yeah, thought as much. It's the least I could do to bring snacks though," Gabby adds with a faint nod. The plate of cookies is put front and center of the table. Just as she's carefully wiggling the saran wrap off pinched between to fingers, Robbie comes out again earning a wide grin. "No problem! I thought you could use a pick-me-up. And these *are* famous cookies that I promise I did not bake. I usually get bored and things end up burning when I try to cook. So it's totally safe to eat I swear." She'd also kept Laura away from them so there were no additions of Habanero sauce poured ontop or some other sinful culinary abomination.

Grabbing a soda of her own she plunks down to sit fiddling with the cap while watching the pair. "So. Do you two want to talk about it?" Frowning she looks between the pair. "I've been to Limbo before. I know stuff like what you went through can hit hard. Anything I can do to help...?"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"No," Robbie says quickly, cutting a sharp look to Gabby when she asks her question. "I, uh." Yeah, that came out a little more obtuse than he perhaps intended. "I mean, maybe later. Maybe we can talk about it later. It's.. it's a lot." He runs his tonguetip along his lower lip, then glances away from the younger woman. After a minute, he seems to remember he had a cigarette to smoke. No lighter required; he ignites it with his fingers, and brings it to his lips for a drag.

"Famous, huh?" he notes of the cookies. "Well, I ain't heard of them, so they can't be that famous." He reaches for one though, and takes a large bite, dropping crumbs everywhere.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien clucks her tongue at Robbie, "That's because you haven't been to Gotham. These cookies are an amazingly well-kept secret, but famous amongst the super community in the know. I've heard of them but never had them. Asking Batman if he can bring some of his butler's cookies is just... odd." She falls silent after a moment, sipping on the soda absently before finally looking sharply back towards Robbie at his vehement denial.

Turning towards Gabby she smiles softly, "He's right that it's a lot. It gets very strange and the processing of everything that occurred... that's why I wans't answering you before. It was... very heavy. I'm still not completely there yet, but when I'm at a point where I'm comfortable with what happened, I will gladly talk to you about it." Rien lets out a breath and murmurs, "It's very strange that dying 58 times in a row is the LESSER of the two oddities..."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney reaches out to touch Robbie's arm lightly at his sudden denial of wanting to talk. A little squeeze is given before she drops her hand away again to reach for one of those supposedly famous cookies. They were delicious. Alfred had baked them after all. "It's okay. Just know that I can offer an ear any time you might need. Or a distraction otherwise," she adds with a grin as the cookie in question is held up. "Famous to those who know about them! I hear he doesn't share the recipe with anyone." Nodding solemnly she takes a bite of her own cookie with a little sniff at the air. Maybe it had to do with that bit of flame to light the cigarette, or the cigarette itself. Either way her nose does that little wriggle thing she hadn't gotten used to yet. When Rien agrees with her assessment of the cookies she just grins more.

But, there were more serious things going on too. "Okay. Same goes for you of course, Rien. We actually have a psychiatrist on staff... I mean he's not a bad guy at all but... Ah, nevermind. I get it. I can't understand what either of you went through. But I WILL listen if you need." A pause, and then she goes, "So. Did either of you know why a chicken coop only has two doors?"

A bite of cookie is taken, chewed, and then she blurts out, "Because if it had more doors it'd be a chicken sedan."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
There's a snort of wry amusement from the young mechanic when Rien mentions the body bridge incident. Head down, he shoves the remainder of the cookie in his mouth and chews on it, chipmunk cheeked, before swallowing. "You're right, they're real good," he tells Gabby, nudging her with his elbow and meeting her gaze a moment.

A drag off his cigarette, and then he's reaching for another cookie, and cramming that one into his mouth, too. Which is about when Gabby mentions 'other distractions'. He sputters on the cookie, barely managing to get it down in time for her joke. Which earns a grimace and, "Really?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien smiles at Gabby and gives a nod, "I'll probably be talking to Jon in the next few weeks. After they get back from their very well-deserved vacation." She takes another sip from her soda and smiles, "You need to start telling me stuff you want for your birthday, Gabrielle Howlett. I am looking forward to spoiling you for your birthday."

Looking over to Robbie, she sticks out her tongue, "You know it's true. The spike pit was far easier than the pearly gates." Then she's shaking her head again and ducking her head, trying to hide her laughter, though her shoulders are shaking.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney takes the nudge from Robbie with a grin. Cookies = success! The groan in response to her joke just earns a bigger grin from her in triumph, and hey, at least Rien found it amusing. "Sorry, I grew up around a lot of lab geeks. Dumb dad jokes are about all I know."

