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 Posted: Fri May 07, 2010 11:11 am
The librarian received a rather strange look from the girl. "Borrowed or...something like that." There wasn't much else you could do besides borrow, unless it was flat out borrowing without consent. Which last she checked was stealing. The salesman hadn't noticed the strange comment as much, or if he had, he didn't seem to really care. He did meet all sorts of different types in his line of work. Sadly, this even included the audience of nerds that wished for their cars from the used car lot to become giant robots.
Hesitantly, the tomboy went back to work with her analysis, only to get cut short by another comment. "I would look absolutely ridiculous in that." Immediately, she slammed down the hood and simply moved onto the next car. Obviously something aesthetically bothered Mr. Darrow about the vehicle. Though if it was the color, she might have to give him a punch in the arm later.
Color was such an easy fix in the scheme of things.
Though his daughter gave up on the newer car so easily and began to move forward, Ed gave the nicer car one more chance. "Maybe you should sit behind the wheel first before you make that decision? I can even take a quick picture of you behind the wheel so you can see how you look in it." Ah, cellphone cameras were such a convenience.
From the new car she was at, Ellie couldn't help but shake her head in amusement at her father's antics.
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 10:18 am
The Librarian glanced at Ellie when she slammed the hood down, wincing. He hoped he wasn't being too picky, and wondered if he should just go for this one. Though, it was a bit too steep in price for him to feel comfortable buying. Just to get too and from work, where monsters liked to play? Considering how his last car died, he was hardly inclined to get something nice.
"N-no, I don't think that's necessary," Tony said, actually blushing a bit at the idea of sitting at the wheel and taking a picture. That was too much for him, and he shook his head, "I'm sure I can't afford this one, anyway. It's probably better that we don't... take any pictures..."
He followed after Ellie, to discourage further conversation about the flashy car. He was a simple man, with simple tastes, he reminded himself. He couldn't let himself get distracted by cars that were beginning to appeal to his pre-midlife crisis existence.
"I'm just looking for something durable and simple. Aesthetics don't matter that much, so long as it's not... silly, or something. This one looks okay? Like the beat up one back there, that would be fine. Something like these." He offered, trying to be helpful.
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 9:44 pm
Ed got credit for trying. Yet the score was still Tony 3, Ed 0. This score was mostly due to the efforts of his daughter. Sometimes it paid to have a mechanic-in-training for a daughter, and other times it just kicked you in the a**.
Right now, it felt like he was getting kicked in the a**, but he figured that his daughter, in the end, was going to make the sale for him. Ellie rarely let him down.
The librarian slid up behind the tomboy as she was staring at something problematic. Her expression clearly showed that there was something wrong with this car, yet the man insisted that this car looked okay?
First, she pointed out what she had observed in the short while she had known Mr. Darrow. "You sure say 'something' a lot for a guy who works in a library." Ellie wasn't past stereotyping. She was full of stereotypes in fact. One of those included librarians being nerdy folks who had a wonderful grasp on the English language. Even if Mr. Darrow didn't wear glasses and a pocket protector, he still should have had a better vocabulary at least.
This coming from the girl who hated English class with a passion. There was something sad in the fact she was pointing this out.
Regardless, she then literally pointed behind the tire she was looking at. "And no, this one isn't okay. Unless you want brake failure and to crash somewhere." She stood up, clapping her hands together to get rid of any asphalt dust from her fingers. Ellie could have lectured this man about doing his research. However, her golden eyes met his green ones and she knew that if she said one word along those lines, she'd probably lose her dad a customer.
"Let's just check out the next one." The girl easily shoved her hands in her pockets and walked to the next car. She continued to assist, easily pointing out flaws as she saw them. There were a few cars that gained Ellie's stamp of approval, but none were nearly as good a find as that relatively untouched car from earlier.
Ed had somewhat lingered behind, letting the mechanic do the sale for him at this point. Yet after practically strolling through the whole lot, he finally pushed himself back in the conversation with a simple question. "So, anything in particular catch your eye, Tony?" He gave a big grin, which matched the same quality of grin that his daughter was frequently seen wearing.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 10:30 am
Tony sighed, shaking his head slowly. He wondered why he was being shown these things, if they were terrible. He also wondered why they were being sold at all, but it occurred to him that some people liked to fix up cars. He didn't, but that wasn't the point. The world didn't revolve around him.
Though, it would be much easier if it did.
Following her, he frowned, thinking he might have to go with the car from before. He wondered for a moment if he should go some place else, but doubted there was much point. And anyway, it would just be more walking.