Tilting her head toward Rien she contemplates the idea of her birthday. "It's not till August, but... I'll try to think of something. I had a blast last year! We rented out the Put-Put Adventure-Station for the night. It was great. I got a stuffed honey badger and adoption papers for a real one kept at a wildlife rehab place in Africa. And my bike. And the gatling gun."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
When the pair start talking about birthdays, it's Robbie's turn to go quiet. Maybe he's making a mental note about August, maybe he's just enjoying the cookies and the cigarette, or maybe his mind's somewhere else entirely. "Those are some gifts," he remarks, sounding impressed.

A flick of his thumb against the end of the cigarette to loosen some ash, and then he's going to snag another cookie with the same hand. No more comments on their recent misadventures, though. Just a flick of his eyes to Rien, then down again while he chews and swallows.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney props her elbows on the table a little with her chin leaned on a fist. "Yeah, I've been pretty lucky to have friends that have deep pockets. ... I've also kind of done some stuff that's.... Not illegal, entirely, but paid good. I kind of house sat someone's pet tiger once. That paid good." It's her turn to consider a moment quietly before looking to Robbie with a grin. "What about you? When's your birthday? We should do something fun for you, too. You got any siblings we can help spoil?"

Really she didn't know much about Robbie past their interactions fighting against zombies, or getting Rien's bike repaired. Now was as good a time as any to ask about other things.

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"Hmmmm... would you want a replacement bike, or a car?" Rien seems to be considering things, then smiles, "I'm wondering if we couldn't rent out the boardwalk for an evening... I would suggest a club, but until you turn twenty-one that would be sort of... eh. But the boardwalk is fun for all ages." She sips from her soda, "And there's that special gift that we have to sit down and get done."

She flicks a glance towards Robbie, just long enough to catch his own gaze, then they're both looking away again. But when Gabby asks about his birthday and siblings, a smile curves her lips.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Robbie's got a funny look on his face when the pair start discussing vehicles for birthdays. Not envy, not jealousy; merely the look of someone who is very, very out of place. He's having a good week, after all, if he can keep the electricity running in his tiny little dive of an apartment; never mind buying new things.

He takes a long, deep drag off his cigarette and tips his head back to exhale smoke away from both of them. "Boardwalk sounds nice," he agrees. And, with a bit of a squint at Gabby, "How old you turning?"

He seems to realise then that she asked *him* a question. Couple of them, really, though he dodges neatly around the birthday one. "Got a little brother," he confides. "Name's Gabe."

Gabby Kinney has posed:
"Gabe!?" This was, it seemed, particularily good news for Gabby. Somehow. Her legs bounce beneath the table causing the seat to shake a little as she laughs. "That's awesome, we're name twinsies! I'm Gabrielle. Just everyone calls me Gabby because I usually don't shut up." At least she's upfront about how she got the nickname. Without skipping a beat she adds, "We should meet him sometime! I mean, if we're not gonna weird him out. I can tone things down too," she assures with a slightly troubled look of her own. Normal things. She knew of them but it seemed so far removed sometimes.

Recalling she hadn't answered his question she jerks her head up again. "Oh, I'll be eighteen. I mean, I may already be for all I know, I had to just pick a date for my birthday and it seemed like a good date at the time. I don't really know since... clone and all." Her hands spread in a helpless shrug. "So I'm saying eighteen by August." A glance back to Rien has her contemplating the whole car thing. "Boardwalk could be fun. Even if we just go hang out for the day."

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
"I'd like to meet Gabe at some point too, but we can do that when Robbie feels comfortable bring him around us. We might upset him if we come off too strongly," Rien smiles towards Gabby softly, lifting a small shrug. "And the boardwalk it is. I'll get with Laura and Tim and see if we can't arrange it." Sipping again on her soda, she falls quiet again for a few moments, letting Robbie and Gabby talk for a bit.

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Yeah, Gabe." Robbie watches the talkative brunette with something like suspicion. Does she know him? How would she know him? To say he's overprotective where his brother's concerned, would be an understatement.

"Uh.." He ashes his cigarette off to one side, still gazing at her with that slight pull to his jaw. "Yeah. Yeah, I don't see why not." Thankfully, Rien saves him by diverting the conversation away from his brother and back onto the birthday party. He shoots her a faint smile.

Then, "Eighteen?" he murmurs, toying with the idea of one more cookie. "Wow. I guess it's a big one, huh?" Well, at least he isn't the youngest one here.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney actually scrunches her shoulders up with a little bow of her head at the talk of 'when things are comfortable'. "Right, sorry. I get carried away sometimes. I also like meeting new people, but yeah no rush or anything I mean." The topic of birthdays again earns a quick look from Gabby, too. Apparently she just needed a little nudge to get back to a safer to discuss topic.

"Most of my birthdays feel big. I didn't get a party of any sort until I was sixteen. I feel like I need to make up for it, you know? All the stuff I missed out on. Party hats, noise makers, all that stuff." The idea of a pinata comes to mind and she opens her mouth to speak--but thinks better of it. Knowing the people she knew it would become some ammo-laden thing. Again.

"But, um, yeah. You should come along, too. I'd love to have you there!"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Reaching out, Rien nudges at Gabby's hand, "Nothing wrong with being excited, Gabs. We're just still new to Robbie, and he seems like a pretty private person. So we should probably give him a little time to get used to us." She smiles at her sister, "Nothing to be worried over, though. I'm sure he'll let us know when he's ready." Her gaze flicks to Robbie, "Sorry, don't mean tto talk about you like you aren't right here."

Then she's pausing for a long moment and glancing back to Robbie, "That said, Gabe would be welcome to come to Gabby's party, too. He might enjoy the boardwalk, and if you're with him you can make sure that we don't oversaturate him." Looking back to Gabby, she smiles, "Shall we get you streamers and a party clown?"

Robbie Reyes has posed:
"Hey," Robbie murmurs, giving Gabby's shoulder another bump. This one gentler, and briefly accompanied by his fingertips touching the back of her hand. "It's fine. Promise."

Then he goes for the cookie, devouring it in two bites, and dusting a few crumbs off his tee shirt. "Makes sense," he continues, "Must've been real hard, not getting to be a kid." He sends her another lingering glance, then checks his watch and frowns. "I gotta get back." Starting to his feet, he chuckles at Rien's suggestion that his brother would be 'oversaturated'. "Gabe loves parties. He's, uh. You know, a people person." Unlike Robbie.

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney smiles at the nudge to her hand from Rien to reassure her, along with a nod of agreement. She could be a bit much at times. She's put even more at ease by Robbie's touch though. At least until it gazes the back of her hand earning a rather silly grin, and a quick that she attempts to hide by laughing. "All right, I'll quit worrying so much. Thanks, both of you. And yeah of course he's welcome too." Another quick gulp of her drink is taken to wash down any other babbling she might have.

When Robbie gets up to his feet she jumps to hers with another bobbing nod. "Right, don't want to keep you from work. Thanks for hanging out a bit, Robbie." For just a moment her body jerks in place starting then stopping a motion. Then restarting it to reach out and give Robbie a quick hug and release unless he stops her.

Either way she whirls around to busy herself with cleaning up the table and leftovers of cookies right after. "I'll just get this cleaned up and get out of your hair for awhile and catch you later. You want anymore cookies, Rien?"

Rien D'Arqueness has posed:
Rien smiles, "Good, then you'll bring him to Gabby's party and he can have fun? We'll make sure to have all the fun foods and games and stuff going." Rising up at a bit more casual of a pace, she shakes her head at Gabby and smiles, "Nah, cherie, I'm good. Why not let Robbie take them into the shop and share with the others? I bet they could all use a really good cookie to help them get through the day. We can pick up the platter when we get the bikes."

Looking back to Robbie, she smiles, "Tomorrow then?" She motions to where her and Gabby's bikes are parked. "And thank you for letting us sit with you for a bit. Hope the rest of the day goes smooth for you."

Robbie Reyes has posed:
Gabby's energetic warmth is infectious; the at times sullen mechanic can't help but crack a smile as she talks and talks and barely seems able to contain herself around him. "You got it, chica," he agrees, watching her quizzically at the start and stop. But it ends with a hug, and he wraps an arm around her to give her a squeeze.

"Thanks again for the cookies. And the talk." His gaze shifts to Rien, and lingers there while she speaks. "Hey, the guys sure as hell won't turn down free cookies. You both gonna be okay getting home?"

Gabby Kinney has posed:
Gabby Kinney pauses at Rien's suggestion simply staring at the plate. "Oh, right! Yeah that would be good. I probably don't need to be eating anymore cookies right now myself. Not that it'd hurt me, but I should get some actual healthy-ish stuff in me. Pheebs is always nagging me about eating vegetables."

The plate is held out to Robbie in offering with a grin. "Share around then! You can return the plate later, it's cool. And..." She looks back toward Rien with a simple nod. "I think we'll be okay. She's good at getting us places when we need. Or walking. I can do that too."