"I... I suppose the one from back there..." he said vaguely, not wanting to commit to the more expensive car unless he was certain. But the more he saw of the others, the more he found that the nearly new car might be best. That, or the battered one they had examined just before that. He rubbed his arm thoughtfully.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 12:33 pm
The girl could see from the look in her father's eyes that the gears in his head were turning. It was never a good sign for a customer. Before her Dad could get a word in edgewise, Ellie was already trying to shuffle Tony back towards the front, suggesting "Let's go take another look at the car you were looking at."
She understood how he was being vague, and more importantly, why the librarian was being vague. Even though her father was obviously gunning to sell that practically new car, the pair walked right past it again as Ellie led the way back to the first "good car" they had seen.
"It's got no bells and whistles, so you should take a good look of your own and see how well it suits you, Mr. Darrow." Casually, she slipped a pat across his shoulder as her dad trailed up behind them.
Fortunately, Ed was behind them, for he began to do that little nervous habit of his, which consisted of him chewing slightly at the little hairs growing from his chin. Goatee chewing was probably one of the few ways you could tell the salesman was worrying, so he tried to sneak it in only when the customers weren't paying attention.
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Posted: Mon May 10, 2010 2:24 pm
Tony followed Ellie, glad to be back with the car with the distinguished dents and noble wear and tear. Maybe Tony was just projecting himself, and the things he had been involved in recently, on to the car. The librarian, after all, was older. Maybe a bit 'out of date', as it were. He was banged up, but still good. Dependable.
Tony was looking for himself in a car? He needed to get more sleep.
When she patted his shoulder, Tony looked at Ellie, nodding. He moved closer to the car, now getting the nerve to actually inspect it for himself. He noted how easily it might be broken into, and how much work getting the radio out would be, as well as if it could be hot wired very easily. It seemed to satisfy him enough on these fronts, nothing spectacular or alluring about it, and a bit too much work to break into.
He wouldn't bother with it, if he were out stealing cars, but then he wasn't the kind to take them or part them. Still, it was satisfactory.
"I think I like this car," he said, looking at them, first Ellie, then Ed. "Is there any kind of warranty or guarantee? Or is this one of those 'you buy it, you're stuck with it' kind of deals?" It was a bit more frank than he was used to being, but he had his heckles up.
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 12:59 am
Ellie's work here was done. She watched curiously as Mr. Darrow did his inspection. There was something a bit weird with his inspection, but she couldn't quite place her finger on what was really making it come across as weird.
"Well, it sounds like Dad has it from here. I think I'm going to head back." This was the part of the business that Ellie wasn't all that keen on. Where you talk about the nitty gritty details of the whole ordeal. The haggling, the talk about all the paperwork, and as it had just been mentioned, the warranty.
Ed waved a hand at his daughter, mentally switching over the shark mode. To make certain that he didn't get the wrong paperwork, he pulled the little sticker pouch from the window and signaled for Tony to come with him back to the office.
Ellie was already running back to the building, hoping to get out before her dad made his way in. She managed to hear him say something along the lines of "Let's talk about that when we get in my office. All of that is in the paperwork, and I'll go over that with you there!" She easily zipped through the cubicles, snatched up her helmet, and soon enough was zipping back out again.
She managed to catch her dad and Mr. Darrow as they were just entering the building.
"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Darrow. See you at home later, Dad!" It went unmentioned that later would probably be the "next day" variety of later.
Ed let out a simple "See you around, kiddo!" He nudged her arm with a faint friendly punch before he glanced towards the customer.
The last thing Ellie could hear as the door to the building swung shut behind her was "Alright, let's get down to business."
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Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 11:28 pm
Tony smiled, nodding his head when she said she would be heading off. He felt a bit more comfortable now, like he could handle himself with Ed, but he still appreciated her help. He wouldn't if the car proved to be a lemon, but for now he kept the hope that she had helped him make a good choice. He'd send them a thank you card, or something, if the car worked out for him.
Because he really needed a car, and anyone who helped him in that deserved a card, at least.
They were heading to the building, to hammer out the final details, Tony asking some simple questions and Ed telling him they would deal with it inside. He smiled when Ellie passed them once again, nodding his head to return the sentiment. It had been nice meeting them both.
He had to admit, though, that it would be better driving away from them. Nothing personal, of course: he was just really, really looking forward to driving home and not walking.
It was tiring.
So he followed Ed inside so the two could work out the final deal, surprisingly not compromising too much on the amount he was willing to pay, or the warranty he expected. It seemed even awkward, unsure Tony had some hard lines drawn for himself. But he was amiable and tried not to make Ed's life miserable, offering him a handshake when the deal was done and the paper's signed.
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